caulfield12

Twins now down only 5-3. I have a feeling our lack of offense is going to really hurt us in the next week. Guess now that we're "close" KW will feel he doesn't have to make a move quickly....and if our getting back into it against NL competition turns out to be an aberration, you shouldn't gut the farm system. There's a good chance we'll be 7-12 combined against CLE and KC after tonight. That's just not acceptable if you want to win the ALCD.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jun 28, 2010 -> 07:41 PM) How exactly does one explain only 3 hits against this hot garbage that is pitching against us. It makes no sense. Bad advanced scouting, or simply not enough of our budget allocated in that area. Cora called that pitch-out. Probably saved a run there for us.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jun 28, 2010 -> 07:25 PM) It wasn't a blatantly blown call. These things do happen, I'd prefer if we didn't afford the umpire the opportunity to blow such calls. For the record: I've b****ed in the past when he was safe in that exact same situation, there just isn't a lot to be gained but there is a lot to be lost. Aviles playing like an MVP still against the White Sox. Wasn't it Rios' fault for the bad slide on that call at second? 21/29 isn't a great stolen base ratio. Wow, White Sox getting bailed out there by the Royals' bad baserunning.

Now we're back to the old White Sox. Royals doing an imitation of the Texas Rangers with their Augusta National infield. Just not quite enough offense...and Rios was safe, so it should be 3-2. Jones is as cold as he was hot at the beginning of the year. But perhaps most troubling, the problems we've had for a decade with pitchers we haven't seen.

Now we're back to the old White Sox. Royals doing an imitation of the Texas Rangers with their Augusta National infield. Just not quite enough offense...and Rios was safe, so it should be 3-2. Jones is as cold as he was hot at the beginning of the year. But perhaps most troubling, the problems we've had for a decade with pitchers we haven't seen.

I don't think Ozzie would find it very easy to DFA Jones, FWIW. They need him as PH power off the bench and for spelling anyone defensively, and just in general as injury insurance. The obvious concerns going forward are 3B, Beckham and Pierre, along with DH. For mid-season, that's quite a few questions marks to have offensively. I sincerely doubt they would trade any of the key components right now off the big league roster. It's going to come down to taking on additional salary commitments (or swapping them out for a Linebrink/Teahen/Pierre) OR which minor leaguers are expendable and not integral parts of the plan going forward. That's probably someone like Morel, Danks 2, Gilmore, Justin Greene, Brand. Short, Cleveland Santeliz, Nathan Jones, Santos Rodriguez, etc. I just don't see trading Flowers, Hudson, Mitchell (that's obvious) or Viciedo.

With BP taking huge projected losses because of the spill, I bet they will renege on that commitment. Unless it's with a "local/regional" affiliate insulated from the issues of the parent company, but I don't see that as being very likely.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jun 27, 2010 -> 07:31 AM) I was thinking the same thing the other day. Or at least it would have been nice to play this series mid-week and have KC roll in over the weekend. 13 Detroit 36 1,077,696 29,936 74.6 37 30,095 67.4 73 30,016 70.7 14 Atlanta 33 983,027 29,788 59.5 42 30,552 70.0 75 30,216 65.0 15 Houston 40 1,100,123 27,503 67.2 35 34,751 75.2 75 30,885 71.2 16 Texas 39 1,042,949 26,742 54.4 35 27,406 63.9 74 27,056 58.6 17 Seattle 38 1,013,296 26,665 55.8 36 24,334 54.5 74 25,531 55.2 18 Arizona 36 925,660 25,712 52.4 39 31,539 69.8 75 28,742 61.1 White Sox now 19th, at 24,913 per game after Sunday. Good job by the Astros, Mariners and D-Backs to draw the crowds they're drawing. With the Mariners, there was a lot of enthusiam coming into the season and increased season ticket package buying.

Yes, CQ for Chris Carter. So that's 3 moves in 5 years, pretty good track record. We also had the common training camp together for many years in Tucson and picked up the scrappy Alex Cintron. The main question, though, is if Hinch and Byrnes keep their jobs all the way through the end of the season.

