tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276955402024-03-14T01:18:28.347-05:00Foul TipsJust getting a piece of it to stay alive.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-41431804139745920582008-11-19T02:17:00.003-06:002008-11-19T02:45:05.972-06:00I'm not saying I'm qualified to be a baseball writer, but I'm definitely more qualified than at least one member of the BBWAA.Sorry about not blogging this season. 2008 turned out to be a pretty busy year for me... got married, took a honeymoon, bought a house, adopted a puppy...<br /><br />2008 was a fun season with a dull ending. (I'm cool with the Phillies winning, I just wonder how much longer we have to wait for a compelling World Series.) The postseason awards wrapped up today with the awarding of the American League Most Valuable Player award to Boston's Dustin Pedroia.<br /><br />Although I would have given the award to either Joe Mauer or Carlos Quentin, I don't have a problem with Pedroia winning the MVP. If you look at the complete voting tally, though, there is one name clearly out of place on the list.<br /><br />One member of the BBWAA decided that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett was worthy of a fifth-place vote. Bartlett only appeared on the one delusional ballot, no doubt from one of the Tampa writers (he was after all named the Rays MVP by the Tampa chapter of the BBWAA despite being below league average for shortstops in nearly every offensive and defensive statisitical cetagory). <br /><br />Now, I know statistics don't tell you everything, but the right statistics will tell you quite a bit. I know Bartlett's "arrival" and "stability at the shortstop position" was "the glue that held the Rays infield together" during their magical 2008 season... Hogwash.<br /><br />I like Jason Bartlett. I thought he was a decent shortstop while with the Twins. He's a serviceable but unspectacular middle infielder. He has no business being anywhere near anybody's MVP ballot. <br /><br />The best case I can make is a comparison:<br /><br />Player A:<br />.286 BA, .329 OBP, .690 OPS, 1 HR, 37 RBI, 20 SB, 48 R<br />.970 Fielding Percentage, 4.10 Range Factor<br /><br />Player B:<br />.284 BA, .344 OBP, .726 OPS, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 15 SB, 43 R<br />.973 FP*, 4.75 RF*<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">* = Player B's defensive numbers at SS. They'd be even better if you mixed in his games at 2B, 3B, and CF.</span><br /><br />Player A is Jason Bartlett. Picked by one real-life voter as the fifth most valuable player in the American League.<br /><br />Player B is Bartlett's eventual replacement in Minnesota, Nick Punto. I love Lil Nicky Punto, but there's a very good reason why, despite <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> similar, and actually slightly better numbers, Punto didn't receive any MVP votes.<br /><br />Because he's Nick Fucking Punto.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-21439730584163309192007-04-10T01:12:00.000-05:002007-04-10T16:14:39.824-05:00The BeefMy buddy Jason selected Sir Sidney Ponson of the Minnesota Twins in the 27th round (of 28) of the <a href="http://games.espn.go.com/flb/leagueoffice?leagueId=866">Heart of a Champion Fantasy Baseball League</a> draft. By that point of the day, five hours into 12 dudes sitting in a living room on a Saturday afternoon, drinking beer and picking players for our pretend teams, it was a fun, low-risk pick. Jason proudly defended his pick, "I have faith in Meatloaf!" And just like that, a nickname was born.<br /><br />A week or so earlier, my fiance Maria and I were at a dinner party hosted by our friends Morgan and Steve. Several bottles of wine into the evening, after the other guests had left, we retired to their living room where Steve and I began discussing our upcoming fantasy draft and baseball in general. At some point, we remembered that we never did make it to a Twins game together last year, despite assurances from both sides that it was going to happen. By the end of the night, Steve had gone online and purchased tickets for the first game of the Twins only 2007 home series against the New York Yankees.<br /><br />Of course, when the tickets were bought we had no way of knowing that our game would be Ponson's Twins debut. Hell, even as of Friday afternoon we were lined up to watch Boof Bonser open the Yankees series. After Friday night's freeze-out in Chicago reshuffled the Twins rotation, though, Ponson was exactly what we'd get.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/cfd40efd-4061-4178-946d-d4c0b0fe354d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/cfd40efd-4061-4178-946d-d4c0b0fe354d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Sure enough, the Yankees jumped on Meatloaf early with their bats out of hell. Johnny Damon doubled, Derek Jeter singled, Bobby Abreu singled, Jorge Posada doubled (on a ball poorly played by Jason Kubel), and before many had even found their seats, the Yankees led 3-0.<br /><br />In the top of the second inning, with Damon on first and two out, Abreu worked the count full and the crowd responded by standing up, getting behind Meatloaf with the most encouraging cheering of the night. Meatloaf responded with a nice fat cookie that Abreu creamed about 800 feet to right field to make the score 5-0.<br /><br />Ponson settled down for the next three innings, even winning me over a bit by hitting Jeter in the nutcup with a fastball in the fourth inning. I was pretty surprised, though, after the Twins finally put a run on the board in the bottom of the fifth, to see Meatloaf sent out for a sixth inning of work. Sure, he had a decent groove going for a few innings, but his pitch count was already in the mid-80s. I had a bad feeling, which held true after an Alex Rodriguez blast to the opposite field made the score 8-1. Gardy came out to get Meatloaf, who exited to a chorus of boos.<br /><br />I don't think the boos were necessary. Gardy said in a soundbite on the news tonight, "Meatloaf pitched his butt off for us tonight." (OK, fine, Gardy didn't really call him Meatloaf. We're workin' on it, though!) And he did. The problem is, Ponson is just not a very good pitcher.<br /><br />I don't really care about Meatloaf's checkered past - his multiple DUIs, his assault of an Aruban judge, his childish boycott of the Baltimore media. I'm all for last chances, and I love a good sports comeback story as much as anybody. I'd love to see Ponson turn his career around with the Twins and I'm willing to give him opportunities against lineups less potent than the Yankees. I want him to surprise me, but I can't help but have a bad feeling about his long-term results with the Twins - a magnification of the bad feeling I had when he rolled out for the sixth inning tonight.<br /><br />And while I've come to understand the Twins conservative roster nature, I still don't agree with serving 30 year old Meatloaf every five days when we have 23 year old prime beefcake in the minor leagues.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-86562246931576439512007-04-03T13:45:00.000-05:002007-04-03T14:00:31.108-05:00The Hold Steady goes out to the Twins game<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hold Steady</span> have recorded a wonderful Twins-centric version of baseball anthem "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/h/holdsteady/intv_04022007/281x211.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/h/holdsteady/intv_04022007/281x211.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />You may listen and freely download from their <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theholdsteady">myspace</a> page.<br /><br />Also, MTV has posted an interview with Craig Finn about the song as well as studio footage of the band recording the song. Check that out <a href="http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1556163">here</a>. I'm diggin' the powder blue Hosken Powell jersey, and pretty amazed by the beard. I've never seen Craig with facial hair before!Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-8401350997113551032007-03-30T01:04:00.000-06:002007-03-30T01:49:42.130-06:00Short at ShortRon Gardenhire and Terry Ryan can be a stubborn bunch, so now that the Twins 25 man regular season roster has been finalized, I'd be pretty surprised to see them tweak it before opening day. It's just not the way things are done in Twins territory.<br /><br />All throughout spring training, we heard Gardenhire's opinion that the number one concern for the club was finding a backup shortstop. Gardy was too stubborn to want Nick Punto - the team's starting third baseman, but a natural shortstop - to play any position other than third, instead opting to give Luis Rodriguez and Jeff Cirillo a heavy shortstop workload over the past two weeks of spring. These are not answers. Rodriguez is a marginal second baseman and bad third baseman, and is not even close to possessing the range necessary to handle short. Cirillo is a two-time All Star who was once one of the premier defensive third basemen in baseball, but he is 37 years old and has played exactly five games at shortstop in his thirteen big league seasons.<br /><br />Unable to acquire a backup shortstop, Gardenhire finally conceded the other day that if and when Jason Bartlett needs a day off, he will in all likelihood play Punto at shortstop and plug either Cirillo or Rodriguez at third (hopefully Cirillo!), which is just common sense.<br /><br />Tonight, though, just hours after J.D. Durbin's release and Josh Rabe's demotion to Rochester, for all intents and purposes finalizing the roster, the Kansas City Royals released the perfect piece to this Twins puzzle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/AZTG11103130023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/AZTG11103130023.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alex Gonzalez (not to be confused with the current Reds and former Red Sox and Marlins shortstop), the longtime Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs shortstop, was trying to make the Royals as a utility infielder. He was in Royals camp on a minor league contract and probably would have made the team had second baseman Mark Grudzielanek's injury been as serious as originally thought.<br /><br />Gonzalez hit .444 this spring for the Royals, and while that is hardly in line with his .243 career average, it did show that he still has something left in the tank. While it does seem like he's been in a major league uniform for ages, he's still just 33 years old. He has a reputation of a solid, if not spectacular, defender and a good teammate. He averaged about 15 home runs a year as a full-time player from 1996 to 2003. And as recently as 2005, he hit .269 with 9 home runs in 349 at bats.