Spurned wives

True story: many years ago, a married man had an affair with another woman. He promised he would divorce his wife and marry her--and did so. Yet, the new wife was utterly stunned many years later when he announced he was divorcing her to marry the woman he had been having an affair with. I'm not telling this story with any meaning about love and marriage and people behaving poorly in relationships. I'm telling it because there was something I didn't understand about the ALCS.

When the top of the ninth came during the final ALCS game this year in Arlington, people were noticing Alex Rodriguez could be the final out of the game, and said how fitting it would be for him to strike out to end the game. Which did happen, if I understand (I wasn't feeling well and was in bed).

They felt it was fitting because Alex Rodriguez admitted to doing steroids while in Texas (why do they care? He played well for them, didn't try to glamorize it, and he's not longer with them. They're happy to accept Josh Hamilton and Ron Washington and their drug problems as people being fallible) and reportedly complained about being in Texas with no supporting cast of players around him.

Here's the thing: the Rangers didn't draft Alex Rodriguez, or even trade for him. They got him from free agency. Well, if you can buy someone, don't be surprised when someone else offers more money and the person is willing to be bought by them. You knew he was like that before you took him--in fact that's the only way you got him. It shouldn't surprise you at all.

I'm not sure why Texas fans feel vindicated by Alex Rodriguez being the last out. He didn't cheat on them (he cheated on baseball, but they got the benefits of it). He behaved towards Texas, you could say, exactly like he behaved towards the Mariners. The Mariners have the right to feel bitter--he left abandoned them.

In my intro, the second wife knew the husband would cheat before she married him...but somehow felt she was special and he only cheated because his first wife had some flaw.

The Rangers fans may have thought they were special when they bought him. They were utterly shocked when someone else was willing to pay more, and he took it. (Well, got traded, but with that contract, most people knew he'd have to be traded.)

I'm irritated by Alex Rodriguez's admitted drug use. And Andy Pettite's. But I don't think the Rangers have any specific complaint about it, other than irritation because he was traded. He did nothing towards the Rangers that couldn't have been expected in the first place. The reality is: I wish all people would behave with integrity.

Twins MVP, 2010

I know the season isn't over yet. The Twins were the first to clinch their division, though, so maybe we should figure out who the Twins MVP is for 2010. I realized I wanted to write about this on my way home from Target this noon, only to come home to find out that the Twins Geek (John Bonnes) wrote the exact same thing at the Strib--Who is the MVP?; it's a good read, but let me pick my Twins MVP.

The whole team. Every one of them is an MVP. I'll even include some non-factors like Brendan Harris, although if you don't want to include the likes of him, Ron Mahay and Randy Flores, I'm down with that.

The thing is, it took all seven thousand of them to win this year (really, I lost track of how many guys have played this year). When Slowey and Baker were injured, and when Blackburn struggled and was sent to the minors...the likes of Dunesing stepped in, with spot starts with by Manship and Perkins. When Justin Morneau--a guy heading towards another MVP season hit his head and ended up with a concussion, and missed the entire second half of the year, Cuddyer moved positions for the millionth time (he played second base, third base, and center field, other than his position in right field). Jason Kubel went from part-time DH to right field. Jim Thome went from part-time bench/part time DH to DH. Hardy, Hudson, and Punto all missed time in the infield. Valencia showed up. Casilla filled in. Like Hughes filled in for a few games. Butera showed himself as a capable defensive catcher, and seemed to have a fair amount of clutch hits that made his lack of hits in general a little easier to take.

So, who's the MVP? Is Cuddyer's reported leadership and flexibility more worthwhile than finally getting a real third baseman or a phenomenal defensive/offensive catcher or a starter who pitched strongly or a pitcher who should be considered in the Cy Young based on peripherals, or the bullpen's work both early and late in the season? Who is it? I think it's everyone put together. By everyone I'm including Bill Smith and the front office, the scouts in the field, the trainers, the coaches in both the majors and minors, and everyone else involved with this Twins season.

There is no easy way to pick a team MVP. It's a team sport. You can't say a starting pitcher is more valuable than a bullpen pitcher--starters can lose games before the bullpen gets involved, and bullpens can lose games after the start has left. A clean-up hitting first baseman can't get RBIs if the batters before him don't get on base. A power-hitting DH can't win games with his bat if no one else hits or plays defense. A great-called game by a catcher is worthless if defense doesn't back it up, or no one gets a hit. It's all combined efforts that win games.

So who's the MVP of the Twins this year? Whomever you think. Although if you've picked Matt Tolbert or Trevor Plouffe, I'd like a rational explanation.

Double Play Stats...

This post goes out to my Baby Brother, Jacob. For without him, I probably wouldn't have found the link to the blog post this blog post is about. That statement really don't make much sense, but really, it does.

Shawn wrote an article on his blog about a new stat he was working on coming up with. I think his stat has a legitimate point, but I think the execution of calculating it still needs work.

Shawn pointed out that guys who hit into double plays hurts his team. Thus, he calculated a stat that took the on-base percentage and subtracted an out for each double play the hitter hit into.

Here's where the problem comes in for me. Let's say Tom, Dick, and Harry bat in order during a game. Tom and Dick have excellent on-base percentages but very little power. This means Harry is likely to often come up to bat with Tom or Dick on first base. Poor Harry has a lot of opportunities to hit into double plays, and therefore, likely has hit into a lot of them.

On the other hand, Huey, Dewey, and Louie bat in order. Huey and Dewey have pretty good power, but their on-base percentages are pretty poor. Therefore, when Louie comes up to the plate, it's not very likely that there's someone on first base, so he doesn't really hit into that many double plays.

Here's the thing: both Harry and Louie could hit the ball exactly the same in every at-bat. But Harry's on-base percentage would be much lower than Louie's based on the stat Shawn presented us with. To me, it strikes me as unfair. It's simply a matter of where Harry and Louie are in the line-up. If you'd switch them, they'd likely be hitting exactly the same. (In fact, Dick is probably fairly vulnerable to the double-play, too, while Tom is probably not at all, when in reality all three are similar hitters in my hypothetical line-up.)

I told my cousin who was begging for the Twins to trade Joe Mauer to his team: "Why, do you need more guys to hit into double plays?" The reality is that Mauer is often like Harry in our hypothetical example: Span and Hudson typically get on base often, and Mauer is somewhat of a ground-ball hitter, making him vulnerable to double plays, putting him on the leader board for grounding into double plays. But people who know stats also point out that based on opportunities, his double play percentage isn't on the leader board.

I think there should be some way to account for double plays in stats. Right now, the only one I'm in favor of is the double play percentage, which calculates the percentage of double plays based on the opportunities to hit into them (runner at first, less than two outs). I wouldn't mind seeing the two stats (OBP and GDP%) combined, actually. I haven't worked out the science, but I'd like to see the math that Shawn figured out, but not straight-out subtracting a hit for every double play. With that, players get penalized when they have more opportunities, when really it's the manager's fault for putting him in that place in the line-up.

Yes, he did that. Now move on already

I did not want to write about this. As you can tell with my exasperation while writing this--or at least I hope it comes through in my writing--is that people are turning a simple baseball play into proof that a player sucks or is stupid or...well, I'm not sure what point they're trying to make by obsessing over one play in a game...because I think it didn't affect the game at all. It didn't affect how I think about the player. It didn't change ANYTHING for me. I thought it was simply a decision that didn't turn out as well as the player hoped, but I also think that it didn't ruin anything, either. In fact, I think fans making a big deal out of it, may change how other fans think about the player, which may affect the player's confidence in himself which will affect his hitting, and possibly his defense. So, really, all you're doing is making an odd situation worse.

I'm going to lay out a situation for you. It's the seventh inning. Your team has just tied up a game 3-3, and you have runners on first and second with one out. Coming to the plate is a man who, in the past month, sports a .258 batting average, and through the entire year has hit into a 17 double plays (tied for fourth in Major League Baseball, tied for second in the American League). The infielders are playing back. The player lays down a bunt. It's clear he's trying to bunt for a hit--he's not a speedy guy, but he's not slow, either. Alas, his bunt only goes about ten feet, and he's easily out at first; the runners are now on second and third for a man who's been hitting .274 that month. He grounds out to first, to end the inning.

When the second guy was out on his non-sacrifice bunt, I turned to my friend and we both expressed relief that he had not grounded into a double play, which is what we expected (remember the 17 double plays he has already hit into?). Imagine my surprise when I got home and found out that the entire rest of the world was apparently irate because he bunted. They were even more irate when his reasoning was that he had not been hitting well lately, and the bunt was simply poorly executed. He should not have been bunting!

The play in question happened Tuesday night. The player that bunted was Joe Mauer. Now, we're used to Joe Mauer being the perennial batting champion. It is positively inconceivable for people to imagine that he's not hitting well. But face if, he's not. Delmon Young, annual whipping boy, has a higher batting average (it's not hard to have a lower batting average than Delmon Young this year--he's tied for 11th place in the American League). Mauer looked at the situation, and realizeed a way that he could get on base (a well-placed bunt) and advance the runners (to second and third). He realized he wasn't hitting well lately (he is not unaware. He knows he's hitting under .300 for the year and while he might not know he's hitting .258 in July, he knows he's not hitting well). He's hit into a *lot* of double plays, and he knows this. So, he decides to get a hit in a way they're giving it to him by playing the third baseman back--a bunt. He fails to lay down a bunt, but advances the runners. Fans, media, and probably people in Germany are irate that JOE MAUER BUNTED. (Which is funny--I couldn't find it in my scorecards from last year, but I'm pretty sure he had a successful bunt single last year because he looked at the fielders, who were playing back, and took a shot. And it worked. And we all giggled that the batting champ bunted. What I *did* see was a note on my scorecard--on a Joe Mauer home run--that "he showed bunt on ball 2". So maybe he didn't successful lay down the bunt like I thought, but we still thought it was pretty smart of him to keep the fielders on their toes by saying "If I decided to bunt here, I'd get a hit.")

