Another NCAA Tournament is almost over with my bracket in shreds, so just as naturally as girls starting to wear tank tops and short shorts my thoughts turn to baseball and those beloved sucks the Twins. After last year's nightmare, can they compete this year in the Central? The best way to know is to know your opponents, so here's what each of the AL Central squads did this offseason to change things up.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Adds: OF Kosuke Fukudome, 1b Dan Johnson, RP Eric Stults
Deletes: SP Mark Buehrle, RP Jason Frasor, OF Juan Pierre, OF Carlos Quentin, IF Omar Vizquel, RP Sergio Santos
The most confusing team in the division and, barring significant injuries to the others, probably the worst, the White Sox are pretty clearly in rebuilding mode this year. Except when they aren't, like when they traded Santos, a young (28), near dominant closer (1.11 WHIP, 13 K/9ip, 30 saves), coming off a career year who is signed to a reasonable contract with club options through 2017. They did get a decent prospect in return but there's no guarantee he ends up even close to what Santos already gives you. A puzzling move, but a clear sign that the Sox are full on rebuilding. At some point this season the fire sale will likely begin with Paul Konerko, Gavin Floyd, and Jesse Crain all likely to go. They'd love to jettison Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and Jake Peavy as well, but it's going to be a bitch trying to find somebody to take any of those contracts.
There are some good pieces to build upon here with 3b Brett Morel poised for a possible breakout season along with converted reliever Chris Sale who has absolutely filthy stuff and will try his hand in the rotation this year. There are also a couple youngsters who will get first crack at starting in the outfield in Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro de Aza, but they better hope they're able to get a nice haul when they start trading players off because their farm system is in a complete shambles and they've got way too much money committed to way too many shitty players. This could be the first in a long losing streak for the Sox, and I hope so because these assholes deserve it.
CLEVELAND INDIANSAdds: RP Jeremy Accardo, 1b Casey Kotchman, 3b Andy LaRoche, OF Fred Lewis, SP Derek Lowe, RP Chris Ray, OF Felix Pie, OF Ryan Spillborghs, RP Dan Wheeler, RP Robinson Tejeda, SP Kevin Slowey
Deletes: OF Travis Buck, OF Kosuke Fukudome, RP Chad Durbin, IF Adam Everett, RP Justin Germano, OF Austin Kearns, DH Jim Thome
I'm a big fan of what the Indians have done this year - of course I'd be an even bigger fan if Fausto Carmona wasn't in legal trouble and Grady Sizemore wasn't hurt for the 19th year in a row - but they've done some really nice things. You'll notice they lost a lot of players from last year's roster, but you'll also notice they all suck outside of Thome, and if you take a look at what they're bringing in that's a really interesting group with a lot of upside. Accardo, Ray, and Wheeler were all elite relievers at one point, and Spillborghs and Pie can help fill in for Sizemore, but the biggest prizes were Kotchman (who will start immediately) and Lowe (who becomes their #3 starter).
The most exciting part about the Indians is they have a chance to have the best young infield in all of baseball. SS Asdrubel Cabrera is already elite and 2b Jason Kipnis and 3b Lonnie Chisenhall both sound like wieners but both have a chance to reach that tier as well, and C Carlos Santana is already one of the best baseball hitters in the game. The guy really mucking things up is Matt LaPorta, who was the centerpiece of the package the Indians got from Milwaukee when they traded C.C. Sabathia, but instead of being a stud he's been a big time dud, failing to hit over .255 in any season with very little power. Basically he's Joe Mauer without the batting average. Or Nick Punto without the speed or fielding. Real valuable player, is what I'm trying to say.
DETROIT TIGERS
Adds: 1b Prince Fielder, RP Octavio Dotel, C Gerald Laird
Deletes: 3b Wilson Betemit, 2b Carlos Guillen, OF Magglio Ordonez, SP Brad Penny, RP Ryan Perry, 2b Will Rhymes, RP Joel Zumaya
They didn't add much, but they added a ton at the same time. You know about Fielder, and say what you want about the defense taking a hit with Miguel Cabrera back at the hot corner, but that is one hell of a 1-2 punch in the lineup. That signing will get most of the press, but don't forget about Dotel. He's been an elite level set-up guy for nearly a decade now and last season might have been his career best. He's going to be the 7th inning guy next year, which means at the end of games (at least ones Verlander doesn't pitch) you'll be looking at Dotel (0.98 WHIP), Joaquin Benoit (1.05), and Jose Valverde (49-49 saves last year). Shortened game indeed.
If you're looking for negatives, go ahead and latch on to the fact that one popular theory is that pitching and defense win championships, and that's where the Tigers have big questions. Behind Verlander the rotation is a bunch of question marks (and there's no way Fister is that good again) and as long as Jacob Turner doesn't become a stud (and he might) there will be questions all season. Plus of the 9 projected starters (assuming Fielder, Cabrera, and Delmoney all share time at DH) only Austin Jackson would be considered anything other than a terrible fielder (although Ryan Raburn is a good outfielder, he's slated to play 2b this year lololol). So go ahead and latch on to that hope. Although you're only kidding yourself because the Tigers will probably have this wrapped up by September 1.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Adds: SS Yuniesky Betancourt, RP Jonathan Broxton, 3b Kevin Kouzmanoff, RP Jose Mijares, SP Jonathan Sanchez
Deletes: OF Melky Cabrera, SP Jeff Francis, C Jason Kendall, RP Robinson Tejada
Well here we go. This is where the Royals start to make their move. All of the talk about their incredible minor league system and all the young talent they have starts to prove itself this year. They've transferred most of it to the majors, and Billy Butler, Alex Gordon (finally), Alcides Escobar, and Eric Hosmer have proven themselves ready to go, while Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Johnny Giavotella, and Salvador Perez are now in the majors and will get their shot to stick. To compliment them KC is making the right moves, trading expendable parts (Melky Cabrera) to upgrade the starting pitching (Sanchez) and signing smart veterans to back-up the youngsters and add depth (Betancourt, Kouzmanoff) and upgrade an already promising bullpen (Mijares, Broxton).
That being said, they still aren't there yet but that's ok. The starting pitching is still pretty poor at this point but help is still on the way (two top 5 prospects in the system could hit the bigs this year), and there are still a few more position players who aren't there yet but should be soon. So although the Royals won't contend for the AL Central crown this year, they should take a nice step forward and be right around .500 if everything is going according to plan. If not, all the idiots like Snacks can go ahead and put a notch in their belt, because the whole "it's still the Royals" and "potential doesn't win games" and "we've been hearing about the Royals' talent for years" arguments are actually valid. And I'd really hate for this to be true because I loathe stupidity.
MINNESOTA TWINS
Adds: RP Jason Bulger, 3b Sean Burroughs, RP Jared Burton, IF Jayme Carroll, C Ryan Doumit, SP Jason Marquis, C J.R. Towles, OF Josh Willingham
Deletes: OF Michael Cuddyer, OF Jason Kubel, RP Jose Mijares, RP Joe Nathan, OF Jason Repko, IF Matt Tolbert
The Twins lose more than anybody else in the division off last year's team with several main contributors from the good teams of the last few years taking off (including my favorite player ever Jason Kubel and my fake favorite player ever in Jason Repko) and that clearly shows they've recognized a need to rebuild and start over after last year's 99 loss debacle. Problem. You can't rebuild when you owe eleventy billion dollars to two guys who hardly ever play.
