Utility Guys and Shoes

I was thinking about Nicky Punto today. Mostly because I was wearing the shoes I compared him to on Nick Punto Day last year. I was thinking I should get rid of those shoes -- they are wearing out, -- but the shoes I was going to replace them with broke. Literally broke. In half. Both of them.You can't get good replacements these days.

Which is also true of utility players, I guess. Although I'm not aware of the current crop of potential bench-infielders to have literally broken in half. That would be unfortunate. But I digress.

I loved Nick Punto as a utility guy. Yeah, I didn't love that he was making $4.5 million to be a utility guy. But that role was perfect for him. But he's a Cardinal now. A Cardinal with a hernia.

So, who will be the bench infielder for Gardy this year? Take your pick of Matt "Tigger" Tolbert, Trevor "Error-boy" Plouffe, and Luke "Fireworks" Hughes.

Tolbert has the most major league experience, and, when spring training started, was the one everyone figured would come north. I call him "Tigger" because he's one of those guys who never stops bouncing around; seriously, have you ever seen him chew gum? It's cute for about ten minutes, then it's trying. I have a feeling Gardy feels the same way too. According to LaVelle E Neal of the STrib, he's still got a minor-league option left, so he's not completely a shoo-in. But he is reasonably fast and can pinch run whenever Jim Thome gets on base late in games.

Plouffe wasn't really impressive the few games he did spend in the major leagues (.146 BA! Yikes!). And he's been having a horrible spring. He's committed a team-leading 6 errors. And many of them seem to happen when Joe Nathan is on the mound. Not cool, Trev. Not cool at all. It's really hard to have a ton of confidence in him.

And then we have Hughes. When spring training started, he was just one of the lucky minor-leaguers who was invited to the big league camp. No one really expected him to do much more than get some experience. But he had different ideas. Seems like he hits a home run every other at-bat. It might be tempting to bring him up, but I'm not sure he's ready. Plus, he has a history of being injury-prone.

So, yeah, kind of slim pickings. Add to this that I'm not entirely comfortable with the starting middle-infielders. Nishioka will probably be ok, but he's still getting acclimated to MLB. But Gardy handed shortstop -- the position of leadership -- to Alexi Casilla. He could be brilliant; he could be brutal. No one knows. While I hope he'll be ok -- good grief, he's had enough experience by now -- I'm just not confident. I just hope he is.

Ok. So I doubt things are as bleak for the middle infield as I'm making them seem. But I won't be surprised if these guys give me indigestion just a little. I miss Nicky Punto.

And I need new shoes.

Notes: Jan. 23, 2011

Wow. A lot happened over the last week.

On Monday, Matt Capps and Glen Perkins avoided arbitration and signed one-year contracts. Perkins signed for $700,000. Fine. He's cheap. He's left-handed. He's breathing. The Twins seem to have a bit more faith in him than I do. Whatever.

Meanwhile, Capps is getting $7.15 million. Yikes. That's a lot of money for a set-up guy. I understand that the Twins wanted some insurance for Joe Nathan as he recovers from elbow surgery, but, wow. The Twins must've thought that Capps would get at least that much money in arbitration, or else they wouldn't have offered it to him. Personally, I kind of would've liked to see them forget about Capps and re-sign Brian Fuentes in that role. Capps does have the benefit of being young, so that's good. He must have some spark that Bill Smith sees that I don't yet. But, I'm sure he'll be all right.

~~~

Speaking of Brian Fuentes, he signed with the A's. Sounds like he'll be a set-up guy for Andrew Bailey. The A's are really putting together a nice bullpen, which includes a number of former Twins: Grant Balfour, Craig Breslow, and now Fuentes.

~~~

On Thursday, the Twins re-signed Carl Pavano. Finally. For several weeks, in fact seemingly every week since the Twins offered arbitration in early December, we heard that Pavano would decide "by the end of the week." But, it was worth the wait; he'll be a Twin for two more years.

This deal had "meant to be" written all over it. The money is fair ($8 million this year, and $8.5 million next with a chance for an extra $500,000 based on innings pitched), and Carl really wanted multiple years. Not only that, he keeps saying in interviews that Minnesota is where he wants to be and that the Twins have a great bunch of guys. Even Jim Thome made sure he knew he should come back. He wants to be here and he's wanted.

Surprisingly, as the deal was nearing completion, word came out that the Yankees had been interested in him and even offered big money for his services. Surprising because the last time the Yankees wanted him, it didn't work out so well -- four years, nine wins, and lots of money is not a formula for love in NY. The manager, teammates, and fans grew quite weary of his injuries and apparent inability to heal and they came to believe he was a lazy bum. The Yankees and their fans demand nothing less than excellence, and they didn't get it with Carl.

Apparently, however, Brian Cashman believed in him and maintained an amicable relationship over the years. The Yankees are desperate for a reliable starting pitcher, and any other guy with Carl's credentials would've been a shoe-in. However, the actual Carl would've needed barrels of excellence in order to earn trust and be accepted; it would've been quite unfriendly there. Even now, with Carl nestled safely in the bosom of friendly Twins Territory, Yankee fans are, shall we say, venting their frustrations all over Facebook and Twitter as only New Yorkers can.

And even more surprisingly, Carl was willing to give it a try in New York, perhaps to quiet some lingering regrets. That is, until the Twins threw in a second year to their offer. Then the pieces fell into place. He seems genuinely happy to be back. And the fans kind of dig him too.

Here are some interview videos from FSN.

