tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1076734096039081482024-02-18T21:23:24.281-06:00TK on ToastQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-42794340002842922802009-09-01T08:46:00.006-05:002009-09-01T09:07:48.296-05:00Favorite Sports Phrases: Baseball<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuQeQPtOKAegAcYF6GRN6Oa64xFp1IuAsM6cxcpqnmlWaOk2Z9iL5lQMLY-Sg1Npvs6o0mzb05EfwjD2Adc4bNMOZxtF5EVIGHGM-ILtaCjxvo7wnF2_G1ug_nyYGnYCDaUTXVSAdmpC0/s1600-h/baseball_equipment_250x251.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuQeQPtOKAegAcYF6GRN6Oa64xFp1IuAsM6cxcpqnmlWaOk2Z9iL5lQMLY-Sg1Npvs6o0mzb05EfwjD2Adc4bNMOZxtF5EVIGHGM-ILtaCjxvo7wnF2_G1ug_nyYGnYCDaUTXVSAdmpC0/s320/baseball_equipment_250x251.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376500449466221698" /></a><br /><br /><em>*This is the first in a four-part series detailing some of my favorite sayings in the sports world. Each entry will have the meaning behind it (for those who don’t know it) as well as a personal anecdote to go with it.</em><br /><br />As I was watching the Twins game on TV this weekend (yes, I’m still watching and holding out hope), I noticed just how many slang terms and phrases are used to describe the actions and events taking place. It led me to try and come up with a list of my 10 favorite phrases in the game, so here they are, in no particular order:<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>“A Great Piece of Hitting”</strong><br />This is a phrase that is used by the Twins broadcasting team ad nauseam (and the reason for this four-part series). Any time a player works a count, fights off some pitches, or hits the ball the other way, someone in the FSNorth broadcast booth will tell us that it was “a great piece of hitting”. Despite the overuse by those gentlemen, it’s still a great phrase. As a bonus, if you’re hanging out with peers who have a limited knowledge of baseball (not recommended), using this saying at the right time will make you sound more baseball savvy—even if you’re not.<br /><br /><strong>“The Golden Sombrero”</strong><br />The term given to a player who strikes out four times in one game. The background to this one is the best part about it in my mind. It starts with three strikeouts being referred to, ironically, as a “hat trick”, which was shortened to “the hat”. A sombrero is a giant hat—as is striking out four times. The golden part tells you just how special this accomplishment is. There’s nothing I like better than calling a friend and saying something like “Did you see A Rod got the Sombrero last night.” Classic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEqotJHi2vXV9Iwe4rvPmDjsPi5oyHqXGe_u2MqCYCAINCZXdeFabUJiRj05FJggghTBwfXjL1cwuEt1HY6MxBtE-fjwGk5BrmcKj-JUGPCwt1NO5GY7lZhbLXLPR2581Ell7A9pSj0W3/s1600-h/alg_arod-strikeout.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEqotJHi2vXV9Iwe4rvPmDjsPi5oyHqXGe_u2MqCYCAINCZXdeFabUJiRj05FJggghTBwfXjL1cwuEt1HY6MxBtE-fjwGk5BrmcKj-JUGPCwt1NO5GY7lZhbLXLPR2581Ell7A9pSj0W3/s320/alg_arod-strikeout.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376499865063596738" /></a><br /><em>Time for a new hat, Alex</em><br /><br /><strong>“Pulled the String”</strong><br />This is a term that describes a slow pitch known as a changeup. The imagery associated with this phrase is what led to it being included on the list. If you’ve ever seen a really good pitcher, who throws a hard fastball, confuse and embarrass a hitter by changing speeds by upwards of 20 mph, then you understand why this saying is so appropriate. There was no one better in recent history at “pulling the string” than Johan Santana. Man, that guy was fun to watch.<br /><br /><strong>“Punch and Judy Hitter”</strong><br />One of the many nicknames given to scrappy, light hitting players (usually middle infielders) whose only hits seem to be bloop hits and infield singles. Using this phrase to describe a hitter means you probably think very little of their ability at the dish. See: Punto, Nick.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG2EUFdxnXLUamelC5zisOH9mnW_4nV-HnKy3GBDYmUYTBQRi3SGqEU6YcMCtTvEooS3TgHS0WCDHn6gW8HTMTLj2oOb5nmGhj03JwFm052VEC7ws4h04jXPV0pjBIkLRMfRyQ5EDYhNo/s1600-h/punto.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG2EUFdxnXLUamelC5zisOH9mnW_4nV-HnKy3GBDYmUYTBQRi3SGqEU6YcMCtTvEooS3TgHS0WCDHn6gW8HTMTLj2oOb5nmGhj03JwFm052VEC7ws4h04jXPV0pjBIkLRMfRyQ5EDYhNo/s320/punto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376499474762761554" /></a><br /><em>This picture should be next to "Punch and Judy Hitter" in the dictionary</em><br /><br /><strong>“Taking the Collar”</strong><br />This refers to a player going hitless in a game. The background to this phrase comes from the belief that if you’re a professional baseball player you should be able to get a hit at least once each game and if you don’t, you choked. That’s where the “collar” comes from—it represents the tightening around the neck. Of course, even the best hitters in the game occasionally go 0-fer, but it’s still a fun saying. I love it when someone on Baseball Tonight tells me “Derek Jeter took the collar tonight”.<br /><br /><strong>“Duck Fart”/“Dying Quail”/“Groundball with Eyes”</strong><br />All of these phrases are used to describe a weak/lucky hit. The first two are in reference to a soft hit that lands just past the infield. If you can actually picture a quail flying through the air, dying, and then falling to the ground, you have an image of what one of these hits looks like. The third phrase describes a groundball that seems to know where it’s going and can avoid your glove. For me (copyright Randy Jackson), these phrases will forever be immortalized by Kevin “Crash Davis” Costner’s speech in Bull Durham.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHhY8So5ecQZc0L-YKdhPEfGp-0hV7p4DJvUySwHcPghzopIsS-ec9RDlBiqxDDigzmIsIFQLzdRLljNggclvf_32Tpsw08aix1_GJs0Kf1PfHZQf-LatAz3s9v6oo4ZCdGr12mVki6lx/s1600-h/bull-durham-after-home-run.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHhY8So5ecQZc0L-YKdhPEfGp-0hV7p4DJvUySwHcPghzopIsS-ec9RDlBiqxDDigzmIsIFQLzdRLljNggclvf_32Tpsw08aix1_GJs0Kf1PfHZQf-LatAz3s9v6oo4ZCdGr12mVki6lx/s320/bull-durham-after-home-run.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376499055594672658" /></a><br /><em>He hit the bull...</em><br /><br /><strong>“Human Rain Delay”</strong><br />This describes a pitcher or batter that takes too much time in between pitches. Whether it’s the pitcher wandering around the mound after each pitch and taking his time once he’s actually on the mound or a batter who steps out after every pitch to readjust every part of his equipment (Nomar Garciaparra was the worst at this), this player causes the game to come to a standstill. It’s as if the game is in a rain delay and not being played at all—hence the phrase.<br /><br /><strong>“Get Me Over”</strong><br />This refers to a pitch that is meant to simply get over the plate for a strike so that the batter isn’t walked. Most pitchers throw “get me over” fastballs with runners on and a 3-0 count, though some will throw a “get me over” curveball as well. This has always been a favorite saying of mine for a couple reasons. One, it’s often a recipe for disaster: middle of the order hitters feast on “get me over” fastballs, and there’s nothing cooler than a long home run. Two, the phrase itself makes me smile. It kind of implies that the pitcher is talking to the ball and trying to will it over the plate (which might have actually been the case when Mark Fidrych was pitching).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ii5nj4_hVZjAgN4NAbzxxG2maHQxOkdLKyFSuxjkLMj8aiwXmbPBPHlibFFhDbnJrou-NNpPNV8yg9MxOUOpmbbV6q3jMDDt49QBXyWPqeI2lvtlYXxlxkJyLtzIiN0jXZ1cyChQB79b/s1600-h/Mark-Fidrych-ball.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ii5nj4_hVZjAgN4NAbzxxG2maHQxOkdLKyFSuxjkLMj8aiwXmbPBPHlibFFhDbnJrou-NNpPNV8yg9MxOUOpmbbV6q3jMDDt49QBXyWPqeI2lvtlYXxlxkJyLtzIiN0jXZ1cyChQB79b/s320/Mark-Fidrych-ball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376500180921469602" /></a><br /><em>"Bat Sh*t Crazy" personified</em><br /><br /><strong>“Throwing Peas”</strong><br />If a pitcher is “throwing peas”, his ball is moving so fast or cutting so hard that it makes the batter feel like he’s seeing/swinging at peas. This is another phrase that relies on visualization to really understand what is being said. One can imagine just how hard it would be to hit a pea thrown at 90+ mph. Plus, just saying this phrase makes me feel cool—“Man, Verlander was <em>throwing peas</em> last night.” Try it...told ya.<br /><br /><strong>“Uncle Charlie”/“Deuce”/“Hammer”/“Hook”</strong><br />All of these are nicknames for a curve ball. I just love the fact that one pitch can have so many different names (there are plenty more where this came from). This variety of terms allows you to be repetitive without sounding redundant:<br />“Zito’s got his <em>hook </em>working tonight.”<br />“Yeah, his <em>deuce </em>is nasty.”<br />“Did you see the <em>hammer </em>he threw Tulowitzki?”<br />“Yeah, that thing <em>fell off the table</em>.”<br /><br />Well, that’s my list. I know there are a ton of other phrases out there, especially in baseball. Did I leave your favorite off the list? Then post it in the comments section. Coming later this week: basketball phrases.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-2429540630634163672009-08-23T00:00:00.003-05:002009-08-23T00:09:09.846-05:00Picture of the Week<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJBzec-H08JdpNHCAQ6A18NYITOa9nROfv0yI06qmJmSltyUvExR3BFblpAg9yfayv8SEtRpLtHQwHVGZKaShKmP8iH9rTx7GviGHushuLK09b4PP7b_UoxZP6TJQCZgIb878SuMAZlQO/s1600-h/cup.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJBzec-H08JdpNHCAQ6A18NYITOa9nROfv0yI06qmJmSltyUvExR3BFblpAg9yfayv8SEtRpLtHQwHVGZKaShKmP8iH9rTx7GviGHushuLK09b4PP7b_UoxZP6TJQCZgIb878SuMAZlQO/s320/cup.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373021871595179314" /></a><br /><br />Ok, so I'm going to try a new thing here at TKOT. Every Sunday, I want to post a picture and corresponding commentary. It doesn't have to be from the biggest/most important story of the week--just something funny or interesting. As loyal readers, you can help me out with this task. If you find a picture that you deem worthy of Picture of the Week status, email it to me at tkontoast@gmail.com. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and you will be given credit if the picture is used.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Today's picture shows you exactly why women's sports will never gain the respect and adoration that men's sports do (and this coming from a guy who coaches girls basketball). The Solheim Cup is the women's version of the Ryder Cup: a US vs. The World golf competition. Don't worry, you probably haven't ever heard of it. The point of posing this picture (and this rant) is to show you why women's sports are rarely taken seriously. The members of our US team have their faces painted like they're a bunch of 5 year olds at the circus. Would any male in any professional competition ever do this? No, they wouldn't.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-40759635474986539982009-08-20T11:01:00.005-05:002009-08-20T21:57:07.645-05:00Great.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ckf0cadwSM2sffpHxOoV06jWaavNAUg3c8SKOTSPvVUy3ulR4S4I8V-vsfjUa_qDmSYTmpsquQfxn65GMFv4D_KeSoee2oM1DKU2OW6T9AMNNcNSL8VkTj7coTNnXVLCX5159AUDm3k4/s1600-h/BrettPC.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ckf0cadwSM2sffpHxOoV06jWaavNAUg3c8SKOTSPvVUy3ulR4S4I8V-vsfjUa_qDmSYTmpsquQfxn65GMFv4D_KeSoee2oM1DKU2OW6T9AMNNcNSL8VkTj7coTNnXVLCX5159AUDm3k4/s320/BrettPC.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372078353085294018" /></a><br /><br />By now you’ve all heard the news. You’re probably sick of the news. As KFAN’s Dan Cole brilliantly put it, “The Ego has landed.” It’s been a whirlwind couple of days with both local and national media fawning over the Vikings’ newest quarterback. The consensus opinion seems to be that a) this is the biggest signing in the history of the NFL, and b) the Vikings are now the favorites to win the Super Bowl.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />The second statement is, of course, preposterous. The whole circus surrounding #4 is ridiculous in and of itself, but the hype Vikings fans have talked themselves into is insane. Everyone seems to believe that a 40 year old man who recently had his bicep detached and has a tear in his rotator cuff is going to be the savior of the franchise. That a guy who almost single-handedly played the Jets out of a playoff spot last year is going to send the Purple to Miami in February.<br /><br />My favorite part of the argument for Captain Wrangler is that “he’s better than Sage or T Jack.” Well my little brother is a better quarterback than Tarvaris, so that argument holds no weight. The question I have: is The One That Shall Not Be Mentioned really better than Sage Rosenfels? Think about this seriously for a second. Forget about the name, the MVP’s, the Super Bowls, the records—everything from the past. Can the BrettBackers honestly say that the player #4 is <em>right now</em> is truly better than Sage? If you ask me, it’s pretty much a draw. Both guys will make the occasional amazing pass. Both guys will have the occasional brilliant game. Both guys are prone to forcing passes when they’re not there. Both guys are very apt at throwing interceptions, especially late in games.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs8biYXqoGK9LY6f6HlzBU0TzeIWPYQ2ocLVPEvlBvCF3U8Zj3yuaAaL0EOxqIe9Q4LuHpyBFrBADptCOkM3NBz4R5EbObEhO4KHHYy7QWDTADf8Hkwn-RDmnCoGGsTQbZVTYs6z_6TIF/s1600-h/BrettKick.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs8biYXqoGK9LY6f6HlzBU0TzeIWPYQ2ocLVPEvlBvCF3U8Zj3yuaAaL0EOxqIe9Q4LuHpyBFrBADptCOkM3NBz4R5EbObEhO4KHHYy7QWDTADf8Hkwn-RDmnCoGGsTQbZVTYs6z_6TIF/s320/BrettKick.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372078171274202962" /></a><br /><em>Nice kick, dork</em><br /><br />The Purple colored glasses that Vikes fans have put on since Tuesday morning is hindering their ability to rationalize and admit to themselves the truth: this Minnesota Vikings team, with Sage or #4, is likely to win the Central and has an outside chance to make a run in the playoffs. The crazy part to me is that most people understood these expectations up until two days ago. Now we add Brett from Mississippi and all of a sudden we go from a playoff team to a Super Bowl team. Why? Consider the following stats from Gray Beard in recent years:<br /><br /><em>--In 2001, he threw six interceptions (three for TDs) in a 45-17 playoff loss to the Rams.<br />--In 2002, his heavily favored Packers team lost to Mike Vick’s wild-card Falcons (Favre had three turnovers).<br />--In 2003, he basically gave a playoff game away to the Eagles with a classic Brett Favre here-you-go interception. <br />--In 2004, Favre threw four picks to the eight-win Vikings in a wild-card game loss. <br />--In 2005 he was the 31st-rated QB in the NFL and missed the playoffs.<br />--In 2006 he improved, to the 26th-rated QB in the league.<br />--In his 2007 “bounce-back” season (an anomaly compared to everything surrounding it) he ended the Packers season with an interception in OT against the Giants at home.<br />--In 2008, his Jets team went 1-4 in the final 5 games to miss the playoffs.</em><br /><br />That, my friends, is an ugly playoff résumé from the previous eight seasons. Yet the rubes in this town think that this guy is going to be the final piece of the puzzle for playoff success in Minnesota? C’mon. In the past four seasons, Favre has thrown 88 TDs and 84 INTs. Take out his ‘07 “bounce-back” season and those numbers dwindle to 60 TDs and 69 interceptions. In fact, '07 is the only year in the past four where Favre threw more TDs than picks. He led the league in interceptions in ‘05 and ‘08, while being in the top 5 in ’04 and ’06.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVugklQKBVpkT9VC2XUXZHpYX8v6-1tyXIpmyFLhFkpLpiQFOhVQ6rvfHgx8SRipg9LD_wM9AdSeqesfHyMgRD1j-YempbnB1qagx0IvLEKDDFtftMMTn_3AP-IlLexTeDTJzaf6gXODjp/s1600-h/BrettInt.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVugklQKBVpkT9VC2XUXZHpYX8v6-1tyXIpmyFLhFkpLpiQFOhVQ6rvfHgx8SRipg9LD_wM9AdSeqesfHyMgRD1j-YempbnB1qagx0IvLEKDDFtftMMTn_3AP-IlLexTeDTJzaf6gXODjp/s320/BrettInt.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372077947586145090" /></a><br /><em>Yeah, he's great in the clutch...</em><br /><br />This is the guy that everyone rushed to Winter Park to see get out of a car and was followed by local news helicopters. Keep these stats in mind when YOUR new favorite quarterback fails to deliver once again and the Purple are at home wondering what happened.<br /><br /><strong>*Special thanks to friend of TKOT Nate Baraga (and the website he used) for the statistics used in this article.*</strong><br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-50128596190130605622009-07-30T15:33:00.014-05:002009-07-31T13:53:54.954-05:00All Metrodome Team: Visitors<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BpVM_CUOImDg2bgFRwkPSUssNZqMImJFLGGiY0dj00KMNjwM4GUkqrjSeNXtLvDmjeUqi25RkRBHSdCkQbALZPUKPGe9we9hrwdaYj2gbqgvnGaSaF4AHFeQ20p2Eiuv17o-xhRGfqyJ/s1600-h/metrodome_logo.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BpVM_CUOImDg2bgFRwkPSUssNZqMImJFLGGiY0dj00KMNjwM4GUkqrjSeNXtLvDmjeUqi25RkRBHSdCkQbALZPUKPGe9we9hrwdaYj2gbqgvnGaSaF4AHFeQ20p2Eiuv17o-xhRGfqyJ/s320/metrodome_logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364357540908064626" /></a><br /><br />As odd as it seems, the Minnesota Twins have been spending all season trying to make its fan base nostalgic about the Metrodome—even though it’s a dump of a stadium with uncomfortable seats that don’t always face the action. They’ve done promotions, give aways, countdowns, etc. to try and convince everyone that we should feel sad about leaving the Big Inflatable Toilet, before they hype everyone up on Target Field. One of the ways they are doing this is by naming the All Metrodome Team. This team is supposedly comprised of the best (and most liked since it’s voted on by the fans) Twins players at each position from 1982, when the Dome opened, to 2009. Well, I believe that any make believe team needs to have a make believe opponent. So after the jump, I will unveil my All Metrodome Team…the visiting team, that is. This team is made up of players who have absolutely destroyed the Twins during the Metrodome era.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Let me preface this by saying that I don’t have official stats for any of these guys (I tried, believe me, but I’m not so great on the Internets). I’m basing my selections based solely on my knowledge and watching 150+ Twins games a year for the last 10-15 years. This should explain why everyone on this team played post-1990: I don’t have the memory or the stats to include anyone from the 80’s.<br /><br /><strong>*UPDATE: Thanks to a loyal reader, I have now added some statistics to go with my selections. These are their career numbers against the Twins.</strong><br /><br /><strong>First Base: Jim Thome</strong><br /><strong>185 G, .313 BA, .632 SLG, 57 HR, 142 RBI, 1.044 OPS, 202 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00X5504eXeO1J8P5gB3uI71vs3QzEZFpceIvQWYNdUF5CzLi9O-_5qFxV2Su5AyXunRrPwSw7z2c02tFWyTLDftxNuBsKM3U2SjaI0MCCMjyfM8j8vnggtRvtn2PEVSqBwd1nESMTfo-H/s1600-h/thome.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00X5504eXeO1J8P5gB3uI71vs3QzEZFpceIvQWYNdUF5CzLi9O-_5qFxV2Su5AyXunRrPwSw7z2c02tFWyTLDftxNuBsKM3U2SjaI0MCCMjyfM8j8vnggtRvtn2PEVSqBwd1nESMTfo-H/s320/thome.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364357110390790882" /></a><br /><br />Whether he was playing for the Indians or the White Sox, Thome has spent most of his career in the AL Central and has been punishing Twins pitching the entire time. With his patented aim the bat at you pose and giant uppercut swing, Jim is in the top 3 or 4 for homeruns hit against the Twins in team history. If it was a key situation where a homerun would tie or give the other team the lead, and Thome was up, you may as well have walked away from the TV so you didn’t have to see the inevitable.<br /><br /><strong>Second Base: Ray Durham</strong><br /><strong>105 G, .280 BA, 22 2B, 17 SB, 112 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxFLtyzFa6ZVKs3Vb6mbB08VNB68FRsnzmroiPaJrNuMzJtNcFPqk6RVxNAp-5oAG1OdsnnOMQWFXAL-R8jK4FISI8ZoHPaTs4NGwbKGKwxQjG1XTfiDhABrRKGYGAIr9eNtkrN2Gox_I/s1600-h/durham.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxFLtyzFa6ZVKs3Vb6mbB08VNB68FRsnzmroiPaJrNuMzJtNcFPqk6RVxNAp-5oAG1OdsnnOMQWFXAL-R8jK4FISI8ZoHPaTs4NGwbKGKwxQjG1XTfiDhABrRKGYGAIr9eNtkrN2Gox_I/s320/durham.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364356878024400066" /></a><br /><br />This was one of the easiest selections in my mind—and one of the most frustrating opponents during his time in the bigs. Durham was never an elite player. Sure, he made a couple of All-Star teams, but for the most part he was a stop gap: a player brought in for a year or two because a team thought they were going to make a run or had a younger player who wasn’t quite ready yet. However, I vividly remember Ray hitting double after double against Twins pitching, whether he was in an Oakland uniform, or playing for the hated White Sox. It always sucks when a glorified role player consistently destroys your favorite team.<br /><br /><strong>Shortstop: Carlos Guillen</strong><br /><strong>108 G, .305 BA, .843 OPS, 26 2B, 116 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJiQYyuKtUHKUIcv0I8T-zyjXGs_VWlfqjXvln_os2xm_Tw5rB8JfumIZ8Z7lbcckZO8xQWfrMmm3aDjQCz5er0uA6xHqIZRU4cRDs_fPHniiE5pXKTeeoWgWRdmtkAvUh81CbspbzP4P/s1600-h/guillen.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJiQYyuKtUHKUIcv0I8T-zyjXGs_VWlfqjXvln_os2xm_Tw5rB8JfumIZ8Z7lbcckZO8xQWfrMmm3aDjQCz5er0uA6xHqIZRU4cRDs_fPHniiE5pXKTeeoWgWRdmtkAvUh81CbspbzP4P/s320/guillen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364356651048987010" /></a><br /><br />If there’s one thing Guillen is, it’s a professional hitter (and a below average fielder). Never was that quite so evident than when he would come up against Minnesota late in a close game. It was a virtual certainty that he would find a way to bleed a ball through the infield or rip a double down the line to give the Mariners/Tigers a lead, and likely a victory. A career .288 hitter, I’d bet he’s closer to .350 against the local 9.<br /><br /><strong>Third Base: Casey Blake</strong><br /><strong>97 G, .285 BA, .801 OPS, 23 2B, 110 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSId7hBcbYV35VPzEnHh8IRVXMFYc43puLXY6Fl4zuLUp3He8PhtSbZ7my0xOZdSD7XzSAKIlQmM7zPpFiLrTlJC5e4IIpRCiKCB2oG8cCe0Na-Qy7FwsujV0CEor7VQqN-IgwhN8kgaA/s1600-h/blake.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSId7hBcbYV35VPzEnHh8IRVXMFYc43puLXY6Fl4zuLUp3He8PhtSbZ7my0xOZdSD7XzSAKIlQmM7zPpFiLrTlJC5e4IIpRCiKCB2oG8cCe0Na-Qy7FwsujV0CEor7VQqN-IgwhN8kgaA/s320/blake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364356428468273266" /></a><br /><br />Blake is a very important part of the visiting All-Metrodome Team because not only did he crush Twins fans souls, but he represents a very common theme: former players coming back to Minnesota and dominating. Even though he was an unimpressive minor leaguer before the Twins gave him a couple of shots at being an everyday player in the early 2000’s, Blake seems to have some sort of vendetta against the team. If someone told me that half of his career homeruns came against the Twins, I wouldn’t even bat an eye.<br /><br /><strong>Outfield: Ken Griffey Jr.</strong><br /><strong>137 G, .287 BA, .941 OPS, 42 HR, 116 RBI, 151 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3Mp1y76bVjAcNdZ9FDXWwTmWVu6IvCwx4BE4FDCLvb7VNgwBl2OtU59WW_Ni8qQP9g4-U7IR_ENWgkqhqV7-SnqM3ZKQoomjTgIZtUpB9U3KXkP8DcLDcUwfflnRKk2ntiystE4eRsKg/s1600-h/griffey.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3Mp1y76bVjAcNdZ9FDXWwTmWVu6IvCwx4BE4FDCLvb7VNgwBl2OtU59WW_Ni8qQP9g4-U7IR_ENWgkqhqV7-SnqM3ZKQoomjTgIZtUpB9U3KXkP8DcLDcUwfflnRKk2ntiystE4eRsKg/s320/griffey.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364356188990317282" /></a><br /><br />To be fair, Junior kills just about everybody. There’s a reason why he’s a lock to be a first ballot Hall of Famer and was every kid’s favorite player in the 90’s. But he didn’t have to prove it <em>every time</em> he played against Minnesota? You expect the best players in the league to play well against your team and come up with big hits: that why they’re the best. Still, there wasn’t one pitcher on the Twins staff who wasn’t guaranteed to give up a long ball to Griffey. And if it was a Radke-Griffey Jr. matchup? I don’t think Vegas would even put odds on an HR—it was going to happen. Even now, at the tail end of his career, Griff still destroys the Twins, as evidenced by his short stint with the White Sox last year, and his power resurgence during opening weekend this year.<br /><br /><strong>Outfield: Tim Salmon</strong><br /><strong>105 G, .272 BA, .915 OPS, 25 2B, 100 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5EHmv06uJ6sMvUA-JlIaK4ZZfWA6NHt9euxwl4pPR9N4KblYPW7vDphNs8SvqBe0gQGKrnVBlpulQw3XQEE6Fd-B6wduES_4UPj4RIMjBis-JcxCaywcQxb9zouitoeRyZrVq0CajZyv/s1600-h/salmon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5EHmv06uJ6sMvUA-JlIaK4ZZfWA6NHt9euxwl4pPR9N4KblYPW7vDphNs8SvqBe0gQGKrnVBlpulQw3XQEE6Fd-B6wduES_4UPj4RIMjBis-JcxCaywcQxb9zouitoeRyZrVq0CajZyv/s320/salmon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364355911151836530" /></a><br /><br />Salmon is the only position player on this list who has never played in the AL Central, which makes his inclusion on this team all the more impressive. From his Rookie of the Year campaign in ‘93 until his retirement in 2006, he consistently tore up Twins pitching whenever he got the chance (though he did conveniently stink up the joint in the 2002 ALCS). To be fair, I could include a number of Angels players from that era as well since they, along with the Yankees, were one of the teams the Twins could never beat. But Salmon nudged out Garrett Anderson to get the spot.<br /><br /><strong>Outfield: Albert Belle</strong><br /><strong>107 G, .315 BA, .994 OPS, 38 2B, 97 RBI</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKUHnVdm7s5hM6z3c_9tr8ehaMho3PYSxNs8Sl0nVOITnhWAS9eiKLp-UEJfgOE8f87zCzc7Z-Rt60deDjcBWgLPWO7rb8FxjctsFQw8nez2_bUQ9-IXM3R2gN4luuUCmlDzQolgkCyeF/s1600-h/belle.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKUHnVdm7s5hM6z3c_9tr8ehaMho3PYSxNs8Sl0nVOITnhWAS9eiKLp-UEJfgOE8f87zCzc7Z-Rt60deDjcBWgLPWO7rb8FxjctsFQw8nez2_bUQ9-IXM3R2gN4luuUCmlDzQolgkCyeF/s320/belle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364355646643971986" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of teams that killed the Twins in the late 90’s, here’s the representative from the Cleveland Indians. With a lineup that also included Kenny Lofton, Carlos “One if by land, two if by sea, three if” Baerga, and Manny Ramirez, it was easy to see why they were the class of the American League at the end of the century. Though all of the players listed were studs, no one found the seats more often than Joey. With his big, hulking frame (likely enhanced by steroids) and huge, powerful swing (using a bat that was likely corked), Al spent a lot of time in the Dome lightly jogging around the base paths. And yes, I’m still bitter.<br /><br /><strong>Designated Hitter: Frank Thomas</strong><br /><strong>186 G, .290 BA, .969 OPS, 42 2B, 52 HR, 142 RBI, 194 H</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbhWDIyfo7lrsljQYsTySD4Gafri4HUxH7jUhzG2qBeMajkZqCPBL_azcm-QaDUNcR8TftBq7FylyS0I6DeYwjqvzpJt03OQOkNmBm8cP9nIUkI3KNQxMh0wMV-RqRgE4i5ZDGxQHoXbK/s1600-h/thomas.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbhWDIyfo7lrsljQYsTySD4Gafri4HUxH7jUhzG2qBeMajkZqCPBL_azcm-QaDUNcR8TftBq7FylyS0I6DeYwjqvzpJt03OQOkNmBm8cP9nIUkI3KNQxMh0wMV-RqRgE4i5ZDGxQHoXbK/s320/thomas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364355387932114594" /></a><br /><br />If my memory serves me right, Thomas is in the top 3 for homeruns against the Twins. That alone gets him on this team. As a kid, he was the scariest, most intimidating player I ever saw. He was a 6’5”, 250+ lbs homerun hitting monster. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was scared of him—so were Twins pitchers who were more than happy to guide pitches over the middle of the plate just to appease him (or so it seemed). They were even kind enough to groove one for him to get his 500th career homer. Frank will likely go into the HOF at some point, but if he had played his whole career against the Twins he’d have 800+ HR’s and be considered the greatest player of all time.<br /><br /><strong>Starting Pitcher: Mike Mussina</strong><br /><strong>33 G, 22-6, 3.10 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 3.51 K/BB</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbBhM8I-NjhmyuPGb3IpD35Q47IPLYQQttJdPO_bMXeH3-IsRUNmchWlXptwUJAd0JE2tnUMwzq50D6EwSL1cjgxkJh3XofuWpM6J9jdPb7hZPzkGCmJnaKdll8TYFTqiSS9WQj1P_QjE/s1600-h/mussina.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbBhM8I-NjhmyuPGb3IpD35Q47IPLYQQttJdPO_bMXeH3-IsRUNmchWlXptwUJAd0JE2tnUMwzq50D6EwSL1cjgxkJh3XofuWpM6J9jdPb7hZPzkGCmJnaKdll8TYFTqiSS9WQj1P_QjE/s320/mussina.