2 in a row!!!

I know it's only a 2-game series, but it's still a sweep. It may be the needed confidence booster before the "Showdown with Mo'town" this weekend. (I will be attending both the Friday and the Sunday game. For those who don't know, I'm a bobblehead collector and Sunday is the season premier in terms of bobbleheads with Ron Gardenhire.)

As for today's game, it wasn't televised. I watched the GameCast on ESPN which doesn't do it for me. Seeing Morneau hit a double to score the run that would amount as a winner is a whole lot different than reading "Morneau double to deep left. Gomez scores." But either way, I'll take the win.

Three Stars:
Carlos Gomez - 3 for 4, 2 R, RBI, SB, 2B, OF AST (threw Thome out at 3rd). Right when you think he's in over his head, he goes out and TOTALLY REDEEMS HIMSELF! Even if Gomez is in the lineup and isn't hitting well, the offense is still better. When he is hitting, even if nobody else is, the Twins have the potential to win. His batting average isn't terrible (.265), but his OBP is only .279. He's gotta learn to take some walks if the Twins offense is going to turn the page. (Heck, Delmon Young has taken 3 walks in the last 4 games... and he only took 26 all of last year.) So, in conclusion, that's my ONLY complaint with Go-Go: TAKE A BASE... you can still steal second. Oh, does anyone else want to see him try to steal home? Cause I do!

Check out this S-Trib article: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/18422239.html?page=1&c=y

Nick Blackburn - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 88 pitches. I was skeptical about Blackburn being in the rotation before the season started. Yeah, he was BA's #1 organizational prospect, but he is 26. In comparison, both Bonser and Baker are 26, and Slowey is 24. So Blackburn isn't exactly "young" by rotation standards. Regardless of all of that, Blackburn is (usually) getting it done. In 6 games, he's really only had 1 bad start. Not all of the other 5 were good. But at least 3 were. That's at least reason for optimism.
Justin Morneau - 2 for 4, RBI, 2B. I didn't name Morneau a "star" after his last game-winner, so I'm going to pay him his dues right now. Nice work. Even though he's only hitting .268, he does have 22 RBI (which is tied for 3rd in the AL). How much of that has to do with the pitchers on the mound throwing to Morneau but thinking, "Gomez, Gomez"? Did anyone happen to read that quote earlier this spring? Well, Crazy Carlos might have been onto something... or not. Either way, the bats need to roll.

In other Twins news today:
Francisco Liriano pitched for Rochester today. To put it simply, he was BRUTAL. 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 94 pitches, 51 strikes. At this point, I'm jumping off the Liriano-ship, cause it's not going anywhere. Part of me hopes he figures it out next week and can return to the big club. The other part of me hopes he stays down for the rest of the year regardless of when/if he figures it out. Right now, I'm in a "screw me/screw you" position with him. He screwed the Twins with his lack of rehab, so he can stay in the minors, miss arbitration and play for $410K again next year (instead of $1 million plus). That would be perfectly fine with me because at some point - whether '08, '09 or '10 - he'll figure it out.

The Twins announced that Adam Everett will be activated in time for Friday's game and that Brian Buscher will be optioned to Rochester. Although I hoped otherwise, I figured it was inevitable that Everett would get another shot. I just really thought it might be appealing to give Tolbert regular at-bats in Rochester and let Buscher pinch-hit. Speaking of Rochster, if you didn't know Alexi Casilla isn't hitting his weight, so don't expect him to be coming up anytime soon.

The Twins also made some other moves: They sold OF Jon Knott (Phillies) and release C Eli Whiteside. They will be replaced by Brian Buscher and C Ryan Jorgensen (activated from suspended list).


In American Idol news: Brooke White is going home. That leaves Syesha with the three guys. For some reason, I have to believe that this is neither the first nor last time that Syesha has been with three guys... JUST KIDDING! In all seriousness though, this is a two-horse race. And those horses are both named David. Smart money is on David Cook.

Later on!

Twins Win!!!

I didn't watch much of the game tonight. I visited my brand-new baby nephew, Colton Thomas, and now I'm watching Juno. I did listen to some of the game and kept up by watching the box score.

Anyway, it was nice to get another tally in the win column by defeating the ChiSox 3-1.

Three Stars:

Boof Bonser - 7 IP, 6 H, ER (HR), BB, 8 Ks. I can be a little hard on Boof, especially last year. But this year he's pitched very well, just hasn't gotten much help from the offense. Tonight he took matters into his own hands. As far as I can tell, his 8 Ks are the most he's had since last May.

The Bullpen - 2 IP, H, K, 18 pitches. You gotta love it when these guys come in and do exactly what they're supposed to do. I'm really on board with getting Neshek signed to a long-term deal.
Batters 5-9 - 6 for 14, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2B, HR. How many times last year did the bottom of the order produce, let alone win a game? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say "not very often".

I know I kind of broke the rules - my 3 stars are actually 9 guys - but, hey, they are my rules and I like wins. Looking forward to more of the same tomorrow. Hopefully, Blackburn will get back on track.

Twins get blasted

I'm having trouble getting my posts to work.

Let's just forget about yesterday and hope for a better game tomorrow.

Twins back on track

The Twins were able to get back to their winning ways on Saturday night with a 12-6 win over the Sidney Ponson-led Texas Rangers. It came at a price, as Scott Baker left in the 5th inning with what was described as a "mild groin strain." It is unknown if he will be able to make his next scheduled start.

It was tough for me to decide on my three stars. Eight of the nine in the lineup got at least one hit. Six got two or more. Six players knocked in runs and seven scored. And that's not to mention the job the bullpen did after Baker left early.

Three Stars, after much debate:
Brendan Harris - 3 for 5, 2 R, 2B. Harris has been playing very well since being inserted in the #2 spot in the lineup. In my mind, I view Harris as the leadoff hitter. Yeah, Gomez bats first, but the lineup starts when Harris bats because he brings all the qualities of a leadoff hitter to the plate.
Mike Lamb - 3 for 4. 2 RBI, R, 2B. Lamb finally is starting to come around (his average is finally over .200) and that is good news for the Twins. Remember, Lamb was brought in for his bat - not his glove - but is arguably having his best fielding season at 3B. (His fielding percentage is .956. Only his 2005 season at .980 was better - but he only started 12 games at 3rd base that year.)
Twins Bullpen - 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 BB (ouch!), ER, K. After Baker's early exit, the bullpen came in down 4-2 and did an excellent job giving the Twins a chance to win. The 10 baserunners in 4+ innings (WHIP over 2.00) is kind of alarming, but the 1 run is more important. Jesse Crain was especially dominant in his 2/3 of an inning. Hopefully, Livan "Innings-Eater" Hernandez can give the bullpen a break today.

In other news, the NFL Draft started yesterday. My mock ranked slightly below Mel Kiper's, but I still matched 7 players with their correct teams - and that's not easy to do. (My final draft was Friday - so I didn't change any of my picks even though a lot were known before draft time.)

I'm a Jaguars Fan - and I was happy with their first day. Obviously they gave up quite a bit to move up to get their guys, and only have 2 5th rounders today, but the one obvious weakness - a pass rush - was addressed yesterday with the selection of Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves.

As far as the local teams go, I don't really have much to say, but I will anyway...
The Packers had a pretty good day I thought. Jordy Nelson will be able to contribute this year on special teams and eventually will be a pretty good receiver. He should see the field in 5-receiver sets. Brian Brohm was a very good selection. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a start by the end of this season.
The Vikings surprised a lot people by trading up to draft S Tyrell Johnson. There were still good QBs and WRs on the board, which are both viewed as bigger needs than DB. (The Vikings were somewhat able to redeem themselves by trading up to draft John David Booty in the 5th round.)

The Twins game has begun, so I will be back to post later.