Notice the 'stache is gone? He admitted in an interview that if it does make a comeback, it has to be a surprise. I have no doubt that, come mid-season, when the team needs a rallying cry, a gimmick, a talisman, a 'Staches for Success campaign, it'll come out of hiding.

~~~

On Friday, Nick Punto signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Too bad; I prefer him off the bench over Tolbert or Plouffe. Sure, there's no doubt our Little Nicky Punto divided Twins fans like no other player, but his defense was a lot of fun to watch. Sure, he didn't have the best batting average in the world, but his defense was a lot of fun to watch. Sure, he made some baserunning blunders, but his defense was a lot of fun to watch. Sure, he dove headfirst into first base, but...well, you get the point.

Good luck, Nicky. Oh and Cardinals fans, you'll appreciate his work ethic and hustle.

~~~

Off-season crocheting update:

Another scarf for the Scarves for Special Olympics Project.

Notes: Oct. 31, 2010

Just a few quick notes for the week:

Happy Halloween! Here's is my jack-o'-lantern for this year:

Pretty cool, huh? The stencil is available on the Twins website.

~~~

Earlier in the week, the Twins made two of the many decisions they face this off-season. They picked up the 2011 option for Jason Kubel, and he'll make $5.5 million. They also declined the 2011 option for Nick Punto, allowing him to become a free agent.

I'm not surprised by either of these moves. Jason Kubel is still relatively cheap for his production, and he could possibly be used as trade bait -- or not. Punto, on the other hand was set to make $5 million next year -- a lot of dough for a bench utility player.

Because Nicky is a free agent, there's still a chance the Twins could sign him to a new contract, but it would have to be for like $1 million or so. He's still one of my favorite infielders, so I kind of hope he comes back, but I won't be surprised if he doesn't.

~~~

Oh, I forgot to tell you, this blog is the proud sponsor of the Joe Nathan page on Baseball-Reference.com. When I need baseball stats, BR is my go-to place. They rely on sponsorships or advertising to keep doing what they do, and they do excellent work. When I saw that Joe's page was available for a reasonable price, I pounced.

~~~

Here is another video of CJ Wilson. He drives sweet cars. Is there any doubt why I love him? He might have to be my favorite non-Twin. Better still, the Twins should try to get him. (Now waking up from dreamland.)

~~~

So far, this World Series has surprised me. I expected the pitching to be better. I expected the Rangers to be better. If this is going to seven games, things have to improve for the Texas nine.

Short Notes - Feb. 19

Nick Punto Day Recap
Wow! I can't believe it's already been a week since Nick Punto Day. It was a ton of fun to participate in, and it was a blast to read all the various opinions and takes on our own #8.

I'd like to give a shout out to everyone who linked to my entry, specifically Seth Stohs in his StarTribune Our Voices blog and Howard Sinker in his StarTribune A Fan's View blog.

How Can I Watch Winter Sports When Spring Training Is So Close?
It's hard, but I'm managing to keep two seemingly mutually exclusive notions in my head at once. So while I'm anxiously awaiting baseball, I'm quite entertained with snow and ice events. Besides, what else am I going to watch? I really enjoy the Winter Games; I always have.

A year ago, I wrote a poem-like piece about Pitchers and Catchers Reporting. I'm pretty proud of it, so it's hard to top. If you want to check it out, it's here. 

Hello Old Friend?
Last week, the Twins signed Jacque Jones to a minor league contract. Yes, the same Jacque Jones we all were in love with in 2002.

So we'll see if he makes the squad as a 4th outfielder. I'm rooting for him -- not necessarily because he's still good at baseball, but because he's still cute as a button. Now we just need Dougie, Corey, and Torii back, and it'll be a reunion party.

Comparing Nick Punto to a Good Ol' Pair of Shoes

 

Note: This post is part of the Twins Blogisphere Nick Punto day, started by Andrew Kneeland of Twins Target. Many blogs are participating; be sure to check out the blogs listed in the sidebar for more Puntoliciousness. Or click the links in the live Twitter feed on the right.

Good ol' Nick Punto. In many ways, he reminds me of my good ol' Reeboks -- for better and worse (but mostly better).

• Shoes: I call these my "utility shoes." I can wear them most days I wear jeans. And in a pinch, I could even wear them with black chinos if I really need my feet to be comfortable.
• Nicky: Well, he's the utility player. He can play most infield positions. And in a pinch, he could even go to the outfield if the Twins really need a substitute.

• Shoes: They demonstrate that, because they fit perfectly, comfortable feet are at least as good as stylish feet.
• Nicky: He demonstrates that, because he has awesome defensive skills, saving runs is at least as good as driving in runs.

• Shoes: They're not the best shoes in my closet. However, they do a nice job as walking shoes, which is all I ever expect of them.
• Nicky: He's not the best player on the team. However, he does a nice job hitting in the 9th spot, which is all the Twins ever expect of him.

• Shoes: I have a lot of great memories with them both here and abroad. There's a story behind why I took them to Germany (apparently Europeans think it's odd that Americans wear white shoes).
• Nicky: He's made a lot of great memories both on and off the field. There's a story behind why he makes slushies for Justin Morneau (apparently Canadians think it's necessary to drink slushies made by a player for Team Italy in order to play baseball better). 

• Shoes: They can be maddening -- the laces come spontaneously untied. A lot.
• Nicky: He can be maddening -- he dives spontaneously head-first into first base. A lot.

• Shoes: For what I got, they were kind of expensive. There's nothing high-tech about them, but they cost more than comparable shoes.
• Nicky: For what the Twins get, he's kind of expensive. There's nothing Type-A about him, but he costs more than comparable players.

