Print Media is Dying a Slow and Painful Death

Original entry posted here.

• Two major newspapers are closing their doors

It's no secret that things are not good in the newspaper business, and it looks as though they are about to get worse.  The Rocky Mountain News published its final edition on Friday, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will likely follow suit by the end of the month.  The parent company of the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News has decided to cut down on its home delivery service in an effort to cut costs, and things don't look good for the San Francisco Chronicle, either.  Dave Cameron at Fangraphs wrote an interesting blog post about the death of newspapers and what it means for the future of sports reporting, which you can read here (I highly recommend that you read Fangraphs anyway for their in-depth analysis of all things baseball-related).  While the internet made newspapers (and other print media such as magazines and even books) obsolete nearly a decade ago, the current recession has spelled the end for a lot of local publications.  Most of these papers were relying heavily on advertising revenue to stay afloat since readership has been declining for years, and advertising is the first thing businesses cut back on when times are tough.  Marketers have been wise to the fact that newspapers are dying and have therefore been decreasing spending on print ads, and though most papers can still make money through selling ad space on their web sites, it often isn't enough to maintain operations for both the print and online editions.  Most newspaper reporters have seen the writing on the wall and have either moved to television or the internet before they end up in the unemployment line.

Unfortunately, the financial crisis has hit some of the Twin Cities' local papers as well.  The Star Tribune is facing bankruptcy, but has no plans to cut production just yet.  It would be a terrible thing if it did, for the Strib has some of the best baseball beat writers around.  While Jim Souhan, Patrick Reusse and Sid Hartman all deserve to be unemployed, their colleagues Joe Christensen, Howard Sinker, and especially La Velle E. Neal do not.  Neal is one of the best beat reporters in baseball, and while Christensen and Sinker provide more opinion than analysis, these guys can hardly be considered blowhards. Or homers, for that matter.

I do find it fascinating that some of the best writing and analysis comes not from the mainstream media but from fan sites.  Much of the stuff that's out there on blogs is either inaccurate or based solely on opinion, but the same can be said of most mainstream sports writers.  For example, I would trust Dave Cameron's assessment of an outfielder more than I would trust, well, any of those dopes on Baseball Tonight.  More incredibly, most of the writers for these fan sites (such as Fangraphs) don't get paid for their work; they do this simply because they have a passion for the game.  It seems backwards that the people who do the best and most detailed analysis of everything going on in baseball get paid less than the likes of John Kruk and Steve Phillips, who do little more than read something prepared for them by an intern. 

• Twins win fourth straight Grapefruit League game

Francisco Liriano wasn't exactly sharp in his two innings of work, giving up two earned runs on three hits while walking one, but it was good enough to beat the Yankees (again!).  Liriano has reportedly been working on a changeup, since he's lost some velocity and bite on his slider.  Liriano has had to make adjustments after his return from Tommy-John surgery, as he was previously a two-pitch pitcher (if that.  He would usually just throw his slider all the time and rarely used his fastball) and his two pitches haven't been that effective.  This is his second full year after his surgery, and it is often the most telling for a pitcher who has undergone the procedure. 

The relief corps were really sharp for the most part.  Jesse Crain has looked really good so far, retiring all six batters he's faced in his two relief appearances.  His velocity is back up to the mid-nineties, and his fastballs have had movement on them.  Jason Jones improved upon his poor performance in his first relief stint, in which he struggled to find the strike zone.  He did walk one batter, but recorded two strikeouts.  R. A. Dickey, Luis Ayala, Sean Henn, and Bobby Keppel all did an adequate job in relief, holding the Yankees scoreless through seven innings.

The competition for the starting jobs in the outfield looks to be over at this point, with Gardy

likely utilizing a Cuddyer-Span-Young outfield.  It took six plate appearances for Carlos Gomez finally record a hit (a solo homer off of Dan Giese in the second inning), but he's struck out twice in the meantime (and is still chasing pitches well outside the strike zone).  It looks as though Go-Go will be spending most of the season on the bench, unless there is some sort of trade in the works.  Denard Span hasn't been hitting that well so far either, but he does seem to be working some deep counts and I think his patience will eventually pay off.  Delmon Young has been swinging a hot bat in his few plate appearances, though his double against Giese is the only thing he's hit particularly hard thus far.  Young's gaudy 1.000 slugging percentage will come back down to earth eventually, but it appears as though he's poised for a breakout season.

• Royals sign Juan Cruz

This upsets me.  I understand the reasoning behind the decision to stop pursuing Cruz.  I don't like the idea of overpaying for relief help, and sacrificing a draft pick on top of it.  But the deal the Royals made is reasonable, for 2 years and $6 million with an option for a third (though they do have to surrender a high draft pick to the Diamondbacks).  And Kansas City is in a much better position to surrender a draft pick than the Twins, since they have fifteen of them.  Still, Cruz really would have provided some much-needed depth in the bullpen and would've been worth the cost.  The Twins' relief corps looks pretty good so far, but Cruz would likely have made them the dominant force they once were.

And now Joe Nathan is reportedly experiencing shoulder pain.  Great.  It's probably nothing serious, and relievers Jesse Crain and Jose Mijares could probably replace him even if it is.  But it looks as though the failure to sign Cruz will come back to haunt the Twins.

This is why I have grey hair

Original entry posted here.


Well, it was ugly but the Twins took the first game of a back-to-back series against the Yankees.  The pitching was less than stellar, and the key members of the 2009 lineup didn't produce much (besides Morneau and Kubel). Still, our Twinkies managed to battle back from an early three-run deficit and win 5-4.  Of course, it helped that the Yankees were without most of their star players in the lineup, the exception being Jorge Posada (who was 2-for-3). 