My Mock Draft

Here's my shot at the 1st round:

1 MIA
Jake Long

2 STL
Glenn Dorsey

3 ATL
Chris Long

4 OAK
Darren McFadden

5 KC
Branden Albert

6 NYJ
Vernon Ghoulston

7 NE
Keith Rivers

8 BAL
Matt Ryan

9 CIN
Sedrick Ellis

10 NO
Leodis McKelvin

11 BUF
Devin Thomas

12 DEN
Ryan Clady

13 CAR
Chris Williams

14 CHI
DeSean Jackson

15 DET
Rashard Mendenhall

16 ARI
Derrick Harvey

17 KC
Phillip Merling

18 HOU
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

19 PHI
Jonathan Stewart

20 TB
Mike Jenkins

21 WAS
Malcolm Kelly

22 DAL
Felix Jones

23 PIT
Quentin Groves

24 TEN
James Hardy

25 SEA
Jeff Otah

26 JAC
Lawrence Jackson

27 SD
Aqib Talib

28 DAL
Limas Sweed

29 SF
Gosder Cherilus

30 GB
Jerod Mayo

31 NYG
Kenny Phillips

Twins blow lead, lose in extras

The Twins lost a big lead and their starting center fielder tonight before falling to the Rangers in 10 innings tonight.

Not going to be a long post tonight on the game because I want to get some NFL Draft stuff done and on here too.

Three Stars:
Justin Morneau - 3 for 4, HR, R, 5 RBI, BB. It's a good thing that Morneau had a huge game. If he hadn't, it looks like tonight would have been a repeat of last night. And that would have sucked even more than it sucks already.
Joe Mauer - 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, R. As much as I don't like him in the 3-hole, I do like when he delivers. And he's been doing that lately, as he has his average up to .301.
Carlos Gomez - 2 for 3, 2 R, 2 bunt-singles, SB. When Gomez is on his game - and by that I mean bunting well - the Twins are a tough team. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Twins didn't score after he went out today and didn't score at all the only game he didn't start? If Gomez's injury proves to be something that can keep him out of the lineup for the next couple of days, the Twins may be in for a long weekend.

I almost forgot to mention: The Twins sent Denard Span and Francisco Liriano to Rochester. Activated Michael Cuddyer from the DL and called up Bobby Korecky from AAA.

Korecky has been closing for Rochester since last season and has done a pretty good job of it. He is not a conventional closer however, as he normally pitches multiple innings during his appearences. From what I've heard, he usually makes his save opportunities interesting, but has been better this year. Don't expect him to stick around too long, as the Twins will need another starter soon and Kevin Slowey is expected to be ready to play before long.

Did anyone else see the Twins All-You-Can-Eat-Promotion? $33 gets you a seat in the upper deck and all the food you can eat. That, my friends, sounds like a steal.

I'll be back with something on the NFL Draft. Either tonight or in the morning.

Dear Brewers Fans

I've had a lot of request for something Brewers... well, here it is. This is also in response to the Brewers Fan that said this to me (Thanks Dan):

"You know... you should blog about the team thats actually going to win its division and make its first World Series appearance since 1982...Kapler. Braun. Fielder. Hart. JJ. Sheets. Milwaukee Brewers. World Series 2008 Champs! YES WE CAN!"

***Before I start, let me preface this by saying that I'm not anti-Brewers. Being in opposite leagues, I don't consider it a rivalry. In fact, if the Twins aren't on, I will watch the Brewers and maybe even hope they win... maybe.***

I like Brewers fans and I'll tell you why. They're always optimistic.

Every year is going to be "The Year".

You know what I'm talking about.

Let me give you a quick overview:
2004: 45-41 at the All-Star break. Everyone thinks it's going to be "the year" the post-season-less strek ends. The Brewers close with a 22-53 record (which just happens to be the worst 2nd half for any .500+ team at the break IN BASEBALL HISTORY). Don't worry, next year for sure.

2005: The Brewers start 3-0! This might be "the year" the Brewers win it all! They lose 10 of their next 12. But wait, they go on a tear in September to close the season at 81-81. You know what that means? That means next year is definately "the year"!

2006: You remember this year. The year when Sheets would win the Cy Young and Carlos Lee would be the NL MVP. And then Sheets got the blisters and then Lee got traded. Brewers Fans stayed optimistic.

2007: It's been 25 years, so this year is going to be "the year" for sure. A crazy good 25-11 start suggested it would be. And then the wheels fell off. Thank God the Mets collapsed, so no one noticed the Brewers fall off the face of the earth. But Ryan Braun was the NL ROY and Prince Fielder hit 50 home runs. So next year has gotta be "the year", right?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves Brewers Fans. Enjoy it while it lasts. I'll tell you, us Twins Fans are getting kinda antsy, we're closing on the 20th Anniversary of our last World Series Victory. I can only imagine how much it sucks to not even be able to celebrate an anniversary.

Visions of the Future?

Weird thing happened earlier tonight.

I didn't get home until after the game had started, so I started watching the game on our little tv upstairs. During that time, Carlos Gomez got a bunt single and they showed him running to first in slow motion. For whatever reason, I was reminded of Jose Reyes. I don't know how many of you remember Reyes when he broke into the league, but he was very fast -- and had hamstring problems for parts of multiple seasons. As I sat watching I thought to myself, "When I get a chance to post tonight, I need to say something about my prediction that Carlos Gomez will pull a hamstring sometime soon."

Well, lo and behold, Gomez came up lame later during tonight's game. He was replaced in the lineup by Craig Monore, who immediately couldn't make a (routine-GoGo) play in center. At this point, we're not sure if it was a hamstring or what. Hopefully it will be nothing and Gomez will be back in center tomorrow. (If he's unable to, does that mean Span gets called back up?)

I will have another update after the game.

Twins Lose -- need to send Liriano down

The Twins lost last night to the A's 3-0. It really didn't matter how the Twins played because Chad Gaudin was very good. I watched most of it and they really didn't play very well. Because of that and the fact that they are already playing today, I'm going to pass on the Three Stars.

As for today's game. I was presently surprised when Carlos Gomez (after a day off) led off today's game with a home run. It was also nice to give Liriano an opportunity to come into the game with a one-run cushion.

And then the wheels fell off...

Liriano made it only 2 outs into today's game and had already given up 5 H, 3 BB and 6 (all earned runs). Yikes!

Personally, I've had it with Francisco Liriano. I like him as a player. (Well, at least I did in 2006.) But it's become obvious that he's not doing the things he's supposed to be doing to get himself back into that form... and until he is, there is not room for him on this ball club. I also don't think it's worth sending him back to Rochester. I think it would make more sense to send him to Fort Myers -- either High-A ball or Extended Spring Training. And then, when all is said and done, don't bring him back until he's shown that he's ready. Even if that means 2009.

So what roster move should the Twins make? It really depends on Kevin Slowey. (Michael Cuddyer should take Denard Span's spot, not Liriano's.) If Slowey can come back as a starter, he should take Liriano's place. Even though a 5th starter isn't absolutely necessary until around May 10th, it would still benefit Slowey to be pitching to big-league hitting.

If Slowey isn't ready soon, that makes this move a little more interesting. Has Kevin Mulvey done enough to deserve a promotion? I think he's done enough to deserve a look. But is that the best idea in terms of the Twins' long-term plans? I don't really think so. With that being said, no other pitcher in Rochester has performed well enough to merit a look in the bigs, nor has any batter batted like he could help the Twins.

So my guess for Twins transactions in the next couple of weeks:
-Remove Michael Cuddyer from DL and send Denard Span to AAA.
-Send Francisco Liriano to High-A Ft. Myers and promote Kevin Mulvey.

That leaves Kevin Slowey and Adam Everett on the DL. Which could make for a few more interesting decisions in the near-future.

(On a side note, I was happy - but a little surprised - that Carly got sent home last night. My Idol Power Poll: 1. David C.; 2. David A.; 3. Syesha M.; 4. Brooke W.; 5. Jason C.)

Twins and Idol

The Twins won their third straight last night with a 5-4 victory over Oakland. I was able to stay up for most of the game, but couldn't make it to the end.