So, here's how I see it: Tuesday night, Mauer made an out while advancing the runners. Let's say Mauer didn't bunt. Let's say he swung the bat. Now, in his best year, last year, his on-base percentage was .444. That means that six times out of ten, Mauer was going to cause an out even in his fantastic MVP season. Thus, it's more likely he was going to make an out rather than get a hit--especially this year, but even last year. Let's say he flew out to left field, which is not inconceivable (he likes to hit it the opposite way). Denard Span's chances of advancing on the tag are pretty low. By letting Mauer try to get a "real" hit rather than trying to bunt for a hit, we suddenly have two outs with runners on first and second--a force-out at any base for Jason Kubel. Hmm, we don't like that so well. Let's say Mauer walks--which is less likely than a hit. Again, a force-out at any base, so when Kubel grounded out to first to end the inning, the ball may have been thrown home--and maybe a 3-2-3 double play had been started--or at least a 3-2 out. (I don't recall how hard the ground-out was--and it would depend on if Span was running on the pitch or not.) Best case scenario is a hit, which happens about two and a half in ten times, so don't count on it, or a walk, which happens less than three times in ten so again not to be counted on. Second best scenario we're looking at is...making an out but advancing the runners. Which, strangely enough...IS EXACTLY WHAT HE DID.

We just don't like how he did it, because we expect him to be a good hitter. (Funny, I bet if Nick Punto--a career .248 hitter--had done the same thing, no one would've batted an eye.) It's our expectations that are off. We're looking at what we want out of our reigning MVP. We're not looking at the fact that this year, he's not an MVP. It wasn't lack of intensity. It wasn't stupidity. It was a failed play, like happens approximately seven out of ten times for batters.

What's funny? If the lad had hit into *another* double play, no one would remember it today--we would've groaned about it happening AGAIN and moved on. Instead, Mauer gave Kubel (someone who is hitting better than him--.274 in July) a chance to get the runners home. And everyone's mad about that.

I do not get the ire. I'm happy he took a risk. I'm happier that he didn't hit into another @#$@#$* double play.

* I never swear, really, so if you were talking to me, it would probably be "another stupid double play." I have no idea what swear word that's being substituted for. You're on your own to fill in your own adjective for the anger you feel about Joe Mauer (and the Twins in general) hitting into double plays. Unless you're not a Twins fan in which case you're looking for something like "awesome" and I hate you and your team.

It's Just a Game

Ryan made mention of the Twins poor streak. It was unusual in that the Twins usually dominate in interleague play, but this year, they were dominated by the National League. No known reason, they just were. (Incidentally, I would really like to see the interleague play be balanced--that is, each division plays the same teams in the other league. To have one team (for this example, we'll use the Braves) face last-place teams in the other league (Baltoimore, Cleveland, Kansas City) while a divisional opponent (Mets) faces the first-place teams in the league (Yankees, Twins, and Rangers) is an unfair advantage. (This did not happen exactly like this, but I'm saying it could. The thing is, when the schedules are made, no one knows who the best and worst teams are going to be...therefore, to balance it out by having each division play the same teams--minus the interleague rivals, which I enjoy--would balance it out.) But I digress.

Recently, an article in Sports Illustrated was brought to my attention. Since I find psychology interesting, I enjoyed the perspective. There are players out there who suffer from issues like social anxiety and depression. Someone on Twitter recently said, 'I just made a mistake at work. Glad I didn't have 20,000 people booing me.' Players are people, too. Many of them care more than you think. What's their job is our relaxation--our free time is spent watching sports.

This is all just a game. Win or lose, does it *really* matter? If you asked me at the game, I'd answer, "yes!" Away from the game, I gain more perspective. I mean, baseball will be there next year (God willing). If we don't make the playoffs, it's not really the end of the world--it just feels like it. If we don't win today, we don't suck all around (although it feels like it some days). As many say: baseball is not a sprint--it's a marathon. If you get behind in a sprint, it's nearly impossible to make up time. If you get behind in a marathon early on--or even in the middle--there's still plenty of time to make up time. In baseball, there have been divisions won and lost in September. There has been seemingly insurmountable odds beaten in September.

And yet...divisions can be lost in April, May, and June, no matter what the Septembers looked like. To beat those insurmountable odds--which happens--not only requires one team to win a lot, it also requires another team to lose a lot.

Let's bring up the story of the turtle and the hare. As you know, the hare makes the great start, gets lazy, and takes a nap before finishing the race because he's so far ahead. Meanwhile, the turtle just plods along slowly, and passes the napping hare to win. The only reason the turtle wins is because the hare doesn't even try. If at some point when the turtle passed it and before the turtle crossed the finish line, the hare would've woken up, he still could've used his great speed to cross the finish line first. The hare could've won the race, and there's nothing the turtle could've done about it.

Realistically, each game is equally important. The Twins forced a tie-breaker Game 163 two years in a row. Just imagine one more win by the Twins--or Tigers in 2009 or the White Sox in 2008--in April of 2008 or 2009 could've made the difference. Based on that, also, each game is just 1/162 of a season. That's just 0.62% of the season. To live and die by every game means you're spending 44.4% of your year worried about a game...a game that's been played for over a hundred years, and likely will continue to be played for at least another hundred. (And in that time, maybe--just maybe--the Cubs will win the World Series again. But don't count on it.)

Old men and baseball

It might not seem like a big deal, but it kinda is. The Twins, in the 22nd round, drafted a high school shortstop named Dillon Moyer. The kid has some good stock, because just a month ago, Dillon's father, Jamie, pitched a no-hitter.

Jamie Moyer debuted in the majors before my sister's first birthday; he was drafted a year before she was born. My sister is now married. My grandfather could've read about him in the newspaper (there was no internet back then, kids). Grandpa died almost twenty years ago. (How's this for trivia: Grandpa saw Satchel Paige pitch in North Dakota in the 1930s. Satchel Paige was the oldest rookie to play in the major leagues (age: 42).)

There's something about a player like this that fascinates me. He's not a hard-throwing starting pitcher, although I'd imagine to pitch into your late 40's, you need to be more than a hard-thrower (err, based on Mariano Rivera, maybe not...but he's a relief pitcher, not a starter). He's what's known as a finesse pitcher--his fastball tops out in the low 80s. That's not very fast. It's a reminder that you don't have to blow it by 'em to get outs. You just have to be smarter than the other person. A proper mixing of pitches can keep hitters enough off-balance to get the outs. Many pitchers can get by with this for short periods, but it takes some talent to sustain this for decades--as Moyer has done. In fact, Moyer is the only pitcher to throw a shut-out in four different decades.

Will Moyer ever face his son? That would require him to pitch for at least a couple more years. There's also no saying Dillon will sign with the the Twins (he has signed a commitment to play at Cal-Irvine). But best-case scenario is probably that he signs with the Twins, comes up as a rookie in four years (age 22), Moyer would have to pitch until he's 51. Normally, I'd say that's not going to happen, but I also wouldn't think a guy would throw a no-hitter at age 47. So, anything can happen. And I'd like to see it.

Happy Delmon Young Day!

I know, I'm writing a day early (or three weeks late--sorry, all!), but it's Delmon Young Day! The Victoria Times Minnesota writers may not agree on everything, but it seems Ryan and I have agreed on Delmon Young.

I don't know that I can write more than I have, or more than Ryan has. I think it comes down to this: people expected immediate results in Delmon Young, placed Joe Mauer expectations on him, and well, he wasn't. I think the big thing is that he was a major league player before he came to the Twins, therefore, the expectation was of a polished, professional player. Carlos Gomez came to the Twins, and his childlike exuberance endeared him to the fans. When he messed up, or wasn't hitting well, he was still a child. Should we mention here that Gomez is only three months younger than Young? When Young was in his first spring training with the Twins, a writer saw him sitting with some of the Twins minor league players--A and AA players, actually. The writer mentioned to Young how nice it was to hang out with the minor league players. Young looked surprised and matter-of-factly said that these guys were more his age. And the writer realized it was true. Most guys Young's age were in the middle minor league years. (In fact, it's quite possible in the draft in June of that year, the Twins drafted rookies younger than Young. I need to get ready for a ballgame, or I'd look it up.)

And, as I've likely stated before, Young gets the short end of the deal. He's young. But we've heard so much about him, we expect him to play like an older player. He's advanced for his age, yes. But he's not a once-in-a-lifetime player like Mauer or Pujols (which really, doesn't make them literally once in a lifetime, does it?). Delmon Young will be 24 for most of this year. Do you know what Justin Morneau's batting average was the year he turned 24? It was .239, in his first full season with the Twins. Many of us were disappointed in him, but we thought he needed more time in the minors, not a complete bust. Michael Cuddyer hit .245, and still hadn't had more than 120 at-bats in any year he'd played with the Twins (the next year he'd get 386).

So, let's give Delmon a little time to grow. It's a bit premature to call him a bust. He likely won't ever be a patient hitter. His on-base-percentage won't greatly exceed his batting average. But if his batting average does well, and his slugging percentage does well, he will be a good outfielder.

Incidentally, he's not great defensively. He's getting better, but may never be great. But remember, he's really a right fielder, and the Twins have Cuddyer and his deaf left ear in right field. (The deafness is important--it would likely be harder for Cuddy to play left field, as he'd have more trouble hearing the center fielder to his left for plays in the gap.)

