Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Hopefully you all have been enjoying a wild NFL season as well as the early stages of our NHL and NBA seasons.
We have been on hiatus for a while here due to some busy schedules between Owen and I but due to some requests and inquiries as to where we have gone, Court's Sports may see a re-birth here in the next few weeks.
As you may already know, Owen and I are finishing up our schooling currently which does require most of our time. So bear with us as we try and balance our classes (or class if you're me) as well as please the true fans of this site.
To treat those of you who have faithfully checked in here to see if we had come back or not...here is a Thanksgiving gift from Youtube/Us to all of you.
Enjoy watching the Titans remind us all that the Lions are...well...the Lions.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Game 48: Twins 9, Tigers 4
Kevin Slowey picked up his first win of the season and the Twins got back on track with a big win against the Tigers who are arguably most disappointing team in the MLB.
The Twins pulled back to .500 (24-24) while the Tigers fell to 20-28.
Highlights of the game include:
- Third baseman Mike Lamb hit his first home-run of the season in the 6th inning off of starter Armando Galarraga.
- Justin Morneau and Lamb combined for the Twins extra base hits. (2 doubles for Morneau and a triple for Lamb)
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the 7th inning.
- Michael Cuddyer only left two men in scoring position.
Tonight's game will feature Boof Bonser (2-5, 5.25) vs. Nate Robertson (1-5, 6.08). Be prepared as the game may break several MLB scoring records with the quality of pitching put out by both teams.
Start time is 6:05 CT.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Remembering...
Today is the 8th anniversary of the incredibly unfortunate death of former Timberwolf Malik Sealy.
It was 8 years ago today that he was killed by a drunk driver while on his way home from celebrating Kevin Garnett's birthday in Minneapolis.
It was a shocking and utterly depressing occurance to happen to someone as great a player and person as Sealy was. It is still something that daily affects the lives of Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith.
“It was a tough situation to get over when you lose a teammate, especially in that fashion,” said Smith. “Everybody was close with Malik. That was the type of person he was."
During the Cavs/Celtics series, Garnett and Smith would bump arms before they entered the game. The reason? That is where their tatoo's to honor Malik are located.
That final season for Sealy was a special one. He had been around the league a little bit after being a standout player at St. Johns during his collegiate career. He hit several game winning shots and was a great person to have in the locker room.
I will never forget being at a game that season against the Indiana Pacers. My dad and I had season tickets at the time but had moved to the 4th row behind the hoop where the Wolves finished the game shooting on.
The Wolves were down by 2 with about a second left and Sealy got the ball just to the left of the key and put up a prayer. The ball hit the backboard and went in to give the Wolves a win. To this day, I remember everyone going nuts and Sealy's teammates mobbing him on the ground and celebrating their last second win. It was a great night for the Wolves and for Sealy.
He will always be remembered by fans in Minnesota as a great guy and a great player. He will surely be with Kevin as he makes his march towards his first NBA title. We, like Kevin, should always keep "MS2" in our hearts.
5/20/00....
Monday, May 19, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Game 37: Twins 7, Red Sox 3
Things continue to fall in place for the first place Twins. This series against the Red Sox brought about many thoughts about how the teams have changed, mainly the Twins, in the last year. The Red Sox made a push for Johan Santana but Sox GM Theo Epstein did not want to part with any of his youngsters.
Any of you who caught some of the games know who I'm talking about. Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury namely. Instead, the Twins traded Santana to the Mets for Carlos Gomez and change. They also picked up Craig Monroe, Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Livan Hernandez, Delmon Young and Brendan Harris.
The Twins took 3 of 4 from the defending World Series champions and did so handily. Strong pitching and timely hits did it for the Twins in the 3 wins they picked up. Other than the 3 homeruns on Sunday, the Twins scored all of their runs off singles and doubles.
Last night was no different. Craig Monroe hit a big double in the 5th that scored two runs and helped the Twins to jump ahead 6-3.
Hernandez (6-1, 3.90) has been getting great run-support that Johan Santana never could seem to get. If Santana got this kind of run support (31-5 in runs scored to runs allowed this month for Hernandez) then he may have had a nice Cy Young streak going.
Monroe is coming up big in the DH role as well. Batting .290 with 4 HR and 15 RBI, he has shown the consistent big hitting that the Twins have lacked since releasing David Ortiz several years ago.
This team is staying true to its small ball roots and it is definitely proving to be worthwhile at the moment. Keep in mind though Twins fans, this team is pretty new and fairly young. Expect some more ups and downs this year but for the moment, enjoy what they are doing and let's keep cheering them on.
Next game: 5/13 vs. Toronto Blue Jays. 7:10 start time
Slowey (0-2, 6.48) vs. Jesse Litsch (4-1, 4.24)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
ESPN Primetime
Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN is featured in the Dome tonight as the Twins and Red Sox face off for the third game of their four game series.
Tonight will feature Tim Wakefield (2-1, 3.33) against Nick Blackburn (2-2, 3.65) and the game will start at 7:05 pm.
Check back tomorrow for the full recap of the game.
Tonight will feature Tim Wakefield (2-1, 3.33) against Nick Blackburn (2-2, 3.65) and the game will start at 7:05 pm.
Check back tomorrow for the full recap of the game.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Neshek possibly out for season
Twins reliever Pat Neshek, who was injured while pitching yesterday, got some bad results from his MRI that was taken today. According to Le Velle E. Neal of the Star Tribune, Neshek was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament (the one that is generally replaced in Tommy John surgery). He reports that Neshek will not be allowed to throw for at least three months, placing the time line at August 8th before he can even throw again, let alone pitch. This indicates that Neshek most likely will not pitch again this season.
This injury leaves an obvious hole in our bullpen, as Neshek was our top setup man. There are many people that could take over this role-
Juan Rincon - This is one of the most possible choices, as Rincon has a lot of experience and once held this role for the Twins. On the other hand, he has a 4.91 ERA and has allowed a run in 3 of his last 6 appearances. Though he will not be as trustworthy as Neshek, Rincon may be the Twins best option
Jesse Crain - Crain has been even less solid than Rincon in terms of his overall numbers this season. However, barring his 3-run inning against Detroit on April 15th, Crain has pitched pretty well this year.
Bobby Korecky - The former Triple-A Rochester closer, Korecky has shown that he can pitch a solid inning repeatedly. He could be a good option to hold the game until the Twins can get to Nathan in the ninth. With his lack of experience, though, Gardy will most likely keep him in a middle relief role.
Whoever gets the job, what's clear is that they will not be as dominating as Neshek has been the past few years. I have a feeling there will be a lot more frustrating 8th innings in the coming months than one would hope, and there is a small tear in an elbow ligament to thank for that. Get better soon Pat.
This injury leaves an obvious hole in our bullpen, as Neshek was our top setup man. There are many people that could take over this role-
Juan Rincon - This is one of the most possible choices, as Rincon has a lot of experience and once held this role for the Twins. On the other hand, he has a 4.91 ERA and has allowed a run in 3 of his last 6 appearances. Though he will not be as trustworthy as Neshek, Rincon may be the Twins best option
Jesse Crain - Crain has been even less solid than Rincon in terms of his overall numbers this season. However, barring his 3-run inning against Detroit on April 15th, Crain has pitched pretty well this year.
Bobby Korecky - The former Triple-A Rochester closer, Korecky has shown that he can pitch a solid inning repeatedly. He could be a good option to hold the game until the Twins can get to Nathan in the ninth. With his lack of experience, though, Gardy will most likely keep him in a middle relief role.
Whoever gets the job, what's clear is that they will not be as dominating as Neshek has been the past few years. I have a feeling there will be a lot more frustrating 8th innings in the coming months than one would hope, and there is a small tear in an elbow ligament to thank for that. Get better soon Pat.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Game 32: Twins 13, White Sox 1
The fortunes for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox traded places last night.
In Tuesday's game, the Twins were nearly no-hit by Gavin Floyd as the White Sox found a little pop in their offense. On Wednesday, the White Sox were the ones who struggled to find their offense and the Twins found plenty of offense in the most electric player in recent Twins history.
I, of course, mean the young spark plug named Carlos Gomez. Gomez went 4-5 with 3 RBI and became the first Twin to hit for the cycle since Kirby Puckett did it in 1986. Gomez raised his average to .282 and got the final single on an infield hit to acheive this great feat.
Livan Hernandez (5-1, 3.83) almost had the complete game shutout until Jermaine Dye hit a homerun with 1 out in the 9th. Hernandez has been a nice surprise to those outside of the Twins organization. I say this because not many people outside of the Twins clubhouse felt that Hernandez was really the answer to the departed Johan Santana. Last time I checked, the Twins and Mets had the same records and Hernandez has a 5-1 record to Santana's 3-2 record. Not a wash, but Hernandez is not doing anything to hurt the Twins.
Tonight's game features Lefty John Danks (2-3, 3.12) against Kevin Slowey (0-1, 8.10) who will be making his first start since pitching against the Los Angeles Angels on April 3rd.
Game time is 7:10 pm
Monday, May 5, 2008
Game 30: Twins 7, Tigers 6
The Twins continue to find ways to win...even if they probably shouldn't.
After a 45-pitch, 6 run first inning for Boof Bonser, you would think the Twins would have folded. The great part was that they got right back on that horse in the second inning.
Bonser came out and had a 5 pitch second inning much to the joy of interim manager Scott Ullger
"You come in and say, 'There's a lot of game left,' " Ullger said. "Well, there's the whole game left. So just chip away." (Espn.com)
Bonser showed that Ullger made the right move and the Twins offense picked him up later in the game. Joe Mauer had a big 2-run single in the 7th to take the lead for good as Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless 9th for his 11th save in 11 chances.
The Tigers continue to struggle and manager Jim Leyland refused to comment on any changes that will surely have to be made
"I'm not talking about that. There will be changes tomorrow," Leyland said. (Espn.com)
The Twins (16-14) now have a 1 1/2 game lead on the White Sox (losers of 3 straight to the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend) , who they start a three game series with on Tuesday in the Windy City.
That game will feature Nick Blackburn (2-1, 3.52) going against White Sox righty Gavin Floyd (2-1, 3.16) Tuesday night at 7:10 pm.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Game 29: Twins 4, Tigers 1
The Twins pitchers continue to baffle the supposed to be powerful Detroit Tigers.
The Twins (15-14) moved into first place in the AL Central as Scott Baker lasted 3 innings, before re-aggrivating his right groin injury, and only gave up 1 hit and no runs with two strike outs. Releiver Brian Bass came up big with 4 innings pitched and only giving up 4 hits with no runs in relief for Baker.
Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless 9th for his 10th save in 10 attempts.
The Twins offense had big nights from Joe Mauer and Craig Monroe. Mauer went 3-4 with a double while Monroe went 2-3 with a 2-run home-run in the 7th inning.
Today's game will start at 1:10pm and will feature Boof Bonser (2-4) versus Kenny Rogers (2-3). Look for the regulars for both teams to get a good rest today.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Game 28: Twins 11, Tigers 1
The Twins defeated the suddenly surging Detroit Tigers 11-1 last night.
They won the game by racking up 16 hits on 3 Tigers pitchers (4 were used overall), 5 extra base hits (4 doubles and a triple off the baggy by Jason Kubel) and a strong 7 inning, 8 hit and 1 earned run (a solo home-run by Magglio Ordonez) outing by Livan Hernandez.
The Tigers struggled to figure out Hernandez who baffled them with fastballs that barely made 90 mph and change-ups and curveballs that barely hit 65. He kept them off balance and did a great job getting out of jams. It came down to groundball outs and flyouts that Hernandez got.
