Gardy doesn’t know what he’s doing, crummy players fill lineup, sick superstar gets day off, Punto and Cuddyer still starting, Twins somehow win
Posted on June 19th, 2009 – 8:12 AMBy Howard
One of my guilty pleasures is reading the comments on Joe C.’s and LaVelle’s blogs in the minutes after they post the lineups, a daily service you’d be hard pressed to find in most other cities where the beat writers blog about their teams. Before Thursday’s game, a lot of people wrote like they wondered why the game was even being played because there was no way in Hades that the Twins could win with the lineup Gardy had chosen.
It can be like reading review snippets from movie ads.
“Talk about a B-minus squad lineup… Harris isn’t a No. 2 hitter (3 for 4)… Cuddyer isn’t a clean-up hitter (home run and goofy triple)… Brian Buscher as a DH against a lefty (home run, and walk) … Don’t know what Gardy is thinking here. Quite possibly he doesn’t either! (Zach Duke, .379 BA by lefty batters)… (Ayala is) just another example of how stupid our GM is in signing free agents! (Yeah, the Crede signing was totally stupid.)… How the bleep can you bench a .425 hitter? (He was sick)… This lineup is an absolute J-O-K-E! (Blogger looks twice for Jason Tyner and Tony Batista on the lineup card)… Never sit Mauer (Trying to pretend I didn’t read that)… What about the possible trade of Jesse Crain? (For whom? Juan Rincon? Luis Ayala? Oops, we already have him!)… Pennants are won and lost in this kind of game (Oh, the drama!) … Hey, at least the game isn’t televised! (Good one!)… It’s like Gardy wants us to lose. (Who is this “us” of which you write?)… Sure glad I didn’t make the trip from 2 hours north. Yuck. (Sorry, I had to eat your nachos.)… Why go to the Twins day games? (Because they’re often played during work hours).
Postgame jewels: “In other news, Nick Punto’s batting average is now (almost) within 200 points of Joe Mauer’s average. “ (Nice! See what an infield single and a fly-ball double can do for a guy! BTW, the gap is 207 points.) “Finally… we’ve found a solution for the bullpen issues. Don’t use it! Nice job Mr. Blackburn!” (A-to-the-MEN!)
Seriously, though, there’s a lot of funny (and intelligent) banter in the comments and LaVelle, Joe and I are appreciative that people read and react to the blogs, even if you disagree with us and sometimes call us out in less-than-gentle ways. I was just struck by all the gloom and doom that was put forth.
I can even come up with reasons for the moves that Gardy made yesterday. Mauer’s been sick since the weekend series against the Cubs — even the Chicago-centric Cubs announcers pointed that out — and this was a good time to chance using the other lefties. (Is anyone else amused by people sitting at keyboards calling out Joe Mauer?) Gardy wanted to test what seems to be a problem for Zach Duke this season, a problem in the same way that Scott Baker was hit with an attack of homerunitis in his early starts that was extreme compared to his career numbers. Sure, they’re small sample sizes, but baseball is a game of streaks.
Also, for all the talk of a B-lineup (which it was), Gardy kept the A-team infield intact, which made sense because Nick Blackburn is the only ground ball pitcher in the rotation. He got 17 outs on grounders and another on a slick diving-toward-shortstop line-drive snag by Joe Crede in the ninth. This wasn’t a day to entrust first base to Cuddyer (No day should be, actually) or third base to Buscher. Gardy also FINALLY dropped Crede (sixth) below Cuddyer (fourth) in the batting order against a lefty. (Crede’s last 31 homers have come against rightieslefties and he has a slugging percentage of .350 against lefties in 2009, which is almost as good as Carlos Gomez’ .364.)
Cuddyer, whom I’ve read really stinks and is a slacker taking a spot from more deserving players, was 6 for 10 in the Pittsburgh series and is at .277/.358/.513 for the season. His slugging percentage is fourth behind the lefty trio. Someone explain to me again why that’s not good enough.
293 Responses to "Gardy doesn’t know what he’s doing, crummy players fill lineup, sick superstar gets day off, Punto and Cuddyer still starting, Twins somehow win"
Thanks Howard. I was thinking the same thing as I read those comments. I have to walk away with my tail between my legs too though. I felt that Morales should’ve DH’ed over Buscher. I guess Gardy knew what he was doing. I’ll have to put this game in my back pocket for when the Gardy haters start calling for him to get canned.
They still need bullpen help.
That is funny stuff. The majority of those comments were made by people who couldn’t cut it in T-ball.
I gave you an option for the bullpen - don’t use it and pull a Sparky Anderson and pitch your starters til their arms fall off. Seriously, though, we do need bullpen help and with Hawkins being in town this weekend I think BS should make a huge effort to get him via a trade or money or whatever.
Thanks for the sanity check. Gardy has to use his whole bench. This is something he picked up from TK, who often used B line-ups on day games after night games, and won a lot of those games. My only complaint is about Morales. If he’s only here for a short time, why not play him (either as a catcher or DH)? I suppose you can’t argue with Redmond catching a CG. Or Buscher hitting a two-run dinger. But I hate to see the kid rotting on the pine as the “emergency catcher”.
The complaining kinf od hit a high point post lineups yesterday. I don’t always agree with everything but good god, people were mad.
I attended my second game of the season in Section 120. The first game was against Boston and Mauer sat. Late in the game, he hit a PH HR. Yesterday, he sat again. Both games, I got to see Brian Buscher bat. At least he hit a HR against the Pirates. He was brutal at third base against the Red Sox. Good to see Cruddyer swinging a good bat again. He is streaking but Morneau is slumping and we need his offense.
Harris and SS and Punto at 2B is working for this team. I don’t want to see Alexi Casilla again until September, and only in games if the Twins are not in the playoff race. Matt Tolbert is another over-matched player. At least Punto plays good defense at second base and is starting to relax a little bit at the plate. Keep Punto away from SS and the MI is much improved.
Buscher hit his homer against a righty relief pitcher - I’m relatively sure he had no hits against the lefty starter.
I do hope that Howard and the others take these comments in the manner most of them are meant - a bunch of people that wish they were sitting around in their back yard, with a few barley pops, watching the game on their big screen (in their back yard?), talking stupid sports’ smack talk.
On a streak here: Amen to all 8 of you. (Mike, I know that… I’m not above calling myself out from time to time, either!!)
You will have to ask the genius known as thyros about half those posts, at least the Cuddyer ones. Cuddy could go 4-5 and hit for the cycle and Thyros would complain about his one crappy at bat.
Seriously, people whine way too much, and guess what, you may think you know baseball but you don’t. I’m just glad these people can whine and moan and noone actually has to listen to them, or else we would be really screwed.
Mike says that these are people sitting in thier backyard talking about the game..I agree and disagree. Some are I’m sure but there are the “serious bloggers” like thyros and others who actually think they know better then Gardy and company. Those are the people who when they whine and moan and cry and then are proved wrong, but yet never actually admit they were wrong, who I hate and whis would just shut up.
Howard maybe you should put down the stones you are throwing at us from your glass house.. it was just a week ago you were saying splitting with the A’s would be “a hollow split” and you have had atleast 2 posting of “doom and gloom” about the bullpen.. it’s o.k. to have concerns about our Twin’s
but I do agree though trying to put on the hindsight 20/20 glasses BEFORE the game is over the top even for Twins nation bloggers
I think that a lot of the comments yesterday were based on a lot of frustration. After Wednesday’s clunker of a game and seeing the lineup that was posted yesterday everyone was collectively saying “oh nooooooo”.. With a team like Pittsburgh in town Twins fans expect wins. There lineup isn’t exactly the 61 Yankees. Lets hope Mauer comes back strong and we can take care of Houston before they hit the road again. I have the feeling that the Twins have started there move to 1st. Thanks again to inner league play..
sorry Howard I didn’t hit “refresh” to see your comment right before mine…
please strike my comments about you dropping your stones.. I need to refresh more often before I comment.. my apologies…
many of those day games when the Twins have their “B” lineup on the field the opposing team has their “B” lineup as well. Not many players are out there for all 162 games. I think the bullpen would have been better this year is Breslow could have just thrown strikes like he did last year. Now we have Henn which seems to be a step down. I still like Liriano in the pen and Swarzak starting.
FVG:
No problem. The refresh button is your friend on a fast-moving blog.
It WAS a hollow split and the bullpen STILL has problems. I stand by the stones I hurled.
It’s great to criticize and lots of commenters offer up excellent observations; it’s just funny to read the breathlessness of some of the criticism.
If Mauer is going to just get a day off, yesterday was the day. Day game after night game, left hander on the mound. Plus, he’s sick.
It’s just that I want the guy in there every single day, even as I know he needs rest.
Mauer rules!
