A Quick Nod and a Thanks

So the two preseason exhibition games at the brand-spanking-new Target Field were very exciting. I didn't make it down there, but I could certainly feel the buzz right through my TV. The pictures and accounts I've seen from the media and my friends have convinced me that it's amazing. I've been to enough ballparks to know this one is special -- I see shades of the best parts of them here. I'm especially impressed with the emphasis of the Twins branding while keeping the Target branding present, yet low-key. I'm really looking forward to going myself (I've got tickets for three games, and I'm working on more).

The games themselves were pretty thrilling -- for exhibition games, that is. Denard Span getting the first hit and dinger, Joe Mauer planting a baseball among the centerfield trees, and Jacque Jones receiving a number of surprise standing ovations made for some fantastic moments. Ironically, however, the real hero of the weekend is the old Metrodome itself. Really. Not only was its crappiness a driving force, a very significant one at that, behind the support for the new ballpark, but it also saved baseball in Minnesota.

In 2001, when Bud Selig and 28 team owners voted to contract the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos from Major League Baseball, it was the Metrodome, or rather the Twins' contract to lease it, that saved our beloved club. Hennepin County District Court Judge Harry Crump, who reportedly wasn't even really a baseball fan, granted the Metropolitan Sports Facility Commission an injunction to force the Twins to play the 2002 season, thereby forcing MLB to keep the teams. Whether the whole thing was elaborate conspiracy to ensure public funding for the new ballpark, or an ill-advised get-richer-quick scheme by Mr. Pohlad, it's immaterial when the baseball fans of Minnesota sit under the sky on a beautiful day watching a great game.

So next time you're on your way to beautiful Target Field, be sure to give a quick nod and a thanks to the old Dump Dome as you go by. I just know it's happy for us.

2010 Projections (a Debut)

With the season drawing near, Josh from Josh's Thoughts thought it would be fun for a bunch of bloggers to make predictions for the 2010 season so we would have a records to look back to at the end of the season. Problem is, I'm horrible at this kind of thing. So, I asked my older son if he wanted to take a stab at it. 

So, I proudly present the blogging debut of j-bro and his 2010 projections! (I'm so proud.)

Baseball Predictions for the 2010 season.

Hello… Well this is eldest son of k-bro, or j-bro I guess, filling in for my wonderful, beautiful, intelligent mom on her own blog. Apparently this prediction thing isn’t really her cup of tea so she asked her son, who can’t even get on the B honor roll, to write a segment about the Twins’ upcoming season for God knows how many people to see. Well here it goes.

Twins MVP:
Now this prediction is harder than you think. Yes, Justin Morneau will crank over 30 homeruns. Yes, Michael Cuddyer is actually one of the anchors of the lineup and everyone else plays better because of him. Yes, Joe Mauer is Ted Williams reincarnated as a catcher. All three of those gentlemen will have spectacular seasons, I’m sure, but, don’t yell at me, Denard Span will show everyone just how valuable he is this summer. Oh crap, I forgot we’re not writing bold predictions yet, oh well, hopefully this season Span will smack the ball down the line for a triple more often than lining one towards his mother.

Twins Top Pitcher:
Choosing the top pitcher is next to impossible because, I mean honestly, no one in our rotation is lights out. Now I love the consistency that Blackburn, Slowey, and Scott the Baker bring, but I also think that Francisco will be the most fun to watch, even though that ERA of his will be flirting with 5. When it comes down to it, consistency is what the ballclub and the fans will need. Twins top pitcher= Nick Blackbeard.

Twins Best Rookie:
This prediction isn’t even fair. How should I know? I’d imagine that Drew Butera would get the most at bats until Morales is healthy, and I think Anthony Swarzak has potential, but if you think about it Jim Thome, J.J. Hardy, and Orlando Hudson are all rookies to the Twins. So just to save myself from actually looking up stats I’ll tell you that the O-dog will be the best Twins rookie, so to speak.

Twins Most Improved Player:
If we are going to be realistic when predicting the most improved player on the Twins, then we all must be thinking about the same person. Now Nicky Punto could definitely improve but I doubt he’ll improve substantially, but of course we love him just the way he is. No, Delmon Young has slimmed down, bulked up, and he must have gotten a personality somewhere. As much as I’ve always doubted him, I think he will be most improved.

