When Al Newman left the Twins, it said a lot about the team. Namely that the lack of chemistry isn't limited to the players.
All year as fans and media called for the head of hitting coach Scott Ulger, the Twins defended him, insisted it wasn't his fault, he was trying really hard, etc.
But when Newman quit, a spot on the staff opened up, and now the news is out that the Twins offered the hitting coach job to Paul Molitor.
That would mean the team planned on reassigning Ulger to 3B coach, but Molitor refused to the job.
So now what?
I will say that I'm glad Molitor turned the job down. His one season as hitting coach for the Mariners was a total failure, and if you look around, other great hitters (Rod Carew, Eddie Murray) have also been failures as hitting coaches. Sometimes great players lack the patientce or ability to relate to the young, struggling, and/or average player.
I would still like to see the team offer the job to Brian Harper.
I have no idea what Harper is doing, if he has ever coached or if he has any interest in coaching.
I just think he'd be good at it.
Knowing the Twins, though, they'll probly just promote one of their minor league coaches.
But that isn't necessarily bad.
Rick Anderson was a no-name AAA pitching coach who the Twins could've easily spurned in favor of a bigger name.
Now Anderson is the American League's version of Leo Mazzone, and fans are pissed that he didn't replace Dick Such sooner.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
Go A.J
I can't exactly say that I'm happy the White Sox are in the World Series, but
A) they deserve it
B) better them than the Red Sox or Yankees
C) I'm very happy for A.J. Pierzynski
AJ is a guy who's taken a lot of shit over the past couple years, mostly for being the kind of guy any manager worth his salt would kill to have on his team.
I could use all the bullshit cliched adjectives - gamer, scrappy, etc, etc, and they'd all apply, but they still miss the point.
Alot of guys run hard and slide hard and get dirty and are so called 'gamers'.
But almost all of them lack the attitude that AJ brings.
He's a guy you love to have on your side and hate to play against. He picks fights, talks shit, rips guys in the papers, and probly gets hammered after games. He kicks ass. There are many , many teams that lack spark in a variety of ways (I'm thinking of one in particular) and AJ has provided that for Chicago.
With the Twins embarassing themselves on the field and in the dugout this year, AJ would've been a welcome addition to their team.
The fact that Gardy had difficulties with this guy is just another reason I question Gardy as often as I do.
I also know a lot of Twins fans hate Ozzie Guillen, but I don't.
In fact, I knew when they hired him that he'd make them a winner.
Ozzie recognized that the Twins were onto something, convinced his GM to change the organizational philosophy to be closer to that of the Twins, and then turned around and beat them at their own game. Nice work.
The Twins are still in fine shape as an organization, but it should be apparent by now that neither the Sox or Indians were one-year wonders this year.
The AL Central will be very tough for the next half decade, and the Twins have to be proactive if theyr'e going to compete.
A) they deserve it
B) better them than the Red Sox or Yankees
C) I'm very happy for A.J. Pierzynski
AJ is a guy who's taken a lot of shit over the past couple years, mostly for being the kind of guy any manager worth his salt would kill to have on his team.
I could use all the bullshit cliched adjectives - gamer, scrappy, etc, etc, and they'd all apply, but they still miss the point.
Alot of guys run hard and slide hard and get dirty and are so called 'gamers'.
But almost all of them lack the attitude that AJ brings.
He's a guy you love to have on your side and hate to play against. He picks fights, talks shit, rips guys in the papers, and probly gets hammered after games. He kicks ass. There are many , many teams that lack spark in a variety of ways (I'm thinking of one in particular) and AJ has provided that for Chicago.
With the Twins embarassing themselves on the field and in the dugout this year, AJ would've been a welcome addition to their team.
The fact that Gardy had difficulties with this guy is just another reason I question Gardy as often as I do.
I also know a lot of Twins fans hate Ozzie Guillen, but I don't.
In fact, I knew when they hired him that he'd make them a winner.
Ozzie recognized that the Twins were onto something, convinced his GM to change the organizational philosophy to be closer to that of the Twins, and then turned around and beat them at their own game. Nice work.
The Twins are still in fine shape as an organization, but it should be apparent by now that neither the Sox or Indians were one-year wonders this year.
The AL Central will be very tough for the next half decade, and the Twins have to be proactive if theyr'e going to compete.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Koskie - We're Better Off
An ESPN.com insider report says that a Koskie for Morneau deal could happen.