Really, we can analyze the signings to death, but everything is dependent on the health of Mauer and Morneau. I mean, I like the Willingham signing, love the Doumit signing, and hate both the Capps and Marquis deals, but even if those all end up being home runs the team's going nowhere without Morneau and Mauer. Say what you want about Parmelee (and I liked what I saw) in order to contend for the division they need Morneau. Although even that might not even matter when you can't upgrade a pretty horrendous group of starting pitchers. Marquis and Blackburn are going to get whacked around all year, Baker can't stay healthy, and I'm starting to think it's a bit of a fool's errand waiting for Liriano to put it all together - again. Pavano is the only worthwhile one. What the Twins need more than anything is to blow it up and start over, but they've hamstrung themselves and are now stuck in limbo. Hurry, Miguel Sano. Hurry.
Showing posts with label Indians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indians. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, August 1, 2011
Monday Musings (Trade deadline talk, Royals, Seahawks, AL ROY, Sharks)
I guess the good news is the Twins didn't do anything stupid at the trade deadline. Then again, their inability to realize they should have been sellers, not buyers and not do-nothingers, probably cost them a little bit in the prospect department as there were reports that teams were sniffing around Kubel, Cuddyer, Thome, and Slowey, all of whom could fetch value and should have been traded along with Pavano, Capps, and Nathan if possible. Of course, the two moves the Twins came closest to making were Span to the Nationals for a couple relievers and Slowey to the Rockies for either a mediocre and old reliever or a mediocre and old infielder, both of which would have been disasters, so maybe not doing anything is like winning due to apathy. Or something. Anyway, here are your trades that mattered in the AL Central, for your reference:
Pomeranz is probably the best arm in their system with a decent shot at becoming a legitimate ace, and if he's not the best arm in the system that honor probably goes to White, who profiles as a #4 type inning eater starter at worst. The other pitcher they gave up, Joe Gardner, ranks as a top 10 prospect in their system on basically every list, and McBride has a pretty solid bat. Basically the Rockies got an absolute haul for a pitcher who has been every bit as uneven this year as he was dominant last year. In order to make this trade not a complete disaster for the Indians he'll need to regain his ace form and push them into the playoffs, but based on his subpar second half last year and this year, it's unlikely. Great job, dummies.
So, whatever. The Tigers and Indians went for it in a big way that could totally backfire, the White Sox stood mostly pat but built for the future, the Royals build a little more organizational depth but didn't make any big moves (like trading Soria, Cabrera, or Francoeur), and the Twins stuck their collective thumb up their collective ass and were too confused to do anything at all.
Other things going down:
- Since we're talking about the Royals and I love them more than life itself have you guys noticed Billy Butler lately? He's gotten hits in 13 of his last 14 games, which includes five home runs in the last week, bringing him up to 12 on the year. Guy is just nails. He's going to give you a .300/.360/.450 line every year with 15 homers and 40 doubles. And in case you missed it (I did) the Royals signed him to an extension through 2014 (team option 2015) so it looks like he's the DH of the future, which also means that Kila Ka'aihue is pretty much shit out of luck since Hosmer has turned out to be the next George Brett is Brett played first or Hosmer played third. If I'm the Twins, or several other teams, I'm looking to figure out a way to get Kila on my team. Guy's basically an Adam Dunn clone but with a fancier name and the Royals don't seem to realize it.
- If you will allow me one more indulgence of writing about someone I like who you probably don't care about, have you noticed what Desmond Jennings' of the Rays is doing since he was called up? Before an 0-11 skid in his last three games he had multiple hits in 6 of 7 games and overall has put up a line of .333/.463/.576 with five steals, almost half of his hits for extra-bases, and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. And that OPS of 1.039 would be behind only Jose Bautista in all the majors. Why do I point all this out? Mainly because I picked him as AL Rookie-of-the-Year. His call up may have happened to late, but it kind of looks like I'm a genius. Again.
- NARD-DAWG!!
- Looking at the NFL, can anybody inform to me what the hell the Seahwaks are doing? I suppose this is one way to build your team, but to me it seems more in the David Kahn team building mode rather than the build a championship mode. First you address your quarterback need by signing both Tavaris Jackson and Matt Leinart, which says "hey we don't really have a lot of money or a real plan, so we're going to grab a couple of bargain basement QBs with some upside and hope one of them works out." Then they throw waaaay too much money at Sidney Rice in a move that says "we have way too much money so let's give it to an overrated receiver who had one good year because he had the perfect QB for his talents and was terrible with every other QB including the guy we just signed." Finally they signed o-lineman Robert Gallery in a move that says "we know this is high risk high reward but we are just one piece away from being good" even though they're not. So confusing, especially since Marshawn Lynch is still their only running back. Needless to say, I took the under on their team total wins of .
- So Randy Moss retired, which I guess is a pretty big deal in the Football. I'd call him the best receiver I've ever seen play. Jerry Rice put up better stats and, unlike Brett Favre and Pete Rose, was far more than just a compiler and the second best receiver I ever saw, but Moss blows him away. I have two very distinct memories of him that immediately spring to mind - the Monday night game against Green Bay and the Thanksgiving game against Dallas.
The Monday night game I remember because I was in college and we were watching the game with a Green Bay fan (Hi WSCT-QB) and I remember by the second quarter he basically decided he was done with the game and proceeded to pound beers at a 2-1 rate to the rest of us. The Dallas game I remember because Moss was just ridiculous, including a touchdown where the safety had the angle on him to the sideline, he put one move on, and somehow raced down the sideline blowing right past the Dallas guy - it was just amazing and his third TD of the game. I was at the future Mrs. W's parents place for the day and basically made a fool of myself in front of my girlfriend's family celebrating, especially because her family wasn't exactly into the sports. But I could help it. It was incredible. He was amazing to watch and in a way he saved Viking football. I'll always love him. JUNGLE FEVER!
- As a commenter pointed out in the comments, which is where a commenter would naturally be found, it's Shark Week and I'm pleased to say I believe they fixed it. The last few years Shark Week has kind of pissed me off for two reasons:
- I sent this out via the Twitter as well, but check out this little article from The Onion on your precious Twins: http://bit.ly/pOrsYu
- Finally, Dustin Ackley is a complete pimp. Also Angie Harmon is still pretty hot. Is she still with that white cornerback guy?
What an incredible body. He must work out.
- WHITE SOX: Acquired RP Jason Frasor and SP Zach Stewart from the Jays for SP Edwin Jackson and IF Mark Teahen. Do you find it a bit curious the Sox would trade Edwin Jackson, especially since he's having a pretty good year this year and gives them five capable starting pitchers, when they are 3 games out of first in a crappy division? Well it wasn't to get Frasor, who is a top notch reliever but they already have a good bullpen. The real center piece for them is Stewart, who was one of the top 5 prospects in the Jays system. He didn't fare too well in his three big league starts this year, but he was making the jump from double-A. He's a flamethrower who has struck out more than a batter an inning in the minors, and if he can cut down on the hits allowed he could be a potential top of the rotation starter. Even if he can't hack that with his stuff he could be a very good bullpen arm. As a fan of an AL Central team I dislike this trade immensely.
