A Special Season

When Kirby Puckett passed away, many suggested it could be a rallying point for the Twins, and several players - most notably Torii Hunter - talked of dedicating the season to the Hall of Famer's memory.
I never really wrote anything about it, but I secretly hoped to myself that the ghost of Kirby could will this team to something special.
Or something like that.
Instead, the team went out and, for the first six weeks or so, played the kind of baseball that represented everything the opposite of Kirby Puckett, the kind of baseball that embarrassed his memory.
In late May, that started to change.
Right now the Twins are playing the best ball that they maybe ever have. They're beating good teams and bad teams, and theyre not just winning, they're kicking team's asses.
It seems like every time you turn on the TV it's 8-1 or 9-2 or 6-0.
Even more amazing than their terrific play, though, is the fact that they've managed to win, what is it 15 of 16 now?, and pick up only a half game in the standings.
Lots of people like me have said that the standings don't matter, that the Twins probably can't make the playoffs but who cares because it's fun to watch them play so well, etc., etc.
But I don't know about that anymore.
Sure the Twins look like a team that would enter 2007 as favorites, but they're probably one of the top 4 teams in all of baseball right now.
How frustrating would it be to watch the playoffs on TV with the Twins sitting at home after having played .700 ball for the final 4 months?
You'd think that if they can keep up the pace even a little that they'd start making up ground eventually, and they do have 22 games left against the Tigers and White Sox.
Those games will carry tremendous significance, obviously.
This is one of those years that reminds you why baseball is such a great and unpredictable game.
Maybe, when things get tight, Kirby can pull some strings for us.
We're gonna need it.

Non-Twins news

*Over at Skolvikes Newt has his NFL predictions up for 2006, division by division.
Guess who he has to win the Super Bowl.
Somebody asked me the other day how I thought the Vikings would do this year. I answered somewhere between 2-14 and 14-2.
*Sid Hartman is seriously trying to convince us the Wolves might get Adam Morrisson. Right. The ESPN guys predicted the Wolves (who have the 6th pick) would draft some power forward I'd never heard of. Seems to me the Wolves already have a power forward.....
*The Wild acquired Pavol Demitra at the draft this weekend. He's really good. Hopefully it'll increase their chances of re-signing Marion Gaborik. The Wild also made news last week when they hired 24-year old Chris Snow, the former Wild beat writer for the Strib, as their new VP of hockey ops. For nerds like me who allow themselves such fantasies, that's pretty cool.
*Stampede stud Andreas Nodl was drafted by my former favorite NHL team, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the 2nd round - 39th overall. Nodl will go to St. Cloud this year, and hopefully be there for 2-3 years. I got to know Andy pretty well while he was here, and it'll be cool to see him on TV in a Flyers sweater. (After, of course, he leads the Huskies to a national title.)
*In case you're interested, you can keep track of my .250 batting average and the Roadrunners inconsistent play here
*And finally, a web-site that recognizes those times when you're at the bar, you see a hot chick and you go, 'What the fuck?'

They're too good

Even though the Twins are playing as well as I can remember them playing since their 15-game winning streak in 1991, I still don't think they can make the playoffs. The White Sox and Tigers are just too good.
Last night I flipped to the Sox-Astros game, saw Houston leading 7-1 and kept flipping. About an hour and a half later it was 9-9.
The Astros did end up winning the game, but it was a reminder that the Sox are really, really good.
I believe in Detroit, but I still think the Sox will win the Central.
And the only way for the Twins to have a shot at the playoffs is if Detroit falls off a cliff.
That could happen if they got hit with some injuries.
But on the other hand, the Twins could just be on a hot streak right now, and fall back some themselves.
One thing I think we can say with certainty, though, is that the AL Central, once a laughingstock, is now the best division in baseball.
* Brad Radke has a 2.27 ERA in his last five starts. He appears to have righted himself, and if Silva has as well, the Twins will continue to win games at over a .600 clip.
* When it looked like the Twins were out of contention it didn't make sense to me for Ruben Sierra to be on the roster. But if the team is in the race, I like having him. A veteran with power, he makes a good pinch-hitter, a la Jose Offerman or Midre Cummings.
*Rondell White has finally blamed his mind boggling suckiness on a stiff shoulder. I'm not saying I don't believe him, but why wait till now to say something. The guy is having one of the worst seasons in baseball history.
*I'm really coming around on Jason Bartlett. While I was convinced he was better than Juan Castro, I was not convinced he was the answer. He's starting to look like he could have a Greg Gagne-like career.
*I would sum up the Cubs in one word: Dis-gus-ting. Even though I can't stand Dusty Baker, I feel bad for him. That team is horrible. A joke. Wow, are they bad.