<br /><br />Gonzalez wouldn't push Bartlett or Luis Castillo for their jobs, and he certainly won't be a name that would generate much excitement among the general Twins fan base, but personally, I would feel a <span style="font-style: italic;">hell</span> of a lot better with him as my primary utility infielder than Luis Rodriguez. He's out there right now, easily available for a pittance. Dammit, though, Gardy and Ryan have decided on their 25 guys, and with opening day three days away, I don't see them changing their minds now.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-56540272123389714882007-03-29T01:43:00.000-06:002007-03-29T16:08:12.076-06:00When "The Deal" Goes DownAlmost exactly two years ago, as the Twins 2005 spring training season was concluding, one of the most discussed topics was what to do with Michael Restovich.<br /><br />Restovich, a local product from Rochester, Minnesota, was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 1997 amateur draft. His hulking 6'4" frame, prodigious power, and especially his local ties led to some inevitable whispers of him being "the next Kent Hrbek."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blog.roodo.com/easonlu/f71c71c0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://blog.roodo.com/easonlu/f71c71c0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>But in spring training of 2005, Restovich and the Twins were at a crossroads. Restovich had steadily worked his way up through the Twins minor league system, leading to brief major league stints toward the end of the 2002, 2003, and 2004 seasons, but by 2005 he was out of minor league options, meaning if he didn't make the Twins 25 man major league roster, he would have had to pass through waivers before he could be sent back to the minor leagues. With the outfield set, Restovich's only chance to make the club was as its 25th man, but the Twins were being overly cautious on franchise catcher Joe Mauer's tender knee, and decided to break camp with four catchers on the roster (Mauer, backup Mike Redmond, DH Matthew LeCroy, and third-catcher Corky Miller), leaving Restovich without a job.<br /><br />When it was announced that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had claimed Restovich off waivers, there were cries from hometown fans in Rochester, Minnesota all the way to the Twins' AAA affiliate in Rochester, New York. "How could we let him go for nothing?" "I can't believe they couldn't even get a minor league prospect for him!" "This is going to come back to haunt the Twins, like David Ortiz all over again!"<br /><br />Well, two years later that decision has not exactly hampered the Twins. One week after the Devil Rays acquired Restovich, they tried sneaking him through waivers themselves (Resto never did appear in a big league game for Tampa Bay). He was picked up by the Colorado Rockies, who did keep him on their big league roster... for about one month. In May, Restovich was sold by the Rockies to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his 2005 stints with the Rockies and Pirates, Restovich combined for 115 at bats and produced a measly .676 OPS. In 2006 he picked up 12 at bats in 10 games for the Chicago Cubs, collecting only two hits. He spent most of the season with the Cubs Iowa farm club. This season, he's set to play for the Washington Nationals minor league club in Columbus.<br /><br />So why all the Restovich reminiscing? Well, now at the conclusion of spring training '07, the Twins are faced with the same dilemma. They have a former second round draft pick who is out of minor league options, and they risk losing him for nothing if he doesn't make the final roster.<br /><br />J.D. "The Real Deal" Durbin (nickname self-proclaimed) was the hottest pitching prospect in the Twins system in 2004. Dude threw gas! A September call-up in 2004 yielded ugly results, though (8 innings pitched, 12 hits, 6 walks, and a 7.36 ERA). Control problems plagued him in 2005 and he stayed in the minors all season. J.D. finally started putting it all together in 2006, and seemed destined for another late-season stint with the Twins until injuries ended his season prematurely.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freewebs.com/twincities/photos/022606/scan0024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.freewebs.com/twincities/photos/022606/scan0024.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This year seemed to be Durbin's best shot to stick with the Twins, but he obviously is not fully recovered from his arm injuries. He has posted a 12.38 spring training ERA so far. There's no way he makes the team, but (as of this writing) he still hasn't been given his pink slip. Obviously, the Twins are trying to deal "The Deal", which makes sense. If they can get something - anything - for him, it's better than nothing. But there does seem to be a sentiment that they <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span> to get something for him.<br /><br />Why? Because if they don't he might come back to haunt them? Fans who are panicking about the possibility of losing Durbin on waivers are overvaluing him. If someone else (Washington? Kansas City? Tampa Bay?) wants to take a chance on him, let them have him. He’s a guy fighting his way back from injury, a LONG way away from being able to help a major league staff, and he’s always been bigger on hype than on production anyway. Remember, Pat Mahomes and Willie Banks could once throw 95 MPH, too!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> ADDENDUM</span><br />At 5:00 PM today, KFAN is reporting that the Twins have officially received nothing for J.D. Durbin, as he has been claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-14116693094485183682007-03-26T00:02:00.000-06:002007-03-26T01:28:20.108-06:00Gang of FourI paid absolutely zero attention to college basketball this year. Zilch. I think the most invested I was all season in college hoops was watching the final seconds of the Gophers vs. Penn State at Red's Savoy Inn after my fiance completed her first half-marathon in January. My parents took us out for some celebratory pizza. On our way out after the meal, my dad made a pit-stop at the men's room. While waiting for him to finish, I caught my only real glimpse all year of the maligned Gopher men, and watched them close out a rare conference win against the truly underwhelming Nittany Lions.<br /><br />And that was it.<br /><br />So when March Madness brackets were released, I didn't join in on any office pools, I didn't sign up for any online contests, and in general I cared less than I've cared since before the great Clem Haskins-led Willie Burton/Kevin Lynch/Melvin Newbern/Richard Coffey/Walter Bond Gophers teams of the late '80s/early '90s. But I decided to fill out my brackets anyway because... well... what else is there to do at 2 AM?<br /><br />So go figure that this is the year that I correctly picked all four teams in the Final Four.<br /><br />For the record, I have Florida defeating UCLA, Ohio State defeating Georgetown (although, after actually watching these teams play a little bit, I don't feel real great about that pick), and Florida then defeating Ohio State for the championship. I wonder - if that happens - if it'll be the first time ever that one school (Florida) will have defeated another school (Ohio State) in both the college basketball and college football championship games in the same year. We'll see how I do on those predictions.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-15363392420262911722007-03-14T18:05:00.000-06:002007-03-26T00:01:02.172-06:00GaragelandI can guarantee that the 2007 Minnesota Twins baseball experience will be unlike any other I have had in my lifetime.<br /><br />I have seen by beloved hometown team celebrate two World Series titles, and I have seen them field the worst team in all of Major League Baseball. I have seen them set an American League attendance record, I have seen them on the cusp of contraction, and I have seen them celebrate the promise of a new stadium. I have seen Joe Mauer, but I have also seen Matt Walbeck. And after suffering through Dan Serafini and Rich Robertson, I have seen Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. I've had the pleasure of listening to Bert Blyleven and Jim Kaat analyze telecasts, and I somehow survived a season of Tommy John (which I can pretty safely assume was more painful than his namesake surgery).<br /><br />One constant, that perhaps I have not fully appreciated until late last week, was our "good neighbor": 830 AM. WCCO.<br /><br />The Twins radio broadcast contract with WCCO expired after last season, and they bolted for the bigger dollars of the mostly conservative talk radio KSTP (1500 AM), ending a 45 year relationship with 'CCO.<br /><br />On the surface, not much has changed. John "Gordo" Gordon is still the main play by play man, confusing opposing players with others of similar names, filling us with misinformation (see some earlier Foul Tips posts). Dan "Dazzle Man" Gladden is still here, too, still improving as an analyst. (It appears, based on spring training broadcasts, that the Twins are insisting to continue with the trainwreck experiment of letting "Dazzle" handle a few innings of play-by-play each game.) I believe they are still planning on wheeling Herb Carnael's bones (or at least his voice box) out of his tomb for the occasional home weekend and day game broadcasts.<br /><br />The big differences will be in the subtleties of the broadcast. The pre-game and post-game shows will likely have a different feel, with different hosts. It's unlikely that 1500 will demonstrate the same surprisingly good taste (The Hold Steady, The Replacements, Sean Na Na) in gametime bumper music. Jeff McKinney will no longer cut into an important mid-August game from the 'CCO newsroom to update us on the golf-ball sized hail in Annandale, nor will he spend the next 15-20 minutes taking calls from "weather spotters." Will KSTP obsess about the weather in the same manner as WCCO? Remains to be seen.<br /><br />And, of course, the station's non-Twins programming will be different.<br /><br />Since the majority of the Twins schedule takes place at night, this probably won't be much of a problem once the regular season starts, but all these afternoon spring training games are taking a toll on me.