Weekend Review

Better late than never, as Dawger wasn't fortunate enough to get to say to Siouper Sioux Fan.

WHO WAS AWESOME

1.  Bill Smith.  Getting Fuentes isn't exactly like stealing away a top of the line reliever, but it does help shore up the bullpen, particularly from the left side because the pick up of Randy Flores was basically worthless.  Fuenes's numbers this year are good, but not great (3.55 ERA and 1.20 WHIP) and are buoyed by a low .250 BABIP, but he's extremely tough on lefties both this year (.132 average against) and in his career (.213).  In fact, lefties this year are hitting .132/.209/.158 against him his season, an OPS+ of 10 which is unheard of and means LH batters are 90% worse against him than he league average.  He's given up just five hits against lefties this year (in 38 at-bats), only one for extra bases, and has 15 strikeouts against 3 walks.  As a left-handed set-up guy who cost you just a player to be named later, which usually means someone below a non-prospect, this is a steal.  Bill Smith might not be a wizard at the deadline, but he's proven himself to be awfully good after the waiver deadline.

2.  Nick Blackburn.  I guess we'll stick with the Twins theme, because you saw that gem coming?  The statistically worst starting pitcher in the entire major leagues this year comes back from AAA in just his second start and throws a near shutout that probably would have been a shut out if his crappy offense had managed to scrap together more than one run?  Inconceivable.  He threw strikes (66 of 98 pitches) and actually struck guys out (6 Ks - most in a game since May '09), and shut the Mariners down despite not getting a huge amount of groundballs (50/50 split).  In other words, this is almost certainly a huge fluke thanks to Seattle being a terrible offensive team.  But hey, we might as well enjoy it, even if the text I got from Dawger "Blacky is back with avengance (sic)!" isn't exactly true.  Or maybe it is completely true, just means something different than what he thinks.  

3.  Daniel Hudson.  I know Edwin Jackson has been pretty lights out for the Sox, but Hudson has been pretty lights out since they shipped him to Arizona as well, and he's also four years younger and makes 4% per year of what Jackson does, plus he's under team control for quite a while.  He had another brilliant outing over the weekend, going 7 innings and allowing just four hits and 2 runs on his way to a win over the Giants.  Since coming to the NL, he's pitched in six games posting an aggregate 1.65 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 42-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.  Wow.  I know it's the NL and all, but that's just outstanding.  I don't care what Edwin Jackson does the rest of the way, giving up Hudson for him (as well as another good prospect, an18-year old pitcher doing well in rookie ball) is straight up getting fleeced.  Now if the Dodgers can tease another good prospect out of them for Manny, the Sox will have completely tanked their future for a second place division finish.  And that, my friends, is simply awesome. [UPDATE:  Well the Dodgers gave up Manny for nothing.  Way to puss out, pussies.  This is why nobody likes the West Coast.]

4.  Matt Kuchar.  Kuchar outlasted everybody else at the Barclays to pick up what is kind of his first PGA Tour win.  He technically has two others, but one came in a Fall Series event and the other came way back in 2002.  And frankly he deserved way more than Martin Laird, who choked it away and then lost to Kuchar in the playoff.  Laird was in trouble the entire final round (on his way to an even par day while Kuchar shot -5) and only kept himself in it due to a very hot putter that had him saving par from 10 feet or so multiple times on the day.  Plus, Laird sucks, while Kuchar has dominated this year without winning, notching nine top 10s this year and missing just two cuts all year.  He deserved it, and I'm glad he won. Plus Laird is a commie.

5.  Tim Tebow.  Haters better back up, because it looks like NFL rookie-of-the-year is going to be a two man race between Friar Tuck and Dez Bryant.  Tebow should be starting over Orton by week four after the show he put on, and it's sad that some of you people doubted him just because of his relationship with his personal lord and savior Jesus, who loves him so that he takes a rooting interest in Tebow's football games.  Jealous much, hater?  He can still pass (like in college), he can still run (like in college), although he's now picked up a new skill - throwing the ball to Eric Decker.  Sorry haters, looks like Jesus is going to be adding a NFL ROY trophy to his trophy room soon, and probably a Lombardi Trophy right after that.  Tebow has a message for the NFL:  "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through
the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike
down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you!" 


WHO SUCKED

1.  Phil Mickelson.  Ok, so maybe it's nit-picking to find fault with the #2 ranked golfer in the world who has won 46 pro tournaments and 4 majors, but is there anybody on tour who disappoints as often as he does?  He's had chance after chance lately to supplant Tiger at the top of the rankings, but hasn't been able to come through, finishing outside the top 45 at the Bridgestone and the British.  He did bounce back to finish 12th at the PGA, although he was never really in contention, and then missed the cut this weekend at the Barclays.  Seriously, take his inability to take that #1 ranking, couple it with all the meltdowns at the U.S. Open (he has 5 second-place finishes), and his poor Ryder Cup showings (he's second in US history with 14 losses and a 10-14-6 career mark), and the second best golfer of his generation might also be the most disappointing.