- INDIANS: Acquired OF Kosuke Fukudome from the Cubs for P Carlton Smith and OF Abner Abreu; Acquired P Ubaldo Jimenez for P Drew Pomeranz, C/OF/1b Matt McBride, P Alex White, P Joseph Gardner; traded IF Orlando Cabrera to the Giants for OF Thomas Neal. The Cabrera trade was a no-brainer since they've basically committed to Jason Kipnis at second these days and they got a pretty good prospect back in Neal, but that's about the only good move they made. The Fukudome trade makes no sense because he's not really any better than what they already have in the outfield and is a mediocre hitter with no power and a subpar outfielder, and Abner has a shot to be as starting outfielder someday (although Smith is probably a straight bust.)
Pomeranz is probably the best arm in their system with a decent shot at becoming a legitimate ace, and if he's not the best arm in the system that honor probably goes to White, who profiles as a #4 type inning eater starter at worst. The other pitcher they gave up, Joe Gardner, ranks as a top 10 prospect in their system on basically every list, and McBride has a pretty solid bat. Basically the Rockies got an absolute haul for a pitcher who has been every bit as uneven this year as he was dominant last year. In order to make this trade not a complete disaster for the Indians he'll need to regain his ace form and push them into the playoffs, but based on his subpar second half last year and this year, it's unlikely. Great job, dummies.
- TIGERS: Acquired SP Doug Fister and RP David Pauley from the Mariners for 3b Francisco Martinez, P Charlie Furbush, OF Casper Wells, and a player to be named; acquired IF Wilson Betemit from the Royals for P Antonio Cruz and C Julio Rodriguez. Detroit gave up a huge haul to acquire Fister (Fister? I hardly know 'er!) who is a decent middle of the rotation pitcher but is certainly nothing special and not a difference maker. Wells has already proven himself to be an adequate 3rd/4th outfielder type, Furbush will be a back of the rotation starter or decent middle reliever, and Martinez is a very toolsy type. Basically they gave up three top-20 prospects for Fister and a non-descript middle reliver. If that wasn't enough, however, it's believed that the player to be named is either 3b Nick Castellanos (#2 prospect in the system), SP Chance Ruffin (#7), or SP Drew Smyly (#9). At least Cleveland gave up way too much to get a guy who has difference making potential. Detroit gave up way too much to get Nick Blackburn with better stats due to playing in a pitcher's park. And the Betemit trade is so meaningless I'm not even going to bother.
- ROYALS: Acquired the two dudes above for Betemit; traded IF Mike Aviles to the Red Sox for IF/OF Yamaico Navarro and RP Kendall Volz. I'm a little surprised they traded Aviles because I always figured he was in their future plans, but I suppose he's a decent middle infielder with a decent bat so he's pretty expendable, especially since they have Escobar basically entrenched at SS for the next a whole lot of years. Giving him up to grab some upside in Navarro (#15 prospect in Boston's system) and an A-ball arm who strikes out more than a batter per inning is probably worth it. The two guys the Tigers gave up to get Betemit are system filler, which is probably still too much to trade for Betemit.
- TWINS: Not a goddamn thing
So, whatever. The Tigers and Indians went for it in a big way that could totally backfire, the White Sox stood mostly pat but built for the future, the Royals build a little more organizational depth but didn't make any big moves (like trading Soria, Cabrera, or Francoeur), and the Twins stuck their collective thumb up their collective ass and were too confused to do anything at all.
Other things going down:
- Since we're talking about the Royals and I love them more than life itself have you guys noticed Billy Butler lately? He's gotten hits in 13 of his last 14 games, which includes five home runs in the last week, bringing him up to 12 on the year. Guy is just nails. He's going to give you a .300/.360/.450 line every year with 15 homers and 40 doubles. And in case you missed it (I did) the Royals signed him to an extension through 2014 (team option 2015) so it looks like he's the DH of the future, which also means that Kila Ka'aihue is pretty much shit out of luck since Hosmer has turned out to be the next George Brett is Brett played first or Hosmer played third. If I'm the Twins, or several other teams, I'm looking to figure out a way to get Kila on my team. Guy's basically an Adam Dunn clone but with a fancier name and the Royals don't seem to realize it.
- If you will allow me one more indulgence of writing about someone I like who you probably don't care about, have you noticed what Desmond Jennings' of the Rays is doing since he was called up? Before an 0-11 skid in his last three games he had multiple hits in 6 of 7 games and overall has put up a line of .333/.463/.576 with five steals, almost half of his hits for extra-bases, and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. And that OPS of 1.039 would be behind only Jose Bautista in all the majors. Why do I point all this out? Mainly because I picked him as AL Rookie-of-the-Year. His call up may have happened to late, but it kind of looks like I'm a genius. Again.
- NARD-DAWG!!
- Looking at the NFL, can anybody inform to me what the hell the Seahwaks are doing? I suppose this is one way to build your team, but to me it seems more in the David Kahn team building mode rather than the build a championship mode. First you address your quarterback need by signing both Tavaris Jackson and Matt Leinart, which says "hey we don't really have a lot of money or a real plan, so we're going to grab a couple of bargain basement QBs with some upside and hope one of them works out." Then they throw waaaay too much money at Sidney Rice in a move that says "we have way too much money so let's give it to an overrated receiver who had one good year because he had the perfect QB for his talents and was terrible with every other QB including the guy we just signed." Finally they signed o-lineman Robert Gallery in a move that says "we know this is high risk high reward but we are just one piece away from being good" even though they're not. So confusing, especially since Marshawn Lynch is still their only running back. Needless to say, I took the under on their team total wins of .
- So Randy Moss retired, which I guess is a pretty big deal in the Football. I'd call him the best receiver I've ever seen play. Jerry Rice put up better stats and, unlike Brett Favre and Pete Rose, was far more than just a compiler and the second best receiver I ever saw, but Moss blows him away. I have two very distinct memories of him that immediately spring to mind - the Monday night game against Green Bay and the Thanksgiving game against Dallas.
The Monday night game I remember because I was in college and we were watching the game with a Green Bay fan (Hi WSCT-QB) and I remember by the second quarter he basically decided he was done with the game and proceeded to pound beers at a 2-1 rate to the rest of us. The Dallas game I remember because Moss was just ridiculous, including a touchdown where the safety had the angle on him to the sideline, he put one move on, and somehow raced down the sideline blowing right past the Dallas guy - it was just amazing and his third TD of the game. I was at the future Mrs. W's parents place for the day and basically made a fool of myself in front of my girlfriend's family celebrating, especially because her family wasn't exactly into the sports. But I could help it. It was incredible. He was amazing to watch and in a way he saved Viking football. I'll always love him. JUNGLE FEVER!