<br /><br />Last week, I spent one afternoon running errands. I had the Twins-Dodgers Grapefruit League game on my car radio. There were plenty of advertisements between innings welcoming me to the Twins new radio home. A few of them hipped me to stay tuned for "the best post-game show in baseball." Mildly curious as to what made KSTP's post-game show so great, I took their advice and stayed tuned. But there was no post-game show. There was a brief game recap from Gordo and Dazzle, immediately followed by one of the station's signature shows, Garage Logic with Joe Soucheray.<br /><br />I had never actually listened to the Garage Logic program before that day. My father has been recommending this "absolutely hysterical" show to me for a couple of years now, but given the political and social differences that the old man and I have, I've always sort of had the feeling that Garage Logic wasn't really my bag. On a couple occasions (usually stuck riding with my dad on a Saturday morning), I've caught Soucheray's Saturday Sports Talk show with Patrick Reusse, but on that show Soucheray's more of a supporting player to Reusse's disgusting curmudgeon. (Reusse is an awful writer and an even worse human being. He once came to speak to my high school journalism class. He plopped his fat ass down on the chair behind the desk and basically told us, "Give up now. It's too hard and you don't have what it takes to be a journalist," not making eye contact with a single one of us during the course of the hour.)<br /><br />But now the game was over, my radio was still on, and Soucheray opened his show by bringing up the subject of instant runoff voting. His opening statement to his show was, "I've been hearing a lot about instant runoff voting over the last year. I don't understand what instant runoff voting is, I don't know how it works. All I know is that the DFL is for it, so naturally I'm against it."<br /><br />Wha?<br /><br />This is my reward for leaving the radio running for five minutes after a Twins spring training game? Some upper-class white guy wearing his own ignorance like a uniform? My jaw hung in disbelief. The car behind me started honking, catching me staring at my radio after the light had turned green. I can't say I was able to generate more anger that day; as I released my foot from the break I pressed the #2 pre-set button in time to catch the end of Chad Hartman's show on KFAN.<br /><br />On Tuesday of this week, I was running more errands. I had the Twins and Cardinals going, listening to Johan Santana battle Albert Pujols, catching the Twins string together a nice mid-game rally, then leaving the car for about an hour and a half. By the time I started the car again, the game was over.<br /><br />Garage Logic was on.<br /><br />The subject was polar explorer Ann Bancroft and her recently abandoned Arctic expedition. For the record, Bancroft's and Liz Arneson's decision to cut their journey short was essentially that the temperatures they were experiencing were much colder than anticipated and the weather much more unpredictable, and the reason why their expectations were off was because of the effects of global warming.<br /><br />Soucheray wasn't buying. "You're telling me that the temperatures were colder than they expected because of global warming? That doesn't even make sense!" He spent the next five minutes or so pontificating on how ludicrous it was of Bancroft to blame her "failure" on global warming. One brave caller, who admitted to being a registered Democrat, tried bringing up facts from the Al Gore film <span style="font-style: italic;">An Inconvenient Truth</span>, but they were not swaying Soucheray's stance. The caller asked him, "I know you're not a fan of Al Gore, but are you telling me you won't believe anything he says in his movie?" Soucheray's reply was, "Nothing. Zero. I will say that doing things in your everyday life to conserve the environment is probably a good thing, but when it comes to Al Gore, I do not believe a word that comes out of that man's mouth."<br /><br />Realizing that it was probably a driving hazard to be so infuriated while behind the wheel, I had to switch the station once again.<br /><br />Where have you gone, Dark Star?Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148889659608918832006-05-29T02:29:00.000-05:002007-03-16T00:08:37.100-06:00Catcher-ing up with the Twins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/0309/photo/a_mauer_i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2004/0309/photo/a_mauer_i.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Just another day at the park for Joe Mauer on Sunday. With three more hits (3 for 4 games are starting to become the norm here) he raised his batting average to .350, moving up the ladder to third place in race for the AL batting crown behind Derek Jeter (.352) and Alex Rios (.351). It is becoming pretty obvious that, barring injury, when all is said and done Mauer will go down as the best catcher in Twins history.<br /><br />There has been much criticism in the last couple years, and rightly so, of the Twins inability to develop major league hitters, especially power hitters. But at the same time, I have heard virtually no praise of the franchise's uncanny ability to develop quality major league catchers.<br /><br />A glance at the current rosters reveals eight active big league catchers who made their major league debut in a Twins uniform.<br /><br />Count 'em up... in addition to Mauer there's A.J. Pierzynski of the White Sox, Damian Miller and Chad Moeller of the Brewers, Javier Valentin of the Reds, Danny Ardoin of the Rockies, Rob Bowen of the Padres, and Matthew LeCroy of the Nationals.<br /><br />I have to imagine this is some kind of record. It would be pretty exhaustive for me to research it on my own dime, so maybe I'll leave it to an expert like ESPN's Jayson Stark, but I wonder what the previous record was for this, if this in fact a new record.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1155780623451613062006-08-16T21:04:00.000-05:002007-03-16T00:07:54.961-06:00Twins Broadcaster Fiction Part IIIFirst of all, I know it's been way too long between posts, but I've had a busy summer. I'll start posting again regularly very soon. I promise.<br /><br />In the meantime, here's a tidbit fresh from the radio broadcast of tonight's Twins-Indians game. Good ol' John Gordon informed us that the Kansas City Royals are now leading the Chicago White Sox by a 7-0 score. Jack Morris (subbing tonight for Dan Gladden, who's whooping it up this week at Sturgis) asked Gordo who was pitching tonight for Kansas City.<br /><br />"Bernero. An exciting young rookie who's come up and pitched well for them."<br /><br />Well... uh... hmm. I guess I have to give Gordo some credit, because, yes, Adam Bernero has pitched well so far for Kansas City. In two starts prior to tonight he has posted a 0.79 ERA. That's very impressive, indeed. But an exciting young rookie? Bernero is a 29 year old journeyman, currently in his seventh season of shuttling between the major and minor leagues. The Royals are his fifth major league team. In 149 career games, he has 10 wins, 27 losses, and a 5.92 ERA.<br /><br />Get with it, Gordo!Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1151336497533019922006-06-26T10:38:00.000-05:002006-06-26T10:41:37.546-05:00My June 26 All-Star Ballot<span style="font-weight: bold;"> American League</span><br /><br />1B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Justin Morneau</span> (Minnesota Twins)<br />(Previous vote: Paul Konerko)<br /><br />Morneau's incredible June has lifted him to the upper echelon of AL first basemen. Keeping in mind that David Ortiz, Travis Hafner, and Jason Giambi are all designated hitters and not really first basemen, the choice comes down to Morneau or Konerko. Konerko has the edge in batting average, they each have 19 homeruns, and Morneau has a small edge in RBI. <br /><br />2B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jose Lopez</span> (Seattle Mariners)<br />(Previous vote: Lopez)<br /><br />Strong consideration given to Robinson Cano and Tadahito Iguchi, but Lopez keeps driving in runs.<br /><br />SS <span style="font-weight: bold;">Miguel Tejada</span> (Baltimore Orioles)<br />(Previous vote: Tejada)<br /><br />Nothing has changed here.<br /><br />3B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Crede</span> (Chicago White Sox)<br />(Previous vote: Eric Chavez)<br /><br />I would like to be able to still justify my Chavez vote from last time, but he has slumped to a .255 batting average, while Crede is up to .307. They are tied in homeruns, Crede has a dozen more RBI, and I can't even play the defense card with Chavez because Crede may put a stop to Chavez's Gold Glove streak this year.<br /><br />C <span style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Mauer</span> (Minnesota Twins)<br />(Previous vote: Mauer)<br /><br />Vote Joe!<br /><br />OF <span style="font-weight: bold;">Carl Crawford</span> (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ichiro Suzuki</span> (Seattle Mariners), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vernon Wells</span> (Toronto Blue Jays)<br />(Previous vote: Vladimir Guerrero, Alex Rios, Wells)<br /><br />Stuck in Tampa, Crawford has quietly started to put up a superstar season (.310 average, 10 homeruns, 26 stolen bases). Ichiro is now within 10 points of Joe Mauer in the batting race. Wells is still the best outfielder in the AL, having the best season of all the outfielders in the AL.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">National League</span><br /><br />1B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Albert Pujols</span> (St. Louis Cardinals)<br />(Previous vote: Pujols)<br /><br />His batting average, homerun and RBI numbers are now virtually interchangeable with Ryan Howard and Lance Berkman. The difference is that Howard and Berkman didn't miss three weeks with an injury.<br /><br />2B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dan Uggla</span> (Florida Marlins)<br />(Previous vote: Chase Utley)<br /><br />Uggla has to be the feel good story of the year in the big leagues! The Marlins rookie is now in a dead heat with Utley in homers and ribbies, and has a 25 point edge in batting average.<br /><br />SS <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jose Reyes</span> (New York Mets)<br />(Previous vote: Hanley Ramirez)<br /><br />Two weeks ago, on my last ballot, I wrote "I'm tempted to vote for Jose Reyes, but not until he gets his average over .250." Since then, he has been the hottest hitter in baseball, recording at least four four-hit games, raising his average to .302, and has continued to lead the majors in stolen bases. Reyes may very well be the most exciting player in all of baseball.