So Long, Pat-Pat

The big news on Sunday was when Pat Neshek tweeted that he was now a member of the San Diego Padres. It was pretty interesting to watch my Twitter feed blow up with remarks from stunned Twins fans and media members.

He was put on outright waivers on Friday and picked up by the Padres on Sunday. He still had one more minor-league option, but rather than just option him to AAA, the Twins put him on waivers. They did this to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, but Bill Smith indicated that the Twins aren't adding anyone right away. Kelsie Smith of the PiPress tweeted that this means that the Twins tried to trade him, couldn't, so they placed him on waivers. It's still kind of head-scratcher, though.

Pat is a local kid and a fan favorite. He gained a lot of popularity as soon as he broke into the big leagues with his funky pitching style and his approachability through his blog, Twitter, and Facebook. He had great promise in 2006 and 2007, but then was sidelined by Tommy John surgery in 2008 and missed all of 2009. He never really got his groove back in 2010, and looked absolutely out of gas by the end of the season. This spring, his velocity hasn't yet peaked where it should be, and it seems like his sharpness is still a work-in-progress.

He also may have fallen slightly out of favor with the Twins coaching staff and front office. In 2010, when he has having forearm soreness, he announced on Facebook his frustration with the Twins' medical staff for misdiagnosing his injury. However, as Phil Mackey from ESPN notes in his blog, if they were really upset, they wouldn't have re-signed him this off-season.

This may be a great opportunity for Pat. It's clear that he wouldn't have made the big club out of spring training; he may have a better chance for being in the major league bullpen with the Padres. Also, he'll have an advantage going to the National League and facing batters who aren't used to his delivery. I speak for Twins fans when I say that we wish him all the best of luck in San Diego. (Psst...the Padres are due to visit Target Field in June. Let's hope we get to see him then.)

Quick Notes: Dec. 5, 2010

On Tuesday, as expected, all three free-agent players that the Twins offered arbitration to; Carl Pavano, Jesse Crain, and Orlando Hudson; declined. So, if they all sign elsewhere, the Twins will receive four draft picks. I do expect them to try to re-sign Pavano and Crain. Unfortunately, there is a lot of interest from several other teams, so it's likely the Twins will be outbid. We'll see.

~~~

On Thursday, the Twins tendered contracts to all nine arbitration-eligible players. The odd thing was, apparently Clay Condrey was quietly released on November 5. It's odd because no one seemed to know, not even the beat writers. I guess the poor guy has been forgotten and left at the curb.

So now the Twins and the players have to get to work and accomplish the ever-important "avoid arbitration." Like I've mentioned before, no one actually wants arbitration. They've already taken care of Jason Repko and Pat Neshek and came to terms for next season.

There were a lot of rumors that the Twins weren't going to tender JJ Hardy a contract. Now that they have, there are a lot of rumors that a few teams are interested in trading for him. I hope not; I want him to be the Twins starting shortstop for awhile.

~~~

Our old friend Mike Redmond, who retired from the Cleveland Indians last mid-season, has been named the new manager of the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts (of the Toronto organization). Good for him. I read somewhere that he's always wanted to manage. In fact, he was quite close to starting a managing career years ago. When he was in AAA, his manager wanted to cut him, but he begged for two more weeks, and if it didn't work out he'd go manage somewhere. It did work out for him, and later that season, he made his major league debut.

I heard an interview with him a few days ago. He said that he knew it was time to retire when baseball became a "job." His body's been aching for a couple years, but because the Twins were winning, he was having fun and he felt better. The Indians weren't very good, and the losing wasn't fun at all. So, when they cut him, he knew it was time to call it a career.

He said the Blue Jays organization called him about managing about four hours after he announced his retirement (I couldn't really tell if he was exaggerating). He said that he was kind of hoping to take a year off to spend time with his family, but this was a great opportunity and he couldn't pass it up. He said his sons are looking forward to being bat boys.

The hosts went on to ask him about the Indians' young catcher Carlos Santana and pitcher Fausto Carmona. He already sounded like a manager as he was talking about their bright futures.