So, celebrate Delmon Young Day. Do it by giving the guy a little slack--not in sloppy play, but in holding him to standards of a 24-year-old--an age a guy is often getting his first full year in the majors.

Target Field

While Ryan got to go out and see Opening Day in Los Angeles, I was stuck at home watching the game. However, while Ryan was heading out to California last weekend, I spent the weekend attending sporting events.

Friday night, I found myself watching the first MLB game—although exhibition—at Target Field in Minneapolis. I have a 40-game package of season tickets, so I sat in “my” seat. When we got to the field, it was raining, although the rain stopped just before the gates open. This meant Minnesotans got to see a site they’ve not seen in almost 30 years: a tarp being taken off the field. (My friend and I watched the process in fascination. We’re nerdy like that.)



There are plenty of reviews out there for you all to read, so I’m going to give my personal view, for a small group of people who are often ignored.

One of the things I appreciated at the Metrodome, was usually by the time we walked through the gates (and keep in mind I sat in general admission, so I was there when the gates opened, and I attended over half of the home games), the line-ups were posted. Those of us who kept score could fill out our scorecards before eating our supper (or lunch, for day games). That way, when they announced the team, we could cheer along with the crowd, rather than hastily scrawling numbers on my scorecard. This is not so at Target Field, much to our sorrow. (I asked the Twins on Twitter, and their official reason is that “sometimes we don’t get the line-ups until just before the game. I considered arguing back that they always did at the Metrodome, but I just have to accept that people aren’t going to change and move on.) I’ve noticed some stadiums do not post the line-ups pre-game, while other cities do post them. To each their own.

However, something that makes most scorekeepers happy is a “Last play:” portion of the scoreboard. In years past, the Twins had a weekday/weeknight game called Twingo, which was Bingo, except with plays on the field. Scorekeepers loved these days, because until all the prizes were awarded (usually about the fifth inning), the Twingo board would record the last play. Those who keep score are usually some pretty insane, intense fans. Even the best of us, though, will get distracted and miss a play. (And each scorekeeper has his/her own way of designating plays they didn’t see—“WW” = “Wasn’t Watching” or “DNS”= “Did Not See” or simply “?”. The scoreboard at Target Field keeps the “Last Play” showing throughout the game. So as long as the scorekeeper doesn’t miss two plays in a row (it may have happened on Saturday), the scorecards can be at least marginally accurate.

Another thing to love for the more obsessive scorecards is the pitch count. Some ballparks take the pitch count down immediately when the last out is made. As a fan, I’m watching the game, and don’t like to have to quickly look to see the pitch count. And, of course, I never remembered to look when the next inning started. Target Field has the pitch counts up for both pitches most of the time (only time they don’t is when someone is warming in the bullpen).



(That picture was taken from Section 132. The seats in The Pavilion have wood backs, and are actually quite comfortable. The drink holders are on the armrests, rather than attached to the seat in front of you. This causes the seats harder to get into for those with larger hips, and for scorekeepers, your elbow is where your drink is, so your drink will end up on the ground anyway. Once you’re sitting in your seat, however, they are quite comfortable.)

And for the traditionalists out there—like me—the Twins have always had the “Strike Out ALS” sign that keeps track of strikeouts by the Twins pitchers. This is a manual sign with tiles that need to be turned over (and turned around for strike-out looking). From what I can tell, fans in the front row in Section 332 get to turn over the signs. I’m a huge fan of manual scoreboards (I loved it at Wrigley, watching the numbers get taken out by hand. Part of me really wants the job to run the scoreboard there, but I’d probably die of heat stroke on the first warm day).

The bullpens, rather than being on the field like they were at the Metrodome, are closed off in center field. The Twins will use the back bullpen. (It’s a little sad. No longer will we see outfielders running into the bullpen to make spectacular catches. Nor will we get to make fun of the ball boy who couldn’t catch.) Really, I’m happy the guys got a proper bullpen, but I won’t deny I’ll miss all the silly quirks of having a bullpen on the field, though. Fortunately, my seats give me a good view of the bullpen so I should still be able to see the antics of bored bullpen boys. Unfortunately, it will not give me a view of the Twins dugout so I won’t get good views of the weird antics of guys in the dugout.

In total, Target Field is pretty much what all the reviews have said: a beautiful ballpark on the edge of downtown. After playing for years in a warehouse (as someone described it), the ballpark has it’s own beauty outside of the game being played there.

And above all, Twins baseball has a home to call its own. No longer must it acquiesce to the whims of football—both college and professional.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 15-63, or a 19.2% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 11-67. Shockingly, neither team will make the playoffs. Personally, I think they should hold a Loser Playoff, as the only two teams that will finish with under 20 wins.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 37-36-7 record, for a 46.3% winning percentage. They are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. They broke their record in the number of different players they had on the team this year. I’m pretty sure Todd Richards gets up every morning and prays for enough semi-healthy players to have a full roster for a game. And that’s because he depends on Greg Zanon to play, even if his ankle is broken.

Predictions, 2010

Ryan posted his yesterday, so here's my predictions for 2010...

NL EAST
Washington Nationals
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves

The Washington Nationals come as the surprise team in the National League. It turns out, someone in the Nationals media department managed to convince the other teams in the National League that the Nationals weren’t a real team and all games against them were exhibition games. This lead to half-hearted efforts, and some easy wins for the Nationals, who were not in on the joke. The media guy later admitted that the Nationals would’ve believed the hoax, too, if he told them.

NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburg Pirates
Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers

The Pittsburg Pirates looked in position to take over the NL Central until September 19. On Talk Like a Pirate Day, the Pirates managed to all become addicted to rum, and the AA meetings interfered with game times, leading many regulars to miss games. The Cubs

NL WEST
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodger
San Francisco Giants

The Giants came in last place because the baseball writers hated spelling Francisco, and bribed the umpires. Other than citizens of the city, and Twins starter Francisco Liriano, no one cared much.

AL EAST
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay {Devil} Rays

While everyone hoped Orioles wouldn’t come in last place, they were the surprise of the season. The Yankees, with their great offense, and good pitching, realized that when they let a player take a day off to rest that they should replace the player on the field. The games without their catcher hurt the most.

AL CENTRAL
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers

The Royals find out that Zach Grienke isn’t really a normal human; he’s a science experiment gone terribly right. He doesn’t needs the four days of rest between starts. In fact, it’s discovered that he only needs 87 minutes, 31.5 seconds of rest between starts. This drastically changes the outlook of the Royals, who immediately replace starters 2-5 with two extra bullpen guys, and two extra batters. Grienke’s pitching allows the Royals to handily take the division with a 120-62 record. The Twins, for the third year straight, force a game 163 against the Blue Jays for the Wild Card slot. The Blue Jays, not realizing their error, picked up shortstop Adam Everett, who for the third year straight was on the losing team of Game 163. (Why aren’t the White Sox last? Because I feel generous today, and I don’t want to hear Steve to be mad at me.)


AL WEST

Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners
Oakland A’s
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Using the heat of Texas as their home-field advantage to deplete the energy of their opponents, the Rangers handily win all their home games against their division rivals, who play in more temperate climates. (The teams from the Midwest and Northeast, being used to extreme temperatures, are only mildly affected by the extreme heatwave that lasts all summer in Texas.)

Playoffs:
NL: Nationals over the Cubs
Padres over the Marlins
Nationals over Padres
AL: Royals over the Orioles
Twins over Rangers

World Series:
Nationals versus Twins. In game seven, after the 32nd inning was finished with the 4-4 tie, fans were asked if anyone cared anymore who won (Games 1-6 all went between 13 and 21 innings). A resounding “no” came from the four fans still awake (although three of them caught naps between the 18-26th innings). A coin toss was attempted, but the coin landed on it’s side. The umpires declared the Cubs the winners and everyone went to bed happy. Except the Cubs’ fans, who were all in bed long before, and were bummed about missing their team finally winning.

April Fools! I suck at making predictions. I’m biased, and find it difficult to compare teams on paper (players, I'm good with; teams, not so much). So, like last year, I want to make insane predictions that, if they end up being true, will be a little frightening. Although it’s impossible for me to count my Twins out at all.

As an aside, and this, sadly, is not an April Fool’s joke, is one little note on my least favorite team, and the player that represents that team. Of all the things I’m thankful for is that while Derek Jeter is known as the Captain of the Yankees, he doesn’t wear a “C” on his chest, like Jason Varitek did for the Red Sox. Captains are completely unnecessary from a game perspective in baseball (clubhouse relations, they can be important, but still are not needed). (Hockey, for example, needs a captain, because the captains do have a function during the game, in talking to referees.) Anyway, on Wednesday, March 31*, 2010, the Twins were playing split squad games. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Michael Cuddyer—players whom people would consider the leaders on the Twins—were playing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (look, it sounds better than Rays to me. Ray is a name. Rays sounds like a team made up of a bunch of guys name Ray). Some “regulars” like Denard Span, Alexi Casilla, and Delmon Young were playing against the Yankees in Tampa. Span is from Tampa. In the first at-bat of the game, he hit a line-drive foul ball into the stands—and hit his mother. He rushed to the stands and stayed until the medics came. After that, his head wasn’t in the game. In the second or third inning,
Derek Jeter pulled Span aside, and told him to go see about his mother. Span left the game. (His mother is fine.)

My mom’s birthday! Yes, we like to tell her she was born a day early.

I don’t like the Yankees. Derek Jeter represents the Yankees. Yet, in a team where the Twins didn’t really have any of their leaders, Derek Jeter stepped up to provide some veteran leadership. For that, I tip my cap to him. This, however, does not give him permission to get any hits against the Twins.