• Scott Baker was terrible

The projected Opening Day starter struggled to find the strike zone, and to keep the ball down.  He was hit pretty hard, giving up three runs on six hits in his two innings of work (one of which was a solo shot to Justin Leone).  Baker certainly wasn't the only one who struggled, and the pitching in general wasn't anything to get excited about.  Brian Duensing wasn't very sharp either, giving up two walks and two hits in his brief relief stint, but at least he didn't allow any runs.   Kevin Mulvey, one of the prospects acquired in the Santana trade, probably put forth the best performance, giving up one hit in two innings and striking out one. 

Mike Gosling made things much more exciting than they needed to be in the bottom of the ninth, loading up the bases with nobody out.   He might have gotten out of the inning without any damage if Danny Valencia had not made a crucial error at third, but as it is he only allowed one run.

Overall, six Twins' pitchers combined to give up four runs on fourteen hits while walking five.  Were it not for some timely hitting by their minor league prospects (!) the Twins would have lost this one for sure.

• How about Wilson Ramos?

The catcher-of-the-future gunned down two baserunners, and wasn't half bad at the plate either.  He drew a walk and ended up scoring the winning run off of a Dustin Martin sac fly. If the Twins decide they would rather not commit a ton of money to Joe Mauer, they will probably still be in good hands with this guy.

By the way, the Twins' radio broadcasters John Gordon and Dan Gladden reported that Mauer has been increasing his workouts.  He caught an 18-minute bullpen session yesterday, and apparently felt fine afterwards.  This is obviously great news since it means Mauer's recovery is on track and will probably be ready for Opening Day.

• More Kubel, please

It was Jason Kubel's solo shot in the sixth that got the rally started.   This was his first homer

of the year, and came with two outs (and no runners on, unfortunately).  Kubel has the potential to be a 20+ homer guy, so hopefully this is the start of something good.

Joe Crede didn't do much in his much-anticipated debut with the Twins, drawing a walk in his first at bat but then striking out and grounding into an inning-ending double play.  It seems like his timing was off, but that should come with more at-bats.  At least his back doesn't seem to be bothering him anymore.

Also failing to do much at the plate were infielders Nick Punto and Alexi Casilla, and Casilla committed an egregious throwing error on top of it.  By the way, I think it's absolutely criminal that Nick Punto gets paid more than Orlando Hudson.  The Twins would've been much better off signing him and moving Casilla to short than re-signing the offensively-challenged Punto.  Besides, it's not like Punto is any less injury-prone.

The battle for the starting outfield job has gotten more interesting.  Delmon Young was much more productive in his second start, going 2-for-2 and driving in a run, though he has yet to hit one out of the park.  I am still not very impressed with his defense, though he hasn't been a liability in the field so far. He will likely win the starting job, since Carlos Gomez has yet to get a hit.  Gomez drew a walk in his second at bat, but that was about all he did at the plate.  He did make a spectacular play to throw out Angel Berroa trying to stretch a single in to a double, though.   It won't matter how good he is in the field, however, if he can't hit the ball!

• Okay, I'll say something nice about the Yankees

I was really impressed with Brett Gardner.   I don't know how he factors into the Yankees' plans this season, but they could use someone like him at the top of the lineup.  He's got speed, he gets on base a lot, and he's good in the outfield, too.   I know Melky Cabrera has more major league experience, but it sounds like the organization is getting frustrated with his work ethic (or the lack thereof) and might consider giving Gardner a shot.

Tomorrow's game against the Yanks promises to be even more exciting, with Francisco Liriano scheduled to pitch against Joba Chamberlain.  I doubt the Twins are going to win this one, but you never know. I didn't think they were going to win this game, either, especially not after they were down three runs. I know I shouldn't care about spring training games so much, but the other Minnesota sports franchises haven't been giving me much to cheer about lately.  The Wild probably won't make the playoffs, the Gophers have likely played themselves out of a NCAA tournament bid, and the Wolves are battling with the Thunder for last place in the Northwest Division.  A Twins win looks pretty good right now, even if it doesn't really count.

2-0, Baby!!!

Original entry posted here.


That's right, the Twins are now perfect in meaningless games against opponent's B-squads.   Today's game against the Reds wasn't broadcast anywhere, but it sounds like our guys played well.  The offense came to life, scoring 10 runs, and the pitching (with one exception) was stellar.  Okay, let's just start the regular season right now, I don't want to wait anymore!

Here's the important stuff:

• That's no way to earn a spot in the bullpen, young man

Philip Humber gave up four runs on four hits in his one inning of work, and plunked a guy on top of it.  None of these hits left the park, but this still isn't very good news for someone who is competing for Boof Bonser's former job.  Or wait, maybe it is.  Anyway, he hasn't completely blown his audition yet.  Jason Jones didn't inspire much confidence yesterday, though he didn't give up as many runs.  R. A. Dickey, who's also in the mix, pitched a scoreless inning against the Reds today, striking out three and giving up one hit.  By the way, if you've ever wondered how to throw a knuckleball, Dickey gives an instructional here.

• The rest of the bullpen was just fine, though

Matt Guerrier put up a zero in his single inning of work.  I don't know if he looked very sharp,

but I'm going to guess that he was pretty good since he didn't give up any hits or walks.  Craig Breslow also pitched a scoreless fourth, with one strikeout.  Jose Mijares is starting to look like he's the real deal, pitching one scoreless frame and striking out two while walking one. 

Also noteworthy is the performance of two of the Twins' most intriguing pitching prospects:  Anthony Swarzak and Armando Gabino.  Swarzak pitched a scoreless eighth, while striking out one.  He will most likely start the season in AAA, but should be first in line in case someone gets injured.  Gabino also pitched pretty well in the ninth, though he did give up a walk.  He'll probably advance to AAA this year.

• There's the offense I was looking for

The Twins had an offensive explosion this afternoon, tagging four different Reds pitchers with ten earned runs.  And these were not all bloop hits, either.  The Twins homered twice, one was a two-run shot by Brian Buscher, the other was a grand-salami by prospect Brock Peterson.  In all, eleven different players combined for ten runs on fourteen hits, though they only drew two walks,  And struck out six times, leaving nineteen men on base.  

