Some Praise For Readers Of These Blogs
Posted on March 19th, 2008 – 10:27 PMBy La Velle
I read the posts to Joe C.’s latest blog tonight, and I thought there was a pretty spirited discussion rolling about how the Twins are putting together their roster down here in Fort Myers, Fla.
One thing I hope the posters here try to avoid is bashing each other and resorting to name-calling. It takes away from the hearty baseball talk that should drive this blog. While I’ve buried my head in my hands at times when debates deteriorate into frat house banter, I still believe were a couple of notches above the nonsense that ruins blogs of other Twin Cities pro teams.
We are blessed with some people who bring a lot to our baseball debates. Jama, Cmathewson, romer, Seth Speaks and mike wants wins are some of the people who come to mind (I know I’m leaving a bunch out).
Things were nearly perfect today until LNP4Life, at 3:08, called Robert a moron. Those two went back and forth but the rest of you steered around that car wreck rather adeptly.
And look, while Craig has driven us nuts at times - forcing me to ban him for awhile - he’s made adjustments like Scott Baker did after being sent down a couple times.
My point is that we’re better than others and we should show it day in and day out. The 162-game season provides us many opportunities to show readers how a good baseball blog rolls.
Now I want to address this Carlos Gomez-Manny Ramirez comparison that was made tonight..
There’s no way Gomez is the clubhouse headache that Man-Ram is. Man-Ram is a sensitive, spoiled brat who is fortunate to be in a Boston clubhouse with players who know when to ignore his behavior and when to bring problems to his attention.
Gomez is ultra-confident and wants to be great. But the diamond is still being polished. He’s tried to show off his arm and has overshot cutoff men while doing so. He twice slid into third base when Scott Ullger told him he had time to come to the bag standing up. But he was willing to listen to hitting coaches last week about his hitting approach.
Gomez can be corrected. Manny is a lost cause - which says a lot about someone who is a brilliant hitter when he wants to play. There must be a better comparison out there.
Anyway, I’ll be at the park Thursday night. Jim Souhan is back down and is ready to offer his observations. Get ready for the final week of camp because it’s going to get crazy…
57 Responses to "Some Praise For Readers Of These Blogs"
Lavelle,
Can you dig into any insight on the rule 5 losses and if they were to come available what Twins might do?
I know Dickey would be awesome in the dome…….
Win Twins!!!
All I know is that I cannot wait until Gardenhire explains getting shut out by some mediocre pitcher by saying that “he mixed his pitches well”….and when he says that a pitcher who goes 6 innings, giving up 4 runs and 9 hits…that he “battled his tail off”….i love Gardenhire’s quotes
I read something on the Mariners website not too long ago that indicated Dickey was pretty much a lock for their bullpen. He has pitched well this Spring. Twins should of put him on their 40 man roster when they had a chance.
Another mistake by Billy Smith. He’s made a few in a short period of time.
I gotta say, Carlos Gomez as of now is our baseball version of Troy Williamson. Highly touted, acquired for a superstar, great speed, little polish. Let’s just hope in 3 years we aren’t making this comparison.
Twins- Central Division Champs 2010…its going to be a tough year…but just remember the great future the team has…2010…many of us (but not all of us) stuck it out through those tough years in the mid 1990’s to the early 2000’s…we’ve been spoiled the last 5 years with great teams…we can handle a couple of rough years to get to a great team in ‘10.
Twins Rule V Losses:
Tim Lahey, RHP Cubs
0-1, 5.87, 3K, 5BB,
RA Dickey RHP Mariners
0-0, 1.50 12IP, 6K, 3BB
Garrett Guzman OF Nationals
18AB, 4H, .222BA, 1HR, 2RBI, .744OPS
Twins may get all three returned and make $75,000 in the process.
Question to mlb.com Mariner writer:
Where do you think R.A. Dickey fits into the pitching staff this year? I’ve been reading about the catchers working on receiving the knuckleball but haven’t seen his name in any of the predictions.
– Steven R., Sacramento
With the starting rotation virtually set, the right-handed knuckleball specialist is competing for the long-relief job, and, in my mind, is the leading candidate to fill that spot. He has previous MLB experience and throws a pitch that allows him to bounce back from one outing to the next without having to take much time off to recuperate.
Gomez sounds like a lot of rooks. Most of them are confident, and don’t they all want to be great? He’s got the goods, so hopefully he can learn from his mistakes. The mental part is huge. I am looking forward to the last week of spring training, especially since I will be there in person to experience it. See you at the park, La Velle… crazy sounds good to me!
When comparing Williamson and Gomez, you must remember Gomez can catch a ball, Williamson on the other hand….I could have caught some of those passes!