Timberwolves update: They have a 1-2 record since I last reported. They’re now at 15-60, or a 20.0% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 10-65. While their seasons have been over for a long time, I’m sure fans are wondering when they’ll stop playing games. Or attempting to play.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 37-34-6 record, for a 48.1% winning percentage. They’re not mathematically out of the playoff picture yet, but neither are the Washington Nationals.

Looking at the other side of the fence

I determined last week that I wasn’t going to write anything more about Joe Mauer until he signed his contract; everyone else was speculating and debating so I wasn’t going to. He signed on Monday. You win this time, Mauer.

There are idiots in the world. They come from all over. There are ethnocentric people, racists, nationalists, etc. There’s nothing wrong with believing your team, city, state, country, county, province, family, etc., is the greatest. It’s kinda expected. However, it’s another to think that your group is superior and that everyone wants to be you.

Let’s look at Mike Silva. He wrote “Mauer deserves the big stage of New York.” The reason he wrote this is because he feels that New York is the center of baseball. Why, everyone remembers all the big stars that went to New York. No one will remember A-Rod with the Rangers, or with the Mariners. They’ll remember him with the Yankees. That’s true. But why will they remember him with the Yankees? There was a lot more drama. If he would’ve stayed with the Rangers, he would’ve been remembered with the Rangers (he is one of the best players in baseball; that would not be forgotten if he decided to play his entire career in Kansas City). People will remember Ichiro Suzuki with the Mariners. Everyone will remember Ken Griffey, Jr., Cal Ripkin, Jr., and Kirby Puckett, and none of them played for the Yankees. I’m going out on a limb here and saying more people will associate Johnny Damon being with the Red Sox than with the Yankees.

Silva quotes Mark Teixeira as saying, “Look, it’s really kind of simple. If you don’t want to play in front of 50,000 people every single game, if you don’t want the energy of the best city in the world behind you every day, good or bad, and if you don’t want to be in a position where you can win a championship … well, then you probably shouldn’t play in New York.” He uses that as proof that everyone should want to play there.

I probably shouldn’t break it to Mr. Silva that if Mark Teixeira played for the Cubs, he’d say that Chicago is the most passionate city about their team. If he played for the Diamondbacks, he’d say the support of the team was absolutely incredible. If he played for the Giants, he’d call that the best city. Superstars—or at least those that want to keep in the good graces of the team—don’t say, “Oh, it’s an okay city I guess. I just play here for the paycheck.” So using a player quote about being the best city holds no water.

Do I think New York fans are passionate? Yes. Do I believe there are more fans of the Yankees than the Twins? I’d be an idiot to try to argue otherwise. Do I think the average Yankee fan is any more passionate than the average Twins fan? Not a bit. Even the Montreal Expos, with their few fans before they were moved, were every bit as passionate as the Yankees fans. There are more Yankees fans because New York is a bigger city. A lot of kids dream of visiting New York. A lot of kids dream of living in New York. But a lot of people are just as happy living in another city altogether. It’s not a perfect city. (For example, because of the higher cost of living, Joe Mauer’s contract in New York would’ve needed to be more to equal in value the contract he got from Minnesota.)

Beyond the insanity of Mr. Silva, and beyond all the other comments of Joe Mauer staying in Minnesota, there are still some that don’t like the contract. Besides Ozzie Guillen’s comment that he was glad for baseball that Mauer signed in Minnesota, he was sad that he had to continue facing Mauer 19 times each season (to be fair, since Mauer doesn’t play every day, Guillen’s teams will probably face Mauer between 14 and 17 times each year).

An unnamed Indians fan wrote an excellent rant about how he was not happy that the Twins signed Joe Mauer. To him, it was a reminder that the Twins were the luckiest team in baseball. They took a Rule 5 pick and he turned into a two-time Cy Young winner (who, incidentally, politely asked for a trade to a bigger market—so, Silva was right in that some players want the experience of the bigger stage of New York—although I’m fairly certain Santana would’ve gone to Boston, too). The Twins would’ve had the opportunity to sign Mark Prior as the #1 pick in 2001 when they picked Joe Mauer, and their decision was made when Prior didn’t want to come to Minnesota.* (There’s no saying what they would’ve done if Prior had been open to the idea of playing in Minnesota; they may still have gone with Mauer anyway—firstly, because they believed he’d be a great player, and secondly, the hometown kid always wins the fans, and the fans bring the money.)

I really wish the Twins would sign Prior to a minor league contract. After he signed, I hope he becomes a respectable pitcher—maybe a good bullpen guy. It would be a little lesson in humility to him, and a reminder of what maybe, possibly could’ve happened if he wouldn’t have been so anti-Minnesota. Just because they sucked through most of the 90s, didn’t mean it would last forever.

But this fan, whom I shall call Alfred, brought up a good point: “It doesn't set a precedent for anyone except for somebody who might idolize Joe Mauer and none of our players [Cleveland Indian stars] do that.” He’s right there. Mauer is not necessarily setting a precedent. I’ve heard rumors and speculation that Mauer actually wanted more money, but settled for a lower amount to stay in Minnesota. He wasn’t like Kirby Puckett staying in Minnesota. He’s not like Zach Greinke staying in Kansas City. Kirby Puckett was born in Chicago, and likely grew up cheering for one of those teams. Zach Greinke grew up in Florida. Their families are likely still in those areas.

The only precedent this may have set is for Albert Pujols. While Pujols didn’t move to Missouri until he was in high school, he did live and play there prior to a major league career. Joe Mauer, as is well-known, was born in and grew up in St. Paul—seven miles from where the Twins played. I’m pretty sure he will not deny that that is part of his decision to stay in Minnesota. (The other part is the firm belief that Minnesota had the opportunity to win.) Albert Pujols may make the same decision. But Mauer’s decision does not apply to Zach Greinke or many other stars on small-payroll teams. It simply applies to a very unique situation: a star player on his hometown team. The best it can do is make other star players realize that if they believe their small-market team can win, it’s okay to stay there.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 14-58, or a 19.4% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 8-63, reportedly on pace for a record year.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 35-32-6 record, for a 47.9% winning percentage. They’re not technically out of the playoff picture yet, but neither are the Baltimore Orioles.

It's All Relative

Ryan wrote earlier this week about Delmon Young. I wrote a month ago regarding a column Minnesota Sports commentator Patrick Reusse wrote—before we knew Young lost 30 pounds over the winter (although ten of it was due to illness).

I thought about it, and I’ll expand a little bit on the comment that I made on Ryan’s article, so bear with me if this is a little bit of a repeat.

Let’s look at his first two seasons with the Twins. His first season, he was playing under the pressure of an attitude for a bad reputation. (Remember his altercations with former {Devil} Rays teammate Carl Crawford--which, in my opinion, Young came out looking more mature by only commenting mildly when forced to by the media?) He was on a new team, and likely felt pressure, knowing he was traded for a rather good pitcher. It would’ve been an adjustment year for the young man, learning a new team/system. In his second season, likely feeling the pressure of the first not-so-stellar year, he also had to deal with something no 23-year-old boy should: he knew his mother was dying. Mrs. Young had pancreatic cancer, which was just discovered prior to Spring Training. Delmon Young had to walk into the club house for Spring Training with the very real possibility he might never see his mother again. He had to face the first two months of the season knowing a phone call could come any day. (As it was, he was fortunate enough to be there just before she died. As I mentioned last month, his season did improve.

The year Justin Morneau won the MVP (2006), Twins fans—and apparently MVP voters—were willing to set aside Morneau’s April, wherein he batted an unimpressive .208/.274/.416 at age 25. Twins fans need to let Delmon Young’s age 24 season April (.241/.276/.315) and May (.236/.288/.236).

Second off, let me start with one of my favorite amusing stats. In 2008, Geovany Soto of the Cubs won the Rookie of the Year award. Soto was born January 30, 1983, so he was 25 years old his entire rookie year. He wasn’t particularly young as a rookie, but he wasn’t particularly old, either. A reasonable age for a rookie. That same year, Twins Joe Mauer brought home his second batting title, completing, technically, his fifth full year in the majors (fourth, if you don’t count the injury-riddled rookie season). Mauer didn’t turn 25 until a couple of weeks after the 2008 season started. You don’t often think of a kid winning Rookie of the Year being older than a two-time batting champion. Yet, there we are.

Twins fans have been waiting for a third baseman ever since Corey Koskie left the Twins after the 2004 season. After watching (in no particular order) Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto, Mike Lamb, Brendan Harris, Tony Batista, and some other random guys whom I’m forgetting, the Twins fans were finally hanging their hats on minor-leaguer Danny Valencia. He’s the up-and-coming hot prospect. The fans don’t expect him to start this year, but the hope is he’ll come up this year, and be the full-time third baseman next year. The fans can accept the wait, because he’s still a young player and they don’t want him called up too early. (This is all arguably. Plenty of people thought he should’ve been a September call-up in hopes of him starting this year, but they’ve accepted the way things are for the moment.)

And then someone mentioned this spring that Valencia turned 25 last fall—September 19 is his birthday. Delmon Young turned 24 this fall—September 14. That’s when it became clear that Delmon Young, despite having been in the majors for three full seasons, was actually a year younger than the “kid” we were all hoping would take over third base. One of his first years with the Twins, in Spring Training, a reporter noted he was sitting with the minor leaguers. They commented on how cool that was, and Young shrugged and mentioned that these guys were his age.

People had a lot of expectations for Delmon Young that he didn’t live up to, and people weren’t willing to forgive. Delmon Young is still very young. There are guys older than him in the minor leagues who aren’t considered washed-up.