• Shoes: They're very hardworking and reliable.
• Nicky: He works very hard and has a lot of hustle.

• Shoes: They're wearing out. They don't have the cushion they used to. I wouldn't be surprised if they rip out very soon. This is probably their last season with me, so I'd better enjoy them while I can.
• Nicky: He's wearing out. He doesn't have the defense he used to. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets seriously injured very soon. This is probably his last season with the Twins, so we'd better enjoy them while we can.

• Shoes: You could try all day long to try to tell me why they're no good, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for them.
• Nicky: Ditto.

Short Notes - Feb. 8

So, hey...there's something to actually talk about. Good stuff too.

The Missing Piece
For the entire off-season, everyone's been talking about how the Twins needed one last piece in order to make an awesome roster. Would it be a pitcher? Well, not really, since Francisco Liriano has been showing some real stuff in the Dominican Winter Leagues. Would it be a third-baseman? Well, since the Twins gave Brendan Harris a two-year deal, it's easy to guess that he's the answer to that. Would it be a second-baseman? Someone who can hit number two in the order between Span and Mauer? Yes! That's the missing piece.

But, lo and behold, the Twins went out and got that missing piece. And a good one too.

It looks like a nice fit, doesn't it?

Welcome to the Twins O-Dog. We're thrilled you're here.

Speaking of Orlandos
The guy who wound up being the missing piece for the end of the '09 season, Orlando Cabrera, signed with the Reds. I'm happy for him. Gardy mentioned that he wanted to bring Cabrera back as the second-baseman, but it just seemed like Cabrera wanted to remain a shortstop.

Good luck, O-Cab.

New Twins Commercial
It's become a tradition for the Twins to introduce their first new commercial of the year during the Super Bowl. This year's is clever, but not as funny as ones in the past. It did have the distinction of being one of the few that didn't offend me in one way or another (a note to future Super Bowl advertisers: women watch the game too, so you might want to dial back on complaining about or exploiting them -- but that's a conversation for another time, and probably another blog).

Look at it here: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/fan_forum/commercials_2010.jsp 

My Kids are Mad
As I sit here and write this, mini-bro just ran down the stairs to tell me that the White Sox acquired Omar Vizquel (I knew), and that they are un-retiring Luis Aparicio's number to give it to him. This news made my kids mad. "How can they un-retire a Hall of Famer's number to give it to a short-timer?" Good point, guys. And I can't disagree with the argument.

According to the story, Aparicio is cool with it, but he could just be acting classy.

I'm just proud that my boys know who Luis Aparicio is. And that they feel strongly about baseball traditions and stuff.

Seth Writes
I just pre-ordered my copy of Seth Stohs's Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook. It sounds like it's going to be great; I'd like to learn more about the minor leaguers and prospects the Twins have in the organization. And I expect it'll help me with my annual "who is this guy?" moment I get whenever someone gets called up.

Go to Seth's site to order yours.

Nicky Punto Day - Save the Date
The Twins blogging community has chosen Feb 12th to be "Nick Punto Day," and many blogs are participating. We're going to write pieces about our own super-utility #8, whatever our opinions of him are. No other player on the team elicits such wild variations of opinions; it should be interesting to see all the points-of-view. 

Be sure to check back here on the 12th, and then be sure to check out the blogs listed on the sidebar. Many of those blogs are participating too. And then, to keep the fun going, be sure to check out the blogs on their sidebars. Oh, don't forget the comments sections on all those blogs -- I bet there'll be even more opinions there. It's a Puntolution.

This great event is the brainchild of Andrew Kneeland of Twins Target. What a great idea.

Who Are These Impostors?

Why is it that as soon as I think that I've got the Twins starting pitchers figured out, they go and do the exact opposite?

Recap:
Tuesday: Twins 6 - Royals 14
Wednesday: Twins 7 - Royals 1
Thursday: Twins 4 - Royals 5

On Tuesday, I sat down to watch the game and figured "oh, it's Nick Blackburn -- this should be a good game." Um, nope. He couldn't get out of the second inning. That's so not like him. Must've been an impostor.

On Wednesday, I sat down to watch the game and figured "ugh, it's Francisco Liriano -- there goes another game." Again, nope. He was brilliant. In fact, he was the ghost of his 2006 self. That's so not like him this season. Must've been an impostor.

Then today, I put on my headphones to listen to the game (I was at work), and figured...well, I didn't know what to think. I've only seen Carl Pavano pitch three times -- twice against the Twins, and then his first start with the Twins. He was very good all those times. So, I guess I figured "ok, it's the Royals, we've got a good chance to take this series." I don't know him well enough to know if this was live or Memorex.

~~~

There was a point in today's game that I want to sound-off about. Well, actually, I want to reply to every one who has already sounded-off about it.

In the bottom of the 6th, both Joe Crede and Mike Redmond walked. Then Nick Punto came to the plate with two on and nobody out. Unfortunately, he failed to complete the sacrifice he was expected to make and was out bunting the third strike. And boy, a lot of people are upset over that. In fact, plenty of folks blame the loss on that at-bat.

Ok, I agree that it was a horrible, awful, downright ugly at-bat. At this point in his career, he should be more than capable of executing a routine sac bunt. He really should work on that. But as nasty as it was, it turned out that it wasn't costly.

If he had executed, there would've been runners at second and third with one out. As it was, it was runners at first and second with one out. Then Denard Span took a base on balls. Assuming that D-Span would've walked regardless of where the baserunners were, Orlando Cabrera comes to the plate with the bases loaded and one out either way. It was his GIDP that was was costly.

Not that all the other guys who left runners in scoring position, and the pitcher who gave up 5 runs, weren't also responsible.