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364355119688072354" /></a><br /><br />His career record against the Twins was brought up every single time he pitched against us (thanks Dick and Bert), thus deflating any hope that I’d ever have that we had a chance to finally beat him. Like most of the players on this team, he did damage against the Twins with multiple organizations, but I remember him best when he was in Baltimore. I used to hate Moose as a little kid because I thought the way he dipped his shoulders to look at the runner on first was a balk every time (still do), yet it was never called. Then as a teenager/adult I hated him because seeing that knuckle-curve meant that there was no chance for my favorite team to win the game.<br /><br /><strong>Starting Pitcher: Mark Buehrle</strong><br /><strong>39 G, 23-15, 4.00 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 4 CG</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfum6nyPXoi1Q4Lt0yxdwGFseej-KQEHZo2tVBjMGL1dgSVJKll_sIV3gUf5o52u2FXQqcxNQmzI75CVKlD6bu_ZaSXQMaaaAsOk4K1_TyvSw3Mm5Yx2rfE9-H5u0p44rayRgNcQ2bnb2a/s1600-h/buehrle.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfum6nyPXoi1Q4Lt0yxdwGFseej-KQEHZo2tVBjMGL1dgSVJKll_sIV3gUf5o52u2FXQqcxNQmzI75CVKlD6bu_ZaSXQMaaaAsOk4K1_TyvSw3Mm5Yx2rfE9-H5u0p44rayRgNcQ2bnb2a/s320/buehrle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364354897478800882" /></a><br /><br />Don’t let the last couple of starts against the Twins fool you: Buehrle has owned us ever since he came into the league in 2000. Even during that run of division titles earlier in this decade, we would always lose to the White Sox when he was pitching. Granted, any tall, imposing lefty usually killed the Twins, and maybe it’s because we faced him so often, but when I saw Buehrle’s name as that game’s starting pitcher, I started looking at the matchups for the next day to see if we would be able to get the game back that we were about to lose.<br /><br /><strong>Closer: Mariano Rivera</strong><br /><strong>34 GF, 26 SV, 1.20 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 5.36 K/BB, 0.850 WHIP</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglx_Mf9H8-K40DOjeLbeca03FV842tShBhEFHmXpMBDJLqvLKwt8S5M6Hi5YmRWlKL7mem5jsDIRC7rjKeZw1JrALAM-pp18m5gvgYlj2_606svsLjqQIEY7o7DBRY9vRWxMhgHfcsHJ_X/s1600-h/rivera.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglx_Mf9H8-K40DOjeLbeca03FV842tShBhEFHmXpMBDJLqvLKwt8S5M6Hi5YmRWlKL7mem5jsDIRC7rjKeZw1JrALAM-pp18m5gvgYlj2_606svsLjqQIEY7o7DBRY9vRWxMhgHfcsHJ_X/s320/rivera.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364354703841137010" /></a><br /><br />I know, I know: this one isn’t really fair. Mariano is arguably the best and most dominating closer of all time. But I don’t care. I’ve seen way too many Twins hitters freeze looking at that nasty cutter for strike three in the ninth inning to not include him on this team. The Twins have a well publicized awful record against the Yankees, and it’s not because we get blown out all of the time. Quite the contrary actually. We usually hang in against the Bronx bombers, only to have Rivera step on our throats at the end of the game every time.<br /><br /><strong>Manager: Ron Gardenhire</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPjTn7zt810bsPQJZe-eSIc3-JU0R3o70nVKDq3HXxtIX3RWC9AxIZ8ksA12nAtAvrnp1z8LfarYOqao9FQwG5IfPenhGA_RbvECzsB2rLeXSiT7G9e_QGYDcHw7d4hfqmCwizTCG8KXQ/s1600-h/gardy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPjTn7zt810bsPQJZe-eSIc3-JU0R3o70nVKDq3HXxtIX3RWC9AxIZ8ksA12nAtAvrnp1z8LfarYOqao9FQwG5IfPenhGA_RbvECzsB2rLeXSiT7G9e_QGYDcHw7d4hfqmCwizTCG8KXQ/s320/gardy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364354451117938018" /></a><br /><br />Gardy beat out a very tough field to gain this honor. Guys like Mike Scioscia, Joe Torre, and Mike Hargrove were all considered, but none of them has done more to defeat the Twins than Ron has. His pitching selections, terrible use of the bullpen, unjustifiable lineups, insane pinch hitting choices (Luis Rodriguez anyone?), refusal to let lefties hit against lefties, playing AAA call-ups immediately, and so on make this a very simple choice when you really look at it.<br /><br />Again, this is all based on my memory of watching games. I tried not to include players just because they achieved a milestone hit against the Twins, which happened often (see: Ripken Jr., Cal, Murray, Eddie, etc.). Did I miss someone? Do you disagree with a selection or five? Post it in the comments section…<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-4309846972389882002009-07-28T20:00:00.008-05:002009-07-28T20:18:10.327-05:00A Man with a Plan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNApEkeKVapQvM_85qMEX4-7ChKcOssqw6k2ydS-_MI6Pu-PHl1a7VjwkXZ21aORtd7bLbHm5osMIFyiLdwMwZq0bRS1wI8Vul-2hy9d02FyWGBA8on4HSyHVsf-_ZCQMzcanlZJYl4whc/s1600-h/Kahn.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNApEkeKVapQvM_85qMEX4-7ChKcOssqw6k2ydS-_MI6Pu-PHl1a7VjwkXZ21aORtd7bLbHm5osMIFyiLdwMwZq0bRS1wI8Vul-2hy9d02FyWGBA8on4HSyHVsf-_ZCQMzcanlZJYl4whc/s320/Kahn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363685213751542210" /></a><br /><br />Maybe I’m an optimist. Maybe years of watching The Ostrich have diluted my senses. Maybe I just like seeing the Timberwolves in the news all the time. Whatever the reason might be, I like the way David Kahn has taken control of this franchise and is beginning to mold it into his vision. Is it guaranteed to work? Of course not. But Kahn seems like a man with a plan and he is determined to carry it out. Compared to the way the Wolves (or any other Minnesota sports franchise) have gone about business in the past, this is a welcomed change—be it successful or not.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjugt7n4YG6124GVm3UvyGAo01Ey-1txPcChv9TObfl_Kt1QCeNPH-nUrVtYghdjn-vCIZCAwlQXod5X3p9hZhRxne0Kkb7x4prDGpNjRHPZSycUrar2hX1t9DZXi-jSyc5OnFjZh0VQCs/s1600-h/mchale.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjugt7n4YG6124GVm3UvyGAo01Ey-1txPcChv9TObfl_Kt1QCeNPH-nUrVtYghdjn-vCIZCAwlQXod5X3p9hZhRxne0Kkb7x4prDGpNjRHPZSycUrar2hX1t9DZXi-jSyc5OnFjZh0VQCs/s320/mchale.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363684981346889074" /></a><br /><em>Great player; No clue how to run a team</em><br /><br />This new approach all started with the decision not to bring back Kevin McHale as head coach (or any other front office position for that matter). McHale, who could easily be described as the most hated man in the history of Minnesota professional sports, had long been blamed by the fan base for the team’s failures. Much of this blame was deserved. McHale botched draft picks, gave out horrific contracts (some illegal), had no eye for talent, and was unable/unwilling to surround the franchise’s greatest player with even serviceable teammates. Though his time as VP of Basketball Operations had been over with since midseason, Kahn decided that the team needed to rid itself of his services entirely. I’d say this is a brilliant move: distance the team from its unsuccessful past while endearing yourself to the fan base by getting rid of their villain.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Yj2qQgg9uugBdN0Lm0MhxzAPjRARt2BvyeqrGjINbHC7qNvqKs6BJT_KsAwFm08O05S9JGv3hp5c7royB0ywxlJihhyphenhyphenlpBOqKJMWeJKQvLrtfjMq5CxWMSlEBIhiSr0yVPBAJzS-_-Dn/s1600-h/rubioflynn.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Yj2qQgg9uugBdN0Lm0MhxzAPjRARt2BvyeqrGjINbHC7qNvqKs6BJT_KsAwFm08O05S9JGv3hp5c7royB0ywxlJihhyphenhyphenlpBOqKJMWeJKQvLrtfjMq5CxWMSlEBIhiSr0yVPBAJzS-_-Dn/s320/rubioflynn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363684398828189474" /></a><br /><em>The start of a new beginning</em><br /><br />The next step revolved around the draft. The Wolves entered the 2009 NBA Draft with four first-round picks: one from their 08-09 record, two from previous trades, and one from Kahn getting rid of core players Randy Foye and Mike Miller. If you’re starting a major rebuilding project, a gluttony of early draft picks is a great way to begin. On top of that, Kahn was getting rid of failed McHale-era players and basically starting from scratch. With their picks, the team selected the draft’s most marketable player (Rubio), a stud point guard (Flynn), another talented point guard (Lawson), and a deadly three-point shooter (Ellington). They then traded Lawson for an additional 2010 first-round pick (likely giving them three total in next year’s draft). While the results on the court are yet to be determined, you’d have to say that the draft was a success. The team got the new potential face of the franchise in Rubio, and a couple of young guns who will get plenty of playing time to prove their merit. They also rid themselves of anything linking the “new” Wolves with anything from their unsuccessful past. Additionally, they set themselves up to add a lot more young talent in next year’s draft.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkImUnjbfB_9gIrWhIRx9TGLo3qSqNMbb1pWm7lklkjAzoqY9nJuiUXX11_DZw8dAUXIxKg4Wqfyv3u9M88Duuq3eosxx8K2Hi5l6lJtOFZHzLsTVSzA1u3FgQ3I_rx2zF3EzBJrXcB_y9/s1600-h/tax.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 145px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkImUnjbfB_9gIrWhIRx9TGLo3qSqNMbb1pWm7lklkjAzoqY9nJuiUXX11_DZw8dAUXIxKg4Wqfyv3u9M88Duuq3eosxx8K2Hi5l6lJtOFZHzLsTVSzA1u3FgQ3I_rx2zF3EzBJrXcB_y9/s320/tax.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363684122454840562" /></a><br /><em>A concern for all NBA teams</em><br /><br />As a fan, I would have been very content if that was the end of our offseason movement. But Kahn’s plan was not over yet. Sure, he’d cleaned house and was starting anew with a very young team, but that’s only one side of running an NBA franchise. The other side deals with money. One problem that a ton of franchises have is that they’ve paid too much money for inferior players and are in risk of having to pay a luxury tax because of it. Kahn (wisely) decided that a team that struggles to get fans to come to games and sell season tickets probably shouldn’t be wasting its money on luxury taxes. So he dumped serviceable players such as Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, Mark Madsen, and Etan Thomas (acquired in the Foye/Miller trade) for Quentin Richardson, Damien Wilkins, and Chucky Atkins—all of whom have bad contracts that expire after the season and free up a lot of money for the team to sign free agents (be them their own or others). While these aren’t front page/SportsCenter type moves, they are intelligent and necessary for properly running a franchise (something McHale never quite figured out).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbL9_QbS0skEjVnBFP0h-whO7paFEI-y_UIomp1vs-vr8yZMmj6G3oT0jj-byQXNxCku41qkPs1uphUHi9MIU74LaAf84j8Ibsa9yhq-YSoYkGpn0cDQUaamG7gZ8rXRwbphiT6Ic5QOZf/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbL9_QbS0skEjVnBFP0h-whO7paFEI-y_UIomp1vs-vr8yZMmj6G3oT0jj-byQXNxCku41qkPs1uphUHi9MIU74LaAf84j8Ibsa9yhq-YSoYkGpn0cDQUaamG7gZ8rXRwbphiT6Ic5QOZf/s320/untitled.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363683722166303682" /></a><br /><em>Crunch will lead us in the right direction</em><br /><br />So are the Wolves done making moves? Is Kahn is eyeing a couple of free agents that he’s hoping to sign on the cheap (or use the mid-level exception on) or planning on bringing in some veteran presence to have off the bench and mentor the Timberpups? Are there more cap-friendly moves on the way? Will he be able to work out a deal and get Rubio to come and be the new face of the franchise? Most importantly, will any of this actually work? Only time will give us the answers to these questions. What we do know is that Hurricane Kahn has swept through a doormat of a franchise that was loaded with bad contracts and underachieving players and has left in its wake a young (albeit rebuilding) franchise that is monetarily sound and set to add more young talent in the future. And I, for one, am excited about the direction this franchise is moving.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-6289853783797395272009-07-20T15:55:00.006-05:002009-07-20T16:22:16.891-05:00That Time of Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zi45U2WvZ9dMNcvbgLmyf7EZbP8kLPpCQo9Sk_kPZsBWyal2zy8JAM-nO_O1tE-4B-zZwiRkTjesyD_hsvhu3K4dSU7CEIbRnxXACDSFawQ4DyQBVK3dfMezTD0nNrCwneSATDaL3MiL/s1600-h/clock.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zi45U2WvZ9dMNcvbgLmyf7EZbP8kLPpCQo9Sk_kPZsBWyal2zy8JAM-nO_O1tE-4B-zZwiRkTjesyD_hsvhu3K4dSU7CEIbRnxXACDSFawQ4DyQBVK3dfMezTD0nNrCwneSATDaL3MiL/s320/clock.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360655731923144786" /></a><br /><br />The Major League Baseball trade deadline awaits less than two weeks from now. As in any sport, the deadline is a big deal on two fronts: one, which (if any) big name players will be moved? And two, what moves can “my” team make to elevate us into the playoffs? Maybe it’s because I’m such a homer when it comes to the Twins, but every year I feel like we are one move away from winning the division and/or having playoff success. Two years ago I was sure that we needed a powerful right-handed bat in the middle of our order to put us over the top, which is why I wrote about the virtues of Dimitri Young (a bit ridiculous in hindsight). Last year, I just knew that one more dominant arm in the bullpen would make all the difference in the world and get us into the postseason, which is why I opined about a trade for Brian Fuentes (given his stats this year, that one looks legit). Once again in 2009, I think one move could make the difference in the Twins winning the Central Division, and that move is to get a high average, quality defensive middle infielder. As it just so happens, one of those has been rumored to be on the block over the last couple weeks: Freddy Sanchez.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotR70nlAXB6KHMOlRZb3yCtPCYeBROBTjXhZbNOzaHc4MscxHHvad4AKJlf0-iodNf4iuOEV6Q3TybjCtW-b5iMEJ9YzYCBdVYtV0-DkU9SF6Vd2TqdiYMBdydiRxs5yDoeWhymCTn-Yw/s1600-h/sanchez1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotR70nlAXB6KHMOlRZb3yCtPCYeBROBTjXhZbNOzaHc4MscxHHvad4AKJlf0-iodNf4iuOEV6Q3TybjCtW-b5iMEJ9YzYCBdVYtV0-DkU9SF6Vd2TqdiYMBdydiRxs5yDoeWhymCTn-Yw/s320/sanchez1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360655465009611410" /></a><br /><em>The yearly final piece of the puzzle</em><br /><br />For those of you who don’t know, Sanchez is currently the second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. As the 2006 NL batting champ, he brings a much needed presence to the Twins lineup. So far this year the Twins have trotted out Alexi Casilla, Nick Punto, and Matt Tolbert as their second baseman. Not one of those guys is hitting above .225 and they are all relatively average when it comes to defense (or completely overrated, as is the case with LNP). For the first time in years, the Twins lineup is legitimately dangerous—save for one spot basically. The team has Span, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, and Cuddyer all hitting around or above .300. They have quality, albeit streaky, hitters at the bottom of the lineup (Harris, Crede, and Gomez—who’s been on a tear the last couple weeks). What’s missing is the bridge that connects our leadoff hitter (Span) from the big boys in the middle of the lineup. For some reason, Gardenhire insists on hitting guys like Casilla and Tolbert there, despite their awful batting average and on base percentage. Adding a hitter of Sanchez’s ability would give the Twins one of the most complete lineups in all of baseball.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUaeh1Dxro8v-kjPyNJBxmOo6sXO4n7z-O7wTU51JE417U5qsOj_DBWn7odXIXAgIZ_HuTY8p1tX8eklLT8pTNyafbLtukQD4xG5AlQlw0UyBnBwoiYD5mZtWVcavHoudMPo-2SGUviNx/s1600-h/sanchez2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUaeh1Dxro8v-kjPyNJBxmOo6sXO4n7z-O7wTU51JE417U5qsOj_DBWn7odXIXAgIZ_HuTY8p1tX8eklLT8pTNyafbLtukQD4xG5AlQlw0UyBnBwoiYD5mZtWVcavHoudMPo-2SGUviNx/s320/sanchez2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360655118015172930" /></a><br /><em>Ladies and gentlemen, your 2006 NL Batting Champion</em><br /><br />As previously mentioned, Sanchez won the NL batting title two years ago, and is hitting .313 this year with an on-base percentage of .353 and he is slugging .471—not bad for a second baseman. Having his bat in the two hole would make a huge difference in our run scoring potential. Now, when Span gets on, you have a legitimate threat behind him. Or if he happens to get out, you have a guy who will find a way to be on base for Mauer and Morneau. To some, his presence might not seem like much, but when you’ve watched as many Twins games as I have, you realize the huge difference it would make.<br /><br />On top of his outstanding ability at the plate (definitely his biggest asset), Freddy, a 3 time all star by the way, is a top tier defensive player. He is part of a Pirate infield that has a combined for 100 double plays this year—second most in the majors this year. Pairing him up with Harris (or occasionally Punto) up the middle would shore up a relatively weak defensive infield. Don’t let Dick Bremer fool you; this team is not as sound defensively as Twins teams in recent years. All in all, Freddy Sanchez is the perfect player to add to the roster and make the Twins the favorites in the AL Central.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TA7IjuBrid4nSTLpb1Uii98Wrh1xPus5ZWU4XNldfxBjstcm1v6iXC1zh_e5k3b6wVYY5XJ0Rk5FzeYW2lgV7rZfLk2ma_3sdoazysj2U4fhYNPt8OZSa7zza2hnPK0wLIOzCgb3NFXY/s1600-h/sanchezwilson.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TA7IjuBrid4nSTLpb1Uii98Wrh1xPus5ZWU4XNldfxBjstcm1v6iXC1zh_e5k3b6wVYY5XJ0Rk5FzeYW2lgV7rZfLk2ma_3sdoazysj2U4fhYNPt8OZSa7zza2hnPK0wLIOzCgb3NFXY/s320/sanchezwilson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360654815871650466" /></a><br /><em>An outstanding double play combo</em><br /><br />Of course, as with any trade scenario, it isn’t as easy as simply finding a player that would work well on your team and getting him. First, he has to be available. This seems increasingly more likely with each passing day. The Pirates have been clearing house for the better part of two seasons (see: Bay, Jason; Nady, Xavier; McClouth, Nate; Morgan, Nyjer). They had initially said that they would like to keep Sanchez and Wilson as the cornerstones of their franchise. However just the other day, both players rejected contract extension offers from Pittsburgh. If the team is afraid they are going to lose him to free agency and get nothing in return, they’ll be far more likely to deal him. The second obstacle is the assets you’ll have to give up to obtain such a high caliber player. Even though recent transactions make it seem like you don’t really have to give up much to get the top players from the Pirates organization, you do still have to give them something in return (the days of TR fleecing teams seems to be over). Unfortunately the Twins farm system is seriously lacking in talent these days. So what are the options? Well, if there’s one thing that the Twins have the other teams covet, it’s young starting pitching. All five of our starters are under the age of 28, and we have guys like Duensing, Mulvey, and Swarzak who could likely step in and fair pretty well in a starting role. So if you could build a package around a guy like Glen Perkins (a young, left-handed starter who seems likely to leave anyways) with a couple of prospects, you would seem to have the makings of a potential deal. Yet there is a third aspect to making this trade that needs to be considered as well—money. Sanchez is going to be a free agent in 2 years and will command a pretty decent amount of money considering his ability and the position he plays. The Twins have already committed a sizeable amount of money to keeping guys like Scott Baker, Joe Nathan, and Justin Morneau, not to mention the giant contract they’re going to have to give Joe Mauer soon. Can we really afford to pay Sanchez? If not, are we ok with getting rid of a 26 year old starting pitcher for 1 ½ seasons of Freddy? Those are the questions the organization must ask itself.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwE0jlm993kpNpnmJs5imT517CjEZ59_dqxY4AV9UCEWZgUl8XHIRT-h40hQal6tMbndBNSW7ItLt-P1RA4d9R89F2yyXSpkMS-9kbbhrd7p0AY7jh2dyaMzr234Hcu4_TWPZnIyKplnXy/s1600-h/perkins.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwE0jlm993kpNpnmJs5imT517CjEZ59_dqxY4AV9UCEWZgUl8XHIRT-h40hQal6tMbndBNSW7ItLt-P1RA4d9R89F2yyXSpkMS-9kbbhrd7p0AY7jh2dyaMzr234Hcu4_TWPZnIyKplnXy/s320/perkins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360654495902002434" /></a><br /><em>If he has to leave to get us an All Star 2B, so be it</em><br /><br />Obviously as a fan, I’d say it’s worth it. Even if we don’t end up keeping Sanchez long term, he gives us the best chance to win in the next year or two. Plus, there’s always the chance that he’ll love playing here (players constantly rave about how much they love the clubhouse and atmosphere in Minnesota) and want to continue to do so. And if that happens, there’s the pipedream possibility that his current teammate, best buddy, and shortstop Jack Wilson will want to join him here too (they’ve both said they’d like to play together for their entire careers). Of course that’s way too optimistic of a viewpoint considering we are talking about a Minnesota sports team here. Realistically though, I’d still pull the trigger if possible. Make the team as competitive as possible for as long as you can, even if that’s only a couple of seasons. It only takes one magical run to bring a title to a town that hasn’t seen one in 18 years…<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-14247220280657985822009-07-16T15:36:00.007-05:002009-07-16T16:14:04.221-05:00A Smorgasbord of Sports<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMb5YylIoKMkNuca-cPIgYHD_ZvYdtZX7_rYESevGbaETmCxPmoVnlmp-Mtvh01LXlruczfAzs-wJIT6gsEjR1HKCXPECeXuE25y-p8zXGlGeHNzEDc0WMVCVTCN8DT4LV84gDejtPyIs/s1600-h/sports.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMb5YylIoKMkNuca-cPIgYHD_ZvYdtZX7_rYESevGbaETmCxPmoVnlmp-Mtvh01LXlruczfAzs-wJIT6gsEjR1HKCXPECeXuE25y-p8zXGlGeHNzEDc0WMVCVTCN8DT4LV84gDejtPyIs/s320/sports.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359169230130042178" /></a><br /><br />Ok, so there’s not much of an introduction needed. Yesterday (the 15th) was the worst day of the year for sports fans. It’s the only day of the year where there isn’t a major sporting event taking place. It’s a day that drives me into depression and drinking. Due to this lack of relevant sporting news, here are a few tidbits that will have to suffice as “news” until we get back into the swing of things this weekend. Be warned: this is the first ever post on TK that includes NASCAR and poker. Told you it was a slow week.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />• According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (so take it with a grain of salt), the Wolves have narrowed their coaching search to three candidates: ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson, Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis, and Rockets assistant Elston Turner (though there are rumors that Dallas assistant Terry Stotts is still in the mix). If this is true, and that’s a big if, I would prefer Rambis. He’s a big name, he’s been a head coach (albeit briefly), and he is/was being considered for the Lakers head gig. That should be enough right there. I guess as long as it isn’t Jackson, I’ll be fine with the choice. Because if Mark Jackson can get an NBA head coaching job, then so can I. Hey, I used to play in high school. I watch NBA games and analyze them (in my head) all the time. Those are basically the qualifications he has and I’ve actually coached basketball for the last 10 years, so I’d say I have a leg up on him. Maybe I’ll send my resume over to Target Center tomorrow…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorNThRL3XgkhbRVNpKCYpWY20HicHKr7QHICPUz4CmsBVfkufXB2cienPpVnJru740HoJqdcI1GexZH29YUT_Ox8eLzuCR8Jgor0mh9xRf9roIaw9FfbleEtMCQ6nZoojmbsPYxEvXkNq/s1600-h/cassel.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorNThRL3XgkhbRVNpKCYpWY20HicHKr7QHICPUz4CmsBVfkufXB2cienPpVnJru740HoJqdcI1GexZH29YUT_Ox8eLzuCR8Jgor0mh9xRf9roIaw9FfbleEtMCQ6nZoojmbsPYxEvXkNq/s320/cassel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359167520342441762" /></a><br /><br />• One story that has received a ton of national media attention is the contract that the Kansas City Chiefs gave to their newly acquired quarterback, Matt Cassel. After trading for him from New England prior to this spring’s draft, the team now has signed him to a 6 year, $63 million deal, with $28 million guaranteed. For some reason, this has sent many experts and analysts into a tizzy. Sure, it’s roughly the same amount that the Ravens just gave Terrell Suggs, a 6-time Pro Bowl linebacker. But everyone knows that QB’s get paid more than any other position in the league. And I know that he’s only done it one year, with a very good team, blah blah blah. The fact is that he has actually performed well in the NFL—unlike, say, Matt Stafford, who got a 6 year, $78 million ($41.7 million guaranteed) deal and he hasn’t even taken one snap yet. Look, the point is that all sports contracts are ridiculous and it’s high time that we stopped talking about them, because that’s never going to change.<br /><br />• Yesterday the Twins made a roster move to add a 12th pitcher for their upcoming 10 game road trip to start off the second half of the year. I like the idea of the move a lot. With the overload our bullpen has already endured, and is likely to be burdened with during this stretch, having another arm available is the smart thing to do. As usual, though, the execution of the move is something I disagree with. The team called up Kevin Mulvey (one of the spare parts we got in the Johan deal) who, despite his 3-6 record, is having a decent season and has an ERA under 4. The problem I have is that we sent down Jose Morales…again. What does this kid have to do to stay up with the big club? In his multiple call-ups this year, Morales is hitting .343 with adequate defense behind the plate. Apparently this is not as good as Mike Redmond’s .236 average and inability to throw out even the slowest of runners. It’s widely known that Gardy plays favorites (just one of my many issues with him)—see Punto, Nick and Cuddyer, Mike—and Red Dog is one of them. The fact is that he’s no longer a capable backup and the team needs to move on and keep Morales up. Who knows, if he keeps hitting well, they could possibly deal him and get something valuable in return.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TRuSVvKHB2hD4Qlwn_CZModMr7nyaudIhQ8PoCb69UPYwZ9zLUl2StKmxKIf0aZ2K_pJBYsrJPTJKF8z4D8DtBHNBLI2ajO-2_T9uqWx9e-_iehblCjwaI1QpdjQu30WyAQ_S0YEANyr/s1600-h/walker.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TRuSVvKHB2hD4Qlwn_CZModMr7nyaudIhQ8PoCb69UPYwZ9zLUl2StKmxKIf0aZ2K_pJBYsrJPTJKF8z4D8DtBHNBLI2ajO-2_T9uqWx9e-_iehblCjwaI1QpdjQu30WyAQ_S0YEANyr/s320/walker.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359167357598721378" /></a><br /><br />• I saw a note in the paper yesterday that Antoine Walker is wanted in Vegas for over $800,000 in gambling debts. It was over $1 million, but he has paid off roughly $200,000 of it. The debt comes from a series of bad checks that Walker apparently wrote to Caesar's Palace, Planet Hollywood (they still exist?), and the Red Rock Resort. First of all, this is a guy who in his NBA career earned roughly $110 million. Now he's having trouble writing checks that won't bounce? Second, who still writes checks? Hasn't Employee #8 learned from Randy Moss that rich people don't write checks? Get with the times.<br /><br />• If there’s one thing that the local media is good at, it’s taking small, relatively useless notes and turning them into big stories. Call it the Favre Method of writing. This has been on display for quite some time now with the possibility of seeing #4 in purple, and now it’s permeated itself into the Timberwolves. It seems that any minor bit of news or quote about Ricky Rubio is suddenly front page news over the last few weeks. All it does is lead to confusion. Take yesterday, when it was “reported” that Rubio apparently isn’t opposed to coming to Minnesota and that the only thing keeping him from being here already is his buyout in Spain. This, of course, is not news, because everyone has known this was going to be a major hurdle since well before the draft. Basically, you should treat the Rubio situation the same way as the Favre situation: until something definitively happens one way or another, it’s best to just ignore everything else.<br /><br />• There is a disturbing trend popping up in sports over the last few weeks: athlete/woman relationship issues. While this is by no means a new phenomenon, it seems to have increased in volume recently. It started with Steve McNair, who was shot and killed by his 20 year old mistress. While it is an incredibly sad story, it does show the dangers that can befall athletes who partake in extra marital affairs. Then, a couple weeks later, came the story of the boxer Arturo Gatti, who was stabbed and strangled to death by his wife. On a bit lighter side, NBA star Richard Jefferson abruptly canceled his $2 million wedding just days before it was to take place—only he forgot to tell most of the guests about his decision. Now today, there’s a note in the paper that former Viking Hassan Jones was arrested on domestic assault charges. To quote Vince Lombardi, “What the hell is going on out there?!”