- As a commenter pointed out in the comments, which is where a commenter would naturally be found, it's Shark Week and I'm pleased to say I believe they fixed it. The last few years Shark Week has kind of pissed me off for two reasons:
- Not enough shows. Basically the shark stuff was on from 8-10 each night and replayed from 10-12, but that was the extent of shark week. And then the weekend was just replays from the previous shows that week, so really you were only getting 10 hours of shark programming each shark week.
- Forcing their other programming into Shark Week. A big chunk of the "new programming" each year was becoming Discovery taking their existing shows (Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, etc.) and shoehorning Shark themes into. Gay. Just show some sweet shark footage and get the hell out of the way.
- I sent this out via the Twitter as well, but check out this little article from The Onion on your precious Twins: http://bit.ly/pOrsYu
- Finally, Dustin Ackley is a complete pimp. Also Angie Harmon is still pretty hot. Is she still with that white cornerback guy?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Weekend Review - 10/26/2009
I'm going to avoid talkinmg about the Vikes I think, just because you could come up with five things that were awesome and five things that sucked just from that game without even trying. AP is ridiculously good and Childress is still an idiot. Seriously, you're going to pass twice from the 1-yard line and then kick an 18 yard field goal when you have the best back in football? Arg. But, it's an AFC/NFC game, and I didn't really expect the Vikes to win in the first place, so I'm not too worried about it. There are plenty of other things to talk about.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. The Twins. Season's over, but the Twins manage to get in here thanks to their actually spending some money and dipping into the foreign player market. In case you missed it, and most people did thanks to the miracle comeback and subsequent sweep, Bill Smith went out and signed Miguel Angel Sano, who, according to that article from ESPN, is considered by many to be the top teenage prospect in Latin America (he claims he's 16, but it's Latin America so he could be anywhere from 14 to 30). He's a shortstop who is already 6-3, 200 lbs, so odds are he will end up being moved to third or the outfield, but apparently his bat is good enough for that not to matter. The Twins coughed up $3.15 million for a bonus to sign Sano, which is the second most ever given to a Dominican player and a veritable fortune for the Twins. For more on Sano, as well as the Twins other aggressive moves this offseason you may have missed, check out this post by the Jesus of Twins bloggers, Aaron Gleeman.
2. A-Rod. I wrote this here before, but I'll say it again - I'm incredibly happy A-Rod is having the postseason he is, because now idiots may finally start appreciating maybe the best right handed hitter in history. I won't get into a whole big argument here, maybe I'll save that for another post sometime, but he's definitely in the conversation, yet all the morons in the media and idiot fans can ever talk about is his "postseason choking" - now they won't have that to fall back on. After going 2-2 last night (with 3 walks), A-Rod has a hit in every single game this postseason, with an RBI in every game except one and a total line of .438/.538/.969. Just an incredible run, and if that's not enough to shut up the morons, I don't know what to tell you.
3. TCU. Both BYU and Boise State had claims to being the best non-BCS conference team in the country at different points this season, but after Saturday's 38-7 shellacking that the Horned Frogs put on BYU, they're looking like the best bet to break up the BCS party. Not only did they smoke the Cougars, but they did it in Provo, and did it by shutting down a very good QB in BYU's Max Hall, who threw for just 162 yards on 18-28 passing. I haven't had a chance to actually watch TCU this year, so I don't know if they can hang with Florida or Alabama, but this win is a pretty compelling argument, as is their early season win over Clemson. At 7-0 and with easy games left outside of a November 14th match up against Utah, they should be looking at a BCS bowl.
4. The Colts and the Saints. Both remained undefeated, and both showed why they are the favorites to make it to the Super Bowl, although they did it in very different ways. The Colts just came out and stomped the piss out of the far inferior Ram, jumping out to a quick 14-3 lead on the way to a 42-6 win in which Peyton Manning barely had to break a sweat, while Marc Bulger continued to spiral down the drain. The Saints had a rougher go, falling behind 24-3 to the Dolphins and looking lost, before a Miami fumble with time winding down in the first half changed their fortunes. The Saints scored with five seconds remaining in the half, and used that as a springboard to a huge second half where they outscored Miami 26-10 and ended up winning 46-34, thanks to Drew Brees bouncing back from a horible start and leading them on three consecutive scoring drives of over 60 yards in the second. If it does end up being these two in the Super Bowl, and it looks like there's a good chance it will, we might be looking at the highest scoring Super Bowl ever. I'm thinking like, 55-52. Sweet.
5. Ryan Anderson. White boy can ball folks. I loved Anderson at Cal, but wasn't really sure how his game would translate to the NBA, but after catching part of the Magic's preseason game on Friday night, I'm sold. It was a rare chance for me to get to the bar, and they happened to have the game on for a little while before they felt the need to change every single TV in the place to the shitty Gopher hockey game, and he's not only good, but he's aggressive. In like six minutes of play he took 4 or 5 shots, inside and outside, and hit a couple of deep threes and got a put back or two. Checking the preseason stats, he's averaged 14 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 49% overall and 56% from three. He was decent with the Nets last year, but no where near this good. Everybody thought Vince Carter was the jewel of that trade, but the "throw-in" of Anderson might end up being the most significant part of that deal (which I already mentioned somewhere on this blog after the trade was made).
WHO SUCKED
1. Gopher football. I know I am hard on Gopher football when I accidentally pay attention to it, but jeezum was that awful. Following up a 20-0 loss to Penn State with a 38-7 shellacking by Ohio State in a game that wasn't even that close is a good way to lose your fan base, and plant your coach firmly on the hot seat. And yes, I understand those are two of the top teams in the conference, but let's not get carried away here. Ohio State lost to Purdue and Penn State struggled with Illinois - we aren't talking Florida here. Sadly, they will beat South Dakota State and either Michigan State or Illinois, win six games, and go to a crappy bowl and some fans will point to this as a successful season. At this point, the only way you could consider this successful is if they run the table, including a win over Iowa, or they win three games with MarQueis Gray at quarterback. And after his performance Saturday (5-6 passing and the only TD, 81 rushing yards) it's stime to hand over the keys and see what he can do in a full game. As Buck Bravo wrote over at the Daily Gopher, "Adam Weber's accuracy, decision-making, footwork, ability to recognize defensive schemes, and confidence have regressed." Couldn't have said it better myself. Go with Gray - at the very least he's exciting to watch.