~~~

There were some positives from this series, though. I'm glad that the offense has taken my "4 or more runs" directive to heart, Joey is back in his rightful place atop the batting leader board, and Orlando Cabrera is sporting a very groovy 22-game hitting streak. Oh, and how about Cuddy's arm? Throwing out baserunners at third base from right field is very, very hot.

That Was Deflating

After a nice sweep of the Evil Uglies earlier in the week, the Twins and their momentum deflated pretty quickly, and they became the dustbunnies. Oh, and they're below .500 again.

Recap:
Friday: Twins 5 - Angels 11
Saturday: Twins 6 - Angels 11
Sunday: Twins 4 - Angels 13

(52 - 53, 3rd place, 3 games back)

Ga! It's awful having to type all those double-digit numbers for the opponent. You'd think that scoring four or more runs in a game would at least keep the Twins close. Nope.

So, not only was the entire series a big pthpthpthtphptht, but every little thing was a slow leak. Every time a positive thing happened for the Twins, the good feeling immediately floated away because of a much larger negative thing.

On Friday:

• Joey hits a 3-run homer, Nicky hits an RBI triple, and D-Span hits an RBI double; Blackie and Matty combine to let them tie it up.
• Matty and Nathanator do a nice job keeping it a tie game through the 9th and 10th; Keppel, Crain, and Dickey combine to allow six (!) runs in the top of the 11th, with help from Brendan's tangled feet at the worst possible time.
  

On Saturday:

• Red-Dog and Go-Go hit RBI extra base hits to tie the game; Swarzy allows four singles and three runs in the next half-inning.
• R.A. pitches two nice innings to keep the Twins within two; then starts his third inning of work with a single, a throwing error, a walk, and a homer -- and then Keppel relieves him and quickly gives up two homers.
  

On Sunday:

• D-Span makes an awesome grab for the first out in the 4th; Perkins allows a base-hit to the next batter who eventually scores.
• O-Cab hits his first homer as a Twin; Perkins coughs up 5 runs in the next half-inning.
  

The whole thing felt like trying to blow up a balloon with a hole in it. It gave me a headache.
~~~

Up next:
An off day, then a road trip through Cleveland.

I don't recommend taking the Indians too lightly. Their team has been devastated by a bunch of trades, so the young guys starting are hungry and fearless -- they have nothing to lose. And, they just took 2 of 3 from the Tigers (and the one they lost was in extra innings).

See, It's Not So Bad

For the first time in a really long time, the Twins are two whole games above .500. And for the first time in a really long time, the Twins have completed a winning road trip. The Royals series wasn't easy, but it turned out all right.

Recap:
Monday: Twins 2 - Royals 4
Tuesday: Twins 2 - Royals 1
Wednesday: Twins 5 - Royals 1

Some observations, in no particular order:

• For some reason, I don't get to see Nick Blackburn pitch very often; I don't think I've seen a first-pitch of his yet this season. Why is that?
  
• For some reason, when I'm listening to a day game, some stupid situation that puts my boss into a panic happens...never happens any other day.
• I thought it was funny that MLB's Gameday pitch-by-pitch site kept telling me that R.A. Dickey was throwing changeups. Um...no; those were knuckleballs.
• Nicky Punto needs some bubble wrap and Advil. After coming back from a bruised rib injury, he now has back spasms after someone (I don't remember who) slid hard into him trying to break up a double-play. The radio guys made it sound like it was a dirty slide; they said he wasn't even close to the bag.
  
• Mike Redmond will dent, but won't break -- he took a foul tip off Mitch Maier's bat to the forearm. But his bruised arm will probably be ouchie for a few days.

~~~

Dan Gladden answered a question during today's broadcast. The listener wanted to know what typical ball players do while on the road, whether they have routines such as going to bed at a certain time, and if their routines are different than they are at home. To this, Gladden replied, "it's none of your business what time I went to bed, and it's none of you business what I did out on the town!" He was joking, of course, but it got the guys talking about partying and curfews and carousing and watching TV in the hotel and such. They wouldn't really give any details to what our boys did though. So I imagine they do the following:

• They might go back to their own hotel rooms to watch ESPN or re-runs on TV Land.
• They might go out and have a meal at a cozy little diner.
  
• They might stay at the ball park to practice fielding drills.
• They might get together and play cribbage or gin.
• They might go shopping for a nice piece for their wives' snowglobe collection.
• They might go to the zoo or botanical gardens.
• They might go see a movie, but nothing racier than PG-13.
• They might log on to their laptops and check in with fans on Twitter...oh wait, never mind.
• They might head to the hotel bar and order a club soda with lime or a Shirley Temple.