I am not at all worried about what will happen to the Twins if Joe Crede turns out to be a bust because Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher have been tearing the cover off the ball so far. Both had

very productive at-bats again in today's game.  Buscher went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and Harris also went 2-for-3 with a double. However, it's not just the spring training games that have sold me on the former third-base platoon partners.  Given how effective Buscher has been against righties (.297/.354/.411) and Harris against lefties(.295/.360/.440), the Twins will be just fine if they can utilize the two effectively.  Buscher is kind of a long shot to make the team now, with the signing of Crede, but if he keeps hitting like this the front office will have no choice (I prefer a deeper bench anyway, especially since there's no need to carry more than 11 pitchers this season).

One of the Twins' biggest question marks, Carlos Gomez, didn't do anything. Instead, he went 0-3 in his first spring-training start and though he didn't record a strikeout, he didn't draw any walks, either. That is no way to earn a starting job, young man.

• The back end of the Fearsome Five looks pretty good so far

Yesterday, Glen Perkins pitched two scoreless innings and only gave up one hit.  Today, Nick Blackburn pitched two perfect innings.  I know this is a small sample size, and these are only spring training games, but it's encouraging that the two most questionable members of the starting rotation are off to such a good start.  I would prefer to not have to worry about the starters this year. I have a feeling the bullpen is once again going to keep me from sleeping at night.

• Boof Bonser's agent isn't very happy with the decision to delay surgery

Bonser's agent, Larry Reynolds, expressed frustration with the Twins' organization and its handling of his client's injuries.  He felt that surgery should have been performed much sooner, preferably right after the season was over.  This is not the first time the Twins have come under fire for their handling of a pitcher's injury.  Armchair physicians everywhere were quick to question team doctors when they told Pat Neshek to put off surgery in favor of rehabilitation, and Neshek ended up having surgery anyway.

However, these two cases are very different.  The Twins knew that Neshek had a partially torn UCL, but felt that rehab would be a better option than surgery at that point.  Neshek got a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews (yes, that Dr. James Andrews), who agreed with the team doctors.  Neshek's rehab was going really well until he started throwing off the mound, when he completely tore the ligament and was then forced to have surgery.  Whether or not Neshek should have had the surgery in the first place is certainly debatable, but at the time the partial tear in the ligament didn't seem serious enough to require an operation.

Bonser, on the other hand, was much more difficult to diagnose.  He started having soreness in his throwing shoulder towards the end of the season, but an MRI and an X-ray failed to show anything serious.  The team doctors thought it was just tendinitis, and prescribed rest.  It wasn't until Boof arrived at camp and started his throwing program that his problems started to resurface.  Even then, no structural damage showed up on a second MRI and so the team decided that exploratory surgery was necessary to diagnose the problem.   Unfortunately, the operation revealed partial tears in his labum and rotator cuff that will sideline him for the rest of the season.  In this case, the team probably did the right thing.  Unless a tear shows up during diagnostic testing, there is no reason to take such drastic measures.  It's also possible that the injuries didn't occur until after Bonser started throwing again (it would be very difficult to finish the season with a torn rotator cuff, after all). 

Even if the surgery had been performed right after the season was over, as Reynolds suggested, there's no guarantee that Boof would be ready to pitch this season.  He would probably have to spend most of the season rehabbing his shoulder in AAA, not pitching out of the bullpen.  At least this way he should be ready by Opening Day of the 2010 season.

Well, that's not such a bad way to start things off

Original entry posted here.


Yes, I realize it was just a meaningless spring training game, but beating the Red Sox 5-2 is a good way to start (sorry, Julia, Elizabeth, and Ben).  I didn't actually get to see the game, I just listened to it on the radio.  Radio does have its limitations and I couldn't actually see the pitches or any of the hits, but I got the impression that they played pretty well overall.  Please feel free to correct me on anything I might have gotten wrong and to add things I might have forgotten.

Here are some things I noticed:

• Is Joe Nathan just rusty?

Please tell me this is just rust.  After his struggles midway through the regular season last year, I'm not so sure.  Yes, I know he only gave up one run on two hits, but it sounded as though he was struggling to find the strike zone.  The announcers were complaining that the umpire wasn't calling strikes, but it didn't seem to be a problem for the other pitchers.  Oh God, the last thing I need is to have to worry about our All-Star closer.

I would feel much, much better if the Twins would go out and get Juan Cruz.  But they're not going to, so never mind.

• Luis Ayala actually pitched well

At least that was the impression I got from John Gordon and Dan Gladden.   He didn't strike out anyone, but it sounded like his pitches weren't hit very hard.  I know this is a small sample size, and I don't think he faced any of the Sox's heavy hitters, but it is encouraging nonetheless.

• The Twins' offense was deceptively productive

I'm not going to say that they were hitting well.  A lot of their hits seemed to be of the bloop variety, which has a lot more to do with luck than skill. Besides, most of their runs came off of Tim Wakefield, who they tend to hit hard.  They struggled to do much of anything against the Sox's good pitchers.  Justin Morneau and Brian Buscher were the only ones who hit anything that hard through eight innings, but nothing left the park.  I am really hoping that this isn't a precursor for the rest of the season.

Oooh, I almost forgot. Third-baseman-of-the-future (probably) Danny Valencia had a very productive night at the plate.  He was 2-for-2 with a pair of singles.

• Everybody except Joe Nathan pitched well

Glen Perkins sounded like he was sharp through two innings, only surrendering two hits.  It also sounded like Jesse Crain's fastball was back up in the mid-90s, also a very good sign.  Probably the only pitcher who struggled as much as Nathan was Jason Jones, the new guy.  He pitched himself into a bases-loaded, one-out jam before inducing a groundball double-play to end the inning (but not before surrendering the second run of the game).  Mike Gosling, Bobby Keppel, and Sean Henn also pitched decently, with Henn recording the save.