2. Illinois. Speaking of Illinois, do you realize how god awful this team is? I didn't. And I have no idea what happened. In 2007, they were the hot young team, who went 9-4, including a huge win over Ohio State, and ended up going to the Rose Bowl (where they were stomped by USC). Sophomore QB Juice Williams looked like he had taken the next step in his development, and was going to lead Illinois football back to national prominence. 2008 started ok, but was a bit disappointing. With three weeks to play, Illinois was 5-4 with two very winnable games left against Northwestern and Western Michigan, needing just one win to get to a bowl, a disappointing bowl, but a bowl nonetheless. Instead the Illini dropped all three, with Williams throwing more picks than TDs, getting sacked 9 times, and not scoring a single TD, and they finished the season 5-7, and are still trying to recover. They lost 24-14 against Purdue on Saturday, which now drops their record to 1-6 on the season, with their lone win over Illinois State. Williams has thrown more picks than TDs, has yet to break 60 yards rushing in a game, and is dead last in the Big Ten in QB rating and passing yards. This certainly isn't where I thought the Illini would end up two years ago.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson. Last week I used this exact same space to talk about how LT looked better than he had in a couple of years, and maybe he wasn't fully washed up just yet. Then comes today's game against the Chiefs, and although 23 carries for 71 yards isn't awful, it's the lack of a TD tacked on there that is the horrible part. Tomlinson, once a goal line runner the rival of Emmitt Smith and Shaun Alexander in their primes, was given the ball eight times inside the five, six of which were from the 2-yard line or closer, and failed to get in the end zone (he did, at least, score on a play that came back due to a penalty). Today was the kind of game that an in his prime Tomlinson scores 3 or 4 TDs, a good back gets at least two, and an average back scores once - minimum. I read a game report that the blocking down on the goal line for San Diego was absolutely awful, but in any case this is pretty disappointing, and a big blow to those that were hoping LT was still an above average runner.
4. Chicago Bears. Nice game. Geez you guys suck. Take your pick, offense or defense, and there's plenty to discuss. Defensively, they pretty much let the Bengals do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Carson Palmer could have thrown a touchdown left-handed, but instead decided not to show the Bears up and stayed with the right hand, going 20-24 for 233 yards and five TDs, including two to Ochocinco. If that's not enough, suddenly completely rejuvenated back Cedric Benson shredded his old team (who betrayed him like Lando Calrissian) for 189 yards and a touch on 37 carries. The Bengals just did anything they wanted, and never even had to punt. And just in case you thought maybe the Bears could get into a shootout or something and win, they instead decide to turn the ball over four times (3 on Cutler INTs) on their way to scoring just ten points, aka five touchdowns less than the Bengals. I think it's safe to say the Vikes don't have to worry about the Bears anymore.
5. Cleveland Indians. Manny freaking Acta? Seriously? According to the article, the Indians like how Acta developed young players for the Nationals, and are disregarding his record - one of the worst in baseball history and bad enough that a web site exists called "Has Manny Acta been fired yet". My question is, exactly who has he developed, outside of Ryan Zimmerman? Elijah Dukes has been a perpetual disappointment, and Lastings Milledge failed so brilliantly after coming over from the Mets that he was banished to the minors before getting traded to the Pirates. Wily Mo Pena has gotten worse since joining the Nats. He didn't screw up Jordan Zimmerman at least, but he hasn't exactly lit the world on fire either. Well, who am I to complain when they're in the Twins' division. About the only downside here is that Gardy might not be the worst manager in the AL Central anymore.
Manny Acta?
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. The Twins. Season's over, but the Twins manage to get in here thanks to their actually spending some money and dipping into the foreign player market. In case you missed it, and most people did thanks to the miracle comeback and subsequent sweep, Bill Smith went out and signed Miguel Angel Sano, who, according to that article from ESPN, is considered by many to be the top teenage prospect in Latin America (he claims he's 16, but it's Latin America so he could be anywhere from 14 to 30). He's a shortstop who is already 6-3, 200 lbs, so odds are he will end up being moved to third or the outfield, but apparently his bat is good enough for that not to matter. The Twins coughed up $3.15 million for a bonus to sign Sano, which is the second most ever given to a Dominican player and a veritable fortune for the Twins. For more on Sano, as well as the Twins other aggressive moves this offseason you may have missed, check out this post by the Jesus of Twins bloggers, Aaron Gleeman.
2. A-Rod. I wrote this here before, but I'll say it again - I'm incredibly happy A-Rod is having the postseason he is, because now idiots may finally start appreciating maybe the best right handed hitter in history. I won't get into a whole big argument here, maybe I'll save that for another post sometime, but he's definitely in the conversation, yet all the morons in the media and idiot fans can ever talk about is his "postseason choking" - now they won't have that to fall back on. After going 2-2 last night (with 3 walks), A-Rod has a hit in every single game this postseason, with an RBI in every game except one and a total line of .438/.538/.969. Just an incredible run, and if that's not enough to shut up the morons, I don't know what to tell you.
3. TCU. Both BYU and Boise State had claims to being the best non-BCS conference team in the country at different points this season, but after Saturday's 38-7 shellacking that the Horned Frogs put on BYU, they're looking like the best bet to break up the BCS party. Not only did they smoke the Cougars, but they did it in Provo, and did it by shutting down a very good QB in BYU's Max Hall, who threw for just 162 yards on 18-28 passing. I haven't had a chance to actually watch TCU this year, so I don't know if they can hang with Florida or Alabama, but this win is a pretty compelling argument, as is their early season win over Clemson. At 7-0 and with easy games left outside of a November 14th match up against Utah, they should be looking at a BCS bowl.
4. The Colts and the Saints. Both remained undefeated, and both showed why they are the favorites to make it to the Super Bowl, although they did it in very different ways. The Colts just came out and stomped the piss out of the far inferior Ram, jumping out to a quick 14-3 lead on the way to a 42-6 win in which Peyton Manning barely had to break a sweat, while Marc Bulger continued to spiral down the drain. The Saints had a rougher go, falling behind 24-3 to the Dolphins and looking lost, before a Miami fumble with time winding down in the first half changed their fortunes. The Saints scored with five seconds remaining in the half, and used that as a springboard to a huge second half where they outscored Miami 26-10 and ended up winning 46-34, thanks to Drew Brees bouncing back from a horible start and leading them on three consecutive scoring drives of over 60 yards in the second. If it does end up being these two in the Super Bowl, and it looks like there's a good chance it will, we might be looking at the highest scoring Super Bowl ever. I'm thinking like, 55-52. Sweet.
5. Ryan Anderson. White boy can ball folks. I loved Anderson at Cal, but wasn't really sure how his game would translate to the NBA, but after catching part of the Magic's preseason game on Friday night, I'm sold. It was a rare chance for me to get to the bar, and they happened to have the game on for a little while before they felt the need to change every single TV in the place to the shitty Gopher hockey game, and he's not only good, but he's aggressive. In like six minutes of play he took 4 or 5 shots, inside and outside, and hit a couple of deep threes and got a put back or two. Checking the preseason stats, he's averaged 14 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 49% overall and 56% from three. He was decent with the Nets last year, but no where near this good. Everybody thought Vince Carter was the jewel of that trade, but the "throw-in" of Anderson might end up being the most significant part of that deal (which I already mentioned somewhere on this blog after the trade was made).