Both teams left a good amount of runners on base (Detroit, 8 / Minnesota 9) but the Twins capitalized when they needed to.
All around it was a solid game by the Twins against a team, despite their sluggish start, who has been playing well as of late. The only concern was when Carlos Gomez was attempting to steal second in the 5th inning and was hit in the helmet by Ivan Rodriguez's throw. He was carted off the field but is reported to be okay.
Game two of the three game series will start at 6:10 pm tonight as Scott Baker, who returns from a groin injury last week against Texas, will face off against Justin Verlander.
Also, our thoughts go out to the entire Gardenhire family as manager Ron Gardenhire's brother suddenly passed away this week at his home in Oklahoma. Gardy will return in due time and until then 3rd base coach Scott Ulger will take over mangerial duties.
Check back tomorrow for a recap of tonight's game.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Land O' Links
Happy Friday!
We here at Court's Sports want to apologize for the extreme delay between posts here. As you know, my partner and I here on the site are both finishing up our school year and things have been pretty hectic.
Needless to say, with Owen's year winding down soon and my tennis season having ended, we will be getting you your news and links on the regular.
To ease you all back into the swing of things around here...TODAY'S LINKS! We've got a nice mix of sports and entertainment for you today.
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- This is a touching story about one of the most famous voices in Professional sports. It will be a sad day in boxing when he no longer stands in the middle of the ring and gets everyone psyched.
- I continue to be involved in discussions (or arguments, depending on who you ask) with friends of mine who are Boston sports fans. No more than 10 years ago, just about every team in Boston was a complete embarassment to whatever sport they were in. Now all of a sudden with their success, articles like this are written. Let's get two things straight...1) Boston, you're welcome for your success (ex: Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett, David Ortiz, Lawrence Maroney) and 2) Keep in mind that 10 years ago, articles were written like this about you. Where's Belichek's humble pie when you need it? I want to see the Celtics win it all, but if they get upset by the Hawks...I'll move on.
- This made me throw up a little bit in my mouth. The early stages of Ashton and Demi. This is definitely one of those "we should have known..." sort of things. Referring to the eventual demise of Tom Cruise.
- The Miami Dolphins keep on adding to their pretty successful draft from last weekend. If you can, scroll down to the bottom right and click on the "Dolphins Draft busts/successes" slideshow. Some of the pictures are pretty funny and some are just the usual. By the end of it, I just thought "What would have happened had Ace not found Snowflake and Dan Marino?"
- I was just as happy as the next person to see the Rockies make their slightly improbable ( I say slightly because...well, come on...it's the National League. Even the Cubs have a chance) run through the playoffs last year. It's a tough break for them with Tulowitzki going down but I am sure that they will be able to find some more lightning in a bottle right? As long as they finish within five games above or below .500, they'll be okay.
- I wish that some day I can get to a point in my career where I can just start sending out text messages that make ESPN. I have a feeling that the next one will be from Deshawn Stevenson that reads "2day...im gonna beat Lebrawn N lern to read" On that note, I came across an interview where a sportswriter said that Deshawn Stevenson was "good" for the playoffs. Reasons? He brings excitement and edge to an otherwise boring NBA Playoffs. I agree that the playoffs have been a little boring but I can't stand watching this guy play. He's like a mix of J.R. Rider, Ron Artest and those kids who can barely get into community college.
- Two words: Who Cares?
- One word: Surprised?
- I think that Justin Timberlake put it simply: "Cry Me a River"
And finally, the article of the day. You know what? I think, whether you want to or not, that this really just sums up the state of Minnesota. Still stuck in the 70's & 80's for the most part and no one really seems to care. I hope that this kids parents keep every memory of this honor. The best part is that his brother won it a few years ago, so they are really running a dynasty right now. Hopefully they've got a little girl waiting in the wings for her shot at glory.
One final quick note, find your way over to ESPN and check out the story about former Tennessee point guard Chris Lofton's struggle with testicular cancer. This story should open all our eyes to the idea that there may be more to someone than meets the eye. We should all keep that in mind the next time we decide to criticize a player for not working hard enough, or missing even the easiest of shots.
Have a great Friday and enjoy the weekend!
We here at Court's Sports want to apologize for the extreme delay between posts here. As you know, my partner and I here on the site are both finishing up our school year and things have been pretty hectic.
Needless to say, with Owen's year winding down soon and my tennis season having ended, we will be getting you your news and links on the regular.
To ease you all back into the swing of things around here...TODAY'S LINKS! We've got a nice mix of sports and entertainment for you today.
-----
- This is a touching story about one of the most famous voices in Professional sports. It will be a sad day in boxing when he no longer stands in the middle of the ring and gets everyone psyched.
- I continue to be involved in discussions (or arguments, depending on who you ask) with friends of mine who are Boston sports fans. No more than 10 years ago, just about every team in Boston was a complete embarassment to whatever sport they were in. Now all of a sudden with their success, articles like this are written. Let's get two things straight...1) Boston, you're welcome for your success (ex: Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett, David Ortiz, Lawrence Maroney) and 2) Keep in mind that 10 years ago, articles were written like this about you. Where's Belichek's humble pie when you need it? I want to see the Celtics win it all, but if they get upset by the Hawks...I'll move on.
- This made me throw up a little bit in my mouth. The early stages of Ashton and Demi. This is definitely one of those "we should have known..." sort of things. Referring to the eventual demise of Tom Cruise.
- The Miami Dolphins keep on adding to their pretty successful draft from last weekend. If you can, scroll down to the bottom right and click on the "Dolphins Draft busts/successes" slideshow. Some of the pictures are pretty funny and some are just the usual. By the end of it, I just thought "What would have happened had Ace not found Snowflake and Dan Marino?"
- I was just as happy as the next person to see the Rockies make their slightly improbable ( I say slightly because...well, come on...it's the National League. Even the Cubs have a chance) run through the playoffs last year. It's a tough break for them with Tulowitzki going down but I am sure that they will be able to find some more lightning in a bottle right? As long as they finish within five games above or below .500, they'll be okay.
- I wish that some day I can get to a point in my career where I can just start sending out text messages that make ESPN. I have a feeling that the next one will be from Deshawn Stevenson that reads "2day...im gonna beat Lebrawn N lern to read" On that note, I came across an interview where a sportswriter said that Deshawn Stevenson was "good" for the playoffs. Reasons? He brings excitement and edge to an otherwise boring NBA Playoffs. I agree that the playoffs have been a little boring but I can't stand watching this guy play. He's like a mix of J.R. Rider, Ron Artest and those kids who can barely get into community college.
- Two words: Who Cares?
- One word: Surprised?
- I think that Justin Timberlake put it simply: "Cry Me a River"
And finally, the article of the day. You know what? I think, whether you want to or not, that this really just sums up the state of Minnesota. Still stuck in the 70's & 80's for the most part and no one really seems to care. I hope that this kids parents keep every memory of this honor. The best part is that his brother won it a few years ago, so they are really running a dynasty right now. Hopefully they've got a little girl waiting in the wings for her shot at glory.
One final quick note, find your way over to ESPN and check out the story about former Tennessee point guard Chris Lofton's struggle with testicular cancer. This story should open all our eyes to the idea that there may be more to someone than meets the eye. We should all keep that in mind the next time we decide to criticize a player for not working hard enough, or missing even the easiest of shots.
Have a great Friday and enjoy the weekend!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Bring out the Brooms...and parka's
The Twins today are going for the early season series sweep of the Kansas City Royals.
It's a special day for the Twins because Francisco Liriano will make his 2008 season debut. Liriano, who has spent the past year recovering from Tommy John surgery, has a lot to prove today.
He has to show that he can still be the dominant pitcher who was 12-3 in his rookie season before going down with the ruptured elbow ligament.
They Royals have a respectable offense but they are on a 26 inning scoreless streak. Liriano may not be the right man to try and get back on track against.
First pitch will be at 1:10. Check back here later for updates.
Twins Line-up:
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Brendan Harris, 2B
3. Jason Kubel, DH
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Mike Lamb, 3B
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Denard Span, RF
9. Adam Everett, SS
Brian Bannister will be starting for the Royals
It's a special day for the Twins because Francisco Liriano will make his 2008 season debut. Liriano, who has spent the past year recovering from Tommy John surgery, has a lot to prove today.
He has to show that he can still be the dominant pitcher who was 12-3 in his rookie season before going down with the ruptured elbow ligament.
They Royals have a respectable offense but they are on a 26 inning scoreless streak. Liriano may not be the right man to try and get back on track against.
First pitch will be at 1:10. Check back here later for updates.
Twins Line-up:
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Brendan Harris, 2B
3. Jason Kubel, DH
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Mike Lamb, 3B
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Denard Span, RF
9. Adam Everett, SS
Brian Bannister will be starting for the Royals
Thursday, April 10, 2008
A win in the Windy City
The Twins, who have been struggling as of late (aka, the past 3 or 4 years) to score runs, finally showed off some of the power that they've been hoping to see.
Jason Kubel, filling in for the injured Michael Cuddyer in right field, had yet another big night at U.S. Cellular field as he went 2-4 with a grand slam and 6 RBI's. Leading the Twins to a 12-4 win and a 4-5 record and snapping the White Sox win streak at 4.
Kubel, who is known for having big games at U.S. Cellular against the White Sox, did it yet again last night.
"I love this place," Kubel said. "I feel like I can pretty much go anywhere on this field."
We are glad to see Jason Kubel excelling because any Twins fan knows that Kubel has the potential to be a 20+ home run hitter but his injuries and odd managing decisions have stunted him a little bit.
But promising words from Gardenhire makes it seem as if Kubel could see good time at DH when Cuddyer comes back or even consistent time in right as Cuddyer heals
"I really believe this guy can hit," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's going to get plenty of opportunities this year. ... I think he's healthy in his knees now, we don't hear about that anymore, and now it's time for him to get the at-bats and go. Run with it."
The Twins, this year, have the biggest potential for power that this team has seen in years. Mauer (not known for HR's but he has the ability), Morneau, Cuddyer, Young, Harris, Kubel, Lamb and even Craig Monroe has hit for power before. This, coupled with Carlos Gomez's blazing speed, could turn this team around offensively.
Tonight's game features Livan Hernandez vs. Jose Contreras. Hopefully the Twins can start getting consistent offense this year. If not, look for the Twins to struggle getting runs tonight.
On another note, the Wild lost in an OT thriller last night to the Avs on a Joe Sakic goal. This team has heart...but they need to start converting it into wins. They fell into a 2-0 hole early and battled back by scoring two goals in the 3rd period.
Sakic, who already owns the record for most OT goals in the playoffs at 8, may be in his final season. This is definitely a good way to start the playoffs for the Avs.
Game 2 is Friday at 8pm.
Things are starting to get hectic here at the end of the school year, so bear with us here as we will try and get you Twins updates as well as other updates from around the sports world.
Have a great Thursday!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Opening Day and Kubel not in the starting lineup
Well, the time has come and Twins baseball is about to kick off for the '08 season. The Twins open the season tonight against the L.A. Angels of Anaheim. Your hometown team will be starting offseason acquisition Livan Hernandez against RHP Jered Weaver. The lineups were just released by both Joe Christensen of the Star Trib. and Phil Miller of the Pioneer Press. There is one questionable player in tonight's lineup, although it came as no surprise to me as earlier today I predicted that Gardy would make this move. Here are the lineups and I'll discuss the questionable move afterwards.