My point in this is answering exactly why Twins’ media (both professional and bloggers) seem to be higher on Delmon Young than they have in the past. There’s probably more to it as well (the weight loss—showing a sign of dedication to the game in the off-season—for one), but these two reasons, in my opinion, are a good start of the turn-around in feeling. I just hope the fans can stay calm if Delmon starts slow. After all, as stated earlier, Justin Morneau had a slow start in 2006, and it all turned out okay in the end.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-4 record since I last reported. They’re now at 14-55, or a 20.3% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 7-61, reportedly on pace for a record year.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 34-29-6 record, for a 49.3% winning percentage. They’re not technically out of the playoff picture yet, but neither are the Baltimore Orioles.

A Tale of Two Joes

Remember what I said last week that athletes are role models regardless of their desire to be a role model? Therefore, the excuse “I don’t want to be a role model” in invalid for poor behavior? Perhaps I should mention to Torii Hunter that while he’s often a good role model, he’ll also be the man I use as an example to children of “think before you speak, or you can get into all sorts of trouble.” (Doug Mientkiewicz will also be mentioned, along with A.J. Pierzynski.) Torii made some marginally racist comments, which were a small portion of his larger concern, but still brought the sports blogosphere up in arms. While his main focus may be true (and we could argue that), his wording was very poor.

I could write about three long posts today, but I’m shortening them. The first was shortened in my mini-rant at the beginning, so let me focus on A Tale of Two Joes for the main entry.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…*

* If you don’t recognize the quote from Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, it makes me sad. I don’t care if you’ve actually read the book, but at least recognize the quote! It’s the English major in me that gets all uptight about this sort of thing.

The Twins had almost every position on the field filled with quality players (some are unproven, but have shown high potential—namely Delmon Young and J.J. Hardy’s offense). The starting rotation, while lacking a #1 starter, had a plethora of 2-5 starters. There even was hope in a true #1, if reports from Winter League about Francisco Liriano were true. Hope abounded. The bullpen issues were solidified with the addition of Jon Rauch and replacing Bobby Keppel with Clay Condrey. It wasn’t an All-Star lineup, but there were All Stars in it. It wasn’t a feared rotation, but it could be respected. It wasn’t a lights-out bullpen, but strong enough to concern other teams.

And then Joe Nathan was pulled from his first spring training appearance after facing two batters—but 20 pitches. Then it was reported that he was flying to Minnesota for an MRI—‘just to be sure it’s only from his off-season surgery, but it’s probably nothing.’ And the next thing we knew, he had a torn ligament and was possibly facing surgery (which, at his age, would likely be career-ending). Many people see this the end of the season. And many people reassure us that it’s not. I’m on the fence.

Joe Nathan is a great closer. The difference between a good closer and a bad closer is something like seven games. On one hand, out of 162, seven isn’t very many. On the other hand, the last two years, the Twins have gone to game 163. Without those seven wins, the Twins don’t make it to the playoffs in 2009. Or 2003. And gone to 163 (or not made the playoffs) in 2006. So, a good closer could make a huge difference. Joe Nathan could be a difference-maker in a season.

Yet… Remember back to 2004? In the off-season prior to the start of the season, the Twins lost their closer, Eddie Guadardo and their set-up man LaTroy Hawkins. As Torii Hunter said, “This stinks! It looks like we’re rebuilding again. If I had known this was going to happen, I probably wouldn’t have signed my deal… You’d think we could have offered that (what Hawkins got from Chicago). I think we’re forgetting who we’re dealing with here. Joe Nathan is no LaTroy Hawkins. He might be a good pitcher, but LaTroy has proven himself here, and he’s a chemistry guy.” (See above side note about Torii speaking before he thinks.) This quote was not pulled intentionally to pick on Torii. Purely a coincidence. Besides, Torii said what a lot of fans were likely thinking. Joe Nathan had one save before joining the Twins, in four opportunities and 19 holds. He pitched a total of 263 innings. His strike-out to walk ratio was 1.41. Not exactly the numbers you hand over a closer role to. If I recall, they slowly broke him in. And by slowly, I’m talking Olympic sprinter slowly. He had 47 save opportunities that year, which is the third most in his six years as a closer. And he became one of the elite closers.

The Twins don’t have a closer in the wings…yet. They have a couple of minor leaguers that could break into the role, but not for a few years (probably). And those aren’t sure things, either. Jesse Crain was groomed as a closer. His struggles with injuries have derailed those plans. Pat Neshek was a closer in the minors, and injuries have derailed that. There’s nothing saying that now that both of them have recovered, one of them couldn’t step into the role. Jon Rauch was a closer for a while. While his stature is typical of a closer (someone to fear), his pitching is not necessarily. Matt Guerrier has been a solid set-up man for years now. Perhaps it’s his time to step on the mound with the game on the line—in the ninth, rather than the eighth.

Moving onto the other Joe. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… Joe Mauer is coming off a career year—that we all hope he somehow surpasses in 2010 (As CBS’s Scott Miller said to Mauer, “It’s going to be hard for you to be the Comeback Player of the Year.”) He’s definitely one of the elite players in the game. Other teams covet him. The fans of the big-money-spending teams are drooling for the day they can snatch him in free agency. He’s a nice guy, by all reports. He’s a great player. He’s a competitor. So..it is the best of times.

But his contract is up at the end of 2010. He’s an elite player, and elite players can command elite prices. Usually—but not always—one of two things happen: the player is signed to a larger contract before Spring Training, or is traded before the trade deadline. Mauer didn’t sign before Spring Training. Both sides have, mercifully, kept mum on the contract status. What it comes down to is this: Joe Mauer is a competitor and wants to win. He will play where he feels he has a chance to win. If he signs with Minnesota, he could command up to ¼ of the salary, which would hamper the team’s ability to win. Many teams, other than the big spenders, would be in the same boat regarding Mauer. It comes down to whether or not Mauer feels he can win in Minnesota, or if there are better chances elsewhere. So, for the fans, waiting on his decision, it’s the worst of times.

There is nothing we can do about either situation but wait and watch it all play out.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."**

** It’s the ending of A Tale of Two Cities. I don’t expect you to know that, though. I looked it up.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 14-51, or a 21.5% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 7-57, reportedly on pace for a record year.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 31-28-6 record, for a 47.6% winning percentage. They’re not technically out of the playoff picture yet, but neither are the Baltimore Orioles.

Shoot-out

The thing I learned today was that in the MLB All-Star game, the catcher is allowed limited re-entry to a game—if the current catcher is injured. Good idea, really, but I never knew that before. Of course, regular season, that’s part of the risk a manager takes, but the All-Star game, where managers want to get in as many players as possible, needs an exception. There is no reason to send a guy unfamiliar with the role in to catch.

The Canada/Switzerland Olympic hockey game went to a shoot-out of February 18, 2010. Canada, to the relief of the Canadians, won in the shoot-out. While I'm okay using the shoot-out in regular season NHL games (I don't think they use it in the playoffs), I think it's way too quirky of a format for important games.

It would be like a tie-breaker in football of kicking field goals--whoever can kick one from furthest away. Or a home run derby in baseball. Or a free-throw contest to break a tie in basketball. It's pitting one player on a team to represent the whole team...in a team sport! It’s a moment where you say “Wait…what?!”

I think in NHL playoffs, they just keep adding overtimes until one team scores. That seems reasonable. In the NFL, they’ll add one overtime in regular season (so the game may end in a tie) or keep adding overtimes until a team scores. I'm okay with sudden-death in over-time, because both teams have a fair chance at scoring. Maybe not so much in football, because your odds go up whether or not you win a coin toss, but with good defense, you should be able to prevent the other team from scoring. In the NCAA football, the rule is that each team gets the ball at the 25-yard line and they play until a winner is declared (at the 3rd OT possession, they must try for a two-point conversion rather than kicking for the extra point). Basketball keeps adding extra five-minute periods until at the end of a period, a team has won. Baseball keeps playing by the regular rules, adding extra innings, until a team wins (not fully sudden death, because of the clearly divided times for scoring; sudden death for the home team when they score, but they have a chance to make it up if the visitor scores). There are rules about how late a baseball game can be played, but it is never* put in the record book as finished until someone wins.

But the shoot-out makes no sense. You’re pitting one player to represent the team, which seems to me to go against the concept of a team. I’m okay with it deciding who gets the extra point in regular season. Fans like knowing who won and who didn’t. In the playoffs, of course, a tie won’t cut it, because you need to know who advances and who doesn’t. I don’t like leaving something like that up to the relative skills of a single player, without any help.

The shoot-out is a fun skills competition. It’s sometimes a fun change of pace during the regular season. But a team’s success in important games shouldn’t stand on the shoulders of one player.

* Unless it’s 2002, when the Commissioner declared the game a tie. Fans were not happy about that. Incidentally, it was not the first All-Star game to end in a tie. In 1961, the All-Star game ended in a tie—however, it ended because of rain, not because they ran out of players.

Timberwolves update: They have a 1-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 14-45, or a 23.7% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 5-52, reportedly on pace for a record year.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 30-27-4 record, for a 49.2% winning percentage. The Wild Finnish representatives (Mikko Koivu, Antii Mietinen, and Niklas Backstrom) will be playing the USA for a chance to go to the Gold Medal game tomorrow at 2, because they beat the Czech team (Martin Havlat and Merek Zidlicky).

Joe Mauer

Rick Anderson announced that, based on his performance at the end of the year last year, Scott Baker would be Opening Day starter. Those who follow Scott Baker closely—which is probably limited to me—will recall that this is the third year in a row Mr. Baker has been designated the Opening Day starter for the Twins. Those keeping track at home will recognize that Mr. Baker has yet to make an Opening Day start for the Twins, due to injury and then illness (2008) and injury (2009). I hope his injury issues are now over, and he will be able to start Opening Day for the Twins for years to come.