In Gardy we trust?

Well, no, not really, but we don't have much of a choice.
Are the Twins in the race?
I don't think there's any doubt at this point.
A 7-game winning streak and a sudden development of common sense in regards to the roster personnel have put the Twins in a position where they remain longshots, but are somewhat close to striking distance.
The biggest reason no one saw this coming is that there was no indication that the Twins were going to suddenly realize that Castro and Batista were making the team worse.
Only a couple weeks ago a story ran in the PiPress with Gardy talking about how Castro had done 'just what we asked of him' and that 'any offense from him is a bonus.'
Nothing pisses me off more than the 'any offense is a bonus' talk you hear about guys who are supposed to be good with the glove.
Taken literally, that apparently means if Castro was the best fielding shortstop ever (which he clearly was not) he would be allowed to keep his job even if he batted .000 with 300 strikeouts.
It's not 1922 - winning teams get offensive contributions from their entire lineup.
But apparently the Twins finally hopped aboard the clue train, and now they can't lose.
The good news is that Rondell White is probably going to be released soon, whether the Twins stay hot or not. And it sounds like Kyle Lohse is also going to be moved regardless of the standings.
I don't think Torii Hunter will be traded, and I don't think he should be traded.
As for Shannon Stewart, it's almost entirely dependant on whether the Twins can stay in the race.
If they can, Stewart would make a good DH at the top of the order.
On the other hand, there's no way the Twins are going to bring him back next year, so if they don't trade him, they'll get nothing for him when he signs elsewhere as a free-agent in the winter.
Hunter shouldn't be traded simply because there is no one ready to replace him. Lew Ford cannot be allowed to assume the role of starting centerfielder under any circumstance.
After showing promise in the minors, Denard Span has been fairly unimpressive this year.
He's not ready, and it's starting to look like he won't be near as good as Hunter even when he is.
Granted there will be free-agent options out there who would come cheaper than Torii (Juan Pierre, Mike Cameron), but the Twins could - (A) scrap the $12 million club option and hope to get Torii to sign a more reasonable deal, say something in the 3-4 year, $15-25 million range, or (B) bite the bullet, pick up the $12 million option for next year, and keep working on a cheaper deal. As maddeningly inconsistent as Hunter is, it's easy to forget that, when you factor in his defense, he's probably one of the top 3 or 4 CF's in baseball. That's worth something.
And with almost all of the Twins key players still in their formative years, there's money to spend.
But back to this year.
When Stewart returns, he'll make the surging lineup better. He won't have the impact he did back in 2003, but the lineup would look something like this:
DH Stewart
2b Castillo
C Mauer
RF Cuddyer
1b Morneau
CF Hunter
LF Kubel
3B Punto
SS Bartlett
Not bad.
As much of a pleasant surprise as Nick Punto has been, I wouldn't mind seeing the Twins acquire a 3B at the deadline - if and only if they're realistically in the hunt.
Wouldn't mind seeing it, but don't expect it.
Meanwhile Radke has quietly found a nice groove, and we're keeping our fingers crossed on Silva.
Even though Detroit is currently the best team in baseball, I think it's more likely that Chicago wins the division.
Detroit has so many players with a history of injury, you wonder how long before they start dropping.
But if they do stay healthy, they're very, very good.
If you ever read this blog, you may remember me calling Cleveland the most overrated team in baseball, and writing that they'd finish 4th this year.
They are and they will.
Bottom line - with Santana and Liriano pitching 2 of every 5 games, the Twins are a pretty good baseball team.

Castro Gonzo

Once again, the Twins have listened to me.
They traded Juan Castro to the Reds for a minor league OF.
A good move, considering the Twins already have two serviceable utility IF in Nick Punto and Luis Rodriguez.
I think this might be T-Ry sending a message to Gardy.
The message being, 'I can't believe you started this guy for 10 weeks. He sucks.'