Even though it was only mentioned briefly; I am glad to see Cuddy defended a little bit. His finger looked to be worse than last year on that 10 game roady, but this series went a long way in showing he must be mostly healthy and able to swing as hard as he wants(he should have had 2 HRs in this series, the double on Tues. would have been gone if it didn’t hit the left side of the baggy).
I would like to see Morneau’s numbers for the last 10-15 game broken down a bit. I don’t feel like he is taking very good at bats and I know his RBIs have slowed down. Im not saying batting .329/56 RBI/16 HR is bad, but I feel like we are seeing him do a lot of the same things he did last Sept. lately. I’d love to hear your opinion Howard.
If anything Mauer is “sick” of carrying this team on his back. I bet Morneau is getting “sick” of it too…
If it weren’t for the emotion and breathlessness, these players (and news people) might have to find other jobs. Ironically for the players, it is only the passion (that often leads to innappropriate comments) that allows them to make all this money in the first place. It is a concept often lost on professional athletes.
My only complaint about having gone to the game yesterday was that I didn’t get my money’s worth. I mean two hours and six friggin minutes??? Who do I see about a 30% refund on my ticket??? Of course, it did mean I got out of town and on the road home quicker.
By the way, you want doom and gloom? The way the news folks on the radio were talking after the game, the Twin Cities were in for apocolyptical storms any moment (despite the blue skies at the time). I’m genuinely surprised there are any of you still alive today.
For all those with a man crush on Matt Garza be aware after his latest outing and childish pout the Rays faithful are calling for him to be traded before he ruins the clubhouse atmosphere. Bill Smith is smiling.
What’s funny is the popular term “giving him a rest”. Pro baseball players don’t know what hard work is and only “work” a few hours a day for six months a year. But the day off gives your mind a break and relieves some stress and is one less chance to suffer an injury, so you gotta have it.
Well, I made the trip from THREE hours north and thoroughly enjoyed myself, despite the dismay of seeing the lineup posted without #7. Some genial Pirates fans sat next to us in Section 117 announcing they had arrived to start a fistfight. They were excellent baseball fans and fun to talk with–shaking their heads throughout the game at the play of their team.
Punto (in the field and at bat) and Cuddyer (homer and gift triple) both made me eat crow yesterday. And so did Blackburn after I mentioned to the Pirates’ fans that Twins’ starters seem to hit a wall when they are pitching well into the late innings. Blackburn’s wall came in the 9th (thank you, Joe Crede, for those two dandy plays to start the inning), but he had the stamina to finish what he started. After he walked a batter in the 8th, Nathan got up in the bullpen but sat back down before he even got loose. It was obvious at that point that Blackburn was getting the ball for the 9th. Very cool.
Good defense, great pitching, and enough hitting to make it a crisp and enjoyable game. Made that long drive home a lot shorter. Let’s hope they are now launched on a respectable winning streak…that carries into their next road trip.
I don´t get to watch all of the games because I am living abroad, but I´ve been following section 220 and beyond stats, blogs, and game stories, I only get to watch day games on MLB.TV.
From the point of view of not really getting to watch the games and instead relying on stats and blogs, it seems to me that the comments sections around the blogs have been low on Cuddyer since he started slowly and dived for a ball and missed. I remember that people called him out because he was a veteran and shouldn´t miss that play.
But he´s playing good now, at least in the numbers - so let´s roll with it! The Cuddyer plays good bandwagon is a bit more fun than the Cuddyer stinks bandwagon anyway.
I would like to know what the starting center fielder in Beloit is feeling like. Poor kid has the misfortune of playing the same position as our next coming of Willy Mays.
As a fan I am looking forward to the day that Hicks, Morales, and Revere are all in the same outfield. That might be an outfield that could stay together a long time.
Agreed with the sentiments Howard. It’s one thing to be disappointed or have concerns…but the hyperbole that gets thrown about sometimes (even from the regulars) is rather hilarious.
Pro baseball players don’t know what hard work is and only “work” a few hours a day for six months a year.
I’m pretty sure most of the better pro-ball players have some sort of workout regimine during the offseason as well.
Howard IMO so much of the frustration and knee-jerk reaction we exhibit is because this team has been competitive for 7 years now under Gardy but have never moved beyond that.. they are a tease . the team is slumping around .500 until the NL “holiday” every year where they jump 5-6 games above .500 then afetr the ASB they jump on their division foes at home for usually a division win.. then get thumped in the playoffs looking like they don’t belong on the field
it’s like “Groundhog Day” we keep reliving the same pattern again and again hoping that “this year” the pattern will change.. maybe it has
I haven’t seen a Twin’s bullpen this bad since TK managed the team
I haven’t seen power like this since.. well TK managed the team
Please don’t chase away the emotional and breathless ones, Howard. They ARE the entertainment on here.
Howard,
I knew Crede wasn’t the right handed power we were all wishing for cuz he hits all his homers against righties. He is, however, the 3rd baseman we have been looking for.
Your thought was correct but your stat was wrong. Crede has hit all his homers the last 2 years against Right handed pitching, not lefthanded as you stated.
I don’t get all the hate for the bullpen. They have outperformed the rotation expecially when you take away the stats of the guys no longer here. They have been excellent with the lead, ok in very close games and terrible in keeping games within shouting distance. In other words their biggest flaw has been in games we almost certainly would have lost anyway.
The use of the pen is a different matter. 1 of our 3 guys with ERA’s less than 3 (all bullpen guys) was used in a blowout recently and another of the sub 3 ERA has pitched about 6 innings in 3 appearances in our last 3 weeks. Let me put that another way. Our number 2 ERA guy who is a knuckleballer and could be used every other day most likely has pitched in 3 of our last 17 games.
shaun, shaun, shaun:
“Pro baseball players don’t know what hard work is and only “work” a few hours a day for six months a year.”
Yeah, just like those lazy teachers, huh, shaun?
Here’s hoping you were trying to be facetious.
People sure do get worked up, but I’d certainly rather have that than a bunch of “silence.” As a MN expatriate in Pittsburgh, these last two series’ have been a treat in that I got to see a week’s worth of games (WGN and FS WhateverTF it is here). Seeing as the Twins fans out here are few and far between, I’d like to reflect mww’s point as these blogs are my sole outlet to exercise my undying desire to talk Twins all the time.
Howard, I think people are just frustrated to see the twins struggling to maintain a .500 record. At the beginning of the season, Crede had been signed, good things were expected from the young guys who showed promise last year, like Casilla, Young, Baker, Perkins, Lirriano. People here in 220 were pretty optimistic, and there have been a lot of disappointments. I think we all just expected better than a struggle to .500. We weren’t expecting a World Series win, but I think we expected a team that would sweep teams like the Pirates, and we have not seen that. I think we saw a lot of that disappointment coming to the fore yesterday. It’s one of the stages of grieving … anger. What comes next? barganing I think.
Des,
Thanks for the catch on Crede. I’ve fixed that. (Bad of me, I’ve made that point before and gotten it right.) I like the Crede signing — a lot, especially when the Twins can bat him sixth or seventh. My parenthetical tweak was facetious.
OB,
Thanks for that perspective. I’m a Bears fan-in-exile and appreciate what you’re saying. I’m enough of a dork that I go through the NFL schedule when it’s released and count the number of games that are likely to be on TV here.
More perspective? The Twins currently have 4 guys with better ERA’s in the pen than the best guy in 87 (Buerenger). All but one (Henn) have better ERA’s than our closer that year. The pen is good. Swarzak for Henn and it would be very good.
Yeah, just like those lazy teachers, huh, shaun?
Oh man, I used to think that about teachers, until I went to college and started to befriend a few in the profession.
It’s astounding how much work goes into being a teacher in the OFFSEASON let alone once the bell rings.
It is amazing what the Twins management does with a small market team. It is easy saying “Baker fades after 85 pitches”, “Liriano has trouble with big innings”, but Anderson and Gardy have the patience and knowledge to dissect these performances and help young pitchers turn around. The reason the Twins seem like a tease is that they lose talent to larger market clubs. They have to time the arrival of talent to coincide with the arrival of talent. Not easy to do.
Howard, I liked the Crede signing also but it wasn’t the weapon against lefties that people were hoping for.
As far as the .500 season, I think it can be laid at the feet of Baker and Liriano as well as Punto, Gomez and Casilla trying to hit for power rather than doing what their strengths are.
Baker seems to have turned it around and either Liriano does also or he goes to strengthen the bullpen with his 1st time through the order strength. Punto seems to have got his wakeup call by losing the SS job. He seems to have flattened out his swing. Always annoyed me that he seemed more embarrassed not to have a home run than was in batting .180. Same thing in 07. If he puts the ball in play through linedrives or on the ground he is just fine as a 9 hitter.