Bold Predictions:
Wasn’t I bold enough when I picked Denard for MVP and Delmon for Most Improved? All right, well, to humor you, I can think of some real bold ones.

• Pat Neshek’s filth will be as filthy as ever.
• Jose Mijares will be successful in saving ballgames.
• Liriano’s filth will be as filthy as ever.
• Booing A.J. at Target Field will still sound just as loud as when we booed him in the Dome.
• Someone will hit an inside the park homerun, I just don’t know who.

A.L. Central Predictions:
And I’m not just being a homer.

1. Minnesota
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Poor Cleveland

Three Keys to Success:
Let’s see how cliché I can get.

1. Stop it with the injuries! Nathan and Morales are enough for the entire season. I’ll keep knocking on wood the whole summer to make sure we win.
2. Pitching needs to be consistent. Our lineup will score the runs we need to win, so we don’t need a Johan-type performances this year. Just keep us in the game; that’s bullpen included.
3. Keep on truckin’. The Twins will do what they always do and get really hot in June and July, and completely die in August. Last year it worked itself out, but let’s try to win the division in only 162 games this year.

Nice work, j-bro. I really like the "Three Keys to Success" section. I hope I can con him into invite him to write again.

Looking Forward

So, Spring Training is winding down and Opening Day is so close I can almost smell it. And just in time too. I'm growing weary of these mean-nothing games and am so ready for ones that count. I'm looking forward to hearing Dick-N-Bert, being involved in every game, pulling my hair when things get tense, and yelling at the TV. And with the recent warm weather, and the lure of the new ballpark, I can hardly contain my excitement. Eventually, I'll make it to the ballpark, and I'm looking forward to going. But mostly, I'm looking forward to a great season. Forgive me for being cliché, but I like our chances.

I feel confident about our starting rotation; they've all impressed me during Spring Training, with each of them having only one rocky outing. They're healthy and ready, and I'm looking forward to watching them. I'm glad that Liriano took that 5th spot in the rotation; he deserved it, and I honestly feel that he'll have better success than Perkins or Duensing -- at least for now.

The bullpen is a little more iffy, but it's no reason for concern. The Twins announced that they'll go with a "closer by committee" approach. That's fine, for a while. I think they'll take a month or so to figure it out and see who shines in the role. If no one does, then they can make a trade. The middle-inning relievers will be fine, but I would kindly request that Clay Condrey get better at pitching ASAP.

I expect the offense to be improved over last year. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Hardy, Hudson, and Thome can do. And I'm especially looking forward to watching the Hardy-to-Hudson-to-Morneau double-play combo.

The so-called experts are expecting the Twins to do well too, but it won't be easy as the Tigers and White Sox are expected to be competitive as well. It'll be a battle for another division title, but it'll be fun. Usually I worry when everyone expects a lot out of the Twins, they usually tend to do better when no one's looking, but I don't buy it this time. This is the year!

So, enough of this Spring Training stuff already. I'm really looking forward to Monday when it's for real.

Mark Your Calendars:
Speaking of looking forward, keep these in mind...

• Friday, April 2 -- Predictions Day: Josh of Josh's Thoughts has called Friday "Predictions Day". He wants to see what our predictions for the upcoming season will be as far as Twins performance, standings, and success, as well as baseball-wide predictions. I hope to have a nice surprise for you on this -- the operative word being "hope." I'm not sure; no promises.
• Friday, April 2 -- Free Pat Neshek Day: Thrylos98 of Tenth Inning Stretch has also called Friday "Free Pat Neshek Day". He wants to know our thoughts about giving Pat the closer job straight up rather than go through committee. I may have a few words on this topic; we'll see if that Predictions Day thing I had planned pans out.
• Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3 -- Exhibition Games at Target Field: Ok, no, I do not have plans to attend these, as much as I wish I could. There are still tickets available, but they're the expensive ones, and now's not a good time financially (stuff all around my house is breaking down and needing replacing -- don't you hate that?). I fully expect great pictures and stories from all you who do go.
• Saturday, April 10 -- TwinsCentric Viewing Party II: Another great viewing party is planned at Major's in Blaine starting at noon. I'm planning on being there. I really hope to see everyone there. It'll be fun.