Well, since most of those names were expected to be there and in that order, the strange move by Gardy deals with Craig Monroe. While I don't doubt Monroe's ability to hit the ball and believe him to be a capable DH, starting him against the right-handed Jered Weaver goes against all baseball experience and knowledge. Monroe, a right-handed hitter, has a .249 career average against righties, while platoon-mate Jason Kubel (a keft-handed hitter) has .269 career average against righties. Combine that with the fact that Kubel has a better personal career history against Weaver and the choice for DH should have been easy tonight - Kubel. However, Gardy took the strange route, selecting Monroe to start tonight.
It boggles my mind that Gardy continues to hold Kubel back. He almost never bats Kubel against lefties and to hold him back now against righties makes no sense. Most times I can't argue the way that Gardy manages, but the way that he has handled Kubel over the last 2 years and soon to be the '08 season makes no sense and it almost seems as if he has a personal vendetta against him.
Anyways, lets see how this plays out tonight, and first pitch in less than a half hour!
1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Joe Mauer, C
3. Michael Cuddyer, RF
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Craig Monroe, DH
7. Mike Lamb, 3B
8. Brendan Harris, 2B
9. Adam Everett, SS
Well, since most of those names were expected to be there and in that order, the strange move by Gardy deals with Craig Monroe. While I don't doubt Monroe's ability to hit the ball and believe him to be a capable DH, starting him against the right-handed Jered Weaver goes against all baseball experience and knowledge. Monroe, a right-handed hitter, has a .249 career average against righties, while platoon-mate Jason Kubel (a keft-handed hitter) has .269 career average against righties. Combine that with the fact that Kubel has a better personal career history against Weaver and the choice for DH should have been easy tonight - Kubel. However, Gardy took the strange route, selecting Monroe to start tonight.
It boggles my mind that Gardy continues to hold Kubel back. He almost never bats Kubel against lefties and to hold him back now against righties makes no sense. Most times I can't argue the way that Gardy manages, but the way that he has handled Kubel over the last 2 years and soon to be the '08 season makes no sense and it almost seems as if he has a personal vendetta against him.
Anyways, lets see how this plays out tonight, and first pitch in less than a half hour!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Minnesota Madness
We'll be taking a break from the usual Land O' Links today for a special March Madness spotlight.
I do actually have one link for you. Broncos fans...enjoy your season.
Hopefully that will hold you over for a week. But for now, enjoy this!
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There is a Minnesota collegiate basketball team who is playing in the NCAA Championship game this year. It doesn’t involve Tubby Smith or Pam Borton and in fact you may have not even heard about it at all this year. It is the NCAA Division II Championships being played in Springfield Massachusetts.
The Winona State Warriors are representing Minnesota in the college basketball scene.
The Warriors, at 37-1 after their Elite Eight win against # 1 Grand Valley State and Final Four Win against Bentley (34-1), are on a 31 game win streak and have found themselves in the D-2 Championship game for the third year in a row.
Last year, in the championship game, the Warriors saw their 57 game win streak end at the hands of Barton College. It was a bizarre ending to the game and this clip here will give you some insight into one of the greatest finishes in recent March Madness history. If you are a Winona State fan, you may not want to click on the link because I am sure that it is not something that you want to be reminded of this time of year.
The Warriors this year picked up the pieces from that devastating loss and are back atop the Division 2 rankings. They finished the season ranked # 3 and have re-established themselves as a powerhouse in the NCAA.
A look at the team:
Playing their home games in the wonderful confines of McCown Gym, the Warriors get solid numbers for their home games. This year they averaged 2,500 spectators per game and as many of us know, is a much larger number than the Division 1 Gophers men’s team averaged the last few years.
They were 18-0 in conference this year and were 22-1 at home. The one home loss came in overtime against the St. Thomas Tommies of the MIAC. The Tommies are known for their Division 3 prominence and may have been overlooked by the Warriors. They rebounded from the loss and started their current win streak and haven’t looked back since then.
The Warriors are paced by two of the best players at the Division 2 level. Senior John Smith (Johnsburg, IL) posted a career high in points averaged this season at 17.7 and averages 8.6 rebounds per game as well. Stats only mean so much, so what else makes Smith special? He is only the second player in history to be named State Farm/NABC player of the year two years in a row. Last year and this year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches voted Smith their player of the year. He is Winona State’s all time leading scorer and is second in Division 2 history in career blocked shots at 420.
The second player is Jonte Flowers (Cottage Grove, WI). He transferred from the University of Wisconsin where his brother Michael leads the possibly Elite 8 bound University of Wisconsin Badgers. Flowers, who is the 3rd youngest Flowers brother (one year ahead of Michael) walked on as a football player at the University of Wisconsin 3 years ago. He felt that Winona State would be a better fit and he was right. In his first year for the Warriors, he was named the Player of the Game in the championship game against Virginia Union. Flowers this year averaged 17.5 ppg and 3.2 apg. He and Michael at one time this year both led their teams in steals per game. The Flowers brothers are all very close. Check out this article as it gives you a fun look into the competitive lives of the Flowers brothers.
The rest of the team is a heavy mix of freshmen and sophomores. Usually this spells trouble for a team, when their seasoned veterans graduate and the younger players are left to carry such a heavy load. This has the potential to be the case for the Warriors but they have very talented younger players that ought to help keep this team competitive for years to come. All-time leading scorer at local Woodbury Senior High School in Woodbury MN, Max Hintz, will surely see time as well as Ben Fischer from Wausau, WI who saw a significant amount of playing time (35 games played with an avg. of 22.4 minutes per game).
2 titles in 3 years?
The Warriors will be playing the Augusta St. Jaguars (Augusta, GA) on March 29th for the Division 2 championship. If the Warriors win, it will be their 2nd title in 3 years. If this feat is accomplished, it will even further solidify the Warriors as NCAA elite and should do wonders for the schools athletics.
The Jaguars are 27-6 and defeated Alaska Anchorage (29-6) 56-50 in their game. Augusta St. led Alaska 28-11 at half and were outscored 39-28 in the second half to make the game more respectable.
The game should be a hard fought battle between the two teams. If Winona State pulls off the win, should they be considered the second best team in the state behind the Gophers? If you ask some Winona State fans, I am sure that they would tell you it is the other way around. The Warriors defeated the Gophers last year in Williams Arena. Granted the Gophers finished the year 9-22 but it was still a Division 1 opponent on their home court.
This could be a question debated come Saturday night.
Good luck to the Warriors and bring the hardware home!
The Winona State Warriors are representing Minnesota in the college basketball scene.
The Warriors, at 37-1 after their Elite Eight win against # 1 Grand Valley State and Final Four Win against Bentley (34-1), are on a 31 game win streak and have found themselves in the D-2 Championship game for the third year in a row.
Last year, in the championship game, the Warriors saw their 57 game win streak end at the hands of Barton College. It was a bizarre ending to the game and this clip here will give you some insight into one of the greatest finishes in recent March Madness history. If you are a Winona State fan, you may not want to click on the link because I am sure that it is not something that you want to be reminded of this time of year.
The Warriors this year picked up the pieces from that devastating loss and are back atop the Division 2 rankings. They finished the season ranked # 3 and have re-established themselves as a powerhouse in the NCAA.
A look at the team:
Playing their home games in the wonderful confines of McCown Gym, the Warriors get solid numbers for their home games. This year they averaged 2,500 spectators per game and as many of us know, is a much larger number than the Division 1 Gophers men’s team averaged the last few years.
They were 18-0 in conference this year and were 22-1 at home. The one home loss came in overtime against the St. Thomas Tommies of the MIAC. The Tommies are known for their Division 3 prominence and may have been overlooked by the Warriors. They rebounded from the loss and started their current win streak and haven’t looked back since then.
The Warriors are paced by two of the best players at the Division 2 level. Senior John Smith (Johnsburg, IL) posted a career high in points averaged this season at 17.7 and averages 8.6 rebounds per game as well. Stats only mean so much, so what else makes Smith special? He is only the second player in history to be named State Farm/NABC player of the year two years in a row. Last year and this year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches voted Smith their player of the year. He is Winona State’s all time leading scorer and is second in Division 2 history in career blocked shots at 420.
The second player is Jonte Flowers (Cottage Grove, WI). He transferred from the University of Wisconsin where his brother Michael leads the possibly Elite 8 bound University of Wisconsin Badgers. Flowers, who is the 3rd youngest Flowers brother (one year ahead of Michael) walked on as a football player at the University of Wisconsin 3 years ago. He felt that Winona State would be a better fit and he was right. In his first year for the Warriors, he was named the Player of the Game in the championship game against Virginia Union. Flowers this year averaged 17.5 ppg and 3.2 apg. He and Michael at one time this year both led their teams in steals per game. The Flowers brothers are all very close. Check out this article as it gives you a fun look into the competitive lives of the Flowers brothers.
The rest of the team is a heavy mix of freshmen and sophomores. Usually this spells trouble for a team, when their seasoned veterans graduate and the younger players are left to carry such a heavy load. This has the potential to be the case for the Warriors but they have very talented younger players that ought to help keep this team competitive for years to come. All-time leading scorer at local Woodbury Senior High School in Woodbury MN, Max Hintz, will surely see time as well as Ben Fischer from Wausau, WI who saw a significant amount of playing time (35 games played with an avg. of 22.4 minutes per game).
2 titles in 3 years?
The Warriors will be playing the Augusta St. Jaguars (Augusta, GA) on March 29th for the Division 2 championship. If the Warriors win, it will be their 2nd title in 3 years. If this feat is accomplished, it will even further solidify the Warriors as NCAA elite and should do wonders for the schools athletics.
The Jaguars are 27-6 and defeated Alaska Anchorage (29-6) 56-50 in their game. Augusta St. led Alaska 28-11 at half and were outscored 39-28 in the second half to make the game more respectable.
The game should be a hard fought battle between the two teams. If Winona State pulls off the win, should they be considered the second best team in the state behind the Gophers? If you ask some Winona State fans, I am sure that they would tell you it is the other way around. The Warriors defeated the Gophers last year in Williams Arena. Granted the Gophers finished the year 9-22 but it was still a Division 1 opponent on their home court.
This could be a question debated come Saturday night.
Good luck to the Warriors and bring the hardware home!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Land O' Links
Happy Friday to all!
March Madness is officially under way as the first round of the Men's NCAA Tournament started yesterday afternoon.
No surprises around the bracket. The only considered upset would be Kansas State over USC, but that really is only because of the seedings. K-State, as the 11 seed, absolutely out rebounded USC and played a much better all around game.
As much as I want to see OJ Mayo in a Wolves uniform, he did not look ready for the NBA last night. I really hope that he can stay one more year just to hone his skills and make sure that he'll be ready. Unfortunately the NBA is very tempting. Who could turn down a couple million dollars to play the sport they love?
My bracket is flawless, other than USC, through the first day. I didn't pick any upsets yesterday mainly because I felt that the higher seeds were just that much better. But look for Davidson to defeat Gonzaga today. That is my upset pick of the day.
Since it is Friday, here are your links!
- One of the funniest and most random movies is soon to be released in theatres. Apparently they have a lot to live up to since the first one was such a hit among the 18-27 range. It goes even beyond that as my aunt and uncle saw this movie way before I did. I saw the preview last night after I found the link and it looks pretty good. Makes me kind of hungry...
-The potentially biggest sports/national news of the week included the Boston Red Sox. No, they did not go undefeated in Spring Training or have a brawl with the Yankees. They were thisssclose to boycotting their trip to Japan to play the Oakland A's. I first came across this as "Red Sox may boycott trip to Japan" and my immediate thought was "Oh no, now what has Japan done?" With all of the news of the civil problems in China, I figured it was something very serious. Then I found out that they were ready to boycott because their coaches were not going to receive the $40,000 stipend in order for going over to Japan for the games. I read somewhere on ESPN that it was necessary for the coaches to get this payment because they have to deal with their body clocks changing and stop their lives to head over there. I'm sorry...THAT IS THEIR LIFE! You work in Major League baseball with the 2007 World Champions, deal with it. Thankfully they avoided a national disaster and have arrived in Japan for their games.