Three Stars:
Craig Monroe - 3 for 4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R. Apparently, Monroe has always had Blanton's number. All it took was one night of Blanton to get Monroe's average back up to .300.
Delmon Young - 2 for 4, 2B, R. Young was this close to getting his first HR. But instead settled for his first extra base hit of the year. He's been giving decent at-bats, but has still (predictably) only taken 3 walks -- and that's disturbing.
The Bullpen - 3 IP, H, BB, 5 K, W, H, SV. The design is to hand the ball over to the bullpen with an opportunity to win the game. As long as they can keep it up, this year could be quite promising!

They play another late one tonight, so chances are there won't be an update until tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow night, LOST returns with a new episode. In my opinion, the best hour of TV all week comes when LOST is on.

Less importantly, American Idol will be down to 5 after this week. I'm starting to wonder about this show and how much pressure the network puts on the judges. Clearly, David Archuleta has singing ability, but when you screw up the lines, the judges need to point that out. But apparently, the judges are under pressure to deliver the "All-David Final" with Carly coming in a close third.

How it should be tonight: David C, Syesha and Carly should be safe. David A and Brooke sweat it out. Jason goes home.

How it's going to be tonight: Davids and Carly are safe. Syesha and David survive the Bottom 3. Brooke goes home.

I guess we'll see later tonight.

If I Were... Kevin McHale

First off, I would step back and look at what I've done in my almost 13 years of being Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

DRAFT HISTORY:

• My first draft produced Kevin Garnett, who grew into something that was almost bigger than the franchise itself. After a disappointing run, there was no choice but to let him go.
• The 1996 draft produced Stephon Marbury, but only through a trade with the Bucks. In hindsight, I would have been better off keeping Ray Allen. At the time though, it looked like the right deal.
• The 1997 draft - the first draft after our initial playoff appearance - netted Paul Grant. He lasted a total of 16 career games scoring 29 points before being out of the league. We were able to rid ourselves of him in the Marbury trade.
• The 1998 draft was more of the same - a low-skill big man. Of course Rasho Nesterovic is still in the league and contributing to a playoff team in Toronto. If my memory serves me correctly, he priced himself out of our range and we replaced him with Michael Olowokandi.
• The 1999 draft was another first. For the first time in my tenure, we had two first round picks. We definitely hit on the first one - Wally Szczerbiak - who made an all-star game appearance, but missed big time on William Avery.
• Another screw-up I made (Joe Smith), caused us to be stripped of a handful of 1st round picks over the course of the next five years. No first round picks in 2000, 2001, 2002 or 2004.
• Our 2003 draft wasn't the splash we had hoped for... Ndudi Ebi just didn't get it done. We thought he had the ability to be a contributor, it turns out that I was just taken by a guy who's name was apparently announced "Doo-dee".
• The next first round pick we had was 2005 and we took Rashad McCants in the middle of the first round. He fit in well with KG, but now we're still trying to find his place. His time is running out.
• I made my second best pick in 2006 with the selection of Brandon Roy. Unfortunately, I traded him for Randy Foye. Roy has already proved he's an all-star, but if it wasn't for an injury, Foye might be at that level too. This draft also included our best 2nd round pick since Doug West in 1989- Craig Smith.
• Our last draft produced two winners - Corey Brewer and Chris Richard. They didn't bring the wins with and both struggled as rookies. The jury is still out on both of them.

I think the next order of business is to look at my roster now and see what I have. The ultimate goal is to have a collection of guys that can play well together and win some games. Looking at a team like the Pistons as an example: Their players individually aren't the greatest, but put them together, and they are all all-stars. Would Tayshaun Prince be an all-star with the Wolves? No. Was Chauncey Billups? No. Together, though, that team is pretty good.

THE CURRENT ROSTER:

• Al Jefferson - Averaged 21 pts and 11 boards. Signed a big contract extention that will have him in a Wolves uniform for the next five years. Has limited offensive game, but the ability to score 21 ppg with limited teammates says something. In the perfect world, we use Big Al at the 4 and build around him.
• Randy Foye - Averaged 13 pts and 4 asts, but missed half the year with a knee injury. We will more than likely pick up the option for 2009-10, but he will surely be out to prove something next year. Ideally, Foye shows he can play both the 1 or the 2. Realistically though, at 6-3, Foye would have to play point guard. That would not be the ideal situation. I would love to surround him with talent and make him a combo guard off the bench, but he definately has the ability to be a starter.
• Corey Brewer - Averaged 6 pts and 4 boards. Brewer came into the league with a reputation as a defensive stopper and he didn't completely disappoint. Make no mistake though, he can't play at this league at 6-9, 185. At some point, if he can improve his shot (37% FG, 19% 3s), he could be more than a defensive option off the bench, but he won't be there for a while.
• Rashad McCants - Averaged 15 pts. Rashad doesn't contribute much besides his scoring. Is there a place for that in this league? Absolutely. But how much does that help a 22-60 team? Not a whole lot. He needs to be content with being a 6th man, one who can come in and fill it up a little... and not pout about it.

Those are 4 guys we know will be back next year. Assuming a 10-man rotation, with 5 role-playing backups, let's see where they fit:

• PG - Randy Foye (but could move to the 2)
• SG -
• SF -
• PF - Al Jefferson
• C -
• Scorer (6th man) - Rashad McCants
• Back-up PG -
• Defensive specialist - Corey Brewer
• Back-up big-man -
• Back-up big-man -

That doesn't seem to look very good, but it is realistic. Let's look at the rest of the possibilities:

• Ryan Gomes - Averaged 12 points and 6 boards. Going into the offseason, he's the #1 in-house priority. If we can get him back at a reasonable price, he can be our 3-guy for the forseeable future.
• Marko Jaric - Averaged 8 pts and 4 asts; Sebastian Telfair - Averaged 9 pts and 6 asts. We're going to have to move one of these guys. They both don't fit in long-term. If we could, we would trade Jaric. He's got a big contract, so he won't be easy to move. Telfair is the type of player that just needs to calm his game down. He would be a valuable back-up to any team, and he'll probably go where the money is. If would could get him reasonably and trade Jaric, Telfair would be a better choice. Either way, we'll keep one and move the other.
• Craig Smith - Averaged 9 pts and 5 boards. Smith (along with Gomes) is the type of player that can really hamstring a franchise. If we overpay for either of these two, we're dead. Both would be nice to have back, but only at back-up money. If Smith is back, it's as a rotation player off the bench. If he's too spendy, see ya later.
• Kirk Snyder - Averaged 7 pts and 2 boards. Snyder was a guy that flew nicely under the radar. He played well at times after being traded for Gerald Green. He should get a qualfying offer. If he's back, it will probably be as a rotation-guy. But, ideally, he's an emergency-only guy.
• Greg Buckner - Averaged 4 pts and 1 ast. Buckner is a good, experienced guy to have around. He won't contribute much on the floor, but he's a guy we'd keep active just in case.
• Mark Madsen - Averaged 2 boards. Mad-dog could contribute to a good team as a high-energy guy. Too bad there just isn't a spot for one of them on this squad. He'll stick around as the 12th man (again).
• Chris Richard - Averaged 2 pts and 2 boards. Richard showed enough to get back to camp. Probably won't make the rotation, but could go to the D-League.
• Antoine Walker - Averaged 8 pts and 4 boards. Walker can still play. It just won't be in Minnesota.
• Michael Doleac - Averaged 2 pts and 2 boards. Won't be back.

Now look at the 15 man roster:

• PG - Randy Foye (but could move to the 2)
• SG -
• SF - Ryan Gomes (but only at a REASONABLE price)
• PF - Al Jefferson
• C -
• Scorer (6th man) - Rashad McCants
• Back-up PG - Maric Jaric/Sebastian Telfair
• Defensive specialist - Corey Brewer
• Back-up big-man - Craig Smith (but only at a REASONABLE price)
• Back-up big-man -
• Player 11 - Greg Buckner, G
• Player 12 - Mark Madsen, PF
• Player 13 (Inactive) - Chris Richard, C
• Player 14 (Inactive) - Kirk Snyder, SG
• Player 15 (Inactive) -

That leaves some big holes - a true shooting guard, a big guy (either a 4 or 5) who can step out and shoot a little, and another big guy to fill out the rotation. But with a high first round pick, two high picks in the second round, and free agency, there is some reason for optimism. I'm not talking 20-win difference, but 30-32 wins could be reachable.