This is the stupidest thing I've ever read.
It is also an example of bad journalism, (not so much by ESPN, because they simply swiped it off the Toronto Sun newspaper) but by the Toronto paper for not bothering to find out that Terry Ryan has ZERO interest in re-acquiring everyones favorite Candian 3B.
Koskie was let go by the Twins because he couldn't stay healthy, and this year for Toronto, he didn't stay healthy. The Jays have an up and coming 3B in Aaron Hill, and suddenly Koskie has gone from their big free-agent signing to an albatross contract that they're desperate to rid themselves of.
I'm sure the Jays would LOVE to get Morneau in exchange for the Twins taking Koskie and his contract, but that'd never happen, no matter how dissapointing Morneau was this year.
Koskie was a fan favorite, and fans clamored all year for the team to make an effort to get him back after Cuddyer fizzled out at third.
But Koskie, for all the money he makes, is a terrible risk for any small to mid market team. You simply have no guarantee youre going to get more than 300 at bats for all that money.
Even if the Twins could get him back for JC Romero or Kyle Lohse I doubt it would happen, because the Twins have to spend their money smarter than that.
As I've said before, I think there's a good chance that Bill Mueller is the Twins 3B next year, with Cuddyer moving to 2nd.
*P.S. - The Twins officially parted ways with Luis Rivas and Mike Ryan on Tuesday.
They also released Brent Abernathy, but expressed interest in bringing him back.
I like Abernathy, and Mike Ryan. Come to think of it, I used to really like Rivas, too.
But Luis' time was more than up, and Ryan is a 4th outfielder.
Hopefully, their release of Ryan is a sign that the team plans on making Lew Ford their 4th OF next year. If Lew was gonna be a starter they'd probly keep Ryan around as a potential backup.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Put Carl's money where your mouth is
Terry Ryan says he's going to address the Twins needs this off-season.
Gardy says so, too, though I think he's only saying it to put pressure on Terry.
"It's obvious this didn't work" they say, as though the Twins are coming off a 61-101 season, and as if they had no part of it. Well, check that, Ryan takes all the blame and Gardy takes next to none, though his in-game managerial prowess is widely regarded as terrible right now.
Not that they aren't right - it didnt' work.
Nick Punto as a starter didn't work.
Lew Ford as a DH didn't work.
Shannon Stewart as an everday LF didn't work.
Jacque Jones against lefties didn't work.
Then there's the other things:
Michael Cuddyer as a starter didn't work.
Justin Morneau as a clean-up hitter didn't work.
Joe Mays for 30 starts didn't work.
JC Romero as a dependable lefty didn't work.
That second list is forgivable.
But the first few, well, most people already knew that Nick Punto was a utility player, that Lew Ford wouldn't produce enough for a DH, that Shannon Stewart was both a liability and a candidate for fatigue playing in the OF, and that Jacque Jones can't hit lefties.
Those are things Gardy and T-Ry knew, and yet did nothing about.
If they had had any sort of Plan B, the Twins might still have made a legit run at the playoffs, even if the things on that second list still happened.
But back to the claims that these problems will be addressed.
My reaction when I heard that, was, well...bullshit.
They were also going to make a move at the deadline this year, remember?
Indications are that the payroll will actually go up next year, but they have to be careful, with several players becoming arbitration eligible in the near future.
The main key to next season will be Morneau. Will he rebound from a bad sophomore slump? And will he stop acting like a fag?
22 homers and 79 ribbies isn't bad, but I don't know if anyone has ever looked worse hitting 22 homers, and picking fights with Torii Hunter isn't a great idea either.
Hey Justin, want people to think you're a badass?
Try hitting 40 homers, dipshit.
There are very few free-agents available, in fact, Jacque Jones is one of the best out there, and we'll be losing him.
Mike Piazza is a possibility, but, like Bret Boone, he's a guy I would've liked to have four years ago.
I think there's a good chance the Twins sign Bill Mueller and move Cuddy to third.
That's a decent move, but it doesn't even put the lineup half-way to where it needs to be.
Monday, October 03, 2005
The Envelope Please
Wow, it's really been two weeks since I updated here.
I guess that's just how terrible things got.
Although, I should point out that 83-79 isn't too bad, and that seven years ago, Twins fans (what ones there were) would've killed for an 83 win season.
There's a bunch of things that need to be said about the 2005 season, and I'm gonna try to get to all of them in the next week or so.