Here is the first article. Bobby Valentine, former Mets manager, is furious that they scheduled the games at this certain time during March. It's a conspiracy I tell ya. He is turning into that paranoid guy that thinks everyone is out to get him.
This article is much more soft on the eyes. Quick note...why has no one talked about Dice-K's mullet? I'm not sure how accepted that is in Japan...but it's barely accepted in America outside of hockey or professional wrestling. David Ortiz or Manny should get on that...
- The biggest reason why I started to become a Vikings fan last year was NOT because of Adrian Peterson. It was because I could finally be proud of a team that spent more time on the field than in the courtroom. There seemed to be a new attitude on the team this year and it really made me happy to cheer for people with little or no criminal records for once. Then Bryant McKinnie's large head had to go out on the town in Miami and get into trouble. Maybe it's just because I do not understand being a professional athlete/celebrity but is it really that hard to either not go out or go somewhere that you know nothing will happen? Let's hope that he figures this out and is either innocent or is guilty and deals with it. Don't be surprised if his days with the Vikings are numbered since this is coupled with a struggling past few seasons.
- Andrew Bynum could return much earlier than expected. This is not good news for the now struggling Houston Rockets nor the suddenly hot New Orleans Hornets. If he comes back healthy, look for the Lakers to go deep in the playoffs.
- Life for Tim Donaughy just does not get any easier
- DeAngelo Hall...welcome to your life. If he thinks that he went to a better situation in Oakland...well...he's kind of right. At least JaMarcus Russell is there...and...and...Justin Fargas? Sigh...at least he's in warm weather and making a lot of money.
- And finally...I will leave you with this youtube clip. I recently watched this movie for the first time in a while and completely forgot how hilarious it is. I miss Jim Carrey in movies like this.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the Madness!
March Madness is officially under way as the first round of the Men's NCAA Tournament started yesterday afternoon.
No surprises around the bracket. The only considered upset would be Kansas State over USC, but that really is only because of the seedings. K-State, as the 11 seed, absolutely out rebounded USC and played a much better all around game.
As much as I want to see OJ Mayo in a Wolves uniform, he did not look ready for the NBA last night. I really hope that he can stay one more year just to hone his skills and make sure that he'll be ready. Unfortunately the NBA is very tempting. Who could turn down a couple million dollars to play the sport they love?
My bracket is flawless, other than USC, through the first day. I didn't pick any upsets yesterday mainly because I felt that the higher seeds were just that much better. But look for Davidson to defeat Gonzaga today. That is my upset pick of the day.
Since it is Friday, here are your links!
- One of the funniest and most random movies is soon to be released in theatres. Apparently they have a lot to live up to since the first one was such a hit among the 18-27 range. It goes even beyond that as my aunt and uncle saw this movie way before I did. I saw the preview last night after I found the link and it looks pretty good. Makes me kind of hungry...
-The potentially biggest sports/national news of the week included the Boston Red Sox. No, they did not go undefeated in Spring Training or have a brawl with the Yankees. They were thisssclose to boycotting their trip to Japan to play the Oakland A's. I first came across this as "Red Sox may boycott trip to Japan" and my immediate thought was "Oh no, now what has Japan done?" With all of the news of the civil problems in China, I figured it was something very serious. Then I found out that they were ready to boycott because their coaches were not going to receive the $40,000 stipend in order for going over to Japan for the games. I read somewhere on ESPN that it was necessary for the coaches to get this payment because they have to deal with their body clocks changing and stop their lives to head over there. I'm sorry...THAT IS THEIR LIFE! You work in Major League baseball with the 2007 World Champions, deal with it. Thankfully they avoided a national disaster and have arrived in Japan for their games.
Here is the first article. Bobby Valentine, former Mets manager, is furious that they scheduled the games at this certain time during March. It's a conspiracy I tell ya. He is turning into that paranoid guy that thinks everyone is out to get him.
This article is much more soft on the eyes. Quick note...why has no one talked about Dice-K's mullet? I'm not sure how accepted that is in Japan...but it's barely accepted in America outside of hockey or professional wrestling. David Ortiz or Manny should get on that...
- The biggest reason why I started to become a Vikings fan last year was NOT because of Adrian Peterson. It was because I could finally be proud of a team that spent more time on the field than in the courtroom. There seemed to be a new attitude on the team this year and it really made me happy to cheer for people with little or no criminal records for once. Then Bryant McKinnie's large head had to go out on the town in Miami and get into trouble. Maybe it's just because I do not understand being a professional athlete/celebrity but is it really that hard to either not go out or go somewhere that you know nothing will happen? Let's hope that he figures this out and is either innocent or is guilty and deals with it. Don't be surprised if his days with the Vikings are numbered since this is coupled with a struggling past few seasons.
- Andrew Bynum could return much earlier than expected. This is not good news for the now struggling Houston Rockets nor the suddenly hot New Orleans Hornets. If he comes back healthy, look for the Lakers to go deep in the playoffs.
- Life for Tim Donaughy just does not get any easier
- DeAngelo Hall...welcome to your life. If he thinks that he went to a better situation in Oakland...well...he's kind of right. At least JaMarcus Russell is there...and...and...Justin Fargas? Sigh...at least he's in warm weather and making a lot of money.
- And finally...I will leave you with this youtube clip. I recently watched this movie for the first time in a while and completely forgot how hilarious it is. I miss Jim Carrey in movies like this.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the Madness!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Monday Madness
Happy St. Patricks day to all of my Irish friends!
And a Happy St. Patricks day to all of my friends who wish they were Irish...so that there could be an excuse as to why they started drinking their beverages at 830 this morning!
I find it interesting when there are people who aren't a drop of Irish who celebrate this holiday like it IS their heritage. Just because you wear green and have a friend who is Irish does not mean that you are in fact Irish. It is still called low-grade alcoholism and maybe some help is needed.
Alright, enough with the rant. This past weekend was a big weekend for sports all around. The College Basketball regular season concluded with KU defeating Texas in the Big 12 championship and that win ended up getting them more than the Big 12 championship as it got them a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas absolutely fell apart in the last 5 minutes of the game and Mario Chalmers singlehandedly outscored Texas in the second half alone I'm pretty sure.
UNC drew the overall #1 pick for the tournament but have a very tough road ahead of them. This year is pretty heavy on the big name teams as opposed to the last couple years where some sleeper teams snuck in. Teams to watch this year: George Mason (Final Four team 2 years ago and still have 3 of those players), USC (OJ Mayo is playing for NBA dreams now, so expect him to play big as well as the surrounding cast of Trojans that almost beat #1 seed UCLA in the Pac-10 Semi-finals), UNLV ( run and gun team that could potentially upset #1 seed KU in the second round. They should run past Kent St.) and finally the Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley teams have done well in the past couple years and this team should be no different. Look for the 'Dogs to dance all the way to the sweet 16 where they will eventually have to face a very tough UCLA team)
- Minnesota will take on Maryland tomorrow in the first round of the NIT tournament. As much as they would have liked to be in the NCAA Tournament, I think it is best for the Gophers to be in the NIT this year. Tubby took a 9-22 team to be 20-13 and into the NIT tournament. They had a great year but it lacked the "big name" wins. They finally got one against Indiana on Friday night but I think it was too late to do anything less than win the Big 10 tourney. Tubby needs to find a way to beat Illinois (20 straight losses) and I think he will with his solid recruiting class that is coming in next year.
- The Houston Rockets bounced the Lakers yesterday for their 21st consecutive win. The Rockets are now 11 games away from tying the LA Lakers 33 game win-streak set in the 71-72 season by the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Interestingly enough, Elgin Baylor announced his retirement the day before the streak begun. The Lakers went on to win the title and become known as one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Look for the Celtics to end the win streak tomorrow.
Things have been quiet for the Vikings on the Free Agent front. They are getting prepared for the NFL draft which is just a little over a month away. There are some good DE's available but the Vikings may be able to make a trade to move up in the draft. Rumor also has it that J.P. Losman wants out of Buffalo. This would be good for the Vikings to pay attention to as it may help to have someone to push Tarvaris Jackson competitively. Brooks Bollinger just wont do it.
I spent the weekend in Milwaukee to catch the Bucks/Celtics game on Saturday night. It was great to see KG again but it just wasn't the same seeing him in Green and White. Check back later in the week for a full recap of the weekend.
Enjoy the luck of the Irish!
And a Happy St. Patricks day to all of my friends who wish they were Irish...so that there could be an excuse as to why they started drinking their beverages at 830 this morning!
I find it interesting when there are people who aren't a drop of Irish who celebrate this holiday like it IS their heritage. Just because you wear green and have a friend who is Irish does not mean that you are in fact Irish. It is still called low-grade alcoholism and maybe some help is needed.
Alright, enough with the rant. This past weekend was a big weekend for sports all around. The College Basketball regular season concluded with KU defeating Texas in the Big 12 championship and that win ended up getting them more than the Big 12 championship as it got them a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas absolutely fell apart in the last 5 minutes of the game and Mario Chalmers singlehandedly outscored Texas in the second half alone I'm pretty sure.
UNC drew the overall #1 pick for the tournament but have a very tough road ahead of them. This year is pretty heavy on the big name teams as opposed to the last couple years where some sleeper teams snuck in. Teams to watch this year: George Mason (Final Four team 2 years ago and still have 3 of those players), USC (OJ Mayo is playing for NBA dreams now, so expect him to play big as well as the surrounding cast of Trojans that almost beat #1 seed UCLA in the Pac-10 Semi-finals), UNLV ( run and gun team that could potentially upset #1 seed KU in the second round. They should run past Kent St.) and finally the Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley teams have done well in the past couple years and this team should be no different. Look for the 'Dogs to dance all the way to the sweet 16 where they will eventually have to face a very tough UCLA team)
- Minnesota will take on Maryland tomorrow in the first round of the NIT tournament. As much as they would have liked to be in the NCAA Tournament, I think it is best for the Gophers to be in the NIT this year. Tubby took a 9-22 team to be 20-13 and into the NIT tournament. They had a great year but it lacked the "big name" wins. They finally got one against Indiana on Friday night but I think it was too late to do anything less than win the Big 10 tourney. Tubby needs to find a way to beat Illinois (20 straight losses) and I think he will with his solid recruiting class that is coming in next year.
- The Houston Rockets bounced the Lakers yesterday for their 21st consecutive win. The Rockets are now 11 games away from tying the LA Lakers 33 game win-streak set in the 71-72 season by the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Interestingly enough, Elgin Baylor announced his retirement the day before the streak begun. The Lakers went on to win the title and become known as one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Look for the Celtics to end the win streak tomorrow.
Things have been quiet for the Vikings on the Free Agent front. They are getting prepared for the NFL draft which is just a little over a month away. There are some good DE's available but the Vikings may be able to make a trade to move up in the draft. Rumor also has it that J.P. Losman wants out of Buffalo. This would be good for the Vikings to pay attention to as it may help to have someone to push Tarvaris Jackson competitively. Brooks Bollinger just wont do it.
I spent the weekend in Milwaukee to catch the Bucks/Celtics game on Saturday night. It was great to see KG again but it just wasn't the same seeing him in Green and White. Check back later in the week for a full recap of the weekend.
Enjoy the luck of the Irish!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Wrestling, Spring Training & Free Agency
Being down in Iowa for the past 2 1/2 years, I have learned a whole different lifestyle.
It's called wrestling.