Probably one of the bigger minor stories in baseball this off-season is the status of Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer. I say minor, because the story is mainly whether he’ll get a contract extension. His current contract is set to run out the end of this year. I didn’t think it was that big of a story. Certainly it bears some monitoring by the local media—teams aren’t likely to let a player like Mauer walk in free agency, not when they can get more than a couple of draft picks by trading him, so they’re likely to work out a contract before the season starts, or trade him before the season starts. So, what’s the status? Hard to say. The Twins are usually quite silent on these grounds, and Mauer’s agent is also the type to keep the battle from happening in the public sphere. Nonetheless, I know that when the Colorado paper publishes (online) a blog post dreaming about Joe Mauer, it’s bigger news than I thought.

Brent Briggeman writes “Think about it, the small-market Twins haven’t had any luck signing their hometown superstar to a long-term deal.”

He’s partially right. The Twins, despite increased revenue from being in their own stadium, are not a big market team. They will not have the resources of the Red Sox or the Yankees. However, I would argue that the new stadium does move them out of the confines of “small-market” to more of a mid-market team. They’re still going to have to watch the budget, and depend heavily on scouting and drafting (and trading the right players at the right time for the right prospects), but the days of not being able to afford much other than other team’s cast-offs are mostly over.

But the Twins haven’t always depended on rookies and cast-offs entirely.

Brad Radke stayed his entire career in Minnesota; he may not have been a super-star, but he was in the Cy Young voting and sought after by big market teams (the Red Sox reportedly made him a nice offer in 2004, the year he signed his last contract with the Twins), but chose to stay in Minnesota. That wouldn’t be done if the contracts weren’t fair. Joe Nathan is considered one of the elite closers in the league, and he’s been under contract by the Twins since he became a star. Justin Morneau won the MVP in 2006, and is under contract for what would be considered his prime years. And while it’s almost 20 years old, the Twins did keep around a pretty good center fielder by the name of Kirby Puckett. (In the 90s, they had few guys worth keeping around, so there is a dearth of superstar contracts by default.) In short, they’re pointing out that the Twins weren’t willing to pay either Johan Sanatana (who wanted to pitch in a bigger theater than Minnesota anyway) or Torii Hunter (whom the Twins did make a reasonable offer to, but the Angels made a longer one—one that many feel that the Angels may live to regret towards the end). I wouldn’t say that they haven’t had any luck signing any of their superstars. It’s just that they’ve lost two.

Secondly, the proposed offer that the writer brings up is for a top pitching prospect, a top catching prospect, and an infielder. The Twins got four prospects out of Santana—a pitcher who can only play once every five games--so I really can’t see them coming away with less prospects for Mauer—a player who can play three out of four games.

Now, it’s crazy to think that the Twins would make a trade of this caliber without a pitching prospect being included, so that part of the proposed offer makes sense (and no doubt this would also include a lower-level pitching prospect, too, because that’s often the Twins style as well). Middle infield is presently a concern for Minnesota, so that makes sense. A team can always use more catchers, although that’s not a present need of the Twins (immediate need, sure, but they have a couple of strong prospects in lower levels). But the need the Twins presently have is major-league-ready outfield prospects. I don’t know if the Rockies have any of those, but the Twins right have now have Jason Kubel as their back-up outfielder. If Denard Span ends up ill or injured, the Twins are faced with deciding between Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, and Nick Punto in center field—or calling up Jacque Jones. If that doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not a Twins fan.

But none of that is the main problem I see with this proposal. In the first place, Joe Mauer wants to win. He’s going to consider the team that gives him the best chance to win. The Rockies and Twins will probably have similar payrolls from here on out. If the problem the Twins might be facing is having one player eat up ¼ (or more) of their payroll and therefore not being able to surround him with other high-caliber players to support winning, the Rockies will face the same problem. The advantage of him staying in Minnesota is that his grandparents can still attend every home game; Colorado would have to bring something else to the table. (I’m not saying that Mauer will base his decision on his grandparents’ ability to watch him play, but rather all things being equal, that would be a deciding factor.)

It’s not a bad article. People like to dream. It would be fun for me to dream how Tim Lincecum could be a Twin. But that doesn’t mean it’s based in reality.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 13-42, or a 23.6% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 5-49.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 30-27-4 record, for a 49.2% winning percentage. Both their goalies are back in health! They’re now on Olympic break, and have five players in the Olympics. The Finns (Mikko Koivu, Antii Mietinen, and Niklas Backstrom) beat Belarus 5-1—Koivu had three assists. The Czechs (Martin Havlat and Merek Zidlicky) beat the Slovaks (former Wild Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra

Nick Punto Day

Apparently, Twins bloggers are bored with the off-season. Today has been unofficially declared
Nick Punto Day.

There are debates as to why 2/12 was designated as this day, but some are speculating that it has something to do with his batting average. This is nonsense. He's never batted .212 in his career. In the horrific 2007 season, he batted .210, not .212. I think Wednesday would've been a much better choice, but no one asked me. (And they should. Everyone should ask me!)

It's odd that Punto has inspired such a dichotomy of emotions in Twins Territory. There are those that love him for his scrappy and sometimes inane play, and there are those that hate him passionately. For example, Nick Punto has a tendency to dive into first base, head-first, on close plays. He knows it’s wrong. He tells kids not to imitate him. Yet, he cannot stop himself from doing it. (At best, he claims it can cause chaos to confuse an umpire. At worst, other plays have imitated it.) Those who hate Nick Punto point out the fact that since you can over-run first base, diving/sliding only slows down a player, making it more likely that they’re out. Thus, he may be causing himself to get out more often by diving. Those who love Nick Punto are just amused by the effort and reckless abandonment of his own body that the play causes.

Those that love Nick Punto call out to his great defense. Those that hate him, say that he’s overrated based on his scrappiness. No one really defends his hitting, but those that love him say his glove makes up for it. Those that hate him, say that no amount of defense can make up for his horrendously poor offense.

Those that love Nick Punto, love him with great devotion. Those that hate Nick Punto, hate him with passion. But we can all come together and celebrate Nick Punto Day: by diving head first into things, and making sure we do our work aggressively and get ourselves a little dirty.

Happy Nick Punto Day!

Glen Perkins

Jacque Jones is back! I’m a little excited about it, mostly because I know there’s very little chance of seeing him in a Twins uniform, at least before September. In fact, I think that would be the best possible scenario: for him to be a September call-up, so he could end his playing career where it started, sorta. (It’s still hard for me to grasp that I won’t be sitting the Metrodome anymore…) I’m a bit sad at the passing (passing through the system, not through life) of Jason Pridie. He wasn’t a great player by any stretch of the imagination, but the few reports of him I read seemed to imply that he was a good guy.

On the other hand, that would mean my mom would own the t-shirt of an active Twins player, which would be all wrong. See, my mom’s favorite players tend to be traded within a year of her picking them (she’s settled on Derek Jeter now, knowing that he won’t ever be a Twin to get traded and break her heart). So immediately usually after a player gets traded, we buy her a t-shirt in memory. She owns a Jason Bartlett and Jacque Jones t-shirt (we didn’t find any Garza or Tiffee shirts; although she has a Bat-girl “Terry Tiffee is my boyfriend” shirt.

I don't know how to feel about Glen Perkins, a Twins pitcher. He had a great start with the Twins, then was injured and out for most of 2008. In 2009, he pitched mediocre, at best, and after a couple of bad starts, started complaining about an injury. He ended up the year getting into a dispute that brought in the Players Assocation and filing a grievance.

On one hand, he's a frustrating player and seems a little moody. On the other hand, he's a Minnesota kid playing for his hometown team and excited about that. A couple of weeks ago, he spoke to the Minneapolis Star and Tribune about the problems.

For the first time, I felt sorry for him. He was a young kid when drafted (in his early 20's), and getting to the major leagues quickly: "I guess I really found out the hard way that it's a business," Perkins said. "I spent my life cheering for that team. I got drafted by them [in 2004] and got to the majors quick [in 2006], and two weeks later we're in the playoffs. I had a really good year in '08, and everything was rosy. You find out the hard way that it doesn't really matter." I get it. He was a kid with a dream, and a plan on how life was going to work out and everything seemed to be going his way. He was playing for his favorite team and felt sentimentally attached for that reason. He found out that the team wasn’t as sentimentally attached to him as he was to it. It's hard when dreams are crushed. I know that. He didn't plan his injury that would wreck his ability to continually pitch well. He didn't plan to end up back in the minors after he made it to the majors. It was no longer roses and sunshine. I felt sorry for him.

And then...he ruined it again. After he healed from his injuries, the Twins placed him back on the minor league team, so he wasn't with the Twins. The minor league season ends at the beginning of September, so he was home again in September when the Twins were making their run for the play-offs. The Twins were also making their last appearances in the Metrodome. Glen Perkins was off bow hunting in northern Minnesota. I'm fine with that. He couldn't be with the team, and sitting in the stands would've been hard, I'm sure. However, when the Twins invited him back for the celebration for the last scheduled regular season game in the Dome, Perkins declined. "I felt like I should be on that field," he said. "That got taken away from me, so I just wasn't going to do that."