<br /><br />3B <span style="font-weight: bold;">David Wright</span> (New York Mets)<br />(Previous vote: Wright)<br /><br />Best third baseman in baseball.<br /><br />C <span style="font-weight: bold;">Johnny Estrada</span> (Arizona Diamondbacks)<br />(Previous vote: Brad Ausmus)<br /><br />Still the weakest field on the ballot, but Estrada has started to distance himself with his average and RBI numbers and, the D-backs recent slide notwithstanding, has been excellent behind the plate.<br /><br />OF <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Bay</span> (Pittsburgh Pirates), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Carlos Beltran</span> (New York Mets), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Holliday</span> (Colorado Rockies)<br />(Previous vote: Bay, Holliday, Alfonso Soriano)<br /><br />Beltran takes over for Soriano. His numbers are catching up and he's simply a better player.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1150157629802998992006-06-12T18:46:00.000-05:002006-06-12T19:22:38.536-05:00People Are Strange(Hey, hey! It's the first non-baseball post!)<br /><br />I watched a heavily intoxicated woman, in her forties or early fifties, march from the CC Club to the front door at Treehouse. After smoking half a cigarette, she walked inside. This took place around 6:00 PM. This is our exchange.<br /><br />"Where's Jim?"<br /><br />"Who?"<br /><br />"I know you have Jim Morrison in here!"<br /><br />"No, he's not physically here! We probably have a few of his records."<br /><br />"What about posters?"<br /><br />"Well, let's see... there's that one right up there." (I point toward a small 12" x 12" image of Mr. Lizard King on the upper-right corner of our south wall.)<br /><br />"Oooh! How much?"<br /><br />"Oh, our posters aren't for sale, sorry."<br /><br />"Oh, <span style="font-style: italic;">I get it</span>... you won't sell his poster, you're just here to make money off him!"<br /><br />"Uh..."<br /><br />"I bet you don't even know who he is!"<br /><br />"No, I think I have a pretty good idea."<br /><br />"How old are you? Seventeen?"<br /><br />"No, I'm not seventeen."<br /><br />"How old are you then?"<br /><br />"I'm twenty-eight."<br /><br />"You are not."<br /><br />"Yeah, I am."<br /><br />"No you're not. You're somewhere between 17 and 28, maybe, but you're not 28!"<br /><br />"I can show you my driver's license."<br /><br />"No, I don't care that much."<br /><br />"Could've fooled me."<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />"Nothing."<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />"Uh... what are you on?"<br /><br />"Nothing. I'm not on nothing, I'm just having a really bad day and sometimes I drink too much."<br /><br />"Okay."<br /><br />"What?!"<br /><br />"Nothing, that's fine."<br /><br />"Where are the Beatles?! I gotta go!"Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1149833187928952232006-06-09T01:03:00.000-05:002006-06-09T01:06:27.940-05:00My June 9 All Star ballot<span style="font-weight: bold;">American League</span><br /><br />1B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Paul Konerko</span> (Chicago White Sox)<br />(Previous vote: Konerko)<br /><br />Nothing here has changed. The only other choice on the ballot at this position with comparable all-around numbers is Travis Hafner, but as I pointed out before, he is not a first baseman. Hafner is a strict designated hitter.<br /><br />2B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jose Lopez</span> (Seattle Mariners)<br />(Previous vote: Luis Castillo)<br /><br />Lopez leads all AL second basemen in homers and RBI. In fact, his 47 RBI are nearly double the total of the any other second baseman in the AL!<br /><br />SS <span style="font-weight: bold;">Miguel Tejada</span> (Baltimore Orioles)<br />(Previous vote: Tejada)<br /><br />The numbers speak.<br /><br />3B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eric Chavez</span> (Oakland Athletics)<br />(Previous vote: Hank Blalock)<br /><br />Chavez is an extraordinary third baseman and one of the most underrated players in the league. Despite posting perennial All Star numbers and racking up the Gold Gloves, the notoriously slow starter has never appeared in an All Star game. That changes this year.<br /><br />C <span style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Mauer</span> (Minnesota Twins)<br />(Previous vote: A.J. Pierzynski)<br /><br />The easiest way to vault yourself onto in All Star ballot is to produce, and over the past 17 games (approximately the time since my last All Star ballot) Mauer has hit .509 to raise his average to a Gwynn-like .379 - easily the Major League leader.<br /><br />OF <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vladimir Guerrero</span> (Los Angeles Angels), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vernon Wells</span> (Toronto Blue Jays), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alex Rios</span> (Toronto Blue Jays - WRITE IN)<br />(Previous vote: Wells, Rios, Casey Blake)<br /><br />Casey Blake has had a fine season, but he's finally coming back to earth. He's a great first half story, but he's not an All Star starter. Vlad Guerrero is an All Star starter. Meanwhile, Toronto's outstanding outfielders haven't slowed a bit!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">National League</span><br /><br />1B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Albert Pujols</span> (St. Louis Cardinals)<br />(Previous vote: Pujols)<br /><br />Injury and all, he's still the clear choice.<br /><br />2B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Utley</span> (Philadelphia Phillies)<br />(Previous vote: Utley)<br /><br />A very interstesting category and a tough choice. I'm starting to think that Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips (not on the ballot) and Florida's Dan Uggla are for real, and their underdog stories (especially Uggla's) make them nice sentimental choices, but Utley is still the best second baseman in the NL, having the best season.<br /><br />SS <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hanley Ramirez</span> (Florida Marlins)<br />(Previous vote: Ramirez)<br /><br />The rookie of the year favorite has cooled down over the last few weeks, and I'm tempted to vote for Jose Reyes, but not until he gets his average over .250.<br /><br />3B <span style="font-weight: bold;">David Wright</span> (New York Mets)<br />(Previous vote: Wright)<br /><br />Is there a quieter .340 hitter in baseball this year than Scott Rolen? Seriously, when did that happen? Still, Wright is the choice.<br /><br />C <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brad Ausmus</span> (Houston Astros)<br />(Previous vote: Brian McCann)<br /><br />NL catcher boasts the least impressive list of candidates of any position in either league. McCann's injury is costing him my vote here. In a most unspectacular field, I'll go with Ausmus. He is widely regarded as one of the top field generals in the game and he's hitting close to .300.<br /><br />OF <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Bay</span> (Pittsburgh Pirates), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Holliday</span> (Colorado Rockies), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alfonso Soriano</span> (Washington Nationals)<br />(Previous vote: Holliday, Andruw Jones, Soriano)<br /><br />Bay has been on a tear lately. Here's his reward: a Dan Cote All Star vote!Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1149044396045623552006-05-30T21:55:00.000-05:002006-05-30T21:59:56.056-05:00Twins Broadcaster Fiction Part IIFrom Tuesday, May 30's Twins-Angels radio broadcast...<br /><br />Dan Gladden: "(Juan) Rivera's got a little bit of dog in him. He was with the Yankees a few years ago, he was the guy who went into Derek Jeter's locker and stole his glove..."<br /><br />John Gordon: "Yep... mmm hmmm..."<br /><br />Gladden: "If that's the right Rivera?"<br /><br />Gordon: "Yes it is, he's had his share of problems."<br /><br />Sorry fellas, you're thinking of Ruben Rivera, who last played in 2003. While you are correct that Juan Rivera was at one time with the Yankees, I've never heard of him having any major personality flaws.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148715751427144402006-05-27T02:06:00.000-05:002006-05-27T03:09:59.800-05:00Great Moments in Baseball History (As Revised by Twins Broadcasters)I went out to my parents' house tonight to watch the Twins-Mariners game with my dad. It was a historic night in Twins history, as Governor Pawlenty was on hand in his Twins jersey to officially sign the stadium bill into law. <br /><br />The organization managed to turn the evening into quite an event, parading every ex-Twin they could find onto the field for the pregame ceremony and delaying the start of the game by 30 minutes. The excitement for me, however, was the anticipated pitching matchup between arguably the two most talked-about young pitchers in baseball - the Mariners' 20-year-old "King" Felix Hernandez and the Twins' 22-year-old Francisco Liriano.<br /><br />The game lived up to the hype, with the Twins pulling out a 3-1 win. Liriano shut out the Mariners through five innings, impressively worked out of jams, and embarassed a Seattle lineup who could only helplessly flail at his 90 MPH slider. Hernandez was nearly as good. After allowing two second inning runs and a leadoff homerun to Joe Mauer in the third, he completely shut down the Twins the rest of the way.<br /><br />Yeah, it was a good night at the ballpark, and that was not lost on broadcasters Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven. At one point late in the game, Bremer was waxing nostalgic on the history of the now-doomed Metrodome. They showed a flashback video of former Twin catcher Dave Engle hitting the first regular season homerun at the Dome, against the Mariners in '82. Bremer went on to recall a two-game exhibition series against the Cincinnati Reds which were the first actual games played in the Dome. He reminisced about how even though he finally got a chance to see Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench play in person, it seemed awkward since Bench played the game at third base. (This is true, while Bench was still hanging on at the end of his legendary career, the Reds did experiment with him at both third and first base.) He also recalled Pete Rose leading off the game with a single and said, "To this day, Pete Rose will tell you that he got the first hit at the dome."