The Twins face the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow afternoon, but the game isn't being broadcast anywhere.  I am not sure who is getting the start tomorrow, either.  I would like to see some better hitting from, well, pretty much everybody in the lineup.  Joe Crede doesn't make his debut with the club until Friday's game against the Yankees.  That will be interesting to watch, indeed.

That's all I got for now.  I'll try to post updates on the Bonser and Cruz situations.  Neither one is likely to change much in the next few days.

More Spring Training Notes: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• The bad news is...

The Star Tribune is reporting that Boof Bonser is going to be out for the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery today. Apparently doctors found a torn labrum and rotator cuff, which is odd since two different MRIs showed no structural damage.  More details will be released once a formal announcement is made.  This is a major setback for a guy who has the potential to be a dominant reliever (yes, you read that right).  Yes, Boof has had his problems, which I've documented here, but he does have that 96-mph heater.  And that nasty curve.  At least he did, we shall see how his arm recovers after the surgery.

Update:  It's official, Bonser will be out for six months to eight months following surgery to repair a partially torn labrum and rotator cuff.  And the Twins have apparently ended their pursuit of Juan Cruz, so just ignore the paragraph below.  I guess you can't have everything.

So where does this leave the bullpen?  Well, the Twins might step up their efforts to acquire

Juan Cruz in a sign-then-trade deal with the Diamondbacks.  Cruz would be a worthwhile investment anyway, even if the Twins had to sacrifice a draft pick by signing him as a free agent.  The farm system is pretty well stocked anyway, and they are going to receive a supplemental pick when Dennys Reyes signs with another team.  The hard-throwing righty is a strikeout machine, and he's put up very good numbers everywhere he's pitched. *sigh* They'll probably go out and get Odalis Perez instead. 

Otherwise, it gives Philip Humber, R. A. Dickey and Jason Jones the chance to compete for the final spot.  Humber probably has the best stuff of the three and therefore has the best chance of earning the job.  Dickey is a knuckleballer, and although Ron Gardenhire has expressed a desire to have such a pitcher in the Dome, I would be extremely surprised to see Dickey make the active roster.  The catching staff doesn't have much (if any) experience with knuckleballers, and have had trouble handling him.  Jason Jones is an interesting prospect who was plucked from the Yankees organization during the Rule V draft, but he isn't quite major-league ready (the Yankees don't seem very interested in him so he'll probably remain a Twin even if he doesn't make the team).  Jones is a soft-tossing righty who is supposed to be a control pitcher, but walks way too many batters to earn that designation.  He would benefit from more seasoning in the minor leagues, where the coaching staff works closely with young pitchers to develop pinpoint control. 

• The good news is...

Joe Mauer took light batting practice yesterday and didn't feel any pain in his back or abdominals afterwards.  And by 'batting practice' I mean he hit 25 balls off a tee.  Mauer's recovery has been slow so far, but has been progressing steadily so it's very likely that he'll be ready for Opening Day.  This is obviously great news, since his bat is so valuable in the lineup.

By the way, the most unintentionally funny quote about Joe comes from his buddy, Justin Morneau. When asked about the prospect of the catcher being signed to a long-term deal, the other half of the M&M boys said: "I told Joe if he ever leaves me, I'll never speak to him again." 

The Twins play their first exhibition game tonight against the Red Sox, and Glen Perkins is supposed to start.  The lineups are posted here.  I'm not going to be able to see it, since I don't have MLB.tv or the MLB Network, but I'll get to listen to it on the radio.  Whatever, I'm just glad that baseball is back.

• Get excited, Vikings fans

Your long search for a decent quarterback is finally over.  The Wilfs' solution to the problem is to bring in...wait for it... Sage Rosenfels.  Yay.  Sadly, he probably would be the second-best QB in the division, behind the Packers' Aaron Rodgers.  Unless of course, the Lions' brain trust decides to do something crazy like draft Matthew Stafford or something. 

Enjoy your new football team, Los Angeles.

Number 26 belongs to Fozzie

Original entry posted here.

Ordinarily I would dedicate my ranking on the leader board to a notable Twin, and there have been a few who've worn the number 26.  But this time I'm giving it to a hockey player:  Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster.  After all that he's been through, I think he deserves it more than anyone else.

Almost one year ago, on March 20, 2008 Foster suffered a broken femur when he was checked into the boards by Sharks center Torrey Mitchell. Both were chasing down the puck to avoid an icing call, and Mitchell drilled him into the boards in an effort to keep him off the puck.  Foster's leg got the worst of it and his femur was broken in three places.  He had a steel rod surgically implanted in the bone to repair the injury, and spent nearly three months recovering in the hospital.  The injury was so severe that it was questionable whether he would ever walk unassisted, let alone play hockey again.

For those who haven't seen it, this is what happened:



Even though the check might have been intentional, Mitchell didn't mean to hurt Foster and was extremely sorry about what happened and has apologized repeatedly.  The incident touched off a lot of controversy over the touch icing rule, however.  A lot of analysts and current and former players (including Foster himself) have been calling for the league to adopt automatic icing. The NHL is currently the only professional hockey league that allows touch icing (a detailed explanation of the rule can be found here).  Most of the European leagues have adopted no-touch, or automatic icing, where play is stopped whenever the puck is iced.  The rule change was made several years ago after former Rangers prospect Ludek Cajka was killed in an incident eerily similar to that of Foster's.