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EQx45Q3AmRaFViJPPyiC9yDZb2TBn_zdhm0yYJKZHXr5xE4NzsrKIXgpSEJbN0GpSa86cGkwrk1ZxQKiHAtWN7z_WW9oAORH1GT_jo6fpBqHxHT4481SWnx4CgbYoOOshaFwvS93bNQr/s1600-h/ivey.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EQx45Q3AmRaFViJPPyiC9yDZb2TBn_zdhm0yYJKZHXr5xE4NzsrKIXgpSEJbN0GpSa86cGkwrk1ZxQKiHAtWN7z_WW9oAORH1GT_jo6fpBqHxHT4481SWnx4CgbYoOOshaFwvS93bNQr/s320/ivey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359167099983443906" /></a><br /><br />• I don’t play, follow, or especially like the game (not sport) of poker. That said, there’s a lot of buzz being generated by the fact that Phil Ivey, arguably the best player in the world, has made it to the Final 9 of the World Series of Poker. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t get too fired up over this. It says a lot about your “sport” when the best player actually makes it to the final of your biggest event and everyone goes nuts. Shouldn’t he be doing this all the time? Can you imagine if everyone told you that Tiger Woods was the best golfer in the world, but he only got into the final group of the Master’s once in his career? Ridiculous. Besides, the final table doesn’t start until November, so there’s absolutely no reason to care right now.<br /><br />• In case you care, the All-Star Game on Tuesday was predictably boring. The AL won 4-3. Some guys pitched for one inning, some guys hit once, and some guys didn’t play. It was enthralling.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtK8DL3wXDyaLFFmYL6rKr8c3TSKlCaQESwQTab1vze5p6B0fJEpnoFB2ooavcPR5-zsqPRCedcj7xBAfbBPwpZtzlSCvpLaHXBOn-2u53QIrr_JwM4Qp3WPGLpCf61tHgiRJ1MlGTB1R/s1600-h/mayfield.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtK8DL3wXDyaLFFmYL6rKr8c3TSKlCaQESwQTab1vze5p6B0fJEpnoFB2ooavcPR5-zsqPRCedcj7xBAfbBPwpZtzlSCvpLaHXBOn-2u53QIrr_JwM4Qp3WPGLpCf61tHgiRJ1MlGTB1R/s320/mayfield.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359166923193600594" /></a><br /><br />• Let’s get one thing straight—I hate NASCAR. I know that there’s skill required and that I could never do what they do, but it’s not a sport and it’s one of the most boring events on the planet. Despite all of that, I can’t help but to be fascinated by the Jeremy Mayfield story. The guy was suspended from racing for testing positive for methamphetamines, had the decision reversed by a judge, only test positive once again this week. What an idiot. Not only is he jeopardizing his life by being a meth head that drives a car 200 mph, but he’s endangering the lives of every other racer as well. He claims that NASCAR’s testing policy is terrible, but he doesn’t give details as to why. Then his step mother comes out and says that she’s seen him doing meth over 30 times in the past 10 years (and didn’t think it was a good idea to stop him). Mayfield fires back by saying that she killed his father in 2007 (which has already been ruled a suicide). Highly entertaining.<br /><br />• Just when it seemed like Kevin and Pat Williams were going to get off the hook for testing positive for a banned substance and not be suspended by the NFL, there was a new and intriguing twist to the story this week. The other three major sports leagues (NBA, MLB, NHL) have come to the NFL’s defense and tried to help them win their case, presumably because they don’t want this to set a precedent that will be followed in all leagues and hurt their drug testing policies. Personally, I’m with Shawn Bradley Guy of Deep Thoughts on MN Sports (deepthoughtsonmnsports.blogspot.com): these guys just need to take their punishment at the beginning of the season and get it over with. We can win at least three of those first four games without them. If they end up getting suspended during a more crucial stretch of the season or the post season, the reaction locally will not be good.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWDU2ftFj_pQPrZAnBR7AYKcnr2G4LN0YfGxRXMumax_U3hC3DJ5aI85GoOXe4PfjrRBnOmNn7Sf2uDQ6Fv5hgDBVdG3oo7-7HJuFN0xZNt5FRw7wxk3QdfPt5YVEAM_SLLApWdgMblSr/s1600-h/pedro.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWDU2ftFj_pQPrZAnBR7AYKcnr2G4LN0YfGxRXMumax_U3hC3DJ5aI85GoOXe4PfjrRBnOmNn7Sf2uDQ6Fv5hgDBVdG3oo7-7HJuFN0xZNt5FRw7wxk3QdfPt5YVEAM_SLLApWdgMblSr/s320/pedro.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359166707638351378" /></a><br /><br />• The Philadelphia Phillies signed Pedro Martinez to a one year deal yesterday. The baseball world is acting like this is some sort of huge, pennant race altering move. I politely disagree. We’re talking about a guy who hasn’t had an ERA under 4.5 in three years, hasn’t pitched in a meaningful game other than the WBC all season, and was immediately placed on the 15 day DL upon his signing. Just because he used to be good doesn’t mean that this is an important signing (do you understand Vikings fans?).<br /><br />• The British Open teed off this morning, and the early leaders include Miguel Angel Jiminez and Tom Watson, with guys such as Tom Lehman and John Daly just a few shots back. You gotta love this tournament; it's so completely wide open that I'm pretty sure I'd at least have an outside chance at making the cut (ok...maybe not me, but some friends of mine...naw, but you can imagine what it'd be like).<br /><br />• Lastly, the Minnesota Wild released their 09-10 schedule and there are two important dates that immediately jump out. The first is October 30th, when Marian Gaborik returns to Minnesota. Though he’ll likely be on the DL, I hope he can at least make an appearance at the X for all of those fans he allegedly cares about. The second big game is January 2nd, when former Wild/current Devils coach Jacque Lemaire returns. I’m sure all of the puck heads who read this site are glad to know this information.<br /><br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-25203437505149314082009-07-12T22:55:00.013-05:002009-07-12T23:25:00.106-05:00The Great Cuedini<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz4rPLVlbxAKnjLnrwgQLvIOdIw0LptcMQz0eQKNDasDt-Zz7s8b2jGSRvFPJ26snUMcfPj62NerevgCaB5SWidPEs6ClvgU5nMFVVqGzEPaK0i4ttGoHtyaFAtjJob7cOJ4DvYVE1SWX/s1600-h/crystalball.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrz4rPLVlbxAKnjLnrwgQLvIOdIw0LptcMQz0eQKNDasDt-Zz7s8b2jGSRvFPJ26snUMcfPj62NerevgCaB5SWidPEs6ClvgU5nMFVVqGzEPaK0i4ttGoHtyaFAtjJob7cOJ4DvYVE1SWX/s320/crystalball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357796016032792018" /></a><br />Despite what you might have gathered from my last post, I am actually quite a fan of all-star games and the festivities that surround them (which is why I was passionate enough to complain about it). This applies to every sport other than football because, well, the Pro Bowl sucks. Anyways, I thought I’d try my hand at this predicting thing that all of the analysts on TV seem to be so fond of. So without any further ado, I present to you predictions for Monday’s Home Run Derby and Tuesday’s All-Star Game, courtesy of The Great Cuedini (wow that’s a lame made up name).<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>Home Run Derby</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPWrt7CP280r02Vp-SIsia7b6FXWY_7-Zq4c6p6UJ4sX5gprWPhVbGizV_8wN-ibBEs6QAnVtWl8li9uP1tWywMlE1YtyPg3dQD-3YPcBtTITcrfNuw3XhuI2YcaWL9iyh-smiMMoasz_/s1600-h/trophy2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357795687724455250" style="WIDTH: 239px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPWrt7CP280r02Vp-SIsia7b6FXWY_7-Zq4c6p6UJ4sX5gprWPhVbGizV_8wN-ibBEs6QAnVtWl8li9uP1tWywMlE1YtyPg3dQD-3YPcBtTITcrfNuw3XhuI2YcaWL9iyh-smiMMoasz_/s320/trophy2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />First of all, let me make the easiest prediction of all time: the National League will absolutely destroy the American League as far as total home runs go. A player by player breakdown:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PPqzjI6YDyNXwR3pjPfpUbdCi1URl3dMjXYA5WlIVUmU-zE1MyjUk-igb00vswSm2bJNFPikGYGhJ-TFkkLxn3J8SNJ5hZeaTy8-BpJ__ccjrMhAcIItS42-ou7xEjLJSYSmmL25cuBV/s1600-h/inge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357793121223459618" style="WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PPqzjI6YDyNXwR3pjPfpUbdCi1URl3dMjXYA5WlIVUmU-zE1MyjUk-igb00vswSm2bJNFPikGYGhJ-TFkkLxn3J8SNJ5hZeaTy8-BpJ__ccjrMhAcIItS42-ou7xEjLJSYSmmL25cuBV/s320/inge.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Brandon Inge (DET)</em>: Great ball player, can play just about any position in the field 1-9, having an absolutely stellar first half, received the most votes ever for an American League player in the Final Vote. There, now that’s out of the way. Every year there’s one guy who just can find his swing and/or handle the pressure. This year, that guy is Inge. Predicted finish: 8th (0 HR’s).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6rUjzDqgdV9txkSO3oCHzkBZ0EuBi4XnyWfAgklok7aXOo4hwwnUEUiXzViWI4RdHSfwDjs_axXmMUY4z9w4HOGPpUGm3UbXReO8wq8X3eVwJow8h8NdNZzLoYDJTLW5K0Dya4GopBTj/s1600-h/gonzalez.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357792961523662082" style="WIDTH: 305px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 308px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6rUjzDqgdV9txkSO3oCHzkBZ0EuBi4XnyWfAgklok7aXOo4hwwnUEUiXzViWI4RdHSfwDjs_axXmMUY4z9w4HOGPpUGm3UbXReO8wq8X3eVwJow8h8NdNZzLoYDJTLW5K0Dya4GopBTj/s320/gonzalez.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Adrian Gonzalez (SD)</em>: Despite the oversaturation of stories about Adrian (he had features written about him in SI and ESPN the Magazine, along with being profiled on SportsCenter/Baseball Tonight in the last couple weeks), I really like him as a baseball player. That said, he will not perform well in this contest. Much like a local catcher, most of his power comes from driving the ball to the opposite field—not the best strategy for a home run hitting contest. Predicted finish: 7th (2 HR’s).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt1klbFZH-fwm-DLD7TsuCyc76Z78jsiQEqKiri3OZR7jAtyEjI6iYH8iWbh-2GeL2N3ewL8U9kg56f3N4IvX6Q-kLmxzweEnZJaeFQOKGLlTJzIHWlerhxgwgI2UBlOkfFJ6bmFIJLVe/s1600-h/fielder.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357792789297037106" style="WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 314px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt1klbFZH-fwm-DLD7TsuCyc76Z78jsiQEqKiri3OZR7jAtyEjI6iYH8iWbh-2GeL2N3ewL8U9kg56f3N4IvX6Q-kLmxzweEnZJaeFQOKGLlTJzIHWlerhxgwgI2UBlOkfFJ6bmFIJLVe/s320/fielder.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Prince Fielder (MIL)</em>: Without fail, there always seems to be one slugger whom everyone thinks is going to perform well in this contest and then falls flat on their face. That leads to the awkward conversation with Stuart Scott on the field where the guy claims to just be happy to be allowed to participate (which is BS). That guy will be Fielder on Monday. Predicted finish: T5th (3 HR’s).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimr1cepXhInL2VoyHySi518rSy7k-BqE6OP9AABc8F2_uvcko3uPKFhWGpKsMcdQZDGIigbfb2xsGn2fkcpJhDsDcvwl5zWsSriVUQGT7UkdUISH1rPtMec7NLEJiauTG0W-Y7KYBrqm1r/s1600-h/mauer.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357792597879337458" style="WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimr1cepXhInL2VoyHySi518rSy7k-BqE6OP9AABc8F2_uvcko3uPKFhWGpKsMcdQZDGIigbfb2xsGn2fkcpJhDsDcvwl5zWsSriVUQGT7UkdUISH1rPtMec7NLEJiauTG0W-Y7KYBrqm1r/s320/mauer.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Joe Mauer (MIN)</em>: I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can predict that Mauer, with his career high 15 HR’s at the break, will do well in this competition, no matter what his teammates try to tell us. He just doesn’t have a home run swing and the dimensions in St. Louis (375’ to left and right, 400’ to center) do not help him at all. Mark my words, in about 2 weeks you’ll be reading an article in the Star Tribune about how the Derby messed up Baby Jesus’ swing when his average drops 15 points. Predicted finish: T5th (3 HR’s).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhdQgDRgxxHG4dwB-BGej-k6mEsfQH_hLV1EhJP1pVFLwxpJI5Di0gGG7Wh6jmIhRvLmj2XhNNwNWybvP5_eUHjv1vMxtvgHZQVfx0qYgj5E6PqZ8Xj_LBGh352Xs12RMpS9aTybaYlL3/s1600-h/pena.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357792361427095890" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhdQgDRgxxHG4dwB-BGej-k6mEsfQH_hLV1EhJP1pVFLwxpJI5Di0gGG7Wh6jmIhRvLmj2XhNNwNWybvP5_eUHjv1vMxtvgHZQVfx0qYgj5E6PqZ8Xj_LBGh352Xs12RMpS9aTybaYlL3/s320/pena.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Carlos Pena (TB)</em>: I was very glad to see that Pena was named as Dustin Pedroia’s replacement for the All-Star Game. For one, I think he was more deserving than Inge for that final spot anyways, and two, it gave the AL an actual home run hitter in the competition. He will rake in the first round, but run out of steam in the second. Predicted finish: 4th (7 HR’s in the first round, 1 in the second).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBKl7xAdqR7PT7bZtrKe6O-iTDmzoUy2nVOnWMPbMGOehEsfvORRKDDKp2H0BUgKFkpcgMj8zo65fd9lcaf0Qo5G2nRI8q1K4c7Vrha9WFtxsfqiWmnhpZtf_0CLOQHREDFhPAuXhCFpH/s1600-h/pujols.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357792138671110946" style="WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBKl7xAdqR7PT7bZtrKe6O-iTDmzoUy2nVOnWMPbMGOehEsfvORRKDDKp2H0BUgKFkpcgMj8zo65fd9lcaf0Qo5G2nRI8q1K4c7Vrha9WFtxsfqiWmnhpZtf_0CLOQHREDFhPAuXhCFpH/s320/pujols.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Albert Pujols (STL)</em>: Ah yes, the hometown hero. Al has two major advantages over the rest of the field: he’s hitting in his home ballpark, and he’s the best power hitter in the game. Those two facts will lead him to an impressive first round, followed by an unspectacular and disappointing second round. Predicted finish: 3rd (15 HR’s in the first round, 3 in the second).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_MYrL-CQ8UuVoSaCvPDauoGQo4Gab2iBl3Zo-IgVf0-1NF8vtNtApTrhbqrD0WaJkBscWh4yTjRDUIo1UofOrdJen3OIiJiFt81ENC0ElMpz1e_1QzfU50cLvbnPLhh3EpoT6XHhgylR/s1600-h/cruz.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357791933305936290" style="WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_MYrL-CQ8UuVoSaCvPDauoGQo4Gab2iBl3Zo-IgVf0-1NF8vtNtApTrhbqrD0WaJkBscWh4yTjRDUIo1UofOrdJen3OIiJiFt81ENC0ElMpz1e_1QzfU50cLvbnPLhh3EpoT6XHhgylR/s320/cruz.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Nelson Cruz (TEX)</em>: Whoooooo? All I know about this guy is that he has 20 HR’s at the break and plays for Texas—a very hitter friendly park. Since everyone and their mother is predicting Pujols to win this thing, I feel like I need to go out on a limb and either boast my ass off on Tuesday or live with the shame of a terrible call. So here’s my bold prediction: he’ll surprise people by making it to the finals. There won’t be a spectacular round that everyone will remember, but he’ll be consistent enough to fall just short in the final round. Predicted finish: 2nd (9 HR’s in the first round, 6 in the second, 4 in the third).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvnbPzqe84Un4XqUeS0gwujhubbncloqNigCby8enOemARHBdRfAV1kXZ8KLa-8ePZGV0mCea8B1C4qDaFkQvkvvxRs812e48G3iVxMxahUZJnetwmzyXb0cehPwTNLcZzyyREUWwMJvP/s1600-h/howard.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357791730894121602" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvnbPzqe84Un4XqUeS0gwujhubbncloqNigCby8enOemARHBdRfAV1kXZ8KLa-8ePZGV0mCea8B1C4qDaFkQvkvvxRs812e48G3iVxMxahUZJnetwmzyXb0cehPwTNLcZzyyREUWwMJvP/s320/howard.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Ryan Howard (PHI)</em>: This is by no means a bold prediction. But Howard has experience and, more importantly, past success in this contest. Plus, lefties always seem to fair better in the Derby than righties. I just get this feeling that he’s going to put on a show from round one through the finals. Predicted finish: 1st (12 HR’s in the first round, 10 in the second, 7 in the third).<br /><br /><strong>All-Star Game</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8Eu1QLxuTyF4bWmS9GrxcE_iKFtMVCQgXaaEu2Fqw8GnCVTt9ItnjrZAMfoVE7E3sHDXLJctNFs8nfKt6WpXAbNjvw9rWTpWseXL7LvyAbcx1ra_2zEV1oyzFuoEQnStgKSHU4BiKHQA/s1600-h/asg.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357791437715071794" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 247px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8Eu1QLxuTyF4bWmS9GrxcE_iKFtMVCQgXaaEu2Fqw8GnCVTt9ItnjrZAMfoVE7E3sHDXLJctNFs8nfKt6WpXAbNjvw9rWTpWseXL7LvyAbcx1ra_2zEV1oyzFuoEQnStgKSHU4BiKHQA/s320/asg.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Who effing cares? This “game” is worthless and usually boring. But make sure you stay glued to your TV so that you can see (enter home team representative here) get a chance to show he belongs with the best of the best in baseball (which he doesn’t). Hooray. Final score: 7-4 National League.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-3280703798926907332009-07-08T22:52:00.005-05:002009-07-08T23:10:49.576-05:00All-Star Issues<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UkwAXnKoSHkXHojbQEgF_YMITGOS8fZHWvZQ4hjp4PVqU867wa9RhBI01bu186tZozgLIqxN39BnglbDt-EWebsFkNkRJf0F5JgWaFoj2obO9pG5Q2QEDydzsYcQDql1wgs5UjMEyMcu/s1600-h/02_mlb_all_star.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UkwAXnKoSHkXHojbQEgF_YMITGOS8fZHWvZQ4hjp4PVqU867wa9RhBI01bu186tZozgLIqxN39BnglbDt-EWebsFkNkRJf0F5JgWaFoj2obO9pG5Q2QEDydzsYcQDql1wgs5UjMEyMcu/s320/02_mlb_all_star.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356307993382988994" /></a><br /><br />On Sunday afternoon the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star rosters were released, which brings up the yearly exercise of complaining about guys who made the roster but shouldn’t have, guys who didn’t make the roster but should have, one team having too many players, etc. It gave me an opportunity to bemoan the fact that pitching wins are incredibly useless, but still used as a barometer for success and play way too big of a factor in determining things like All-Star roster spots (which would explain why Nick Blackburn wasn’t even considered for the team). However, today I’m going with a different approach. I have a couple of issues with the MLB All-Star game format and festivities that I want to get off my chest.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>ISSUE #1</strong><br />I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to have a problem with the Mid-Summer Classic, but the problems need to be voiced as often as possible until they get it figured out at least a little bit. The main issue I have is that Major League Baseball is the only professional sports league that doesn’t view its all-star game as an exhibition. Every other league uses this game as a way to showcase their best players (or 5th best players in the NFL’s Pro Bowl) in an entertaining, fan-friendly format. Not baseball.<br /><br />First, let’s start with the fact that the rosters aren’t even made up of the best players from each league. Oh sure, they want you to believe that they are, but that’s definitely not the case thanks to the rule that every team has to be represented. Why? If your team is so bad that not one player is deserving of a spot on a 30 man roster of the best players from your league, then so be it Maybe this will cause more outrage among fans to pressure their owner to spend more money or for MLB to impose a much needed salary cap. Sure, this could lead to a team of 15 Yankees and 15 Red Sox, (again, a salary cap issue) but if those are the best players in the league, then they should be the ones playing in the game.<br /><br />The “every team gets a guy” rule is like the “every player has to play 3 innings” rule in Little League, only the latter one makes sense because you’re talking about small children, not (supposedly) the best players on the planet. This rule is why you can start a sentence “Former All-Star Ron Coomer…” and have it be factual, rather than sarcastic like it should be.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaF3VPQGTIlQSvQ1CePxqtmeQwnxzsdw_YnBRZdV5MuwpExpDkEydGgrJgILSUYrx2N7X3ZQ_zRgYjvWJtKw4YD9VMOneGM-jjxC6hK4ShXv5rtPrgRaLwuyUDactTtlxLvbU4kCPEgXf/s1600-h/ron_coomer.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaF3VPQGTIlQSvQ1CePxqtmeQwnxzsdw_YnBRZdV5MuwpExpDkEydGgrJgILSUYrx2N7X3ZQ_zRgYjvWJtKw4YD9VMOneGM-jjxC6hK4ShXv5rtPrgRaLwuyUDactTtlxLvbU4kCPEgXf/s320/ron_coomer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356307594327596178" /></a><br /><em>That's MR. Former All-Star to you, buddy</em><br /><br />Is Major League Baseball really that naïve as to think that fans in Atlanta are only watching the All-Star Game because they’ll get a chance to see Brian McCaan get one at bat in the 6th inning, only to be replaced by a pinch runner? C’mon.<br /><br />As I said before, this <em>exhibition </em>is, by definition, supposed to be an entertaining showcase of the best of the best from your sport. It should look more like the NHL and NBA all-star games, which usually feature tons of highlight reel plays and little or no defense. This game should always finish with a score like 17-14, not 3-2. Of course that kind of thing would never happen because Bud Selig’s brain trust decided that it would be a great idea to make the game “count” and give the winner home field advantage in the World Series. Yes, how your league fairs in this game could determine whether or not you win the ultimate title in the sport. Brilliant.<br /><br />As it stands now, you hurt the game with this rule on so many levels. First, you’re giving fans the opportunity to alter the final outcome of your sport: if they vote in terrible players, that league loses home field, which is HUGE in baseball. Second, you make being the All-Star Game manager the least enviable position, when it should be considered an honor. With so much on the line, those guys are under a ton of scrutiny. Did they overuse some team’s star pitcher? Did they play someone out of position and cause an injury or shake their confidence? Manager of an all-star game should be an honorary title, and not an actual job.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl-A66MpNprN9kXZHM_soyJ0bk0h9PBoXR6wwEJKjcWak2iOhvWCtY3YZXQzI2GQu76Ut4WCjsD7ytRpG4RAVWPLyNFD30w8no14IPB_4gsqkZP1ymPl5UY0D43oJrqLG9VqCtGxE1TRM/s1600-h/Joe_Maddon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl-A66MpNprN9kXZHM_soyJ0bk0h9PBoXR6wwEJKjcWak2iOhvWCtY3YZXQzI2GQu76Ut4WCjsD7ytRpG4RAVWPLyNFD30w8no14IPB_4gsqkZP1ymPl5UY0D43oJrqLG9VqCtGxE1TRM/s320/Joe_Maddon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356307123245315058" /></a><br /><em>Not it to be the AL All-Star Manager</em><br /><br />So how do we fix all of this? Pretty easily, actually. First, get rid of the rule that every team needs to be represented. You can still have fan voting determine the starters, though. They may not get it right all of the time, but this game is supposed to be for them, so let them watch who they want. Then you still have the managers and players decide who should fill in the rest of the roster spots. The second thing you do is have home field advantage in the World Series go to the team with the best overall record at the end of the year. I know this may sound shocking, but it’s actually a good idea to reward a team for being the best over a 162 game season. Those two very simple changes would make the game twice as good instantly.<br /><br /><strong>ISSUE #2</strong><br />Ok, so admittedly this isn’t as big of a deal as the problems with the actual game, but why isn’t there some sort of skills competition during the all-star break? I know, I know: there’s the Home Run Derby, possibly the most hyped skill competition this side of the Slam Dunk Contest. But should there be more? Aren’t you trying to showcase all of the talented players in your sport? What about the guys who don’t hit for a ton of power (or those who don’t hit at all)? Where is their chance to show off?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM0eX_X9Fw82-RRVIBx25gYTtqdVKxjAbTSsgm0YIZ1Ct2T2ahkqAvhvVPwhlQ5DGYgVhp6LOiHI28qPeKiwIHHM6qqnc9zLfdOg-T5rR-6zWAhZKLbV-MA0zGZChMWDT2fQxq4Vjj3FW/s1600-h/cp3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM0eX_X9Fw82-RRVIBx25gYTtqdVKxjAbTSsgm0YIZ1Ct2T2ahkqAvhvVPwhlQ5DGYgVhp6LOiHI28qPeKiwIHHM6qqnc9zLfdOg-T5rR-6zWAhZKLbV-MA0zGZChMWDT2fQxq4Vjj3FW/s320/cp3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356306706797473746" /></a><br /><em>It doesn't look like much, but at least he gets a chance to show off his skills</em><br /><br />In the NHL and NBA, they have a day where all different types of players have a chance to show the world what they do best. Hockey has events like fastest skater, hardest slapshot, shoot accuracy, and so on. The NBA has contests for point guards skills, three-point shooting, and the aforementioned dunking ability. Why not have a skills competition on the Monday of the All-Star Break (yes, MLB, you can even televise it and make money)? You could have competitions for speed (fastest around the bases), pitching accuracy, outfield throwing accuracy, etc. and still cap it all of with the HR Derby. You can even make it open to all players, not just All-Stars. That way when Pittsburgh doesn’t get a player in the actual game, the organization can still take solace in the fact that Andrew McCutchen wins the title of fastest player in the league.<br /><br />This all seems so simple to me. Can someone explain why any of these things are even issues still? Am I just that much more intelligent than the people running Major League Baseball? Figure it out.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-60144612712147816312009-07-05T11:08:00.006-05:002009-07-05T11:22:59.694-05:00Don't Let the Doorknob Hit You...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tkGeUIyjdWf8D8fIAARbG1aL8vKsjyeVQeLgHImXdAgGiqXpWDNNhZdxG1ZeeKQNdMPg0c9Y70gBNpuj8-UmNpxM_Z3CV_2J6LbGBZ-FnpciilHFP8uBW5C7_VjBW04XFy8h4jU342ZE/s1600-h/door.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tkGeUIyjdWf8D8fIAARbG1aL8vKsjyeVQeLgHImXdAgGiqXpWDNNhZdxG1ZeeKQNdMPg0c9Y70gBNpuj8-UmNpxM_Z3CV_2J6LbGBZ-FnpciilHFP8uBW5C7_VjBW04XFy8h4jU342ZE/s320/door.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355012158083672850" /></a><br /><br />Wednesday was the first day of free agency for both the NBA and NHL and—if you’re a regular reader of TK, you’ll be surprised where this is going—it was a very big day…for the Wild. Yes, even with my limited knowledge (and interest for that matter) of hockey I realized that Wednesday was a symbolic day in the transformation of the Team of 18,000.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />For the first time in the franchise’s short history, there will be a new general manager and coach for the Minnesota Wild. Add to that a new owner who has only owned the team for just over a year, and you have a complete regime change over at the Xcel Energy Center. However, the overhaul wasn’t fully complete until Wednesday. That’s when Marion Gaborik, the team’s last original member and the only superstar in franchise history, bolted to New York with a 5 year, $37.5 million deal.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTqQJb8P8Kdn6TQdjAZaWLh3Uunsg0Wv_vsMvRVfLPtzPDcxk8yQjoYezlXuCpekbFfguD0ggk_mxdLDCtFuaLVuJANJ8jNXqm1NqEoJNrQo_oPah9c7xTIaPhR90vhQtklqv76oNmwAk/s1600-h/gaborik+hurt.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTqQJb8P8Kdn6TQdjAZaWLh3Uunsg0Wv_vsMvRVfLPtzPDcxk8yQjoYezlXuCpekbFfguD0ggk_mxdLDCtFuaLVuJANJ8jNXqm1NqEoJNrQo_oPah9c7xTIaPhR90vhQtklqv76oNmwAk/s320/gaborik+hurt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355011919695401474" /></a><br /><em>There is a 90% chance that Gabby injured his groin on this play</em><br /><br />At first I was a bit perturbed about the signing (not being a true fan, I couldn’t actually be angry or even mildly upset about it). I naively thought that we actually had a decent chance of retaining him. All of the reports I had read said that he had a problem with the way management had treated him, especially during his most recent injury. Well, with everyone who was once in power gone, I thought we could convince him to stay with the team that drafted him and buy into the new high octane offense that new GM Chuck Fletcher and Coach Todd Richards have promised.<br /><br />But that was not to be. As soon as it was legally possibly, Gabby got on his horse and got the eff out of dodge. The hastiness with which he signed, along with the price rubbed me the wrong way. Here was the franchise leader in just about every offensive category bolting town for $7.5 million per, when less than a year ago he turned down the Wild’s offer of 10 years, $78.5 million (that’s $7.85 million per for the math majors out there).<br /><br />Well you know what? We don’t need ya.