Howard,
Crede’s last 31 homers have come against lefties and he has a slugging percentage of .350 against them in 2009
You probably mean that his last 31 homers came against righties and he is slugging .350 against lefties, correct?
As far as the feelings of a lot of fans, I think that the route cause is that this team is playing average baseball (.500 this season), is 3 games down (in the loss column), hasn’t won the division since 2006 and hasn’t won a trophy in 18 years. To boot, taxpayers are helping the Twins with a big chunk of the new stadium. Thus, there are a lot of expectations from the fans that lead to a lot of reactionary comments. I would guarantee that if the Twins were where the LA Dodgers are record-wise, things would be different…
oops. Make that the root cause up there. Need more coffee
It was an incredibly fast game yesterday. I couldn’t believe that we were in the concourse area at 2:20! The official game time was 2:06. That is a good hour short of the average. Truth be told, it was largely attributable to several factors. Both Blackburn and Duke were fast workers. Neither was a strikeout pitcher and balls were put in play quickly. I think Blackburn had two less than ten pitch innings. One inning was maybe five or six pitches. The Twins had a couple of defensive DP-two maybe three and also hit into at least one DP. The Twins did not have to change pitchers; while Pittsburgh used only two pitchers and did not change with an inning in progress.
The biggest factor was the quick work by the pitchers. Liriano and Slowey are incredibly slow between pitches. It literally drives you nuts. Slowey can be slower than Liriano and that is simply ridiculous. Not sure why Anderson does not preach that a pitch should be thrown every 30 seconds or less. Blackburn was consistently throwing every 20 seconds.
On the Crede RHP/LHP splits: it certainly is puzzling. Until 2007, his SLG was roughly equal regardless of who he faced. So my question is: Did Crede forget how to hit lefties or have the past couple of years been a fluke? One more point: if one looks at XBH rather than HR in 2009, Mr. Crede gets one per 11 PAs vs LHP and one per 10 vs RHP. I’m thinking that a couple of those doubles vs lefties in the past may clear the fence vs lefties in the future.
Both John and FVG are describing normal frustrations about the season (so far). A number of players have failed to raise their games to a new level so far (Young, Gomez, Mijares, Casilla, etc.) A number have turned in clunkers so far: (Punto, Crain, Liriano, Ayala, etc.)
So, back to your question about the venom spewed toward Cuddyer. If frustations about the players above are normal, is the Cuddyer hatred an expression of abnormal frustrations? Yeap.
About Buscher: yes the HR came against a righty and that’s the type of pitcher he should be facing. But… who led yesterday’s lineup in pitches seen? Buscher. 22 in 4 PAs, 5.5 P/PA. That’s Kevin Youkilis territory.
Garza Fan says:
June 19th, 2009 at 9:19 am
“For all those with a man crush on Matt Garza be aware after his latest outing and childish pout the Rays faithful are calling for him to be traded before he ruins the clubhouse atmosphere. Bill Smith is smiling.”
I wonder if Garza spits while he talks. Never seen a person produce as much saliva as this man does. It was disgusting to watch that guy pitch. My son and I counted eight spits between pitches on one occasion. His average was four, and he never had less than two. If he stepped off the mound between pitches, the infield did not have to be sprinkled after the game (on Twins road games only). However, during games at the Dome, the grounds crew had to squeegee the infield to remove the excess moisture.
I think the Twins traded him because they needed two additional grounds crew staff to clean up his mess after each game. The games he didn’t pitch, he spit up the bullpen area and spit out a couple of bags of sunflower seed shell.
Howard, breathless criticism is what separates the bloggers from the sportswriters, right? I mean, we all got our place in the world.
give me a break I think we all can admit we could make room for Garza in this rotation
I don’t get the breathless part.. we are still humannnnnnnnnn!! we all need to breathe even us who comment on these blogs
If you don’t like these comments, check out the immaturity on the usga’s streaming of the Open. Wow. (not that I’m watching it on my work computer, while sitting here working……)
Howard:
The stars just aligned for “Bad Mood”
* poor performance Wednesday night;
* bullpen was bad Wednesday night (recurring irritation source);
* recurring poor play on weekday day games (”here we go again!” factor);
* “do THAT again and we lose a series to the friggin’ PIRATES!”;
* “Geez, Gardy, you know how much we’ve stunk on weekday afternoons - - - don’t hamstring us by putting the second team in the lineup!!!!”
I watched from work (which you can do when you’re the boss!). The game was close for a while, which was enough to get the stomach churning - - - fortunately, Blackburn was on.
IMO, you get a lot of “football mentality” fans posting on game threads - - - the idea that a very good team loses 60 games in a season just doesn’t compute for them.
I’m pretty sure Thrylos is a alien floating in bio-goo somewhere… so he probably doesn’t breathe.
Howard,
You’re criticizing some bloggers’ negative comments and defeatist attitude…did Doc Don take possession of your mind?
I would welcome a trade of Young, Pridie, and Harris this morning in exchange for Garza, Bartlett, and Morlan. Soon after, I’d welcome a trade of Garza for something of equal value.
However, just because the RESULTS of that trade are horrible so far, that doesn’t mean the DECISION to make the trade was equally horrible. Maybe the decision was just kind of horrible.
Since DY’s attitude substantially has improved in Minnesota, maybe the Rays would take back DY and the Twins get Garza in return.
The last two, recent comments by Joe were by Joe the First. I’m in my company’s NYC office today, so on this computer, my moniker and email address had to be typed in and I left the “the first” from my moniker.
BD, not to nit pick but very good teams lose 70 games a year. Really just trying to strengthen your point. Baseball is very different than the other sports. Winning 57% is very good and often wins a title. Winnning 55% in football or basketball might or might not get you in a playoff spot where more teams get in playoff spots. In other words what is very good in baseball is just so so in football. 92-70 vs 9-7.
Howard,
Who wouldn’t be upset with a guy hitting .188 batting in the DH spot? He may be the only sub-.200 hitter to be a DH in the entire American League this year. So he hit a HR off a right-handed reliever, he still can’t hit lefties to save his life. He can barely hit righties (.203).
Yes, let’s please curb the enthusiasm about Brian Buscher. He’s got a long way to go to even be a mediocre player.
“”"”"Joe says:
June 19th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Howard,
You’re criticizing some bloggers’ negative comments and defeatist attitude…did Doc Don take possession of your mind?”"”"”
Don’t drag me into this Joe. All I did was comment that all the naysayers are gloom and doom before the game even starts. Sorry, but I don’t like gloom and doom (call it other words if you wish) before the game even plays out. Lots of anger out there.
BOP, exactly! I never liked the trade but we didn’t have Gomez or Span as we know him at the time so we were looking at a Cuddyer, Ford, Tyner, Kubel (not current but 2 years ago Kubel) for outfield and DH. Facts may be off a little but not the situation.
birdofprey probably has a point. Optimism reigns at the beginning of any baseball season, but eventually half the teams find themsleves at .500 or below. Reality is a cruel master.
Okay, anger over, it’s time to start bargaining … for relief pitchers, hopefully.
Joe 1st…. I thought it was another anti-DrDon poster. If I had known it was you, I would have known you were joking with me. Thanks for correcting your moniker. Doc
T98:
IRO your comment “Thus, there are a lot of expectations from the fans that lead to a lot of reactionary comments. I would guarantee that if the Twins were where the LA Dodgers are record-wise, things would be different…”
Maybe the comments would be less negative, but to date, winning hasn’t been a boon to attendance at the Dome. Without increased attendance, keeping the great home-grown talent will be a difficult task.
I listened to WFAN 660 in NYC driving home from work late last night. All the Mets callers talk about is signing a FA or making a trade for a Huff, Ichiro, or other player from another team. They never talk about how the Mets need to develop more talent in its farm system.
Be green, eat what you grow; use the talent developed by the organization. That’s part of the fun of rooting for your team. Who wants to root for mercenaries?
Teams without a trophy since ‘92:
Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland, Seattle, Texas, NY Mets, Washington, Chi Cubs, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Fran, LA Dodgers, and Colorado.
That’s 19 of the 30 franchises excluding the Twins. BooHoo.
25 of the 30 haven’t been to the playoffs as often as the Twins since ‘02. BooHoo again.
.500 team after 68 games? The horror!
2 games back of the lead before the end of June? What’s a team to do.
Tyros or whatever your name is…stop whining about everything. What is it like going thru life completely miserable? Is it fun?
“let’s please curb the enthusiasm about Brian Buscher”
There is nothing more dangerous than UN-curbed enthusiasm.
But, I hope we’ve caught it in time, before it becomes pandemic.