Good luck to him. Maybe in a few years, we'll see him back in the Twins organization.

~~~

Baseball's Winter Meetings start Monday in Orlando. This is when team GMs, agents, some players, media, and other baseball folks get together and talk 2011. There is a lot of hype around the event, and baseball fans seem to really look forward to it. GMs get together to talk about possible trades; agents meet with GMs to talk free agents; free agent players shmooze to try to increase their value; and all the while, media hounds are lurking around, peeking around corners, riding elevators up and down, and performing all manners of sneaking hoping to hear a bit of information. However, for all the excitement, it usually turns out to be more talk than action.

It totally reminds me of the tech writing conferences I go to. Except on the opposite end of the nerd-cool scale.

Twins at Indians - Juggling

Recap:
Friday -- Twins 9 - Indians 3
Saturday -- Twins 4 - Indians 5 (11)
Sunday -- Twins 8 - Indians 3

Twins take series 2-1
Record 16-9

~~~

When Joe Mauer gets hurt, the entire baseball world takes notice. ESPN almost made it sound like the apocalypse in Minnesota. Ok, so I exaggerate.

Joe's injury, which I've read as either a bone bruise or stone bruise (doesn't really matter which) of his heel, that he suffered on Friday sounds pretty series and awfully painful. It'll take rest and ice to heal, but it doesn't sound like it's going to be quick. This after suffering a swollen toe (that needed to be drained by drilling a hole in the nail - ick). Someone get some steel-toed boots for our favorite catcher.

So, while we wait to see if Joe's problem is DL-worthy, poor Gardy has to do some roster-juggling.

On Saturday, the Twins were essentially left with one catcher - Drew Butera. It turned out fine, but there was a scary moment in the 10th when Butera was leveled at the plate by Lou Marson (nice play, by the way, by both Span and Butera).

Well, we all know that if Gardy had his druthers, he'd have like five catchers on the bench. Obviously, having only one wouldn't do. So up comes Wilson Ramos.

But who to send down? Well, Neshek struggled. Once. His last time out. So let's send him down. (Yeah, nevermind the fact that -- ahem -- other members of the bullpen have struggled too.)

Oh, but wait. Neshek says his finger still hurts. Really? Even though he reported that it was a-ok? Fine. To the DL with him. (I guess that's one way to avoid AAA.)

And how about Wilson Ramos? I guess he wants to prove some kind of point about staying in the bigs, huh? Four hits in his major league debut. The last Twin to do that was Kirby Puckett in 1984.

Seems like if Wilson had his druthers, he'd force Gardy to do more juggling when Joe comes back.

Ok, So Now What Am I Supposed To Do?

k-bro note: Ok, if I had known that talking about Joe Nathan's elbow was going to turn into a three-part series, I would've warned you ahead of time. But if you allow me this one last indulgence, I promise I won't need to go on any more. Call it working through my grief, if you will.

Ok. He knew it. The Twins knew it. You knew it. I knew it. Joe Nathan's going to have Tommy John surgery. I wish him all the best, and I sincerely hope that he can return next season and pitch for many years after that. In fact, I hope he realizes that he has super healing powers and comes back in time for September call-ups and pitches better than ever. Yes, I realize there's no sense in being delusional.

Joe will be impossible to replace on the mound. Surprisingly, I'm not terribly worried about what the Twins are going to do. For one thing, even an average pitcher can successfully convert about 80% of the save opportunities*. Plus, whoever the Twins initially choose will have a pretty short leash -- blow two saves or labor through three times, and ... next. Really, my gut tells me it'll be ok. And who knows, someone may surprise all of us and just shine in the role.

But, I really want to talk about the most important thing. What am I going to do? Ok, this may not be the most important thing, but it's well documented that I'm all in favor of anything that's all about me. You see, this whole ordeal has taken a toll on me -- more so that I thought it would. Turns out he might be my baseball boyfriend. Who knew?

It's not just that he's one of the best closers in the game, although that's a big part of it. But, I always had a good time watching him pitch. I love that he's twitchy. I love that he always made me nervous. And I really love his curveball -- no, I mean REALLY love it; oh my.