Don’t you think that Gomez will get good advice from Morneau, the catcher and the other guy, so he can become a much better hitter? I’m sure the catcher could give him advice, his job is to, well, catch…just a thought…
ouch
no way you can compare williamson with gomez. first and foremnst gomez has all the skills. he makes the game more exciting just being in it. like a young carew, let him develop. what do you think they were doing when rod carew was giving people a headache with his bad attitude as a young player? they worked through it. now he is a legend.
remember jerry rice complaining that joe montana won the mvp because he was white? he was also a headache. gomez has no such attitude problem. let the kid play.
It’s funny. I was expecting LEN3 to write off Manny v. Gomez comparisons for a completely different reason.
It’s pretty much what I’ve been saying. He’s got a bit of an ego, but still seems to know his role.
2010….2010….Then the Twins will compete!!!! I’m just wondering why???? Boofer, Perk, Slowman, and Baker????? And while I’m asking questions, why is anyone calling Manny Ramirez(Owner of as many World Championships as the vaunted TOM KELLY) being criticized as hopeless? I wish those plucky Twins were as hopeless. Maybe in 2010.
“All I know is that I cannot wait until Gardenhire explains getting shut out by some mediocre pitcher by saying that “he mixed his pitches well”….and when he says that a pitcher who goes 6 innings, giving up 4 runs and 9 hits…that he “battled his tail off”….i love Gardenhire’s quotes”
I think my favorite is, “He hit the ball hard” when talking about Punto going 0 for 4, BUT he had a line-out and a sharp grounder.
This Williamson, Gomez talk is as bad as that Manny compaison. I think you guys can figure how I feel about it
I think there are plenty of reasons to give Gomez some time in Rochester, not the least of which might be a lessen in humility. But most importantly, I just think having a little time polishing the fundamentals off at AAA (while also postponing the MLB service time clock) just makes some sense.
It might be different if there were really no other option for CF. But, while I’ve not been a big fan of Span’s, you can’t deny that he’s had a better ST than almost anyone could have expected. I think he’s earned his shot.
As for Gomez’ personality or cockiness… I don’t mind it at all. Frankly, it’s a little refreshing to see some personality and even some ego on this team. The fact that he seems, so far, to be coachable is a real plus. I like a guy who’s that confident in himself and yet recognizes there are still things he can learn from coaches.
Fezik click my name. On young players I like gomez if you come up as a young player you have to want to be great and you have to think you’re great because you are going to fail more likely than not in the beggining if you don’t believe in yourself who is going to believe in you?
Re:LNP4Life
You are a moron!!!!!
just kidding, kind of.
Paul,
agree wholeheartedly.
Man-Ram is also a career .313/.409/.593 with 490 HRs. He may be a pain in the butt, but he’s also on his way to the HOF.
My point is that we’re better than others and we should show it day in and day out.
It appears LaVelle has some of that Gomez ultra confidence
Ramirez’ induction speech in to the HoF might be… interesting.
Also agree with JimCrickett on Gomez’s personality. Not everyone should be bland like Joe.
bc twins fan:
Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
Everything that’s wonderful is what I feel when we’re together,
Brighter than a lucky penny,
When you’re near the rain cloud disappears, dear,
And I feel so fine just to know that you are mine.
My life is sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
That’s how this refrain goes, so come on, join in everybody!
Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
Everything that’s wonderful is sure to come your way
When you’re in love to stay.
Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
Everything that’s wonderful is what I feel when we’re together,
Brighter than a lucky penny,
When you’re near the rain cloud disappears, dear,
And I feel so fine just to know that you are mine.
My life is sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
That’s how this refrain goes, so come on, join in everybody!
Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,
Everything that’s wonderful is sure to come your way
‘Cause you’re in love, you’re in love,
And love is here to stay!
Gomez may appear and talk confidence, but check his eyes after he has screwed up.
There is plenty of self doubt.
He has his “deer in the headlights” moments, and that is not a bad thing for a 22-year-old.
Best comparison for GO might be Ricky Henderson. Differences are Ricky was way more patient at the plate and had a lot more power. Also, Ricky had a powerful, compact baseball body. GO is tall and lanky. Those types are usually injury prone, and not built for longevity. They are likely to blow out a knee.
The best baseball players (non-pitchers) are usually 6′2″ or less. Often significantly less. There have been a small handful of exceptions, but not many.
Hey, I got mentioned in a blog(though not for the right reasons)!
Len3 I trust that with all your baseball contacts that what your saying about Ramirez is true “Manny is a lost cause - which says a lot about someone who is a brilliant hitter when he wants to play” My belief is even though he may not be a model team mate the guy can still flat out play and i would take him over a model team mat that can’t play. I honestly haven’t heard any other players ripping on him like some have against players like A-rod.