I’d say Buscher showed his true colors last year: A mediocre player (OPS+ = 100). He certainly hasn’t been that good this year, but I’d say another 100 PAs or so is how long he has to go to get there. That being said, there are no viable options to replace him. If the Twins had a Jake Fox (Iowa Cubs) down at AAA it would be a different story, but they don’t.
sane, your humor is a little dryer than usual today. Maybe it’s the lack of rain.
OB, I wonder if the left/right thing is the residual of his back problems. Don’t know, just speculation. He’s never been a real high average/high OBP guy and he’s going to face more right-handers, anyway. So I’m good with it.
CPAman, Do you have the breakdown of left/right “spits” on Garza?!?
Mike, Of course you’re not watching the Open at work. Neither am I. 
OB, 100 OPS+ would be okay if he played serviceable defense at a position of need, but he doesn’t. And that’s still pretty bad for a DH.
My main point: I’m not enthusiastic, I just appreciate Buscher for what he has done, note that he’s been rather unlucky (BABIP of .237, when extreme FB hitters average .263 [thank you Dave Cameron]), and expect a regression towards the mean.
any guesses for tonights lineup vs oswolt?? im thinking:
harris ss
mauer c
morneau 1b
kubel lf
cuddyer rf
crede dh
buscher 3b
gomez cf
punto 2b
“For all those with a man crush on Matt Garza be aware after his latest outing and childish pout the Rays faithful are calling for him to be traded before he ruins the clubhouse atmosphere. Bill Smith is smiling.”
Combine that with rumors that Bartlett was being shopped around prior to the 09 season…
Hmmm. I guess the Rays don’t consider Garza (ALCS MVP) OR Bartlett (Tampa Bay’s Annoited MVP) to be as important or crucial to their success as we do.
If I were watching the coverage of the Open, I’d wonder why we get to keep watching Tiger, even though he’s done. It’s not like there are over 80 golfers playing right now….
Maybe baseball would be more popular if during games they showed Mauer taking batting practice while Buscher or Punto were batting…..
Point taken Benny. I’ve thought the same thing about the back Howard. And I’m off to have lunch with my wife.
MWW: I’ve noticed that too. ESPN tries to do something like that by talking about the Yankees/Boston as much as possible even during Twins/Rangers broadcasts…
Benny W,
No harm intended.
I was just musing about why each of us admonish each other to not get TOO optimistic (or pessimistic) as if that might spoil our own pessimism (or optimism).
It seems to be the primary theme on these blogs and i am trying to understand why the moods of people we don’t really know, should be important to us.
now sane is waxing philosophical….
Doc Don,
No problem; I meant it as a compliment to you and Howard. It’s good that someone else takes on the vultures besides you, me, romer, and some others, especially when the someone else is a writer for the Strib.
T98 isn’t negative, just skeptical and he backs up his point of view with numbers, so I don’t understand the rage directed at him. The intellectual level of these blogs would be much less without T98. Please, his site is really cool.
anywa, btw.
Folks, I think everyone should stop commenting because none of us is going to come up with something as good as this from Mike Wants Wins:
If I were watching the coverage of the Open, I’d wonder why we get to keep watching Tiger, even though he’s done. It’s not like there are over 80 golfers playing right now….
Maybe baseball would be more popular if during games they showed Mauer taking batting practice while Buscher or Punto were batting…..
There is Powerade on my keyboard.
mike,
After I have answered that question, I would like to explain why we (the human race) are here, and describe the human condition in detail.
OR try to understand Gardy’s lineup for tonight’s game, if the first two questions are answered quickly enough.
thanks Howard,
and with that, I sign off of the blog for a while, so I can visit the beautiful national parks out west….
I was thinking that last sentence was the post of the day also. Hilarious.
I know sane. I just thought it was funny that after one good(ish) game, Buscher drew a Kevin Youkilis comparison.
Benny W. Who is heck is Benny W?
Bring it on……..
I wonder if Mauer fouls off pitches he doesn’t like in batting practice. Does he always take 2 strikes before swinging? I think his BP would be as entertaining as watching Tiger on the practice tee. That’s not tongue in cheek. I think it would be entertaining.
Des, if you notice in the commercial with Mauer and Nathan playing indoor wiffle-ball, Mauer takes the ball the other way.
I like thry’s observations and he does back them up with stats which I have a tendency to overlook too often. I like our chances against these NL teams and it will be fun to see Slowey hit next week and see if he can keep up the good BA. If we could only run off a ten game winning streak we would be so much happier and could laugh at the Rays fans and their thoughts of getting rid of Garza or Bartlett or both.
Des,
I’ve seen Tiger on the practice tee and in tournaments and he is awesome - sometimes you can’t even follow the flight of the ball it’s hit so hard. He had a tough time today but look for him to be back on his game this afternoon when they try to get some more holes in. Lots of young players and a few vets at the top of the leaderboard so should be interesting - but I’m not checking this out on the computer at work.
Buscher was hit over .300 against righties last year. Worked very hard over the off season and was our best hitter in spring training. He hasn’t played all that much and hasn’t done well when he has. No, he shouldn’t be compared to Youkalis, but he isn’t that bad either. He is a good hitter against righties who has a good eye and walks a fair amount. He has turned into a decent fielder at 3rd though without much range and athleticism. You can say he doesn’t deserve to be on the roster cuz of that but he is a good hitter against righties. If he had 400 AB against them I am pretty confident he would hit much closer to .300.
Minnesota Cat, of course you are not just as I am not posting these from work. Just a second my secretary is knocking of the door. Whoops, would you believe I have a secretary at home?
I second the nomination of MWW’s for comment of the day. I laughed so hard I had to change my underwear. Good one mike!!!!!!!!!!
Watching Tiger woudl be fun but he swings so hard I cannot even relate to it. I would probably prefer watcing Els. They would both be a distant 2nd to Natalie Gulbis.
“”"”"Rocky Simon says:
June 19th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Benny W. Who is heck is Benny W?”"”"”
Benny is one of my former assistants who specializes in guys like you.
As a whole, the Twins hit RHP much better than LHP. Even Crede does (as Howard mentioned).
You could try to give Buscher 400 ABs, but at whose expense would they come? Morneau? Crede? Kubel?
Personally I think the Twins would do much better with a right-handed hitting Brian Buscher-type.
Benny, I agree completely with that statement. Buscher is who he is. Even though our best hitter hit lefies well, some of our lefties and most of our right handed hitters struggle against them. I know Morales isn’t a legit .365 hitter but I would like to see what he can do against lefties.
I still think we need to get rid of Buscher, I think we need a stronger bat then that to count on.
“”"Benny W says:
June 19th, 2009 at 11:25 am
As a whole,”"”(sic)
You accurately described Rocky Simon!!!!!
Benny W is my blog-name. After one of my personal heroes who has little or nothing to do with baseball.
Who the heck is Rocky Simon?
Speaking of the Open… I see that the USGA has decided that they will solve the PR problem of all those people who only saw a couple hours of golf on Thursday by announcing those ticketholders will be admitted on Monday, if the tournament spills over to Monday.
So if you went to NY for your one day of golf-watching Thursday, all you have to do is pay for 4 nights of lodging at NY prices and hope the tournament extends to Monday.
Someone remind me NOT to buy first round tickets to US Open tournaments going forward, ok?
Since we are on the golf topic. Has anyone watched Gomez take BP? Can’t help but think that like golf, less would be a lot more. If he stopped trying to hit the ball so hard he would end up with more power and average.
I know it is easier said than done. Every Spring I hit the ball 250 effortlessly. After a summer of scramble tourney’s, every fall is spent swinging from my ass to hit it 220.
Des, from what I’ve seen, Gomez can hit the ball softly and to right field if he tries to. He just doesn’t try to very often, especially early in the count.
Greg
“That’s 19 of the 30 franchises excluding the Twins [without a trophy since 92].”
Maybe 6 of those 19 teams stand an equal or better chance of winning the next trophy as the Twins. Do others agree or disagree?
That’s why I find the portrayal of the Twins as an organization striving for mediocrity as nonsensical. This organization has improved, incrementally, across the gamut, including the quality of its farm system, since financial conditions (especially revenue sharing) became more favorable. For those complaining about us “barely” making the postseason, you are absolutely right. We should’ve tanked so that the Longoria’s and Upton’s and Delmon Young’s fell into our lap, and then we could have bamboozled Tampa into trading Garza to us in exchange for Young. Sweet.
Has anyone who ever golfed noticed that when you play with people who are better then you it improves your game? I watch what they do and how they swing the club and it helps me. It’s too bad the same cant be said about baseball or all the Twins would be better from watching Mauer.
MWW and Howard, you both know very well there’s no way national broadcasters would show Mauer taking BP during Punto and Buscher at-bats.
It would be Jeter.
Must I repeat the broken clock analogy? I can’t say people were wrong to criticize Gardenhire’s lineup just because it happened to work yesterday. So far this year the trend has been the other way.