That's where he lost me. He became a petulant little kid again, rather than a grown adult with a family (Perkins is married and has two daughters). He didn't get to do it his way, so he didn't want to do it at all. I know the lad is still young, but he's not that young (he'll turn 27 during spring training--so a few months older than Joe Mauer). I know it must be frustrating to deal with injuries and not be able to play. (I recall former Minnesota Wild Marian Gaborik saying that he didn't even watch the team when he was injured--it was too painful, because he wanted to playing so badly he couldn't stand seeing them play without him.) But when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes along, you should take it. Perkins mentioned growing up watching the Twins and cheering for them. The Twins have played in the Dome his entire life. He couldn't go to say good-bye to his first stadium—as a fan, rather than a player? If he ever gets over the hurt, he may regret this some day.

As far as I'm concerned, the Dome was my stadium, too. While it didn't open until I was six years old, I never attended a game in Metropolitan Stadium, I never watched a televised game at Metropolitan Stadium to my knowledge, and I wouldn't have known where the Twins were if I listed to radio broadcasts of games from Metropolitan Stadium.

So, while I want to cheer for him because he’s a Minnesota boy, and is living his dream, I find it hard. (I also find it hard, because I’m a huge Scott Baker fan, and Perkins threatened Baker’s position for a while. But so did Slowey (and still does), and I still love him.) Some people thrive in the pressure of playing for their hometown team, some people struggle under the pressure, and some become too complacent of things going so well. I have a feeling Perkins might fall under the “complacent” category. I’d like for him to play for his hometown team, but he may be right. It may be time for him to move on. I really hope they can work things out, from a sentimental point.

Timberwolves update: They have a 2-1 record since I last reported (and they won a game against the Boston Celtics; I know because I was visiting some friends in Fargo, and one informed me when I got there of the Timberwolves win). They’re now at 13-39, or a 25.0% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West (although Golden State—worst sports name ever—is threatening with a 13-26 record), but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 4-47.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 29-26-4 record, for a 49.2% winning percentage. They have their main goalie—Niklas Backstrom—back from illness/medical issue. “Baby Goalie” Anton Khudobin is still with the team, pending the status of back-up goalie Josh Harding’s status with a hip injury.

I just wanted to know

This is a week old, and I recognize that Patrick Reusse is an “old-school” sports reporter*, but I’m asking for clarification. Reusse wrote in column at the Star and Tribune that “…if Young were to show up with his hitter's mind as muddled as it was for nearly four months of last season”. I only ask this: what four months did Young show up with a hitter’s mind muddled?

* I’m a fan of old-school mostly. However, in this case, an old-school sports reporter is one who picks players he likes and doesn’t like, and will constantly see that player as great or horrible. There are many bloggers out there that do the same. Me? I tend to see all players as great. I recognize that the worst first baseman in the league is still a better first baseman than billions of people worldwide.

For sake of comparison, I’m going to compare Delmon Young to Michael Cuddyer. (Please note: I love Michael Cuddyer. I have loved him as a baseball player since, well, before he was declared to be the regular third baseman.) I’m going to presume Mr. Reusse would grudgingly accept that last year’s Twins’ home run leader is an okay guy. (Reusse fits the cranky old sports writer role to a tee. He will only admit a player is good when he’s phenomenal (see Mauer, Joe), and even then will point out any possible flaw in his character (“I don’t care if he’s leading the league in innings behind the plate for the last five years! He’s hurt too often!”)

Was Young’s mind muddled in April, when he’s a notorious “slow starter”? In April, Young didn’t hit well, but I wouldn’t say it was horrendous: .241/.276/.315 in 54 at-bats. Bear in mind something I don’t think the fans knew, but Young certainly did: at age 23, his mother was terminally ill, and he couldn’t be near her. So beyond his notorious poor starts, he was dealing with problems beyond baseball. And even if that was a poor performance, I don’t see Reuesse calling Michael Cuddyer to task for his “slow start”. Cuddyer’s April stats read a poor .224/.318/.316 in 76 at-bats (only beating Young in on-base percentage—and age). That’s one poor month for Delmon Young, and according to Reusse: three to go. Cuddyer: 0, Young: 1.

Now let’s look at May. Please recall that Young missed at least a week due to his mother’s death (remember, again, he’s a 23-year-old kid). In 55 at-bats, he hit .236/.288/.236. Cuddyer, on the other hand, dropped off his slow start and hit a stellar .312/.395/.651 in 109 at-bats. Of course, his mother wasn’t dying, either. That’s two poor months for Young, and by Reusse’s standards, two to go. Cuddyer: 1, Delmon: 1.

In June is when Young started to come around. With Span out with an ear infection, Young would’ve had more regular playing time. In 67 at-bats, he hit .284/.279/.388. That’s pretty good, in my opinion, for a 23-year-old not named Joe Mauer*. Cuddyer did just better than him, .278/.333/.481 in 79 at-bats. Young wins in the batting average, Cuddyer in the on-base and slugging percentage. I’ll give it to Cuddyer. Two poor months for Young, Reusse tells us there are two more coming. Cuddyer: 2, Young: 1.

* Joe Mauer, in his June at age 23, hit .452/.528/.624.

Now, onto July. Young hit a surprising .313/.343/.500 in 32 at-bats. Cuddyer, meanwhile, went .250/.318/.490 in 100 at-bats. That’s a clear-cut win for Young, leading in all three stats (including on-base percentage, which is usually Young’s weak point). Two poor months for Young, and Reusse tells us there are still two to go. Cuddyer: 2, Young: 2.

In August, Young fell back a little bit, to .262/.279/.476 in 84 at-bats (clearly, getting more playing time). Cuddyer improved a bit over July and in 102 at-bats, hit .294/.333/.520. This clearly gets handed to Cuddyer, but Young’s August was not poor. Sure, it wasn’t excellent, but it’s not like he challenged the Mendoza line. Two poor months for Young, two to go according to Ruesse. Cuddyer: 3, Young: 2.

September came along to the race to the playoffs. Delmon was up to the task, hitting .309/.326/.444 in 81 at-bats. Cuddyer was equal to the task, hitting .282/.321/.563 in 103 at-bats. This is a hard call and while my gut tells me Cuddyer won, Young did lead in two of the three stats we’re looking at, so I’ll give it to Young. Two poor months for Young, and according to Reusse, we still have two left, which is hard when there’s only one month left to play. Cuddyer: 3, Young: 3.

In October, in the few games played, Young hit .455/.500/.909 with 22 at-bats. These would’ve included the crucial games of the years while the Twins overtook the Tigers. Young was named MLB co-player of the week for the last week of the season for his performance. Cuddyer, meanwhile, was not slouching, and hit .263/.417/.684 in 19 at-bats. We can safely give this one to Young. That leaves us with Cuddyer: 3, Young: 4.

I’m not sure where Reusse got his “for nearly four months” from, because I’m only counting two. Maybe three, if you want to count August, although I’d call you crazy for that. In most months, he and Cuddyer were fairly close, stats-wise.

When it all comes down to it, Young ended his year with a .284/.308/.425 line, and Cuddyer ended the year with a .276/.342/.520 line. Cuddyer’s stat line reads better than Young’s. But Cuddyer is in what’s considered the “prime” years (27-32), and Young is young (23 for much of the year).

I know Ryan has argued in favor of Delmon Young, but it seems the guy gets the bad end of the deal so often, I think it’s time we defend him a bit. Speaking of defending, I’m not good at analyzing defense, so I have to trust the experts who’ve analyzed Young’s poor defense. But I also have to trust the experts who say that Cuddyer’s is nothing to write home about, either. Young is playing out of his natural position (right field), so we’ll give him a small break there, too.

In other words, you can believe what you want to believe about Young. But please remember that what you believe and the reality are two different things. Why, there are even some people who think that the Earth is ROUND. Crazy, crazy people out there.

Timberwolves update: They have a 2-0 record since I last reported (that’s right—they haven’t lost in a week!). They’re now at 11-38, or a 22.4% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 4-40.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 27-25-4 record, for a 48.2% winning percentage.

What can you afford?

I know, breaking news, but the Twins signed former nemesis Jim Thome to a one-year, $1.5 million (plus $750,000 in incentives) contract. I don’t mind it. I’ve never really personally hated Jim Thome, except when he was hitting home runs against the Twins, which means I really only hated him when he was up to bad against the Twins…

I don’t think this was necessarily a bad signing. Rather, it was a confusing one. In fact, because I initially thought he was a right-handed hitter, I thought it was excellent. But three of the Twins top four* home run leaders were left-handed, including the presumed DH. As for next year, I don’t see Cuddyer hitting 32 home runs and leading the Twins in 2010 (I’d love it, but I don’t expect it). Whereas, I presume that Morneau will be healthy and lead the team, and Kubel and Mauer showing similar home run production. Maybe a little higher for Kubel, and a little lower for Mauer, but somewhere within the ballpark (pun intended) of their 2009 performance.

* Why did I choose the top four? Because two guys were tied for third (Mauer and Kubel), and there was a huge drop-off to the number five (28 to 15—Crede). A top three wasn’t going to work, and the fifth most home-runs didn’t really totally count, partially because of the drop-off, and partially because he’s not presently signed by the Twins. For the record, I would not be adverse to him wearing a Twins uniform again this year, for a Thome-esque contract. Or a Crede2009-esque contract.