WHO SUCKED
1. Gopher football. I know I am hard on Gopher football when I accidentally pay attention to it, but jeezum was that awful. Following up a 20-0 loss to Penn State with a 38-7 shellacking by Ohio State in a game that wasn't even that close is a good way to lose your fan base, and plant your coach firmly on the hot seat. And yes, I understand those are two of the top teams in the conference, but let's not get carried away here. Ohio State lost to Purdue and Penn State struggled with Illinois - we aren't talking Florida here. Sadly, they will beat South Dakota State and either Michigan State or Illinois, win six games, and go to a crappy bowl and some fans will point to this as a successful season. At this point, the only way you could consider this successful is if they run the table, including a win over Iowa, or they win three games with MarQueis Gray at quarterback. And after his performance Saturday (5-6 passing and the only TD, 81 rushing yards) it's stime to hand over the keys and see what he can do in a full game. As Buck Bravo wrote over at the Daily Gopher, "Adam Weber's accuracy, decision-making, footwork, ability to recognize defensive schemes, and confidence have regressed." Couldn't have said it better myself. Go with Gray - at the very least he's exciting to watch.
2. Illinois. Speaking of Illinois, do you realize how god awful this team is? I didn't. And I have no idea what happened. In 2007, they were the hot young team, who went 9-4, including a huge win over Ohio State, and ended up going to the Rose Bowl (where they were stomped by USC). Sophomore QB Juice Williams looked like he had taken the next step in his development, and was going to lead Illinois football back to national prominence. 2008 started ok, but was a bit disappointing. With three weeks to play, Illinois was 5-4 with two very winnable games left against Northwestern and Western Michigan, needing just one win to get to a bowl, a disappointing bowl, but a bowl nonetheless. Instead the Illini dropped all three, with Williams throwing more picks than TDs, getting sacked 9 times, and not scoring a single TD, and they finished the season 5-7, and are still trying to recover. They lost 24-14 against Purdue on Saturday, which now drops their record to 1-6 on the season, with their lone win over Illinois State. Williams has thrown more picks than TDs, has yet to break 60 yards rushing in a game, and is dead last in the Big Ten in QB rating and passing yards. This certainly isn't where I thought the Illini would end up two years ago.
3. LaDainian Tomlinson. Last week I used this exact same space to talk about how LT looked better than he had in a couple of years, and maybe he wasn't fully washed up just yet. Then comes today's game against the Chiefs, and although 23 carries for 71 yards isn't awful, it's the lack of a TD tacked on there that is the horrible part. Tomlinson, once a goal line runner the rival of Emmitt Smith and Shaun Alexander in their primes, was given the ball eight times inside the five, six of which were from the 2-yard line or closer, and failed to get in the end zone (he did, at least, score on a play that came back due to a penalty). Today was the kind of game that an in his prime Tomlinson scores 3 or 4 TDs, a good back gets at least two, and an average back scores once - minimum. I read a game report that the blocking down on the goal line for San Diego was absolutely awful, but in any case this is pretty disappointing, and a big blow to those that were hoping LT was still an above average runner.
4. Chicago Bears. Nice game. Geez you guys suck. Take your pick, offense or defense, and there's plenty to discuss. Defensively, they pretty much let the Bengals do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Carson Palmer could have thrown a touchdown left-handed, but instead decided not to show the Bears up and stayed with the right hand, going 20-24 for 233 yards and five TDs, including two to Ochocinco. If that's not enough, suddenly completely rejuvenated back Cedric Benson shredded his old team (who betrayed him like Lando Calrissian) for 189 yards and a touch on 37 carries. The Bengals just did anything they wanted, and never even had to punt. And just in case you thought maybe the Bears could get into a shootout or something and win, they instead decide to turn the ball over four times (3 on Cutler INTs) on their way to scoring just ten points, aka five touchdowns less than the Bengals. I think it's safe to say the Vikes don't have to worry about the Bears anymore.
5. Cleveland Indians. Manny freaking Acta? Seriously? According to the article, the Indians like how Acta developed young players for the Nationals, and are disregarding his record - one of the worst in baseball history and bad enough that a web site exists called "Has Manny Acta been fired yet". My question is, exactly who has he developed, outside of Ryan Zimmerman? Elijah Dukes has been a perpetual disappointment, and Lastings Milledge failed so brilliantly after coming over from the Mets that he was banished to the minors before getting traded to the Pirates. Wily Mo Pena has gotten worse since joining the Nats. He didn't screw up Jordan Zimmerman at least, but he hasn't exactly lit the world on fire either. Well, who am I to complain when they're in the Twins' division. About the only downside here is that Gardy might not be the worst manager in the AL Central anymore.
Manny Acta?
Monday, August 3, 2009
Well I'm Screwed
Look, I'm not an idiot here. I understand there are really only four things remotely interesting to readers of this blog:
1. Gopher news if From the Barn and the Daily Gopher are both on vacation (and the Gopher Hole is down for maintenance).
2. Live Movie Blogs
3. Drunken ramblings from various cities my job makes me go to
4. Super Sioux Fan posts.
Well, with my company tightening up business travel, I haven't gone anywhere in a while, so strike that. And now even worse news: Super Sioux Fan is on to bigger and better things.
No, she's not dead, although that seems pretty likely with her love of guns and fisticuffs and her whorish mouth and lack of respect for her betters. Nope, she is on to her very own blog, Diary of a Sioux Fan. I made her into what she is, and she runs off like the blog's bicycle she is with nary a word of warning, a heads up, or a good bye. So it's like that then? Now I know how Ben Affleck feels at the end of Good Will Hunting.
Well good luck, jerk ass. If you ever feel like sending us your random thoughts, you will still be published immediately. I hope your blog burns to the ground along with that garbage dump of a city you miss so fondly.
- As long as I'm here, I'll let you people know that I do have the opportunity to do a little business traveling at the end of September. I will be heading for Detroit and Ontario for two nights, and even better, the Twins will be playing the Tigers when I'm there. I realize the game won't matter at that point because the Twins will be mathematically eliminated, but it still gives me a good excuse to check out Comerica.
As a matter of fact, I ordered the tickets today. Thanks to the destroyed economy in Detroit, I was able to get two tickets (I'm traveling with a co-worker) in the front row for just $22 a piece. Seriously, thanks economy. They actually had tickets available for $4, which is just sad, especially since technically that game might end up being important (even though we know there's no chance). Thanks layoffs! Hopefully karma doesn't end up shanking me when I'm walking back to the hotel after the game.
I'm equally scared of Canada. Those people are wackos. Do they take American money? Or do I have to get twoonies and loonies? Terrifying.
- Ok fine, I wasn't going to post tonight but now I'm typing and typing is like a drug to me. So is alcohol. Which I'm currently drinking.
- This story makes me chuckle, particularly because I know one guy (Snake) who is all over this dude's nuts, but Matt Leinart is continuing his downward spiral. Last year he walked in camp as the favorite to win the QB job, but was outplayed by Jesus and lost out to Kurt Warner and his hot wife. This year he's back competing for a job, but according to this article he's now competing with Brian St. Pierre for the back up job. Just reading the words Pierre make me think of Dakota which makes me think of North Dakota which reminds me of the betrayal I just got hit with by Super Sioux Fan. I'm shaking my fist at her right now.
Anyway, this is funny because this guy freaking sucks. He's got the physical tools, but he's got the proverbial ten cent head. Always chasing the muff around. Although the more I look at this picture, the more I think maybe he's making the right decision.
Carry on, Matt, carry on.