Wrestling is to Iowa what hockey is to Minnesota. It is HUGE down here and a very exciting time of year just came to a close. The state tournament was held a couple weeks ago out in Des Moines and now we are getting close to the NCAA tournaments for wrestling.
So, on that topic, we would like to congratulate Anoka's Jake Deitchler on his State tournament championship win on Saturday as well as his crowning of the Pioneer Press prep wrestler of the year. He has left for Bulgaria in search of a big to the Olympics this August in China. Our coach here at Cornell may actually be the Olympic coach come August, so hopefully he can send a Minnesotan to the Olympics!
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Twins notes from Spring Training: The Twins defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 yesterday off the 2-out, 2-run home-run from little known Chris Basak. They tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth with a 2 run home-run from Randy Ruiz.
Glen Perkins, who struggled mightily in his last spring training appearance, pitched 2 innings and gave up one run. He looked much better this time around.
Philip Humber, acquired in the trade for Johan Santana, had a good day pitching a scoreless/hitless inning for the Twins. While Zach Day had a much rougher outing giving up 2 hits and 3 earned runs in one inning.
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The New England Patriots signed Randy Moss to a 3 year/$27 million dollar contract. Moss, taking a cut in pay, has made it pretty clear that he wants a championship over money.
I've always liked Moss and felt that he was giving an un-fair shake in Minnesota. Hopefully he can get that title with the Pats and solidify himself in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Look for the Vikings to offer Jevon Kearse a contract in the next few days. Brad Childress was a coach for the Eagles when the "Freak" had just joined. Kearse, who was a great DE for the Titans has struggled with injuries the past couple years. The Vikings are giving him a check to see if he is healthy enough to receive a contract offer. He most likely will get small level deals, so this could be a safe pick up for the Vikings as long as they don't over pay.
That's it for Tuesday. Have a great day!
It's called wrestling.
Wrestling is to Iowa what hockey is to Minnesota. It is HUGE down here and a very exciting time of year just came to a close. The state tournament was held a couple weeks ago out in Des Moines and now we are getting close to the NCAA tournaments for wrestling.
So, on that topic, we would like to congratulate Anoka's Jake Deitchler on his State tournament championship win on Saturday as well as his crowning of the Pioneer Press prep wrestler of the year. He has left for Bulgaria in search of a big to the Olympics this August in China. Our coach here at Cornell may actually be the Olympic coach come August, so hopefully he can send a Minnesotan to the Olympics!
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Twins notes from Spring Training: The Twins defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 yesterday off the 2-out, 2-run home-run from little known Chris Basak. They tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth with a 2 run home-run from Randy Ruiz.
Glen Perkins, who struggled mightily in his last spring training appearance, pitched 2 innings and gave up one run. He looked much better this time around.
Philip Humber, acquired in the trade for Johan Santana, had a good day pitching a scoreless/hitless inning for the Twins. While Zach Day had a much rougher outing giving up 2 hits and 3 earned runs in one inning.
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The New England Patriots signed Randy Moss to a 3 year/$27 million dollar contract. Moss, taking a cut in pay, has made it pretty clear that he wants a championship over money.
I've always liked Moss and felt that he was giving an un-fair shake in Minnesota. Hopefully he can get that title with the Pats and solidify himself in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Look for the Vikings to offer Jevon Kearse a contract in the next few days. Brad Childress was a coach for the Eagles when the "Freak" had just joined. Kearse, who was a great DE for the Titans has struggled with injuries the past couple years. The Vikings are giving him a check to see if he is healthy enough to receive a contract offer. He most likely will get small level deals, so this could be a safe pick up for the Vikings as long as they don't over pay.
That's it for Tuesday. Have a great day!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Vikings and Twins notes
-The Vikings made a splash early in the free agency signing period, signing wide receiver Bernard Berrian, safety Madieu Williams, and fullback Thomas Tapeh.
Berrian, a former wide receiver for the rival Chicago Bears, will help upgrade what was one of the worst wide receiving corps in all of football last season. Berrian will join Bobby Wade as the top receivers on the team, with young Sidney Rice supporting both. It is possible that the Vikings will make another splash in the remaining free agent wide receivers since Javon Walker has recently been released by the Broncos.
Williams essentially replaces Dwight Smith, who was released by the team last week. Even if Williams isn't an upgrade over Smith (I think he will be), he is a significant character upgrade on a team that needs strong leaders after some of their recent off the field issues.
Tapeh, a former U of M standout, is the most recent Philadelphia Eagle to follow Brad Childress over to the Vikings. He replaces Tony Richardson, who the coaching staff believed was getting too old. Tapeh has had the privilege of blocking for one of the best running backs in the game in Brian Westbrook, and now he gets to open up holes for Rookie of the Year Adrian All-Day Peterson.
The Vikings certainly aren't done in free agency yet, but this is a solid start to the offseason.
-The Twins just opened Spring Training down in Fort Myers, and while their record isn't great, some things have been encouraging for the young team. One is that Carlos Gomez has one of Peyton Manning's laser rocket arms attached to his shoulder. He gunned down Dustin Pedroia at home plate from center field on the fly, getting him out by a few steps. While some people are skeptical that the Twins new centerfielder (whoever he may be) can replace Torii Hunter both offensively and defensively, I have no doubt that this is a possibility. Hunter had been a declining fielder the last few seasons, and really only won his Gold Gloves by name only. Gomez has an amazing arm, and most likely whoever wins the job will be faster than Hunter. In addition, Hunter's only great season at the plate came last season during his contract year. The rest of Hunter's numbers over his career were anything but spectacular. While Hunter showed modest power, hitting more than 25 home runs 5 times, he also hit under .275 four times. In addition, as a Twins fan over the years, he also seemed to not come up in the clutch (I have no stats to back this up, only years of games watched). He swung at far too many pitches, and rarely did he seem willing to do the things for the team that were necessary to win. I do think that right away that the new Twins CF will struggle to replace Hunter, but he wasn't irreplaceable. The new Twins CF will be a different style player; instead of being a power hitter with a good glove, above average power, a bad average, and quote machine with the media, the new Twins CF will be a good fielding, good average, extremely fast player with below average power.
One other big thing about the Twins spring training is that Francisco Liriano is back! He has been throwing hard, and threw live BP for the first time this since the injury. He made the hitters facing him look foolish, and he will be starting for the first time this spring either Thursday or Friday.
Thats it for now, check back either Monday or Tuesday for an update!
Berrian, a former wide receiver for the rival Chicago Bears, will help upgrade what was one of the worst wide receiving corps in all of football last season. Berrian will join Bobby Wade as the top receivers on the team, with young Sidney Rice supporting both. It is possible that the Vikings will make another splash in the remaining free agent wide receivers since Javon Walker has recently been released by the Broncos.
Williams essentially replaces Dwight Smith, who was released by the team last week. Even if Williams isn't an upgrade over Smith (I think he will be), he is a significant character upgrade on a team that needs strong leaders after some of their recent off the field issues.
Tapeh, a former U of M standout, is the most recent Philadelphia Eagle to follow Brad Childress over to the Vikings. He replaces Tony Richardson, who the coaching staff believed was getting too old. Tapeh has had the privilege of blocking for one of the best running backs in the game in Brian Westbrook, and now he gets to open up holes for Rookie of the Year Adrian All-Day Peterson.
The Vikings certainly aren't done in free agency yet, but this is a solid start to the offseason.
-The Twins just opened Spring Training down in Fort Myers, and while their record isn't great, some things have been encouraging for the young team. One is that Carlos Gomez has one of Peyton Manning's laser rocket arms attached to his shoulder. He gunned down Dustin Pedroia at home plate from center field on the fly, getting him out by a few steps. While some people are skeptical that the Twins new centerfielder (whoever he may be) can replace Torii Hunter both offensively and defensively, I have no doubt that this is a possibility. Hunter had been a declining fielder the last few seasons, and really only won his Gold Gloves by name only. Gomez has an amazing arm, and most likely whoever wins the job will be faster than Hunter. In addition, Hunter's only great season at the plate came last season during his contract year. The rest of Hunter's numbers over his career were anything but spectacular. While Hunter showed modest power, hitting more than 25 home runs 5 times, he also hit under .275 four times. In addition, as a Twins fan over the years, he also seemed to not come up in the clutch (I have no stats to back this up, only years of games watched). He swung at far too many pitches, and rarely did he seem willing to do the things for the team that were necessary to win. I do think that right away that the new Twins CF will struggle to replace Hunter, but he wasn't irreplaceable. The new Twins CF will be a different style player; instead of being a power hitter with a good glove, above average power, a bad average, and quote machine with the media, the new Twins CF will be a good fielding, good average, extremely fast player with below average power.
One other big thing about the Twins spring training is that Francisco Liriano is back! He has been throwing hard, and threw live BP for the first time this since the injury. He made the hitters facing him look foolish, and he will be starting for the first time this spring either Thursday or Friday.
Thats it for now, check back either Monday or Tuesday for an update!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Land O' Links & our 100th post
In the last two weeks, we here at Court's Sports have seen some milestones come and go.
- We hit our 1,000th visitor to the site
- Today is our 100th post
- We managed to make it through Johan, Torii AND KG all leaving Minnesota.
We would like to thank you all for supporting our site and coming back week after week. I have finally finished my teaching courses for the year so we will be posting on here much more frequently.
The NBA season is a month from wrapping up and baseball is a month from starting up again. With relatively new teams in Minnesota, we will have a lot to talk about in the next several weeks.
Since today is our 100th post, lets take a look at the number 100 and it's relevance in our society:
- United States has 100 Senators
- Largest denomination of US money is the $100 dollar bill, or "Benjamin"
- The number of tiles in a scrabble set
- 100 episodes, when a tv show is then available to be put into syndication
- WB show "Unhappily Ever After" was only 100 episodes long
- Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on March 2, 1962
- 2004 World Series...Red Sox defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 100th World Series
- LaDanian Tomlinson is the fastest to reach 100 touchdowns in his career
- Ryan Howard, fastest to reach 100 home runs in MLB history
- 100 yards is the minimum yardage on a par 3
So there you go...and here are your links for the day!
- This is potentially the greatest thing that I have ever come across on the internet. It's unfortunate that it was in front of the entire family...but part of me beleives that if I had been part of that family...I would tell that story like it was going out of style.
- You always hate to see the greats pass away. He was the creator of the Terrible Towel and was a great voice for the Steelers.
- We all in Minnesota rememeber the great 2004 season the Timberwolves had. Sam Cassell is a great basketball player and maybe he will help the Celtics. But then again, it could be really devastating for the Celtics' Rajon Rondo. He's played well this year and hopefully Doc Rivers doesn't screw this up.
- SAVE THE SONICS!
- Someone Will!
We'll be back to our regular schedule starting next week. Monday's and Fridays with a middle day thrown in.
Have a great weekend!
- We hit our 1,000th visitor to the site
- Today is our 100th post
- We managed to make it through Johan, Torii AND KG all leaving Minnesota.
We would like to thank you all for supporting our site and coming back week after week. I have finally finished my teaching courses for the year so we will be posting on here much more frequently.
The NBA season is a month from wrapping up and baseball is a month from starting up again. With relatively new teams in Minnesota, we will have a lot to talk about in the next several weeks.
Since today is our 100th post, lets take a look at the number 100 and it's relevance in our society:
- United States has 100 Senators
- Largest denomination of US money is the $100 dollar bill, or "Benjamin"
- The number of tiles in a scrabble set
- 100 episodes, when a tv show is then available to be put into syndication
- WB show "Unhappily Ever After" was only 100 episodes long
- Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on March 2, 1962
- 2004 World Series...Red Sox defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 100th World Series
- LaDanian Tomlinson is the fastest to reach 100 touchdowns in his career
- Ryan Howard, fastest to reach 100 home runs in MLB history
- 100 yards is the minimum yardage on a par 3
So there you go...and here are your links for the day!