Des:
“Just a second my secretary is knocking of the door. Whoops, would you believe I have a secretary at home?”
My theory is that you have been home for twenty-three years, as that is the last recorded evidence of the use of the word “secretary” in the workplace.
It seems apparent that my Buscher Youkalis comparison has been taken out of context. I was talking strictly about Buscher’s plate discipline which has been quite impressive. No way does Buscher’s overall performance equal that of Youkalis but give credit where credit is due. 4 PAs and 22 pitches, that is outstanding.
Wow, rarely see 3 posts in a row that I agree with as much or that I enjoyed as much.
BOP, the Vegas line at the beginnig of the year had our Twins at about 20-1 against winning it all. 30 teams in the league and like you said, several teams with a better chance makes that a decent prospect. For comparison sake, our 2 world chmpionship teams had odds against at over 100-1 against.
BC, I am just glad Mauer doesn’t watch Punto and Tolbert.
JimC, great add on to the post of the day.
Gee, thanks Des!
Just as a small indication of the progress the roster has made over the past couple of years, I would have loved to have someone of Buscher’s abilities on the bench instead of Tyner, Ford, and Rivas.
I said before the season started and I continue to maintain that this is the deepest group of position players the Twins have had in several years. Could it be better (maybe with a trade for a MI or with Morales staying with the big club instead of Tolbert or Buscher, when they decide to add a 12th pitcher again)? Sure. But I think even as constituted now, it’s better than it has been in the past.
That should not, however, be considered an argument against making a deal or two to improve the roster in July.
JC, I agree with your analogy about July improvement. Keep in mind that several other teams have the same plan, so it will not be easy. What I will be upset with is if the Twins’ FO doesn’t even try.
WJ, too funny. I was writing after the other 3 but before I saw yours, which, by the way, I agree with.
Finally took Cuddyer off my damn fantasy team the day before yesterday and what happens? HR/3b.
Cuddyer has been (and remains) my favorite player. I posted a few weeks ago that he was the best RF in the division for the money, with possible exception of Choo in Cleveland, who is putting up decent numbers and makes close to the minimum. Cuddyer’s numbers are very close to Dye’s (both run production and OPS) and far better than suddenly powerless Mags and Jose Guillen in KC. Cuddyer makes considerably less than the latter three gentlemen and is at least their equal defensively. The Twins need good right handed hitting and Cuddyer is the best they have. He should be in the lineup every day he is capable and has earned continued playing time.
BOP,
I’m sorry. Are you an administrative assistant? I do live in the sticks. Is secretary really an offensive term now? They call me much worse.
Buscher’s homerun came off a right-handed reliever, not Dukes - the left-handed starter. So Howard’s rationale for that move makes no sense. Buscher could have come off the bench to hit off a righty in the 8th inning.
Better start the “A” lineup tonight vs. Oswalt.
Cuddyer and all the other magicians need to be rounded up and left to rot on Lightning Island, which is no where near Thunder Island.
JustinCB:
Please keep Cuddyer off your damn fantasy team.
On Gomez–I agree that the young man should be trying to find a controlled hard swing, not the “wild thing” we see in games. If he concentrated on hitting line drives to the gaps, he could get 20 triples and probably get 15 homers by accident. If anyone would benfit from watching others hit, I think it would be Carlos.
The only area where I see Young as being superior to Gomez is that in RBI situations, Gomez “gets himself out” by swinging early and often at pitches far out of the zone. I attribute this to being too amped up in RBI situations.
If I may be so bold, here is the lineup I would like to see tonight:
1. Rocky Simon DH (crappy fielder}
2. Romer 3B (Bad Back and all)
3. Joe the First LF (Good attitude and all)
4. thrylos98 C (good statsman, knows the players)
5. Mr. Sinker RF (Good hustler, makes for good news)
6. DrDon 1B (knows certain things that every player has, so can talk sense to them)
7. sane 2B (a real chatterbox)
8. Shawn from Binghamton SS (puts everyone in their place, which is good)
9. Ben CF (hoping he runs into the wall and knocks some sense into himself)
Pitching tonight…..Fran the Man (takes two gloves, can pitch with either arm, depending on the hitter)
So the Tigers put Dontrelle Willis on the DL with “anxiety disorder”. Willis says his problem is with his mechanics (all those moving parts and if one is out of whack, it messes everything up).
So this is what the DL has come to mean? If you have a guy who’s not effective, your training staff can’t find anything wrong with him and your coaching staff can’t help him, he must have an anxiety disorder.
Nice to know that’s an option. Might solve that little problem of guys like DY not having “options” left.
Howard,
Well said. And not to be cruel to a young man who is trying so hard (too hard?), but the decision to send Crain down was a bullseye. My only controversial comment about our team right now is that I think we need to move Liriano to middle relief and put Anthony back in the rotation. The proof is in Liriano’s comment that he doesn’t know what to do right now. Let’s take the pressure off of him, giving him a good number of 1-3 inning outings. Watch the ERA shrink, the confidence expand, and the team benefit.
- T Mouse in Da House
DrDon:
You can be my DH when we play in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Thanks, a day off finally.
sweet!
I get to be an overweight SS, at least as a lefty i can cover a 4-6-3 double play really stout
Good rant Howard, however, I must call you to task on one point. You must not pay enough attention to the beat writers in other markets. Posting the lineups is the START. Go read Peter Abraham’s Lohud Yankees Blog. This is the MODEL for which all others should follow. This is the PREMIER beat writer blog in baseball. Audio, video, live chats, interesting commentary, call the team/players/manager/fans out when necessary (No a$$ kissing here), etc. LEN3 and Joe C are about average as far as blogging goes, but please rest assured they could do so much more….
So this is what the DL has come to mean? If you have a guy who’s not effective, your training staff can’t find anything wrong with him and your coaching staff can’t help him, he must have an anxiety disorder.
There have been a few of those phantom-cause DL placements through out the years. In the past they actually claimed that a particular player had a physical ailment. I suspect that busted mechanics can be a cause of anxiety for a pitcher
Pitching tonight…..Fran the Man (takes two gloves, can pitch with either arm, depending on the hitter)
Wow, my mound debut at the Major League Level on Kent Hrbek bobblehead night. We have similar physiques.
Might need you to lift someone off the 1B bag using only your wrist/lower arm, Dr. Don, so you better spend the afternoon lifting those 12-ounce weights.
thrylos, my first three warm-up pitches are going to the backstop, just so you know.
Second thought, I feel some “anxiety disorder” coming on. I want the ball, I really do. Got a lot of moving parts, though. Think I’ll go work on my mechanics and let Mr. Slowey have his spot back.
thry, the only busted mechanics I know of are the ones who charged for phantom auto repairs and got caught.
I don’t mind your posts bird of prey, but c’mon! I farmed ’til the Eighties and quit to be a steel worker. Trust me, neither one YOU mentioned know what hard work is!
Des:
“I’m sorry. Are you an administrative assistant? I do live in the sticks. Is secretary really an offensive term now? They call me much worse.”
An observation, not a criticism, from me.
From a Jason Stark chat on espn.com:
Tex/Youk/Morneau - whose your AL allstar starter?
I’m a Morneau guy. The other two guys are both tremendous. But Youkilis had some DL time which hurt his counting numbers. And Teixeira’s home/road splits are Coors-ish. So I’ll take Morneau. He held that lineup together when Mauer was out, which Teixeira DIDN’T do without ARod.
shaun,
“I don’t mind your posts bird of prey, but c’mon! I farmed ’til the Eighties and quit to be a steel worker. Trust me, neither one YOU mentioned know what hard work is!”
I respect the work you have done, shaun, but trust me, you may have been doing work undesirable to you, but maybe you should choose your words more carefully, because hard work comes in many forms, my friend.
FIRE VAVRA & GARDY!!!!! says:June 19th, 2009 at 9:35 am
“Howard IMO so much of the frustration and knee-jerk reaction we exhibit is because this team has been competitive for 7 years now under Gardy but have never moved beyond that.. they are a tease…”
I’m sorry for you.
Maybe you would prefer 7 years of the Nationals, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Padres, to name a few. Maybe even the Cubs.
At least then the comments would more closely match the performance.
Regards,
It’s ok Bop. I didn’t take offense to it. I would like to discuss the subject cuz I am not certain it is taboo, but this is a baseball blog so Go Twins!
Fran can pitch from either side? Awesome! Don’t see many amphibious pitchers.
Just like when Carlos Silva was “injured” last year and finished on the DL with Seattle.
Fran,
I know you’re up to it. For the record, my official scoring debut came in Game 1 of the 1987 World Series. You’ll shine in the spotlight.