- Mrs. W and I watched Spring Break Shark Attack this weekend, the first time I had seen it since it originally aired four years ago, and it is still the third best shark movie ever made. A mostly realistic plot that focuses on the shark as the antagonist (mostly), no terrorists, government agencies, or treasure, no footage of the wrong shark species, and no roaring or revenge involved. It's not like it's a great movie, but in the hierarchy of shark movies it's not that hard to get to the top. If you are looking for some shark stimulation, give this baby a rental.
- I've mentioned this before, but seriously I love what the Pirates are doing. They weren't going to win with the group they had, so instead they just shipped basically everybody away and reloaded with prospects. They traded away a heap of mediocrity (other than McLouth) and got some intriguing prospects back in return.
SP Tim Alderson was ranked the #26 prospect in all of baseball. OF Jose Tabata, who they picked up last year in the Nady/Marte trade, is ranked #32. OF Gorkys Hernandez and SP Jeff Locke, picked up for McLouth, are ranked 88th and 97th.
Add in home grown talent OF Andrew McCutcheon (#19 prospect in baseball) and 3B/1B Pedro Alvarez (#38) and, at the very least, and suddenly a team mired in nightmare mode has six prospects ranked in the top 100. And there are plenty of other guys they picked up who might be outside of the top 100, but lend some upside.
Lastings Milledge was the top prospect in the Mets' system a few short years back, but his attitude more than his aptitude has made the Pirates his third team in two years. The upside is still there. C/1B Jeff Clement, formerly of the Mariners, is in a similar mold. A top prospect a few short years ago, the shine is gone, but he still has potential. Pitchers Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart, both picked up from the Cubs, have a good chance to be major league contributors. Overall the Pirates picked up ten pitching prospects in just the week before the deadline.
Will it work out? Who knows, but at least they are going for it. I'm officially calling the Pirates my second favorite team - with solid potential to become #1.
- If you're a Down with Goldy facebook friend, I just added a few WonderbabyTM pictures to my account. And if you aren't a friend of DWG, what are you waiting for?
- Ali Larter got married. I'm now dead inside. Seriously. Look at how she looks like a normal person just going to the grocery store.
Yamma-hamma.
- Since I feel I should close with sports, since this is ostensibly a sports blog, I will close with a preview of the three game series vs. the injuns:
Your precious Twinks should have the advantage. Game one is Scott Baker vs. Aubrey Huff, except it's not Aubrey but I don't want to look up the name of some dude who sucks. Game 2 is Liriano vs. Laffey, and it seriously hurts me inside knowing that Cleveland will be favored here. Game 3 is supposed ace BB Gun vs. Fausto Carmona, who has basically fallen off a cliff after that one good season he had that one time.
So they should be able to win 2 of 3 without much trouble. And yet, they won't. I fully expect Huff (who is a lefty) to shut them down in game one, and with Moon Shot Scott on the hill, the Tribe will be putting up at least six. Game 2 Liriano will continue his spiral into David West-ville. Expect a terrible Indians lineup to nevertheless manage to put up double-digits here, with Liriano failing to get through the fourth and a piss poor bullpen not stopping anything. Game 3 is where I see hope breaking through, with Blackie pitching a good game but, as tends to happen, fallen star Carmona finds his 2007 form, the game comes down to bullpens, and well, you know how this ends. Crain Wreck continues his journey to set the major league record for batters faced without recording an out, and the Twins leave Cleveland after getting swept, season over.
Season.
Over.
1. Gopher news if From the Barn and the Daily Gopher are both on vacation (and the Gopher Hole is down for maintenance).
2. Live Movie Blogs
3. Drunken ramblings from various cities my job makes me go to
4. Super Sioux Fan posts.
Well, with my company tightening up business travel, I haven't gone anywhere in a while, so strike that. And now even worse news: Super Sioux Fan is on to bigger and better things.
No, she's not dead, although that seems pretty likely with her love of guns and fisticuffs and her whorish mouth and lack of respect for her betters. Nope, she is on to her very own blog, Diary of a Sioux Fan. I made her into what she is, and she runs off like the blog's bicycle she is with nary a word of warning, a heads up, or a good bye. So it's like that then? Now I know how Ben Affleck feels at the end of Good Will Hunting.
Well good luck, jerk ass. If you ever feel like sending us your random thoughts, you will still be published immediately. I hope your blog burns to the ground along with that garbage dump of a city you miss so fondly.
- As long as I'm here, I'll let you people know that I do have the opportunity to do a little business traveling at the end of September. I will be heading for Detroit and Ontario for two nights, and even better, the Twins will be playing the Tigers when I'm there. I realize the game won't matter at that point because the Twins will be mathematically eliminated, but it still gives me a good excuse to check out Comerica.
As a matter of fact, I ordered the tickets today. Thanks to the destroyed economy in Detroit, I was able to get two tickets (I'm traveling with a co-worker) in the front row for just $22 a piece. Seriously, thanks economy. They actually had tickets available for $4, which is just sad, especially since technically that game might end up being important (even though we know there's no chance). Thanks layoffs! Hopefully karma doesn't end up shanking me when I'm walking back to the hotel after the game.
I'm equally scared of Canada. Those people are wackos. Do they take American money? Or do I have to get twoonies and loonies? Terrifying.
- Ok fine, I wasn't going to post tonight but now I'm typing and typing is like a drug to me. So is alcohol. Which I'm currently drinking.
- This story makes me chuckle, particularly because I know one guy (Snake) who is all over this dude's nuts, but Matt Leinart is continuing his downward spiral. Last year he walked in camp as the favorite to win the QB job, but was outplayed by Jesus and lost out to Kurt Warner and his hot wife. This year he's back competing for a job, but according to this article he's now competing with Brian St. Pierre for the back up job. Just reading the words Pierre make me think of Dakota which makes me think of North Dakota which reminds me of the betrayal I just got hit with by Super Sioux Fan. I'm shaking my fist at her right now.
Anyway, this is funny because this guy freaking sucks. He's got the physical tools, but he's got the proverbial ten cent head. Always chasing the muff around. Although the more I look at this picture, the more I think maybe he's making the right decision.
Carry on, Matt, carry on.
- Mrs. W and I watched Spring Break Shark Attack this weekend, the first time I had seen it since it originally aired four years ago, and it is still the third best shark movie ever made. A mostly realistic plot that focuses on the shark as the antagonist (mostly), no terrorists, government agencies, or treasure, no footage of the wrong shark species, and no roaring or revenge involved. It's not like it's a great movie, but in the hierarchy of shark movies it's not that hard to get to the top. If you are looking for some shark stimulation, give this baby a rental.
- I've mentioned this before, but seriously I love what the Pirates are doing. They weren't going to win with the group they had, so instead they just shipped basically everybody away and reloaded with prospects. They traded away a heap of mediocrity (other than McLouth) and got some intriguing prospects back in return.
SP Tim Alderson was ranked the #26 prospect in all of baseball. OF Jose Tabata, who they picked up last year in the Nady/Marte trade, is ranked #32. OF Gorkys Hernandez and SP Jeff Locke, picked up for McLouth, are ranked 88th and 97th.