It's tough to determine before the draft order is set, but this would be my draft board (and let's not hope they drop to 6):

1. Michael Beasley - would probably start at 3 and bump Gomes to the bench/rotation or to free agency.
2. Derrick Rose - would start at PG and move Foye to SG.
3. Brook Lopez - would fit in well with Jefferson, but needs to bulk up.
4. Jerryd Bayless - would two combo guards work well together in the backcourt?
5. OJ May0 - would probably start at SG, but is he any better than McCants? Has marketability.

• The 2nd round picks should yield at least one player that is capable of contributing.

Some Free Agents who could fit in (in no particular order):

• Chris Duhon, PG, Bulls (Unrestricted)
• Mickael Pietrus, G/F, Warriors (Unrestricted)
• DeSagana Diop, C, Nets (Unrestricted)
• Gilbert Arenas, SG, Wizards (Early Termination Option -- what?!)

It's really early in the off-season to be piecing together a "what-if" roster, but it's worth looking at. There are a lot of holes, but it also looks to be a fairly strong draft and a possibly-loaded free agent class. The playoffs is a stretch, but being competitive again, well, maybe that's less of a stretch.

That was much longer than I intended. We'll get back to the Twins when they start playing again. They open at Oakland tomorrow night, so there probably won't be a Twins post until Wednesday night. Looks like only American Idol tomorrow. Have a good night!

Twins Win Series

The Twins took the series against the Indians today with a 2-1 victory this afternoon. And for the first time this season (that I can remember) I'm struggling to only name three stars... but here it goes.

Three Stars:
Scott Baker - 7 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 8 K, 100 Pitches. It's really too bad that Baker got a "no-decision" for his gem today. More on Baker later...
Brendan Harris - 3 for 5, HR, RBI, 2 (both) runs. Harris got the first right-handed HR for the Twins this afternoon. He still has apparent defensive short-comings, but he's been a very good hitter (.322); unfortunately, Harris's sucess may keep him in the 2-hole... and Mauer in the 3rd spot. (NOOOOO!!!) More on this later...

Now for my dilemma: Carlos Gomez or Justin Morneau? Morneau may be the obvious choice because of his game-winning hit. But in my mind, had Gomez not made a brilliant catch in the 9th, the Indians win. Game over. Lights out. And for that reason...

Carlos Gomez - 0 for 5 (yikes!), 1 spectacular diving catch. Dick Bremer might have gotten one thing right: No one in the major leagues makes that catch... except for Carlos Gomez. Go Go Gomez Dive. (That's for you Tim.)

Now for a little more on Scott Baker. After today's game, his PBR is 14. What that means is if he can throw 100 pitches per ballgame, he'll only have 7.14 baserunners per start. That would lend itself (hopefully) to 1- and 2-run starts. And that, my friends, should help the ballclub get wins. I've read discussions about "#1 or ACE". In my opinion, an Ace is a #1 on any staff. A #1 is the best pitcher on a given staff. Scott Baker has solidified his status as a #1 on the Twins staff.

As for my take on the lineup, I would like to see this lineup get a try when Cuddyer comes back:
1. Gomez, R, CF
2. Harris, R, 2B
3. Morneau, L, 1B
4. Cuddyer, R, RF
5. Mauer, L, C
6. Young, R, LF
7. Kubel, L, DH
8. Lamb, L, 3B
9. Tolbert, S, SS

Although, I understand (with Everett or Tolbert) having a right/left/right order all the way through. By no means is this a slight on Joe Mauer. Yeah, he hits into the occasional (or more) double play (and it always pisses me off), but he always gives good at-bats and moving him down would provide the Twins with good at-bats while having guys on base. Just my opinion.

The Twins are off tomorrow; they will start a west-coast swing at Oakland on Tuesday night. With no game tomorrow, I am going to try to start something new... a little something called, "If I were..." and I'm going to start this random series with Kevin McHale and looking at the Timberwolves.

Later on!

Looking at Statistics

I'm going to look at some stats.. but first I want to mention something I neglected earlier. The Twins placed Adam Everett on the DL and called up Brian Buscher. This was a move I alluded to earlier. Not a big surprise.

I decided to look at some pitching statistics, but not ones you'd see in a normal boxscore. I want to look at "pitches" and how they can relate to other statistics. The three things I'm going to look at are pitches per earned run (PER), pitches per inning pitched (PIP), and pitches per base runner (PBR).

My orignial assumption is that pitches per earned run would be the most important. My theory is that you want this number to be very high. If it is high, you are pitching the longest without giving up a lot of runs.

My second thought was that pitches per inning pitched would be least important. If you are a strikeout pitcher, you're going to throw more pitches to get less people out. If you have a low PIP, it would seem that you have a great defense behind you and/or you're getting lucky.

Before I get into my findings, I'll go through my process. I took the four starters (Hernandez, Bonser, Baker and Blackburn) that have been pitching all year. I also took Liriano's two games. Lastly, I compared these numbers to Santana's Cy Young years of 2004 and 2006, and Liriano's All-Star year of 2006.

Pitches per earned run:
Liriano in 2006 – 62.1
Santana in 2004 – 51.9
1) Nick Blackburn – 52.4
Santana in 2006 – 48
2) Livan Hernandez – 40
3) Scott Baker – 29.3
4) Boof Bonser – 28.4
5) Francisco Lirano – 25.4

Looking at this, I would say it's somewhat telling. Although I wouldn't agree that Blackburn is having a better year than Santana's 2006. I would agree that Liriano and Bonser's years so far aren't the greatest. This stat shows that.

Pitches per inning pitched
1) Livan Hernandez – 13.3
2) Scott Baker – 14. 1
3) Nick Blackburn – 14.5
4) Boof Bonser – 14.8
Santana in 2006 – 14.8
Liriano in 2006 – 14.9
Santana in 2004 – 15
5) Franciso Liriano – 18.4

Because the 2008 samples are so small, I have a hard time regarding this stat. I would assume, though, that the target should be between 13-16 pitches per inning on average. When you get higher than that, you're asking for trouble.

Pitchers per base runner
Santana in 2004 – 16.31
Liriano in 2006 – 14.89
Santana in 2006 – 14.82
1) Scott Baker – 13.2
2) Nick Blackburn – 11.8
3) Boof Bonser – 11.4
4) Livan Hernandez – 10.9
5) Francisco Liriano – 8.9

Now we're onto something! In Santana's great year of 2004, he only allowed a runner every 16.31 pitches. In 2006, Liriano and Santana both were around 14.8. (Sabathia, 2007 was 12.99; Colon, 2005 was 13.28; Halladay, 2003 was 12.74.) It's hard to tell with this year's guys because the sample is small, but if Scott Baker can stay on track, it makes me think that he'll have a very good year. He's on the hill tomorrow, so I guess we'll see!

Twins Back on Track

The Twins won 3-0 this afternoon while making an appearance on FOX's Game of the Week. I'm going to give my Three Stars quickly, and if I have time tonight, make another post.

Three Stars:
Nick Blackburn - 7.2 IP, 8 H, 0 BB, K, 102 Pitches. As good as Cliff Lee was last night, Blackburn may have been just as good tonight. From what I was able to see, he pitched very well... but he also got help behind him. More on that later.
Justin Morneau - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, HR, R. After being shut out last night, it was huge for the Twins to get on the board quickly today. They did thanks to Morneau's bat.
Twins Defense - A staple of the Twins is great team defense. It hasn't been as great as in the past, but getting 4 double plays and having Delmon Young get a runner out at the plate today is what the Twins need to get - and stay - on track.

Hopefully this continues! Series closes tomorrow afternoon.