<br /><br />Oh, Dick. Pete Rose played for the Phillies from 1979 to 1984. He was nowhere near a Twins-Reds exhibition game in 1982.<br /><br />This has to be my favorite example of delusion from broadcasters for at least two weeks! At least I believe that's about how long it's been since I tuned in for the radio broadcast of a Twins-Royals game to hear Twins radio announcer John Gordon dish out this nugget regarding the Royals centerfielder that day, 32-year old journeyman Kerry Robinson, a guy who has played in 445 major league games since 1998 for four different teams coming into this year, and who spent all of last year in the Mets minor league system before hooking on with the woeful Royals in spring training this year:<br /><br />"Rookie centerfielder Kerry Robinson, I mean to tell you the Royals really like this kid! They really think he can be something special!"<br /><br />Sorry, Gordo, but not even the Royals are that misguided... just a few days later Robinson was designated for assignment.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148599622698628342006-05-25T17:51:00.000-05:002006-05-25T18:27:02.820-05:007 and 7 Is: LeCroy's BluesRon Gardenhire and Terry Ryan have made their share of questionable decisions over the last couple seasons, but I have to give them credit for their decision to remove future beer-league softball Hall of Famer Matthew LeCroy from their catching rotation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/images/2006/03/07/ttfWqiTC.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://montreal.expos.mlb.com/images/2006/03/07/ttfWqiTC.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>After throwing out just four of 18 attempted base-stealers in 22 games behind the plate in 2003 and only one of 16 in 26 games in 2004, LeCroy only managed one single inning at catcher in 2005. He spent his final year in a Twins uniform as a designated hitter and pinch hitter and appeared in 23 games at first base. Watching just one of those games should have been enough to convince any casual baseball fan, much less any MLB executive, that LeCroy's natural position - his only position - is DH.<br /><br />When the Twins decided to not bring him back this year, I felt for him. After all, if the affable and beloved human potato make it if not here? As the offseason turned, I started worrying about LeCroy. He still hadn't received a major league contract and all of the American League teams - the only teams who would seem to have a spot for him - appeared set. <br /><br />Finally, just before spring training he signed a contract with the Washington Nationals. I figured his role on the NL team would be strictly pinch-hitting, with the very occasional game at first base when Nick Johnson needed a day off (god forbid another Johnson injury). Suffice to say, it was pretty surprising when the Nats starting using LeCroy as their backup catcher. <br /><br />When starting catcher Brian Schneider went on the disabled list a couple weeks ago, Wiki Gonzalez was recalled from the minors, presumably to take over the everyday catching chores until Schneider's return. Shockingly, though, it has been LeCroy getting the majority of the playing time in Schneider's absence. Playing with fire...<br /><br />Well, that all came to a head this afternoon. The Nationals jumped on the struggling Andy Pettitte for a 6-0 lead over the Astros and should've coasted toward victory. They did hold on for a 8-5 win, no thanks to LeCroy. In seven innings of catching, the Astros stole seven bases off LeCroy - the highest single game stolen base total for a major league team in four years. After the seventh steal, manager Frank Robinson pulled LeCroy mid-inning for backup first baseman/outfielder Robert Fick. I don't know how many times that has happened in big league history, but I can't ever remember seeing a catcher pulled mid-inning for his defensive performance.<br /><br />For the season, LeCroy has now caught 13 games for the Nationals and has thrown out one of 21 attempted base-stealers. That's a 95% success rate for the runners, if you're keeping track.<br /><br />Schneider is scheduled to return from the disabled list tomorrow. I have a feeling that that will also mark the end of the Nationals experiment with LeCroy as a catcher.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148523177068558842006-05-24T20:21:00.000-05:002006-05-25T00:53:23.170-05:00Can't the Royals just borrow a Tiger for the All Star Game?Tuesday night's Tigers-Royals game went a long way to solidify the American League All Star team reserve selections.<br /><br />I realize the All Star game is still a month and a half away, but thanks to MLB's asinine rule that <span style="font-weight: bold;">all</span> teams must have a representative, I've always received a perverse amount of enjoyment out of trying to predict the All Star teams before they are named.<br /><br />The Kansas City Royals brought a league worst 10-32 record into Tuesday's tilt and boasted a roster loaded with guys who have no business on a Triple-A All Star team, much less a major league team. A glance at the roster revealed three guys who have a chance at basking in All Star glory this July, simply because they are the least of twenty-five evils: Mark Grudzielanek, Elmer Dessens, and Mike Wood.<br /><br />Grudzielanek easily has the most accomplished career of the three. He was an All Star shortstop as the Montreal Expos shortstop in 1996 - his first full-season. The next year he set an Expo record with 54 doubles. The year after that, he was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he spent four and a half years before moving on to the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. He has always been a solid defender and slightly above average hitter. He's a fine complimentary player, and he's doing his best, but he's out of his element as a "go-to guy" in the Kansas City lineup.<br /><br />Dessens, like Grudzielanek, spent the last decade or so in the National League before signing with the Royals before this season. He has been a serviceable pitcher, but never much more than that. His best year was 2002, when as a starter for the Reds he ranked sixth in the NL in ERA. He's been a long reliever and spot-starter ever since, and last year had a decent but injury-plagued year with the Dodgers. This year, even with the Royals horrendous starting pitching, Dessens had been used exclusively in middle relief until last week, when manager Buddy Bell named Dessens the Royals' new closer following three straight implosions from Ambiorix Burgos.<br /><br />Wood was once a highly regarded prospect in the pitching-rich Oakland A's organization. He was acquired by the Royals two years ago in the blockbuster Carlos Beltran deal. After a pretty rough 2004 season in the Royals starting rotation, he showed some improvement last year when used as a swingman. This year Wood has made all his appearances out of the bullpen with the exception of one emergency start, and he's been decent. He has nearly as many walks as strikeouts, but he does have three wins and a 3.21 ERA. I'm baffled as to why the Royals are not giving him another shot as a starter, but I suppose that seems about right for the Royals.<br /><br />Anyway, getting back to Tuesday night. I still view Wood as a long shot because of his role (middle relief) and his less-proven track record. That leaves Grudzielanek and Dessens.<br /><br />Grudzielanek hit his first two homeruns of the season in helping the Royals jump out to a 4-0 lead over Kenny Rogers and the Tigers, and raised his batting average to a team-best .322. The Royals were holding on to a 5-3 lead going into the eighth inning. In the eighth, Dessens, in his first save situation since being named the Royals closer, gave up three runs in a third of an inning and was nailed for the loss as the Tigers came back to win 8-5.<br /><br />Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your 2006 All Star selection from the Kansas City Royals... Mark Grudzielanek!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_115210.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100px;" src="http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_115210.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148377369711449152006-05-23T04:21:00.000-05:002006-05-23T13:03:18.580-05:00My May 23rd All Star BallotIt's May 23 and I have just filled out the first of several Major League Baseball All Star ballots that I will place over the next few weeks.<br /><br />My selections<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">American League</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>1B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Paul Konerko</span> (Chicago White Sox)<br /><br />Travis Hafner and David Ortiz are having typical great seasons with the bat, but they are not first basemen. They are designated hitters. They are All Stars, but this year's All Star Game is in a National League park, which means National League rules, which means no DH. Want to be a starter? Get a glove! For me it's a toss-up between Konerko and Detroit's Chris Shelton but I'm voting for Konerko. He's done it longer and his 2005 postseason performance deserves a reward.<br /><br />2B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Luis Castillo</span> (Minnesota Twins)<br /><br />An argument can easily be made for Chicago's Tadahito Iguchi (and I would guess he'll be the one elected), but this is my ballot and I'm voting for Castillo.<br /><br />SS <span style="font-weight: bold;">Miguel Tejada</span> (Baltimore Orioles)<br /><br />The AL's three elite shortstops - Tejada, Derek Jeter, and Michael Young - are all hitting in the .340-.350 range, but Young only has one homer and Jeter is an arrogant Yankee prick.<br /><br />3B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Han</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">k Blalock</span> (Texas Rangers)<br /><br />Speaking of arrogant Yankee pricks, Alex Rodriguez is only hitting about .270. I'm voting for Blalock today, but I think that Eric Chavez, Mike Lowell, Troy Glaus, Joe Crede and Melvin Mora are all more deserving than A-Rod at this point.<br /><br />C <span style="font-weight: bold;">A.J. Pierzynski</span> (Chicago White Sox)<br /><br />This was a pretty easy choice for me up until Joe Mauer's nine hit weekend in Milwaukee that raised his average to .338. Never the less, A.J. is hitting .341, is masterfully handling the a superior starting rotation, and he had a pretty eventful weekend of his own...