Don’t see many amphibious pitchers
Saw a few in the Baltimore and Boston series earlier in the year
I think I’m going to drink a few extra beers on top of what I already will be drinking since I didn’t crack Dr. Don’s starting lineup.
right shawn. id emant a trade.
i think i meant play me or trade me, but that’s ok.
shaun,
didn’t know you had to be amphibious to throw from either side - I always thought it was ambidexterous - my bad.
Shawn Bradley Guy,
you are Don’s starting center in basketball i gotta believe, drunk or sober
you’re not too smart are you cat?
It’s just 2 outlooks colliding. Those that want WS titles are annoyed at those who are happy with being competitive. I am sure there were a lot of fans like that even for the great Braves teams that only managed 1 title. If we can do what they did I would be happy with that, but not everyone would. Believe it or not the average world series titles for those that make the playoffs is 1 in 8.
Those that are happy being competitive don’t consider that to mean come close and then losing. It means being in the thick of it in October and having a chance to win or lose. Competitive is good.
Amphibious pitchers are an optical delusion……..Slip Mahoney of the Bowery Boys
“you’re not too smart are you cat?”
not sure if anyone is too smart — at least since einstein died.
I agree Des, once a team is in the WS tourny, all they gotta do is get hot. I.e. the ‘06 cards.
“I agree Des, once a team is in the WS tourny, all they gotta do is get hot. I.e. the ‘06 cards.”
or the ‘87 twins.
Hey Hey Hey….re: my lineup for tonight…. I can only play 9 in the field at a time, all others on riding the pine tonight, so when your chances come tonight, be it PH or Defensive replacement, I will expect perfection so you can be in tomorrow night’s lineup. So says the Doc. The only player on the trading block that is starting tonight is Rocky Simon, so I can trade him for a yellow dog that plays frisbee between innings.
Shawn in Binghamton,
I’ll be on the team as long as none of our opponents are able to dunk on me.
DrDon,
I’ll get naked in the clubhouse if you want me to? I just want to play.
I think I will make the start now, after Howard’s pep talk. Some of that magic from my RF. Plus he can tell me how to throw a real sinker ball.
If Pedro’s in “tippy-top shape” (did he really use the term tippy-top?), then damn it, so am I.
And I want to see sane-to-shawn-to-don on the 4-6-3.
Getting psyched now. Houston, you have a problem.
i better start stretching now
“”"”Shawn Bradley Guy says:
June 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
DrDon,
I’ll get naked in the clubhouse if you want me to? I just want to play.”"”
Good attitude, a real team man….please do not bend over to pick up the soap.
Loek van Mil would have Shawn Bradley’s lunch’
there I said it.
Might be worth investing in The New York Times maybe Monday.
I expect half the paper will be the Obituary Section since the Yankees lost a series at home to the Nationals.
Regards,
DrDon, I got more junk than Terry Mulholland, can I mop up the impending blowout?
“ES16 says:
June 19th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Howard,
Who wouldn’t be upset with a guy hitting .188 batting in the DH spot? He may be the only sub-.200 hitter to be a DH in the entire American League this year. So he hit a HR off a right-handed reliever, he still can’t hit lefties to save his life. He can barely hit righties (.203).”
David Ortiz’ first two months of the season called.
great news from the Dragon, with Regards… Here is the Strib link:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/48565502.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqCP:iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
Howard,
There is no crying in baseball, however
we do get to whine all we want on your blog- it comes with the territory.
162 games =
a. at least 60 chances to whine based on not having a desired outcome or having an “unhappy ending”
b. at least 60 chances to whine based on not winning by enough of a margin, or by winning “ugly”
c. at least 42 opportunities to whine about a or b.
It is actually quite refreshing to see that people have enough passion about the Twins to take the time to complain about them.
“Who wouldn’t be upset with a guy hitting .188 batting in the DH spot?”
Someone who realizes that “hitting .188″ (NOW) doesn’t make anyone a “.188 hitter”.
Every hitter has temporary struggles.
Some hitters have permanent struggles.
Both sets of hitters have batted .188 at some point in time.
mickey mental says:
June 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
“I agree Des, once a team is in the WS tourny, all they gotta do is get hot. I.e. the ‘06 cards.”
or the ‘87 twins.
Or every team that has won it since it was an 8 team league and the Yankess had 20 of the top 25 players in the league.
Even the Yankees teams of the late 90’s needed the breaks, as has every winner since.
OB, with my lineup are you saying we will get blown out? Or are you saying we will blow out Houston??? Just be ready either way, we never know, ya know.
Sid Hartman is classic…he writes a tidbit about Tubby’s team being ranked #16 in the nation and links a website. The website is just cbssportsline.com, which doesn’t directly reflect the pre-season polls. You have to search within the site to find the actual polls.
I just thought I’d share how I wasted 10 minutes of my life away trying to find that.
Normally, I just waste 1-4 hours of my life monitoring everyone’s comments on this blog Monday thru Friday.
Re: tonight’s lineup:
Here is what is going to be interesting to me…. Mr. Sinker is in RF. When and if we ever get to bat in the last of the 1st, he will start his article on his puter. That will be fun.
Reposting my lineup, so people do not have to go way back to find it:
“”"DrDon says:
June 19th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
If I may be so bold, here is the lineup I would like to see tonight:
1. Rocky Simon DH (crappy fielder}
2. Romer 3B (Bad Back and all)
3. Joe the First LF (Good attitude and all)
4. thrylos98 C (good statsman, knows the players)
5. Mr. Sinker RF (Good hustler, makes for good news)
6. DrDon 1B (knows certain things that every player has, so can talk sense to them)
7. sane 2B (a real chatterbox)
8. Shawn from Binghamton SS (puts everyone in their place, which is good)
9. Ben CF (hoping he runs into the wall and knocks some sense into himself)
Pitching tonight…..Fran the Man (takes two gloves, can pitch with either arm, depending on the hitter)”"”
Don,
is this your set lineup?
just wondering so we can start complaining about it….
8th really?
I got power
Update, Update, Update!!!!! Lineup Change…. Shawn from Binghamton just informed me that he has inflamation and swelling in his right elbow from lifting to many 12 ounce weights, and is scratched from the lineup. I may have to DL him. Who will go in and play SS in his place????
Yeah I don’t know Doc, a bad back in the 2 hole? You know t98 just slaps singles the other way right? And why on earth would you put a sub .200 hitter at DH? This lineup is an absolute JOKE!!!!!!!!!
First Buscher was compared to KY, now he’s being compared to Big Papi. Who else can we compare him too? Babe Ruth? Hey, both Butcher and the Babe hit home runs during their careers. Give me a break. He’s awful. He is a horrible fielder and he can’t hit.
Thanks, Doc Don; I’ll do my best Morneau imitation at the 3 hole. I bat left, but also throw left, so left field is a good spot for me; I’ve played a lot of LF.
I feel good about this lineup; I think that we can take on the Astros. Don’t worry, SIB will be fine; putting him lower in the order will give him a bit more time to clear his head and heal his elbow before he bats.
Howard -
I hope you meant they still win for a DAY. This is but a .500 team at present. And, unfortunately, we’ll never know what this kind of talent pipeline could do in other hands, because it looks like Gardy (despite his 6-15 postseason record and 3-23 record in Yankee Stadium) has a lifetime contract, as does his staff.
Gardy DOESN’T know what he’s doing half the time. Christ, his minor league managing career consisted of a whole TWO seasons.
But you get all jacked up about one win. No mind that this team should have SWEPT the Pirates. No mind that this team should be running away with a weak division. No mind that Punto can’t really hit. No mind that Go-Go can’t. No mind the horrible bullpen. We beat the Pirates! Time to hold a parade through the streets of Minneapolis!!
This state’s love affair with mediocrity…it’s nauseating. I’ll bet you were sad to see Jacques Lemaire and Doug Risebrough go too, huh? I mean, the Wild was “competitive,” wasn’t it?
A lot of people in this town were glad to see Terry Ryan stepped down. A lot of baseball fans in this state believe that the Twins have an excellent minor league system that culminates, oftentimes, in the mis-management of talent at the major league level. Why? Because most Twins fans are bright.
It’s really interesting to see what Gardy and his staff have not only done in the postseason and Yankee stadium–fair barometers of true excellence–but what they (Gardy and staff) have done since the core of TK’s teams/teachings left after the 2004 season. Interesting how the division championship parade all but ceased while talent piped in actually increased, huh?
Howard, you usually have cool posts. This one was stupid.
DOH!!!
Don,
my right elbow won’t affect me, I throw lefty….. i am all of the sudden happy to bat 8th.
Update to my Update…. I just talked to Shawn from Binghamton’s Doctor, and his Dr. told me he can play afterall. It is just a bar sore on his elbow that became slightly infected. Shawn is good to go afterall. WHEW!!!!!!!