<br /><br />No rebuilding project is complete without completely gutting everything and everyone (just ask the Wolves). That includes oft-injured (he played in only 207 games in his Wild career, while missing 121), overrated (frustration), whiny ass wingers. It’s time for a change and we don’t need that kind of attitude on our squad or in our clubhouse. Besides, we’ve got Pierre Marc-Bouchard, Mikko Koivu (and likely his brother Saku soon), Josh Harding, and newly signed Martin Havlat to lead the charge into the new era of Wild hockey.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjth3opfebFDX262jcAqzAknxl2u7pyVjTFf-5SVYihPC5irZaCftJkmspM0fBfUcrm_KoCjOGY18k6cWuC-X2BwW7SziFEBpu1yy_cxnMIlqWjiedn5_gyu4Lp3FQydFMhz5yzfUA2xcgi/s1600-h/state+of+hockey.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjth3opfebFDX262jcAqzAknxl2u7pyVjTFf-5SVYihPC5irZaCftJkmspM0fBfUcrm_KoCjOGY18k6cWuC-X2BwW7SziFEBpu1yy_cxnMIlqWjiedn5_gyu4Lp3FQydFMhz5yzfUA2xcgi/s320/state+of+hockey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355011456199181298" /></a><br /><em>It's the dawn of a new era in the State of Hockey</em><br /><br />So, as the old saying goes, don’t let the doorknob hit you on the ass on your way out, Marian (isn’t that a girl’s name anyways?).<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-26660094595434304162009-07-01T21:06:00.006-05:002009-07-01T21:22:43.296-05:00What Now?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDomtfS41HM4f1l2wwagxmX9zzds9AYPnPFY1QxFVk_FgFWIxw1yw03fy5usiQimrEbZ4UUUNwET4fCpoJBRrjl1Dq8Xo4kGUqx2X3N6ZoY0F6RoGnHZViEVfJfTY_3B9n-du99ASftiNE/s1600-h/wolves.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDomtfS41HM4f1l2wwagxmX9zzds9AYPnPFY1QxFVk_FgFWIxw1yw03fy5usiQimrEbZ4UUUNwET4fCpoJBRrjl1Dq8Xo4kGUqx2X3N6ZoY0F6RoGnHZViEVfJfTY_3B9n-du99ASftiNE/s320/wolves.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353682470977602754" /></a><br /><br />It’s been almost a week since the NBA draft. In that time, I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around everything that went down and, to be honest, I (like many others) am still thoroughly confused with the Timberwolves picks. Coming into the night, I was extremely optimistic and downright giddy. We had rid ourselves of the perceived cancer and draft destroyer, Kevin McHale. We had six picks to infuse talent into a completely overhauled roster and take a giant step in the makeover that new VP of Basketball Operations David Kahn had promised. Then, in the course of about two hours, I went from optimistic to…well, I don’t know what I feel. Some combination of shocked, confused, disappointed, and angry.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />The biggest reason for optimism started at the top of the draft. The Wolves held two of the top six picks in the draft. Depending on how picks 2-4 played out (with Griffin the obvious #1), we were going to have a lot of options to possibly rebuild our now nonexistent backcourt. I know everyone was saying that this was one of the weaker draft classes in recent history, but you have to like your team’s odds when they have picks five and 6—unless your team is the Minnesota Timberwolves.<br /><br />In true Minnesota fashion, the draft could not have unfolded worse prior to our picks. In my personal best case scenario, the Wolves would have been able to select Tyreke Evans and their choice of point guard from Jonny Flynn, Ty Lawson, Jrue Holiday, etc. I figured that even in the worst case scenario we’d be able to take one of those guards with James Harden and at least fill a need. But then, in the bat of an eye, Thabeet, Harden, and Evans were all gone and the Wolves were left standing with a horde of point guards available—and not much else. The best available player was Ricky Rubio. Despite my personal concerns about the hype surrounding him, the pick made sense (although I had no idea just how much he didn’t want to play here).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZWzFM83GaLX0z7fWUhx_UfkslKWuLJpEZ0jJTWbnDi6WcQZDcrhpVlmJND7L1-kERGCbK2Z1wDLyzLK6osMiByYR4fxiMQfCTHYcSLAZPZ8tQilYS_pvVqtjAnHLDUX6LdaQANf2LYKC/s1600-h/rubio.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZWzFM83GaLX0z7fWUhx_UfkslKWuLJpEZ0jJTWbnDi6WcQZDcrhpVlmJND7L1-kERGCbK2Z1wDLyzLK6osMiByYR4fxiMQfCTHYcSLAZPZ8tQilYS_pvVqtjAnHLDUX6LdaQANf2LYKC/s320/rubio.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353681785896415442" /></a><br /><em>Minnesota's first superstar since KG or yet another draft blunder?</em><br /><br />Sitting on the clock at 6, I had to assume we were in multiple trade talks. Whether it was to trade Rubio, whom many teams coveted, and take a different point guard, or to trade the 6 pick, I assumed we were making a deal. I was wrong. The Wolves went with Jonny Flynn, the point guard out of Syracuse. We had just taken two point guards with top 6 picks. Everyone in the house, on the radio, on ESPN, hell, just everyone was confused. Surely a trade was coming now.<br /><br />Then Mr. Kahn got on the radio and told all of the Timberwolves faithful (both of them) that we were in fact keeping both players. He saw Flynn as more of a scoring guard with Rubio being the orchestra conductor and believed they would fit in and play together nicely. All of that is well and good except for the fact that our new “scoring” guard is 5’11”. I thought this had to all be smoke while he worked out a deal. You know, not giving away anything while the details were still being worked out. Yet here we are a week later and nothing has happened.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwMgsRoUYluxxfOUB6OnThq3A5BvM1teEnjGaZPgLkQlv8ME-oLFInHrWXUuJcTcrj0plKvVS7HePxfOLTJf1eXqA6xIY40YxU8Hbd1YWqQJwN0hn-9qfEs16McLmGKsTAR2nAlNNmQiY/s1600-h/flynn.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwMgsRoUYluxxfOUB6OnThq3A5BvM1teEnjGaZPgLkQlv8ME-oLFInHrWXUuJcTcrj0plKvVS7HePxfOLTJf1eXqA6xIY40YxU8Hbd1YWqQJwN0hn-9qfEs16McLmGKsTAR2nAlNNmQiY/s320/flynn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353682184662522642" /></a><br /><em>Great pick, but is he a "scoring" guard?</em><br /><br />Well, I shouldn’t say nothing has happened. We have learned that young Mr. Rubio wants absolutely nothing to do with this state or this franchise. Awesome. The first correct, promising, talented draft pick we’ve had since Kevin Garnett thinks it’s too cold in Minnesota (someone’s been talking to Stephon Marbury apparently). Now the rumors are flying around: he’s going to stay in Spain for at least 1-2 more years, he’s going to sign with a team in Turkey, he’s going to get traded, and so on. Well, this sucks. I mean, if we have to trade him, then so be it; just as long as we get equal value for him. That doesn’t seem likely to happen as the only team rumored to be talking to the Wolves are the New York Knicks. The deal I hear most often has David Lee and Nate Robinson coming here (possibly with a pick) for Ricky. Um, no thanks. We already have a 5’11” shooting guard, we don’t need a 5’7” point guard (Robinson). I, like most Minnesota fans, assume that this is going to end badly.<br /><br />Let’s not focus on the negative anymore. There was some good that came from the 2009 Draft. With the 18th overall pick, the Wolves selected Ty Lawson from North Carolina. And before everyone could get too worried about us drafting a third point guard, we quickly traded him to Denver for a first round draft pick in 2010 (originally belonging to Charlotte). This really didn’t strike me as a great move until I read Kahn’s open letter to the fans in the next day’s paper. In his page long rant, he explained that the team didn’t really see anyone they liked at that spot, especially not anyone they wanted to give guaranteed money to, so they shopped and eventually traded the pick to continue to stock up for the future. I loved the honesty in that statement, and it restored a little bit of hope in me that Kahn might actually have a small clue what he is doing.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeJKqOwH2UhJrmzXOpk2jw-KCoCWAb0Q83O6ALNQFMe4aj-WqERxGA44Y_Tjt2A1lMIt7loN8M8b8AYO6oF2jivNh-NvO9soNjHq8rEDw45q-1QbfKdRKr93Rj57n12-JcP-SrNZKtBKI/s1600-h/ellington.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeJKqOwH2UhJrmzXOpk2jw-KCoCWAb0Q83O6ALNQFMe4aj-WqERxGA44Y_Tjt2A1lMIt7loN8M8b8AYO6oF2jivNh-NvO9soNjHq8rEDw45q-1QbfKdRKr93Rj57n12-JcP-SrNZKtBKI/s320/ellington.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353681117551215826" /></a><br /><em>Ellington couldn't have fallen into a better situation</em><br /><br />With our fourth and final pick in the first round, the Wolves selected Wayne Ellington, also of North Carolina fame. I like this pick. He has a very good chance to be a solid NBA player—most likely a role player (shooter), but a good player nonetheless—even if I am wary of UNC players after the Rashad McCants Experiment. The second round went off in fairly uneventful fashion. We selected Nick Calathes out of Florida (a player I really like), and then promptly traded him to Dallas. Then we took one of Rubio’s teammates from Spain (a guy named Henk), who will probably never see a minute of NBA action.<br /><br />So where do we go from here? Unfortunately, that question will go unanswered for some time. Until the Rubio situation gets settled, it’s tough to grade out the Wolves draft. We did get two solid players (Flynn and Ellington), as well as a 2010 first round pick, along with saving some money. I know people don’t want to hear this now, but stockpiling for next year’s draft isn’t the worst idea. As of right now, we are very likely to have three first round picks once again, with two second rounders again. Now I can’t promise we’ll do anything good with those picks, but many NBA experts are predicting that the ’10 draft class will be one of the better ones of late (depending on underclassmen that come out, obviously). When you’re a team in major rebuilding mode like the Timberwolves, potentially stocking up on young talent is the best way to try and contend once again.<br /><br />As far as Rubio goes, I’m going to stay optimistic. If you’ll recall, two years ago Yi Jianlian from China did not want to play for Milwaukee. Then the two sides sat down, talked it out rationally, and negotiated a deal (Sure, he was traded a year later, but that's beside the point). I’m not sold on the two point guard system, but I’ll take our chances and hope that at least one of them turns out to be a legit pro. That said, this story is definitely “To Be Continued…”<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-67697556605645926222009-06-23T15:32:00.010-05:002009-06-23T22:25:38.949-05:006-18-28-45-47<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-66wbLldJLuD78Bovi6ND485jqssUhwJV9MpN9vwncugG8XVVrt0ITJ_7ySREhIOAsqWYZnCQ1_ADDVbWFvbIT-6-L31R80lNifEE9qm9LnVPBM9TcCVdfobGeCfAQeMvy-uhRnYwIhZ/s1600-h/lost.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-66wbLldJLuD78Bovi6ND485jqssUhwJV9MpN9vwncugG8XVVrt0ITJ_7ySREhIOAsqWYZnCQ1_ADDVbWFvbIT-6-L31R80lNifEE9qm9LnVPBM9TcCVdfobGeCfAQeMvy-uhRnYwIhZ/s320/lost.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350631811648298578" /></a><br />If you are familiar with the television show Lost, you know that there is a series of numbers (4-8-15-16-23-42) that continually show up in various situations that seem to hold the key to all of the craziness that happens on and around that island. Similarly, there are a series of numbers that hold the key to the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves: 6-18-28-45-47. These are the five draft picks that the Wolves currently hold for Thursday’s NBA Draft.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf67py-GjYVHTj90XbpEE8JgaIvebW653U2Le5LYCH1Zd-bRKcTiq0d3fUGEGK4eMi21ci7QOqNq5CSwtUM0y3Qh_xKl9Z07g-89SIMBBCBGlx0IPsXQRCUpLHyfwQCn5y7hJHJJG1HYZ0/s1600-h/wolves.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf67py-GjYVHTj90XbpEE8JgaIvebW653U2Le5LYCH1Zd-bRKcTiq0d3fUGEGK4eMi21ci7QOqNq5CSwtUM0y3Qh_xKl9Z07g-89SIMBBCBGlx0IPsXQRCUpLHyfwQCn5y7hJHJJG1HYZ0/s320/wolves.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350631559416167858" /></a><br /><em>5 picks in this year's draft could be the beginning of a new regime</em><br /><br />As a team that has missed the playoffs for four consecutive years (a streak likely to continue for at least one more season), has only 2 consistent assets (Love and Jefferson), and has been quickly losing its fan base, the 2009 draft is easily the most important draft in the history of the franchise thus far. Five picks in one draft can bring in a wealth of talent to a ballclub, especially when three of those are first rounders. What follows is a breakdown of potential picks at each of the five positions we currently hold. Obviously this is extremely subject to change, as it seems incredibly unlikely that the Wolves will hold on to all five.<br /><br />The Wolves first selection is the 6th overall pick in the draft. Obviously this is the most important one, as it is likely to involve the most talented, NBA-ready player of the five picks. There has been much discussion lately about whether the team will try to move up in the draft, or sit tight at 6. Rumors surrounding this pick have been rampant: Al Jeff and the 6 for Amare Stoudemire (terrible idea), Kevin Love and the 6 for the 2 pick (awful), and so on. Rather than try to guess what kind of wheeling and dealing new VP David Kahn will do, let’s break down some of the players who might be available.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEh1TGVvJH27PMsYsCr4CCgkZg4wrn1dmVw0R5WMWLjXT2KeqHQLLiLT1PlSFRj-w4BRRHvxAJ4Nizj2Nifn8vyhIVY-L9xl_0xxq7QRfNKQfWYqGrZWgpq_tc-ZgNpd2XzcmXRp3rv-6o/s1600-h/evans.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEh1TGVvJH27PMsYsCr4CCgkZg4wrn1dmVw0R5WMWLjXT2KeqHQLLiLT1PlSFRj-w4BRRHvxAJ4Nizj2Nifn8vyhIVY-L9xl_0xxq7QRfNKQfWYqGrZWgpq_tc-ZgNpd2XzcmXRp3rv-6o/s320/evans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350631214371903826" /></a><br /><em>Not only the Best Available, but possibly just The Best</em><br /><br />In a perfect world, UCONN’s Hasheem Thabeet would fall into the Wolves’ lap at 6. He is the perfect shot-blocking, defensive-minded compliment to Jefferson. Plus, there is a wealth of guards available in this draft, and the Wolves could theoretically use their next two picks on guards to compliment Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, and company. Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world, so barring a trade, this will never happen. If I had my choice of guys who are likely to be available at 6, I’d take Tyreke Evans out of Memphis. A 6-5 shooting guard who can absolutely fill it up is exactly the kind of player the Wolves need (and have never had). Unfortunately, his stock seems to be rising quickly, and it is likely that he’ll be gone by the time we pick (or worse, we’ll pass over him for someone else).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnZhXjFnOZMDxggq3Un-o0M4QndWW2nVPYdHnisZrkV3dxznAZmBIq2uy8nvJK1rcK4NzXqlo1YiCqH-U3Tu96Pula357inKRtZMLRT5VrMXP5ooOmLmSK4ZnYn0qIRxpkF0RszWwPv-Y/s1600-h/curry.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnZhXjFnOZMDxggq3Un-o0M4QndWW2nVPYdHnisZrkV3dxznAZmBIq2uy8nvJK1rcK4NzXqlo1YiCqH-U3Tu96Pula357inKRtZMLRT5VrMXP5ooOmLmSK4ZnYn0qIRxpkF0RszWwPv-Y/s320/curry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350630851314118658" /></a><br /><em>The 6th pick in the draft, or will he be gone?</em><br /><br />There are three players who have been slotted to the Wolves in various mock drafts more than any others leading up to Thursday night: James Harden (Arizona State), Demar DeRozen (USC), and Stephen Curry (Davidson). Personally, I want nothing to do with any of them. Harden was a streaky player (at best) at ASU and a lack of work ethic is something that follows you to any level you play at, and won’t cut it in the League. DeRozen is a poor man’s OJ Mayo who, after being the consensus #1 high school player in the country, showed very little of that brilliance as a freshman for the Trojans. USC is notorious for developing shoot-first, stat-driven guards (Mayo, Harold Miner, etc.) who do very little to improve NBA teams. Everyone sucks Curry’s Popsicle because of all the hype he and ESPN created. Yes, he had a great tournament two years ago. Yes, he’s a fantastic college shooter. However, can he handle the rock in the League? Can he create his own shot? Can he play a lick of defense? I don’t have an answer for those very important questions, which is why I’m very wary of him and would not be ecstatic if the Wolves took him at 6. Two other names to look for in this spot: Ty Lawson (UNC)—a poor man’s Ray Felton, who would be a ridiculous reach here, and Jonny Flynn (Syracuse)—in my opinion, a tough PG with a lot of potential; risk-reward type pick.<br /><br />The 18 pick is far more subjective and far less easy to project. Whereas with the 6 pick, you know that you’ll be getting one of the top ten prospects, 18 is much more difficult to predict. As you start to move through the middle of the draft, there are many surprises that shake everything up. A team might really covet a player and draft him 5 or 6 spots earlier than he was projected, thus changing the way the following teams will pick. There are many more trades in this area of the draft as well. All of this leads to quite a bit of uncertainty about the Wolves second first-round pick.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUmsfShycZlvQ2zRYTZFop55FdaQTvovfmECKwWp83HiEzweQPkC1UvIqQZee1UOoZAmigSsBnVyhqybvrX12j674n-5rj4yJDLi7k5tFXHzQvu_fOLCfr8sgmRGU6OZmhWe_sutynogD/s1600-h/young.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUmsfShycZlvQ2zRYTZFop55FdaQTvovfmECKwWp83HiEzweQPkC1UvIqQZee1UOoZAmigSsBnVyhqybvrX12j674n-5rj4yJDLi7k5tFXHzQvu_fOLCfr8sgmRGU6OZmhWe_sutynogD/s320/young.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350630517351253842" /></a><br /><em>A sight hopefully coming to Target Center soon</em><br /><br />The other contributing factor is the 6 pick. The guy drafted there will greatly affect who gets taken at 18 (and for the rest of the picks as well). For instance, if the Wolves move up and grab a guy like Thabeet, then 18 HAS to be a guard, preferably of the point variety. If they take Evans at 6, then 18 is a bit of a crap shoot. You could still go after a talented point guard if one that you like falls to you. You could also go after a hybrid 3 guard such as Austin Daye (Gonzaga), Earl Clark (Louisville), or Sam Young (Pittsburgh). It would also make sense to look at any potential centers in this situation as well. Of course if we take BJ Mullens (Ohio St.) here, a McHale-like move, I will set my hair on fire. Then again, if you take a point with the 6, then 18 should be a big man, unless you like one of the aforementioned swing guards.<br /><br />Personally, I’d like to see us take Evans at 6, and then go after a guy like Young at 18. I feel like there will be some quality point guards available at the end of the first round (more on that in a second), and you have your scorer, plus a project, risk-reward type talent at the 3, just in case Brewer turns out to be a bust (likely). Sure, that means that you don’t get the big man that you covet/need, but you can always look at free agency or a trade (such at the rumored Mike Miller for Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby deal).<br /><br />Much like the 18 pick, 28 also depends a lot on what moves other teams make, who falls to you, and what positions/players you have already drafted. There can be gems found in the latter part of the first round if you scout well enough, especially overseas. Though it’s highly unlikely that the Wolves hold on to both 18 and 28, we’ll look at some possibilities with this pick, just for argument’s sake.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvAkGOKH6_B0xW5gEeXbxQQC1-6OO0lOxTZx7kv049ZTsG3-7jeXKRRj__ntYpNnCJjwxY62z6BMzghTce-TKWOB2mOtyZZgP-byHFG-XgqdTyvGgYpNrNw6BJTaredpMPpmRIWmmoMp3/s1600-h/collison.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvAkGOKH6_B0xW5gEeXbxQQC1-6OO0lOxTZx7kv049ZTsG3-7jeXKRRj__ntYpNnCJjwxY62z6BMzghTce-TKWOB2mOtyZZgP-byHFG-XgqdTyvGgYpNrNw6BJTaredpMPpmRIWmmoMp3/s320/collison.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350630202382057666" /></a><br /><em>NBL--Natural Born Leader</em><br /><br />It is my belief that the Timberwolves should wait until the end of the first round (this pick) to go after a point guard. I know that guys like Lawson and Flynn are projected to go much higher, but I think there is talent available in this position, and there isn’t that much of a drop off in talent from those higher picks. The two guys I especially like that are projected to be available at 28 are Darren Collison (UCLA) and Patty Mills (St. Mary’s). Collison has been a leader and distributor on the last few UCLA teams, which have had a great deal of success. He has always seemed to understand exactly what the role of a point guard is—distribute the ball to your teammates in spaces where they can create/score, and occasionally keep the defense honest by taking it to the tin or hitting an open jump shot. He just strikes me as a natural leader who would fit perfectly with the other pieces of the puzzle we are trying to put together.<br /><br />Mills, on the other hand, is a bit of an unknown commodity. First of all, he played at a school that does not get a lot of national media hype. Second, he injured his wrist and missed a large portion of the season last year. Nevertheless, from the times I have seen him, he looks like a natural scorer with an incredible touch from the outside. To me, he is a better, less heralded version of Steph Curry (who got more love than he deserved based on his dad and one tournament run). I’m not completely sold on his ability to run a team (which is why I like Collison better), but he’d be a great value pick at 28.<br /><br />There is one other scenario for many teams picking at the end of the first round/beginning of the second: drafting a player from overseas and “stashing” him away for a couple years. There are some incredibly talented players over in Europe that could come in and contribute on an NBA team right away. Unfortunately, many of them are locked into unbreakable contracts for the next few years. They can, however, be drafted and have a team own their rights once they are able to sign. Many teams, especially those with cap problems, love this idea. They get a prospect that probably is just as likely to pan out as any college kid they could take, but they don’t have to pay any money until a couple years later. Under the McHale regime, this would be an absolute certainty to happen with the 28th pick this year. Now that most of the Country Club is gone, though, no one can be sure what will happen.<br /><br />The second round of the NBA draft is a complete crapshoot. Not only to players taken in the second round rarely make a significant impact on teams, most of them won’t even make it out of training camp. The more intelligent and successful franchises use these picks to take a chance on an established college player who has already proven himself at that level. Teams like the Wolves usually use these picks to continue to take chances on “project” guys that have a very low probability of working out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuojH6S9nwlw8o67qPCnzi9wKIRgtjkLnyA_Gkj8NmSvWh3OOkd6nvOqFh0R2Vw8AC8DkO_wnoQwqwNNMNVJhqjbeDCGgOuBnYmQivV4Ao03azSbvdrMChZaRn-SRU6obt0SutatQF5QPf/s1600-h/green.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuojH6S9nwlw8o67qPCnzi9wKIRgtjkLnyA_Gkj8NmSvWh3OOkd6nvOqFh0R2Vw8AC8DkO_wnoQwqwNNMNVJhqjbeDCGgOuBnYmQivV4Ao03azSbvdrMChZaRn-SRU6obt0SutatQF5QPf/s320/green.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350629693098459762" /></a><br /><em>A guy that does this to Duke can play for the Wolves any day</em><br /><br />If we still have picks 45 and 47 late Thursday night, I’d like to see us go after a couple of guys with established college careers. Preferably, it would be one post and one guard. Here are some guys that I like that are projected to be available at this point in the draft:<br />Danny Green—6’6” SF (North Carolina)<br />Dante Cunningham—6’8” SF (Villanova)<br />Jeff Adrien—6’7” PF (UCONN)<br />Curtis Jerrells—6’1” PG (Baylor)<br />Nick Calethes—6’5” G (Florida)<br /><br />As I patiently wait for Thursday night (even I, a hardcore baseball fan, crave some variety in my sports watching during this time of year), I will constantly be listening to KFAN and reading all of the various sports, and especially basketball-heavy, websites to see if the Wolves have brokered some kind of deal to move up early in the draft, package pick together to move up in the middle of the draft, or made some other sort of deal with members of the current team: there’s nothing sports fans like more than speculation and rumors.<br /><br />I’ll leave you with my Best Case draft list and my Worst Case draft list (assuming we keep and use all five picks):<br /><br /><strong>Best Case Scenario</strong>: 6—Tyreke Evans, 18—Sam Young, 28—Darren Collison, 45—Curtis Jerrells, 47—Danny Green<br /><br /><strong>Worst Case Scenario</strong>: 6—James Harden, 18—BJ Mullens, 28—European, 45—Jerel McNeal, 47—Wesley Matthews<br /><br /><strong>***UPDATE:</strong> The Wolves have reportedly traded Randy Foye and Mike Miller to Washington for the 5th pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov (who?). My guess? We'll trade either the 5 or 6 pick, packaged with the 18 pick, to move up to #2 and grab Thabeet. Oh, and at least two, if not all three, of the throw in players will be cut. Regardless, this definitely solidifies my belief that this draft will make or break our franchise for the next 10 years.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-29788894726249240882009-06-16T12:40:00.017-05:002009-06-16T13:14:39.429-05:00Things Ron Gardenhire and I Don't Agree On<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsdnKujnj3EtqQcCcjzHa3vWRBB6vGcJFZmDeHji8KztqXwC3pzuVxArQ9a3u708qQVzisfPjwjDzoDXqU5sBHi46zXdx89RosF1PZj3y1gbrEe6gOOJt2QYYHWawpof-pB3d0sxfByBw/s1600-h/gardy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347989815543936482" style="WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsdnKujnj3EtqQcCcjzHa3vWRBB6vGcJFZmDeHji8KztqXwC3pzuVxArQ9a3u708qQVzisfPjwjDzoDXqU5sBHi46zXdx89RosF1PZj3y1gbrEe6gOOJt2QYYHWawpof-pB3d0sxfByBw/s320/gardy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For a very long time my baseball philosophy has clashed drastically with that of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. His idea of how to use the players on my favorite team is very different than my idea (which matters a lot seeing as he’s the one with the job and I’m the one blogging about it). Some of these things have been mentioned on this site before, but I wanted to get everything into one list to finally air all of my grievances about the way the Twins are managed on a day to day basis.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>1. Gardenhire’s love affair with Nick Punto.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTmCyUbYoCnsv1QNIKA2DozRAn-GpjASpDxLQilxPzwqwGvkbh0hyiPnQUHb1INnO77CYUJkTNdk0H68tT_oEjXBnduDjyAdiMcr7I0VMbWWFYUYI1NGFXYSlQxJS-lMUfnDe9QlMipJW/s1600-h/puntocelebrate.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347989569455565250" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTmCyUbYoCnsv1QNIKA2DozRAn-GpjASpDxLQilxPzwqwGvkbh0hyiPnQUHb1INnO77CYUJkTNdk0H68tT_oEjXBnduDjyAdiMcr7I0VMbWWFYUYI1NGFXYSlQxJS-lMUfnDe9QlMipJW/s320/puntocelebrate.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Someone's getting a BIG hug in the dugout...</em><br /><br />My dislike for Punto is well documented, so I won’t go into too much detail here. I just don’t understand how you can consistently put a player on the field that hits .200 and is average defensively night in and night out. It’s gotten to the point where I get physically angry when I see the man now.<br /><br /><strong>2. The Lefty vs. Lefty thing.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7yP2oDRKNsoOcSMuKlxsHPtIip2iJyEmnaMCG2OZvy5l2LD7TOU-IdXpx6B4tr-hXrrSsNDmKIfirH4uDOl2whI9MUpkSOaQfAY38LYM-8Adp6r5rCKnGt6GCHLiZ59gEPeBrOm9NJwS/s1600-h/kubel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347988742962993602" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7yP2oDRKNsoOcSMuKlxsHPtIip2iJyEmnaMCG2OZvy5l2LD7TOU-IdXpx6B4tr-hXrrSsNDmKIfirH4uDOl2whI9MUpkSOaQfAY38LYM-8Adp6r5rCKnGt6GCHLiZ59gEPeBrOm9NJwS/s320/kubel.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Guaranteed this was off of a righty</em><br /><br />Hey, I get it. Hitters fair much better when they face a pitcher of the opposite hand. But when you constantly alter your lineup when facing a left-handed pitcher, you do three things to hurt the team. One, you take some of your better hitters out of the game. Two, you hurt the confidence of the younger players. Three, you stunt the growth/maturation of your hitters. How is a left-handed hitter supposed to get any better against left-handed pitching when he’s never allowed to face it? Do you ever wonder why it has taken so long for Kubel to finally start to live up to the hype he got in the minors (other than the obvious knee injuries)? Or why our record against lefty pitchers is so terrible? Or why opposing teams can completely shut us down late in ballgames? It all comes back to the fear of allowing our left-handed hitters to consistently get at-bats against their southpaw brethren.