What is the argument here? Obviously, Ozzie having faith in the players on his roster had SOMETHING to do with them eventually coming through in the end, PROBABLY. Obviously Ozzie didn't give up on Peavy or Floyd or Jenks or AJ or Carlos or Alexei or Pierre, etc. Say what you will about him, his showing confidence and faith in his players and backing them up (when not throwing them under a bus, which is USUALLY deserved) has worked out pretty well. Let's not forget Ozzie has a higher percentage of playoff appearances in years attempted than KW. KW is 2/10, Ozzie is 2/6...but someone will argue if anyone but Jerry Manuel was manager in 2003, we SHOULD have gone to the playoffs, well, that's also KW's responsibility, isn't it? The worst run of Ozzie's managerial career, we're something like 11 games under 500 since the 2006 ASB. But you can also turn that around and say we're 15 games over .500 from 2008 through 2010. I'm going to become like Greg here in a minute and just defend Ozzie just for the heck of it.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Jun 27, 2010 -> 02:33 PM) I don't see how having poor seasons or being kept on the team by the GM is incompetent on their parts. The only time we've eaten a big contract this decade was MacDougal, but Linebrink is inching closer. If this was the final year of his deal, he'd be gone one way or the other. KW wasn't incompetent, he simply over-reached by 2 years on that deal for Linebrink. Williams should have been replaced by trade or Threets a long time ago.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Jun 27, 2010 -> 02:31 PM) I am so glad that I am listening to the Cubs broadcast on WGN because I don't have to listen to that jackass argue with every call, obvious or close. Also I hope Ramirez quits this "I'm safe" s*** at first base because eventually he's just going to get shown up by an umpire. As an umpire I hate when anyone says "SAFE!" or "OUT" when I'm making a call. It is distracting and could impair the judgment on the call since it is a bang bang play. Pablo Ozuna says "hi!"

Yeah, I'd really like to see what Threets can do. Even Santos, it would be a lot better to get some more work in for the youngster. Linebrink and Williams, yuck. Unless they really think they can get Linebrink on a hot streek for a couple of weeks of "Carrasco time" innings and package him for a hitter with a bad contract.

White Sox, for the moment, only 1 game back with the Twins' loss, but that probably won't stand. Linebrink time? Or Williams? Threets?

For two months, you basically hated watching everyone hit but Konerko, Rios and Andruw Jones while he was hot. It's pretty amazing that Quentin is on a pace for well over 100 RBI's, considering how much he's struggled, seemingly.

Alexei is getting ripped off today. Beckham at least took a solid swing there today....not flailing, feeling or reaching for it.

We've traded with the D-Backs for Vazquez and then the Brandon Allen/Pena move, any others? Difficult position for KW...go for broke with Fielder/Dunn or take the safer choice, but one who probably doesn't put you over the top in LaRoche. I think they'll be very hesitant to remove Kotsay and especially Pierre when the team is winning.

Just one of those days. If AJ gets a hit to put us up early 4-0 or if Ramirez isn't incorrectly called out on the Beckham strikeout, probably we would have just buried the Cubs early. 15-1 or 16-2 ain't so bad. And Danks just didn't have it, location was off, just not in synch after the first two innings. Pena came in with really flat stuff out of the pen, too. That said, we're only down three runs against the Cubs' pen, and they can't use Kashner (unless it's against Paulie, hopefully).

Or Justin Verlander. Or all the pitches Dusty Baker's starters were left out there for...Hudson/Zito/Mulder threw a ton of pitches with the A's, too.