Doc,
Your line-up looks solid.
How about FIRE! for manager?
I think LNP might star in that lineup.
Shouldn’t they have diagnosed that problem during the off season. Its not like Shawn just started drinking. Put him on the 15 day DL and send him to Baltimore to get more testing done. I once had that problem and acupuncture cured it. A doctor friend of mine (or calls himself one on the blog) says its an infection. Most fans think he should just tough it out.
Never read the blog from end to beginning. Otherwise, you get some strange conversations. Such as Doc Don telling the Shawn Bradley Guy not to bend over to pick up the soap and Shawn in Brmnghm responding to that comment from Doc Don by writing that he’s stretching right now.
I mean, How am I to interpret this exchange?
Can I warm up Joe the First during the home half of innings in left field?
Let me know, otherwise, I got a play date with Lew Ford over my computer at 7:27 pm on the dot.
Joe 1st….Please do not try interpret the exchanges….Just get ready to play ball, or you will be the DFT…. Designated Frisbee Thrower.
Are you me cm. They may win for a DAY, but this is a .500 team AT BEST. The Doc only throws it out there cause he has A LIFETIME CONTRACT. He NEVER knows what he’s doing. Never mind that we should SWEEP the astros. Never mind that SIB has range like Buscher. Never mind that t98 has no power. Get real.
Like you are never negative Howard about the Twins. What a joke to
write about this.
chinmusic….FIRE has been FIRED as manager, he is taking over 1st base coaching spot tho, so we keep him on the payroll.
“No mind that this team should have SWEPT the Pirates.”
yeah, the pirates should be 0-66 at this point.
Lala, that is certainly one take on it. The Pirates were about .500 coming in. I would have liked a sweep but why should that be a given. Even the worst teams win more than a third of their games. 2 out of 3 is probably about the right result, even though we would all like more. Why is this a weak division? I have seen it ranked as the 2nd best in baseball. It is only weak compared to the East. It is at worst average and at best strong compared to the rest of the majors.
A different perspective…
Am at a client’s office, mentioned the tone of comments on these blog’s. One of the guy’s, an Orioles fan (going to Philly tonight to see O’s v. Phillies).
Paraphrasing his comments…Are these folks nuts!!! EVERYONE knows Gardy is one of the 3 best managers in baseball…
Regards,
If I’m just going to waste away on the bench, trade me for something useful or send me to Rochester (Minnesota, not New York… I hear they have good medical care there).
I live in NY so most fans i meet are not Twins fans. They all seem to think Gardy does a great job too. Of course they usually think the Twins are a cute little team in MN.
JimC. I talked to your Doctor, also. He told me that they had to xray your head, and they didn’t find anything. So relax and wait your turn.
SIB,
But they all want to sign Mauer to the Yanks or Mets.
Anyway, btw, but when will the lineup be posted by the Strib?
Joe 1st… 7:10 CDT gametime, my guess is around 5. Will their lineup supercede mine???
If you keep putting up garbage lineups like this, Doc, you’re gonna need my rubber arm in the 4th or the 5th.
Oh…the Dragon just threw a grapefruit into Thrylos’ wheelhouse. Let’s see what he does with it…
DrDon, everybody here can fill out a lineup card better than Gardy. Where have you been?
worse than that Joe, they tell me he will look nice in pinstripes…..jerks
OB, as long as your rubber arm doesn’t develop bar sores on the elbow, I am expecting you to be good to go on a moment’s notice. I do have high expectations, ya know.
The Indians called up Mike Gosling today.
I do think a “put up or shut up” softball game involving this group of bloggers would have potential. I’d love to see all of the experts in action.
JimCrikket is on to something.
Count me in….as long a Gardy makes out the lineup. He will go with what he has to work with.
This will be the title in tomorrow’s section 220 blog:
Dr.Don doesn’t know what he’s doing, crummy players fill lineup, sick superstar (Shawn Bradley Guy) gets day off, Shawn from Binghamton and Mr. Sinker still starting, Twins lose big.
I would like to recommend there be NO beer at that game with the following exceptions:
A keg at 1st, so anyone who reaches gets a 3 ounce little sample.
A keg at 2nd, for any reachers get a 6 ounce sample.
A keg at 3rd, for any reachers get a 9 ounce sample.
If you score a run, you get a full 12 ounce refresher.
A home run gets to stop at every base and celebrate with one of each.
How’s that??????
Lala72: I don’t expect to bat 1.000 with all the people all the time. I take “usually cool” as high praise.
Duane: Of course I’m negative sometimes. Usually with a good argument to back it up, as Lala72 and other would probably tell you — especially if I bribe them with beer.
SBG: This is the Twins’ lineup? I thought Dr. Don owned the Moorhead Spudfires!
Don’t worry Doc, just packed the Bengay. Looks like I’m gonna need it. BTW, you know that rightfielder, Mr. Sinker, he’s worthless. No range, strikes out ALL THE TIME, he wouldn’t EVER get a XBH without that dome roof. Put JimC out there, young bats need time to develop. Plus, you know his BA w/RISP is .683, right?
Ignore my last post…this blog is too good to work over the weekend.
About all you’d see from me is fat pitches I throw, and fat pitches I ground out on. I prefer my softball with a barley pop, and a “who cares if we win” attitude.
But, if a game is ever called, I would try to make it (gotta find that old glove from grad school…..).
DrDon, I only wish Nick Punto had incentives like that.
DrDon, can we have a beer at the bench, as that will be where I spend my time (or maybe at the mound)?
I cannot imagine the arguments over what kind of beer to get….
Howard,
Maybe you should start a new Strib blog set aside for people who just want to talk about themselves all day. You wouldn’t really need to write much for it, just type the date and “I never get tired of hearing all about you. What do you have to say today…”
If Doc’s rules were reality, Matt LeCroy would be Albert Pujols.
“”"”This is the Twins’ lineup? I thought Dr. Don owned the Moorhead Spudfires!”"”"
Howard, I had to turn ownership over to the Dilworth Police Department.
mww…. no beer on the bench… ya gotta play to earn your pay. (Get on base when your chance comes).
WHAT!! DrDon I’ve been FIRED before my debut? what am I the “return of Billy Martin” ???
FIRE,,,, all right, I’ll be fair, and give you one more chance. Win tonight or you’re history, ok?
Be lucky your on the team, FIRE.
I would like to try out for reliever! I could be in the pen! Haven’t pitched since 1978, but I’m ready since I had Tommy Johnson surgery!
Dr. Don… something about using the word ’sample’ for a small amount of beer makes me kind of queasy.
It looks like the Tiggers are in the process of releasing Maglio Ordonez…
shaun, you had surgery on your Johnso… and that helped???
Fran, you are pitching tonight. No beer for you today, ya gotta be sharp. That is why we are DH’ing for you, my friend, we are counting on you.
thry, what are you doing checking on the Tiggers, you need to get to work warming up Fran the Man.
Pen won’t be needed, for the second day in a row. I am throwing goose eggs.
Did get the ‘78/Tommy Johnson reference, though, shaun. Nicely done.
Eric, you misunderstood shaun…He meant to say is recovering from Tommy’s Johnson surgery. I know that for a fact, I talked to his Doctor.
I’d take a flier on Magglio as a RH DH
I’m going to get kicked out of the game in the 3rd inning after Ben gets called out sliding into 1st base and using it for a pillow
From mlbtraderumors:
“By Ben Nicholson-Smith [June 19, 2009 at 9:28am CST]
ESPN.com’s Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that MLB investigators are looking into Miguel Angel Sano’s age after the Twins requested more detail on the top Dominican prospect’s background. Sano says he’s 16, but some believe he’s older because of his physique. The investigation will include a DNA test and could prevent a quick signing when the international signing period begins on July 2nd. Any player caught lying about his age receives a one-year suspension from MLB.
Arangure reports that Sano’s expected to sign with the Twins or Pirates as long as he’s not suspended”
It looks like the Tiggers are in the process of releasing Maglio Ordonez…
Get Magg-li-oh (oh-oh) out of the division.
FIRE…. Ben doesn’t slide into first…He trips over his own two feet and makes it look like a slide. THAT is in his scouting report.
I’m not convinced the Twins are as interested in Sano as it might appear. They haven’t done much on the international free agent market ever.
Magglio would be OK in a platoon with Kubel.
Leyland got extended.
SIB…. Did he take Extenz?????????
Watch the Sano “kid” turn out to be about 23.
If the Twins picked up Ordonez, the Tiger’s would still be on the hook for his contract (presuming he’s released), right?
“Leyland got extended.”
There’s a joke in there somewhere.
DrDon beat me to it.
Good one, sane. I heard David Ortiz has the wrong birthday AND the wrong name.
Another former player (I think he had a good year for us once):
OB,
yes, Twins would only have to pay the minimum.