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4875/2921/1600/ajpunch1.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4875/2921/200/ajpunch1.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4875/2921/1600/ajpunch2.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4875/2921/200/ajpunch2.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4875/2921/1600/ajpunch3.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4875/2921/200/ajpunch3.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />OF <span style="font-weight: bold;">Casey Blake</span> (Cleveland Indians), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vernon Wells</span> (Toronto Blue Jays), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alex Rios</span> (Toronto Blue Jays - WRITE-IN)<br /><br />Speaking of ex-Twins, Blake is leading the league in hitting. Rios is hot on his heels and I can never resist a good write-in vote candidate. Wells is having the best all-around season of any outfielder in the league.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">National League<br /><br /></span>1B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Albert Pujols</span> (St. Louis Cardinals)<br /><br />Ryan Howard, Nomar Garciaparra, Lance Berkman, Carlos Delgado... they're all having great, All Star seasons. That said, anybody voting for anyone other than Pujols at 1B this season needs to have their voting rights terminated.<br /><br />2B <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Utley</span> (Philadelphia Phillies)<br /><br />He's hitting .309 and leading all NL second basemen in homers and RBI.<br /><br />SS <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hanley Ramirez</span> (Florida Marlins)<br /><br />If he stays healthy, we should be looking at a unanimous winner of the NL Rookie of the Year award. One of the most exciting players in the game!<br /><br />3B <span style="font-weight: bold;">David Wright</span> (New York Mets)<br /><br />Just beats out Miguel Cabrera, mostly because I can't bring myself to vote for two Marlins. Chad Tracy and Morgan Ensberg have strong cases, too.<br /><br />C <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brian McCann</span> (Atlanta Braves)<br /><br />The league's leading hitter, and not too shabby behind the plate either. He should have a headlock on this ballot for years to come.<br /><br />OF <span style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Holliday</span> (Colorado Rockies), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Andruw Jones</span> (Atlanta Braves), <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alfonso Soriano</span> (Washington Nationals)<br /><br />Holliday's season is mirroring teammate Brad Hawpe... Holliday gets my vote because I think he has a better shot at sustaining his current pace. Andruw's nine homeruns are a disappointing total at this point, but he's driven in 41 and you may have heard something about his defense. Say what you will about Soriano's 'tude in spring training, he's gone out to play left field and is on pace for a 40-40 season. Hell, he's on pace for a 50-40 season!Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148371728738730172006-05-23T01:48:00.000-05:002006-05-23T03:08:49.053-05:00Looking AheadHow many members of the current Twins team will still be around in April 2010 when Puckett Park/3M Field/Best Buy Stadium opens? <br /><br />I'd like to say that Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan, and Luis Castillo will be around, but in today's baseball climate that's not likely. <br /><br />If I were a betting man I would say that, at most, eight of the 25 current 2006 Twins will be on the 2010 opening day roster.<br /><ul><li>Johan Santana</li><li>Francisco Liriano</li><li>Scott Baker</li><li>Jesse Crain</li><li>Joe Mauer</li><li>Justin Morneau</li><li>Jason Kubel</li><li>Michael Cuddyer</li></ul>Of course there's a chance that Boof Bonser or Matt Guerrier will show some staying power, but there's as good a chance that Baker or Crain could falter. Perhaps Nathan will still be closing out games at 35 and Juan Rincon will still be setting him up, but it's also possible that Santana could leave as a free agent in their place.<br /><br />Maybe the Twins <span style="font-style: italic;">don't</span> trade Hunter this year and are able to sign him to a long-term contract extension, putting the then 34 year old face of the franchise in center field four years from now... and maybe Castillo's knees hold up for a few more years. But maybe Morneau never figures out how to hit a curveball... and maybe Cuddy-bear's May 2006 hot streak that seemed to win him the everyday right field job fizzles out by July and has him in Pittsburgh or Kansas City in 2007.<br /><br />Four years is a long, long time to hold a team together. Really, it's unheard of in our current era. Looking at the current Twins roster, only five guys - Santana, Brad Radke, Rincon, Cuddyer, and Hunter - played on the 2002 team. In all likelihood, I'm being too generous in guessing eight players will still be around in 2010. I can't argue that the 2006 team is a younger team than 2002 - not with stopgaps like Tony Batista, Juan Castro and Rondell White and older veterans like Shannon Stewart and Castillo occupying the positions that were then held down by twenty-somethings Corey Koskie, Cristian Guzman, David Ortiz, Jacque Jones, and Luis Rivas - but I do think that the upside of the current group of young Twins on the roster (Mauer, Liriano, Baker, Kubel, maybe Morneau) is much greater than the 2002 team from which only Santana and Ortiz have developed into superstars (and of course, only Santana has done that with the Twins).<br /><br />I also believe that with the certainty of the new stadium now in place, it becomes more likely that the Twins will be able to lock up their young talent to multi-year contracts. The newfound revenue from the new stadium should have the payroll up to around $80-$90 million in 2010, which is a $20 million increase from the present. While I think it's pretty safe to assume the Twins will let go of the guys who will be on the downside of their careers by then (Nathan, Hunter, Castillo), they should be able to lock up Mauer and Liriano for the long haul.<br /><br />One final prediction:<br />With Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, and Matt Garza at the top of the 2010 rotation, the Twins will be right in the thick of the 2010 pennant race.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1148022740260629492006-05-19T01:58:00.000-05:002006-05-19T02:12:20.270-05:00Mackowiak does rhyme with Stahoviak. I hope that didn't scare the Twins away.Who knows what the difference is between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox? Come on, this is easy... there are so many correct answers! I'm looking for something beyond the obvious, though. <br /><br />I don't want to hear, "The White Sox have five consistent, often spectacular starting pitchers, including <i>two</i> bona fide aces (Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras), two more who would easily be the default aces on nearly half of the pitching staffs in the league (Freddy Garcia and Javier Vasquez), and their fifth starter (Jon Garland) was an All Star and 18 game winner last year. The Twins? Well, Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball. After that? Brad Radke is having the worst season of his career. Carlos Silva is demoted to mop-up bullpen duty. Kyle Lohse is making 3.5 million in Triple-A. After Santana and Radke, the once feared Twins rotation is now rounded out by three rookies."<br /><br />Nor do I want to hear, "The White Sox have two guys in the lineup (Paul Konerko and Jim Thome) who, barring injury, will easily hit over 40 homeruns this year and who each have a legitimate shot at 50. They have two more (Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede) who have a pretty good shot at clearing 30 homers. The ninth hitter in their batting order (Juan Uribe) has averaged 19 homeruns and 72 RBI over the past two seasons. The Twins? Well, it's looking like either Justin Morneau or Torii Hunter <i>might</i> become the first Twin since 1987 to have a 30 homerun season (by far the longest such drought in the major leagues)."<br /><br />And I definitely don't want to hear, "The White Sox are simply made up of guys who know how to win. They have real leaders like A.J. Pierzynski who play the game hard and send a message to the opponents that they have no fear, they are here to win. And that's something the Twins have lacked since they had... uh... A.J. Pierzynski."<br /><br />Those are fine and safe answers. They are all correct answers. But how 'bout this answer?<br /><br />Rob Mackowiak.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_406670.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px;" src="http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_406670.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Mackowiak will more than likely never be a star - hell, he's not even an everyday player for the White Sox - but he has been a solid ballplayer since he first came up to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. He generated headlines nearly two years ago, on May 28, 2004, when he had quite possibly the most remarkable combined on-field and off-field day in baseball history. Just hours after the birth of his first child, Mackowiak ended the first game of a doubleheader against the Cubs with a walk-off grand slam. Not quite satisfied, he hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in the second game of the doubleheader and the Pirates eventually won the game in extra innings. To recap: a newborn son, a game-ending bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam, a game-tying bottom-of-the-ninth homerun and two wins for his team. That, my friends, is a full day's work. (For an encore, Mackowiak hit yet another homerun the following day, driving in a career high five runs while still wearing his hospital wrist band.)