Bats Go Ice Cold

The Twins couldn't get it going offensively and lost to the Indians 4-0. In fact, two of the three Twins hits were followed by groundball double-plays. Indians P Cliff Lee has pitched well this year, so this game wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Normally, I would choose three stars from the game, but when the team bats a collective 3 for 27 with 9 Ks and the pitchers aren't anything special, I'd be digging for one star, let alone three.

Of note tonight:

• Francisco Liriano made only his second big-league start since returing from Tommy John surgery. It wasn't great, but I wouldn't classify it as "horrible" either. A final line of 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB and 3 K is not what we came to expect from the F-Bomb, but we need to remember the circumstance. Bottom line: His control needs to get much better... and that will (or at least, should) come in time.
• Casey Blake is a Twins Killer. Doesn't it seem like he always has big games against the Twins?
• Kevin Slowey appears headed on a rehab assignment. It sounds like he'll get some starts at both Ft. Myers and Rochester before heading back to the Cities. Hopefully that by time, it's more clear who should and shouldn't be in the rotation.
• Joe Mauer deviated from the norm with a 6-3 double play tonight. Why bother gettting the 2nd baseman involved?
• Tomorrow night's game won't be broadcast. Hopefully we miss an offensive outburst.

I hope you enjoy the first night of your weekend!

Rays are the Devil

The Twins were able to manage a split with the Rays after dropping tonight's game 7-3. There was nothing too spectacular. I'll quickly go through my 3 stars:
Matt Tolbert - 2 for 4, 2B, R, RBI. Like I've said before, the SS job might be Tolbert's now. I've posted that I think Everett's roster spot could be in jeopardy... although other more well-known bloggers don't think we've gotten to that point yet. Obviously, no one really knows. I'll go more in-depth on this situation later.
Justin Morneau - 2 for 3, 2B, R, BB. There isn't much too say besides the fact that these are the type of games I expect from the former MVP.
Carlos Gomez - 2 for 4, K. I've read that some bloggers think that when Cuddyer comes back off the DL it should be Gomez - and not Denard Span - that heads to Rochester. Yeah, I know a few days ago I said Gomez should be sent done... but that was only out of frustration. Carlos Gomez needs to play every day, and that needs to come in the major leagues.

(The three guys with multi-hit games. The Twins need offense. The pitching wasn't great tonight, but it wasn't bad enough that they didn't have a chance.)

As for my thoughts on the roster jam:
The Twins are in a situation where they'll soon need to make decisions on both the hitters and the pitchers.

Hitters: When Cuddyer went on the DL, Span was called up. Because Cuddyer was the everyday RF, Span was able to play every day (or close). This is an important step in his development. If Monroe or Kubel had gotten hurt, I don't know that Span would be the guy. The problem that will soon arise is what to do when Cuddyer is ready to come off the DL. Well, my opinion is that the Twins should wait until Cuddyer is more than ready to take over his duties in RF. Originally, I read the Twins would play him as soon as he could hit. And that he'd need to DH until he was ready to play in the field. That would be a mistake. I think the simple, and logical, thing to do would be to send Span back down. I've grown to really like Denard Span. He's patient at the plate, can make good contact, and isn't horrible in the field. Definitely a guy that can play at this level. So what's the problem? To develop, Gomez needs to play every day. Delmon Young is coming off playing 162 games last year, so he won't be needing too many days off. Cuddyer, while healthy, will play a very high percentage of games. And between Cuddy and Monroe, the DH position is covered. (Plus, let's not pull a Tyner and DH a light-hitting OF.) Span needs to develop and he would benefit from playing everyday at Rochester.

The other problem is Adam Everett. He's clearly not healthy. And even if he was, he's not very good. Yes, I realize he's making close to $3 million. Personally, and I know there would be a financial consequence, I would rid myself of him, even if that meant releasing him. I doubt he has much trade value. Tolbert can and should start. I think it's time to re-evaluate what Brian Buscher is capable of doing. If that means he's 2008's version of Randy Bush, fine.

The other door that remains a mystery is Craig Monroe. What does he bring to the table? Would the Twins be better off with Garrett Jones as an option? The problem is that the Twins don't really have a lot of capable right-handed batters. Not that Monroe always seems capable.

Pitchers: This problem may not arise until later, but what do the Twins do when Kevin Slowey comes back? Does he get back into the rotation? And at who's expense? I wouldn't totally mind Liriano coming out of the 'pen until he gets his control back, but the inevitable is that there are 6 pitchers for 5 rotation spots. My best guess is that Slowey rehabs, and then stays at Rochester. Chances are something will happen and he will end back up with the Twins by the first of June. I don't envision the Twins trading away any of these players.

Anyway, I'm going to bed. Enjoy your night.

Carl Crawford is a Bonehead

I don't know how many of you kept on Carl Crawford/Delmon Young feud this winter. Basically, Crawford was pleased that Young was traded. He claimed Young was a distraction, too loud and, basically, disrespectful. Young's response was along the lines of "that team sucked before I was there." To which Crawford said something like "shut up and play."

Well tonight was their first meeting against each other. I was at at workshop this evening, so I watched most of the game on DVR fast-forward. (I was able to catch up to real-time.) Regardless, the "goat" tonight was none other than Carl Crawford. Crawford made a sliding catch in the 8th inning. Great catch. The problem was, the ball was foul, there were less than 2 outs, and there was a runner on third. When Crawford made the catch, the runner on third - Young - was able to tag up and score the winning. Boneheaded move, Carl. (What's better is that Crawford also made a ridiculous base running error against the Twins last year.)

Looking at tonight's stars:
Joe Mauer - 3 for 4, 2 R, RBI. Mauer was able to end a hitting slump last night and played even better tonight. He was also able to throw a couple of runners on attempted steals.
Jason Kubel - 2 for 4, 2B, R, RBI. Kubel was able to get the offense going today. He even made a heady baserunning play that allowed him to score later. I think that his recent play has all but ended Denard Span's run as a Twin. As soon as Cuddyer can stand in the box, Span will be sent down and Kubel will play RF while Cuddyer DH's.
Bullpen - 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K, W, SV. IT'S ABOUT TIME! Maybe the fact that the Twins weren't winning was good for the 'pen. But the trio of Reyes, Rincon and Nathan performed admirably. Let's keep it going!

Other noteworthy news:
Livan Hernandez gave up 8 H and 3 BB in 6 IP. His ERA also has climbed to 3.00. I still don't think he's done... but I'm also resigned to the fact that Livan probably won't win the Cy Young this year.
GoGo Gomez stole 2 more bases. (He's at 9 for the season.) I'm not able to find the link anymore, but some idiot at Baseball America predicted that Gomez would maybe steal 20 bases this year. Maybe. I wish I could find it... oh well.

As for American Idol, Kristy Lee finally went home.
My Idol Power 6: 1. David C.; 2. David A.; 3. Jason C.; 4. Syesha M.; 5. Brooke W.; 6. Carly S.

It's been a long day, so I'm going to bed.

Twins Get Swept

Another day, another game for the Twins to blow in the 8th inning. The bullpen just hasn't been reliable and the starters just haven't left on good notes.

2 stars:
Joe Mauer - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, R, 2B. Mauer still isn't hitting like he should be. But this may be a positive change. I think the lineup - and Mauer especially - would really benefit from having Cuddyer back.
Craig Monroe - 2 for 4, RBI. I think there was a huge monkey on Monroe's back and maybe it came off tonight. At the very least, now we know he is capable of getting a hit (or two).

There is no one else worthy.
Scott Baker could have been considered, but he gave up 3 home runs. Only 5 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings (1.oo WHIP) is a pretty good start. But you can't give up 3 home runs. Lots of home runs (Santana) and early ones at that (Radke), it looks like we have our future #1.

On a separate note, the Top 7 performed tonight on American Idol.
I'll take the Davids (Archuleta and Cook) and call them safe.
I'm on the fence about Syesha, Brooke and Jason.
I think Carly and Kristy Lee are both in trouble.

That's all for tonight.

Twins Blow (It)

What a disappointment! It made me sick to watch, so I'm not going to put myself through it again writing too much.

