Baseball Weather

Well, at least it looks like it in the pictures. It's nice to see that Spring Training is getting underway.

Still no word on how the Twins are going to fit Luis Ayala on their roster. I'm assuming that Bobby Korecky will be DFA'd, pass through waivers and end up in Rochester. If, by chance, he is lost... oh well.

Rumors still swirl that the Twins are in-play for Joe Crede. I'm not sure what to think at this point. At the right price (what's the right price?), I would be okay with it. It would turn Brendan Harris into the utility guy that Nick Punto will no longer be and will allow Brian Buscher to be a left-handed bat off the bench. Both of those scenarios are desireable. But throwing a lot of money at a guy that may or (more likely) may not hold up is not something that fits the way the Twins roll. Regardless, Crede will sign a 1-yr contract somewhere for a contract that is loaded with incentives. If that happens to be with the Twins, I hope he earns the incentives.

That's all for tonight.

Oh, for the American Idol record, I'm taking Danny Gokey, Anoop and Alexis to move on to the finals. I also think Ricky Braddy will move on as Wildcard.

Idol

I've sort of gotten away from posting my American Idol thoughts, but I thought I'd make one final prediction. For those of us that watched the show last night, I think we'd agree that David Archuleta out-performed David Cook. It's clear the judges favored him (and I think we all are aware of the fact that the show producers favor Lil' David as well). So, in theory, it should be a pretty anti-climatic finale. HOWEVER, I think we're in for a surprise. I have a feeling that Rocker David is going to take the crown. At this point, I really don't think it matters who wins, they're both going to make lots of money. Unfortunately, if Rocker David wins, it's really going to limit his ability to make his own music. But that's what I think is going to happen.

We'll find out in a couple of hours.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

Idol Elimination

Wednesday Night recap:

I wasn't at all surprised when Chikezie was shown to the stools. I thought being brought out first might help him out, but it didn't. I also figured that as he was the first to head to the stools, that making him sweat it out "in danger" for the full hour was going to be the extent of it. I guess I was wrong.

I don't like Carly, but after spending last week in the Bottom 3, it was clear to me that the "Carly-Crazies" were going to be making a lot of calls to ensure her safety.

The timing of Syesha coming out made me think that she was going to be heading to the stools. And as much as I like her and hoped that I was wrong, I wasn't.

Ramiele and her hideous outfits appear to be coming back next week. (Dang!)

I was really looking forward to Kristy Lee being sent to the stools and was unpleasently surprised when she was sent to the "safe" couch. I think it had more to do with the patriotic song choice last night, then the way she sang it.

I was hoping that Jason "I should practice more" Castro was going to have to sweat it out a little more, but only spent about 20 seconds in the Bottom 3.

That left Syesha and Chikezie hoping for one spot. I'd say America got it right sending Chikezie home over Syesha, but I think there were a few others that could have very easily seen their runs end.

Going into next week, here's my American Idol Power Poll:
1. David Cook
2. Brooke White
3. David Archuleta
4. Michael Johns
5. Carly Smithson
6. Jason Castro
7. Syesha Mercado
8. Ramiele Malubay
9. Kristy Lee Cook

That's all for now... more tomorrow!

Twins and American Idol

I've decided to become a blogger. Apparently, I think I'm interesting enough to write stuff that other people may find somewhat worthwhile. I guess that remains to be seen. Anyway, I'll probably focus on things I know a little bit about (sports) and other things I spend my time doing (watching TV, family stuff). So on to my first post...

I've read more than enough stuff about the Twins extending Joe Nathan's contract. I'll add my two cents: No matter what the Twins do, there will be people questioning their decision. On the flip side, there will be others that applaud the Twins' willingness to spend a little money. Here's my take: The casual fan will think that the Twins made a good move. They locked up an "elite" closer until 2011 and didn't pay more than market value.

The more serious fan has a completely different view. A casual fan turns on the TV and hopes the Twins win today. The more serious fan follows baseball year-round and hopes for decisions that help the team win today and (maybe more importantly) next year. I'm not a huge believer in building "for the future". To me, the future goes no further than next year. Anything past that is uncertain. (You want examples: Kurt Warner, Mike Hampton, Tariq Abdul-Wahad.) So I'm going to look at it this way...

Did the deal make the Twins better this year? NO! He was already under contract... and a closer can't win games if the team is behind.

Did the deal make the Twins better next year? NO! Looking strictly at the contract, it ties up an additional $11 million or so next year. Though I will give the Twins credit for ripping up the current deal and making it a non-escalating contract. (Had they not given him an extention, they probably would have been forced to trade him in July. That WOULD make the Twins better next year.)

Anything past next year is anyone's guess... but here's mine:
Joe Nathan will not be an elite closer at 35 years old.

Hopefully, I will be wrong. Liriano comes back healthy, Livan eats innings and Slowey, Baker and Boof set the world on fire. That would give Joe Nathan some extra value... but at this point, none of that is likely.

At the very least, the Twins saved themselves a pair a pants (the ones with the money burning a hole in the pockets) and kept a face of the franchise. Obviously it's been a rough offseason and the thought of losing Santana, Hunter AND Nathan would have hurt a little bit more... but not too much.

MOVING ON...
American Idol is down to their Final 10. Here's my recap:
Those who should sleep well tonight: David A., David C., Brooke W., Syesha M. and Michael J.
Those who will be nervous, but ok: Carly S. and Chikezie
Bottom 3: Kristy Lee C., Jason C. and Ramiele M.

MY FEARLESS PREDICTION: Jason and Ramiele sweat it out, but ultimately, Ramiele (and the hideous outfits) go home.

That's all I have for tonight. Hope to have more tomorrow.