<br /><br />So while I knew who Rob Mackowiak was before May 28, 2004, that was the day when he really caught my eye and since then he's just been one of those players who I've continued to follow. Last year, one of my fantasy baseball leagues was a National League only league, meaning teams could be composed only from players on NL teams. Craving his versatility, I tried all season to pry him from his owner (an indie-rock has-been who eventually beat me by a half of a point for the league championship) to no avail. <br /><br />This past offseason, during the "Hot Stove League," I figured there was a chance the Pirates would trade Mackowiak. Eligible for salary arbitration, he was due a nice raise and it made sense for the Pirates to unload him for a prospect or two. Being a Twins fan, I naturally thought to myself, "You know who I'd really like to see in a Twins uniform? Rob Mackowiak." I had not heard any rumors about him and have no idea to this day if the Twins were ever even interested in acquiring Mackowiak, but I was pretty bummed out on December 13 when I saw Mackowiak had been traded to the White Sox, straight up, for Damaso Marte. First thought: "Where's he going to play for the White Sox? They already have set starters at every position." Second thought: "Even up for Damaso Marte? Really? Marte's an okay pitcher, but he's a 31 year old middle reliever who seems to be about three years past his prime. That trade might make sense for a contender, but these are the Pirates. They couldn't even get a mid-level prospect for Robby?" Which begs the question, could the Twins have acquired Mackowiak for somebody like J.D. Durbin? Would the Twins have even made that trade? It would have made perfect sense to me. <br /><br />Rob Mackowiak's value in in his versatility. Coming into this season, his first for the White Sox, he has played in 232 major league games in right field, 167 at third base, 110 in center field, 59 at second base, 46 in left field, and 5 at first base. He has also proven himself to be a pretty decent every-day player. In his three full major league seasons with the Pirates (2002, 2004-05), Mackowiak averaged 144 games played, 14 homeruns, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases a year. (To be fair, he did spend half of 2003 in the minor leagues after getting off to a very slow start, but was recalled later in the season and managed to hit .270 with six homers for the year.) Again, not <i>star</i> numbers, but plug them into the Twins current lineup and I guarantee you he would be hitting in the middle of the batting order.<br /><br />And this is the difference between the Twins and the White Sox in 2006. Rob Mackowiak is a bench player on the White Sox. A utility guy. He has played nearly every day for the last three-plus seasons of his career, and now he's getting about two starts a week. I haven't heard anything about him ruffling any feathers on the south side, though. No complaints about a lack of playing time. That makes sense to me, though. Rob Mackowiak is a team player and a consumate professional. And now, for the first time in his big league career, he's playing for a winning team.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Twins are left with Nick Punto and Luis Rodriguez as left-handed options off the bench and Tony Batista at third base.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1147289096562493822006-05-10T14:23:00.000-05:002006-05-11T15:47:16.363-05:00Hey, Bert! Check out THESE Twins!True story from the record store, last Saturday afternoon around 4:30 PM.<br /><br />Three young ladies stumbled out of the Bulldog and into Treehouse Records. They were matching: blonde hair, orange spray-on tans, and too-small Minnesota Twins t-shirts accentuating their excessive boobs. And they were shitfaced.<br /><br />Girl #1 walks into the store first and immediately spots our free poster bin. She grabs the biggest one she can find and slurs at me, "Can I buy this? How much is this?"<br /><br />"Uh, the posters aren't really for sale. They're free with a purchase."<br /><br />"I want to buy this. I'll give you a dollar for it!"<br /><br />"Like I said, they're not really for sale."<br /><br />As girl #3 interjects that they are going to the Twins game and are making a "Circle Me Bert" sign (for any of you unfamiliar with Twins telecasts, former Twins star and current color commentator Bert Blyleven likes to use his telestrator to "circle" fans at the game who bring gaudy signs requesting that he do so), girl #2 decides it's time to bargain with me.<br /><br />"I'll give you 20 cents for this poster!"<br /><br />She was clearly not the brightest bulb, especially in her current stumbly state, so I thought I would help her out a little.<br /><br />"You know, that's not really the way bargaining is supposed to work... your friend just offered me a dollar for it. Shouldn't you be raising the offer instead of lowering it?"<br /><br />She clearly did not hear, comprehend or care what my reply was, though, because before I could even finish me point she made another offer.<br /><br />"10 cents! I'll give you 10 cents for it!"<br /><br />I had no idea where this was going, and these women were really starting not only get on my nerves but on the nerves of the five or six real customers in the store at the time. All I could do was offer a stunned, inquisitive stare. It was then that she decided to throw a changeup into her negotiating tactics.<br /><br />"I'll show you my tits."<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />"If you give us this poster, I'll show you my tits!"<br /><br />"No, that's okay."<br /><br />"You don't want to see my tits?"<br /><br />"No, sorry."<br /><br />"Oh my god! I can't believe you don't want to see my tits!"<br /><br />"Sorry..."<br /><br />Girl #3 has a counter offer: "Do you want to see a picture of her tits?"<br /><br />"No, really, it's okay..."<br /><br />But before I could finish, a cell phone was shoved in my face, with a camera phone picture of a bare chest. Two massive boobs, presumably Girl #2's.<br /><br />"Uh... that's great." What else could I say?<br /><br />Girl #1, the original instigator, pipes in again. "We're really annoying you, aren't we?"<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />To her friends, "Oh my god, he hates us!"<br /><br />"No, I don't <i>hate</i> anyone... here, I'll tell you what... you can have the poster."<br /><br />They thanked me, I offered them a marker to make their sign, and they scribbled on it:<br /><br />"Hey Bert! Check out THESE Twins!"Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1147163820809230242006-05-09T03:29:00.000-05:002006-05-10T01:27:35.193-05:0019841984 was a landmark year in my life. Not in a revisionist Replacements/Husker Du/Prince way - I was six or seven years old when most of that was going down - but in a very literal, definitive sense that would shape my life forever.<br /><br />1984 was the year that I fell in love with the Minnesota Twins.<br /><br />In the summer of 1982, when I was four years old, I idolized my older cousin Eric. My imitation of him reached its apex when I discovered his baseball card collection. If Eric collected baseball cards, then I needed to collect them, too! He started me off by giving me some of his duplicates from the 1981 and 1982 Topps sets. I remember the first pack of cards that I got of my very own. At the Red Owl grocery store in St. Louis Park, I begged my mom to buy me a pack of baseball cards. She gave in, without possibly knowing the monster she would create. In the car, I ripped open the pack. No Twins. I was crushed. I probably cried, but I don't know for sure. My memories as a four year old are less than crystal clear. I did pull a Cal Ripken, Jr. rookie card out of that pack, which I still have, but having no concept of keeping the cards in mint condition at that age, the card is in pretty rough shape.<br /><br />I would study the statistics on the backs of the baseball cards, though. Relentlessly. I taught myself how to read the box scores in the newspaper before my 5th birthday, just as I had taught myself to read Little Golden Books a couple years earlier. Despite missing an understanding on how baseball was actually played, I knew everybody's batting average and home run totals. The 1982 edition of the Twins were awful. In their first season inside the brand new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the finished with 60 wins and 102 losses. The only Twins club to ever post a 100 loss season, the '82 Twins finished 33 games behind the first place California Angels.<br /><br />However, there was still reason for optimism. Because of owner Calvin Griffith's all-about-the-bottom-line ownership style, his resistance to pay star players, the Twins fielded a team that featured over 15 rookies! In fact, 9 of the 12 players who reached 200 plate appearances on the 1982 Twins still had rookie status (second baseman John Castino and outfielders Gary Ward and Mickey Hatcher were the only veterans in that group). Many of the rookies on that squad never amounted to anything in the big leagues (Jesus Vega or Paul Boris anyone?) but six of them - Tom Brunansky, Randy Bush, Gary Gaetti, Kent Hrbek, Tim Laudner, and Frank Viola - would be the foundation of a team that would in just five years WIN the World Series!<br /><br />While 1987 was arguably the greatest year in Twins history, I will argue here that the 1984 team should have given these young Twins their first taste of postseason play. Chances are they would have been swept out of the American League Championship Series just like the Western Division champion Kansas City Royals were, after all nobody was going to beat the Detroit Tigers in 1984, but the Twins should have had that opportunity. But they did not. And I put the blame for this on one man.<br /><br />Ronald Gene Davis.<br /><br />Four games into the 1982 season, the Twins traded their best player, shortstop Roy Smalley, to the New York Yankees for Ron Davis and two minor league prospects. As it turns out, without this trade the Twins would likely not have won in 1987 as one of those minor league prospects was Greg Gagne, who would become the reliable shortstop of both the 1987 <i>and</i> 1991 World Champion teams. (Smalley would also return to the Twins in 1985 and became an important role player on the 1987 team as a designated hitter, pinch hitter, and backup infielder in his final major league season.) But Gagne was still in Triple-A ball for all but two games of 1984 while Ron Davis was throwing away the Twins first division championship since 1970, gopher ball after gopher ball.<br /><br />At the time of the trade, Roy Smalley was just over three years removed from his 24 home run, 95 RBI All-Star season of 1979 - extraordinary power numbers for a middle infielder in that era - and was still regarded, along with Brewers' Hall of Famer Robin Yount, as one of the two best hitting shortstops in the American League. (It was, after all, still early in Cal Ripken's rookie season and Detroit's Alan Trammell had not yet developed the power that turned him into a perennial All-Star throughout the '80s.)