Yes, but you have to let the market settle a little bit, if you over-reach out of desperation, you end up paying way too much. Shedding Flowers or Hudson now, before we see how well the White Sox stand up head-to-head against Minnesota and Detroit...probably not the smartest move in the world, because obviously AJ and Freddy Garcia aren't going to be around forever. And it's not like the White Sox just took off and cruised when they added Rios and Peavy. Obviously, Peavy was hurt, but Rios was in a funk all year long, and that funk was passed on to JD, who saw the writing on the wall in terms of his future and he started moping and it affected the attitude/chemistry of the entire team. So you have to be very careful when you tinker with something that's going so well. Like in 2006, all the changes KW made were "logical" ones but sometimes you can mess around with a good thing too much. We just need to ride this out to its conclusion, then, you can start thinking about changes/tweaks/improvements to the roster. Who knows how long we can ride Vizquel, how Beckham ends up...but we need to give this at least two more weeks of constant monitoring.

I don't think the Cubs are to the point where they do that yet. Imagine if you're the owner, would YOU try to rebuild his value to get something back for him, see if they can get his fastball back in the mid 90's and dangle him before teams in playoff contention or just hold onto him into the offseason, or would you simply eat that contract and cut your losses? It's probably going to be similar to what happened with the Silva/Bradley deal...two bad contracts exchanged, with the hope at least that both prosper in new environments.

QUOTE (pktmotion @ Jun 26, 2010 -> 12:54 AM) It's called Budvar and you can find it at Binny's or specialty liquor stores. Czechvar is more common around here, made by the same brewery and almost alike. Can't go wrong with any Czech beer. If you want to check out a good underrated European beer, try Skopsko, brewed in Skopje Macedonia since 1922, but original recipe came from guess who "Czech immigrant farmers". http://budweiser-budvar.cz/en/kontakt/prod...ru/ostrava.html When I was in Ostrava in late 2006, they were still marketing it as Budweiser, just different logo.