<br /><br /><strong>3. His late inning use of starting pitchers.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RJc95e1Qps2v5JxKNA87ssmwvPn2M2rDos4urOyuMLJGXXF8rDPhSVzOn67dxX_t2VOlR51dL-z-mOm-j3MlFUPMnDEVCazBfyxfsANrhtaaRZVFm1dPEQl0fZTBUflbPJWwtDfgs2Lt/s1600-h/baker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347988375464876674" style="WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RJc95e1Qps2v5JxKNA87ssmwvPn2M2rDos4urOyuMLJGXXF8rDPhSVzOn67dxX_t2VOlR51dL-z-mOm-j3MlFUPMnDEVCazBfyxfsANrhtaaRZVFm1dPEQl0fZTBUflbPJWwtDfgs2Lt/s320/baker.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>It's ok Bake--I would have taken you out sooner</em><br /><br />I firmly believe there is no manager in the league who is worse at deciding when to pull his starting pitcher than Ron Gardenhire. Did you know (sponsored by Sports Center circa 2007) that the Twins have the 3rd longest active streak without a complete game from their starter? It’s almost as if Gardy has absolutely no feel for how well/poorly a guy is pitching. The only time he’ll let someone try to finish a game is when they have a shutout going. Blackburn could have given up 2 first inning runs and been lights out the rest of the game, but he’s coming out in the 8th (if not sooner) to give way to our vaunted bullpen. Conversely, Baker could be laboring through 8 innings, but if he hasn’t given up a run, Gardy will send him out there to get shelled in the 9th. For a guy who’s been in and around baseball as much as Ron has, you’d think at some point he’d develop a sense for how his starter is throwing that isn’t based on pitch count or runs given up.<br /><br /><strong>4. His apparent ignorance of fielding statistics.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLqTvDuWAHnoQKrXRJXPBIChBueQM1oESbtz_Jo2r3RMM_Zxt4NJrA8lsHJTufbQPbpuHkuYBKnpflSYvDKVKm7nb4ozmu9KX7UsVMQWFVr5SQ4ae_5U1VCIB5LIS0pVDu3gcflyYYYYk/s1600-h/puntofield.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347988056129276434" style="WIDTH: 277px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLqTvDuWAHnoQKrXRJXPBIChBueQM1oESbtz_Jo2r3RMM_Zxt4NJrA8lsHJTufbQPbpuHkuYBKnpflSYvDKVKm7nb4ozmu9KX7UsVMQWFVr5SQ4ae_5U1VCIB5LIS0pVDu3gcflyYYYYk/s320/puntofield.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>You gotta keep a glove like this in the lineup</em><br /><br />Nick Punto’s fielding percentage this year is .971—good for 15th among <em>American League shortstops </em>who’ve played at least 15 games at the position. His Range Factor (putouts + assists/innings) is 4.39—that would be 13th among AL shortstops with at least 15 games. His Zone Rating (number of plays made/number of balls hit into his zone—compared to the average among all players for a plus/minus number) was 5.629—that puts him at 16th among all AL SS’s with at least 15 games played. Keep in mind that there are 14 teams in the American League…<br /><br /><strong>5. The use/overuse of our bullpen.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerkTSCOB4CsqK9RCaiJJ8LPG9UlPmX3B9T38065VeyNnMHj1Zh9KaTKEnJsq7m6aaxQ4fu1zawzdq_D3kRw0O5kh7NvAI3ChSkGBAj2LTVQyc5qmcNRgBQEYNV6FYYlkF26v1qMSnxk13/s1600-h/guerrier.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347987618941569666" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerkTSCOB4CsqK9RCaiJJ8LPG9UlPmX3B9T38065VeyNnMHj1Zh9KaTKEnJsq7m6aaxQ4fu1zawzdq_D3kRw0O5kh7NvAI3ChSkGBAj2LTVQyc5qmcNRgBQEYNV6FYYlkF26v1qMSnxk13/s320/guerrier.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>The MOST common sight at Twins games for the last 3 years</em><br /><br />Pat Neshek was really good—until he pitched every other day, blew his arm out, and has been out for two years. Matt Guerrier pitched in 149 games over the last two seasons and is currently the league leader in appearances for 2009. Jesse Crain, despite having an 8.51 ERA and allowing 11.2 hits per 9 innings, has appeared in 23 games this year. Luis Ayala has a 1.432 WHIP and a 10.7 H/9, yet he’s been in 26 games this year. The latter three guys are all in the top 20 for appearances this year (as is Joe Nathan).<br /><br /><strong>6. His consistency (or lack thereof) of playing younger guys.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_R_TxTGnfCPgmRKsYye4OXGe0ZJy-p-jZsmGLUqp_ObClVuSzxLukfMNlTBeMR2i_-4X9wiRr0N7xZqTvcEUHTG2tWC5kB-jBW6blp4AI3o6lqSpb2XwcmimZKEAyof2kLrdBc1GFNNr/s1600-h/buscher.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347987314871228802" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_R_TxTGnfCPgmRKsYye4OXGe0ZJy-p-jZsmGLUqp_ObClVuSzxLukfMNlTBeMR2i_-4X9wiRr0N7xZqTvcEUHTG2tWC5kB-jBW6blp4AI3o6lqSpb2XwcmimZKEAyof2kLrdBc1GFNNr/s320/buscher.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>I don't care how far that ball goes, you're not playing tomorrow</em><br /><br />Typical Gardy formula: call up a guy from the minors (usually a utility infielder), start him on his first day with the team, bat him second, bench him for the next week (other than pinch hitting or running) regardless of his performance, and send him back down. And people wonder why our prospects haven’t been panning out for the last number of years.<br /><br /><strong>7. He finds Nick Punto attractive.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfmCFVC8FR3qYzFhah0XBtcCxllBgGZf-ljDubnHoxEFxxDJ41PW1h2FfH-2otmlzou14uk1_JeH2-d1-KTEesbcNrrkYKUnpGuOnMb8FJ-4QRq8-WT7k5QzeMqAIt41g2dhK-XdV5dQa/s1600-h/LNP.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347986770524416178" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 308px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfmCFVC8FR3qYzFhah0XBtcCxllBgGZf-ljDubnHoxEFxxDJ41PW1h2FfH-2otmlzou14uk1_JeH2-d1-KTEesbcNrrkYKUnpGuOnMb8FJ-4QRq8-WT7k5QzeMqAIt41g2dhK-XdV5dQa/s320/LNP.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>This is actually framed and hanging in Gardy's office</em><br /><br />I mean, that’s the only way to explain his playing time, right?<br /><br /><strong>8. His batting orders.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBBtwzozfY8C6ETBHTopE4lvPQvzdvKxzdgH7gnk-HaxB7rIHJCM6aIse7c5DQQvJyPLVLJXylTdlZ04POVCr4a-YYm1S4BaSHbTfOssKXEKzaZrRHPohisLFlWQzaUfr1Fb-joe1pvIk/s1600-h/mauer.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347986384126965986" style="WIDTH: 234px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBBtwzozfY8C6ETBHTopE4lvPQvzdvKxzdgH7gnk-HaxB7rIHJCM6aIse7c5DQQvJyPLVLJXylTdlZ04POVCr4a-YYm1S4BaSHbTfOssKXEKzaZrRHPohisLFlWQzaUfr1Fb-joe1pvIk/s320/mauer.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><em>This is a far more common sight when he's hitting second in the order</em><br /><br />For the last few years, Gardy has insisted on batting one of our 6 utility infielders in the 2 hole. He has decided that placing a .240 hitter in the middle of the few guys who actually hit well consistently is a great idea. I know this may come as a shock, but it has not worked. I realize that we have a number of light-hitting (to put it nicely) players most days, but I’d rather have them all get out in a row than have one of them kill any kind of rally that our best hitters could generate. Never has this been more obvious than this year. For a bulk of the year, Span, Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel have been hitting at least .300 (with Cuddyer close behind). And guess when we were hitting our best and having our most success of this young season? When they batted in that exact order. When it was happening, I was both amazed and confused. Could it be that Gardy had finally figured it out? Of course not. He reverted back to his old ways just a couple of weeks later and now, surprise, we’re struggling to hit consistently again.<br /><br /><strong>9. His love of utility infielders.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DPZFhSbyMhLbFKugv622V0M_jEsRKNbTr9YBUJ_4VArLUSyZw3ROyk6KG3E5Y5h9xt-QMyOQo-9OWE1yzY9EB_sEy1tlxEBOeqbS8Y6-X43JsGQDdfIkCn18ykdzA4nxcnHhaYTPaQvy/s1600-h/tolbert.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347985950814629602" style="WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DPZFhSbyMhLbFKugv622V0M_jEsRKNbTr9YBUJ_4VArLUSyZw3ROyk6KG3E5Y5h9xt-QMyOQo-9OWE1yzY9EB_sEy1tlxEBOeqbS8Y6-X43JsGQDdfIkCn18ykdzA4nxcnHhaYTPaQvy/s320/tolbert.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>There's nothing better than a light hitting infielder</em><br /><br />The following is the list of infielders who have played for the Minnesota Twins since 2007 (2 + years) not named Justin Morneau: Alexi Casilla, Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Joe Crede, Matt Tolbert, Brian Buscher, Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Michael Cuddyer, Randy Ruiz, Matt Macri, Howie Clark, Luis Castillo, Jason Bartlett, Jason Tyner, Luis Rodriguez, Garrett Jones, Tommy Watkins, Josh Rabe, and Matt LeCroy. That’s 21 guys for four positions in a little over 2 years. Cool.<br /><br /><strong>10. He thinks Nick Punto is good at baseball.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbn6vpEzwu1s4QHGtLiR8qf95htTMWutI_8-RFwZO6cYm6MU-_LMyYvqz9g8c-CPvnZ9TGfHkyM_kYk0OuJKRWYzryWrs8w-d4wiHWvmdsj-QiespAaEm_S_2AZU-Fs11zRGzDa7JH86GI/s1600-h/puntoslide.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347985597690124242" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbn6vpEzwu1s4QHGtLiR8qf95htTMWutI_8-RFwZO6cYm6MU-_LMyYvqz9g8c-CPvnZ9TGfHkyM_kYk0OuJKRWYzryWrs8w-d4wiHWvmdsj-QiespAaEm_S_2AZU-Fs11zRGzDa7JH86GI/s320/puntoslide.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>I am so tired of seeing this...</em><br /><br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-84805094174217695242009-06-07T18:30:00.011-05:002009-06-07T18:55:53.663-05:00NBA Notes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZxAhFV7pj4i3qCk9ZAdgb5moKR56MUMEgbdx1btvRdTeZZPQAap7BB_SRkJ7beYlze6acdXithZw5RcF9fq1zDkmC7oh9qOxjE5-uCbXW_xBxyPJds60vIMLLO4X-wATbfMxEay-zrrs/s1600-h/NBA.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZxAhFV7pj4i3qCk9ZAdgb5moKR56MUMEgbdx1btvRdTeZZPQAap7BB_SRkJ7beYlze6acdXithZw5RcF9fq1zDkmC7oh9qOxjE5-uCbXW_xBxyPJds60vIMLLO4X-wATbfMxEay-zrrs/s320/NBA.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344738084878063106" /></a><br /><br />Ok, so with TK 2.0 starting up at the very end of the NBA season, there isn’t a whole ton of topics to cover that aren’t already covered by more mainstream media outlets. However, as I sit here watching Game 2 of the NBA Finals, I realized that I do have a few takes on some smaller League-related topics. So I give to you “Random Thoughts About Basketball—Mostly From The National Basketball Association Finals Playoffs Series, But Also Including Other Players Who Have Already Been Eliminated From Contention” (which is way too long, hence the shortened title above).<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>*</strong>Game 2 of the Finals is two days after Game 1, which is completely and utterly ridiculous. Everyone knows that the NBA Playoffs drag on and on, but the one smart thing they’ve done in recent years is to team ESPN and TNT together to bring us at least one game every single night from the beginning of the first round through the end of the Conference Finals. Then the Finals come around and we have two full days in between games when the teams aren’t traveling? Do they really think this is a good idea? I know that the company line will be that they want the highest level of basketball being played on its most important stage, so they want everyone rested and in peak physical condition for each game. But that line of thinking is extremely flawed for two very important reasons: first, your league is based on fans and television ratings. After giving the people “40 Games in 40 Nights” leading up to the Finals, you give them “(Maximum) 7 Games in 40 Nights” for what is supposed to be the most important part of your year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhudon5jY-faAioo1NayMnnGydxZefXuqfDD_mxkOAKQnCkpzkLeH7AklFDrQtlaBW32ebwg29sZ2cExDRjIOb6q6xyMLhl74yP4T0Xc8H-mIecJjYRU3z0LcV6W5KsVU3-qz1UIdGnWz/s1600-h/Playoffs.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhudon5jY-faAioo1NayMnnGydxZefXuqfDD_mxkOAKQnCkpzkLeH7AklFDrQtlaBW32ebwg29sZ2cExDRjIOb6q6xyMLhl74yP4T0Xc8H-mIecJjYRU3z0LcV6W5KsVU3-qz1UIdGnWz/s320/Playoffs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344737904755101538" /></a><br /><br />That’s a great way to lose viewers in a hurry if I’ve ever seen one. A perfect example of this came earlier today. I was talking to Fuzz about Lakers-Magic and he wanted to know who won the night before. I explained that they were playing tonight (Sunday), not yesterday (Saturday). His immediate response was, “Oh, Game 3 is tonight?” This from a guy who is a very dialed in and informed sports fan. He, like most others I assume, was floored at the idea that two days of rest were needed between games with no travel involved.<br />The second reason why this makes no sense is because you have conditioned the players throughout the playoffs that the only days off they get is on a travel day (singular) and in between series.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqGjO1705QagbXniKPUWiMvLGbX6FIeLgA-nk3D8Wcl_RHRTJWTyYFMuIxoNGgePrmO8WZWvj4U-tvjPukBTOtnqJZD3FmPuZbUkxdRKUHLn7ICvqNQEtesXdCmBivga-p_EaVGy3M4TM/s1600-h/Practice.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqGjO1705QagbXniKPUWiMvLGbX6FIeLgA-nk3D8Wcl_RHRTJWTyYFMuIxoNGgePrmO8WZWvj4U-tvjPukBTOtnqJZD3FmPuZbUkxdRKUHLn7ICvqNQEtesXdCmBivga-p_EaVGy3M4TM/s320/Practice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344737356636601874" /></a><br /><br />Now for the crown jewel of your sport, the schedule changes completely and you expect them to benefit from this? Athletes thrive on things like rhythm and adrenaline. How are you supposed to get into any kind of rhythm or build any momentum when no one can even remember what happened in the previous game because it took place so long ago? The NBA needs to stop believing that they have to show games in prime time on Sunday (which could still have easily happened had they played Game 2 on Friday and then Game 3 on Sunday—you know, like the playoff schedule has been until now). It’s things like this that are causing the League to become less and less popular.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBOn4lfKXrZko5QOA8HTTStn3pi1kQSVo4JwGcrMxmK6ncF9Cz7_5rjb9MUeZw4tViTZwBprn1kbGCSc8GdJy9uJLH8NHEPPQqFNeOXikOM5YmNFWIh1NHvxsxhujbMX_I84dyrpKAIsG/s1600-h/Kobe.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBOn4lfKXrZko5QOA8HTTStn3pi1kQSVo4JwGcrMxmK6ncF9Cz7_5rjb9MUeZw4tViTZwBprn1kbGCSc8GdJy9uJLH8NHEPPQqFNeOXikOM5YmNFWIh1NHvxsxhujbMX_I84dyrpKAIsG/s320/Kobe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344736973909958882" /></a><br /><br /><strong>*</strong>One of the most talked about subplots (which tend to get focused on more than the actual games at this point in the year) is how this year’s Finals will define Kobe Bryant’s legacy. It is said that he needs to win a ring without Shaq in order to vault him into elite company as far as NBA history goes. This seems completely irrational to me. Just because he’s not playing with a Hall of Fame counterpart shouldn’t affect his perceived legacy one way or another. If anything, this current Lakers team might be more balanced because they aren’t so reliant on two guys to do absolutely everything. Not to mention that no teams with the Finals with one amazing player and virtually nothing else: Jordan had Pippen, Duncan had Robinson and later Parker/Ginobili, Magic had Kareem/Worthy etc., Bird had Parrish/McHale, LeBron has…well I guess that kind of proves the point. Would a title bolster Kobe’s resume? Of course it would. But would not winning one without Shaq tarnish his legacy? Definitely not. At the very least, Kobe will have 3 rings and 6 Finals appearances at the age of 30. That in itself should define how great of a player he is, not who has or has not won with.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKuHMItSRjp460GHYvOqtWFRFg3s15Oro6ZJon646OJkCoOd6nU_5Rn1A4vgwVuB2YNQfXBlNFLMHXOUCn5-CkcD-oCLrCRnucG4AV7I5L0X_9clhwUzMEF2Fyd9nsSapmV1sDKA7D0iS/s1600-h/Dwight.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKuHMItSRjp460GHYvOqtWFRFg3s15Oro6ZJon646OJkCoOd6nU_5Rn1A4vgwVuB2YNQfXBlNFLMHXOUCn5-CkcD-oCLrCRnucG4AV7I5L0X_9clhwUzMEF2Fyd9nsSapmV1sDKA7D0iS/s320/Dwight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344736752408236562" /></a><br /><br /><strong>*</strong>On a quick and semi-related note, has there ever been a more overrated player than Dwight Howard? I get it, he’s funny, likeable, and looks like a cartoon character with his massive arms and tiny head. But the guy can basically do two things—block shots and dunk. Please don’t try to sell me on the fact that he’s one of the top superstars in the League.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicArQiVD09OSQ5miI4V2qpRneheHc7SVQyyAbBQ1GFum5c78UX0mm8O3qQ6-Z-7uOV5dz0XSnhZch_aZqeujPjkDfxzWhX31DcIW3uH_Hb2bn6v5XillDBdxJRagnb1rQAmQjadjgUn30f/s1600-h/LeBron.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicArQiVD09OSQ5miI4V2qpRneheHc7SVQyyAbBQ1GFum5c78UX0mm8O3qQ6-Z-7uOV5dz0XSnhZch_aZqeujPjkDfxzWhX31DcIW3uH_Hb2bn6v5XillDBdxJRagnb1rQAmQjadjgUn30f/s320/LeBron.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344736551232699778" /></a><br /><br /><strong>*</strong>On the other hand, everyone knows that LeBron James is possibly the most uniquely gifted basketball player of all time. He has the fame and scrutiny that naturally goes along with it as well. But could his whole “storming” off the court at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals been more overblown? I read articles stating that he forever tarnished his reputation and set a poor example for sportsmanship for children all over the country. Since when did pretending to be happy about losing get confused with sportsmanship? Kevin Garnett used the F word 789 times on live television during the Bulls-Celtics series (in which he did not play) and no one said a word about him ruining his reputation or setting a bad example. If you ask me, that’s much worse than what LeBron did (especially the times he would yell at guys like Ben Gordon as the game was going down—as illustrated below).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxquv56aGVwxW-fLxg1qiIWUG29a6yDmk2YlqdA4xYr-ocvnenzjGrv6t8pRH380Fq5yfaSnb1ff3lJuF5lX8n4PWHz_b3_2X7ED-Zzf-sCeRPV16SB3xkU20_94grXY9sYa8hdz8-GMTj/s1600-h/Garnett-Gordon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxquv56aGVwxW-fLxg1qiIWUG29a6yDmk2YlqdA4xYr-ocvnenzjGrv6t8pRH380Fq5yfaSnb1ff3lJuF5lX8n4PWHz_b3_2X7ED-Zzf-sCeRPV16SB3xkU20_94grXY9sYa8hdz8-GMTj/s320/Garnett-Gordon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344736332288239026" /></a><br /><br />Look, I’m not saying that what James did was right, but it’s also not the end of the world that the sports media would have you believe. The kid (he is only 24 years old after all) made a mistake—by all accounts the first one he’s made in his career. People need to quit making news on unimportant issues.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesA6nkkPGg_GPD9-R-STg8KKGvSUlhrQLqsmXM6pj6XC6m3h_h6JGPnfTilhDHE4vTdY861iCs65hH_Ph4fJglKcCCsnGSXfiOOxRtD9oIG4tF387MOM9bHz6wm6sSxhiwl0IW-TsCfqt/s1600-h/Nelson.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesA6nkkPGg_GPD9-R-STg8KKGvSUlhrQLqsmXM6pj6XC6m3h_h6JGPnfTilhDHE4vTdY861iCs65hH_Ph4fJglKcCCsnGSXfiOOxRtD9oIG4tF387MOM9bHz6wm6sSxhiwl0IW-TsCfqt/s320/Nelson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344737609541365170" /></a><br /><br /><strong>*</strong>Speaking of the media hype machine, much was made earlier this week about the possible return of Jameer Nelson to the Orlando Magic after being hurt for most of the second half of the season. I get that this is a big story given that they were pretty big underdogs and getting back your All-Star point guard could help in winning a title. The problem I have is that I never saw an article anywhere about how this could be a very bad idea. I mean, even a network like ESPN, which thrives on contrasting viewpoints (see: Around the Horn, PTI, First Take, Cold Pizza (is that even on the air still?), and any NBA/MLB/NHL/NFL/NASCAR/Golf/Soccer segment on Sports Center) never went with the “Jameer Nelson will mess up the momentum that Orlando has gained throughout this playoff run” angle? Very disappointing.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d6oqWG-hPl08K6WUZsoi21RTny3-X2irQjyBViwXHjbEf8YkJ9hTOsyZnL9BgcgJHTew0wijyNwZ5AVr_AxjK-vPV-dUNxmdj4iJXZY4RcXCJZudJwS-7KQIrJB7cYyoowhSYYrrGiqr/s1600-h/FYI.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d6oqWG-hPl08K6WUZsoi21RTny3-X2irQjyBViwXHjbEf8YkJ9hTOsyZnL9BgcgJHTew0wijyNwZ5AVr_AxjK-vPV-dUNxmdj4iJXZY4RcXCJZudJwS-7KQIrJB7cYyoowhSYYrrGiqr/s320/FYI.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344736059952749970" /></a><br /><br /><strong>*</strong>There will be an NBA Draft article coming in the next couple weeks. It will be mostly focused on the Wolves, but will include a Mock Draft—just in case you cared.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-73843377368557162772009-05-22T22:38:00.009-05:002009-05-22T23:06:01.342-05:00Twins Roundtable<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC0EICS77z13h0PYq0TaJTgSs1ugQcn1B3_mk6tNh0dmk9IWBK0GJG_nJV9tJdXRtVJCvT6ph6MGcS68O3pISt3y4K_IGWiiwPWRfr-mECwUSkH4kw1Yp-G_VTSK1cazzW0CBb9KyZUTV/s1600-h/roundtable2_1.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338864180493376210" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC0EICS77z13h0PYq0TaJTgSs1ugQcn1B3_mk6tNh0dmk9IWBK0GJG_nJV9tJdXRtVJCvT6ph6MGcS68O3pISt3y4K_IGWiiwPWRfr-mECwUSkH4kw1Yp-G_VTSK1cazzW0CBb9KyZUTV/s320/roundtable2_1.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If there’s one thing that will forever be true about the founding members of TK on Toast, it’s that we love to talk/argue about the Twins. The Hometown 9 causes more excitement and frustration simultaneously than any of the other local franchises. This has never been more evident than with the 2009 version of Gardy’s boys. So I figured there was no better way to start TK 2.0 than with an old school Twins roundtable. You know the drill: the members of this exclusive club all took this fabulous Friday off to meet at an undisclosed location where whiskey, Budweiser, and Grizzly flowed freely throughout the smoked filled room. What follows is the transcript of the conversation.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>Fuzz</strong>: The Twins had 20 hits yesterday and Punto was 0-5. Wow, I can't defend him anymore. He couldn’t get a hit in a slow pitch softball game right now. By the way, how bad is that Bartlett/Garza for Delmon Young trade? Holy shit that is bad right now. Bartlett is third in the whole damn league in average right now at .379 and Garza has a 3.4 ERA with four wins. I know Delmon has been gone on personal leave but he has a total of two extra base hits, and having another arm like Garza would be really nice about now.</span><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBFMAL9949kk4D0BATv8zL3PWRAdcGJn24mBsM85PRft-APhxdAkXybUGItkCPI7H-fPMBenc0gz09PJC1XLcPnhpL_Oe8NyEVb_oSmQW454n1Cevt79FL63gI2iFTc4yzB9ro1AX5OwP/s1600-h/bartgarz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338863972329469186" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBFMAL9949kk4D0BATv8zL3PWRAdcGJn24mBsM85PRft-APhxdAkXybUGItkCPI7H-fPMBenc0gz09PJC1XLcPnhpL_Oe8NyEVb_oSmQW454n1Cevt79FL63gI2iFTc4yzB9ro1AX5OwP/s320/bartgarz.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>A sickening sight for the Twins faithful</em><br /><br /><strong>Dogg</strong>: We got Harris as well in that trade, and he will be our every day SS soon if Gardy pulls his head out and will hit .280+--just as good as Bartlett will end up.<br /></span><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>Nic</strong>: Look, Garza needed a fresh start, but why the hell we included Bartlett and Garza in the deal instead of insisting on Blackburn or Perkins is beyond me.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg</strong>: True, we haven't had a good SS here forever and he had played well enough to not trade him.<br /><br /><strong>Fuzz</strong>: Bartlett is still a better fielder and hitter than Harris. Bartlett will come down from the .379 but he's still better. He also has more range. At the time, I wasn't that pissed but I'm also not a GM or a talent evaluator and Billy Boy Smith deserves to get ripped for this trade. It has turned out awful for us. The Santana trade is different in the sense that only a few teams could sign him with his salary and they were semi forced, but it's still a god awful trade. That youngen pitcher better be the f-ing deal or we just traded one of the best left handed pitchers in the last 30 years for a "poo-poo platter," copyright Bill Simmons. So far, Billy Boy is 0-2 on the trade shit. Besides Crede he hasn't brought in anyone worth dick either. Needless to say, I'm not too happy with the Bill Smith era right now.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg</strong>: Blame Gardy for not knowing exactly what we have in Harris….<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6uSVvMgzwBq4JzQIbZh-gfdaOI02TtGYXBM8h5EkPUbpd2Gzy9nH808tiZKtUy95-KKjEqhhc9aFpncBm_Xpic-BEowe63Sm0pdmlIM29XVWtncVwOFK2T9PL8wxGckKZgTiuYoXzaoG/s1600-h/harris.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338863745642751250" style="WIDTH: 229px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6uSVvMgzwBq4JzQIbZh-gfdaOI02TtGYXBM8h5EkPUbpd2Gzy9nH808tiZKtUy95-KKjEqhhc9aFpncBm_Xpic-BEowe63Sm0pdmlIM29XVWtncVwOFK2T9PL8wxGckKZgTiuYoXzaoG/s320/harris.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Should this man be the starting SS?</em><br /><br /><strong>Fuzz</strong>: Fine, I blame Gardy. I blame them all! I'm so fucking pissed off at our organization right now, I can't stand it. We're so bleeping cheap all the god damn time.<br /><br />How does a Span, Hunter, and Cuddyer outfield sound with a Crede, Bartlett, Casilla/Punto, Morneau and Mauer infield? I'll throw in Kubes for our DH for shits & giggles. Want to get a hit on us? How about a Santana, Garza, Baker, Liriano and pick from one: Slowey, Blackburn and Perkins rotation? Throw the two odd men out in the pen with Nathan and copyright Nate Williams....let's fucking roll!!!!!!Fuck us!<br /><br /><strong>Dogg</strong>: Wow, I’ve never looked at it like that but your team listed there is unreal….F our organization is right!!!<br /><br /><strong>Nic</strong>: First, if we would have just kept Johan Santana last year we would have made the playoffs. He still would have walked last winter, but we would be receiving 2 first round draft picks for him. Obviously, it’s easy to see it now but that scenario would have been better.Second, what fantasy land is Fuzz living in where we could have the team he threw out there. If we would have kept Hunter and Santana, there's 0 chance we sign Crede. Because those two players would have eaten up 30% of the payroll, we would have had a hard time extending Mauer and Morneau the first time and we definitely could not afford to keep them after their current deals are up.<br /><br />Also, Span was a bust until something clicked last year. I'm not advocating that Bill Smith is doing even an average job; I'm just saying we made the right call on Hunter and Santana would have been tough to keep.<br /><br />Finally, every small market team could play that game. What if the Royals were able to keep Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, and Johnny Damon? They would be the team to beat in the central. What if the A's could have afforded to keep Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, and Eric Chavez? They would have been the team to beat for several seasons earlier this decade. This could go on and on with more teams.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4ltOrqaph8C2HNUmnTmVGBju9Miry5reErInp2fZsp2FHHI5FsxC76ZSwMZ7TARxhFxcknbyQEeMYPkOSXpx8ZkmmNFCFesMTugyLhQgzI7G3yb8lv6hz408KoynumbOIH4rFr6oqr5F/s1600-h/royals.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338863508107747762" style="WIDTH: 209px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4ltOrqaph8C2HNUmnTmVGBju9Miry5reErInp2fZsp2FHHI5FsxC76ZSwMZ7TARxhFxcknbyQEeMYPkOSXpx8ZkmmNFCFesMTugyLhQgzI7G3yb8lv6hz408KoynumbOIH4rFr6oqr5F/s320/royals.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Imagine the possibilities...</em><br /><br /><strong>Fuzz</strong>: I guess I'm in "fantasy land." If your case is that we couldn't sign Crede if we had Hunter and Santana....big f*cking deal! Yes, he has 6 bombs but he's only batting .220. I could live with TKOT's boy Buscher there. I could live with that.<br /><br />In Carl Pohlad's history, you're right, that team could never happen. But, if he would have looked at Ziggy Wilf and how he spends money like a drunken Irishman, we could have had that team. He never once went above & beyond with his own money. He always stayed right around where they needed to be to break even. He wanted to contract our asses! If he would have took a risk before he passed away (RIP), and said, "Screw it, lock up Hunter, Santana, Mauer & Morneau" and we didn't do that Young trade, that's the team we would have had. Yes, that's a fantasy land thought, and would have never happened but he had all the money in the world to do SOMETHING like that one time in his tenure as the Twins owner. And, he never did!!!!!!!!!! One roll of the dice like that and we would have been the favorite right now to win the Series. Our scouts/talent evaluators/Terry Ryan found the talent we needed to win a world series. We didn't have a lack of talent. It was up to Pohlad to keep that talent and make a run. He never did it that cheap bastard!