- This is potentially the greatest thing that I have ever come across on the internet. It's unfortunate that it was in front of the entire family...but part of me beleives that if I had been part of that family...I would tell that story like it was going out of style.
- You always hate to see the greats pass away. He was the creator of the Terrible Towel and was a great voice for the Steelers.
- We all in Minnesota rememeber the great 2004 season the Timberwolves had. Sam Cassell is a great basketball player and maybe he will help the Celtics. But then again, it could be really devastating for the Celtics' Rajon Rondo. He's played well this year and hopefully Doc Rivers doesn't screw this up.
- SAVE THE SONICS!
- Someone Will!
We'll be back to our regular schedule starting next week. Monday's and Fridays with a middle day thrown in.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Where's Waldo?
There is one question that I know both Courtland and I discussed last season, and perhaps even the season before. Nearly every time we went to a Twins game together, we sat in the outfield seats, aka Homerun Porch. Anyone who has ever sat in these seats, particularly those closest to centerfield, has no doubt seen Helmet Guy. Our ingenious name for the guy came from his ever present white helmet, which has the Twins logo on the front and Torii Hunter's number on the back. Up until today, I had completely forgotten about the question that Court and I had posed to eachother during a game last spring - What will Helmet Guy do if Torii leaves this offseason?
Well, Torii is gone, and Helmet Guy now needs to figure out his next move.
First a bit of background.
Court and I nearly always discussed Helmet Guy at some point during a game. He was always there when we got to the game, no matter HOW early we arrived at the Dome. This led us to postulate whether he lives at the stadium or not (we decided he lives behind the CF fence). We were delighted one day, when Helmet Guy was in his usual seat wearing a customized jersey. On the back was the number 13 and the name Waldo. While we now knew his name, he still remained Helmet Guy to us. Another game, obviously playing off of his Waldo moniker, he wore a t-shirt to the game that asked "Where's Waldo?" It subsequently had his section, row, and seat number. While I don't remember exactly, I'm pretty sure it was about Section 102, Row 2, Seat 2. This obviously led us to despise Waldo's obvious narcissism.
However, it is one game in particular that stands out for me in my mind as to Helmet Guy's true character. True fans in the outfield bleachers realize that a beach ball in the stands is part of the experience. Court and I always laugh when a security guard can't get the ball, or a dumb fan punches the ball onto the field (ok, that part is annoying), or when a new ball starts right after another one is popped (which also should draw numerous boo's). However, in this game, Helmet Guy felt it was his personal duty to grab the ball and hand it to the security guard. He made an effort to go and get the ball to help the security guards. Helmet Guy has a FRONT ROW SEAT! He has no reason to be upset by what is going on behind him. His view isn't getting blocked! The ball is affecting him in no way at all. Yet, he still decided that he must track down the ball to give it to the security guard. Helmet Guy lost some of his cool the day he did that.
However, Helmet Guy still retained his mystique in my eyes. Seeing as both Court and I are college students, and are both out of the Metro area, neither of us can get to games on a regular basis until the summer. This results in a lot of FSN North for me, and a lot of Yahoo! box score checking for Courtland since he doesn't get the Twins games. While the games were almost always entertaining in themselves, with Bert and Dick ready to spout out some dumb new quote, or Johan mowing down the opposition, it was always an added bonus when a ground rule double was hit towards centerfield. EVERY SINGLE TIME this happened, there was Helmet Guy, reaching into the empty space behind the wall trying to catch the ball. I always cheered when this happened, regardless of who hit the double. Most times, I found myself calling Courtland to tell him that I had just seen our friend Helmet Guy on TV. One time I even recall Bert discussing Waldo by name, and FSN had a shot of him for about 5 seconds. So, as you can see, I have some unusual obsession with the guy (or so my girlfriend jokes with me about). I just think its cool that the Twins have a fan that can be immediately pointed out when a game is on TV, but I guess that something is wrong with me.
Anyway, back to my original point. I wondered what Helmet Guy would be doing this season. I stumbled upon this article following a google search of "metrodome minnesota twins waldo." I found out that Waldo is actually a guy named Greg Dryden and he hasn't missed a game in 3 years. In the article, Torii says that he personally recognizes Waldo as his biggest fan, and that Torii will also miss having Waldo behind him in the stands. It also turns out that "Waldo" is a name that Bert's wife came up with for Dryden. In addition, in 2005 Dryden caught 352 batting practice and game balls from his seat.
As one can deduce from article, Waldo missing Torii won't be a one way street. However, the biggest sentence out of the article for answering my question was this:
He said he will continue coming to every game, even if Hunter leaves, but it won't be the same.Well, part of the question is answered, in that Helmet Guy will still be a presence in his seat every single game. However, I am still curious as to what happens to his helmet now. Does he remove Torii's number and not replace it? Does he put the new CF's number? Does he put Delmon Young's 21 onto his helmet? All are options, but I think the most likely choice for Helmet Guy is to keep Torii's 48 on the back of the helmet as a memento to Hunter and his years with the team.
While I won't be able to make it to a game until May, I am hoping for a ground rule double to centerfield Opening Day. Helmet Guy will be there, cheering on Torii Hunter, in a much different way than last season. And maybe, just maybe, I'll catch whats on the back of his helmet.
look at 1:06, and Helmet Guy is getting out of his seat at the bottom left of the video
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Twins Ink Hernandez
The Minnesota Twins have added a veteran pitcher to the team with their signing of Free Agent righty Livan Hernandez.
The native Cuban pitched well last year for the NL runner-up Arizona Diamondbacks and is well known for being an innings-eater.
"If we could find the right guy, we were going to add that," general manager Bill Smith said. "We certainly weren't afraid to go in without veteran starters, but it's going to be give those young players someone to look to."
Twins ace closer Joe Nathan, teammate of Hernandez formerly when they both played for the San Francisco Giants, thinks very highly of him.
"It's not so important to get a veteran guy just to have him there, if he's not going to be at the same level that the younger guy would be," Nathan said. "But you get a guy like this that has proven he throws a ton of innings and knows how to pitch, I think if you can pick up a guy like that, it's a great fit."
Many Twins fans will remember the recent free agent pitcher signings : Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson and the media favorite Kenny Rogers. Those, with the exception of Rogers, did not pan out very well. So we will have to be cautious to accept this with joy just yet. But with a young staff, we'll gladly take an innings eater who seems to be quite personable.
The deal is worth 1 year and $5 million dollars. A safe contract that the Twins could get a lot of production out of.
New Banner Logo
So, I was relatively bored tonight and decided the site needed a facelift, so I designed a new banner logo for the site. Let me know what you guys think of it, and if there is anything you would change about it!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Friday Land O' Links
Not much going on in Minnesota sports after the Santana trade of last week. The Vikings season is done, the Timberwolves are still swimming in mediocrity, pitchers and catchers haven't reported quite yet, and the Wild are still atop their division. Since their isn't really anything to discuss with Minnesota sports, what is better than some random links?
-FireJoeMorgan, one of my favorite blogs, which just TEARS into terrible sports journalism by reputed professionals, just had its main writer reveal who he was. While its not a huge name, he does write and occasionally act in my favorite show on television: The Office. Turns out main contributor, who writes under the name Ken Tremendous, is none other than Dwight's cousin Mose (His real name is Michael Shur). Anyway, their blog leads me into my next link...
-Personally, I love the fact that the Giants won the Super Bowl. On another personal note, I also hate Eli Manning. That's why this article pissed me off, and Shur's subsequent analysis of it made me laugh out loud. While I do think Philip Rivers should shut up and play, I do feel he is a better player than Eli, and when you consider that he nearly beat the Patriots with a torn ACL and missing the top tight end and RB in the league, I think it shows that this trade was, on the surface, a virtual swap. Considering that NY also gave San Diego draft picks which turned into Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding, I completely disagree with his analysis that the Giants came out on top in the trade, and that its "not even close."
-Speaking of the Super Bowl, these people are psychotic. Seriously, you have nothing better to do? Really?
-Jeff Frazee, struggling U of M goalie, should maybe try out this new tactic in saving goals.
-For a different take on the Twins 2008 lineup than from Sunday's post, Seth Stohs not only projects the Twins lineup, but also their AAA-Rochester lineup, and their AA-New Britain lineup
over at SethSpeaks.net.
-Turns out maybe the Red Sox should have traded for Johan, because now they could need him.
-Timberwolves play the Celtics at home in their only primetime game of the season, and KG won't be in uniform, and won't be on the bench for the game. He will, however, be introduced before the game.
-This kid is going to be the butt of a lot of jokes for the rest of high school. I mean, all he did was lie about getting recruited, stage a fake press conference in his high school gym with his entire school and 2 news stations watching, and make his dad cry. And then he didn't think he'd get caught. Now he's hoping not to go to jail. Hey, at least he didn't wait until national signing day to announce where he is (not) going.
I'll leave you guys with this video, comments are always appreciated!
-FireJoeMorgan, one of my favorite blogs, which just TEARS into terrible sports journalism by reputed professionals, just had its main writer reveal who he was. While its not a huge name, he does write and occasionally act in my favorite show on television: The Office. Turns out main contributor, who writes under the name Ken Tremendous, is none other than Dwight's cousin Mose (His real name is Michael Shur). Anyway, their blog leads me into my next link...
-Personally, I love the fact that the Giants won the Super Bowl. On another personal note, I also hate Eli Manning. That's why this article pissed me off, and Shur's subsequent analysis of it made me laugh out loud. While I do think Philip Rivers should shut up and play, I do feel he is a better player than Eli, and when you consider that he nearly beat the Patriots with a torn ACL and missing the top tight end and RB in the league, I think it shows that this trade was, on the surface, a virtual swap. Considering that NY also gave San Diego draft picks which turned into Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding, I completely disagree with his analysis that the Giants came out on top in the trade, and that its "not even close."
-Speaking of the Super Bowl, these people are psychotic. Seriously, you have nothing better to do? Really?
-Jeff Frazee, struggling U of M goalie, should maybe try out this new tactic in saving goals.
-For a different take on the Twins 2008 lineup than from Sunday's post, Seth Stohs not only projects the Twins lineup, but also their AAA-Rochester lineup, and their AA-New Britain lineup
over at SethSpeaks.net.
-Turns out maybe the Red Sox should have traded for Johan, because now they could need him.
-Timberwolves play the Celtics at home in their only primetime game of the season, and KG won't be in uniform, and won't be on the bench for the game. He will, however, be introduced before the game.
-This kid is going to be the butt of a lot of jokes for the rest of high school. I mean, all he did was lie about getting recruited, stage a fake press conference in his high school gym with his entire school and 2 news stations watching, and make his dad cry. And then he didn't think he'd get caught. Now he's hoping not to go to jail. Hey, at least he didn't wait until national signing day to announce where he is (not) going.
I'll leave you guys with this video, comments are always appreciated!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Minnesota Twins: Post Santana Era
While the Mets are now lavishing their talented new pitcher, Twins fans are left wondering "what now?" Well, many of the Twins vacancies have been filled at this point and now it is just time to put the puzzle pieces together. As a result of the Mets trade, the Twins now have a young outfielder in Carlos Gomez capable of stepping into both their leadoff hitting role and centerfield position. In addition, while the Twins don't have a distinguishable number one pitcher, the Twins added pitchers Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber in the Santana trade who are both capable of being in the rotation this year, as well as around five Twins that could be part of the rotation also.
