Dick Allen

That should keep the haters off Beckham's back for an at bat.

Sox have to get at least one in Det. this time. Every game they beat the Tigers is 2 more the Tigers have to win.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 08:03 AM) It was reported that Span said no. http://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-tw...cincinnati-reds MLB Network reported he turned down the trade then recanted. He doesn't have a no trade clause. From the Twins beat writer: http://www.startribune.com/sports/16452837...r=y&refer=y

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 07:33 AM) I dont know, some reports say he did, some say he didnt. Lets be honest here, why exactly would the Reds back off? He would look really nice at the top of their lineup. The Reds backed off. Span doesn't have the right to back off. Span is a free agent after this year and they were going nowhere, its a little different than being able to dump Morneau and not have to pay him next year, and open up first base for Mauer.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 30, 2012 -> 03:12 AM) How could they let him walk if he has a guaranteed contract at least through the end of this year? That's partly why they considered dumping Span, and they let Cuddyer, Kubel and Nathan go, not to mention Hardy and Punto. He was claimed on waivers.

QUOTE (Caesar @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 07:09 PM) Has he ever played a full season? Now, that's a problem, but he still has better numbers than a lot of guys who get paid a lot of money who do play full seasons.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 07:04 PM) What's all this talk about Quenton? He has cooled off big time for the Pads. Yes, but he still has good numbers. A full season, he's a 30 homer .850+ OPS guy. Doing it in SD is impressive. That's where hitters not named Adrian Gonzalez go to kill their careers.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 07:01 PM) He doesn't hit like Quentin either. I like Quentin and they just gave him away, but Viciedo had to start playing. The big problem with Quentin is injuries, and the most fascinating thing about his injuries is they are not HBP related yet. He's one guy who is truly always one pitch away from being out a really long time.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 02:09 PM) The pre/post all star splits are a bit deceiving because of the first few games after the all star game. Just after the allstar break, he had 11 strikeouts and 3 homers in the first six games. Look at this split: up to July 15th vs. post July 15th, Ks, BBs vs. HRs. Since July 15th game, he has 10 HR, 18 BB and 46K in 152 AB Before that, he had 28 HR, 72 BB and 138K in 302 AB. Seems like a pretty spectacular difference to me. Seems like a trend. The biggest difference to me seems to be the walk rate, and that's with cherry-picked numbers.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 03:30 PM) And it's moot. Guess what? NO ONE CLAIMED THAT AWFUL CONTRACT BECAUSE IT'S SO AWFUL THE TWINS WOULD HAVE LET HIM GO. Joe Mauer has cleared revocable waivers. Which means that he can be dealt to any team between now and 12 a.m. ET on Friday. Mauer is owed around $138 million over the next six years and carries a no-trade clause, so a move is highly doubtful to happen. Just because no one claimed him doesn't mean teams wouldn't want him. The Twins aren't in payroll dumping mode. If they were, they would have let Mourneau walk and open up first base for Mauer full time.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 03:19 PM) I won't argue with any of that. Target Field was incredibly stupid to be built the way that it was when you consider who the Twins were. Hawk mentioned he was talking to Twins people and they were told by engineers that Target Field was going to be a home run haven for left handed hitters. Unless you're Jim Thome, it turns out the opposite was true.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 03:09 PM) If some team were dumb enough to claim Joe Mauer, they'd piss their collective panties (they all wear women's underwear) and drive him to the airport while doing lines of blow off hookers' asses. How about a wager? Any sort of trade and the bet is off, but if the news comes out that he's claimed and the Twins let him go, I won't post here for 6 months. If it comes out he's claimed and the Twins pull him back, you don't post here for 3 months?

Twins are averaging over 35k a game. Dumping Mauer for no return WILL NOT HAPPEN.

He's still a good player and if he got out of Target Field, probably would be more of a force with power. The Twins still draw well and are making money. A salary dump of Minnesota's native son Mauer isn't going to happen, especially if perhaps their biggest rivals all things considered made the claim, despite what Steve says.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 01:59 PM) They would laugh and drive him to the airport. OK.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 01:57 PM) Thank God you don't run the team. You'd claim him, and then he'd be on our roster needing to play 1b or DH every other day to save his knees, and we'd be screwed. If Mauer got claimed, he'd be let go. There is no doubt about that. BS. If they won't let Mourneau walk, they aren't going to let Mauer walk.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 01:37 PM) I'd let him walk in 1/4 of a second if I were in Ryan's shoes. Edit: 2010 27 Minnesota Twins $12,500,000 2011 28 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2012 29 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2013 30 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2014 31 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2015 32 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2016 33 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2017 34 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 2018 35 Minnesota Twins $23,000,000 If I'm Ryan, I'd let him walk also but not to the White Sox. If you let him go to the White Sox and he's a great player, you just killed your fanbase for a very long time.