“Leyland got extended.”
His contract may be longer than his life expectancy, if he keeps smoking in the tunnel.
Watch the Sano “kid” turn out to be about 23.
Not really. Here is an article with a video of his. He is a teenager
http://www.globalpost.com/video/sports/090420/dominican-dreams-part-2-miguel-angel-sano
sane….”"”if he keeps smoking in the tunnel.”"”
And he needs Extenz??????
Ordonez’s splits vs LHP aren’t too bad (or at least not as bad as what he does against righties), granted you’re dealing with small samples.
Wouldn’t exactly solve bullpen or MI issues, of course.
Do claims on released players go in reverse order of record?
Because, if so, I would think the b-word (and I don’t mean Boston) Sox (or others) would take the flyer on Maggs before he ever got to the Twins.
Fran, I think if a player is released any team can pick him up.
Update, Update, Update…. Howard doesn’t know if he can play tonight, he is suffering from abdominal cramps from laughing so hard today. I will check with his Doctor and see if he is still good to go. Update on that report later.
maybe leyland should have some potassium nitrate, huh doc?
“he is suffering from abdominal cramps from laughing so hard today”
At what?
oooooooooo, shaun. I take it you have sampled that?
I want to thank Shawn in Binghamton for writing the jokes for us ahead of time.
the lineup I made out of course
I want to thank Al Gore for inventing the internet.
“I want to thank Shawn”
I mis-read that as “I want to shank Thawn”.
My bad!
I am all glove and no bat… if anything I could be a good setup pitcher if you guys will let girls play.
I want to thank ESPN for creating the legend that is “Jeter and Friends”….
Just talked to Howard’s Doctor, he is good to go…. Still starting in RF on defense, and writing from the dugout on offense.
Little Miss…. WE are Equal Opportunity Employers!!!!!
they put it in our eggs in Nam, doc. made them green.
LMS,
“if you guys will let girls play.”
I am betting, that it’s been several years since many of the guys have played baseball like guys.
well I might be a better option in the pen than mister Henn, lefty too. =)
OK, LMS….when you come in, you had BETTER look at the hitters cross-eyed so the hitter will not have a clue which hitter you are throwing to. Your minor league report said you are good at that. Trouble is, we can only play one catcher at a time, unless we are allowed a backup to play behind our regular.
Get Stinker outta there!!!!!! We can’t afford anything less than the best. EVERY GAME MATTERS!!! Get JimC the PAs he needs to be a superstar. At the end of the year YOU ALL WILL THANK ME.
Put Li’l Miss in the pen, too. This is funny, here’s a real baseball jersey, Sarkie:
OB, FIRE and I will take your suggestion under consideration. But we gotta keep the team happy.
I reward 3 things
1)sliding into 1st base
2)getting after it
3)battling your tail off
shaun….absolutely awesome shirt. Gotta love it. Thanks.
!t was for Little Miss Sarcasm Doc. She’s a lefty.
“Hum that pea you lanky southpaw!”
Doc, I just don’t get this love affair with mediocrity. I sure don’t know what you’re doing, but I doubt you do either. It’s time to fire Doc FIRE. JUST DO IT ALREADY.
FIRE can’t fire me, OB. I own the team, the Moorhead Spudfires. Me and Al Davis run pro sports.
Well, Doc, at least you have someone with half a brain to go to for advice. The Raiders may as well be the Red Sox when compared to the geniuses in this FO. GO SPUDFIRES!
Al Davis = Jerry Jones at Dallas.
Right OB. Let’s hear it for the Spuds:
Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes,
Sweet Potatoes, SPIT!
Were from Moorehead and your not
SPAM!
DrDon, I won’t be able to make the game, so let me submit my comments ahead of time:
“That thrylos botched another easy play.”
“thrylos is a stiff”
“That was another putrid AB by thrylos”
“thrylos likes to hear himself talk on his big mouth”
” lucky wind-blown hit by the stat man of the millenium-hope this increases his trade value”
Well said, bop….but please do not bad mouth my catcher. He carries this team. He may not be worth a hoot as a human, but he is one hell of a good catcher…. He reminds me of AJ. That is my story and I am sticking to it.
Never mind then, Doc. Just substitute the name “Cuddyer” for “thrylos” and attribute the comments to thrylos, to save him some time tonight. Thanks.
GO SPUDS!
LaVelle has the real lineups… Now I am gonna go there and read the mashing of jaws and gnawing of teeth. Twas fun today gang, thanks for playing along. Doc
FIRE!!!
If you do send sane down to Rochester after the game, please don’t call him an “enigma”.
I am sure that really hurt Lexi’s feelings…
BTW… A special thank you to Howard for letting us have fun, and even joining in. You are great Howard, Thanks again. DrDon
Howard, I thought the Twins were supposed to take 3 of 4 in Oakland…wait, I forgot, only the posters write things that end up wrong after the fact
Jason….you missed out on a blast of a blog today. I haven’t laughed this much as I did today, since…..ever. The bloggers, and Howard, were in First Team Mode. Welcome, Jason.
Thin skin have we Jason
Yoda…Jason was tongue in cheek, didn’t you notice the smiley?????
Howard,
Interesting post as always.
Since I don’t think I’ve seen anyone take a crack at one of your questions thought I would.
“Cuddyer, whom I’ve read really stinks and is a slacker taking a spot from more deserving players, was 6 for 10 in the Pittsburgh series and is at .277/.358/.513 for the season. His slugging percentage is fourth behind the lefty trio. Someone explain to me again why that’s not good enough”.
I’m not in their camp but maybe some of the following are reasons held onto by this group:
1) He’s a “Gardy guy” and nothing bothers some folks more than a player being given a chance because of the respect his manager has for what he’s done in the past.
2) His salary, while in-line for what most of the other players around the league at his position with similar production (At least in ‘06 and ‘09 since ‘08 was a write off due to injury) is one of the top three among Twins hitters and his numbers are a big step back from #1 & #2.
3) He’s a Gardy guy. See reason #1.
4) They are relatives of Delmon Young.
5) Of myriad stats out there they have found 1 that shows others (see Delmon)
6) “They” are Delmon Young.
7) It’s not good enough if you’ve suffered not one but two serious injuries rendering your 2008 season a wash out following a sub par 2007 season. Injuries are no excuse if you are a “Gardy guy”.
You’re T98.
9) Because Cuddy’s 30 not 23 years old.
…And finally (drum roll please)
10) He’s a “Gardy Guy”, Nick Punto’s a “Gardy Guy” and everyone hates Nick Punto!
Just my guess anyway.
Go Twins!
Billy Smith had done nothing, is doing nothing and will do nothing to help the Twins. He has a chance to do one smart thing, let’s see if he can handle it: sign the Twins 10th round pick in the MLB Draft. It’s going to take a little extra money tho. The pick is Blake Dean a left hander with great power and who hits for average. He is a 2 time All American and is the straw that stirs the drink for LSU. C’mon Billy, take some time out from the Sizzler buffet line and sign him!!!!!!!
Blake Dean will sign. He does have tremendous power (with an aluminum bat) but the only problem is that he projects as a DH. He is a huge work in progress on the field.
Howard, I am honored that you used my Nick Punto comment in your blog! Keep up the good writing and I’ll keep up the snarky comments.
Icon…. please take a few minutes and read the entire blog. We had a blast, and we need you somewhere on the team. Even Howard interjected with a few comments. Doc
yea Doc I had to go on the road today…I would’ve enjoyed that one.
But hey, still plenty of baseball left…
Jason, when you have time, go back and read the entire blog…. we had laughs galore. All fun, no heavy stuff.
I will be enjoying the Air Conditioned Metrodome tonight somewhere in the Upper Club, haven’t decided what section yet. The game last night was entertaining, and I am looking forward to seeing Tejada look silly again tonight (hands on the waist staring at Baker, confused and lost).
Also, finally some great bunts! ‘Bout time!
Looks like Craig Monroe’s DH game against the Twins was his swan song with the Pirates. They’ve DFA’d Monroe today, per MLBTR.
Do not lay this loss on the bullpen. Lay it on Gardy IMO.
Here are the options.
3-2 lead in the 7th with 1 out and a guy on do you.
a. Bring in your worst reliever in a tight game. b. Leave Baker in.
c. bring in a guy who has about a 1.4 ERA for the last 2 months who can probably finish off the game.
This isn’t hindsight. It’s percentages. I would not be saying a thing if Dickey had come in and gave up runs. How can you complain about not having a deep enough bullpen when you have a guy who can give you tons of innings and outings that you throw 4 times in 22 days?
Nothing against Henn but it is the same deal with Crain. Let the guy struggling most get innings in non pressure situations so they can get confidence and prove they can throw zeros up there.