Gomez becomes for the Twins the kind of player at the top of the lineup that they hoped former first round pick Denard Span would develop into. However, Span hasn't yet shown he can handle Triple-A, let alone the majors. Gomez is younger and has better overall tools than Span, in addition to a solid minor league career behind him. Gomez has been rumored to have better overall speed than former teammate Jose Reyes, and he is also still developing his power. All of this indicates that the Twins will be opening the season with Gomez at CF, barring a terrible showing in Spring Training.
The biggest question for the Twins lays in the five pitchers who will end up in the starting rotation to begin the season. The Twins have numerous options: Scott Baker, Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins all pitched for the Twins last season; Francisco Liriano was an All-Star in 2006 but injured for the 2007 season; Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn, Humber and Mulvey, all of whom spent the majority of the season in the minors last season; and Zach Day and Randy Keisler, two players with major-league experience who are spring training invites. At this point, it seems as those with the most experience with the Twins are guaranteed spots. This means that Baker, Bonser, and Slowey will undoubtedly be in the rotation. In addition, the Twins will evaluate who most deserves a spot and who will benefit most from a spot in the rotation. Obviously Liriano factors into the Twins long term plans in terms of a rotation spot; however, the Twins would be fools to rush Liriano along and risk further injury. Granted, Liriano is a future ace for the team and could be ready by Opening Day, but knowing how conservative the Twins generally are, Liriano will be in the bullpen to start the season. This leaves two rotation spots for the rest to battle over. At this point, without spring training to gauge progress, it is difficult to predict which players will occupy those final two spots. Based upon previous performance, it makes the most sense for the Twins to begin the season with Blackburn as their fourth starter, and Humber as the fifth starter. Humber started one game for the Mets last season, but at 25 years old needs to be given an opportunity in the bigs.
Many Twins fans remember Bonser, Baker, and Slowey from their starts for the Twins last season. Bonser and Baker performed relatively well, but Twins fans will remember Slowey for struggling at the major-league level. It is true that Slowey performed rather terribly in the majors, yet Slowey performed so well at Triple-A last season that he was named International League Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Slowey had a 2.89 ERA with 19 K's and no walks in his last three starts of the season last year, indicating that Slowey is ready to start for the Twins in '08. Blackburn, who earned a September callup with the Twins last season, is rated as the Twins top prospect for 2008 by Baseball America. Blackburn's story is similar to Slowey's, in that Blackburn had a spectacular Triple-A season last year (7-3, 2.11 ERA, 57 K's), but struggled in his limited time with the team. In addition, Blackburn simply dominated the Arizona Fall League this past October, going 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 20 K's. Blackburn has certainly earned a spot in the rotation, and more than likely the Twins will give him that spot. Humber, on the other hand, most likely gets his spot in the rotation by default. Humber has the right combination of potential and experience that none of the other players have, which grants him the final spot in the rotation. However, when Liriano is ready to enter the rotation, Humber will be the odd man out, and most likely will spend a bulk of the season making spot starts and being a long reliever.
From this analysis, the Twins starting lineup to start the season should be:
#1 - Scott Baker RHP
#2 - Boof Bonser RHP
#3 - Kevin Slowey RHP
#4 - Nick Blackburn RHP
#5 - Phil Humber RHP
If there is one glaringly obvious problem in this rotation, it is that every pitcher is a righty. While this is the best rotation that the Twins can put on the field (until lefty Liriano is better), they may actually throw lefty Glen Perkins into the rotation to start the season in order to throw a different look at teams. This is the only way in which I can envision Perkins making the Twins rotation. If the Twins are determined to start Liriano to begin the season, then Liriano moves to the top spot in the rotation, and everyone else moves down, with Humber dropping out.
Despite the fact that the Twins are a rebuilding team on the pitching side, the Twins are set to put their best hitting lineup on the field in years. After offseason acquisitions of a slugging left fielder, power hitting 3B, a slick fielding shortstop, strong hitting second baseman and the aforementioned Gomez, the Twins have an extremely strong lineup to begin the season, with no unknowns unlike previous years. The Twins lineup projects as-
Carlos Gomez, CF, R
Joe Mauer, C, L
Delmon Young, LF, R
Justin Morneau, 1B, L
Michael Cuddyer, RF, R
Mike Lamb, 3B, L
Jason Kubel, DH, L
Brendan Harris, 2B, R
Adam Everett, SS, R
While Gomez is still unpolished at the top of the lineup, he has pure speed, and has shown flashes of the top hitter he could be. From Gomez, though, the rest of the lineup is extremely solid until you get to the nine spot, where Adam Everett hits. Mauer moves into the 2-slot, where he can move Gomez over in addition to get on base for Young or Morneau to hit in. This lineup allows Young to hit in Mauer's 2007 spot, where he will generate more power, in addition to having Mauer on base in front of him most of the time. In addition, Morneau slides up into a more apt role for him, the cleanup spot. The past two seasons, Morneau has had the bulk of his at-bats in the 5-spot, robbing him of RBI opportunities. This small change in the lineup could help in Morneau deliver the best season of his career (Yes, even better than his 2006 MVP season).
The lineup follows with Cuddyer, Lamb, Kubel, and Harris, all of whom have power potential, something the Twins lacked in the back half of the lineup last season. Kubel showed what he could do over the last two months of the season last year, finally fully recovered from his horrific knee injury of 2004. Kubel hit .364 in August, and .325 in September, while at the same time not earning all the at-bats he should. This season he enters as the full time DH, and is poised to break out in his second full season. The Twins have also added Lamb and Harris, former part-time players who the Twins feel have earned a starting role, and hopefully will take full advantage of their opportunity. The lineup rounds out with Everett in the nine hole, who has always been a no-hit, all field player. The Twins expect more of the same this season, but hope the rest of the lineup can make up for what he lacks at the plate.
While most of this can change during Spring Training, this is the best idea of what is in store for the Twins this upcoming season. It will most likely be a difficult one for the Twins, but hey, at least we have that new stadium on the way!
Gomez becomes for the Twins the kind of player at the top of the lineup that they hoped former first round pick Denard Span would develop into. However, Span hasn't yet shown he can handle Triple-A, let alone the majors. Gomez is younger and has better overall tools than Span, in addition to a solid minor league career behind him. Gomez has been rumored to have better overall speed than former teammate Jose Reyes, and he is also still developing his power. All of this indicates that the Twins will be opening the season with Gomez at CF, barring a terrible showing in Spring Training.
The biggest question for the Twins lays in the five pitchers who will end up in the starting rotation to begin the season. The Twins have numerous options: Scott Baker, Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins all pitched for the Twins last season; Francisco Liriano was an All-Star in 2006 but injured for the 2007 season; Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn, Humber and Mulvey, all of whom spent the majority of the season in the minors last season; and Zach Day and Randy Keisler, two players with major-league experience who are spring training invites. At this point, it seems as those with the most experience with the Twins are guaranteed spots. This means that Baker, Bonser, and Slowey will undoubtedly be in the rotation. In addition, the Twins will evaluate who most deserves a spot and who will benefit most from a spot in the rotation. Obviously Liriano factors into the Twins long term plans in terms of a rotation spot; however, the Twins would be fools to rush Liriano along and risk further injury. Granted, Liriano is a future ace for the team and could be ready by Opening Day, but knowing how conservative the Twins generally are, Liriano will be in the bullpen to start the season. This leaves two rotation spots for the rest to battle over. At this point, without spring training to gauge progress, it is difficult to predict which players will occupy those final two spots. Based upon previous performance, it makes the most sense for the Twins to begin the season with Blackburn as their fourth starter, and Humber as the fifth starter. Humber started one game for the Mets last season, but at 25 years old needs to be given an opportunity in the bigs.
Many Twins fans remember Bonser, Baker, and Slowey from their starts for the Twins last season. Bonser and Baker performed relatively well, but Twins fans will remember Slowey for struggling at the major-league level. It is true that Slowey performed rather terribly in the majors, yet Slowey performed so well at Triple-A last season that he was named International League Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Slowey had a 2.89 ERA with 19 K's and no walks in his last three starts of the season last year, indicating that Slowey is ready to start for the Twins in '08. Blackburn, who earned a September callup with the Twins last season, is rated as the Twins top prospect for 2008 by Baseball America. Blackburn's story is similar to Slowey's, in that Blackburn had a spectacular Triple-A season last year (7-3, 2.11 ERA, 57 K's), but struggled in his limited time with the team. In addition, Blackburn simply dominated the Arizona Fall League this past October, going 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 20 K's. Blackburn has certainly earned a spot in the rotation, and more than likely the Twins will give him that spot. Humber, on the other hand, most likely gets his spot in the rotation by default. Humber has the right combination of potential and experience that none of the other players have, which grants him the final spot in the rotation. However, when Liriano is ready to enter the rotation, Humber will be the odd man out, and most likely will spend a bulk of the season making spot starts and being a long reliever.
From this analysis, the Twins starting lineup to start the season should be:
#1 - Scott Baker RHP
#2 - Boof Bonser RHP
#3 - Kevin Slowey RHP
#4 - Nick Blackburn RHP
#5 - Phil Humber RHP
If there is one glaringly obvious problem in this rotation, it is that every pitcher is a righty. While this is the best rotation that the Twins can put on the field (until lefty Liriano is better), they may actually throw lefty Glen Perkins into the rotation to start the season in order to throw a different look at teams. This is the only way in which I can envision Perkins making the Twins rotation. If the Twins are determined to start Liriano to begin the season, then Liriano moves to the top spot in the rotation, and everyone else moves down, with Humber dropping out.
Despite the fact that the Twins are a rebuilding team on the pitching side, the Twins are set to put their best hitting lineup on the field in years. After offseason acquisitions of a slugging left fielder, power hitting 3B, a slick fielding shortstop, strong hitting second baseman and the aforementioned Gomez, the Twins have an extremely strong lineup to begin the season, with no unknowns unlike previous years. The Twins lineup projects as-
Carlos Gomez, CF, R
Joe Mauer, C, L
Delmon Young, LF, R
Justin Morneau, 1B, L
Michael Cuddyer, RF, R
Mike Lamb, 3B, L
Jason Kubel, DH, L
Brendan Harris, 2B, R
Adam Everett, SS, R
While Gomez is still unpolished at the top of the lineup, he has pure speed, and has shown flashes of the top hitter he could be. From Gomez, though, the rest of the lineup is extremely solid until you get to the nine spot, where Adam Everett hits. Mauer moves into the 2-slot, where he can move Gomez over in addition to get on base for Young or Morneau to hit in. This lineup allows Young to hit in Mauer's 2007 spot, where he will generate more power, in addition to having Mauer on base in front of him most of the time. In addition, Morneau slides up into a more apt role for him, the cleanup spot. The past two seasons, Morneau has had the bulk of his at-bats in the 5-spot, robbing him of RBI opportunities. This small change in the lineup could help in Morneau deliver the best season of his career (Yes, even better than his 2006 MVP season).
The lineup follows with Cuddyer, Lamb, Kubel, and Harris, all of whom have power potential, something the Twins lacked in the back half of the lineup last season. Kubel showed what he could do over the last two months of the season last year, finally fully recovered from his horrific knee injury of 2004. Kubel hit .364 in August, and .325 in September, while at the same time not earning all the at-bats he should. This season he enters as the full time DH, and is poised to break out in his second full season. The Twins have also added Lamb and Harris, former part-time players who the Twins feel have earned a starting role, and hopefully will take full advantage of their opportunity. The lineup rounds out with Everett in the nine hole, who has always been a no-hit, all field player. The Twins expect more of the same this season, but hope the rest of the lineup can make up for what he lacks at the plate.