For its part, the NHL has been reluctant to change the rule, although it did modify it slightly to ban checking on an icing play after Foster's injury.  Injuries that occur from icing, though grisly, are relatively uncommon.  Most serious injuries come from cheap shots to the head, something the league has been working to cut down.  And watching two players racing for the puck does add a level of excitement to the game.  However, whether this excitement is really worth risking a guy's life, or career for that matter, over is something the league really needs to ask itself.
You know what?  Fozzie himself can probably explain what he's gone through a lot better than I can:


Foster's recovery has been nothing short of remarkable.  He's endured 10 months of painful physical therapy, and though he still isn't quite 100% he is healthy enough to play.  He recently completed a successful rehab stint with the Houston Aeros (the Wild's AHL affilitate) in which he recorded 5 assists and a goal in six games.  And while he still walks with a limp, Foster claims that he doesn't feel any pain when skating which is obviously a good sign.  Unfortunately, it's not likely that Fozzie will get much playing time this season.  The Wild are in the midst of a very tight playoff race, and their current defensemen have been playing so well that Jacques Lemaire is reluctant to scratch any of them in favor of a guy who hasn't played in almost a year.  For his part though, Foster just feels really lucky he can even play hockey again.

Meet Joe Crede

Original entry posted here.

• The newest Twin was introduced early Sunday morning

Joe Crede was introduced to Twins fans at a press conference yesterday.  You can see video of it and his first workout with the team here. I think Crede will fit in nicely here in Minny, and even his old boss Ozzie Guillen agrees with me on that.  He seems to like it here so far, although he's still getting used to the idea of playing for the enemy.  Let's hope his back stays healthy, then maybe he'll help win us one of these:

Or even better yet, one of these:

I know, I know, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I just can't help it.  The thought of having an everyday third baseman of Crede's caliber is making me delirious with joy.  Even if it is only for one season.
 
There's no denying that Crede is a significant upgrade over the Twins' current options at third.  He's a career .257/.306/.447 hitter who averages around 20 homers a season, which is a marked improvement over the 32 homers that 11 different players have combined to produce at the position since 2004.  More importantly, Crede is no slouch on defense either.  Although he did commit 20 errors in 97 games with the Sox last season, this is most likely because if his ailing back.  When he's healthy, he's one of the best defensive third basemen in the league, with a lifetime ultimate zone rating of 48.5.  And even though last season was one of the worst of his career, Crede still had a healthy 6.4 rating.  The Twins had some of the worst infield defense in the league last year (just ask poor Nick Blackburn, who was charged with a league-worst 15 unearned runs) and even a less-than-100%-healthy Crede would likely provide better defense than Brendan Harris or Brian Buscher.

Even better, he's not going to have to carry the offense all by himself.  After all, that's what Justin Morneau gets paid to do.  Crede's bat mostly provides insurance in case Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young fail to produce this season.  I have to admit, though, it makes me giddy to think what the Twins' offense will do if everybody starts hitting like they're supposed to. They might even crack the 200-homer mark for once!     
 
If nothing else, the Twins have probably done themselves a favor simply by keeping Crede off the market.  He has teed off on Twins' pitching during his time with the Sox, posting a career .330/.365/.656 and 7 home runs against the Twinkies.  The worst of course, was that ugly series at the Cell in June last year, when it seemed like everything he hit was a three-run homer.  Needless to say, I'm really glad he's on our side for now.

• My hockey team is trying to give me a heart attack
  

Apparently the Wild have begun to realize that they have to win games if they want to make the playoffs.  After laying the beat down on the Red Wings 5-2 on Saturday, they squeaked out a win against Chicago at United Center last night.  It's not as though they were particularly sharp, either.  It's more that Josh Harding was absolutely on fire, recording an incredible 44 saves. Some of which were the most amazing I've ever seen, including this beauty against Troy Brouwer:




Peter Olvecky had his first career goal, and it ended up being the game-winner, too:



This game was an absolute nail-biter.  The Wild tried really hard to screw it up, but Josh Harding just kept bailing them out.  I lost count of all the times they turned the puck over in the high slot, or even worse, right in front of the crease. If Harding hadn't been at the top of his game they would have lost 7-2 and fallen completely out of the playoff picture.  As of last night, they've moved into the eighth seed (there are six teams within a point of each other so standings are subject to change on a moment's notice).

Now I suppose they'll go on and lose 5-1 to the Kings at the X.

• The Wolves almost beat the Lakers, too

The Wolves were really feisty last night, and even had the lead for a little while.  Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair were solid, putting up 20 points each.  Still, it wasn't enough as they lost 111-108, but it's good to see them play well against elite teams for a change.  At least it gives me hope that our Wolfies might be a good basketball team again someday.

So it's Official

Original entry posted here.

• The Twins have signed Joe Crede to fill their revolving door at third base.

The Star Tribune is reporting that Joe Crede  has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal that could reach $7 million with incentives.   And I am actually really happy about it.  Yes, I've expressed some reservations about signing Crede before but that was when he was demanding a $7 million base salary.  $2.5 million is not a lot of money to lose if Crede doesn't work out, especially since the Twins do have some extra payroll burning a hole in their pockets.  And I have to give Bill Smith a lot of credit for resisting the urge to overpay for Casey Blake or Ty Wigginton and to patiently wait for Crede's price to come down instead. 

So, World Series here we come?  Well, not so fast.  If Crede remains healthy (have I mentioned that he's had a lot of problems with his back?) he would certainly provide the offensive production that the Twins' hot corner has been lacking.  But there's still the issue of the middle infield.  As I have written earlier, there's no guarantee that Nick Punto and Alexi Casilla are going to match their 2008 offensive production.  I wouldn't be surprised if either one, or both, took a huge step backward this season.   Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez are both big question marks, too.  One player isn't going to make up for all that by himself, even if he did hit 17 home runs in 97 games last year.  However, this signing certainly gives the Twins the edge in the AL Central, if not the AL pennant chase, and a season that looked pretty good to begin with has now gotten that much more exciting.