3 Stars:
Delmon Young - 3 for 5, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2B, SB. Watching the guy, I expect more. He doesn't show an ability to hit for any power and he takes some whacks at some horrible pitches. But at the same time, he's becoming one of the lineup's most reliable regulars. Defensively, he's been better than what I expected. He shows reasonable speed and can make the tough catch. That being said, his overall game still needs to inprove significantly.
Denard Span - 2 for 4, R, BB. I'm slowly beginning to come around to this "non-prospect". He's shown an ability to make good contact, take bad pitches and show speed on the basepaths. He's also done an admirable job playing RF after having not done it in the last handful of years. Yeah, he did let a double slip out of his glove and go over the fence. Yeah, he took the wrong angles on some balls and let them get to the fence. But overall, he's shown that he can get the job done at this level. Maybe he's made Craig Monroe expendable? More than likely not at this point... but if Monroe could ever gain some sort of trade value, Span could become a decent 4th OF. But, at the same time, how much time would he get with Young/Gomez/Cuddyer/Kubel playing the 3 OF spots and DH'ing? Not very much. At any rate, Span has shown that he has value. (Maybe Gomez can go to Rochester and learn to bunt...? Fat chance.)
Nick Blackburn - 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K. To be completely honest, I went to give Marin a bath with 2 outs in the 6th... and Blackburn was rolling. 5-0 Twins. I come out a few minutes later and Blackburn is out of the game. 5-4 Twins. I don't really know what happened during that time, but up until then, Blackburn had been pitching really well. And was still in line for the win. Maybe the fact that he hadn't struck out a single batter shows that he wasn't tricking anyone. And against that lineup, you better have your best stuff. I like Blackburn and would like if he could stay in the rotation.

Tonight's junk:
Carlos Gomez - 0 for 5, including a strike out while trying to bunt with 2 strikes. I'll chip in for a plane ticket to Rochester, so he can learn how to bunt.
Joe Mauer - Great job getting 3 walks, but seriously, another GIDP? Enough already! I thought the Common Man was funny nicknaming him Joe "4-6-3" Mauer. But there is a difference between "funny" and "right." Well, there was a difference.
Justin Morneau - I know he didn't have a terrible game, but he's a former MVP... and I don't think he should be batting cleanup.
Mike Lamb - Not that it mattered, but can you say, "world's longest single"?
Adam Everett - Congrats on the two hits, but he's here for another reason. Error (3, throw) shouldn't show up in the boxscore in his 9th game as a Twin. If it was his 139th game, ok, but it's not. I'm officially on the "Cut Adam Everett Wagon". Who's with me? (Having Everett on the roster prevents Punto from playing, so there is one plus... but it's not even a big plus... and that's not good.)
Pat Neshek - I was all about getting a long-term deal done with Neshek. And I still am. Do it now... seriously, I bet we can get him for 6 years/$6.50 an hour. Joke of a performance Pat. Let me be the first to nickname Neshek "Nails". I figure batters might fear a guy named Nails Neshek. Pat? That ain't scaring anybody.
But nobody was a bigger turd tonight than...
Matt Guerrier - 4 outs, 5 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned, 1 HR (not all his fault), hold. I like that he was credited with a hold... because to me, he couldn't hold a Tiger jock tonight. Maybe he got a raw end to Blackburn's night. Or maybe he just was the unlucky recipient of the Tigers' studs finally figuring it out. I heard the equipment guy joke that he was changing the G in Guerrier to a T. Like Matt Tuerrier, as in Matt Tuerrierable. But look at the bright side, at least you're not Juan Rincon.


I feel better now. I guess I just needed to vent a little.

Twins Lose Sunday

It's just going to be a quick post on this afternoon's game.

The Twins couldn't finish off the sweep today in Kansas City, but I'm sure many fans tuned in to see the big news of today: Francisco Liriano's return to the hill. And when you tune in to watch one guy, I'm going to make him a star, regardless of how he did.

Three Stars (slim picking):
Justin Morneau - 1 for 4, RBI. The best of the Twins offense today. Is this what we should expect with Mauer and Tolbert on the bench? Yikes.
Brian Bass - 2.1 IP, BB, 17 pitches, 7 groundouts. Bass efficiently retires 7 batters and Rincon gives up a HR and 3 long flyball outs. Bass is becoming comfortable and somewhat reliable. I'm hoping he can sucessfully step into the position that Guerrier has held the last few years, so Guerrier can take Rincon's spot... and Rincon can be released (or at least rarely pitch).
Francisco Liriano - Although we would have loved to see the old 'Cisco, it just wasn't realistic. A look at what he did:
4.2 IP, 90 pitches (My prediction: 6-7 IP, 75-90 pitches. Had he been more effective, his 90 pitches would have gotten him further.)
6 H, 4 ER (My prediction: 4 ER. I can handle this in his first start back... in the cold.)
5 BB, 4 K (My predicion: 3 BB, 7 K. This is where his start could have been better. He was all over the place. I don't know exactly, but it seemed like almost every hitter had a 3-0 or 3-1 count. That led to almost every leadoff guy getting on. It will get better though.)
NO ELBOW PAIN. (Sigh of relief)

Twins finish their road trip at Detroit. Hopefully Detroit can continue with their struggles.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Twins On A Roll

The Twins just wrapped up their third victory in a row with a 2-0 win over the Royals. (That's 18 straight scoreless innings for Twins opponents.)


Just quick notes tonight, 3 stars:

Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 3 H, 4 K, 2 BB. It was nice that Boof got a win, and the fact that he was the starting pitcher in a shutout makes him a star. Now, how much did the weather have to do with Bonser's sucess? I don't know. But I'll take his performance tonight.

Jason Kubel - 2 for 4, HR, RBI, 2 R. The only player to cross the plate tonight. If he can continue to bat well while DH'ing, I think he can become an All-Star caliber-type player. That's some high hope, yes, but let's see how this year plays out. Too often players that have played a lot in the field have a hard time adjusting to only batting. I can only imagine how tough it would be on a cold night like tonight and not even getting to run to and from the dugout. (But I bet the clubhouse is warm.)

Nick Punto - 2 for 3, BB. I've never been a Punto guy. And I won't be. Ever. But you know, Punto has never been in a role like this, well at least not lately. For a guy who's great with the glove and terrible with a bat, it makes little sense to make him your everyday 3B. It does make sense, however, to make a guy like that a defensive replacement/spot starter. It looks like Gardy finally figured it out... and Punto is thriving. Good for him. At least if he can have a reasonably decent year, he'll get a "minor-league contract" from someone next year... probably the Pirates.



In Minor League news: It seems the Twins will be getting back Rule V P Tim Lahey. When the Phillies activated Brad Lidge, they designated Lahey for assignment. To put it simply, what that means is that the Twins can take him back and put him the minors. (The other option would be to trade him, a path the Twins have taken a few times recently.) In my opinion, the Twins would be smart to take him back and place him in Rochester. His long-term potential is as a right-hand bullpen guy.

Well, I've come to the end of my post... but I posted, so that means I didn't die today playing basketball. I made my first shot of the day and missed the rest. (I only took a couple more.) We won one and lost one. Right now I'm feeling ok, but not great. Headache, backache, left knee pain, right hand and elbow pain... but no broken bones!

(And before you consider that first line a jinx, I firmly believe that Liriano will get roughed up early tomorrow. My prediction/hopes: 75-90 pitches - 6 to 7 innings, hopefully - 4 or less ER, 3 or less BB, 7 K, and, most importantly, NO ELBOW PAIN.)

Happy Saturday night!

Twins Beat Royals

The Twins got their second win in a row tonight, and the third win of Livan Hernandez's short Twins career. Unfortunately, due to the Wild game, the Twins were bumped from the FSN schedule.

The other big Twins news today was that they recalled Francisco Liriano and placed Kevin Slowey on the DL. Liriano will make his '08 debut on Sunday.