Ok, I not really delusional. I'm fully aware that they're grown ups and will party as much as they want...well as much as they're allowed to. But I do imagine that painting the town red all the time might get old after a while. Actually, I don't really care what the do with their free time, as long as they play well the next day. Whatever it takes.

~~~

Up next: an off day, and then some tough series: Tigers, Yankees, then White Sox before the All-Star Game. At least the Twins are at home, so they can sleep in their own beds and stick to their favorite lucky routines.

The k-bro Twins Fest Report

On Sunday, mini-bro, j-bro, j-bro's buddy z, and I braved zero-degree temperatures and journeyed to the Metrodome for the largest mid-winter baseball festival in the major leagues.

Luckily, we were able to park about as close to the Dome as possible, so we kept our jackets in the car and ran to the door. That was really helpful; it's a drag to have to carry your jacket all over.

As we first walked in

When we first walked in, Gardy was at the radio stage talking about Cuddy, and he said something like, "I'm just trying to get him to Twins Fest." My first thought was, "uh oh" because I had read somewhere that he didn't make it Friday due to illness. Getting my picture taken with him was my number one priority.

After Gardy was done, Nicky Punto put on the headset for his turn at the radio interview. We stayed for a few minutes, but we soon wanted to get going to the main floor. I did snap a quick photo as we were walking down the steps.

Our favorite shortstop looking adorable

Speaking of photos, it turns out that I would make a lousy photojournalist. I get caught up in everything going on, I forget to take pictures. So I have to use a lot of words to make up for it.

We did a fair amount of shopping at the collectors' booths; mini-bro collects baseball cards, and he wanted to add to his collection. I treated myself to a Twins grab-bag and scored a nice poster of Cuddy, Justin, and Joey from that stadium construction commercial, a red Twins hat, some Twins school supplies, and a Torii Hunter Gold Glove bobblehead (turns out the Twins Sisters got the exact same grab bag -- what're the odds?).

Soon, it was lunch time, so we grabbed some food and headed back to the radio stage to listen to more interviews.

The first Dome Dog of 2009

John Gordon and the other radio guys were interviewing Jason Kubel. He's not a terribly interesting interview.

Jason Kubel talking about his new contract

But when Jason was done, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey stepped in to be interviewed. Now we're talking. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long because we had to go get in the photo line.

Is it me, or does Nick Blackburn get better looking all the time?


It looks like I caught Kevin Slowey with a dumb look on his face. He was much friendlier than this makes him look.

When we were waiting in the photo line, we heard several rumors about Cuddy not being able to make it at all because his whole family is ill. Although I still haven't been able to confirm it, I did believe it and forgot all hopes of seeing him. Oh well, all was not lost. We did get to meet Scott Baker.

Poor Scott. We were towards the end of the line, so by the time we got there, he'd been there almost a half-hour, standing and smiling. He looked so exhausted; it must be hard shuffling from radio interviews to autograph signings to photo stations for three days. But, even though he seemed tired when we first reached him, he bucked up and chatted nicely and smiled for the camera. I appreciated that.


Scott Baker is a good sport.

After that, we went on the pressbox/clubhouse/dugout tour. I've done that before, and it was no different this time.

View from the pressbox.

After that was done, it was time to go. We sprinted in the frigid cold back to the car and headed home. It felt odd leaving the Metrodome and not being stuck in parking lot traffic for hours.

Now I'm ready to bring on spring training and opening day.

Little Things That Make Me Happy

On a crappy-weather night, I need to be reminded of little things that make me happy:

• Getting my kids to do all the Christmas decorating
• Being pleasantly surprised by a Vikings game
• Eating dark chocolate
• Getting my Christmas cards done
• Remembering that I brought my work laptop home on Friday in case I don't want to drive in to work Monday morning
• Watching The Santa Clause with my kids

Oh, and the biggest little thing that makes me happy is knowing that Little Nicky Punto will be playing for the Twins for the next two years. I know my friends in blogging, Twins Sisters and THOSE Girls, are happy. Kevin Slowey is happy, too. I'm looking forward to watching his slick defensive skillz.

Double-oh 8, Free Agent Man

Hi again. I meant to post sooner than this, but I've been busy. But I'm here now.

So I still have opinions bouncing around in my head, and I'd better get them out before things change and all that head-bouncing is wasted.

This time: Little Nicky Punto, Free Agent Man

Of the Twins free agents (Punto, Adam Everett, Dennys Reyes, and Eddie Guardado), Nicky is probably the only one who has a decent chance of being re-signed. Also, his future probably generates the most interest from Twins fans. Reyes may be more valuable as far as rankings, but I don't know of many fans who will shed tears if he signs elsewhere -- I think Jose Mijares or Craig Breslow can help heal that pain. But Nicky has something way more important to fans than rankings...he's got charm. And I know of a lot of fans who adore him, including me.

Whether the Twins re-sign him, however, appears to depend largely on him. It's not likely that the Twins will offer him a huge contract. If they decide to keep him, it'll be as a utility player and late-inning-defensive-replacement guy -- a good fit for him in my opinion. However, if he feels he wants to be a starter, it's going to have to be somewhere else.

Personally, I think he should re-sign with the Twins if they give him a palatable offer. He fits so nicely into the organization -- he's athletic, he's good defensively, and he's a "team-first" guy. He pretty much embodies "The Twins Way."

There is one teensy little thing I think he needs to work on: I noticed my super-cool Twins wall calendar (which must've been printed in about February of 2007 because it features Luis Castillo) listed his weight at 174 -- a good weight for a little guy. However, the Twins official web site now lists him at 195. Wow, dude, twenty pounds is a lot of extra heft on a 5'8" frame. And where did all that poundage come from? If this keeps up, we may have to drop the "Little" from Little Nicky Punto. Chunky Nicky Punto doesn't have the same ring to it. I'm not saying...I'm just saying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey! Congrats to Joey Mauer for his shiny new Gold Glove. It's very well deserved (unlike some others).