Really.
But for now, as a tide-myself-over update, I'm going to make my picks for the Post-season and the awards. (Yes, I'm a sportswriter, no, I don't get a vote).
PS - If you really want to read good stufff about the Twins season, and get some much better and smarter analysis, check out the startribune.com coverage over the weekend.
Tremendous stuff - astute analysis, good commentary, humerous writing, and not afraid to take well deserved shots at Gardy and T-Ry.
On to the ceremony....
AL Playoffs
Red Sox at White Sox
The White Sox impressed the hell out of me by sweeping the Indians to close out the year in games that didn't mean anything to them but could've got Cleveland to the playoffs. In Cleveland no less.
But I still like the Red Sox.
If Schilling is game, and my guess is he will be, the Sox have too much pitching with Wakefield, Wells, and Clement.
The White Sox hottest pitcher has been Jose Contreras, and he's not a guy that scares teams in October.
And Boston has David Ortiz, who, as much as it pains me to say, is the single most dangerous hitter in the game.
BOSTON IN FOUR.
Yankees at Angels
The Yankees are written off every year as too old, too slow, and too complacent, and yet every year theyre in the playoffs.
Randy Johnson got hot at the right time, and their offense got its shit together after the All-Star break.
The Angels are a good squad, and they eliminated the Yankees back in '02.
But I think the Yanks get there revenge.
YANKS IN FIVE.
Red Sox at Yankees
I just realized this very moment how boring the AL playoff teams are. I actually kind of hope the White Sox make it, because this Yankees-Red Sox shit is getting way old.
To pick one, well, neither team is as good as they were last year, but the Yankees have a much better bullpen.
I look at David Ortiz and think there's no way Boston can lose.
Then I look at Mariano Rivera and think there's no way the Yanks can lose.
YANKS IN SEVEN.
NL Playoffs
San Diego at St. Louis
The Padres made the playoffs at 82-80, the worst ever, while the Cardinals went 100-62, the best record in baseball.
I'm sure the Padres will look at teams like the 87 Twins (85-77) as inspiration, but it ain't happenin.
CARDS IN THREE.
Houston at Atlanta
This should be a good series - I really like the 'Stros.
The Braves won their 14th straight division title. That is amazing. Really, really amazing.
The Braves have some awesome young players (the Twins should look to them as evidence that you CAN, in fact, develop young hitters at the big league level) but youth isn't necessarily a good thing in post-season.
Houston's closer, Brad Lidge, is one of the nastiest pitchers I've ever seen.
ASTROS IN SEVEN.
Astros at Cardinals
There's a better chance of the Cards pitchers shutting down the Stros than vice versa.
St. Louis has dominated the NL for two years running, and I don't expect that to be interrupted.
CARDS IN SIX.
World Series
Last year the Cards were a team that had the ability to play with the Red Sox, but with Boston having just pulled off the biggest sports miracle since the 1980 US hockey team, did anyone really think the Cards had a chance?
That was destiny, friends, and it was on the BoSox side.
This year, that won't be the case. The AL had a down year, as both the Sox and Yanks have their warts.
The Cards do, too, but they're a much more balanced club.
Last year they were embarrased. This year they get it done.
CARDS IN SIX.
AWARDS
AL MVP
1. Alex Rodriguez
2. David Ortiz
3. Travis Hafner
4. Mariano Rivera
5. Vlad Guerrero
Ortiz carried the Sox, but guess what, he's a DH. I'm sorry, but I would never vote for a DH. And I'm not biased either, because I myself am, as the years pass, becoming more and more of a DH for my own team.
A-Rod had comparable offensive numbers, and is a Gold Glove at the 3-sack. In fact, he's baseball's best player.
AL CY Young
1. Mariano Rivera
2. Johan Santana
3. Bartolo Colon
4. Cliff Lee
5. Joe Nathan
Santana was the best starter in the league, but of course won only 16 games. I'd still vote for him were it not for the fact that Rivera played such a huge role in saving the Yankees again.
Just to point out how stupid NY fans are-remember that they were all calling for him to retire in April when he had a bad week to open the season.
Fuck you Yankees fans, you're all retarded. You don't deserve Rivera.
AL Rookie
1. Tadahito Iguchi, ChW
2. Nick Swisher, Oak
3. Gustavo Chacin, Tor
As long as the rules consider Japanse imports as rookie's that's good enough for me, and Iguchi was a big reason the Sox were so much better this year.