Of minor note, the Twins completed the Craig Monroe trade by sending AAA OF Doug Deeds to the Cubs. Deeds had been injured and hasn't played yet this year. From what I've read about Deeds, he appears to have a decent chance at becoming a major-league player. However, with the Twins young OF (and long-termed Cuddyer), Deeds wasn't going to get a realistic chance with Minnesota's big club.

On to tonight's three stars:
Livan Hernandez (again) - 7 IP, 7 H, BB, 3 K, 99 pitches. 7 and 7 has become somewhat of a nice pattern. Any game the Twins only need to score one run to win is a nice change.
Carlos Gomez - 2 for 5, 2B, 3B, R, 2 two-out RBI. I have not seen highlights of tonight's game yet, but both hits were to the "deep" outfield. How deep? I don't know... but at least he's showing an ability to get on base without bunting.
Matt Tolbert - 3 for 4, RBI, BB. If I'm Adam Everett, or even Mike Lamb, I'm not so certain that I don't become a bench guy. In Everett's case, I'm not so sure I don't get cut. Tolbert has been a stud. He's batting .556 on the year and has an OBP of somewhere around .700 (I think).

The Twins bring Boof to the mound tomorrow night. I'm hoping he can keep it together. I don't think his job is in jeopardy yet. But a rough night might make his seat a little hotter.

In other news, B-W Basketball Alumni Tournament tomorrow. I will be happy as long as I don't break any bones, blow out my knee or have a heart attack. A win (or two, or three) would be nice... but it would really just be icing on the cake.

Have a good weekend.

Hollywood

It was brought to my attention recently that I didn't comment on the party that Matt Leinart had a few weeks ago. It was big news on ESPN, his head coach wasn't happy, blah, blah blah. Whatever. The guy had a birthday and is enjoying himself.

The part that bothers me is that these girls aren't all that attractive. Especially after considering Matt's Baby Mama.

Ok, not the greatest picture in the world. But she's a D1 basketball player, and this is a picture of her at practice.

The irony in all of this is the fact that the following picture never was a news headline.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than Dirk Nowitzki. Good pic Dirk.

Twins Win Big

As soon as the Twins won last night, I flipped over to catch the end of the Wild game, (I fell asleep during OT) so I didn't have time to write about the game.

It was really nice to see an offensive outburst. Three stars:
Brendan Harris - 3 for 4, 2B, 3 R, BB. Although he had errors on consecutive plays, he was very good with the bat. His average is back up to .348 and he's re-solidified his hold on the Second Baseman job.

Jason Kubel - 2 for 4, HR, 6 RBI, R. Kubel got it done last night. Gardy has never played Kubel as much as many people think he should, but now he's getting a chance and he's playing very well. (Three career grand slams ain't bad for a guy this young.)

Brian Bass - 4 IP, 3 H, ER, SV. Bass's job is to eat insignificant innings. He was playing in a low-pressure situation and was able to get the job done and save the rest of the bullpen for when they'd be needed.

Tonight's game at Chicago has been cancelled due to weather.

American Idol update: I wasn't surprised at the bottom 3, but I was surprised that Michael got voted off. I am surprised that we're done to 3 guys and still have 4 girls left.

Idol Power Poll:
1. David A.
2. David C.
3. Brooke W.
4. Jason C.
5. Syesha M.
6. Kristy Lee C.
7. Carly S.

That's all I have for tonight.

Idol Gives Back

American Idol is taking a night to "give back", so there won't be any eliminations until tomorrow night.

Here's my take on last night:

-Paula is ridiculous. Seriously, what do you think goes through her mind throughout the course of a day? You know, I don't care... and I don't think America does either. "Straight up now tell me that" she wouldn't get voted off tomorrow if she was a contestant.

-Simon is the man. A lot of people don't like Simon and he really could stand to feel up his "man-boobs" less than he does. But he's a straight shooter. And he's normally always right.

On to the final 8...
For as unspectacular as Jason Castro has been, his performance last night was worth watching. He weird facial expressions still get a little annoying and he sometimes seems uninterested , but I think it was good enough to go on.

Michael Johns is not going to win. But in my opinion, he sang a song last night that was good for him and he did a decent enough job to not get voted off.

The Davids were both off of their game. (Cook especially.) But I think their followings are still large enough to remain.

That leaves the girls.

Brooke-fans probably voted scared this week after she showed up in the bottom 3 last week. She started to grow on me... but for some reason, I'm just a huge fan of hers anymore.

Kristy Lee... I don't even know what to say about her anymore. She's very predictable. But she's figured out her limits. She weathered the strom during her horrible weeks and as long as she can give a decent performance, I think she'll stay alive.

All that's left is Syesha and Carly. I really like Syesha. She looks like an entertainer and she's got a big voice. I really enjoy her while she's singing... but after she's done I can't remember what she sang. And that's not a good sign. That will put her in the bottom 2.

Carly, to me, is junk. She doesn't look the part, and recently, can't sing the part. And I think that makes her a logical choice to be eliminated.

Twins Get Slammed

The Twins bullpen failed them today. It was actually quite disappointing because Blackburn pitched alright and the offense got hits from 9 different players. If there is one thing that still gets me, it's the Twins grounding into double plays. (I don't understand how Gomez can manage this, as fast as he is.) So on we go...

Who dropped the ball today?
Matt Guerrier and Pat Neshek: 2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 Grand Slam.
To put a positive spin on this, at least they both had their bad days the same game.
Conversely, if the White Sox figured these guys out already, what are the Twins going to do the next 17 times they play this year?

Three stars:
Mike Lamb - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, No runners left on base. Hopefully the slump is over.
Denard Span - 1 for 3, R, BB, SB. He's shown in his two games that he's capable of playing at this level. It wouldn't surprise me if he starts in place of Gomez against a tough RHP in the next week.
Matt Tolbert - Pinch hit single in the 9th. Every good thing that Tolbert does this year makes the chances of Punto returning next year that much smaller. I will be happy when Punto is strictly a pinch-runner. Tolbert is helping me get my wish.

I found an interesting bit of information while browsing ESPN.
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/features/cy

I know it's early, but that fact that some formula can put Livan this high, makes his signing ok thus far.

NCAA Title Game

Tonight's game marks the end of the 2007-08 NCAA Basketball season. I don't think many people would have been surprised if you told them that both UNC and UCLA would be in the Final Four. I think they would have been more surprised if you told them both lost to teams that looked much better.

Memphis is a team that was a popular pick as the first #1 seed to go down. A team with a freshman PG... a team that is downright awful at free throws... teams with those faults normally don't last very long in this tournament. Heck, I thought they'd get beat by Michigan State. Well, once the Big Dance started, and the competition got better, so did the free throw shooting. And, Derrick Rose, to put it simply, has been one of (if not) the best players in this tournament. They also are full of other quality players that know their part.

Kansas is a experienced team. I look back to their win against Davidson as "the game" that might get them over the hump. It seems like all teams have a big scare on their way to the championship and for them, well, that game was scary. I really liked the way they came out against UNC. I don't think any team could have overcome that type of start.

I know I've been a little off on a few games, but I think I have a good feeling on these two teams. It's going to come down to Mario Chalmers and Joey Dorsey. For Kansas to win, Chalmers will have to play error-free ball. His assist/turnover ratio will need to be 1.8/1 or higher. The other key for a Jayhawk victory is to get Joey Dorsey in foul trouble. Kansas is pretty deep up front, Memphis is not. I am confident these two things have to happen for Kansas to win. Now granted, if Russell Robinson goes Donald Williams... or CDR has a Webber-esque error, then Kansas could win. However, I'm taking Memphis by 9.

Twins Fail to Sweep

The Twins finished the season opening with a 3-1 loss to the Royals. They head off to Chicago (3-2, should soon be 4-2) for an afternoon game tomorrow. I think the big news with today's game was that Denard Span was making his big-league debut. (Although I think everyone watching the game knew that it was Bert's birthday celebration, with a baseball game going on in the background.)