The Twins will now have to make a move to clear space for Crede on the active roster.  I am not going to begin to speculate who might get released (or traded), but most likely it will end up being a pitcher.  The Twins will probably want to keep as many bench players as possible in case Crede's back problems flare up, and there's really no reason to carry 12 pitchers at this point anyway.  The starting rotation has had an entire year of seasoning, and if the offense is firing on all cylinders it will be potent enough to carry the load should one of them suffer a setback.  The Twins are still reportedly trying to swing a deal with the Diamondbacks for Juan Cruz, in which case a couple of pitchers would be sent to Arizona.  It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

I admit that I've been rather hard on Bill Smith in some of my previous posts, and I'm still a little skeptical of his ability to make deals that actually benefit the organization.  But I'm happy that he's resisted the urge to go dumpster-diving so far this year (Luis Ayala doesn't exactly count as dumpster diving.  He still has a lot of upside).  Signing washed-up veterans to ill-adivsed contracts is a long-standing Twins tradition, but it looks as though this trend might (mercifully!) be coming to an end.  I realize that the Twins would never have been able to land a player of Crede's caliber if the market were stronger, but the fact that they were planning to stick with the players they had rather than sign another Mike Lamb makes me feel optimistic that they can learn from past mistakes.  And now I'm starting to believe that they could actually pull off the deal for Juan Cruz, too. 

Whoa, I'm starting to believe all kinds of crazy things. Maybe I should go lie down for a little bit.

Somebody must really hate the Braves

Original entry posted here.

• Ken Griffey, jr. signs with Seattle after he reportedly decided to sign with Atlanta

It's not as though this is bad news for the Braves.  They don't really have much use for Griffey in the first place.  Although he still hits well, he is a shell of his former Gold Gove-caliber self in the outfield.  The Mariners are a much better fit for the future hall-of-famer, since he can DH and won't have to worry about playing left field every day.  But that's not the issue.  The issue is that these premature leaks to the media make the Braves front office look like idiots, and Braves fans are understandably upset.  Nobody wants their favorite team to be a laughingstock, and that's precisely what Atlanta has become in the past few months.  

It wouldn't be so bad, except that this is the second time this season that someone leaked news that a player was going to sign with the Braves before a deal had been actually reached.  There was the whole Rafael Furcal fiasco earlier in the offseason, when GM Frank Wren actually publicly accused the shortstop and his agent of dirty dealings.  To make matters worse, former ace John Smoltz apparently hates the Braves now, too.  But, hey, at least they still have Tom Glavine.  And maybe Chipper will end up staying too.  Even after all of the unpleasantness.

Either someone within the organization is trying to make Frank Wren and John Schuerholz look bad, or someone from the Mets or Phillies organization is behind this. 

• Stop torturing me!

This Juan Cruz thing isn't going to happen.  I can't imagine that Arizona would sign Cruz, only

to turn around and trade him to the Twins for some prospects.  Stop making me believe that the Twins might actually go out and get some quality relief help!

Contrary to popular belief, it's not just the money that prevents the Twins from signing Type A free agents such as Cruz.  It's the fact that they also have to surrender a first-round draft pick to the FA's former team that makes signing top-tier free agents unappealing.  For an organization that depends so heavily on its farm system, losing out on a draft pick to sign an expensive player that might not even work out in the first place is simply too much of a risk.         

Also, the Twins have either resumed contract talks or are very close to a deal with Joe Crede, depending on who you choose to believe (my money's on the former, sorry La Velle).  I have expressed reservations about signing Crede before, but I will be happy if the Twins can get him for less than the $ 7 million he reportedly wants.  He will be right-handed power bat Twins fans have been dreaming of if he's healthy.  But therein lies the rub: he hasn't been healthy the past couple of seasons.  And the Twins have not exactly had the best of luck when it comes to acquiring a competent third baseman.  At least Crede is no Mike Lamb or Tony Batista, though.

Update:  The Star Tribune is reporting that Crede has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal.  I am working on an entry about it right now, be patient.  I have other things to do besides blog.  Like look for a job.

• Not good news

Boof Bonser his still experiencing pain in his throwing shoulder and is having an MRI on Monday.  He's been shut down in the meantime.  Let's hope it's nothing more serious than tendinitis.  The Twins are going to need his arm in the bullpen, since they're not going to sign Juan Cruz!!!

Bobby Korecky is the odd man out

Original entry posted here.

• Korecky is claimed off waivers by Arizona

In order to make room on the 40-man roster for Luis Ayala (who is now officially a Twin), Bobby Korecky was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Diamondbacks.  It's unfortunate that the Twins had to lose the right-handed reliever without getting anything in return, but obviously they were going to have to trade or release somebody to make room on the roster for Ayala.  Even after losing Korecky, the Twins are carrying an ungodly 12 pitchers on the active roster.  And they are still looking for bullpen help.

Other than a brief call-up last spring, Korecky has spent his entire career in the minor leagues.  He wasn't terrible during his short stint in the bullpen last season, but he wasn't exactly brilliant either, surrendering nine runs on nineteen hits in a mere sixteen relief appearances.  I realize Diamondbacks fans aren't going to get excited about a thirty-year old career minor leaguer, but Korecky hasn't had much of a chance to show what he can do, either. The Twins have always had a lot of bullpen depth, and there just isn't a lot of room on the roster for a soft-tossing righty.  Instead, the guy who was thrown in as an afterthought in the Eric Milton trade spent most of last year as the closer for the Rochester Red Wings.  He was a pretty good one at that, posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 5.28 FIP, and recorded 26 saves for the Twins' AAA affiliate.  At least Wings fans are going to miss him, anyway.

On a more interesting note, Korecky was the first Twins pitcher to get a hit as the DH in an American League game since the rule was implemented in 1973.  He hit a single in the Twins' twelve inning victory over the Texas Rangers on May 19, 2008 (and recorded his first major league win, too).

It was obvious with the signing of Ayala, and the fact that both Boof Bonser and Philip Humber are out of options, that Korecky had little chance of making the team out of spring training.  It's unfortunate, too, as he does have the potential to be a decent middle reliever.  Hopefully he'll find a permanent home with the Diamondbacks.

• Speaking of Boof....