<br /><br /><strong>Q</strong>: Ok, so I've been quiet long enough--a few points:<br /><br />1) Punto sucks. I've been saying it for years. His crow-hopping, looping throws from short make me want to vomit and he's once again hitting below the Punto Line this year.<br /><br />2) Mauer hits a Granny and 2 doubles with 6 RBI yesterday. Guess where he was hitting in the lineup? That's right--2 hole. Amazing. What are the odds that he's still at that spot tonight? Effin Gardy.<br /><br />3) Fuzz, I know you're an angry man these days (see Wolves, Timber and Twins, Minnesota), but your rants are extremely off base right now. Hunter had no desire to stay here--he even said so in the media. Santana was quieter in the media, but his agent made it very clear that he had little desire to be here as well. And if you think Garza wasn't leaving the second he became a free agent, you're kidding yourself.<br /><br />Bartlett's range is very average, though it is much better than Punto/Harris/Tolbert. Also, everyone always complained that we never make a trade or that we have too much pitching and should trade for some hitting (specifically right-handed power). Well that's exactly what we did. Delmon was coming off of a rookie year where he hit .300 with 20 bombs at the age of 21. Was it a roll of the dice? Absolutely. Did it work out for us? Not at all. I think we became too accustomed to TR ripping everyone off for years and so we have one bad trade and everyone bitches about it.<br /><br />Lastly, when you're an owner of a professional sports team, you have to treat it like a business, even if the fans don't like it. Otherwise you end up in a major hole where you have to do something like sell the team and risk them being moved. With the lack of money the Twins have coming in (no private network like the big market teams have, low merchandise sales, horrible stadium, etc.), there's no way you can even offer Hunter 20 mil a year and Santana 30 mil a year--you would absolutely hemorrhage money. I too bitch about this way too often myself, but when you step back and look at it, I think we've done a pretty good job of staying competitive, especially recently, when many, many other teams in similar situations (Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, etc.) have not.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg</strong>: I think our point was that if our owner would’ve spent any amount of money what so ever we actually would have a shot at winning a title. Realistically, those playoff teams we had had about a 1% chance of winning the WS and that’s just because it’s baseball.<br /><br /><strong>Fuzz</strong>: All fair points. Hunter would have stayed here if the money was right. Garza would have too, money talks. Santana seemed like he wanted to leave but you never know, I guess. Delmon hit .288 with 13 bombs his rookie year. You were close but that is still a little bit of a difference off of the .300/20 HR's and to give up Garza & Bartlett for that was a HUGE risk. And, we're getting burned by it now. All fair/legit points though.<br /><br />However...<br /><br />Your last comment that we've stayed competitive regardless of our small market status is true, but in my mind, unless you take some risks financially with higher paid players, we'll be stuck where we are for a long time. Christ, we have been stuck for a long time! We'll be competitive, maybe win a division title like we have and then get bounced in the playoffs. We had one year since '91 that we advanced beyond round one. And, we got handled by a better Angels team in five games. And, you win with dominant pitching and overpaying guys like Santana and keeping Garza would have given us a much better chance than our current team. We don't have a true #1 right now. So yes, we're competitive and we hang in there year to year, but we'll need to get extremely lucky to advance to the Series with this current philosophy.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg</strong>: We hang in there because our division is terrible…If Peavy signed with Chicago, we could’ve kissed this season goodbye.<br /><br /><strong>Nic</strong>: If you are going to argue anybody, please make it someone else other than Torii Hunter. While he is a fine player, we could already see his abilities start to slip and he was never a middle of the order bat. There's no way we would want to be nor could we afford paying him $15 million a season the last 3 years of his current contract when he will probably be even less of a hitter and have to be moved to a corner outfield position.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokcS8PHB_4C7b-gXOSsVaN-XysNvifW7Bdk28o5wOF4PtdA3n51VbucJE8YgWcNswArW3GgDaFPWkxZhHQkKvGEuLDBjEzKOwPTyC5O38z_t0ZywFBh8qZHAG1QE9XO6qic8Y-WMkp3gX/s1600-h/Torii_Hunter,_LA_Angels.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338863096517337394" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokcS8PHB_4C7b-gXOSsVaN-XysNvifW7Bdk28o5wOF4PtdA3n51VbucJE8YgWcNswArW3GgDaFPWkxZhHQkKvGEuLDBjEzKOwPTyC5O38z_t0ZywFBh8qZHAG1QE9XO6qic8Y-WMkp3gX/s320/Torii_Hunter,_LA_Angels.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Cash Rules Everything Around Me</em><br /><br /><strong>Fuzz</strong>: That's fair, I could live without him. Santana is such a stud that we should have been throwing whatever we had at him. Maybe he wouldn't have taken it, but he is the deal.<br /><br /><strong>Q</strong>: Great points on Hunter, Nic.<br />I'm pretty sure the Twins "threw everything we had" at Santana. We offered him a $100 million deal that he and his agent quickly rejected. I seriously doubt this franchise could offer anything more, which kind of sucks, but it’s the reality we live in.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-16159979418430060752009-02-28T10:19:00.002-06:002009-02-28T10:36:27.453-06:00A New Day is Coming...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHqUWzRsfKeR5aiqnU0W1CV6o_DV9rKd3P_XjuzSLS1s9pvB10D1yPjGjo09ivmOHwAWfNgGwrVv2EqZrGilM_12zlsN9R5mW4NYfXPOqkdN72CbpgM-7ftHhxKc535o5fera1bUcLgeQ/s1600-h/thailand_golden_dawn_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307887843809357970" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHqUWzRsfKeR5aiqnU0W1CV6o_DV9rKd3P_XjuzSLS1s9pvB10D1yPjGjo09ivmOHwAWfNgGwrVv2EqZrGilM_12zlsN9R5mW4NYfXPOqkdN72CbpgM-7ftHhxKc535o5fera1bUcLgeQ/s320/thailand_golden_dawn_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Dear TK on Toast readers,<br /><br />Many of you have expressed your displeasure in the disappearance of this website. Fear not Toastians (as I've heard you all call yourselves), for TK 2.0 is coming this spring. Beginning in May of 2009, this site will be back up and running with 2-3 new posts each week. Seeing as I'll be doing most of the writing myself, you may notice a slight change in the format of how this wealth of sports knowledge is presented: posts may be a bit shorter than they used to be, there will be fewer round table discussions, etc. Not to worry though. I have a vast knowledge of sports and enough opinions to fill a blog (convenient, I know). Plus, I'm working on contracts with some of your favorite bloggers from TK's original run (Fuzz, Nic, etc.) to come in and do some guest spots.<br /><br />I know the anticipation is going to kill you, but 2.0 will be here sooner than you think. Until that time, feel free to get your sports fix from any of the various websites and blogs that exist on the internets--I hear there are quite a few these days. Then when this spring/summer rolls around, come on back to the only sports blog that ever mattered--TK on Toast. See ya soon.<br /><br />Love,<br /><br />Q<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-77174062876834489482008-08-04T16:31:00.004-05:002008-11-06T20:34:28.771-06:00Breaking News...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2cilLCKmmFFzDib7870YL0kI8dVqIXytEhSsESLWIgVHxJ8n8CVFkHLRXTXTuvDWuyUlv3f23wAdgOB-UWBKWO1NoQG4bCzJbR8XJDKNcTGMQnrXozBPmhFhBFRbQGMJ1PoWr-Gj9dEH/s1600-h/tk.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2cilLCKmmFFzDib7870YL0kI8dVqIXytEhSsESLWIgVHxJ8n8CVFkHLRXTXTuvDWuyUlv3f23wAdgOB-UWBKWO1NoQG4bCzJbR8XJDKNcTGMQnrXozBPmhFhBFRbQGMJ1PoWr-Gj9dEH/s320/tk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230780083012039458" /></a><br /><br />There is some major news in the world of TK...<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Sources close to the University of St. Thomas have confirmed that TK has been relieved of his position at The Grill. Terms of his release have not been disclosed. As a cultural icon in the student population as well as the creator of the greatest sandwich of all time (pictured above), it is safe to say that his presence will be missed. For those that don't know him, Tony was UST's version of Seinfeld's Soup Nazi. He's a hilarious guy and a fantastic short order cook who was not afraid to yell at you and embarrass you at the drop of a hat. The Grill won't be the same place without him.<br /><br />Tony, thank you for the food, the laughs, and the namesake of this site.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-47892290896636995852008-07-31T11:56:00.013-05:002008-11-06T20:34:30.065-06:00Confessions of a Sports Snob<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0BfwpDlOBuAqvMITszl5FND4q_EjMN2JCYR8mRufHqiBH0HqIR9SN5kEtt-75rJ7W8yJiNHfdR26kMuBNtg4ryUL7ULUFA77v7dK_9Hl8lc1pauLmR8A_hrscffo84RQDCbJ2Arz20q4/s1600-h/confessional.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0BfwpDlOBuAqvMITszl5FND4q_EjMN2JCYR8mRufHqiBH0HqIR9SN5kEtt-75rJ7W8yJiNHfdR26kMuBNtg4ryUL7ULUFA77v7dK_9Hl8lc1pauLmR8A_hrscffo84RQDCbJ2Arz20q4/s320/confessional.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229232357933425714" /></a><br /><br />You see them in every type of social setting: That Guy. The one who thinks they know more or are better than you and let’s you know it—either directly or indirectly. It could be the wine aficionado snidely smiling at your Franzia box purchase at the liquor store. It might be the car guy who openly mocks your “cute little foreign car”, or the fashion expert who can’t believe that you’re wearing a t-shirt and jeans <em>again</em>. It could be the guy at the gym who shakes his head as you attempt to curl 20 lbs. It might be the hair stylist telling you that you have a “neat” haircut, or the teacher who believes that their style is the only acceptable way to educate kids (sorry, personal pet peeve). No matter where you are, people like this are always around. I’ve always hated these people. Then I realized that I was one of them…<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />When it comes to sports, I’m That Guy. I’m not the super competitive-D League-slow-pitch-softball Guy, but rather the I-can’t-be-bothered-with-this-conversation-because-I-know-so-much-more-than-you Guy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Utf98PYoc1gNiJ5NkKyaPK1JSQbo25eMWsx4-jiuZSVUuZ1dry37zQ6ukIR148eqMRUfBUPFLepsP-eQPZV3GJJhEEPE0lZ3jREVfAl8rM7hIXYMb1C0Fx3wAg7UbQBmbE8GwRpfKAr1/s1600-h/softball.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Utf98PYoc1gNiJ5NkKyaPK1JSQbo25eMWsx4-jiuZSVUuZ1dry37zQ6ukIR148eqMRUfBUPFLepsP-eQPZV3GJJhEEPE0lZ3jREVfAl8rM7hIXYMb1C0Fx3wAg7UbQBmbE8GwRpfKAr1/s320/softball.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229233089157766146" /></a><br /><em>I may be That Guy, but I'm definitely not This Guy</em><br /><br />I’ve been That Guy for a long time now, and I didn’t realize it until just recently. If I’m involved in any kind of sports conversation, I constantly find myself silently judging and usually mocking the others involved. <em>“Oh you watched the Twins game last night? How cute. Do you know the batting averages and ERA’s of every player on the team within a hundredth of a point? Can you not only name, but speak intelligently about all the guys on the opposing team? Do you know the rosters of all of our minor league teams by heart? No? Then don’t try to talk to me about last night’s game."</em> I can’t seem to hold a polite conversation with these people. I can’t even stand there nodding and smiling. I have to leave; I have to get away so I can get on my high horse. It’s incredibly rude and smug, even if these comments are only occurring in my mind. Yet some version of that goes through my head any time someone I deem “unworthy” makes any sort of sports-related comment. Hell, I often silently mock people if they’re simply wearing a Twins or Vikings t-shirt.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QPPq7k5GSnU8_lcdl7cd6A2OSYyiBBOcqCyD_dfpjzJkSzOM7i2tKwNGgtf_W9LQH8O07v-Osqzj0kKKpmyY2tlBIYdUSB6xEg7QXJdMzdxjlGKdSAgxJBbz2LkCbojqfnL9KdI3xF7_/s1600-h/vikes.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QPPq7k5GSnU8_lcdl7cd6A2OSYyiBBOcqCyD_dfpjzJkSzOM7i2tKwNGgtf_W9LQH8O07v-Osqzj0kKKpmyY2tlBIYdUSB6xEg7QXJdMzdxjlGKdSAgxJBbz2LkCbojqfnL9KdI3xF7_/s320/vikes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229231747193752226" /></a><br /><em>There's no way I'm the only one judging/mocking this guy.</em><br /><br />Those who know me are probably not surprised by this revelation. I might have a bit of a reputation for openly and outwardly mocking people on a whim. But this self-realization about the level of my sports snobbery is a big step. I feel like I should start going to meetings:<br /><strong>Q:</strong> “Hello, my name is Adam and I’m a sports snob.”<br /><strong>Group:</strong> “Hi, Adam.”<br /><strong>Q:</strong> “Ah, I guess I’ve always had this problem, but I didn’t realize it until just recently.”<br /><strong>Facilitator: </strong>“That’s very common, Adam. The important thing is that you recognize it now and you’re getting help.”<br /><strong>Q:</strong> “Shut up. You’re probably the guy who loves Joe Mauer simply because he’s from St. Paul and has those stupid sideburns.”<br /><strong>Facilitator:</strong> “Now see, this is what we need to work on…”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbF-Y5VjQDrA8Crk72WQ_rwDWmQ2hHH-_MXPC3rgRz6EmunKtwR9u_4t5-Zo2dSNEtqI32rLo01HVXArXY_wGf3TUZH99i4ss6ENhnXn-KAeXDXOCILgAjniJRV_qqX_VjsIaSlHvq_yx/s1600-h/mauer2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbF-Y5VjQDrA8Crk72WQ_rwDWmQ2hHH-_MXPC3rgRz6EmunKtwR9u_4t5-Zo2dSNEtqI32rLo01HVXArXY_wGf3TUZH99i4ss6ENhnXn-KAeXDXOCILgAjniJRV_qqX_VjsIaSlHvq_yx/s320/mauer2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229231450326400370" /></a><br /><em>You like sideburns? Me too! I wonder if there's a club we could join?</em><br /><br />Before this article gets too self-deprecating, allow me to validate myself. I got this way through a lot of hard work. I can sense your skepticism, but hear me out. For as long as I can remember, sports have been my only hobby. Virtually every minute of free time I have is spent looking at or doing something sports-related. When people ask me “What’d you do this weekend?” or “What’ve you been up to lately?” my answer is almost always “Nothing much.” I say that because I’m embarrassed to admit that last night I spent two hours on the internet looking up statistics and batting trends of the New Britain Rock Cats (the Twins AA team) or analyzing the remaining schedules of every team in the AL Central. I don’t want to tell them that over the last two weeks I’ve been researching and reading books about the history of the Duke-North Carolina basketball rivalry. But that’s what I do and it’s hard, intense “work”.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx6iQNQmRl7hcFdx02aGxnkXYpDqPONQid3PMAvpS8tcwFOp1ros4nxDPbToOi5JlYJWaxsG42eR461GuclbZGU8-qaZhS8d9JD0RZYyaEXVEfSX85RxQnz0TNuBRdNPmew_EjZo_IMCO/s1600-h/duk-unc.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx6iQNQmRl7hcFdx02aGxnkXYpDqPONQid3PMAvpS8tcwFOp1ros4nxDPbToOi5JlYJWaxsG42eR461GuclbZGU8-qaZhS8d9JD0RZYyaEXVEfSX85RxQnz0TNuBRdNPmew_EjZo_IMCO/s320/duk-unc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229231020917383586" /></a><br /><em>This is research. I'm kind of like a scientist...</em><br /><br />Yet I hesitate to take pride in my “work”. I do so because sports are viewed as recreation and thus not worthy of this extreme amount of time consumption. If someone told you that they spent their Saturday weeding their garden, most people would not view this as a waste of time. They might even praise them for being outside.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3gKR-V3m_Y7uazy3CWU0w4QUWWW70yFmoWlcf0NH-4xPO2WBYu6R1M3gsizgMvSiEKDIgzLPde5_NQN97p8qHLHJTNGAby03_VvDG07G1AO0tTqdDN3OTl0NoNcf1hi7hY3TWICcx5ru/s1600-h/gardening.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3gKR-V3m_Y7uazy3CWU0w4QUWWW70yFmoWlcf0NH-4xPO2WBYu6R1M3gsizgMvSiEKDIgzLPde5_NQN97p8qHLHJTNGAby03_VvDG07G1AO0tTqdDN3OTl0NoNcf1hi7hY3TWICcx5ru/s320/gardening.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229230790909820578" /></a><br /><em>Really, this is acceptable?</em><br /><br />However, those same people would likely look down on the fact that I spent my Saturday looking at the contract status’ of potential NBA free agents in 2010. Well gardening is as much of a recreational type of hobby (if not more so) as sports, yet time spent on this activity is not viewed as wasteful.<br /><br />Maybe that’s why I’ve developed such an elitist attitude when it comes to sports. If everyone is going to degrade my passion, then I’m going to gravitate towards it even more. That’s gotta be it. That’s why the first hour and a half I’m home from work every day is spent on Deadspin.com, TheBigLead.com, etc. while ESPN blares in the background. That’s why I have the Twins game on the TV while my computer has multiple windows open tracking the Angels-Red Sox, Cubs-Brewers, and Rays-Blue Jays games.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35NdGmQg8LJXzRpHlEqgo6S7wZ71hleB0e0uXGfnup3HplJswwPzWo2BeOz2IumwYNe5Ctw_9Lx-EPDvMkbIYx0It81F_ZHUOEvCZnMrJHarsCKuVBLo6RCWAVVQ5Fn-SsX5BTAyUMNOZ/s1600-h/computer.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35NdGmQg8LJXzRpHlEqgo6S7wZ71hleB0e0uXGfnup3HplJswwPzWo2BeOz2IumwYNe5Ctw_9Lx-EPDvMkbIYx0It81F_ZHUOEvCZnMrJHarsCKuVBLo6RCWAVVQ5Fn-SsX5BTAyUMNOZ/s320/computer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229230439198029106" /></a><br /><em>I'd call it multi-tasking</em><br /><br />It’s not my fault; it’s everyone else’s. It all makes sense now.<br /><br />My name is Adam, and I know more about sports than you do.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-15092260914033473662008-07-28T18:36:00.009-05:002008-11-06T20:34:31.153-06:00The Randomness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHmR3OvwgAS55QEiJP14nNruV397gYQC3MfcVLcA3ho7eLrmposxHTPrGqVn2XC7lRJfhjYhRT-kumqXP45fI0qDA26MqfKr6CkYXCDOdTC-DShfbWCIFwD6PIuv1ZosU9x9gd_NWFBWj/s1600-h/sports.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHmR3OvwgAS55QEiJP14nNruV397gYQC3MfcVLcA3ho7eLrmposxHTPrGqVn2XC7lRJfhjYhRT-kumqXP45fI0qDA26MqfKr6CkYXCDOdTC-DShfbWCIFwD6PIuv1ZosU9x9gd_NWFBWj/s320/sports.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228215253418018658" /></a><br /><br />Ok, so due to a lack of any real sporting news (I <strong>REFUSE </strong>to write about the d-bag with the 5 o’clock shadow over in Cheeseland), I decided just to throw out some thoughts on a bunch of random little things that are bothering me or that I’ve noticed. If you have any thought comments, or disagreements with what follows, please put it on the comment board and we can get some nice arguments going.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoJZtca69T9Txv2vtpSFKgV7sKdWuRvGTKsiIoTD-Nb3QZNhRnAf065-JdyahwUV1GgW-B4ZNcXsKqdDGyrMAIFltq6v-0kJ29TbdUlo5heGlyXs4TUf2yu18zl3QHiL-N-QgLK1MfpJ7/s1600-h/Yankees.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoJZtca69T9Txv2vtpSFKgV7sKdWuRvGTKsiIoTD-Nb3QZNhRnAf065-JdyahwUV1GgW-B4ZNcXsKqdDGyrMAIFltq6v-0kJ29TbdUlo5heGlyXs4TUf2yu18zl3QHiL-N-QgLK1MfpJ7/s320/Yankees.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228215035850016082" /></a><br /><br />--The Yankees absolutely stole Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates. A .330/15/60 guy and a powerful righty out of the pen for basically one decent prospect? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve heard that a bunch of MLB GM’s are upset about this trade, and rightfully so. At what point is the league going to stop letting the big market teams bully everyone around and do whatever they want? This is starting to get really embarrassing for Major League Baseball.<br /><br />--Maybe the St. Louis Cardinals should have made a move. They just got swept, at home, by the Brewers over the weekend and are now 4 games back in the NL Central with two teams in front of them. Plus, both Chicago (Zambrano and Harden) and Milwaukee (Sheets and Sabathia) have two dominant starters that won’t allow them to go on any prolonged losing streaks. Not good times in Saint Louey.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf8HD7FCmyrygmADhXDrimF2gZLxUcODXMFQUa6g6deVJsumUXZFBq5Wp2yq2ejv2r_aZcUJ5S3UJbyBKThk0RP-IWXwOMgHbmQuYTPsTfA53KUrM6oS_EtsCndQj5_l5177YRWeZs-P5/s1600-h/hester.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf8HD7FCmyrygmADhXDrimF2gZLxUcODXMFQUa6g6deVJsumUXZFBq5Wp2yq2ejv2r_aZcUJ5S3UJbyBKThk0RP-IWXwOMgHbmQuYTPsTfA53KUrM6oS_EtsCndQj5_l5177YRWeZs-P5/s320/hester.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228214934217462258" /></a><br /><br />--Let me get this straight, Devin Hester is getting $15 million guaranteed to return kicks? Seriously? I know the Bears say he’s going to get some time at wide receiver as well, but let’s get serious here: he’s nothing more than a return guy. Granted he’s the best around, maybe ever, but so was Dante Hall a few years ago. Remember that guy? The Human Joystick? He was absolutely dominant and now he’s not even an afterthought anymore. Hester has only been going for 2 years and now he’s holding out and getting a ton of guaranteed money? Sounds like a terrible idea to me.<br /><br />--Blah, blah, blah. Something about Brett Favre. Blah, blah, blah.<br /><br />--When we look back on it, there’s a pretty good chance that Josh Childress and Brandon Jennings are going to be pioneers of the new NBA. Europe is going to play a huge role in the future of the League, especially for economically challenged high school seniors and lower tier pros (end of the bench guys). If Childress and Jennings have any sort of success, or especially if they parlay their European vacations into lucrative NBA contracts, this kind of thing will become a trend, not an anomaly.<br /><br />--The AL Central is going to be a tight, three way dance for the last two months. And the Twins have a very favorable in-division schedule the rest of the way out too. I’m just saying…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf68v7jAnYZ1KB-hp4fBpSjFpRogTzV02VOkZM1mnEYzI2x-G5cINC5js3pC3_DnlJxdUhA1Yqg_l1dmGrghP68PoG44b5JpgWe0DB0HR3yynhFy0uHDW2DWXufVkL4Xsm9B0BNQEz4Db/s1600-h/camby.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf68v7jAnYZ1KB-hp4fBpSjFpRogTzV02VOkZM1mnEYzI2x-G5cINC5js3pC3_DnlJxdUhA1Yqg_l1dmGrghP68PoG44b5JpgWe0DB0HR3yynhFy0uHDW2DWXufVkL4Xsm9B0BNQEz4Db/s320/camby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228214800157705234" /></a><br /><br />--Marcus Camby going to the Clippers will prove to be the most underrated move of the NBA offseason. With a core of Kaman-Camby-Thorton-Davis, LA will make the playoffs next year.<br /><br />--As great of a story as they have been, the Rays remind me a lot of the 2001 Twins: a team that was the surprise, feel-good story of the first part of the season, only to fade down the stretch in August and September. That AL East division is just too tough for an upstart team like Tampa to win, especially when Boston and New York can go out and get any player they want via trade or free agency.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEYabZ8RlVgWxBBDplio03I4h3yeJGWeB9-ZZLJdkf4j4vDadgOODL016M5SplyElY1q-kq5BXi1bKgHC23NJiAU4ugNBThvdOUCVhBZeRnNKlwQRlMaVXrn2aeZnAqggI2P1z9zVsZAE/s1600-h/drew.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEYabZ8RlVgWxBBDplio03I4h3yeJGWeB9-ZZLJdkf4j4vDadgOODL016M5SplyElY1q-kq5BXi1bKgHC23NJiAU4ugNBThvdOUCVhBZeRnNKlwQRlMaVXrn2aeZnAqggI2P1z9zVsZAE/s320/drew.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228214666800272242" /></a><br /><br />--Has one man caused more stress, unhappiness, unrest, etc. than Drew Rosehaus? Every NFL client he gets immediately hates his contract and thus causes major headache’s for their current team. If ever there was a reason for collusion, it’s this guy.<br /><br />--The Twins continue to shop for a 3 bagger despite Brian Buscher’s .333 average and 26 RBI in 30 games. I wonder what he did to get in Gardenhire’s dog house? How is he still losing playing time to Brendan Harris and Hey-Didn’t-You-Use-To-Be-Mike-Lamb?<br /><br />--Before you complain too much about the Vikings’ QB “situation”, keep in mind that the Bears had a coin flip to determine whether Rex “Sex Cannon” Grossman or Kyle “Neck Beard” Orton would take the snaps with the first team offense <em>during training camp</em>. Think about how ridiculous that is…<br /><br />--Michael Redd and Tayshun Prince will be the keys to Team USA winning gold in Beijing. If they can shoot and play tough perimeter D, this should be a cakewalk for the Americans.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsgQtFcKas91NecXdX7erjArSNrhu8JvHv8tc5LbtLWQfNpf_QdRiKtFlO2B-UldzFiDw9vpHG3KiG3HcE69YCHAyB-wmEE2fRE9SkyFFAZm0yUPtO8h2ya-HTdkASh2DUY7B7lhxzyzY/s1600-h/tiger.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsgQtFcKas91NecXdX7erjArSNrhu8JvHv8tc5LbtLWQfNpf_QdRiKtFlO2B-UldzFiDw9vpHG3KiG3HcE69YCHAyB-wmEE2fRE9SkyFFAZm0yUPtO8h2ya-HTdkASh2DUY7B7lhxzyzY/s320/tiger.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228214489744253234" /></a><br /><br />--I like golf; I play golf; I watch golf; I even play fantasy golf. That said, without Tiger Woods, the PGA Tour sucks. No athlete in the history of sports has ever been or will ever be this important to their sport. It’s really incredible to think about the effect he has.<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-46973590912188923452008-07-21T18:30:00.009-05:002008-11-06T20:34:32.471-06:00The Trade Deadline Approaches...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfM12I6uWW2W5gMlUQzbUhYOldj5YlvaMPUlymlLgrqg8zOnyeqek2-k4ldR0hONHgLuW8OyAPOdM-zPEQdzEZ_7hOs0GFZ0RQe3B6v3L3pZg1_nklvxtJu-THQKFT-9YqWS_7umLWXttS/s1600-h/main.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225620373509900754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfM12I6uWW2W5gMlUQzbUhYOldj5YlvaMPUlymlLgrqg8zOnyeqek2-k4ldR0hONHgLuW8OyAPOdM-zPEQdzEZ_7hOs0GFZ0RQe3B6v3L3pZg1_nklvxtJu-THQKFT-9YqWS_7umLWXttS/s320/main.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As the Twins returned from the All Star break, they continued their brilliant play of late by taking 2 of 3 from the Rangers (and in the process shutting down one of the best offenses in baseball—Texas’ 4 All Star hitters combined to go 5-40 in the series). Besides the great baseball that the team has been playing, there have been two major subplots revolving around our club: the Francisco Liriano situation (that post will be coming later this week) and the trade deadline.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline comes on July 31st. Some teams in the hunt for the postseason have already made moves to try and better position themselves for a playoff run. This is especially true in the National League, where the Cubs (Rich Harden), Brewers (CC Sabathia and Twins-killer Ray Durham), and Phillies (Joe Blanton) have all made huge splashes by acquired some of the top pitchers in the market. It seems like only a matter of time before some of the big guns in the American League (Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Twins) do the same thing to better their teams for the stretch run. So what are the Minnesota Twins going to do?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtK17jlHTEKf8XLw4UAo583PwmvWt7-x-u_kfC58Ph8h0Ee0QeFlLp6TROMDMW9iENwtQaPdNMqx6g4tTgfdBKsUn68zfeppiTLd69CoFsSsAmP3qI-oalEIZTUEFYI51bhjD92gyYNBD/s1600-h/beltre1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225620182309336690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtK17jlHTEKf8XLw4UAo583PwmvWt7-x-u_kfC58Ph8h0Ee0QeFlLp6TROMDMW9iENwtQaPdNMqx6g4tTgfdBKsUn68zfeppiTLd69CoFsSsAmP3qI-oalEIZTUEFYI51bhjD92gyYNBD/s320/beltre1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The big rumor over the last couple weeks has been that we should be/are going after Adrian Beltre, the third baseman from the Seattle Mariners. I dislike this idea for a number of reasons. First, this rumor is based on the assumption that we have a pressing need at third base. I’d say that we have a solid three bag prospect in Brian Buscher (5 hits in the Rangers series including a homerun, by the way), but for some reason Ron refuses to play him on a regular basis. Gardy somehow thinks that playing Brendan Harris, whose batting average is hovering in the .250’s, at third is a great idea because he’s a little bit better than Buscher (hitting in the .330’s) defensively—despite the fact that Buscher has looked solid at the hot corner most of the time. Oh, and Brian is left handed. This is a considerable handicap in Ron Gardenhire’s world. Unless your name is Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau, there’s no possible way that a left handed hitter can have success against a lefty pitcher. It’s simply not possible (this is a direct result of him coming from the Tom Kelly School of Coaching).