Henderson was 5′10 and 185 lbs. Perfect size for a baseball player. Mays, Mantle, Brock, Aaron, Clemente, etc., were all the same size, give or take an inch. Cobb, however, was 6′1, and lanky for his era. There are always exceptions.
Ben Revere, looks to be cut from the same cloth as the great ones.
I don’t think the Manny-GoGo comparison is that far off. GoGo’s “confidence” can easily turn into Manny’s cockyness with a good season and some media attention. Gomez has that type of personality and that’s what I’m worried about. I hate atheletes that act like they are God’s gift to sports.
Gomez reminds me more of a young Darryl Strawberry tall,lean and fast and if he turns out to be 2/3 the player i will be very happy. I just hope he doesn’t go down the same path.
What’s the lineup looking like for tonight?
Craig: I love how you describe “lanky types” as candidates for knee injuries. Body types can determine the types of inuries a plyer might suffer? Get real. Knee injuries come in all shapes and sizes. Gomez is no more apt to blow out his knee than Nick Punto.
If the Twins take Gomez north, he’s going to be in CF every day. As we’ve seen, he’s clearly not ready, and his numbers are likely going to be horrible to begin with. That might be just the medicine for Mr. Gomez and his ego. Humility comes in many forms. I think he’s going to be a good player if he can learn to listen to his coaches and play the game the right way.
Stwaberry was a power hitter. GO is no power hitter, and will never become one. Hopefully, Go won’t whiff as much as Strawberry did.
That’s a good point tbuck, maybe taking him north and making him take his lumps will level him out a little bit.
Actually Craig, Gomez is projected to develop a fair amount of power.
Robert i agree i think he will add more muscle and power as he gets older if only we could get Griffey Jr on the team to teach him how to be a great CF.
Taller, lanky athletes are more like to suffer joint injuries. It’s a medical fact. The more elongated the joint, the more stress it has on it. Heavier people, also are more susceptible to joint injury. The more weight, the more stress. Genetics plays a role, so there are always exceptions. A taller person, thick in the torso, and slight in the legs, is most prone to knee injuries. Tony Oliva had an almost perfect body, for a knee injury.
Gomez in the prime of his career could be a 30 hr, 50 steal, 100 run, 100 rbi guy. THAT would be awesome though I may be getting WAY ahead of myself.
craig are you a doctor now?
thanks for that insight Dr. Craig. but anyways whats wrong with Gomez being a little cocky? I wouldnt mind Gomez acting like Manny if he can put up the kind of numbers Manny has throughout his career.
dr. craig generally speaking for starters!
a-rod 6-3
cal 6-4
a.j. 6-3
pujols 6-3
posada 6-2
piazza 6-3
joe dimaggio 6-2
ted williams 6-3, 5-8 without his head.
I decent comparison for Go is Willie Mcghee. Although, Go has better base stealing ability. Body type definitely matters in injuries and also which position you best fit. Which brings me to the stocky, stumpy armed Tolbert who is not qualified to play SS which ideally requires a lanky, “rangy” type. Unless you have Ozzie Smith-like quickness.
Gobbley. How did A.J. get thrown into that group?
What about big Mac (pre steroids era) and Dave Winfield neither of those guys had any significant injuries and both were close to 6′6.
Maybe AJ means Andruw Jones and not Pierzinski(sp?).
Robert,
i hope 30 HR and 50 steals would make more than 100 runs
Shawn I was just basically saying 3 digit runs, i.e. at least 100. Like when Morneau gets 130 RBI’s, they say he had a 100 RBI season.
nothing for nothing but if he becomes a 30/50 guy….. the trade is a steal straight up!
I like this lineup
Gomez - CF
Mauer - C
Young - LF
Morneau - 1B
Cuddyer - RF
Monroe - DH
Lamb - 3B
Everett - SS
Harris (not punto) - 2B
That is a way better lineup without Rondell as a DH and Punto (automatic out)
- BC
It’s not a guarantee of injury it is a higher probability of a specific injury.
“ted williams 6-3, 5-8 without his head.”
Touche’, GG, touche’.
Cal Ripkin Jr. and Lou Gehrig were the most durable players ever and both were tall.
For the record, I really appreciate your kind mention of me, La Velle.
Gettin’ some kicks out of it, showing my gal and daughter.
My dreary SW MN culture is greatly enhanced!
as for williamson gomez just come back here in 3 years when he’s a .230 career hitter and Ben Revere is old enough to take his spot.
Had to be there to here the crowd in Tokyo Dome yell “Lewwwwwwwwwww’ and standing O when he robbed Ellsbury of 2-3 bases.
Maybe Jones will find a home there.