Apparently Bonser is still having problems with his shoulder.  He was supposed to start throwing today, but the inflammation in his shoulder still hasn't subsided and Boof is adamant that he can't pitch through the pain.  An MRI on the shoulder revealed no structural damage, so it looks like the chubby right-hander is suffering from a bad case of tendinitis.  The team doctors have decided to keep him on his throwing program for now, hoping that the problem will work itself out.  He is scheduled to throw again today, so we will see...  

• The Twins are reportedly out of the running in the Joe Crede Sweepstakes

The Twins and third-baseman Joe Crede have apparently reached a stalemate in contract negotiations.  The front office refuses to accept Crede's reportedly $7 million price tag, and Crede is refusing to accept a lesser deal.  If he does indeed want that much money, I think the Twins would be wise to pass on him at this point.  Although they could really use his bat in the lineup, his injury history is certainly cause for concern. I doubt Crede's surgically-repaired back would hold up on the Dome's rock-hard turf, so the Twins are probably better off sticking with the Harris/Buscher platoon for now. 

Besides, Justin Morneau doesn't think the Twins need another third baseman.

• The End of an Era

Touch and Go records is downsizing, according to Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune.   Given the current state of the economy, they've decided they can do without their distribution services and most of their staff in general.  This isn't entirely unexpected news, since a lot of indie labels are struggling right now, but it makes me sad that the label that produced a lot of my favorite music growing up might shutter its doors completely by the end of the year.  

For those unfamiliar with the label, here is some of their best work:

Aggie

Original entry posted here.

In keeping with the tradition of dedicating my ranking on the leader board to a notable Twin, number 38 goes to Rick Aguilera.  Aggie came over from the Mets in 1989 as part of the Frank Viola trade, and would later play an important role in the Twins' incredible 1991 championship run.  He was the Twins' closer for the greater part of eleven seasons and is currently the franchise saves leader, having recorded 254 of his 318 career saves with the club (though he will probably be surpassed by Joe Nathan sometime in the next couple of seasons).      

Aggie never really wanted to be a reliever in the first place.  He was a starter with the Mets, and although he helped them win the 1986 World Series pitching out of the bullpen, he still really considered himself a starting pitcher.  But then-manager Tom Kelly had no choice; when then-closer Jeff Reardon signed with the Red Sox after the 1990 season he had to shift Aggie to the bullpen.  And for a guy who was reluctant to move he really took to his new role and put up some great numbers.   Career-wise, Aggie has a 3.57 ERA with 1030 strikeouts.  His 318 career saves are enough to make him number 14 on the all-time MLB saves leaders list.  He was a three-time All-Star too, representing the Twins in the '91,'92, and '93 seasons.  Aguilera would later express his change in attitude towards being a reliever to the Star Tribune: "I enjoyed being a closer because I came to the park every day
knowing I had the opportunity to pitch," he said. "So with that came a
little more discipline, making sure I wasn't out late at night, taking
care of my body and resting." 

   
And then there was his part in helping the Twins win the 1991 World Series.  Aggie was

having a great year as it was that season, posting a 182 ERA+ with 61 strikeouts in 63 relief appearances.  As good as he was during the regular season, Aggie was phenomenal during the postseason.  He didn't even surrender a single hit in his three appearances against the Blue Jays as the Twins rolled over Toronto four games to one in the ALCS.  He would then go on to convert three of his four save opportunities during the World Series against the Braves, his lone loss coming in game 3 when Mark Lemke singled and scored David Justice in the twelfth inning.
      

The Twins acquired Aggie (and four other players) in 1989 as part of the Frank Viola trade.  At the time, fans thought this was the worst trade in Twins history.  Viola was a superstar who had helped the team win its first World Series title in Minnesota and at the time nobody thought any of the five players would amount to anything (I believe that pitchers Aguilera, Kevin Tapani and David West had a combined 154 innings of big league experience).  And really, other than Aguilera and Tapani most of the other players did end up being a bust.  Of course, both Aggie and Tapani played an important role in the 1991 World Series victory so the trade was more than worthwhile in the end.

It's also kind of funny that a guy who was as important to the team as Aggie, and who was acquired through a controversial blockbuster trade, was traded twice during his time with the Twins.  Aggie was first traded to the Red Sox during the 1995 season for pitcher Frankie Rodriguez and outfielder J. J. Johnson.  The move made a lot of sense at the time, as the Twins weren't going anywhere and had little use for a closer and Rodriguez was a top prospect.  Aguilera ended up re-signing with the Twins as a free agent prior to the '96 season, and remained a Twin until he was traded to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan.  This trade worked out much better, as Lohse was actually a decent third starter until his temper got the better of him.

Although he pitched well during his stint with the Cubs, Aguilera decided to retire after the 2000 season. He wanted to spend more time with his family, and now coaches high-school baseball for Santa Fe Christian.  The Twins honored Aggie by inducting him into the franchise Hall of Fame on June 21 of last year in a ceremony prior to the game against the Diamondbacks.  He even threw out the first pitch and actually still looked pretty good out there.  Hmmm, maybe the Twins should invite him to Spring Training?

Spring Training Link Bonanza

Original entry posted here.

Spring is here!  Although you wouldn't know it here in Southern Canada Minny.  Pitchers and catchers officially reported to Fort Myers yesterday, but most of the players on the 40-man roster have already shown up.  The few stragglers still have until Friday to report to camp.  It might not be as exciting as the news coming out of the Yankees' camp, but here's what's been reported so far:

Joe Nathan isn't happy with Alex Rodriguez.  Or any of the other admitted 'roiders for that matter.

The bullpen is determined to not suck this year.

Boof Bonser has tendinitis in his shoulder, and is still feeling pain despite having a cortisone shot.  This is bad news for someone whose spot in the bullpen is already in jeopardy.

Francisco Liriano apparently has decided not to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. He was supposed to pitch for the  Dominican Republic, but would rather focus on getting ready for the upcoming season. 