<br /><br />The second reason I don’t like this trade is because of what we might potentially have to give up. I’ve read recently that it might take one of our young starters (Baker, Blackburn, Slowey, or Perkins) to make this deal work. Are you kidding me? We’re going to trade away a starting pitcher in his 20’s who is just starting to come into his own for Adrian Freaking Beltre? If Bill Smith is half the man I think he is, then he’ll realize that this is a terrible idea. <em>*Side contradictory note: if we trade the guy we perceive to be the weakest of the four, Slowey in my opinion, then that would open up a rotation spot for the Franchise and thus diffuse that situation altogether.</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuBbYnkLOFVhgsfMSPuGIJWwpOown9QbTYNHIekRKr64coCEoM_IqElLAevdhGI5MCNbsjXaciojuSqmYTutMKSOUSIfTU2zXbx3aWjLS-agLYyl2eg3GfEiiPX0RSRMDp59NDvoXl7Rp/s1600-h/liriano.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225620021405544738" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuBbYnkLOFVhgsfMSPuGIJWwpOown9QbTYNHIekRKr64coCEoM_IqElLAevdhGI5MCNbsjXaciojuSqmYTutMKSOUSIfTU2zXbx3aWjLS-agLYyl2eg3GfEiiPX0RSRMDp59NDvoXl7Rp/s320/liriano.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, we’re talking about Adrian Beltre here. This guy parlayed one completely out of character, possibly steroid influenced, 48 homerun season (he hasn’t hit as many as 30 in a year since) into a monster, unwarranted contract. He’s the same guy who has hit over .300 only once in his career (guess what year that was?). He has been widely unproductive in Seattle; consistently hitting in the .260’s with 150 more strikeouts than RBI during his time in the Great Northwest. Plus, he signed with the Dodgers at a very young age, which history and Miguel Tejada has shown us could mean that he’s 29 years old, as his “birth date” would suggest. Or he could be 35—who knows? Oh and there is that tiny little fact that they seem quite willing to get rid of him…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ipxVtLNrvemAar1iY8cKfWdFtPIRdhT5NnVTKgmds-6rSm2-CPwb36YEn_N-8VGderwb5GCq55lj8mukbgi0S72U0zHX4WEBH_ofZ84cOU9jzSclRt7d16U2SFy9ZRGI_yZdrz777_dx/s1600-h/beltre2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225619855572452178" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ipxVtLNrvemAar1iY8cKfWdFtPIRdhT5NnVTKgmds-6rSm2-CPwb36YEn_N-8VGderwb5GCq55lj8mukbgi0S72U0zHX4WEBH_ofZ84cOU9jzSclRt7d16U2SFy9ZRGI_yZdrz777_dx/s320/beltre2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you believe that the Twins need to make a move to help their playoff chances, and I do, then the move to make is to acquire some bullpen help. Without the services of Pat Neshek, there has been a big hole in the pen in terms of getting the ball to Joe Nathan. Guys like Brian Bass and Boof Bonser have been incredibly terrible, while guys like Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain are good only on occasion. Having a dominant, shut down bullpen has been a signature of all good Twins teams over the past 6-8 years. It would be even more crucial to this year’s team because of the inexperience in the starting staff. Much to my surprise, my arch nemesis Ron Gardenhire actually agrees with me. In the Pioneer Press today, Gardy says, “If they could get somebody that can really help us at the end of the game, to set up, to take the place of Neshek, that would be really great.” For the first time in a long time, I think Ron and I are on the same page. <em>/Shudders/</em><br /><br />In one of the first ever posts on this site last summer, I lobbied hard for the Twins to acquire a bat to spark some life into their beleaguered offense—namely, Dimitri Young. I still think that was the right move. Can you imagine how dominant our lineup would be this year if Young was in the DH spot instead of the Kubel/Monroe platoon? Plus, Morneau might actually be able to get a day off every once in a while. But I digress. This year, I am once again campaigning for a new addition to the Twins: Brian Fuentes of the Colorado Rockies.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM958zASd86cMB0jxsFuGWm5oCvSLJnrf3HmkmG6k5kZnssnMbeMYGoNEIVtpHF5fQFsoulHBudAxAbHfzmNDJyrDj-rTWeXStfNaQoLbKbeGV9R4roO4olRH5XyyFZpsLEb6ukZ6NzE3/s1600-h/fuentes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225619717470745858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM958zASd86cMB0jxsFuGWm5oCvSLJnrf3HmkmG6k5kZnssnMbeMYGoNEIVtpHF5fQFsoulHBudAxAbHfzmNDJyrDj-rTWeXStfNaQoLbKbeGV9R4roO4olRH5XyyFZpsLEb6ukZ6NzE3/s320/fuentes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The guy has been a very good closer for Colorado (though he did briefly lose his job last year) and I think he would flourish as our 8th inning setup guy. I’ve been hearing a lot of talk on Baseball Tonight about how he could be available; though I have no idea what kind of package it might take to get him here. Acquiring him would mean that our starters would only need to pitch 6 innings and then they could hand the ball over to a Guerrier-Fuentes-Nathan trio to end the game. That would be very tough come September and October.<br /><br />Realistically, however, most Twins fans know by now that one of two things will happen at the trade deadline. Either the team will stand pat and not make a move because they are unwilling to put together a solid package or deal prospects, or we will trade for some fringe Major League pitcher that no one has heard of (someone in the Craig Breslow mold). Then the blogs (like this one), sports radio shows, etc. will be all over the organization for not making an impact move. Until we make the playoffs, that is…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYQWIPc2NMUSDCuZy0-m2iaZT2ihEJ2QB0ltqu1ZHXUCp6zqWtyX5gywcabHXJO2wdWY5itHHWVC79hKzeAYt1XNslkp1HVFIcqr5L3VR5LubEuqcRzC5KjLsglY1kEUbuJZPvLmJJfta/s1600-h/logo_ALDS.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225619566210206386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYQWIPc2NMUSDCuZy0-m2iaZT2ihEJ2QB0ltqu1ZHXUCp6zqWtyX5gywcabHXJO2wdWY5itHHWVC79hKzeAYt1XNslkp1HVFIcqr5L3VR5LubEuqcRzC5KjLsglY1kEUbuJZPvLmJJfta/s320/logo_ALDS.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-17763096448867843902008-07-16T00:26:00.004-05:002008-11-06T20:34:32.813-06:00LVP...LVP...LVP...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXv1eKm0dKaLNOe70GJDJHds194lN1FZn3_f2AseKtoUwbdjianT0ZO8_nPTl5PTPmRufDKY8I6q9KbWDsclyzN5XQWbwH_RQHrwLekr1uFFOQ49nquKY3MZUIZyqAlFiXD6RbwC6wWZa/s1600-h/uggla2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXv1eKm0dKaLNOe70GJDJHds194lN1FZn3_f2AseKtoUwbdjianT0ZO8_nPTl5PTPmRufDKY8I6q9KbWDsclyzN5XQWbwH_RQHrwLekr1uFFOQ49nquKY3MZUIZyqAlFiXD6RbwC6wWZa/s320/uggla2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223479557202580130" /></a><br /><br />You know who sucks? Dan Uggla. The following is the Marlins' second baseman's line from Tuesday night's All-Star Game:<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />0-4, 3 K, 1 GIDP, 3 E<br /><br />Yuck. Way to step up on the big stage, Hank.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zsikQfuvxNA_R_90t97BMzwYYKRw0B2Y10ZDnKSs4ywj7p9t7CM11aAmZKYua49CfE91VJTkVGxjXwLw5bCuGqt8DVfzT6W2hXcmyJkvOJar6kMvV4WCCBKfQvM_SD9y20LF1D7l7qHB/s1600-h/uggla1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zsikQfuvxNA_R_90t97BMzwYYKRw0B2Y10ZDnKSs4ywj7p9t7CM11aAmZKYua49CfE91VJTkVGxjXwLw5bCuGqt8DVfzT6W2hXcmyJkvOJar6kMvV4WCCBKfQvM_SD9y20LF1D7l7qHB/s320/uggla1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223479626540554418" /></a><br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-5821461089426423732008-07-14T14:20:00.002-05:002008-11-06T20:34:33.015-06:00Yay or Nay?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVA2VDfkVP1Wzrht6S1U82ami1Wy-Dvi67OLJOY7YkL2TmT3pV-OhxsxG4DbONXfCpEeOV9wz5QNaNEvIqReIFrxJT5_Jxy16v63DfzDj_bV9_0UisDvGw_l8lEgkPhLLA9da4xTtRJQs/s1600-h/favre.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVA2VDfkVP1Wzrht6S1U82ami1Wy-Dvi67OLJOY7YkL2TmT3pV-OhxsxG4DbONXfCpEeOV9wz5QNaNEvIqReIFrxJT5_Jxy16v63DfzDj_bV9_0UisDvGw_l8lEgkPhLLA9da4xTtRJQs/s320/favre.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222951861896995074" /></a><br /><br />They said I wouldn't look good in Purple...look at me now...look at me now...<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />This story is too good to ignore. This isn't going to happen is it? I'm putting it at 99% it doesn't, but Favre just came out today stating he wants to play for sure and not at Green Bay. He wants to be released and that's right from the horses mouth. September 8th is the first Monday night football game, Vikings at Green Bay. Can you imagine Brett Favre showing up as the quarterback of the Vikings to the game that the Packers were going to retire his number? That's the best sports story in 10 years. He might get murdered if that happens. That's not a joke. I can't wait to see how this plays out... <br /></span>Fuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785471565454435500noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-81430731620151330812008-07-10T21:27:00.010-05:002008-11-06T20:34:34.625-06:00Twins Mid Season Report<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim44avIcMeDJn4HaEtX58FOpcT4niXYNojPfMlb4BV5frvkYCGY3DcLglKpo0eNRbsCJN4o4zYJ95Opj9Oa-6tido_jlJVgOO8rAiEbbB_zp6EUXplzJGJ36_FBJ_4E5LZlLqJQZkdZA2L/s1600-h/metrodome.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim44avIcMeDJn4HaEtX58FOpcT4niXYNojPfMlb4BV5frvkYCGY3DcLglKpo0eNRbsCJN4o4zYJ95Opj9Oa-6tido_jlJVgOO8rAiEbbB_zp6EUXplzJGJ36_FBJ_4E5LZlLqJQZkdZA2L/s320/metrodome.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221585021827839618" /></a><br /><br />The All Star break is generally considered the halfway point of the 162 game MLB season (even though most teams have played closer to 90+ games at that point). Since that break is coming up this Monday, it seemed appropriate to review what has transpired so far this year and take a look towards the second half of this 2008 Twins season. What follows is a list of questions about the team and my breakdown/answers to those questions. If you have anything to add or a different opinion on something, feel free to get that comment section going.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoZtRxOz_tLf4_P8zJViFcunR4r7yRi59sdNijJ9CjrZEq2yJv-C0DnVhxxrm2oAIHOrkvG_xILg2JrMy72RyayEhYYh36Osj0-_yDp6dYvz7NwjoMuBR3wauUw_E0LO6acoqBHWcxkHR/s1600-h/51.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoZtRxOz_tLf4_P8zJViFcunR4r7yRi59sdNijJ9CjrZEq2yJv-C0DnVhxxrm2oAIHOrkvG_xILg2JrMy72RyayEhYYh36Osj0-_yDp6dYvz7NwjoMuBR3wauUw_E0LO6acoqBHWcxkHR/s320/51.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221584785918957922" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Record</strong><br /><em>--Is the Twins record (51-41 as of Friday) an indication that this team is better than most people thought, or the product of favorable schedule?</em><br />At this point in the season, most “experts” had the Twins penciled in for roughly 40-43 wins. Sitting 10 games above .500 with three games left until the break should be considered a major success. Of course part of the reason for that record is the run the team just went on where they won 18 of 21 games. Did we take advantage of a weak interleague schedule? You bet. But that shouldn’t take away from anything the team has accomplished so far. Going 14-4 against inferior competition is what good baseball teams do. It is funny to me how a couple of games can change everyone’s perspective in a very short amount of time. Before the Boston series, everyone was talking about us winning the division/wild card and discussing potential trade deadline moves that should be made. A three game sweep later (in which, it should be noted, we could/should have won at least 2 if not all 3) and suddenly the team has been “exposed” and the naysayers feel that we’re done. Not me. If you had told me, or any other Twins fan, that we would have at least 50 wins at the All Star break, I would have been ecstatic. I’m going to say that this team is good and will be in contention for both the division and the wild card throughout the rest of the season.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Pitching</strong><br /><em>--Is the starting staff this good?</em><br />This might be the toughest part of this Twins team to figure out. The season started with Livan Hernandez of all people leading the way for our otherwise young staff. The young guys got knocked around a little bit, but they gained experience. As the season progressed, especially during the recent hot streak, all four of them (Baker, Blackburn, Perkins, Slowey) have showed signs of being capable, if not very good, major league starting pitchers. During that same stretch, Livan has shown signs of being the 5+ ERA pitcher that he’s been for quite some time now. Those shifts make this staff a bit tricky to figure out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG6A-iGIXUGEK68CwJQYTwtfl_k5Kjkye28VzVjCAR_YC9Nd51-37vzMHjcRmmhCMjPpXTx_AOZDq5TRiOohAFOixPpHa1YjKhEbuiZaeG9xe4P8LFp7DC0U1xqfF0SvSEJe2tNckSOXv/s1600-h/blackburn%5B1%5D.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG6A-iGIXUGEK68CwJQYTwtfl_k5Kjkye28VzVjCAR_YC9Nd51-37vzMHjcRmmhCMjPpXTx_AOZDq5TRiOohAFOixPpHa1YjKhEbuiZaeG9xe4P8LFp7DC0U1xqfF0SvSEJe2tNckSOXv/s320/blackburn%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221584525108562658" /></a><br /><br /><em>--So is the emergence of the young starters a sign of things to come?</em><br />The homer in me wants to say yes. I’ve watched a lot of games and it doesn’t appear that these are mediocre pitchers who are getting an enormous amount of run support or getting lucky throwing bad pitches. All four guys seem to have spot on control and a very good ability to mix their pitches. The only problem I see is that all four remind me of Brad Radke. That is to say that they are good pitchers who can be very solid at times, but not dominant, number one type guys. Can a team win a title with four good, but not great pitchers? Historically, you’d have to say no. Depending on what the teams around them do, they might be able to get into the playoffs with that kind of rotation, but it seems like you need that top dog in order to win in October. That said, they will be good enough to at least keep things interesting and keep the team in contention.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBK-Hr8xzaI7WWQNEyd9tvxqrApvlv_Bj3UGNei2uEPCzGCeikhq-7aYv7UuYqckipIonU2dI74ExSRDyXfdPONFIhqQzXLB5ytv_aByh1lMRbRqBMZB4tIzHrx6WATDoWxZGaIJ8JLz-/s1600-h/livan.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBK-Hr8xzaI7WWQNEyd9tvxqrApvlv_Bj3UGNei2uEPCzGCeikhq-7aYv7UuYqckipIonU2dI74ExSRDyXfdPONFIhqQzXLB5ytv_aByh1lMRbRqBMZB4tIzHrx6WATDoWxZGaIJ8JLz-/s320/livan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221584358237916066" /></a><br /><br /><em>--What happens with Livan and Franchise?</em><br />The prevailing attitude among the fans and media in this town is that Hernandez should be shipped out for a box of baseballs at the deadline and that Liriano should be brought up to reclaim his spot as staff ace. That sounds nice and all, but there may be some issues with it. First of all, finding a taker for Livan might be quite a bit more difficult than most fans realize. Not too many contenders are looking for a starter who will pitch 6-7 innings with 10+ hits and 5+ runs every outing. Then there’s the matter of Liriano, who’s been less that dominant during his stint in AAA. It would seem that the Twins standing in the division and wild card races will be the determining factor in the fates of these two gentlemen. If we are still in contention at the end of July, Hernandez probably stays. If we seem out of it, Franchise comes up to set up the rotation of 09 and beyond.<br /><br /><em>--What do we make of the bullpen?</em><br />Oi. This has been, far and away, the most frustrating part of the Twins this year. There have been stretches where guys like Guerrier, Reyes, and even Crain have looked unhittable. Of course there have also been times where they have looked, well, let’s call it less than capable. The truth probably lies somewhere in between the two extremes. Here’s what we know: with Neshek out for the year, most of the guys in the pen have been pitching in situations that they are not used to. There’s also the issue of Gardy mismanaging the bullpen very badly, but we’ll get to that later. So basically, the answer is that we don’t know. If you believe that the Boston series was simply a hiccup or a learning experience for some of these guys, then they should only get stronger as the season progresses. If you’re in the camp that said series exposed our weaknesses and showed that we’ll buckle under pressure, then it could be a frustrating end to the summer.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Hitting</strong><br /><em>--Can the clutch hitting continue?</em><br />Even with the struggles in Boston, the Twins still have the best batting average with runners in scoring position in the majors (and it’s not even close). The team has found a way to win games that we would not have won in the past couple years. Even more impressive is the fact that we are not leaning on guys like Mauer and Morneau to do everything. Seemingly every game has a different guy stepping up with multiple hits, clutch RBI’s, and/or some unexpected power. While this is very encouraging, you have to ask yourself, “Can we consistently expect guys like Brendan Harris, Nick Punto, and Brian Buscher to deliver clutch hits?” Realistically, it would seem like the team needs its stars to step up a bit over then next couple months. Sure we can hope that the younger players continue to improve and that the clutch hitting continues to be contagious, but in order to be a division winning team, you need the studs to carry the team at times.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKt5Ob5df8wndEvmEIPKQ83T6lurOpkn0duGbg1ZLWm4TQOlWE0kq49zbJmN636P0drRGdcHPnmoIeJnCfHJAD0HAiZW0M3g_SEoSgZLLy9Dgb6Cz7K45whyphenhyphen5ZGk79EjIMLizasBseTud/s1600-h/morneau.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKt5Ob5df8wndEvmEIPKQ83T6lurOpkn0duGbg1ZLWm4TQOlWE0kq49zbJmN636P0drRGdcHPnmoIeJnCfHJAD0HAiZW0M3g_SEoSgZLLy9Dgb6Cz7K45whyphenhyphen5ZGk79EjIMLizasBseTud/s320/morneau.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221584118152287090" /></a><br /><br /><em>--So where has Morneau’s power gone?</em><br />It seems like Justin has gone to the Joe Mauer school of hitting (Quick Swing not included) and has decided that it’s better to hit .310 with 20 HR’s (still 5x as many as Joe hits) than to hit .275 with 35 bombs—seemingly standard for all Twins hitters. While this approach is getting him quite a few RBI’s and keeping runners on base, I would say that it’s not the way to go. There’s no guarantee that guys like Span, Gomez, and Casilla are going to continue to be on base when Morneau comes to the plate. On top of that there are times, especially late in games, where a 1 or 2 out double simply isn’t going to be enough—we need the power. If it were up to me, I’d be pushing for #33 to participate in the Home Run Derby next week as a way to get the power back in his swing.<br /><br /><em>--What will the team do with the lineup when everyone gets healthy?</em><br />This is the most immediate and pressing issue facing the Twins right now. The outfield already has Gomez, Young, and Span looking like a very good, young core. Add to that Jason Kubel and Craig Monroe coming off the bench (and splitting the DH role) and you have a lot of talent. However, Michael Cuddyer is scheduled to come off the DL soon, so that gives the team a gluttony of players at this position. Do you really send Span back down to AAA? In the infield, Gardenhire has already shown that he’s determined to play Nick Punto on a regular basis at some position. Brendan Harris has been a viable player at multiple positions as well. Brian Buscher has been hitting very well, but has fallen victim to Gardy’s hatred of batting lefty’s against lefty’s. Also in the mix is Mike Lamb, who’s been terrible but is making a lot of money, and Matt Tolbert and Adam Everett are scheduled to return to the team soon.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIwQ1qiRzCAEw8gI2EUM8xfW2RFLWrkr03A3ByF1VuJ0_MvdH5GbcMeVPqF7GAcRF4mWDffWWnwVTKjdcGQ4dfvj-FnfPdZf-nDogAobO86LWTJRpSXW53XkCte0o3QlVp8LND_nNS2l_/s1600-h/gomezcasilla.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIwQ1qiRzCAEw8gI2EUM8xfW2RFLWrkr03A3ByF1VuJ0_MvdH5GbcMeVPqF7GAcRF4mWDffWWnwVTKjdcGQ4dfvj-FnfPdZf-nDogAobO86LWTJRpSXW53XkCte0o3QlVp8LND_nNS2l_/s320/gomezcasilla.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221583962170574162" /></a><br /><br /><em>--What can we realistically expect from The Kids in the second half?</em><br />The youngest players on the team (Carlos Gomez, Alexi Casilla, Denard Span, and Delmon Young) have been the most exciting and the most frustrating part of the offense so far this year. Gomez has the ability to bunt at any time and make things happen on the base paths, yet has shown poor plate discipline and an inability to get on base consistently. Casilla is still hitting over .300 and getting into scoring position for the big guns. Nevertheless, he was hitting only .220 in AAA for a reason. Span is flourishing (both in the bigs and in the minors) and seems to have found a bit of a niche in the 9 hole. But what happens to him when Cuddyer gets healthy? Young is hitting in the .280’s and has been hot lately, yet has shown none of the power that gained him many accolades during his rookie year in Tampa. So where does that leave us? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that each of these guys will continue to improve as the year goes along and will, at the very least, give the Twins and their fans a ton of hope for the future.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Coaching</strong><br /><em>--What kind of lineup decisions are we in store for?</em><br />Loyal readers know that I’m nowhere near being a fan of Gardy’s. I think he makes sketchy lineup decisions and constantly misuses the bullpen. It is scary to think about the lineups that he will come up with once the team is entirely healthy. I still think it’s a mistake to bat Mike Redmond 3rd when he plays for Mauer. I know he’s a .300 hitter and all, but for some reason this organization just doesn’t understand the concept that a 3-hitter should drive the ball and drive in runs. The decisions that are sure to cause a lot of talk and head scratching will be who Gardy plays at short and third on a day to day basis. It’s a given that his boyfriend will play at one of the infield positions virtually every day, but the rotation at third will be the thing to watch. Brian Buscher has been ripping the ball and hasn’t been nearly as shaky in the field as he was said to be. Yet somehow he can’t find his way into any playing time. Apparently a .330 hitter with gap and HR power isn’t good enough for Ron. That leads to things like Harris playing third and Lamb somehow being our late inning lefty pinch hitter. Because, you know, that makes sense…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAnkmknu2D8Oq-Hys4Xc2xEZCRWj3oxlpHBW8uMgOJbgYM71KoOiDhc-zQ8dYD54cdavxkltlvII0fCmweig-Gc3N9DpDCrCHEaN_IOc34f07vnxO32vNz_IfTU0Oo2oAgI2zakZc_s_d/s1600-h/nathan.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAnkmknu2D8Oq-Hys4Xc2xEZCRWj3oxlpHBW8uMgOJbgYM71KoOiDhc-zQ8dYD54cdavxkltlvII0fCmweig-Gc3N9DpDCrCHEaN_IOc34f07vnxO32vNz_IfTU0Oo2oAgI2zakZc_s_d/s320/nathan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221583806213952354" /></a><br /><br /><em>--How will Gardy use the pen—especially Nathan?</em><br />I’m going to try and keep this brief (because I can, have, and will go on at great length about all of the mistakes I think Gardenhire is making with this team) and just let you know about a few things that are guaranteed to happen in the second half of the season. 1) Gardy will continue to refuse to use Joe Nathan in non-save situations even though it would make sense to have your best reliever come in during the most crucial situations. 2) He will continue to pitch the “Bassman” (Gardy’s pet name for Brian Bass—gawd he plays favorites more than any other manager in the game) in situations where he has no business pitching. 3) Someone in the bullpen will get overworked to the point that their arm and performance suffers (like he did with Neshek last year). Leading candidate at this time is Guerrier.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Schedule</strong><br /><em>--Will the team’s brutal July schedule be the downfall of this season?</em><br />Well, we’ve already seen the less-than-encouraging start to what appears to be a very difficult month of July. Along with the Boston and Detroit road trips that lead up to the All Star break, the teams has dates with the Yankees, Tigers (again), and White Sox, among others, still to come this month. The team’s struggles against the Bronx Bombers have been well documented, and shouldn’t come as any surprise should they struggle. They key to the month will be how well the Twins play against division rivals Detroit and Chicago. I know the media is trying to convince you that the Tigers are “coming around” right now, but that team doesn’t really scare me at all. I think we take 5 of 7 against them. Thus if we can simply hold our own against everyone else, we should be fine heading into August.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadCpJQ7hktwo5h90nn8sz9InP5Lowo0Ubs3AuCiw7Nu8Ti4DDYVfK_tRo4iOojjjCiJZiOgYhd_ldK4WnUCoTKuikcDtiWniV4YPdJtdMfSAAQ399zeBTHDut_ZC_RM6CC-7wQIpcrtih/s1600-h/roadtrip.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadCpJQ7hktwo5h90nn8sz9InP5Lowo0Ubs3AuCiw7Nu8Ti4DDYVfK_tRo4iOojjjCiJZiOgYhd_ldK4WnUCoTKuikcDtiWniV4YPdJtdMfSAAQ399zeBTHDut_ZC_RM6CC-7wQIpcrtih/s320/roadtrip.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221583643937749858" /></a><br /><br /><em>--How much will the long road trip in August affect them?</em><br />In an extremely rare scheduling quirk, the Twins will play 14 consecutive games on the road at the end of August. The majority of these games will be on the West Coast, which makes it even more daunting. With the AL West looking relatively tough at this point, except for Seattle of course, this might be a more important stretch than that brutal end to July that we just went over. If they can play well during that trip, it should give them the confidence to try and make a playoff push during the month of September. If not, it could be the beginning of a 2001-like collapse. Of course if we’ve already fallen out of contention by that time, all of this will be a moo point (you know, like a cow’s opinion—it doesn’t matter).<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-24979711051713318522008-07-02T16:15:00.008-05:002008-11-06T20:34:35.573-06:00Quale-ty Ramblings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx0DRYzY2cW9VphGFq5653yEsCXMP2oLVM2_PCejBpH2RWThyphenhyphenmdA51TTxUxuU45YxbTJ5Y-_Qo0saQpZChwUwrlYtYXklQSLzQT1-2CUQHgM50PKyEcfGNju4Ip3MCpvGDAfbnuukMNJE/s1600-h/news.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx0DRYzY2cW9VphGFq5653yEsCXMP2oLVM2_PCejBpH2RWThyphenhyphenmdA51TTxUxuU45YxbTJ5Y-_Qo0saQpZChwUwrlYtYXklQSLzQT1-2CUQHgM50PKyEcfGNju4Ip3MCpvGDAfbnuukMNJE/s320/news.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218534343376561250" /></a><br />Hey kids, I’m back with another set of tidbits that I was just itching to get off my chest. Hope everyone enjoyed the quick summer roundtables about the NBA Draft, but it’s time to talk baseball and a little bit of Purple. So as those annoying, awful, and incredibly poorly acted Coors Light commercials say, “Let's Vent!”<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXHFC53FWsOiyou-rwH9sFim1mrfK379-xgi0xaZhoZCMJLGpfkdQuqv3Kpjo_motyco3JG5jafUbypdXrgiJYeLc4qL2cZbQFHGel0Y8MSqK07pZRXxKAsldy8pYLgMLAyzu3afY6FEo/s1600-h/twins.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXHFC53FWsOiyou-rwH9sFim1mrfK379-xgi0xaZhoZCMJLGpfkdQuqv3Kpjo_motyco3JG5jafUbypdXrgiJYeLc4qL2cZbQFHGel0Y8MSqK07pZRXxKAsldy8pYLgMLAyzu3afY6FEo/s320/twins.