Three Stars:
Boof Bonser - 7 IP, 91 pitches, 8 H, 3 R, 4 SO, 0 BB. Overall, Boof's piece of work was pretty good. Although giving up 4 doubles was too much to overcome, Boof still gave his team a shot to win. With no run support, though, it didn't happen.

Justin Morneau - 2 for 4, HR, R, RBI, 2 SO. He's starting to get things rolling after a very slow start.

Matt Tolbert - 2 for 4, Double. Getting another spot start, he didn't disappoint - picked up his second multiple hit game in as many days.

*One thing I would like to see while Cuddyer is on the DL is batting Young in between Mauer and Morneau. I think Gomez (R), Mauer (L), Young (R), Morneau (L) would be a good way to go. However, as long as Tolbert is hitting as well as he is, I can handle him up there. Regardless, I don't like Mauer in the 3-hole.

A look at some main Twins stats through 7 games:
Carlos Gomez - 10 for 28 (.357), 8 SO, 4 SB
Delmon Young - 8 for 27 (.296), RBI, 4 SO
Joe Mauer - 7 for 22 (.318), 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SO
Matt Tolbert - 6 for 13 (.462), .533 OBP
Michael Cuddyer - 5 for 18 (.278), RBI
Justin Morneau - 5 for 24 (.208), 2 HR, 7 RBI
Adam Everett - 2 Errors
Mike Lamb - 2 for 20 (.100)
Rondell...er, I mean, Craig Monroe - 1 for 11 (.091)
*As a whole, not real great.

Livan Hernandez - 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 1 WHIP
Scott Baker - 1-0, 4.05 ERA, 1.05 WHIP
Boof Bonser - 0-2, 4.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
Nick Blackburn - 0-1, 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
Kevin Slowey - 0-1, 8.10 ERA, 1.20 WHIP (left with injury)
Bullpen - 0-0, 3 SV, 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
*As a whole, better than expected.

Back tomorrow with NCAA predictions!

Twins back to .500

I'm back after a few days away. I'm not going to break down each of the three games I missed but instead, I'll highlight some main points of each game.

Thursday:
Lose to Angels 5-4. The offense at least showed up, but Slowey left the game with arm soreness and will miss his next start. (Hunter hit his first home run as an Angel.)

Friday:
Beat Royals 4-3. Mr. Excitement Carlos Gomez went 3-4, Run, Double, 2 SBs. Baker struggled early, but settled down and pitched ok. Morneau (.063), Monroe (.000) and Lamb (.143) are still struggling.

Cuddyer left the game after injuring his finger. He was placed on the DL and Denard Span was called up.

Saturday:
Beat Royals 6-4. Gomez came back down to earth. Matt Tolbert is really pushing Harris for the 2B job. Morneau broke out in a big way (4 RBI). Everett committed ANOTHER error. Hernandez, again, pitched a good game.

So long for now.

National Semifinals

For the first time ever, all four #1 seeds made the Final Four. And it has two very interesting match-ups. Roy Williams vs. his former team and pressing Memphis vs. not-so-good-against-the-press UCLA. Here are my quick thoughts on these two games.

I think Kansas needed the scare they got against Davidson. But Roy Williams will outcoach Bill Self and the Heels will outplay the Jayhawks. I don't think it will be much of a game in the end. Heels by 13.

The other game will be very entertaining. I think Memphis will try to keep the tempo up, while UCLA tries to slow it down. For some reason, I think Memphis is going to pull this out. I really thought it would be a UCLA/UNC Finals, but the fast-paced, pressing Tigers are going to win by 8.

That's all I have. Chime in with any comments.

Twins Lose Again

Sadly, it was more of the same. No offense. Some games you get a little, you just can't string it together in an inning. Not tonight. And, AGAIN, when a guy gets on base, the guy behind him manages to hit a double play ball. (Editor's note: I started typing before the game was over and orignially included this line: Oddly enough, Mauer didn't contribute to any double plays tonight.
It turns out that Mauer ends the game pinch-hitting, grounding into a double play.)

Enough with the negative, let's look at the positive. Three stars:
Nick Blackburn was amazing: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 86 pitches. I don't know a lot of rookies that come in and fan Guerrero multiple times. Yes, it's a small sample, but much better than Bonser's small sample last night. A few more games like this and Blackburn will probably stay in the rotation.

Matt Tolbert: Another rookie making his first start, he didn't disappoint. He got his first career hit early, played decently in the field and took a leadoff walk against K-Rod to start the 9th. Not a bad way to start.

Little Nicky Punto: I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge Punto fan. However, I could grow to appreciate him off of the bench and as a defensive replacement. And getting a hit, well, that's just icing on the cake.

Be back in a little to weigh in on the NCAA games on Saturday.

Idol Night

I guess I should make my American Idol predictions. I didn't watch it as close last night as I usually do, but I don't feel I could have missed too much.

I think The Danny Boys have proved again to be the top male vocalists and Brooke and Syesha have done nothing but stay atop the female ranks.

The other five - Michael, Jason, Kristy Lee, Ramiele and Carly - I have different feelings about.

My gut feeling says that Ramiele, Jason and Kristy Lee are the bottom 3. But after Jason being in the bottom 3 last week, I think he'll get a few more votes. That leaves Carly or Michael. Carly was in the bottom 3 two weeks ago. Michael, as far as I know, has been safe every week. This show usually works on a cycle, so I wouldn't be surprised if Michael found himself in the bottom 3. Anyway, for this week I'm going with my gut. Jason will be the first of the bottom 3 sent to safety and Kristy Lee and Ramiele will sweat it out. I think it's the end of the line for Kristy Lee Cook.

UPDATE: Well, I was close... I'm okay with Ramiele (and the continual hideous outfits) going home. I'm pretty on target with the cycles. Brooke just happened to cycle on. (It may be Michael's turn next week to cycle on.)

My Idol Power Poll: 1. David Cook; 2. David Archuleta; 3. Michael Johns; 4. Brooke White; 5.Syesha Mercado; 6. Carly Smithson ; 7. Jason Castro; 8. Kristy Lee Cook

More tonight if I have time. If not, it may be a few days before I post again. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon right after school for Madison - Football Coaches Clinc - and I won't be back until Saturday. Hopefully, I'll have enough time on Saturday to post my predications -- or, maybe they'll come tonight too. We'll see.

Twins Lose Big

Not a real great night inside the metrodome. (Especially if you were the drunk idiot that was escorted out by Twins Security.) Boof got off to a terrible start; I'm not sure if everyone was saying, "BOOOOOOF" or "BOOOOO". To be honest though, it looked a lot worse than it really was... I hope. He got some bad luck, a throwing error by Everett, a ball sneaking under Lamb's glove. 6 IPs, 3 ER, 4 SO, 0 BB. I've seen worse. Although my gut feeling is that if Blackburn throws well for the next couple of weeks, Liriano might be replacing Bonser. With options left, he may end up in Rochester. Enough about Boof.

After tonight's game, I'll be hard pressed to find three stars, but here it goes...
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, (only) R, 2B. If the offense can't get it together, Young may be shuffled up to the 3rd position in the order. He's exciting. He stretched what looked like a routine single into a double. (A head-first slide double... careful.) It was a relatively boring night offensively, except for Delmon.

Brendan Harris - 0 for 2, BB. Not a gret line, but he made a nice play defensively. He also had an error, but that was after the game was out of hand. In my opinion, he's solidified his hold on the 2B job.

Adam Everett - 1 for 2, (only) RBI. Although he's supposed to be a rock defensively, he made a throwing error on a routine groundball. On the flip side, he's swinging a noodle, yet managed to knock in a run. Right now, he's a step above Punto.

On the not-so-good side, the bullpen (Crain, Reyes, Bass, Rincon) was brutal. 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 SO, 3 BB. The batting vets (Mauer, Cuddyer, Morneau) were equally sucky: 2 for 12 with Mauer grounding into a, you guessed it, 6-4-3 double play. And, finally, not to be outdone, Kubel and Lamb left 9 guys on base.

We can only hope for a better night tomorrow night. It can't get much worse.