<br /><br />The Davis-Smalley trade was not one of Calvin Griffith's typical cost-cutting deals. Griffith's thrifty ways throughout the 70's, accellerated by the introduction of free agency to the game, had cost the Twins Larry Hisle, Bill Campbell, Dave Goltz, and Geoff Zahn, to name a few, with no compensation. Much like <i>today's</i> Twins, it became a given that the team's best players would eventually price themselves out of the team's budget. This started with 1976's trade of Bert Blyleven to the Texas Rangers (for, ironically, a young Roy Smalley and a few other prospects) and culminated in 1979's trade of franchise icon Rod Carew to the California Angels for prospects Kenny Landreaux, Dave Engle, Brad Havens and Paul Hartzell. <br /><br />For the next four years, constant rebuilding way the Twins way. Landreaux was the prize of the Carew deal and the investment returned two solid seasons with the bat: a .305 batting average with 15 home runs, 83 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 1979 followed by a 1980 season where, although his numbers slipped across the board (.281-7-62-8, albeit in 22 fewer games) he set a team record that still stands with a 31-game hitting streak and was named to the AL All Star team. The 25 year old star's reward? A trade to the Dodgers for Mickey Hatcher and two other prospects who never sniffed the big leagues.<br /><br />I hesitate to say the Twins traded all of their "stars" because the fact of the matter is they didn't have many, but here are other examples of the Twins trading their best players for younger and/or cheaper talent from 1979-1982:<br /><ul><br /><li>12/4/78 ~ "Disco" Dan Ford to the Angels for Ron Jackson and Danny Goodwin<br /><li>8/23/81 ~ Ron Jackson to the Tigers for Tim Corcoran<br /><li>8/30/81 ~ Jerry Koosman to the White Sox for Ivan Mesa, Ronnie Perry, and Randy Johnson (no, not <i>that</i> Randy Johnson... <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/johnsra03.shtml">this one!</a>)<br /><li>12/28/81 ~ Hosken Powell to the Blue Jays for Greg "Boomer" Wells<br /><li>5/12/82 ~ Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong to the Angels for Tom Brunansky, Mike Walters and cash<br /><li>5/12/82 ~ Butch Wynegar and Roger Erickson to the Yankees for John Pacella, Larry Milbourne, Pete Filson and cash<br /></ul><br /><br />Unlike any of these other trades, the Smalley-Davis trade was different because the Twins actually did receive a bona fide major league player. Sure, Ron Jackson and Landreaux were decent enough before they were jettisoned themselves, Pete Filson was a nice left arm out of the bullpen for a couple years, and the Brunansky acquistion would turn out to be one of the better trades in Twins history. But Davis had in fact been named to the American League All Star team in 1981 as a setup man for Goose Gossage. While it's more common today, it was rare back then for a middle relief pitcher to earn an All Star selection, but the Goose had perhaps the finest season of his Hall of Fame-worthy career with a 0.77 ERA and 20 saves in the strike-shortened season and Davis' selection to the All Star team was probably just as much a reward for his combined 23 wins in relief over the two previous seasons and Gossage's remarkable year as it was for his solid 1981 numbers (4 wins, 2.71 ERA, 83 strikeouts in 73 innings, and 6 saves of his own), but clearly R.D. would have been closing on many major league teams.<br /><br />In 1982, Davis finally got his chance to be a closer when he threw on that #39 Twins uniform. Even if he didn't look the part - with his large bifocals and greasy hair you could have thrown an argyle sweater on him and called him your math teacher... hardly the intimidating look of Gossage's mustache and chops or the bushy black beards and steely-eyed stares of Bruce Sutter and Jeff Reardon - he fared decent. His 4.42 ERA was high, but I've always thought that was an overrated stat, especially for relievers. He did serve up 16 homeruns out of the bullpen, which I suppose should have probably raised a red flag, but in '82 balls were flying over the fences at the Dome at a record pace. (You didn't think it got the nickname "The Homerdome" from the likes of Scott Stahoviak and Pedro Munoz, did you?) But Davis did save 22 games in 27 opportunities for a team that won only 60 games and had NOTHING in front of him in the bullpen.<br /><br />In 1983, Davis was even better. It was easily his best year as a closer as he finished third in the league with a career high 30 saves, posted a 3.34 ERA (his best as a Twin), cut down his home runs allowed to only six and, most importantly, only blew three save opportunities all season. 1983 may have been the finest season of Ron Davis' career, and he surely would've been given All Star consideration again if he were pitching for a contender. The Twins improved their team record by 10 games in 1983, finishing at 70-92. Still pathetic, but definitely improving. At this point it was obvious that they had a very talented young nucleus of hitters, and while the starting rotation was still full of holes behind a still-unreliable young Frank Viola and the surprising Ken Schrom, the bullpen actually had a pretty solid year with Rick Lysander, Len Whitehouse and Pete Filson all posting respectable numbers in front of Davis.<br /><br />1984 is most notable in Twins history for two things, and rightly so. #1. May 8, 1984, the Twins insert a skinny rookie named Kirby Puckett into the starting lineup, batting leadoff and playing center field. He ties a major league record by recording four hits in his first game. #2. September 7, 1984, Calvin Griffith finalizes the sale of the Twins to Carl Pohlad.<br /><br />So why wasn't it also notable for a division championship? Good question. I believe the Twins saw a weak AL Western Division in which they thought they could compete with their hitting and bullpen and that facilitated the trade of All Star left fielder Gary Ward to the Texas Rangers for starting pitchers Mike Smithson and John Butcher. 1984 was Viola's breakthrough year as he posted 18 wins and a 3.21 ERA, established himself as the ace of the Twins staff, and as one of the top left-handed pitchers in all of baseball. Smithson and Butcher both came through with career years in '84 as both accumulated well over 200 innings pitched, both posted double-digit win totals, and both had sub-4 ERAs (15 wins, 3.68 ERA for Smithson; 13 wins, 3.44 ERA for Butcher).<br /><br />Offensively, Hrbek led the team with the best all-around numbers of his career (career-best .311 batting average, 27 home runs, career-best 107 RBI... I love Kent Hrbek - he may be my all-time favorite player - but he really did waste his talent... these are the types of numbers he was capable of putting up <i>every</i> year). Brunansky led the team with 32 home runs, but Gaetti's power numbers took a mysterious nosedive as he totalled only 5 home runs despite playing in every game. (It was the only season from 1982 to 1988 where Gaetti failed to homer 20 times! Really weird stat.) Gaetti's lack of production, as well as the loss of Ward's big bat, and the forced retirement of second baseman Castino due to chronic back pain was made up for in solid seasons from Mickey Hatcher, Dave Engle, and rookie second baseman Tim Teufel. Puckett was, of course, the catalyst with a .296 average, a team leading 14 stolen bases, and a soon-to-be-golden glove in center field.<br /><br />The Twins finished with a .500 record in 1984. 81 wins and 81 losses. They tied with the Angels for second place in the AL West, just three games behind the Royals. It was their first finish of .500 or better since 1979 and a record that was unthinkable only two years earlier.<br /><br />As a seven year old, I was on top of the world. I loved baseball more than anything and I had an exciting, young, competitive hometown team with great personalities like Kirby, Herbie, Bruno, the G-Man, and Sweet Music. But now, as a 28 year old, I'm pissed off. The division was theirs for the taking and Ron Davis cost them the pennant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/ron_davis_autograph.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/ron_davis_autograph.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>How did he do this? Well, Davis finished with 29 saves in 1984 - good enough for fifth in the American League. Ron Davis also blew 14 saves. 14. RON DAVIS <i>BLEW</i> 14 SAVE OPPORTUNITIES IN ONE SEASON! Think about that for a minute! I know I can not assume that the Twins ended up losing all 14 of those games. Giving Davis the benefit of the doubt, when a closer gives up the tying run it constitutes a blown save regardless of if his team comes back to win or not. So let's just assume that the Twins were able to come back and win a couple of those games. The stats tell me that they probably didn't, though. Because Ron Davis tallied 11 losses in 1984. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for a relief pitcher to hit double-figures in losses? The numbers do not lie, though. Davis posted 11 losses in 1984. He gave up 11 home runs as a closer, he led the team with eight wild pitches (I'd like to see a list of closers who have led their teams in that statistic... I can't imagine it's a long one), he lost 11 games and he blew 14 saves. In 1983 and again in 1985 Davis blew only three opportunites each year. Had he been able to keep that pace in '84 and blow only three that year as well, we are potentially talking about 11 more wins for the Twins - a 92-70 record that would have buried the Royals eight games back! And while that is a big hypothetical, let's just imagine if Davis were able to cut his blown saves in half. A 88-74 finish would have still put the Twins four games ahead of the Royals and into the playoffs.<br /><br />Ron Davis, more than anyone else, is responsible for the Minnesota Twins missing the playoffs in 1984.Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27695540.post-1147024335025765272006-05-07T12:42:00.000-05:002006-05-07T12:52:15.036-05:00This is a practice test.My name is Dan and Foul Tips is a blog. In Foul Tips, my intentions are mostly to write about baseball, but I reserve the right to venture outside that world if music, politics, or anything else is dominating my thoughts at any given moment. I encourage you to share your thoughts with me on anything I post. Or on anything else that's on your mind. One of the more intriguing aspects of the "blog world" is the open dialect. Check back frequently, as I hope to be posting several times a week. Enjoy!Daniel Cotehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068984965756121207noreply@blogger.com1