Actually I have this "thing" with him -- I have ever since his first pitch in a Twins uniform. I talk to him when he's on the mound, right through the TV or radio. I always say "Joe, no interesting." Always. And I get my kids involved -- I make them say it too. I know he hears me, and he usually responds well (for the record, for that blown save against the Yankees in the playoffs, I was at my kid's football game and unavailable to talk to him -- don't think that didn't kill me). Between his nervousness and my encouragement, it's a great relationship, and it works.

So, who am I going to have this relationship with now? Who am I going to talk to while he's on the mound? What am I going to say? You don't understand how extremely important this is to me (yes, yes, I know I don't really have this much power over the players, at least the core of my brain knows it -- there's no reasoning with the core of my gut).

Neshek? Possibly; he's got potential, and he's fun to watch. But his elbow is kind of iffy, and I'd stress out too much worrying about both the game and his arm.

Crain? Nah. He annoys me. I have an automatic dim view set on him, so regardless of how he performs, I'll think he sucks. Can we even take him seriously?

Guerrier? Maybe, but he's kind of boring -- he doesn't even twitch. But if he can get saves, I can overlook that.

Rauch? Nope. I refuse to talk to him. I mean, I want him to do well, for the good of the team and all. But I can't see myself having fun watching him pitch.

Mijares? Um, I don't think he'll even get a chance. Do you?

Somebody new? Wow. That'd be like a first date. I won't even know him, and it'll be all awkward.

So, what's a girl to do? I guess I'll figure it out along with everyone else. But, really, it'll be ok. Right?

*I think I read that somewhere, and I'm not sure where, so I can't verify this. But it sounds plausible. So, if I'm wrong, don't yell at me.

Hmm...

A few notes on a couple of things that kind of made me scratch my head.

The Twins signed all eight of their arbitration eligible players
This is good. I've heard that neither the teams nor the players want to go into the arbitration room. The team tells the player how awful he is so that they don't have to pay him as much money as he wants, and then when it's all done, they have to convince him how much the love him. Can't be good for anyone.

So it's great that everyone (JJ Hardy, Carl Pavano, Delmon Young, Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Francisco Liriano all for one-year contracts and Brendan Harris for a two-year contract) signed so quickly -- all done on the very day when figures were exchanged. But it's curious that it was indeed that fast. The Twins and one other team (I forget which, Dodgers maybe?) were the only ones that had that many arbitration eligibles. So it would have been understandable if a few of them had taken a day or two.

Now, I haven't really followed Twins contract activities in the past, so I'm not sure about what to think of this. But I seem to remember when Cuddyer was arbitration-eligible, he and the Twins came to a "hand on the doorknob to the mediator's room" agreement.

So it seems odd to me that they'd knock off all eight in one swell foop. What does it mean? Are they opening the wallet freely? Are they just trying to get it over with and just saying "whatever" to whatever the players wanted? Were all the players extraordinarily reasonable with their demands? Huh?

The Twins are seriously interested in signing Jim Thome
Um, ok. The White Sox announced earlier this evening that they're not interested in him, so speculation is that he's deciding between the Twins and the Rays.

Now Thome's great. He's the kind of player you hate, only because he always beats you. I always like him a lot better when he's in the National League.

He's been described as the nicest guy in baseball. And that came from Mike Redmond -- after Thome cracked his skull when he forgot to hold on to his bat.

But, despite all that, the curious part is: why? We already have a left-handed, and much younger, DH in Jason Kubel. And it's not like we could put Thome out in the field to rest some guys.
I know the bench is a bit thin, but I seriously think they have other needs to address first. I don't know; bringing him in is like bringing beer to a wine tasting -- really good beer, but it still doesn't quite fit.


Ok, this is a no-brainer
The estimable Seth Stohs is planning a super-duper, action-packed, star-studded, pre-TwinsFest extravaganza podcast tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Ok, I exaggerate, but it's still going to be great.