The homers got all excited early this season about their twinkies with the new staduim in place. But little did they realize the dome was their main weapon in staying competitive for the last decade. Without the dome Joe Mauer is a puch and judy singles hitter. Cuddyer, Kubel, and others won't put up the numbers they did in the past with the notable exception of Young. The pitching on the road is horrendous and not much better at home. The Sox manager was right withou the dome the twinks are dead. Teams emulate their managers When the guy in the dugout has no fire do you really expect the team to play with passion. Ozzie Guillen can be a jerk but he has the ability to get his club going. Losing is one thing but losing do to lack of effort is not the Twins way and its time Gardy shows some leadership. Too many of our guys look like baseball is just a job. I love my team, but even I have taken to calling them the Two-Single Twins. Twins are done And why does it seem like Mauer gets a day off every other day? On second thought, that might be a good thing. Have you seen his batting average lately? Ouch. I'm assuming that Mauer will have tomorrow off too. We can look forward to Punto, Butera, pitcher. That will strike fear into Santana. He probably won't get much sleep tonight thinking about it. Both Mauer and Moreau, and especially Morneau, need to assess their roles and stand up and take some real leadership. Actually, they should both watch the Mets telecasting of the game and listen to the New York announcers about their lack of good play. The sun will come out tomorrow. I remember when the Twins' manager used to, you know, like, say stuff or do things. Now all we get is some head-scratching and a shoulder-shrug Guaranteed contract? Is Mauer's contract guaranteed? For 8 years? At 23 million a year? That is a better con job on Bill Smith than Newman and Redford pulled on Robert Shaw in the sting. Only not as entertaining. Lethargic? Listless? Lazy? Quitters! Gardenfire has allowed his lethargic, listless, lazy approach to take root. Now, sad to say, they've become quitters. Prediction Twins in third place by July 4. Gardy goes bowling. Twins Not worth commenting on anymore. Gardy is regressing Did you see how the Mets hit and ran and pitched and caught the ball? I think the Twins used to do that. Joe (Souhan), (La)Velle (Neal), and Howard (Star Trib writers) Spring Training was fun and entertaining, but here's where you guys are really going to have to earn your money. The Ft.Myers restaurant thing was entertaining. Maybe it's time to do best bars to commiserate with fellow Twins fans. Hopefully things get back on track for your sakes as well as those of us who take this stuff seriously, (sometimes possibly too serious) So when will Gardy stop making excuses, admit his mistake and make some changes? Maybe he needs to pull an Ozzy... look what happened to the White Sox after that move?! Pitching On A Hope And A Prayer With no "Ace" and a staff of mediocre starters, the Twins tired arms may deliver the team right into third place by the time they return to Target Field. Everybody in baseball (even Souhan) is practically screaming for the Twins to trade for Cliff Lee, as he would be a great fit and would, by example, raise the level of everyone else on the pitching staff. Seattle wants to deal him (and his contract). Watch the Twins sit and watch Detroit go after him. What's with the lack of energy? Posted by Howard Sinker (www.startribune.com/sports) Last update: June 25, 2010 - 9:16 AM The Twins put together a stunning comeback on Saturday and take out one of the best pitchers in baseball on Sunday and then go to Milwaukee -- playing a team they have pretty much owned in recent years -- and play like the Baltimore Orioles. Thursday's performance, which most of us I'm guessing had the good fortune to miss for one reason or another, was marked by a dismal enough showing for Justin Morneau to express concern about a lack of energy. The Twins didn't exactly get after it in Milwaukee, much less do the little things rights ... or battle their tails off ... or even do the things that fans have a right to expect of them (and that players should expect from themselves). Playing without energy, or whatever, makes the current group look like spoiled children who expect others to do more and more for them while they do less and less. I had been pondering the energy issue a couple of weeks back, and again after the Nick Blackburn puker in Philadelphia last Friday. I was starting to wonder if the Twins, for all of their talent, were missing Orlando Cabrera. It was Cabrera who gave the Twins a dugout presence last season when he arrived from Oakland. And while I tend to minimize that sort of fire in favor of production -- Cabrera had a .313 on-base percentage batting in the No. 2 spot and was inconsistent in the field (11 errors in 57 games) -- when a star player like Morneau starts talking "energy," it makes me wonder. This is the part of the season -- interleague play -- that the Twins typically own. They will need to beat the Mets 2 out of 3 to finish this year's version at .500. That will be followed by a stretch against the Tigers, Rays, Jays and White Sox during which the kind of play current on display, if continued, could easily land them in third place in their winnable division. The Twins are a team that have been doted on by their management and fans -- new ballpark with fabulous facilities, an upgraded roster and daily capacity crowds. In addition, they are playing in a division that doesn't feature the three best teams in baseball. (And they are finished with the Yankees and Red Sox, at least until October.) The Twins shouldn't need a flawed cheerleader like Cabrera to make them right. For "energy" to even be an issue is lame. ** A few weekend-starting thoughts: If you like the idea of Michael Cuddyer at third base to get more offense, you'll have to live with balls he can't get to. There were two balls hit in Wednesday's game that I would have bet on a more skilled third baseman handling. And I'm not putting a failed double-play turn that night on him as much as Orlando Hudson's slow turn at second. Cuddyer wasn't a good third baseman back when he played the position regularly and he's no better at the position now. And as much of a Cuddyer fan as I am, there would be no harm in sitting him now and again with Delmon in left and Jason Kubel in right. The fifth spot update: Cuddyer is batting .229 with runners in scoring position with a .302 on-base percentage and a .337 slugging percentage. Delmon is batting .379 in those situations with a .397 OBP and .576 slugging percentage. Delmon's OPS with runners in scoring position is 333 points higher than Cuddyer's. Delmon has 47 RBI in 241 plate appearances; Cuddyer has 33 in 294. Perhaps moving the player with the team's second highest OPS up in the batting order would impart some, ummmmmmm, energy into the lineup.

Greg, they've been a lot more meticulous about birth certificates and authentication in the last 2-3 years. I don't think KW would have invested that kind of money had his age not been legit, especially after the fiasco with Wilder/Gomes/Silverio/Dominican scouts or buscones. And even at 26, he would be right in the beginning of his prime years. And we control both him and Ramirez for the next 6 and 3 year, respectively.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jun 25, 2010 -> 09:55 PM) When did you get the lap dance? Let's see, I want to say sometime around 2002/03.