2.  Stephen Strasburg.  The game of baseball may never be the same.  Of course I'm mostly kidding (Wieters is still in the league, after all) but with Strasburg heading for Tommy John surgery we may be looking at the ultimate what-if.  I know we are watching a success story as Twins fans in Francisco Liriano right now, but that doesn't mean everybody can bounce back that well.  For a guy like Strasburg, the rare talent who was hyped to an unrealistic level and then met that level anyway, well this just sucks.  I'm bummed out as a baseball fan, I can't imagine what a Nationals fan must be feeling like right now.  Good thing there aren't any.

3.  Matt Leinart.  I'm starting to wonder if he's ever going to get it.  Nobody has been given more opportunities to become a star than Leinart, with talent around him that should help the process (great receivers, good line, good defense), and nobody has dropped the ball more often.  He was supposed to be the starter last year, but a poor preseason and lackluster work ethic pushed him behind Kurt Warner again.  Now this year, although his stats look fine in the preseason thus far, he's been demoted behind Derek Anderson.  Derek freaking Anderson.  This guy must have some kind of terrible attitude behind the scenes, and although that will get broads in the hot tub and make Snake fall in love with you, it seems NFL coaches don't necessarily love that.  He's like the anti-Tebow.

  

4.  John Danks.  I love this.  A few weeks ago when Danks shut down the Twins in a big game I happened to be watching the Sox feed at one point and Hawk and whoever the other guy are were tossing around phrases like "Bulldog", "Ace", "Big game pitcher", and "my first choice to pitch for me in a life or death situation."  Awesome, because with the Twins continuing to win the Sox need to keep pace and they were going up against Sabathia and the Yanks with Danksy on the hill - a big game if I've ever seen one.  Well the "bulldog" got bulldogged by the A-Rodless Yankees, giving up 8 runs in four innings, giving up 3 dongs and walking four.  Nice clutch outing.  I haven't seen an "ace" implode like that since John Tudor. 

5.  NCAA Fascists.  FREE OTO OSENIEKS!  FREE OTO OSENIEKS!  FREE OTO OSENIEKS!  FREE OTO OSENIEKS!  FREE OTO O.........    

Weekend Review - 8/31/2009

Keeping it short this week, since I have to head to the airport soon.  Yes, I'm heading out to New Jersey again.  There may be some drunk blogging, but I have to take it kind of easy since I have to be all involved in the meetings and can't just spend the whole time hungover.  Or at least that's the theory.

WHO WAS AWESOME

1.  Brian Duensing.  I'm assuming you probably saw Duensing's start on Friday, but if you didn't, you missed a thing of beauty.  Perhaps in was magnified by the type of starting pitching I'm used so seeing out of the Twins' rotation, but I am now really impressed with Duensing, and am starting to think he's got a good future; not an ace, but a middle rotation kind of guy - so the Twins' ace, basically.  Against a quality offensive team in the Rangers, he went seven innings and gave up just three hits and walk, while allowing no runs and striking out a career-high eight.  He's definitely starting to come around, and he doesn't walk anybody, has a decent strikeout rate, and gets a lot of ground balls.  My new favorite Twins' pitcher?  Yes.  Yes, indeed.   

2.  Hakeem Nicks.  I have been dying to write this guy up, but since we didn't do our Keeper League draft yet, I didn't want to tip my hand.  Now that it's complete (yes I got Nicks) I can tell you:  this guy is the real deal, and showed it with 6 catches for 144 and 2 tds in the Giants' loss to the Jets Saturday.  He has good size and strength, making him an excellent red zone target, has the best hands of any receiver in the draft, and runs excellent routes.  The only knock on him at all is his speed, but he was able to get behind the defense and out-run everybody for 71 yards for one of those TDs saturday and had a 55 yarder in the Giants previous game.  Oh, and you know who else was thought to be slow coming out of college?  Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, and Terrell Owens.  And Nicks is from North Carolina, which gives me an excuse to re-post this:

  

3.  Ernie Els.  I suppose if I wanted to pick somebody from The Barclays this weekend, it would make more sense to pick little known and little ranked Heath Slocumb (no relation to the fat, crappy relief pitcher of the same name from the 90s) who drained a 20 footer for par on 18 to win - a putt that if missed would have put him into a playoff against Tiger, Paddy Harrington, Els, and Steve Stricker, but I'm going with Els instead.  Ernie had seemingly dropped out of the ranks of the elite level golfers, having one just once since 2004, but has really come back on of late.  He's been on quite a run, culminating in his runner-up finish this weekend in New Jersey.  Prior to that he finished sixth at the PGA, and has picked up a top 8 finish in four of his last six tournaments.  Big Easy might be back. 