Follow this link to listen live: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks

Here's his tentative schedule (Central Time):

8:00-8:05 – Introduction

8:05-8:20 – John Sickels

8:20-8:35 – Pat Neshek

8:35-8:50 – Joe Benson

8:50-9:05 – Carlos Gutierrez

9:05-9:10 – Catch Up

9:10-9:25 – Kyle Gibson

9:25-9:35 – Open

9:35-9:45 – Denard Span

9:45-9:55 – Jeff Manship

9:55-10:00 – Wrap-Up

Be sure to tune in; it sounds like an awesome show.

Catching Up on Yesterday's News...

...and the day-before's, and today's.

I'm sure everyone's already heard that Pat-Pat will be out all of 2009. Damn!

And that's all I have to say about that.

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

The other day, Tim Lincecum won the NL Cy Young award. I was lucky enough to see him pitch when I visited San Francisco in August. The program I bought had a feature article on him. His delivery is very different than other pitchers, but not like Pat Neshek. He uses his whole body to generate his power -- not just his arm. And he looks like he's about 14 years old. Besides, he's on my cool name roster. If you don't know him, here's a picture I took of him:

From San Francisco Giants

Isn't he cute? (Yes, about thirty seconds after I took this picture, I switched to a seat that didn't have a big-ass railing in my view.)

Congratulations Tim, and congratulations Giants fans.

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

Yesterday, Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella were named Managers of the Year.

Poor Gardy. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. (I know, I know, it's a awful cliché, but I can't really think of a better metaphor.)

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

Other things that made me smile:

• Gardenhire gets 2-year extension from Twins


• Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau win Silver Slugger Awards (although the e-mail I got from the Twins said they won Golden Slugger Awards...sheesh, is it too much to ask to -- I don't know -- proofread?)

I'll Cross My Eyes Too If It'll Help

Hey, there really is something going on in the baseball world...not much, but something. Allow me to summarize:

• Congratulations to Evan Longoria and Geovany Soto on your Rookie of the Year awards. Tell me, is it as much of an honor when it's been obvious for the last three months that you were going to get it? Did it feel a little like Rookie-elect of the Year until today? (I am pleased that Denard Span and Nick Blackburn received a few votes -- small reward, I know, but it's better than indigestion.)
• It's all but official that the Colorado Rockies will trade Matt Holliday to the Oakland A's. Um, what? Wait, that can't be true. Oakland makes ugly ball players (e.g. Nick Swisher, Jason Kendall, Bobby Kielty [in his Syndrome-hair days]). Matt is much too adorable to fit in there. I worry that the ugliness will take root. I mean, c'mon, they have white shoes, fercryinoutloud. *shudder* Oh well, if Huston Street can retain his stunning good-looks, there's hope for Matt, too.
• So now that the Rockies are short an adorable outfielder, they'll be looking for another. That means the chances they'd want Michael Cuddyer for Garrett Atkins just bumped up a couple notches. *crossing fingers this doesn't happen*
• According to Joe C., Pat-Pat had a setback in his rehab. Dang! *crossing toes this won't be a big deal*

Digging Through My Kitchen Drawer

Friday: Twins 10 - Tigers 2 (Yay!)
Saturday: Twins 4 - Tigers 6
Sunday: Twins 5 - Tigers 7
Tigers win series 2 of 3

Ok, I'm not quite ready to stick a fork in the Twins, but I am looking for the fork.



I know that they're not out of the running mathmatically, but it sure doesn't seem like they're playing like champions. We really needed to sweep the Tigers, and there's no reason that we couldn't do that at home, but that didn't happen. Add that to the fact that the Angels let the White Sox have two games, and the slipping has begun.

I know, I know, there are still a lot games left, and anything can happen. But I just don't like the trend I'm seeing lately, especially with the bullpen. This recent habit of coughing up leads must end now if we're to have any hope at all.

Where have you gone, Pat Neshek,
Our territory turns it's lonely eyes to you.
What's that you say, Mr. Anderson?
Sidearm Pat has left and gone away,Hey hey hey.
[apologies to Simon & Garfunkel]

Boy, do we miss Pat-Pat or what? Twins fans aren't used to watching the wheels fall off the bullpen game after game. And I think I can speak for all of Twins Territory when I say that we don't like it. We want the good old days when we could actually rely on the bullpen, when we knew that a lead in the seventh was as good as a win, and when being behind by a couple in the seventh wasn't a problem.