Brian Buscher is ready to compete for the starting third base job.

Corey Koskie is trying to make a comeback.  He's hoping to win a spot on the roster for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic and draw interest from major league teams.  I wish him the best.  

Joe Mauer has been working out, but he hasn't participated in any baseball activities yet. He's still feeling some lingering soreness from his operation to remove a kidney obstruction.  He'll probably miss some spring training games, but is still projected to be ready by Opening Day.

Meanwhile,  Jose Morales is hoping that Mauer's recovery opens a spot for him on the roster.  He's struggled with injuries of his own after tearing the ligaments in his ankle while running the bases in his first major league game.  He's not the catcher of the future, that would be Wilson Ramos, but he could serve as a competent backup should the Twins part with Mike Redmond after the season.

And sadly, former outfielder Ted Uhlaender passed away from a heart attack last Thursday.  He was 68.  Uhlaender made his big-league debut for the Twins in 1965, and played with them for four seasons until being traded to the Indians in 1969. He once led the Pacific League in hitting, and played in the 1972 World Series for the Cincinnati Reds.  Most recently he was working as a scout for the San Francisco Giants, until he fell ill with multiple myeloma. He is survived by his wife Karen, daughter Katie, and son Will.

Sometimes it's really hard to be a Minnesota sports fan

Original entry posted here (sorry, couldn't get this one to format correctly).


They're always breaking up with me, too. Not just players, the franchises themselves sometimes decide they want to start seeing other people. The Lakers (probably the best franchise Minnesota ever had), North Stars, and now (probably) even the Vikings have all moved on to bigger and better things. The Twins claim to be in it for the long haul, but they've threatened to leave so many times I'm not sure if I can trust them anymore.

Do I love you, do I hate you, do I got a dyslexic heart?

Minnesota-Vikings-Logo.pngThe Vikings are the NFL version of the Cubs: there's always a lot of preseason hype that this is going to be the year. The year our long championship drought comes to an end. And then they usually find themselves out of contention by week 5. Even if the Vikings do somehow manage to sneak into the playoffs, they always get sent packing in the first round.

I love the Vikings, and I want to believe in them. Owner Zygi Wilf certainly isn't afraid to make bold, expensive mistakes moves to improve the team. He wants to win, and I admire that. But every year there's something, some gaping hole the front office failed to address while overspending on something else. Last season, the Vikings spent a lot of money upgrading their receiving corps, and made a huge trade for Jared Allen to shore up their swiss-cheese like defense. But then they forgot to get a decent quarterback, and the Eagles made them pay dearly for it in the playoffs. This season they'll probably put all of their efforts into finding a quarterback, but neglect other needs such as oh, I don't know, special teams or something.

Our memories, they can be inviting. But some are altogether mighty frightening

wolf-logo.gifI'm not going to lie, we've had some good times. There was the 2004 Western Conference finals, for example. Even though they lost to the infernal Lakers (curse you, Kobe Bryant!), the very idea that the Wolves could win a championship title was exciting. And with all of the talent on that team we thought they'd be right back in it again the next year. Ha!

And who could forget this magical shot by former All-Star Isaiah Rider, the high point of an otherwise forgettable season:



But the good times never last. Just when things have started looking up for our Wolfies, we get the worst news ever. That's right, Big Al, the Wolves' All-Star leading scorer and overall best player, is going to miss the entire season with a torn ACL. Oh, he'll probably be fine and he should be back next season, but I wonder if this team is even going to win another game without him. Probably not. Looks like we have yet another high draft pick to look forward to. Yay.

I am trying to break your heart. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't easy

Minnesota_Wild_logo.gifUgh, last night's game was one of the worst I've ever seen. It didn't start out that way, though. The Wild looked really good in the first period after they took a 3-0 lead over Ottawa at the X. But then they got lazy and allowed the Senators to score 5 unanswered goals, two of which were shorthanded! I'm not trying to take anything away from Ottawa, they do have a lot of young talent and are a very hot team right now. But the Wild really gave the game away and it was just brutal to watch.

I'm not the only one who's upset, either. I have never seen Jacques Lemaire so angry before:


Let's face it: the Wild aren't going to make the playoffs this year. And we will look back on this game as the one that killed their chances. Yes, they dug themselves a massive hole in December, when they went 3-9-1 and were dead last in the Northwest Division. But they were starting to really come together and play well as a team; they were starting to show some fight and it made us all hope that they could make it after all. And that's really the most frustrating thing about this team: they can play like an elite hockey team if they choose to do so, but more often than not they just don't.

Besides, a last-place finish probably would have been good for them. At least this way they could've gotten a higher draft pick. For a team that doesn't have a lot of assets, and is set to lose at least one, if not two of its biggest stars via free agency, having an off year wouldn't have been such a bad thing at all.

Sweet dream baby. How long must I dream?

twins-logo.gifI was nine years old the last time the Twins won the World Series. Kirby Puckett's game winning bomb off of Charlie Leibrandt in the bottom of the eleventh inning in game six was the second-greatest moment of my childhood. The greatest moment, of course, was Gene Larkin's bloop hit (What else? That's how the Twinkies do it) to left center that scored the winning run in game seven that clinched the Twins' second World Series title in four years.

I love the Twins, I really do. And nobody wants to see them win another championship more than I do. But nobody is more realistic about their chances this season than I am, either. They have a lot of young talent, but this team as it is constructed right now just isn't going to get the job done. Other than Justin Morneau, there isn't another hitter in the lineup that makes opposing pitchers nervous. And other than Francisco Liriano, none of the pitching staff strikes fear in the hearts of opposing hitters. The bullpen should be better this year, but even that's a big question mark. The division will probably be up for grabs again this season, and I'm sure the Twins will probably win it. But I'm afraid that's all they're going to win.

Thanks to Kathy over at redbirdchatter for inspiring me to express my feelings towards my beloved sports franchises through song.