4.  Zack Greinke.  What more can even be said about Greinke at this point?  Ho-hum, he pitched a complete game shutout, 1 hitter against the Mariners yesterday.  Greinke is now first in the league in ERA by almost a half run (2.32 vs. Felix at 2.77), first in WHIP, first in OPS against, second in batting average against, third in K/9, second in K/BB, first in complete games, first in shut outs, second in strikeouts, and third in quality start percentage.  And yet, because he's "only" 13-8 and plays for the crappy Royals, he won't win the Cy Young Award, in what will be a true travesty.  It'll go to Beckett or Sabathia or Verlander, Texeira will win MVP, and anybody with any rational thinking skills who hasn't realized it yet will realize the MLB awards are often a joke.

5.  Matt Leinart.  Leinart has spent more time in hot tubs since entering the NFL than studying his playbook, and it's showed.  Last season the job of QBing the Cardinals was his to take, but he lost out to 50 year old Kurt Warner, and this season a report came out that Leinart was in competition for even the back up job.  Well, this weekend he took a nice step towards solidfying that back up role, throwing for 360 yards and 3 TDs against the Packers.  Yes, it was the second half and thus the second team defense, but anything is a positive for Leinart now.  Although there's pretty much no way he was going to lose the backup job to Brian St. Freaking Pierre - although if that motivated him, bravo Cardinals coach.  Bravo.



WHO SUCKED


1.  Steve Marino & Paul Goydos.  Nobody trusts lower tier golfer types when they have the fifty-four hole lead, and this weekend was a perfect illustration of why.  Marino and Goydos were tied at nine under par going into Sunday's final round - 2 shots clear of the rest of the field, when it was all settled, Goydos dropped to ninth, Marino fifteenth.  At least Goydos had the decency to take all the suspense out of it right way, double bogeying the third on his way to a four over par 75.  Marino actually was part of the crowded group at the top of the leader board but completely melted down with a triple bogey at 15, and then closed out with bogeys on 17 and 18 to finish with a 77 - the worst round of the day.    


2.  Chicago White Sox.  The always suck, but they sucked even worse this weekend, getting swept by the Yankees and getting one-hit by Sergio freaking Mitre.  Just how bad are the White Sox these days?  They are 1.5 games back of the Twins.

3.  Toronto Blue Jays.  Didn't they start the year well and look like they might be a factor in the East?  Not so much anymore.  After getting swept by the Red Sox, they are now 58-70, 23 games out of first.  Guess you probably should have traded Halladay, huh Ricciardi?  This trade deadline, when you had all the leverage.  You think you're getting more for him next year?  No.  Whiffed on your best chance to rebuild around Travis Snider and the guys you could have gotten from Philly.  Have fun in the basement for the next decade, even the Orioles look like they're figured out how to build a team.

4.  Trent Edwards.  Perhaps you recall once reading on this very blog how J.P. Losman was poised for a good year.  Well, I was wrong.  That doesn't mean the Bills have got it figured out yet though, as their starter for this year, Trent Edwards, is looking like all kinds of crap.  Against the Steelers this weekend, Edwards completed just 6 of 13 pass attempts for just 31 yards and tossed a pick that was returned for a Steeler touchdown.  Now, Edwards also had a game this preseason when he was a perfect 10-10, which reminds us that the preseason is generally not overly useful when it comes to evaluating players, but I still feel pretty comfortable saying Trent Edwards sucks.

5.  Michael Cuddyer.  I know you're thinking Cuddy had a hit in all three games this weekend, how could he have sucked?  Well, I'll tell you.  Saturday night, sixth inning, Twins down 2-0.  Runners on 1st and 3rd.  Cuddyer strikes out on a slider outside and in the dirt.  Same game, Twins down to their last out - Cuddy strikes out.  Sunday, Twins down 3-2 in the 8th, two runners on, Cuddyer strikes out on a slider outside and in the dirt.  It's maddening.  Look, I have no major issue with strikeouts.  A lot of very good hitters strike out a lot.  But the way Cuddy does it, he's not even getting beat by the pitcher, he's beating himself because he's either too stupid or too stubborn.  I'm starting to think I could strike him out if I had a 1-2 count on him.  It's enfuriating.  

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.