Short Notes - Mar. 25

Target Field and the Curious Marketing Ploy
This past weekend, many folks got to tour Target Field. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them, but I really enjoyed looking at everyone's pictures on Facebook and other places on the web. Everyone is raving about it. One of my co-workers went, and she showed me some fantastic pictures too. And she brought me a copy of the Target Field Fan Guide (she's so thoughtful). The guide is very informative, and I'm grateful she gave it to me. When I turned it to the back side, I wasn't surprised to see an ad for Target. They want you to go to Target to pick up all the things you need for a trip to ballpark: sunblock, sunglasses, cap, sunflower seeds, mitt.... But, wait a sec...what is that?

Do NOT tell me they're advocating you bring a beach ball to the baseball game. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Target. I'd totally go there to pick up sunblock, a cap, or flip flops on my way to the game. But, I'm morally opposed to beach balls at baseball games. I hate, hate, hate beach balls at baseball games. In fact, I even started a Facebook group about it. But, the funny thing is, it's not just me who wants to ban beach balls from baseball games; Target Field itself wants to ban beach balls from baseball games. It says so right on page 10 of the very same Fan Guide.

A classic case of the Marketing Department refusing to communicate with other departments. Trust me, I know what that's all about.

Really, Glen Perkins?
So Glen Perkins will miss a few days because he hurt his back...by lifting weights. Seriously? That just sounds like an out-of-shape-fat-guy thing to do. What's next? Miss five games because he stubbed his toe? Does he even want to pitch?

Bubble Guy
Every spring, I like to select one guy who I hope makes the roster, but who probably won't, so I root for him along the way. Because he's on the bubble between the majors and AAA, I call him my bubble guy. And this year's bubble guy is ... pitcher Anthony Slama. He's pitched well, raising some eyebrows, making waves in the "who's the closer" conversation. But the selling point is ... check out this picture from the Knuckleballs blog (a blog that, if you haven't checked out yet, you should):

Photo from JimCrikket of Knuckleballs

Look at that! Old-school stirrups! How sweet is that?
Now go visit that blog and check out the rest of the Spring Training pictures and other good stuff.

Speaking of Blogs You Should Read 
I've reorganized my blogroll on the sidebar again. I've added all 64 other Twins blogs that were included on the Newsbobber blog list. To keep it manageable, it only lists the 25 most-recently updated blogs. So check it out often.

Fantasy Baseball
This year, I joined a bunch of other Twins bloggers in a fantasy baseball league. I had the third overall pick, and selected Marlins' shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Then I picked CC Sabathia, Ichiro, and Johan Santana. Then I kind of started drafting poorly. I was distracted by making that ridiculous Joe's World photoshop and helping my kids with their homework during the draft (which kind of explains why that photoshop turned out so crappy, but let me tell you, it's not easy fitting Bill Smith's, um..., large-ish head onto Dana Carvey's slim face). In fact, I was darned lucky to even get a regular catcher, because I kind of forgot about filling that position until late. Luckily, Cardinals' Yadier Molina was still available. Coincidentally, my back up catcher is his brother, Giants' Bengie Molina. I've also got the all-important DL slot filled by drafting the Mets' outfielder Carlos Beltran -- everyone's hoping he'll be good to go by late April.

I don't really expect much. I'm not really a great fantasy baseball mind. My aversion to stats and research kind of handicaps me at such things. But, I'll do my best and have fun. Besides, it's no wonder I don't expect to do well; just look at these great baseball minds I'm playing against:

Andrew Kneeland: Twins Target

Brian Pietrzak: BP's Baseball Blog

Emily Jipp: Chatter From the Cheap Seats

Eric Johnson: Undomed

Eric Olson: Call to the 'Pen

Erin M: Picked Off At First

Josh Johnson: Josh's Thoughts

Louie Schuth: Hitting the Eephus

Shawn Berg: On the Road With...