Trying to Relax Enough to Smile

Twins 3 - Whities 2

Whew! That was close -- too close. And if I have to check myself into the hospital later this evening because I'm suffering panic attacks, it's the Twins' fault. But don't think for a minute I am unhappy with this game.

So, because my hands are still shaking, I'll keep this short.

I have some random, and ironically not really game-related, thoughts.

• First of all, as I've said before, I despise Mark Buehrle. He's ugly and he always says snotty things. I just thought I'd throw that out there.
• I miss Corey Koskie. It's nice to hear from him.
• Ok, so am I the only one who thinks that LNP got his teeth fixed -- like caps or something? It seems to me that he used to have kinda crooked teeth, but in that "thanks fans" commercial, they're perfect. Maybe I'm crazy; who knows?
• I think Randy Ruiz and Jose Mijares are one and the same. One person playing two parts, like Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap. (Did I just show my age there? Ok, if you're under 30, change that to Lindsay Lohan.)
• That catch that Go-Go made in the ninth was straight out of Angels in the Outfield.
• I totally love the regular Joe Nathan much more than blow-the-save Joe Nathan. I think all 38 bigillion fans in the Dome agree.

Ok, I gotta go to bed now. All this stressing and worrying and fretting and agonizing and anguishing is tiring. I'll go and do some Joe Nathan breathing exercises.

Tweet Victory

Twins 9 - White Sox 3

Today on my Twitter page, I started following Joe Cowley from the Chicago Sun Times, just to get an opposing viewpoint. Kind of interesting.

If you don't know Twitter, it's kind of like micro-blogging. You get 140 characters (that's it) to answer the question "what are you doing?" The updates are called "Tweets," and you follow other people's Tweets. It's kind of a neat way to stay connected with folks, or to just follow a popular columnist, blogger, or candidate. I Tweet pretty much everyday. So, in that spirit, I thought I'd express my thoughts about today's game in Tweets.

My tummy is all in knots. Nervous much? And it's so loud in the Dome. I love it!

Hey! How come Vazquez gets that strike call and Baker doesn't. Seems a tad unfair.

Just realized I'm missing a teleconference for work. Yeah, right. Just watch them try to keep me from watching this game.

Woooooooooo! I'm alone in the house and screaming my head off. Nice homer, Kubes!

And Delmon gets a nice hit. BTW: I hate the phrase “good piece of hitting.” Bert just said it like four times in the last 30 seconds.

Good hit, Nicky. Crap Go-Go. Oh, well, nice base running Delmon.

Ok, AJ, how many freaking pitches are you going to foul off? Just miss one! Finally!

Hey! Bernard Berrian is a Twins fan! And I didn't realize he was so good-looking. Well, hello Bernard. :-)

Nice catch Alexi! But I don't think it's really a diving catch like Dick said. More like a bend over and fall down catch.

Kubes gets an “old man triple,” which happens when the outfielder who dives for the ball is too old to make the catch.

And a double by Delmon. I like his little toe dance to keep his foot on the bag and keep from getting tagged out.

Squeeeeeeze! With a head-first slide even. But Bert honey, it's “element of surprise,” not “ultimate of surprise.”

My oh my! The third run of the inning, and there's still only one out. How crazy is the Dome now? Oh yeah, the second steal of the inning.

With two on and no out, that knotty tummy thing is back. Whew, one out, now two. Crap, now bases loaded for AJ. Yes yes! Whew!

Oh hey, new White Sox pitcher. He totally looks like a high-school jock. And Joey welcomes him to the Dome with a double.

Awww! They're replaying Gardy chewing out Alexi for not covering second in the previous half inning. I hope he isn't too tough on him.

Cool! Justin now holds the Twins record for doubles.

Tidy one-two-three innings from Scott Baker are much more calming on my tummy.

What a cute little juggle catch by Scotty. I'm glad he saw the humor in it.

So when the crowd chants “MVP,” does Justin say to himself, “yeah, that's right, they're talking about me”? Nah, he's too humble.

Oh yeah! Back to back homers, baby!

Beauty of a double-play there, Nicky. And, what? Delmon hustled to make a running catch? Wow, this game must really be inspired.

Ahem, j-bro just switched the TV to Playstation “just for a second” like 10 minutes ago. Hurry up and finish, will ya'?

Hah! A fan on the field. So so so stooopid. And so so boooring for those of us watching TV. How long do we have to look at Thome's face?

Well, if I have to watch a Griffey home run, it's not so bad when we're still leading by six after it.

Wow, that was tons of fun. This made the knotty tummy thing totally worth it.

This means it's mathematically impossible for the Sox to clinch at the Dome. Not like they're going to clinch at all.

Oh, on a non-baseball note, Wednesday is “National Punctuation Day.” Celebrate responsibly.

Buzzkill

Twins 2 - Mariners 4 (11)

Gag! I was so happy that the Twins got Eddie back. I was even happier that he pitched. I was thrilled that he pitched a tidy inning for a hold. Then...

Then Nathan gave up that double, but I was still ok. Then...

Then Punto booted that ball. Ugh! Nicky, keep you eye on the damn ball! The runner was going to third anyways, so you didn't need to be looking over at third base. You needed to field that ball and get the out!

Everyone's going to say that the bullpen blew the game. I don't buy it. The defense blew the game -- AGAIN! Their first two runs were the result of errors. If not for those, the Twins wouldn't have needed to go to Crain in the eleventh; the game would have been over with Nathan in the ninth.

And the offense didn't help much either. They were up there flailing at pitches like they were completely over matched.

Come on guys! You have to play like you actually want to win. Especially now. I didn't see any of that tonight.

And another thing: I'm getting really tired of hearing about how long this road trip is. (Well, to be fair, it's really the reporters complaining about the road trip.) If you think about it, it's only longer than a "normal" road trip by one series. So, as of today, it hasn't been a long road trip yet. Stop playing like you're exhausted; you're not.