Now we add into the mix of Thome. As a left-handed hitter off the bench, I like it, but someone pointed out that Thome’s career stats as a pinch-hitter are lacking. Granted, it’s less than 100 plate appearances (98, to be exact), but his hitting line is .213/.333/.338. To put it into perspective, Ryan’s presumed nemesis, Nick Punto, has a career hitting line of .248/.322/.324. (Shockingly, Punto has never been a pinch hitter.) In other words, you’re getting a Punto-esque slugger as a pinch-hitter. Now, I’ll grant that Thome’s pinch-hitting appearances are limited, and perhaps he’ll learn to prepare to be a pinch hitter. But at present, that may not be the best line of work for him. That leaves the option of moving Jason Kubel to the outfield, and Thome DHing when the Twins are facing a right-handed pitcher, presumably placing Delmon Young on the bench. However, like Ryan, I would like to see Delmon Young get more consistent playing time. Because he’s been in the majors so long, we forget how young he is. (Along that line, I was absolutely stunned to find out Albert Pujols was only 29 last year—he just turned 30 a few weeks ago. Happy belated birthday, Mr. Pujols! I’ve been hearing his name so long, I didn’t realize he was just a kid. I suppose those outside Minnesota might be shocked to find out that Joe Mauer’s won’t turn 27 until April, and Justin Morneau won’t turn 29 until May.)

So, I’m not really sure what the Twins are going to do with Thome. However, with his price tag, it really shouldn’t affect any plans of getting a real second baseman or real third baseman. (I love Brendan Harris and Nick Punto. I really do. I’m just not sure they’re real second baseman or third baseman. They can fill in in a pinch, but I wouldn’t build my team around both of them as starters—one, okay, but not both on the same team. We shall see, I suppose. I’ve been wrong before.) However, the salary of the team so far is high enough that the possibility of finding a good free agent infielder may be tricky, without a trade. (I’m still betting on a Glen Perkins trade by opening day. Part of me is sentimentally sad, because I like guys playing for their home town teams, but part of me will be relieved, because there are so many bridges on fire between Perkins and the Twins, I’m not sure they can be saved.)

As for the Vikings…well, I expected no less of them. I’m not a Vikings fan, per se, because I don’t follow football. I have enough friends/family who are Vikings fans that I care enough for their sakes. But, well, I’ve vicariously been a Vikings fan long enough to expect no less of them than to do exactly what they did: Build up hopes, and crush them. From what I understand, it was from questionable game decisions, too. It’s nice to have consistency in life: the Wild will be streaky, the Twins will go out in the first round of playoffs, the Timberwolves will win one of five games, and Vikings will break hearts.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-4 record since I last reported. They’re now at 9-38, or a 19.1% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 4-40.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 26-23-4 record, for a 49.1% winning percentage. Petr Sykora is gone (last I heard, the Wild assigned him to the minor league team, he refused, and they’re working on terminating his contract), but Brent Burns is back!

How much money?

Twins blogger Aaron Gleeman wrote on Twitter yesterday: “Presented without comment: Twins spending over $10 million this year on Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Jesse Crain, and Delmon Young.”

Because of the 140 character limit, Mr. Gleeman made no comment. So, let me.

While in some respects, it seems insane to spend that much money on those four guys, like Ryan said yesterday: “What are you going to do?” (By the way, Ryan, I’m pretty sure my office isn’t giving out raises this year, either. Based on inflation, that means we’re actually taking pay cuts…but at least it’s not real pay cuts!)

Nick Punto will make $4.5 million in 2010. Somehow, we just have to get over that. I don’t think it was The Worst Contract Ever, either. With superstars making over $20 million per season (everyone “knows” Joe Mauer will get that; whether in a new contract with the Twins, or in free agency with another team remains to be seen), You can look at it as Nick Punto making ¼ the amount of a superstar. It doesn’t look so bad. It might be a little bit expensive, but at the time, it was before the economy completely tanked, and was reasonable.

So, let’s take Nick Punto out of the equation. Now we’ve got Brendan Harris, Jesse Crain, and Delmon Young making $6.1 million if Young reaches both of his incentives (which is “only” $50,000).

How does the money break down? Harris will make $1.45 million.* Last year, he batted .261/.310/.362, which are not exactly numbers to brag about, but they’re not really numbers to rip apart, either. His fielding seems to be pretty average. You’ve got an average player, and realistically, making an average salary for his years of service. I’m not sure the two-year contract was necessary, and the salary and incentives for 2011 sound reasonable.

*Harris’s incentives for 2011 break down like this: $75,000 for 450 plate appearances in '10; $100,000 for 500, $150,000 for 550, $175,000 for 600 and $175,000 for 650. Frankly, if he reaches 550 plate appearances, I’ll be shocked. If he reaches 500, I’ll merely be surprised.

Delmon Young will make $2.6 million in 2010, with another $50,000 in bonuses if he reaches 600 plate appearances ($25,000 if he reaches 575). His fielding has is notedly poor, but the fact that he managed to end the year with a batting line of .284/.308/.425 impresses me. I know, these guys are professionals, but the kid is 23 years old, and he had to face the death of his mother—from the sounds of it, it was a very quick, sudden illness (It was 3 ½ months from diagnoses to death). I give him a pass for his first half of the year. (He’s never been a patient batter, so the OBP is going to suffer.) Based on his hitting, and average salaries around the league…this sounds like a reasonable, fair contract.

Crain was coming back from arm surgery. The recovery time, according to some, is about 16 months. Incidentally, 16 months after his surgery would’ve been September. His ERA in September and October (including post-season) was 1.13. He gave up eight hits and eight walks (the walks are concerning), and struck out eleven. Frankly, that’s pretty good. The Twins have reason to believe Crain will return to form, and based on his pre-surgery performance, he could become a very valuable member of the bullpen. Can you depend on it? No. But you don’t want to risk losing it, either.

Pretty much, what we have is 16% of the players taking up 12% of the payroll (based on a $90.5 million payroll, which I’ve heard thrown around). The serfs (i.e., non-arbitration players) will make significantly less money than 1/25th of the payroll. The superstars will make significantly more. This leaves the middle ground for the average players. These guys are right in there. If you take Nick Punto out, you’ve got 12% of the players making 6.7% of the salary. Neither of the position players are kept on the roster for their defense. Harris is kept for his versatility, and reasonable bench bat (he may get a full-time position at third base, but that’s part of his versatility). Young is kept for being a poor-fielding, potential-good-hitting corner outfielder. Crain is kept for his potential as a solid member of a much maligned bullpen from 2009.

In short, Mr. Gleeman, I’m not sure that the fact needed any comment. Nick Punto’s contract has been commented on ad naseum, and as we can’t change it, there’s no point. The other three contracts are normal.

Timberwolves update: They have a 1-2 record since I last reported. They’re now at 9-34, or a 20.9% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 3-38.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 24-23-3 record, for a 48.0% winning percentage. Petr Sykora seems to be on his way out the door, while formerly concussed Brent Burns may be on his way back into the lineup. He hasn’t played since mid-November, only got back on the ice with the team on Tuesday, but some believe the lad will play tonight. We shall see.

In Other News, It’s Cold When the Temperature is Below Zero

I realize this hardly made any headlines, so you may not have heard that Mark McGwire, former holder of the Most Home Runs in a Season record in Major League Baseball, admitted that he took steroids.

In full disclosure, I’ve taken steroids a few times in my life. Of course, these were prescribed by a doctor, picked up at a pharmacy out in the public. There is nothing illegal about that. (It didn’t stop my friends from harassing me that I had a 50-game baseball suspension, though.)

This is something people have “known” for years, without really knowing it. Mark McGwire claims that steroids
didn’t help him hit home runs and he could’ve done it without steroids. Steroids merely helped him with his injuries, as he was, “A walking M*A*S*H unit.”

In a small way, he’s right. From my vague understanding of the human body (the last time I took a health class was almost 20 years ago, and I’ll admit now that I don’t even remember attending health class my sophomore year of high school. The only reason I know I did is because it was a required class, and I didn’t indiscriminately skip classes), this is what I know. Steroids do not, in themselves, make you stronger. Steroids merely help your muscles recover faster. If I were to simply take steroids, and change no other part of my daily routine, I would have the side effects of steroids but I wouldn’t be bulking on muscles. If I were a gym rat, I would be able to bulk up some muscle, because the muscles would help me recover faster.

Hitting home runs takes an amazing amount of talent, not just related to strength. It doesn’t matter how many steroids I take for strength-building purposes, I will not be able to hit a home run. I have the eye-hand coordination of an infant when it comes to hitting a baseball (or playing video games, but that’s another story for another time). I can’t hit a baseball in general, so adding strength won’t help me hit it at all. The baseball players can already hit a baseball, by default (except Corky “Corky” Miller). Adding strength only helps them hit it further. Adding steroids allows the muscles to recover faster, so they can exercise more and get stronger.

Mark McGwire believes he could’ve hit 70 home runs in a season without steroids. Maybe he’s right, but I disagree. Based on the above, we know that steroids didn’t help him hit the ball. It probably helped him build the strength to hit the ball farther, or at least recover strength to hit the ball farther more often. Beyond that, by his own admission, he was so injured, he needed the steroids to stay on the field. If he couldn’t stay healthy for a season without steroids, why does he think he could have hit 70 home runs without them? Injuries and strength are part of the game. Those who are “fragile” players (oft-injured) generally don’t last long in the game. Joe Crede’s career may be over at age 32 due to injuries. It’s a sad factor of life.

In short, I believe that Mark McGwire has deluded himself. He feels guilty about taking steroids, because he knows it was wrong. He’s only half-right when he says it didn’t help him hit home runs, and he could’ve done it without steroids. He had the eye-hand coordination and reaction times to hit a baseball. He even had the power to hit the ball very, very far. He just lacked the strength to do it as often as he did, so he took steroids. He only wants to concentrate on half the story.

We can all believe what we want. If it helps him sleep at night, great. If it convinces some kids that there’s no point to taking steroids, even better.

Timberwolves update: They have a 1-3 record since I last reported. They’re now at 8-32, or a 20.0% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record, 3-35.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 24-20-3 record, for a 51.1% winning percentage. They were also in a few fights last night.