So, guys, for tomorrow's off-day, I want you to sleep in, relax, go fishing or golfing or whatever you like, watch the Vikings game (but don't take it too seriously), then come back with renewed champion attitudes that I know you have, and knock off a bunch of wins in a row. I can't find my fork in that messy drawer; I don't want to need it.

I'm Baa-ack!

Twins 9 - Sox of the Red 8

Miss me? I guess I have some catching up to do. I'm also watching the game as I write this, so I'll be flip-flopping between my thoughts of the past week with my thoughts of the game. Forgive me if I'm confusing.

---

First of all, Happy Mother's Day! If you're a mom, I hope you enjoyed your day. If you're not a mom, I hoped you hugged a mom.

To my mom: Love you. Sorry I didn't actually hug you today. I told the cat to hug you for me; I hope she did.

---

Top first: Hey Eeyore, nice job striking out Youkilis and Lowell. *grin*

---

Speaking of Mother's Day, mine was very nice. My kids gave me a really cool Twins shirt. I think they've got me pretty well figured out.

---

Tuesday's game: Gavin Floyd nearly no-hit the Twins. That must've been ugly. Thank goodness for Joey to break that up for us.

---

Bottom second: Nice jack, Craig. *woot* Hey, has anyone come up with a good nickname for him yet?
Seriously? Adam "Adam" Everett hit a homer? Cool.

---

Wednesday's game: Go-Go hits for the cycle. I loved that. And I also loved reading his quotes. Fun stuff. I was also very impressed with Livan for taking a shutout to the ninth and completing the game.

---

Bottom third: Who put the fear of God into Mike Lamb lately?

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The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up. ~Bob Uecker

Ok, so how many times did Morgan-n-Miller say the word "knuckleball" tonight?

---

Thursday's game: I actually caught part of that game on a lunch break. But it was a big yawner.

---

Bottom fourth: *snicker* Big Papi was goofing around when they were interviewing Francona. In fact, he was way more interesting than Francona.

---

Notes to the Injured:

Dear Pat-Pat, I wish I could take it away from you so you can get better. Rehab well and come back next year better than ever.

Dear Nicky, Get better quick.

---

Friday's game: Wow. A come-from-behind win and Lammers is the hero. Way to go!

---

Bottom seventh: Hello again Mr. Monroe!

What's up with Mike Timlin's camouflage glove?

---

Top ninth: Dear Nathanator, That was waaaaaay too interesting for my liking. But you managed to do the job, so thanks.

---

And finally, one thing I learned about Vancouver that surprised me: I expected hockey to be very popular. They're still following the Stanley Cup playoffs closely even though their team is out of it. Between hockey games, they do follow baseball. I figured that since Vancouver is so close to Seattle, they'd follow the Mariners. Nope. They follow the Blue Jays, even though they're three time zones away. I guess all of Canada follows Canada's only team, eh?

*Yahhhhwwn*

Twins 3 - Rays 7

That game was so boring, I don't really have much to say.

Boof looked like the 2007 version.

Bats were quiet.

At least Guerrier and Neshek are back to their old selves. Pat-Pat was flinging his arms all over the place, just the way we like it. However, I'm not sure I like Matty's new clean-cut look. He kinda looks like his dad dragged him out to the garage and took the clippers to him -- "we're cutting that mop off, ya hippie."

It's Friday, and I don't feel like working. Good thing I've got my 24oz High-Energy Mocha with a shot of Caffeine Blast coffee from HolidayStation.

Un-flippin-believable

Twins 9 - Detroit 11 ugly, ugly, ugly, UGLY

What the hell does Nick Blackburn have to do to get a win? He pitched out his mind for the first 5 innings, struggled a bit in the 6^th, but still left with the lead. Is the bullpen mad at him? Perhaps the Twins shouldn't have Guerrier and Neshek relieve him anymore. It's becoming an unfavorable trend.

---

Speaking of Neshek, mini-bro noticed that his delivery is different than it used to be. He's right. Before, when Pat released the ball, his arm would fly up over his head. I remember this because BatGirl once described it as "he ends in the ‘Neshek Salute!' raising his hand to the ball to thank it for all it has done for him and wish it well on its travels". Now, his arm flies more to the side, as if he's slapping it in the face.