In fact, he's the kind of player the twins need to go find, because there's slim pickins on the free-agent market.
AL MGR
1. Joe Torre
2. Ozzie Guillen
3. Eric Wedge
The Yanks looked pitiful in April and May, and all the NY columnists excitedly broke out those "Demise of an Empire" essays that they've been keeping in their desk drawers for years.
But something happened.
The Yanks made winners out of guys like Robinson Cano, Aaron Small, Ching Wang (or whatever), Bubba Crosby and Shawn Chacon.
Some say that Torre is overrated because he has a trillion dollar payroll to fix the teams problems, and that argument isn't without merit.
But Torre has found out how to manage this particular organization the right way, and quite frankly, George Steinbrenner doesn't deserve him.
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Jason Giambi - This guy is the argument for the 'steroids are overblown' crowd.
After nearly being sent to the minors, the guy blew up after the break. 30 homers and an OBP of nearly .450.
And think, any team willing to take his contract could've had him in April or May.
NL MVP
1. Barry Bo- oh sorry, force of habit.
1. Andruw Jones
2. Albert Pujols
3. Derek Lee
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Jimmy Rollins
Jones is already the best OF in the NL, maybe all of baseball (sorry if i'm partial to a certain #48).
Now this year he goes off and hits 51 bombs. Easy pick.
NL Cy YOUNG
1. Chris Carpenter
2. Dontrelle Willis
3. Roger Clemens
4. Roy Oswalt
5. Chris Capuano
Carpenter vs. Willis is a toss-up. Since Carpenter's still playing and Willis isn't, he gets the nod.
NL ROY
1. Jeff Francouer, Atl
2. Clint Barmes, Col
3. Zach Duke, Pit
None of these three played the whole season, but they're all studs. I'll give the nod to the SI cover boy.
NL MGR
1. Phil Garner
2. Charlie Manuel
3. Ned Yost
All made great second half runs, but Garner gets the nod for getting Houston in.
NL COMEBACK
Pat Burrell
Returned to stud status after a down year.
I guess that's just how terrible things got.
Although, I should point out that 83-79 isn't too bad, and that seven years ago, Twins fans (what ones there were) would've killed for an 83 win season.
There's a bunch of things that need to be said about the 2005 season, and I'm gonna try to get to all of them in the next week or so.
Really.
But for now, as a tide-myself-over update, I'm going to make my picks for the Post-season and the awards. (Yes, I'm a sportswriter, no, I don't get a vote).
PS - If you really want to read good stufff about the Twins season, and get some much better and smarter analysis, check out the startribune.com coverage over the weekend.
Tremendous stuff - astute analysis, good commentary, humerous writing, and not afraid to take well deserved shots at Gardy and T-Ry.
On to the ceremony....
AL Playoffs
Red Sox at White Sox
The White Sox impressed the hell out of me by sweeping the Indians to close out the year in games that didn't mean anything to them but could've got Cleveland to the playoffs. In Cleveland no less.
But I still like the Red Sox.
If Schilling is game, and my guess is he will be, the Sox have too much pitching with Wakefield, Wells, and Clement.
The White Sox hottest pitcher has been Jose Contreras, and he's not a guy that scares teams in October.
And Boston has David Ortiz, who, as much as it pains me to say, is the single most dangerous hitter in the game.
BOSTON IN FOUR.
Yankees at Angels
The Yankees are written off every year as too old, too slow, and too complacent, and yet every year theyre in the playoffs.
Randy Johnson got hot at the right time, and their offense got its shit together after the All-Star break.
The Angels are a good squad, and they eliminated the Yankees back in '02.
But I think the Yanks get there revenge.
YANKS IN FIVE.
Red Sox at Yankees
I just realized this very moment how boring the AL playoff teams are. I actually kind of hope the White Sox make it, because this Yankees-Red Sox shit is getting way old.
To pick one, well, neither team is as good as they were last year, but the Yankees have a much better bullpen.
I look at David Ortiz and think there's no way Boston can lose.
Then I look at Mariano Rivera and think there's no way the Yanks can lose.
YANKS IN SEVEN.
NL Playoffs
San Diego at St. Louis
The Padres made the playoffs at 82-80, the worst ever, while the Cardinals went 100-62, the best record in baseball.
I'm sure the Padres will look at teams like the 87 Twins (85-77) as inspiration, but it ain't happenin.