Topper Anton: Curve for a Strike

Thrylos98: The Tenth Inning Stretch

Oh, the name of my team is the "Three Finger Mordecai Browns," named after Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, a Cubs pitcher from the early 1900s. He lost a significant portion of his index finger in a childhood accident, and many of his opponents claimed that his curveball was aided by that. To this day, the Cubs have not won a World Series in which he didn't appear.

More Recommended Reading

In addition to the Twins blogs, I've run across some gems:

An Indian's fan tells us how he really feels about the Joe Mauer signing. Actually, it's very nicely done -- so much so, that it almost makes me want to be an Indians fan. Ok, not really, but it's still good.

Some Yankee fans are worried about Joe Mauer's signing. Great satire.

Sarah explains how adorableness counts as a legit baseball stat. This is the same Sarah from Oh, It's THOSE Girls, and I swear, she knows exactly how I think and feel about baseball, but she's much more articulate and entertaining about it.

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.

Joe's World, Party On, Excellent!

Yeah, it's party time in Twins Territory. It's done!

The Case For Letting Joe Nathan and His Arm Wait

Many of my friends and acquaintances are wondering why Joe Nathan and the Twins organization are waiting so long since they discovered his UCL injury to decide whether he should undergo Tommy John surgery. He's planning on testing his arm sometime soon to see if he can continue pitching through the pain or if there's no alternative but to have the procedure. Unfortunately, the collective gut feeling is that he won't be able avoid going under the knife. Many fans, myself included, believe that he should have it done so we still have a chance to see him in 2011.

It turns out the injury may not be as significant as originally reported; there's still a slim chance that he'll be able pitch in 2010. It's all about whether he can grit through the pain. If he goes that route, there's a risk that he just wont be very effective. Plus, he'll always be sore and may not be able to go on consecutive days. And then, there's an even bigger risk that he'll blow the ligament completely sometime down the road when it's too late to satisfactorily fill the void.

Now, there are plenty of fans who want to immediately ship him off and get him fixed. However, we need to stop thinking about him as merely an asset to the team -- nothing more than a machine -- and start thinking about him as a human. He's a guy with a sore arm who has a difficult decision to make, one that will affect every aspect of his life for the next year-plus. Damned if he does; damned if he doesn't. Either option is pretty crappy, and I'm sure he's pissed he even has to decide.

He's doing the Twins a favor by trying to get them an answer in a two-week time frame. I'm certain he would like several more weeks to allow it to heal more. And I don't blame him a bit for being hesitant to immediately decide. He's doing everything possible to avoid having this surgery. And he should. This is a procedure that not only takes away his livelihood for over a year, but also puts a serious dent in his quality of life for awhile.

Surgery is risky. Anytime someone goes under general anesthesia, there's a risk of dangerous and permanent complications. Reconstructive surgery includes the extra hazard of being difficult to recover from. And that's assuming all goes as planned. If he's a slow healer, if he doesn't respond well to pain medications, or if he contracts an infection, recovery will be even worse.

After surgery, the road from not even being able to make a sandwich to throwing a fastball again is long and difficult. In fact, the whole following year will be absolute hell. It will not only be physical hell, with awful pain and the inability to even use his arm, but it will also be emotional hell. He'll be mad and frustrated, angry that it happened, disappointed that it's taking so long, helpless, hopeless, lonely, and depressed, all while the team has moved on without him.There will be crushed optimism and setbacks -- more than once. And, every step of the way, he'll second guess himself. After all that, there's a very good chance he'll never be the pitcher he was. Just because others come back, it doesn't mean necessarily mean he will. Healing at 35 is much different than healing at 25. He'd get through it, but, trust me, he doesn't want to.

I expect he knows about the hell that is recovery. He's a smart guy; he's asked around and done his research. He wants to do everything he can to avoid this, so he's taking his time and figuring out what's best. Either way, it sucks, and the route that sucks less isn't readily apparent.

However, don't think for a second that the Twins are handcuffed by this delay. They certainly want what's best for him, and they can't rush him much, but they're also not sitting on their hands. They have roadmaps drawn for plans B, C, D, E and probably F and G.

So, give him time. He needs to figure this out. Two extra weeks in a 50 - 70 week recovery is nothing. And, regardless of which route he chooses, he'll need all the positive vibes from fans he can get.