Add in home grown talent OF Andrew McCutcheon (#19 prospect in baseball) and 3B/1B Pedro Alvarez (#38) and, at the very least, and suddenly a team mired in nightmare mode has six prospects ranked in the top 100. And there are plenty of other guys they picked up who might be outside of the top 100, but lend some upside.
Lastings Milledge was the top prospect in the Mets' system a few short years back, but his attitude more than his aptitude has made the Pirates his third team in two years. The upside is still there. C/1B Jeff Clement, formerly of the Mariners, is in a similar mold. A top prospect a few short years ago, the shine is gone, but he still has potential. Pitchers Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart, both picked up from the Cubs, have a good chance to be major league contributors. Overall the Pirates picked up ten pitching prospects in just the week before the deadline.
Will it work out? Who knows, but at least they are going for it. I'm officially calling the Pirates my second favorite team - with solid potential to become #1.
- If you're a Down with Goldy facebook friend, I just added a few Wonderbaby
- Ali Larter got married. I'm now dead inside. Seriously. Look at how she looks like a normal person just going to the grocery store.
Yamma-hamma.
- Since I feel I should close with sports, since this is ostensibly a sports blog, I will close with a preview of the three game series vs. the injuns:
Your precious Twinks should have the advantage. Game one is Scott Baker vs. Aubrey Huff, except it's not Aubrey but I don't want to look up the name of some dude who sucks. Game 2 is Liriano vs. Laffey, and it seriously hurts me inside knowing that Cleveland will be favored here. Game 3 is supposed ace BB Gun vs. Fausto Carmona, who has basically fallen off a cliff after that one good season he had that one time.
So they should be able to win 2 of 3 without much trouble. And yet, they won't. I fully expect Huff (who is a lefty) to shut them down in game one, and with Moon Shot Scott on the hill, the Tribe will be putting up at least six. Game 2 Liriano will continue his spiral into David West-ville. Expect a terrible Indians lineup to nevertheless manage to put up double-digits here, with Liriano failing to get through the fourth and a piss poor bullpen not stopping anything. Game 3 is where I see hope breaking through, with Blackie pitching a good game but, as tends to happen, fallen star Carmona finds his 2007 form, the game comes down to bullpens, and well, you know how this ends. Crain Wreck continues his journey to set the major league record for batters faced without recording an out, and the Twins leave Cleveland after getting swept, season over.
Season.
Over.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Here's What Happened - 4/14/2009
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Denard Span. Don't look now, but when nobody was paying attention Span turned into the perfect leadoff hitter, or at least a pretty damn good one. He started the game with a ten pitch at bat (that ended in a groundout), then got the team's first hit and scored the first run, and later got an infield hit and stole a base. I'm just completely enamored with him right now. A .324 average, with 7 walks (to just 4 Ks) to bump his OBP to .439, with just a little bit of power and enough speed to beat out infield hits and steal bases (3 steals on 3 attempts). He's everything I ever wanted in a leadoff hitter and I just can't get enough of him. I could have gone with Crede for getting the game-winning hit to snap the world's longest losing streak, but I can't get over Span. I think I'm developing a serious crush.
2. Kansas Jayhawks. Ok, this actually happened on Monday, but I'm just now getting to it - both Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich of the Jayhawks said they are coming back to school for another season. I have seen in a couple places where Kansas is now considered the favorite to win the National Title this year, and why not? Collins and Aldrich were one of the top inside/outside combos last year, and will probably be the best this season with another year of experience. They went 14-2 in conference last year, and are losing nothing but end of the bench, Kevin Payton types. Soon-to-be-sophomores Tyshawn Taylor, Marcus Morris, Travis Releford, and Markieff Morris - all top 100 incoming freshmen last year - will only continue to get better, and the Jayhawks have two newcomers for next season who rank in the top 30 freshmen. Even without Aldrich and Collins, the cupboard wasn't going to be bare, but with them it looks like Kelly Clarkson's secret junkfood drawer at fat camp.
3. Nick Swisher. I wrote about Swishy pants in my weekend review this week, about how he's tearing up pitchers like he tears up the broads. Then on Monday, he hit another home run, his third of the year, not to mention pitching a shut out inning in relief, but I figured I probably shouldn't write about him two days in a row, at least as long as he refuses to grow back his sexy locks. Then yesterday, he hits another bomb and adds a double, raising his average to .458 and a league-leading slugging percentage of 1.208. Leading the league in slugging and sporting a 0.00 ERA? Could Swisher be the reincarnation of Babe Ruth? I think it's pretty obvious.
WHO SUCKED
1. Marco Scutaro. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Marco Scutaro has always sucked. Why is this news, assface?" Well jerk, in case you missed it Scutaro actually started out the season hot, going 10-23 and adding in a couple of home runs, and everybody suddenly decided he was the sleeper of the year at shortstop. Well guess what morons? He's a career .262 hitter with a career OPS+ of 88 and a highs of .273 and 96. Do you really think he's going to suddenly become the next Cal Ripken? Welcome back to earth Mr. Scutaro, who after going 0-4 last night is now in an 0-11 slide, bringing his average back to a normal, though still too high, .294. And no matter what Dawger says, Ripken is one of the greatest players ever - Scutaro not so much.
2. Rays Bullpen. Remember last year, how the Rays pen was so good with Balfour (that one hurts), JP Howell, and Danny Wheeler? Not so much last night, with both Howell and Wheeler blowing up to lose the game for Tampa against the Yankees. Howell, who was nearly unhittable last season with a 1.13 WHIP and 2.22 ERA, picked up the loss last night giving up two hits and a run in his inning of work and has been less than impressive this year, racking up a WHIP of 1.88 and ERA of 4.91 in his four appearances. Wheeler had been fine this season up until yesterday, when he got rocked for four hits and four runs to run his season ERA to 12.00. I wouldn't exactly panic or anything just yet, but if those two (and Balfour whose ERA is over 20 right now) continue to struggle, it's going to be a real problem.
3. Cleveland Indians. Sitting at 1-7, it's suddenly looking like the Tribe's problems are not all Cliff Lee's fault. They lost last night to the perky Royals 9-3 despite a decent outing from human disabled list Carl Pavano (longer at least than the one inning he lasted in his previous start), mainly thanks previously unhittable reliever Rafael Perez giving up three walks and four runs in just over an inning pitched. There are plenty of reasons the Indians suck this year, and Sizemore's .176 average doesn't help, but it's pretty hard to look past a league worst team ERA of 8.46 - that is not a misprint - and a team WHIP of 1.8. Think about it, that's almost two opposing runners on base in EVERY SINGLE INNING. It's early still, but it's awfully hard to think they can turn it around without a single pitcher who can throw a good game and a suddenly shaky bullpen.
Tonight I will be in attendance at the Twins' win over Toronto in Scott Baker's triumphant return. Or to see him throw 1.1 innings and leave in pain, then see Phil Humber get knocked around the yard. In any case, the daily post probably won't be up until the afternoon tomorrow, so you'll have to find some other way to get through the morning at your dead-end job. Try this article, sent to me by Snacks this morning.
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