Ok, sorry if this was a little harsh. But I'm more than a little crabby about the whole thing.

A's is for ...

Monday: Twins 2 - Oakland 3
Tuesday: in progress (final: Twins 13 - Oakland 2)

Yesterday, I really wanted to give Nick Blackburn a hug (ok, I can't really think of a time when I don't want to give Nick Blackburn a hug, but even more so yesterday). It kind of sucked that his first pitch was smacked for a homerun. I can imagine that put him in a bad mood from the get go. I know it put me in a bad mood from the get go. But he wound up pitching pretty well, and went eight innings. A little more run support would've been nice.

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I have to keep reminding myself that yesterday's loss wasn't the end of the world. For some reason, some losses are harder to take than others; I don't know why that one was. Was it because the A's are so awful that we really should win? Was it because I disagreed with the umpire for about three-quarters of the game? Was it because the Twins looked so blah? Was it because the White Sox were playing, and beating, the Mariners to take the lead in the division? Was it because I think I can play left-field better than Delmon Young? Was it because Brendan Harris really needed to take the stinking bat off his shoulder?

Yeah, pretty much all that.

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Well, crappola. Here we go again with giving up a lead-off homerun again. STOP IT!

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Speaking of disagreeing with umpires, I have some things to say...

Last night: How do you call Joe Mauer out on strikes? Don't you know who he is? He's Joe Freaking Mauer! He doesn't take strike three. He knows the strike zone better than you do, moron.

Tonight: Wow! I respectfully request that you give my pitcher that call. I mean, if Justin Morneau can't reach it, and you're calling it a strike, I bet Kevin Slowey would appreciate that same advantage.

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So the Twins' preferred hand specialist must be enjoying the job security afforded him by the boys. Poor Adam "Adam" Everett got plunked in the hand by a foul ball while he was sitting innocently in the dugout. I'm telling you... Oven Mitts for everyone.

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Botton 2nd: Nice jack, BuschMan! And nice RBI triple, D-Span!
Top 3rd: And sweeeet play, Li'l Nicky!

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Will someone please cast a hex/jinx/spell/curse on the White Sox? I mean seriously, they aren't really this good, are they?

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Bottom 3rd: Run Randy, run! Good job, Randy. Now go get some oxygen.

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Bottom 5th: Ha! Go-Go hit a Ho-Ho!

(I hope that didn't come across too creepy. I meant it in the most innocent way possible. Really.)

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Mid 7th: So with all the hitting, and the running, and the scoring and everything, the superhero of the game is K-Slo. Twelve Ks in seven innings. Nice job, honey. And nice game, guys.

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Blog Update: I'm going on a business trip for the rest of the week. I'll be back Sunday. Dear Twins, please please please, take care of the California teams, 'k?

A Pretty Decent Tigers Series

Friday: Twins 3 - Tigers 2
Saturday: Twins 6 - Tigers 5
Sunday: Twins 2 - Tigers 4

Twins win series 3-1

Well, even though they lost today, the Twins aren't limping into the break, even though it felt like that would have been a real possibility after the Boston series. It's nice to know the Twins still have their "in it to win it" mentality. And, even though it's disappointing to lose, at least it wasn't a heartbreaker. Blackburn pitched well, but Verlander just pitched a little better.

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What's up with everyone's fingers? Cuddy (2 different fingers), Tigger, Alexi, LNP, and now Slowey have suffered, or are suffering from, finger injuries. I recommend the boys stop playing Bloody Knuckles on the team plane -- try playing cribbage instead. Otherwise, I'll be forced to distribute a pair of oven mitts to each player and require him to wear them at all times.

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I see that our estimable firstbaseman has bucked my advice and decided to, in fact, participate in the Home Run Derby. Well, Justin, best of luck to you -- have fun and stay healthy. And now, I'll have to watch.

A Stars and Sweeps Weekend

Friday: Twins 12 - Cleveland 3
Saturday: Twins 9 - Cleveland 6
Sunday: Twins 4 - Cleveland 3

Twins sweep 3 game series.

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First of all, a great big hug and kiss for our All Stars -- Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan. Of course, we all knew they're All Stars, but it's nice that the fans (in Joey's case), the players (Justin's), and Mr. Francona (Nathan's) agreed. Way to go guys, and have a bunch of fun.

I do, however, have a piece of advice for Justin: Please don't participate in the Homerun Derby. I actually believe in the whole "ruining your swing" curse, and your homerun swing can ill afford ruining. Not that I don't appreciate all the RBI and the defense, I really do, but let's face it, your homerun production is down this year. Let's not give it any reason to get worse. Thanks.

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Now on to the Indians series -- Very cool. I loved the homers by LNP, Delmon, and Joey. I loved how Scott Baker and Glen Perkins didn't get rattled after having bad innings. And I really liked coming from behind and winning. However, to be honest, I didn't think there was a prayer in Sunday's game after the Twins were down 3 - 0. I'm glad the players didn't think that way.

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Non-baseball alert: For the first time in my life, I was absolutely captivated by the Men's Finals at Wimbledon on Sunday. Now I haven't really followed tennis since Johnny Mac's days, and even then it was merely a passing interest. Since then, pretty much everything I know about the current players I've learned by osmosis.

But Federer and Nadal really made it exciting. I was pulling for Nadal, and he'd get oh-so close to winning, but couldn't quite seal the deal because Federer is so good. Too bad I couldn't watch the entire 5+ hour affair; we had to leave. I was glad to learn that Nadal finally pulled it off in the end.