Dear Pat,

Perhaps the ball doesn't like you slapping it around so much. Please fix that. I fear that if you keep it up, they'll put you on an episode of "Cops". Or, more likely, they'll put me on an episode of "Cops".

Law-abidingly (for now),
k-bro.

---

Denard Span sure wanted to make a good impression. He showed good patience at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a walk, and making two (almost three) great plays in the field. And the missed catch that went for a homerun was forgivable - it was a great effort, and would have been an unbelievable play if he had made it. I liked how his teammates, especially Matt Guerrier, encouraged him between innings. Too bad the Twins wound up needing that run.

---

Does anyone else think that Jeremy Bonderman looks like an earthworm?

---

And finally, the "Make Sure You Run That Way" moment of the game:

Mea Culpa

That was a bummer! I mean an incredibly, horribly, craptasticly nasty bummer. And I take full responsibility. I was confident. I had hubris. I challenged the baseball gods. And they made our bullpen pay.

I foolishly sent an email to my boss, who grew up in Chicago, bragging that the Twins were leading and the bullpen would surely pin down the win. Ouch. I know, I know. I'm sorry. My bad. Lesson learned. Won't happen again.




My Dearest Matt and Pat;

While I do admit some fault for the sudden life in the bats of the White Sox, did you have to allow the bases to be full for Joe Crede? I mean, really?

Disappointedly,

k-bro

And finally, the "What the Hell Did He Just Say" moment of the game: Ozzie Guillen was tossed from the game in the third for arguing balls and strikes. According to John and Dazzle, he was really hollering. I would've loved to hear that. Ozzie's hard enough to understand when he's calm; I can only imagine how crazy it sounded when he was hopping mad.

Right Foot

Well, how much fun was that?

Torii was warmly welcomed, but o-fered.

Livan had a nice strong outing.

Go-Go got some hits and caused chaos on the basepaths.

Joey and Cuddy-honey drove in some runs.

Neshek sat them down.

Nathanator slammed the door.

I'd like to order 161 more of those games, please.

Babyface Moment of the Game:

When Brendan Harris stepped up to the plate, I said, "Why is Scott Baker batting?" I guess I still have to learn everyone's faces.

Cups, Veggies, and Puppets

Some thoughts about spring training so far...

• I guess the Twins and the Red Sox were serious about competing for the coveted Mayor's Cup. Both teams started what looked to be close approximations of their Opening Day lineups. They were tied 2-2 going into today's game. Unfortunately, the reigning World Champs will keep the Cup another year.


• Sounds like the Twins are thinking that their Opening Day starter shall be Livan, and a lot of folks beg to differ with the decision. Personally, I'm on the fence - kind of "meh". It's true he's not quite the Opening Day starter we had last year (what was his name? Jo...Joh...Johan something?). But he is a veteran, so he has the experience. And the best other option, Scott Baker, has an ouchie back. And besides, it's really only an honorary thing, and it's for only one game, after which the rest of the rotation will follow. If he can't handle facing other teams' aces, I'm sure Gardy will switch things around. I just wish we had a better veteran.


• All the media folks are running absolutely wild with the news that Pat Neshek decided to go vegan. I saw it on his website a few days ago, but coming from him, it didn't seem like that big of a deal. He made the change a couple months ago, and he says he feels healthier. He even admits that he'll probably eat meat again sometime. I think it's great that he's making changes; the important thing is that he's making thoughtful, conscious choices about his diet. However, it's no reason to get all crazy (startribune - seriously? Was it worth a note on the front page?) or cynical (Dan Barreiro - you think changing his diet is over-reacting?).

And now for something completely different...

Just for today, I'm stealing a page from Lipgloss & Baseball's M.O. and highlighting some cool music.

A very good friend of mine - one of the really good people in my life - is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for The Julie Puppets. They have a new CD, Codes & Signals, and I really like their sound. Be sure to check them out at the Fine Line on Fri, March 21^st at 8 p.m.