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218534222718886978" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Twins</strong><br />As we enter July, the Twins head into their most brutal stretch of the season. As has been documented in a previous post, they have to play, among others, Detroit 6 times, New York 3 times, Boston 3 times, and Texas 3 times. It cannot be understated then how important the Twins 14-4 interleague record was. The fact that they were able to beat up on inferior teams and pull within a ½ game (now 2 ½) of the White Sox could prove to be a huge factor in keeping them in the race. Now they need to find a way to keep up the impressive pitching performances and timely hitting against some of the best teams in the game. That means guys like Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn have to continue to be lights out—just like they have been over the last few weeks. The only reason we might crash and burn during this stretch will be our hitting. Having Cuddyer out doesn’t help things (really Mike? A finger, again?), and you know that Gardy will be playing Punto as often as he can.<br /><br /><em>Begin rant: So explain this one to me. The Twins are in the midst of a 10 game winning streak and playing phenomenal baseball, all without the “help” of Punto. Then the Tricky One comes off the DL and immediately gets a start over a red hot Brendan Harris (10 for his last 27, including a huge homerun, at the time of Punto’s unthinkable start). The result? A Twins loss and Punto putting up the big O Fer. The next day Harris is back in the lineup and the team wins again. Weird. And yes, in case you hadn’t noticed, I will bitch about Nick Punto every single chance I get. Get used to it. End rant.</em><br /><br />So get down to the Dome to catch your second place Twins, just in case this momentum doesn’t last (which it might not if Monday’s game against Detroit is any indication—nice fastball, Jesse). And if they make it through this month within striking distance of first place, well then you may as well start printing the 2008 version of the Homer Hanky.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjymJN_uSFZOQIL1q67nMg4KtqT7-YpT05oiqI0DxBUxy81jQponKFeyPKhkxI4vUjl2oHn1fvanJSrVGs-4Z6FnQzdAfsTbBX4IqajEqOcZqfY0fyf0K8uoVT7xNJxMyEMUsOcF42DtJq/s1600-h/mlb.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjymJN_uSFZOQIL1q67nMg4KtqT7-YpT05oiqI0DxBUxy81jQponKFeyPKhkxI4vUjl2oHn1fvanJSrVGs-4Z6FnQzdAfsTbBX4IqajEqOcZqfY0fyf0K8uoVT7xNJxMyEMUsOcF42DtJq/s320/mlb.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218534075045481330" /></a><br /><br /><strong>MLB</strong><br />Because of the long season and the high number of games, baseball often gets thrown to the side until the playoffs, but this has been one of the best regular seasons in recent memory. At the midway point, we already have these incredible storylines: the Rays impressive play, Josh Hamilton, the Diamondbacks sharp fall, the Cubs impressive play, Ken Griffey Jr. joining the 600 HR club, the Tigers flat start and current rise, Chase Utley—a 3rd Phillies MVP?, Prince Fielder’s diet, Edison Volquez, the Under .500 Division, Rays-BoSox throw down, those gutty Twins, the potential end of Schilling and Smoltz, the end of Yankee Stadium, the Sidney Ponson Experience, the courting of CC, and Ozzie’s tirades. And we’ve still got 3 months and 82 games to go…<br /><br />A few mid season awards:<br /><em>MVP</em>—<strong>AL</strong>—Carlos Quentin (CHI); <strong>NL</strong>—Chase Utley (PHI)<br />This was an easy choice for me. I know a lot of people would put Hamilton here because of his amazing comeback year and high RBI total. But Quentin’s numbers are almost as remarkable and he has held together a first place team when their conventional run producers (Thome, Konerko, etc.) have floundered. As for the NL, Chipper Jones and Lance Berkman deserve consideration, but Utley’s 23 HR’s for a first place ballclub are extremely impressive and he should continue to put up amazing numbers because of all of the talent surrounding him in that Phillies lineup.<br /><br /><em>Cy Young</em>—<strong>AL</strong>—Joe Saunders (LAA); <strong>NL</strong>—Edison Volquez (CIN)<br />I would have given this award to Cliff Lee, but since the Indians are so incredibly terrible at this point, I just couldn’t do it. With all of the mediocre pitching in the AL, the award had to go to Saunders, who is top 7 in ERA and tied for the lead in Wins for a first place team. Volquez gets the nod in the NL because of his miniscule ERA and because he reminds me of Francisco Liriano circa 2006.<br /><br /><em>Manager</em>—<strong>AL</strong>—Ozzie Guillen (CHI); <strong>NL</strong>—Lou Pinella (CHI)<br />I know that Joe Madden probably deserves this award for the amazing way that his Rays are playing so far, but I have to give it to the most entertaining managers in all of sports—who just happen to coach in the same city. Ozzie’s outbursts not only motivate his players, but also keep the scrutiny away from their downfalls. Pinella is a much easier choice. His Cubs have had to deal with injuries to studs like Soriano and Zambrano, yet still have the best record in the league.<br /><br /><em>Playoff Predictions (Revised):</em><br /><strong>AL</strong>—East—Red Sox, West—Angels, Central—White Sox, Wild Card—Twins (homer pick here; most “experts” would tell you that it will be a team such as the Tigers, Rays, or Yankees)<br /><strong>NL</strong>—East—Phillies, West—Diamondbacks, Central—Cubs, Wild Card—Marlins (another wishful pick; again, there are more likely candidates including the Cardinals, Brewers, and Mets)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipn6jDgXRC-bayQmAC5CieNeH0XczPfo4FizZsolTM_UQ7ghNxSgXGXE1NajUcrIpc0UfnMnCsSlUkhcwK91ygzZZDjgz4u3zDuHwN9KF6q8PC95xcddWfkQf9kAP67QFjLn_MG4HuUEBx/s1600-h/vikes.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipn6jDgXRC-bayQmAC5CieNeH0XczPfo4FizZsolTM_UQ7ghNxSgXGXE1NajUcrIpc0UfnMnCsSlUkhcwK91ygzZZDjgz4u3zDuHwN9KF6q8PC95xcddWfkQf9kAP67QFjLn_MG4HuUEBx/s320/vikes.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218533909390637250" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Vikings</strong><br />Am I the only one who’s noticed that the Purple have been everywhere in the sports media world lately? Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine had features on Jared Allen recently (as well as a Udeize update), Dr. Z picked us to win the Super Bowl, and the ESPN fantasy rankings have us with the #1 defense and #2 running back (Peterson). Now, I’m not the kind of guy who has a countdown until training camp going on, nor am I the guy that has already participated in multiple mock fantasy drafts (though I know a few people in each of those categories), but I’m really starting to get amped up for this year’s version of the Vikes. I know that the odds are against us, especially given the Minnesota Sports Curse and all, but has there been a Vikings team in recent history with this much hype and high expectations? The months of July and August are going to a lot of fun, and ESPN is going to have a lot of purple on its screens. Oh, and if you’re interested, the gentlemen of TK will be claiming their spots on the parade route sometime in mid-August, so feel free to join us.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkpgv166d7HDiiZ1PYFQvNor-Kp5klLf1I6ifRXmkCW7G8C8yJ6g-mqSP8ShUSUxKWzNx-RXucCWmY-d_yMWpo3XKw4FqontAsVAfrklokMeHc3woS_EORDBDCiQFp0mS0dwOvBmate9b/s1600-h/wolves.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkpgv166d7HDiiZ1PYFQvNor-Kp5klLf1I6ifRXmkCW7G8C8yJ6g-mqSP8ShUSUxKWzNx-RXucCWmY-d_yMWpo3XKw4FqontAsVAfrklokMeHc3woS_EORDBDCiQFp0mS0dwOvBmate9b/s320/wolves.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218533726741637810" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Bonus NBA Rambling:</strong><br />Ok, so I know that the guys already did their predraft roundtable and then discussed the Wolves moves at length on this site, but I have to add in my two cents. Let me preface this by saying that I like trading Jaric’s Contract for Cardinal’s Contract, and Mike Miller should help us out in the shooting department. That said, I really feel like everyone is talking themselves into Kevin Love at this point. We’re talking about an undersized power forward who is seriously lacking on the defensive end of the floor (where we already have multiple players who struggle there as well—Jefferson, McCants, etc.), and whose greatest asset is that he throws an outlet pass better than anyone else in the college game. Do I have that about right? I know K-Lo’s long passes got UCLA some easy transition hoops, but that kind of thing does not translate into the NBA. No one is hustling down for a quick two and that skill will be useless at the next level. What you’re left with is a guy who isn’t tall enough or strong enough to dominate on the boards (plus he’ll be fighting Al for those rebounds), doesn’t have a strong offensive game other than a 5-10 foot jumper, and will get abused on the defensive end of the floor on a nightly basis. Sorry, I’m not feeling it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hvw-WGyNKyBe1Kt_KOVy41y0G-tpHbIHUF9tpTGgMbZCNx4VXdO8iJ5I5PGO6N8STjs9OuHJ8dJBK4sDWzbjwjusLb6w-716I1v5YnQGU-sJYplcprAdue3-xliicuKGG3-Tv-DD1CCe/s1600-h/breaking.bmp"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hvw-WGyNKyBe1Kt_KOVy41y0G-tpHbIHUF9tpTGgMbZCNx4VXdO8iJ5I5PGO6N8STjs9OuHJ8dJBK4sDWzbjwjusLb6w-716I1v5YnQGU-sJYplcprAdue3-xliicuKGG3-Tv-DD1CCe/s320/breaking.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218533538613453330" /></a><br /><br />**<strong>Breaking News</strong>—Sources have confirmed that on Saturday, July 12, former major league baseball player and steroid snitch Jose Canseco will be fighting former NFL kick return specialist Via Sikahema in an absurd pay-per-view boxing match. Feel free to make your own joke at this time…<br /></span>Qhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09346631956058929787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107673409603908148.post-57008801078604984182008-07-01T11:34:00.007-05:002008-11-06T20:34:36.403-06:00We love roundtables. Mayo/Love trade...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlmNi-AugmLmZp8-IOve-ab7DX5CWgUpamKySivwDEMEHPyeM370mY2wv4AgK9CiHF2mPwMq0UOlcV0yBhuLZ3iAUNqOQAk2pUOGPzf_9pOTw7UZZmUxrA01lWCVDQP20lkRkuoxWn16x/s1600-h/love.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlmNi-AugmLmZp8-IOve-ab7DX5CWgUpamKySivwDEMEHPyeM370mY2wv4AgK9CiHF2mPwMq0UOlcV0yBhuLZ3iAUNqOQAk2pUOGPzf_9pOTw7UZZmUxrA01lWCVDQP20lkRkuoxWn16x/s320/love.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218090253844494914" /></a><br /><br />Yes, it is Tuesday, five days after the fireworks that was the NBA draft, but we needed to put down our thoughts on what went down. It was too good. Many people slipped into bed naked on Thursday night thinking OJ Mayo was the next face of the franchise only to wake up in the morning with a blockbuster deal that Kevin “I’ve ruined my playing career because I blow as a GM” McHale pulled off at midnight. I got a text message late night from my roommate (he lives downstairs, but he felt a text would be better than knocking on my door) saying: “We traded Mayo.” Marx, Fuzz and Dogg had to have a roundtable that stretched over the past couple days to analyze this beast. Here is what transpired... <br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><strong>Fuzz:</strong> I have mixed feelings about this. I even wrote about this in that roundtable last week about this very trade. I asked: Is a Love/Miller combo better than O.J. Mayo? Well, I got my wish. We will see, because it’s exactly what went down. The deal doesn't bother me too much, other than; I really wanted to see Mayo on this team playing with Big Al. That would have been intriguing. But, like Dogg said, would he have stayed in the long term? He expressed displeasure earlier this month about coming here but softened that when it got closer to the draft. Love seems like a guy you can keep around. Anyways, mixed feelings at this point from this guy. Mayo could be a superstar, but we got a good basketball player, a good shooter and got rid of one of the worst contracts ever to be given out to an NBA player (Jaric). McHale has no dumped Hudson, Mike James, Jaric, Blount, Davis and Walker's contracts. It's about damn time he fixes for his mistakes. The roster is getting cleaned up fellas. <br /><br /><strong>Marx:</strong> I am not very happy about this. You win with star power in this league and O.J. Mayo is the only one in this deal who could become a star. Did we potentially get better with this trade---it would be hard to get any worse. This deal looks to me like a salary dump and a “McHale knows better” deal. In the salary dump we got rid of two guys (A. Walker and G. Buckner) who’s contracts were expiring after this season anyway. We got rid of Marko Jaric, but we picked up Brian Cardinal and his contract that is only one season shorter than Marko’s.<br /><br />This deal also is saying that we did everything right the past three drafts and we still believe Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and Corey Brewer can get it done. None of those players is anything more than a rotation player. Hopefully McHale is right about this and Mayo never becomes an all-star, but I’m not thrilled with the deal.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5SG5wcCOpToASRE69lNT__SJSn8LzoUXNK9WM-jy23lA92B_8SNwjiZsRxsseSA-ye5doJRRHGJytLK5NspUA5UnmjkjeYucp0CWJx73Zs98oPK7Rsyph-18a2PZQ1faJtzgI7S7Xqf-/s1600-h/simayo.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5SG5wcCOpToASRE69lNT__SJSn8LzoUXNK9WM-jy23lA92B_8SNwjiZsRxsseSA-ye5doJRRHGJytLK5NspUA5UnmjkjeYucp0CWJx73Zs98oPK7Rsyph-18a2PZQ1faJtzgI7S7Xqf-/s320/simayo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218090389432700674" /></a><br />Let me ask you-what would you be happy with from Kevin Love? Would you be happy if he’s averaging 12 ppg and 8 boards in 3 years? Is that better than a guy carrying a team and making the all-star team? Mike Miller is a nice, overpaid role player who can absolutely shoot. <br /><br /><strong>Fuzz: </strong> I've heard both sides and I'm confused as ever. I don't know what to think about it. I almost don't want to like it because McHale is involved. I just want him gone. It would have been a lot better if say like Hoiberg was our GM and pulled it off. It would seem different for some reason. McHale bothers the hell out of me. Anyways, the Star Tribune blogger, Michael Rand wrote about it and had this to say:<br /> <br /><em>Maybe it’s dangerous to trust gut feelings when they align with moves by a franchise that has been less than successful when doing things the hard way, rather than the obvious way. But we think the late night blockbuster trade of O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love and Mike Miller (and others, mostly for money reasons) will go down as the best in Wolves’ history and perhaps a fleecing for the ages (in the right direction) once all is said and done. We can’t explain exactly what we don’t like about Mayo. We just watch him and see more bust than boom — way more Rider than LeBron. And despite Love’s ridiculous chinstrap facial hair, we’ve been infatuated with his game for a while now. He’ll make Al Jefferson better. He’ll make Corey Brewer better. We would have been happy if the Wolves had taken Love at No. 3; instead, they parlayed the pick into Love, Miller and the shedding of two problematic contracts (Marko Jaric and Antoine Walker). Miller is a sharpshooter. Sure, Cardinal has a bad contract as well (two years and $13 million left), but he’s at least a bigger body who can be useful off the bench. Jason Collins is a 7-footer who has 407 career NBA starts. Mostly, though, it comes down to Love. We like Love over Mayo, straight up. Factor in the rest of the deal, and it was a slam dunk.<br /> <br />Now, the only quibble we have: the way it went down. It’s tough to sell the public on a player like Mayo and then pull him back in the dead of night. Is there a good reason this deal couldn’t have been arranged and ready to go the minute David Stern stepped to the podium? We don’t think so. As we watched the draft with some RandBall regulars (good time had by all), we started trying to convince ourselves that Mayo could be a good fit. Local fans who wanted Mayo were ecstatic, only to be disappointed later. The timing and handling was bad; the end result, though, will be the best thing to happen to this franchise in a long time. And we’re not just saying that because we kind of predicted it.</em><br /> <br />I thought this was interesting. I've been reading both sides of this thing. It's either hot or cold with a lot of people. I’m starting to warm up to it…<br /><br /><strong>Dogg:</strong> Well you two know my feeling about the draft day trade, LOVE IT! I honestly pin a 95% chance on Mayo leaving here after his rookie contract if not earlier. We were making the playoffs when Marbury was here and even he was bitching every season about getting out of dodge. Mayo is just as high priced talent as Marbury and like Fuzz said, he showed discomfort getting drafted by MN even before we took him. Did you see his reaction by the way when we drafted him? He didn’t look the slightest bit impressed and I think Love is going to be a very good NBA player. If he continues to lose weight and hit the weights he could easily be a Carlos Boozer/Brad Miller mold, both very good NBA players. Getting rid of Jaric, Walker and Buckner is the biggest key. Jaric had 3 years $21M left on his contract. I don’t know what Brian Cardinal is getting paid but I can’t imagine it’s a worse contract that Jaric.<br /><br />Marx, what is your issue with Foye? He had knee issues last year and I believe he has one full healthy season that he can be a legit 15 ppg 5 apg and 5 rpg. Almost an Andre Miller mold. It might be wishful thinking but he has major talent. I say we make the playoffs in two years if we can hold onto Mike Miller.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho65DjNmBs3K5sSeJNba4amUV2udjhnEcMKcipVhtIvdzXva_O4McDuJbjsrEv3SypdTk-AbECnAsLp-N4RaLxPs9_7m1N6JToNn3-o1d40yLhhbGJ-O56CtmYX9sAYu1axcireM9o-75B/s1600-h/nba_g_foye_395x263.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho65DjNmBs3K5sSeJNba4amUV2udjhnEcMKcipVhtIvdzXva_O4McDuJbjsrEv3SypdTk-AbECnAsLp-N4RaLxPs9_7m1N6JToNn3-o1d40yLhhbGJ-O56CtmYX9sAYu1axcireM9o-75B/s320/nba_g_foye_395x263.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218090947450317266" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Marx:</strong> Andre Miller and Foye are totally different players. Miller is a true pg who looks to run the offense and pass (He can't shoot.) Foye is a gunner who would like nothing more than to squeeze off 20 shots a game. I don't have a problem with Foye; I just don't think he will ever be more than a rotation player, which is fine except we have a lot of those guys. Why are you guys so high on Mike Miller? He's a shooter, but he seems to be one of those guys who gets his number on bad teams. Has he ever been in the playoffs? Maybe once or twice in the first round with Memphis. He's a good player, but he is not going to get us over the top in the West. He seems like the kind of player you add when you are tweaking your squad to make a run, but not be one of the top players on a rebuilding team. I hope I'm wrong and maybe this trade will grow on me over time, but damn.<br /><br /><strong>Fuzz:</strong> The key of the deal is still Kevin Love. He needs to prove he can play the NBA game. He's in between positions and he is for sure the key to this deal. He is a natural rebounder, regardless of his size, which I love. Big Al and Love should grab their fair share of boards. Mike Miller and Brewer are good rebounders also. We should be a good rebounding team next year. Mike Miller averaged 7 last year and that's not bad at all. What's our starting five? Foye, Miller, Brewer, Love and Al? Or do Gomes and Telfair (assuming we sign them) make the starting lineup?<br /> <br />I know Mayo looked pissed off being drafted by us, but how does he feel now? Memphis is probably worse off than us and this area has twice what Memphis has to offer. Maybe the cold factor got to him, but the Twin Cities is a lot better area for nightlife/entertainment than Memphis.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg:</strong> Foye has been limited to jump shot because of his injuries. Did you see his game in college? Yes, he shot some 3’s but he was mostly a guy who took it to the tin and finished. I know we’ve gone through this discussion before and I think me and you just have totally different perspectives on Foye. Allan Ray was their gunner and Foye was the guy who did it all. Drive and kick, hit the open 3or take it all the way to the tin. I think he can be that all around PG you need. Mike Miller can bomb but also has a deceptive penetration game as well. He’s just not a stand-alone shooter like James Posey. James Posey showed how much damage he can do in big games and I think Mike Miller is a much better player than Posey.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUl1JJEXhuOBi6GjP19L7WgUcLNap451rsnSh2-dHtgVDlPECRvy58lBZQesD5mExUFwDLoReD1eltgM9THsYliam8TKzvTJYiu0jQtpUQ3hWA49Knov9uJqdq_YpnK543bI9iR7U7x2E/s1600-h/miler.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUl1JJEXhuOBi6GjP19L7WgUcLNap451rsnSh2-dHtgVDlPECRvy58lBZQesD5mExUFwDLoReD1eltgM9THsYliam8TKzvTJYiu0jQtpUQ3hWA49Knov9uJqdq_YpnK543bI9iR7U7x2E/s320/miler.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218091655530924786" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Marx:</strong> Here's a question-Do we have anymore moves coming? I think Telfair, Gomes, Snyder, and Doleac are some type of FA, either restricted, unrestricted or they have an option. Do we bring those guys back? Do we try to sign somebody's else's FA, like Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, Antwan Jamison, or obviously much lesser players?<br /><br /><strong>Fuzz:</strong> I heard all the money would be more available after this season. This is still a rebuilding year and I don’t think they bring in anyone new. I heard Gomes is on the traveling caravan this summer, so they must think they can sign him.<br /><br /><em>This portion was done after the weekend.</em><br /><br /><strong>Dogg:</strong> Back to the Mayo deal. Sludge from KFAN loved Mayo but he warmed up to the trade over the weekend and was saying this morning how much he liked the trade. If he liked it I think we can be safe to say that it was a good trade for the time being. Whether Mayo turns out to be absolute stud, who knows but for now I like it a lot.<br /><br /><strong>Fuzz:</strong> I started loving it more and more the next day and I'm absolutely on board right now. If it wasn't McHale pulling the trade, I think more people would like it. Some random tidbit's about it:<br /> <br />1) I'm assuming, but I think Mayo would have pulled a Marbury and bailed. We invited him to workout for us in Minnesota and he denied it. Said he wasn't coming up here to workout. That’s not a good sign. We had to see him in Chicago with other teams. Yet, Miami asked him on a whim last week for a secret workout and he was there in a millisecond. F-him. He expressed he wanted to go to a larger market early in June but softened that stance later. He wanted no part of us.<br /> <br />2) Ryan Moe, our close and personal friend made a good point to me saying we need to start acting like Utah. Dogg mentioned something similar also. Start drafting high character guys and not worry about the thugs and piss-poor attitude players. This market has a lot to offer but I don't think people realize that from afar. The cold scares them. Start drafting high character, system players. I do think we need to change coaches in 1-2 years to take the next step for this to work. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI4KWPzNtlutpIH4g9CZu-xxWw5dpcqf1n1J7ejS7OFAYejFGOuDD8NSBkBgOB_oaokQN3bYyp3F06h01yF9_pRn5DCzAGItRKvCSs1mDrPI2r2hHZYTsOGSCXyJQk3jSVv4tyezgWxxH/s1600-h/utah.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI4KWPzNtlutpIH4g9CZu-xxWw5dpcqf1n1J7ejS7OFAYejFGOuDD8NSBkBgOB_oaokQN3bYyp3F06h01yF9_pRn5DCzAGItRKvCSs1mDrPI2r2hHZYTsOGSCXyJQk3jSVv4tyezgWxxH/s320/utah.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218091991274811682" /></a><br /> <br />3) A high school friend of mine, Jon, said Love is going to be the next Sean May or Sheldon Williams. He hates the trade. I heard others comparing him to Al Horford. Since I like the trade, I obviously believe he'll be more like Horford. May and Williams didn't have a jump shot, that's where I think he's going to be better than those guys. Plus, he's a ton better passer than May or Williams.<br /><br />4) Mike Miller loves the trade. He's from South Dakota and I've heard he's ecstatic to be here. Anytime you have guys wanting to play for you (love and miller), I think that's a good thing. Mayo could be a stud, but he's not the next Lebron. <br /><br /><strong>Marx:</strong> The Utah argument is a little misleading. They sniped Boozer away from Cleveland and they traded up to draft the correct player (Deron Williams), which is where this argument stems from- the draft and trades. They also signed Mehmet Okur away from Detroit when he became available because Detroit had to pay their other guys like Chauncey and Prince. <br />If you’re talking about having a Utah model, then why don't we go after young foreign talent that’s potentially available this summer, like Andres Biedrins and Juan Carlos Navarro? I still don't believe McHale has the smarts and scouting ability to pick off these guys. <br /><br />I heard today that next’s years draft is not great but it does have a couple pg's that could be very interesting. If we draft one of those next year then we can finally have a blueprint in place that makes sense. Realistically, Love is probably going to be somewhere in-between May, Williams and Al Horford.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg:</strong> May, Horford and Williams never shot outside of 5’ in college. Love has a much better all around game than any of those guys. I say he’s better than all those guys including Horford. Who cares where Utah got their players from? They got them now and Sloan has never put up with any character issue guy like a Mayo. That is why Utah is always in the mix of things. Sloan knows which players will work hard for him and if you have talent and work hard, you’ll win. Everybody in the NBA has talent but half of them don’t want to work very hard.<br /><br />Should’ve definitely kept Chalmers this year. I think he might be one of those 2nd rounders that turns in a nice pro career.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLtxnlAcF2NmxGLyvhyphenhyphen951smNtZbKw6K34zJ8d6BBZyyVJFpfGLAK3G3EkZklB7SgGWD7ntylhyphenhyphenmr7R3WnOnU70pLLnSi4fEljbAhBW6awqp3kkGvirGFqzAmS2zplyMaI5EMu-TTFBk3/s1600-h/tchalmers0407.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLtxnlAcF2NmxGLyvhyphenhyphen951smNtZbKw6K34zJ8d6BBZyyVJFpfGLAK3G3EkZklB7SgGWD7ntylhyphenhyphenmr7R3WnOnU70pLLnSi4fEljbAhBW6awqp3kkGvirGFqzAmS2zplyMaI5EMu-TTFBk3/s320/tchalmers0407.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218092747617773618" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Marx:</strong> What do you mean "who cares"? That all comes back to McHale's drafting and scouting of available talent. We could have had Okur for a very reasonable price. They locked in on Deron Williams, traded up, and drafted him. All of this argument leads back to the draft, trades, and acquisitions by McHale. The Chalmers deal is what makes people so mad at McHale. A good GM would be able to think a couple steps ahead. If we had make the Love trade first, we never would have made the Chalmers move as we now need a pg, or at least a backup pg, and another player who can shoot. Chalmers fills that need and he was a potential 1st round pick who we got late. Why did we have to trade him on the spot? Why couldn't we wait until the next day or later? Sorry to be so negative, but I'm still not thrilled with McHale's moves.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg:</strong> I know it is McHale’s fault. All I’m saying is I don’t care if you don ALWAYS draft well or don’t ALWAYS sign free agents well but do it well once in a while. Also, I’m saying find these guys via draft, NBDL, internationally…I don’t care but build your team around character guys like Utah and Sloan have done for years is all Fuzz and I are saying. The Chalmers move pissed me off. Now we are going to sign Telfair for more money than he deserves and also rumoring that we are signing John Lucas. Seriously? Chalmers would mop either of those two.<br /><br /><strong>Fuzz:</strong> The point I was making about Utah is that they have high character guys that want to play basketball. They have guys that want to be there and aren't thugs. They don't have guys like Marbury, Melo, Artest, etc... They don't have any prima donnas, except maybe Ak47. He's pretty calm if you ask me though. I don't care where they are getting these guys, they aren’t drafting guys that don't want to be there or don't want to work. Getting rid of Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marko Jaric & Antoine Walker is a very underrated thing. I like McCants, but on this point alone, I would have no problem dumping him. I think Mayo would have pouted here and we don't need that.<br /><br /><strong>Dogg:</strong> Couldn’t agree more!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Fuzzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04785471565454435500noreply@blogger.com2