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As I write this, ESPN is reporting that the Indians will be trading noted Twins hater Captain Cheeseburger* (a.k.a. C.C. Sabathia) to the Brewers for a minor leaguer and prospects. It looks like he'll have to find a National League middle infielder to eat -- Mike Fontenot might do. LNP must be very relieved.

* This is totally a Bat-Girl.com reference. If you're not familiar with Bat-Girl, well, sorry.

Taming the Tigers

Tuesday: Twins 6 - Tigers 4
Wednesday: Twins 7 - Tigers ZIP

Dear Twins,
That was much better. Thanks.
k-bro

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Tuesday's win just seemed kind of, I don't know, uncomfortable, didn't it? I mean it was great that we won and all, but it just kind of felt like it could fall apart at any time. Maybe I was suffering paranoia as a result of Monday's fiasco. But with the blundering of baserunning, the pitching with wildness, the leaving of men on base, and the having of bad luck, I just didn't have a whole lot of hope.

Thank goodness for Craig Monroe. Perhaps he should just play against Detroit all the time.

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Wednesday's win on the other hand -- now that was a ton of fun. I really wish I could have seen it. But it sure made my work day go a lot faster listening to it. Blackburn was stellar. And there were lots of hits with two outs. Fantastic.

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Speaking of Blackburn, I had a happy stroke of luck when I drove home. Sometimes I like to listen to KFAN on my way home, and sometimes I prefer to drive in silence, it all depends on my mood. Well, today, I decided to listen -- the Twins won, so Barreiro couldn't rip them too much. When I turned on the radio, I heard, "Our guest Nick Blackburn is coming up next." Sweet.

Actually, he did a pretty decent interview. The questions were pretty typical, and so were the answers, but no one expected muckraking journalism here. His answers were nice and involved and he expanded on his points. And he didn't have too many "ums", "you knows", and "likes". He sounds like a pretty intellegent and confident guy. All in all, a nice interview.

Here's the link to the interview.

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So are we all watching BBTN to see if Nicky's toss (actually more of a roll) to Casilla makes it as the top web gem? It sounded awesome. Here's a link to it. Be sure to also check out the next video in that group (Punto drives in Young, but is thrown out at second). That could probably win the "Feet-first Slide That Most Resembles a Bellyflop" award.

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And finally, the "OK, If You Say So, Joe" moment of the day: Check out this endorsement by Joe Nathan for Joey and Justin for the ASG. I love it. We should vote for them, "because they're really good." And if you listen really close, someone in the background is cracking up. Be sure to watch the other endorsements too.

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Probably no blogging for me this weekend as I'm going to the lake again. Everyone have a fun Independence Day.

Rattling the Snakes

Friday: Twins 7 - D-backs 2
Saturday: Twins 6 - D-backs 1
Sunday: Twins 5 - D-backs 3


Twins sweep series in 3


Wow. Now that was impressive. Apparently the theme of the series was "The Big Inning", and it's swell that the good guys were the ones producing them. It was nice to see the starting pitchers holding things together and giving their team a chance to win. Kudos to our young hitters for not being intimidated and stringing some hits together to score some runs (Brian Buscher is sure swinging a hot bat). And a lucky break didn't hurt, either. [Dang. This paragraph is suffering from a nasty case of "cliché-itis". I'd better quit gushing before it gets any worse.]

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After watching Saturday's game, I think I may be developing a crush on Mr. Nick Blackburn. I truly enjoy watching him pitch. And he rarely disappoints. I was reading the stats in the paper this morning and I saw that he's got a nice 3.68 ERA (second only to Baker among the starters), but has pitched way more innings than the rest of the starters except Livan. And two of his four losses can be attributed more to lack of run support than bad pitching. All the while, he looks mighty fine. Definitely worth consideration for future boyfriend status.

A note to the Baseball Gods: I respectfully request that you do not consider the above endorsement as grounds for hexing, jinxing, cursing, or otherwise poisoning Mr. Blackburn's future performances or health. After all, I am merely considering listing him among my favorites. He's still only a rookie, and deserves every opportunity to perform to his true abilities before bad luck on account of me needs to set in. Thank you.

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***Harshness Alert -- Scolding to Follow***

Delmon! Would it be possible to start fielding your position like you actually care about getting outs? It's bad enough that you don't run over to fly balls like you should, but that error today was practically unforgivable. I'm sure Jason Kubel would love to show you how it's done -- while you're sitting on the bench.

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When Augie Ojeda came up to bat on Sunday, I noticed how little he is. I wondered if he's littler than Little Nicky Punto. Turns out he is; they're both listed at 5'9", but Augie is 20 lbs lighter at 175.

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When ESPN's score scroll shows "CWS", am I the only one who briefly thinks they're talking about the Chicago White Sox instead of the College World Series?

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Speaking of the Chicago White Sox: Hugs and Kisses to the most adorable Chicago Cubs for nicely sweeping the White Sox.

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And finally, the "I Think I'd Rather Get Hit With the Ball Than Touch That" moment of the game: During Sunday's game, one of the Twins batters fouled a ball into the Twins dugout, forcing someone (one of the coaches, but I don't remember who) to dive to the floor to take cover. The camera caught him as he was getting up and brushing sunflower seed shells off himself with a look of disgust on his face. As the camera shot lingered on the scene for a bit, I looked at that floor and wondered, with all the seed shells, spit, used bubblegum, and tobacco juice, is there anything more disgusting than the floor of a baseball dugout? Ick.