CARDS IN THREE.
Houston at Atlanta
This should be a good series - I really like the 'Stros.
The Braves won their 14th straight division title. That is amazing. Really, really amazing.
The Braves have some awesome young players (the Twins should look to them as evidence that you CAN, in fact, develop young hitters at the big league level) but youth isn't necessarily a good thing in post-season.
Houston's closer, Brad Lidge, is one of the nastiest pitchers I've ever seen.
ASTROS IN SEVEN.
Astros at Cardinals
There's a better chance of the Cards pitchers shutting down the Stros than vice versa.
St. Louis has dominated the NL for two years running, and I don't expect that to be interrupted.
CARDS IN SIX.
World Series
Last year the Cards were a team that had the ability to play with the Red Sox, but with Boston having just pulled off the biggest sports miracle since the 1980 US hockey team, did anyone really think the Cards had a chance?
That was destiny, friends, and it was on the BoSox side.
This year, that won't be the case. The AL had a down year, as both the Sox and Yanks have their warts.
The Cards do, too, but they're a much more balanced club.
Last year they were embarrased. This year they get it done.
CARDS IN SIX.
AWARDS
AL MVP
1. Alex Rodriguez
2. David Ortiz
3. Travis Hafner
4. Mariano Rivera
5. Vlad Guerrero
Ortiz carried the Sox, but guess what, he's a DH. I'm sorry, but I would never vote for a DH. And I'm not biased either, because I myself am, as the years pass, becoming more and more of a DH for my own team.
A-Rod had comparable offensive numbers, and is a Gold Glove at the 3-sack. In fact, he's baseball's best player.
AL CY Young
1. Mariano Rivera
2. Johan Santana
3. Bartolo Colon
4. Cliff Lee
5. Joe Nathan
Santana was the best starter in the league, but of course won only 16 games. I'd still vote for him were it not for the fact that Rivera played such a huge role in saving the Yankees again.
Just to point out how stupid NY fans are-remember that they were all calling for him to retire in April when he had a bad week to open the season.
Fuck you Yankees fans, you're all retarded. You don't deserve Rivera.
AL Rookie
1. Tadahito Iguchi, ChW
2. Nick Swisher, Oak
3. Gustavo Chacin, Tor
As long as the rules consider Japanse imports as rookie's that's good enough for me, and Iguchi was a big reason the Sox were so much better this year.
In fact, he's the kind of player the twins need to go find, because there's slim pickins on the free-agent market.
AL MGR
1. Joe Torre
2. Ozzie Guillen
3. Eric Wedge
The Yanks looked pitiful in April and May, and all the NY columnists excitedly broke out those "Demise of an Empire" essays that they've been keeping in their desk drawers for years.
But something happened.
The Yanks made winners out of guys like Robinson Cano, Aaron Small, Ching Wang (or whatever), Bubba Crosby and Shawn Chacon.
Some say that Torre is overrated because he has a trillion dollar payroll to fix the teams problems, and that argument isn't without merit.
But Torre has found out how to manage this particular organization the right way, and quite frankly, George Steinbrenner doesn't deserve him.
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Jason Giambi - This guy is the argument for the 'steroids are overblown' crowd.
After nearly being sent to the minors, the guy blew up after the break. 30 homers and an OBP of nearly .450.
And think, any team willing to take his contract could've had him in April or May.
NL MVP
1. Barry Bo- oh sorry, force of habit.
1. Andruw Jones
2. Albert Pujols
3. Derek Lee
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Jimmy Rollins
Jones is already the best OF in the NL, maybe all of baseball (sorry if i'm partial to a certain #48).
Now this year he goes off and hits 51 bombs. Easy pick.
NL Cy YOUNG
1. Chris Carpenter
2. Dontrelle Willis
3. Roger Clemens
4. Roy Oswalt
5. Chris Capuano
Carpenter vs. Willis is a toss-up. Since Carpenter's still playing and Willis isn't, he gets the nod.
NL ROY
1. Jeff Francouer, Atl
2. Clint Barmes, Col
3. Zach Duke, Pit
None of these three played the whole season, but they're all studs. I'll give the nod to the SI cover boy.
NL MGR
1. Phil Garner
2. Charlie Manuel
3. Ned Yost
All made great second half runs, but Garner gets the nod for getting Houston in.
NL COMEBACK
Pat Burrell
Returned to stud status after a down year.
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