Thanks for reading Gardy

I have criticized Ron Gardenhire more this year than ever before.
Almost daily, either here or in the paper, I have said 'Gardy do this, Gardy do that.'
And you know what?
He's listened.
Stop playing Lew Ford, play Jason Kubel, I said.
Done.
Give Boof Bonser a chance in the rotation, I said.
Done.
Get Mike Redmond more at-bats, I said.
Done.
And then last night, we got a two-for-one.
Tony Batista was released and Jason Bartlett was called up.
Meaning both Batista and Juan Castro lose their jobs.
Finally.
Rondell White and Shannon Stewart had better be on the lookout.
The fact that Bartlett is back in the lineup is great news.
Not that I think he's going to be great or anything, but at least he's got a little potential, whereas Castro was simply a waste of space.
Batista was the same at 3rd, but the Twins don't have anyone in the minors ready to step in.
Matt Moses probably won't be ready till 2008.
It looks like the at-bats are going to go to Terry Tiffee, Luis Rodriguez and Castro.
Many fans still have a favorable impression of Tiffee after he had a tremendous debut weekend in the bigs a couple years ago, but in reality he's terrible. I actually think he's worse than Batista.
I wouldn't mind Rodriguez getting an extended look, but I think everyone knows he's a utility guy.
Batista was a big risk, and I admit I was a little optimistic about his ability to at least hit some homeruns. But it's pretty clear that the guy is finished.
So, sure, I'm happy the Twins are starting to cut their dead weight. I just wonder if the Twins had opened the season with Bartlett at short, Corey Koskie at third and Frank Thomas at DH, if they'd still be in the race.

From the B.F.D File

JJ Redick got arrested for DUI last night.
Apparently as he was driving along, saw a checkpoint, whipped a U-ie to try to avoid it, and got picked up.
He then blew a 0.11. North Carolina, like many other Nazi states, has lowered the legal limit to 0.08.
For those of you non-alkies out there, the fact that JJ blew a .11, especially considering he's a big-time athlete, means he probably had a wine cooler and a scoobie snack before getting in his car.
How lame.
If you're gonna get a Dewey get your moneys worth.
Tim Hardaway once got pulled over for going 130 mph in town, and later blew a 0.264.
That's a man's Dewey.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I think by now everybody is running out of superlatives to describe Joe Mauer and Francisco Liriano.
Mauer kept his hitting streak going with a 1-for-4 yesterday, while the Cisco Kid threw a 1-hitter.
He might be better than Santana. He's sick.
As I wrote the other day, the Twins future looks bright with a nucleus of Mauer, Liriano, Santana, Nathan, Morneau, Kubel - and perhaps Hunter, Cuddyer, Baker, Bonser and Crain as well.
It would seem even Gardy is incapable of screwing up a franchise with that kind of talent.
But then again, I've been wrong before.
The Twins won't contend this year, and I next year might be tough as well.
But if 3B prospect Matt Moses is ready by 2008, and the Twins can find a couple middle infielders, they could very, very dangerous by then.

Half empty? Half full?

When a team has the best catcher in baseball, the best closer in baseball and the two best lefthanded starters in baseball, doesn't it seem like they should be better than 27-33, no matter how bad the rest of the team is?
With Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel showing signs of life as well, and with Brad Radke starting to figure it out, it feels like the Twins should be playing a little better than they are.
Not contending mind you - no team with Juan Castro, Lew Ford, Tony Batista or Rondell White playing regularly will contend - but at least over .500.
Who knows, maybe they'll still get there.
But regardless of what the Twins record is by the end of the year, there appears to be too much talent on the roster even for Gardy to totally screw up the future.
*Interesting side note: In the Twins last 162 games, their record is 73-89.

Is Jason Kubel the next Chad Hermansen?

I wrote a rather lengthy story for the Argus this Sunday about Canaries OF Chad Hermansen.
Chad was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, touted as the next Barry Bonds by Pirate folks.
Now he's in Sioux Falls.
If you read the story, you might notice that I kind of took Chad's side in the story, placing most of the blame for his failures on the Pirates.
That's because I truly believe that Hermansen got screwed by the Pirates, regardless of who he chooses to blame himself (Lloyd McClendon, we're looking at you)
And the biggest reason I wanted to do the story is because when I look at guys like Justin Morneau and especially Jason Kubel - I see Chad Hermansen.
Aaron Gleeman (if you haven't checked out his 'Aaron's baseball blog', to the right, you should) and others have written about this extensively - guys who hit in the minors tend to hit in the Majors - if you give them an opportunity.
People seem to expect these guys to be All-Stars right from the get-go, and call for them to be replaced when they aren't.
Luckily, the Twins seem to realize that they should be patient with Morneau. Hopefully that patience will be extended to Kubel as well.
Just look at Michael Cuddyer. He's finally doing it this year. Sometimes it takes awhile.
I just know in Hermansen's case, it's a sad deal.
You'll never meet a nicer guy than Chad Hermansen, and he refuses to be bitter even though the Pirates dumped him after a little over 300 ABs.
You wanna know why the Pirates stink?
Hermansen is a good example.
If a guy has hit 150 homers in the minors before he turns 25, and you give up on him after 300 ABs - you deserve to lose.
I hope Chad's back in the bigs someday.
And I hope Jason Kubel has a long career - even if it takes awhile to develop.