While most of this can change during Spring Training, this is the best idea of what is in store for the Twins this upcoming season. It will most likely be a difficult one for the Twins, but hey, at least we have that new stadium on the way!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Super Sunday
What a championship Sunday!
I would like to congratulate the New England Patriots and New York Giants on making it to SuperBowl XLII in Glendale, AZ.
I would also like to say I TOLD YOU SO to everyone who thought that I was crazy for saying that the Giants would be a good team this year. Granted it was a little bit of a stretch to say that they would win the NFC east since they did not…but I’ll take the SuperBowl. In fact, let’s look at exactly what I had to say about the Giants at the end of August:
“NFC East : Giants, Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins (you watch, Eli will come up big this year. If not, well then so be it.)”
Okay, well I didn’t exactly say that the Giants would do well and take it to the house…but that’s close enough.
Apparently even one gentleman felt that I was on some sort of drugs to think that the Giants would even win the NFC East. Sir, you are right…but something tells me that even though they didn’t win the East that they would much lose the east and be where they are now.
I am in no way a Giants fan. In fact, I really do not like Eli Manning solely based on the fact that he was making demands in the NFL when he hadn’t even picked up a jersey yet. Daddy’s boy has finally made it to the big show. Let’s just hope that he does not choke like we all are quite sure that he will.
Looking back to the Giants/Pats game earlier in the season, the Giants were quite successful against the Pats. They blitzed well and offensively looked pretty good. Part of me doesn’t believe that they can repeat play like that. The Patriots have been to more SuperBowls than the Giants have lately and are just a better team. As much as many of you may hate the Patriots, you cannot deny the fact that they are a pretty dawggone good team.
As for the teams who did not make it, Chargers and Packers, I feel bad for them. And by “them” I mean the Packers. I stopped liking the Chargers after Philip Rivers decided that he would be better at trash talking than actually playing. He seems like the kind of guy that would trash talk you until he made you fight him…and then when you go to hit him he falls to the ground screaming “my knee, oh my gosh my knee!” Thus making you feel bad for him and then deciding not to hit him. Then the next day he tells everyone that you were scared and that’s why he didn’t hit you. A little long I know, but it works.
My question is how does LT only carry the ball 2 times for 5 yards in the biggest game of his career? Even if the coaches wouldn’t let him back in the game, He needs to fight his way back into the game. Unless a story comes out that he blew his knee out and didn’t tell anyone, he should have been in that game. As long as Tom Brady and Co. are around, the Chargers will most likely not make it to a Superbowl. There are much better teams than them in the AFC and they need to realize it.
Hopefully this will put a bad taste in Brett Favre’s mouth and he’ll come back with a vengeance next year. He plays the way football is meant to be played…you shut up from Monday-Saturday and let your play do the talking on Sunday. It will be a sad day when he doesn’t suit up for the Packers whenever that may be. The Packers played well but the Giants just walked away with the win. No more, no less. They will be back in the weak NFC next year with an even better team.
I am currently in the middle of one of my two education classes and am finding it hard to get stuff on here on a consistent basis. So just bear with us here for another couple of weeks and then we’ll be back in full effect. Until then, check back here for updates every couple of days.
Have a great Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
I would like to congratulate the New England Patriots and New York Giants on making it to SuperBowl XLII in Glendale, AZ.
I would also like to say I TOLD YOU SO to everyone who thought that I was crazy for saying that the Giants would be a good team this year. Granted it was a little bit of a stretch to say that they would win the NFC east since they did not…but I’ll take the SuperBowl. In fact, let’s look at exactly what I had to say about the Giants at the end of August:
“NFC East : Giants, Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins (you watch, Eli will come up big this year. If not, well then so be it.)”
Okay, well I didn’t exactly say that the Giants would do well and take it to the house…but that’s close enough.
Apparently even one gentleman felt that I was on some sort of drugs to think that the Giants would even win the NFC East. Sir, you are right…but something tells me that even though they didn’t win the East that they would much lose the east and be where they are now.
I am in no way a Giants fan. In fact, I really do not like Eli Manning solely based on the fact that he was making demands in the NFL when he hadn’t even picked up a jersey yet. Daddy’s boy has finally made it to the big show. Let’s just hope that he does not choke like we all are quite sure that he will.
Looking back to the Giants/Pats game earlier in the season, the Giants were quite successful against the Pats. They blitzed well and offensively looked pretty good. Part of me doesn’t believe that they can repeat play like that. The Patriots have been to more SuperBowls than the Giants have lately and are just a better team. As much as many of you may hate the Patriots, you cannot deny the fact that they are a pretty dawggone good team.
As for the teams who did not make it, Chargers and Packers, I feel bad for them. And by “them” I mean the Packers. I stopped liking the Chargers after Philip Rivers decided that he would be better at trash talking than actually playing. He seems like the kind of guy that would trash talk you until he made you fight him…and then when you go to hit him he falls to the ground screaming “my knee, oh my gosh my knee!” Thus making you feel bad for him and then deciding not to hit him. Then the next day he tells everyone that you were scared and that’s why he didn’t hit you. A little long I know, but it works.
My question is how does LT only carry the ball 2 times for 5 yards in the biggest game of his career? Even if the coaches wouldn’t let him back in the game, He needs to fight his way back into the game. Unless a story comes out that he blew his knee out and didn’t tell anyone, he should have been in that game. As long as Tom Brady and Co. are around, the Chargers will most likely not make it to a Superbowl. There are much better teams than them in the AFC and they need to realize it.
Hopefully this will put a bad taste in Brett Favre’s mouth and he’ll come back with a vengeance next year. He plays the way football is meant to be played…you shut up from Monday-Saturday and let your play do the talking on Sunday. It will be a sad day when he doesn’t suit up for the Packers whenever that may be. The Packers played well but the Giants just walked away with the win. No more, no less. They will be back in the weak NFC next year with an even better team.
I am currently in the middle of one of my two education classes and am finding it hard to get stuff on here on a consistent basis. So just bear with us here for another couple of weeks and then we’ll be back in full effect. Until then, check back here for updates every couple of days.
Have a great Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Welcome Back
Happy Monday to all!
Well Christmas break is officially over today. Classes start here again and now we’re back to the real world. Well, as college students we’re not exactly in the “real world” quite yet…but close enough.
With this being one of my education classes coming up as well as the tennis season starting, the blogging may slow down a little bit here in the next few weeks. But we will try and get stuff out as much as we can, so bear with us.
The NFL playoffs got started with some great games this past weekend. The Redskins were almost able to carry on their emotional winning ways for their fallen teammate Sean Taylor. Unfortunately the magical run ended and the Seahawks got the better of the ‘Skins and won the game 35-14. You may not think that the game was close (if you didn’t watch it) but the Seahawks were down 14-13 with 12 minutes left and went on a 25 point run to end the game.
The game of the weekend goes to the Steelers and Jaguars. I saw at one point in the evening that the Jags were up 21-7…so I decided to not pay attention to the game. BAD IDEA!!! The Steelers came back to take the lead at 29-28 only to have the Jags kick the winning field goal with 32 seconds left. The Jags held on and won the game. Definitely a classic playoff game between two very talented teams. I find it hard to believe that they would have won that game even with Willie Parker. The Jags are just on run right now.
And then today the Giants and Chargers won their respective games. Eli Manning looked confident and that could be trouble for the other NFC teams. Haha, sorry…I can’t say that without laughing. I pick the Cowboys next week in Dallas. BUT, that is only if Jessica Simpson is NOT at Texas Stadium. If she is, goodbye Cowboys.
Other than that…
-Timberwolves are still struggling to win a game. I am glad that they can find their way to the court and score points in the first 3 quarters…but unless those points equal over 100 in 3 quarters, they don’t really stand a chance. I am by no means jumping off the bandwagon because you can see what happens to young teams like the Bulls and Warriors. One or two good vets mixed in with hungry young players can be good. So stick with this team, it will get better.
- The Wild continue to play their season Schizophrenically. They take care of the Stars 6-3 and then lose to the Predators 4-1? That shouldn’t be happening and someone on that team needs to step up and lead this team to the level that we all know they can be playing at.
- Johan Santana is still a Twin. But a little birdie says that you shouldn’t expect him to be at TwinsFest this year. It’s unfortunate but it would be pretty darn awkward for him to attend the event. Maybe they can get a trade done and bring in those newly acquired Boston Re…oops…I mean, “players” and get this season started.
- Who else realized this week that the chances of the Pro-Bowl being worth watching quickly slipped away with the passing of Sean Taylor. Anyone who saw him put Bills punter Brian Moorman on his back last year knows what I mean. Sean’s job, according to him was “to hit people”. That mean that regardless of the playing stage, he was going to do his job. Now the game will be filled with players who are just trying to enjoy the game and not treat it like a regular season game. Good luck to ESPN with those ratings. Maybe we can put it on VS. and treat it like hockey programming.
Enjoy your week and check back mid-week for more updates!
Well Christmas break is officially over today. Classes start here again and now we’re back to the real world. Well, as college students we’re not exactly in the “real world” quite yet…but close enough.
With this being one of my education classes coming up as well as the tennis season starting, the blogging may slow down a little bit here in the next few weeks. But we will try and get stuff out as much as we can, so bear with us.
The NFL playoffs got started with some great games this past weekend. The Redskins were almost able to carry on their emotional winning ways for their fallen teammate Sean Taylor. Unfortunately the magical run ended and the Seahawks got the better of the ‘Skins and won the game 35-14. You may not think that the game was close (if you didn’t watch it) but the Seahawks were down 14-13 with 12 minutes left and went on a 25 point run to end the game.
The game of the weekend goes to the Steelers and Jaguars. I saw at one point in the evening that the Jags were up 21-7…so I decided to not pay attention to the game. BAD IDEA!!! The Steelers came back to take the lead at 29-28 only to have the Jags kick the winning field goal with 32 seconds left. The Jags held on and won the game. Definitely a classic playoff game between two very talented teams. I find it hard to believe that they would have won that game even with Willie Parker. The Jags are just on run right now.
And then today the Giants and Chargers won their respective games. Eli Manning looked confident and that could be trouble for the other NFC teams. Haha, sorry…I can’t say that without laughing. I pick the Cowboys next week in Dallas. BUT, that is only if Jessica Simpson is NOT at Texas Stadium. If she is, goodbye Cowboys.
Other than that…
-Timberwolves are still struggling to win a game. I am glad that they can find their way to the court and score points in the first 3 quarters…but unless those points equal over 100 in 3 quarters, they don’t really stand a chance. I am by no means jumping off the bandwagon because you can see what happens to young teams like the Bulls and Warriors. One or two good vets mixed in with hungry young players can be good. So stick with this team, it will get better.
- The Wild continue to play their season Schizophrenically. They take care of the Stars 6-3 and then lose to the Predators 4-1? That shouldn’t be happening and someone on that team needs to step up and lead this team to the level that we all know they can be playing at.
- Johan Santana is still a Twin. But a little birdie says that you shouldn’t expect him to be at TwinsFest this year. It’s unfortunate but it would be pretty darn awkward for him to attend the event. Maybe they can get a trade done and bring in those newly acquired Boston Re…oops…I mean, “players” and get this season started.
- Who else realized this week that the chances of the Pro-Bowl being worth watching quickly slipped away with the passing of Sean Taylor. Anyone who saw him put Bills punter Brian Moorman on his back last year knows what I mean. Sean’s job, according to him was “to hit people”. That mean that regardless of the playing stage, he was going to do his job. Now the game will be filled with players who are just trying to enjoy the game and not treat it like a regular season game. Good luck to ESPN with those ratings. Maybe we can put it on VS. and treat it like hockey programming.
Enjoy your week and check back mid-week for more updates!
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