Mauer is still a really good player. I'd love him on the Sox. I'd think his power would return. KW should claim him for the block. There is absolutely no way the Twins ever let Mauer go to the White Sox, except maybe when he's totally washed up.

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 12:49 PM) I think we try to extrapolate the data too far. Obviously he won't hit 100 HRs if he strikes out 400 times. Within a certain range, though, it seems that his approach changing to make more contact is costing him power. This shouldn't surprise anyone, think about when you played baseball, how hard you might hit something if you were trying not to strike out (many of us had coaches that were not cool with strikeouts). It's not very far. My guess is that Adam's "no striking out" adjustment is to his swing and not his pitch selection. He should avoid striking out by hitting the correct pitch and watching the incorrect ones. My eye tells me that he is swinging at the same amount or worse amount of pitches he shouldn't, but alters his swing to try to touch them instead of missing them like he used to. The numbers say he is striking out less the second half. They also say his HR rate is basically the same, just a fraction HIGHER. He is walking less and getting fewer hits.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 11:00 AM) Are you kidding? The guy had TWO INFIELD SINGLES in the past two nights, one which was, at the time, the GO AHEAD RBI. Adam Dunn has been making a s***-ton more contact in the second half than he did in the first, and now people are complaining about his batting average... ...All while STILL saying he's striking out too much! Yes, my comment was obviously a bit facetious but I do think when this guy is going well he's striking out a ton and homering a ton. The guy has struck out 63 times in the last 53 games he's played (195 AB). Given his average number of yearly AB, that would project out to 170 per season - right around where he usually is on his BEST full seasons. Meanwhile, his BA drops, his homers drop. How can this guy win with some people, honestly? He's striking out less, but his HR pace hasn't declined. His last year in Washington, he had 99 more plate appearances than he has right now, and he had 23 more extra basehits. Even leading the league in walks, his OBP is well below his career average, and even leading the league in walks and homers his OPS is below is career average. I love power guys, but I'm sure he'd tell you, he's a bit embarrassed by a couple of his numbers.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 10:22 AM) Jesus Granted, you learn a heck of a lot about baseball from Len Kasper.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 29, 2012 -> 09:46 AM) Absolutely. With a good announcer you can learn something new or insightful daily. There is no doubt in my mind, White Sox fans have learned more about baseball from Hawk, than any other fans in MLB have learned from their PBP guy.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Aug 28, 2012 -> 04:30 PM) Hawk's harmless, but annoying. He's all schtick. His catchphrases get old. He repeats the same stories. He doesn't have a whole lot of original insight anymore. He's starting to get a little senile/blind. The "stretch" on routine fly balls is a joke. Most importantly, he tends to speak in absolutes too much. Everything is the best or worst thing ever. He's tempered it with the "he might not be the best ever, but there's none better" line, but it's still grating. I really don't have the same feeling of sentimentality as most of you. Talk about absolutes........... Announcers are known for their home run calls. Hawk's known for that as well as DP calls, "should be........rack 'em up", and many more. I was at my friends house watching the game one time and his wife had no idea how we knew exactly what he would say a lot of the time. Maybe some don't like it but I love to say he gone on a strikeout. Or can of corn, or right size, wrong shape, or get foul...it will, thank you very much. To me, its like being with a fan at a game. As I've said, his ranting about umpires does get old after a while, but the other stuff will never get old to me. I don't mind a Yaz or Catfish story. He loves the White Sox, and knows the game. I personally couldn't ask for more in the booth.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 28, 2012 -> 05:58 PM) Aside from your bad puns, learn a knuckleball? You act as if it is just an easy thing for someone to do. There is a reason that there are so few knuckleballers in the majors anymore, it is a difficult pitch to A: throw and B: control Why didn't Nolan Ryan learn a knuckler and throw until he turned 70? While obviously you are correct that it is a difficult pitch to master, the question is why don't more guys that are basically at the end of the line at least give it a shot? It worked for Dickey just like picking up the split made Bruce Sutter a HOF pitcher instead of a petroleum transfer technician.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Aug 28, 2012 -> 06:05 PM) 8y/$5.6B http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ga.../1#.UD1Mt6Ph-Sp Kind of surprised they went back to ESPN. They've seemed to have a love/hate relationship, but they probably weren't ready to commit fully to NBC sports network or whatever it is called That's approx. $23 million a year per team.