Mid-Season TCW Twins Awards

First off, my legion of fans are probably wondering where the heck I've been the last couple months. For good reason I've not been able to write much with my free time nearly zilch recently because of a new job and grad school. As priorities go, the TCW slid down behind the paycheck and the grades, understandably. But let's get back to the post and hand out some hardware. I believe the last post was more negative, how could it be positive after those first two months. So without further ado, here's the TCW Twins Mid-Season Awards.

MVP - MICHAEL CUDDYER
Easy pick. The Twins lone all-star and longest tenured Twin basically carried the Twins in the first half either by the bat or the glove.

Although his first 6 weeks were less than stellar and his RBI total at first moved as fast as molasses, Cuddyer has been hot since mid-May. Most importantly he's been healthy AND willing to play wherever the team needed him on a daily basis. Cuddyer has played 50 games in Right Field, 24 at First Base, 13 at Second Base, and 2 at DH. You'll be hard pressed to find any regular, let alone All-Star that has been that versatile this year. This is also a contract year for Cuddyer, meaning with the all-star bid, his value will only go up. The Twins would be best to sign him before he hits free agency this off-season, this is one Twin you don't want to lose.
HONORABLE MENTION - Jason Kubel (before he got hurt) .310 5 HR, 30 RBI

CY Young - GLEN PERKINS
Yeah, I know. If I would have said Glen Perkins would be the best pitcher the Twins have this year, everyone (including myself), would have questioned my sanity. But here we stand on July 13th and the most consistantly solid pitcher throughout the ENTIRE year has been Glen Perkins.

This hometown kid, who played high school ball with a few of my friends at Stillwater, was almost hung out to dry last year. The Twins didn't even seem to want him. But life has been pumped back into Glen and the hottest arm in the bullpen and he's proven to have major league stuff. In 35 games, while he's only 0-1, Perkins sports a ridiculous 0.87 ERA in 33.2 IP with 2 saves and 36 strikeouts.
HONORABLE MENTION - Scott Baker 7-5 3.01 ERA, 104 K's

Rookie - BEN REVERE
Does everyone remember when Denard Span filled in for an injured Michael Cuddyer in 2008? That's what Ben Revere reminds me of this year.

With Denard (and several others) injured, Revere has stepped in and cemented his status as a major leaguer, much like Span, who was also a 1st rounder. Revere has 49 hits in 50 games with 11 stolen bases; which is just 2 shy of the Alexi Casilla for the team lead in stolen bases. The only difference is Casilla has played in 81 games to Revere's 50. So yes, Revere gives the Twins that lead-off player they missed in Span, but with even more speed. With Delmon Young coming off the DL to start the 2nd half and Span right behind him, it'll pose an interesting scenario for Gardy to decide where Rivere plays. Like Span in 2008, Revere has established himself as a major leaguer and it would be VERY difficult to send him back to Triple A now.
HONORABLE MENTION - Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Don't fault the guy for breaking his leg. He's got 22 hits in 29 games and is a pretty slick fielding shortstop.

HANDY MAN (aka Utility Guy) - LUKE HUGHES
Cuddyer would get this slot if he wasn't the MVP, but you can't overlook what Luke Hughes has brought to the Twins in 2011. Hughes has played in 54 games total, the breakdown: 30 games at First Base, 18 games at 2nd Base, and 3 games at Third Base.

Hughes is the Australian infielder the major league have desperately needed (ok I know that was a stretch). Hughes is a Cuddyer look-a-alike. Not so much in appearance, but in ability to stretch his abilities to anywhere on the field, specifically infield (while I'm sure he could play outfield too). Hughes has tremendous value being able to play multiple positions, but that's not all that's keeping him up at in the bigs. While not super impressive, his .244 batting average 6 doubles, 3 home runs, and 15 RBI are productive for a utility player at this level.
HONORABLE MENTION - Matt Tolbert. Tolbert has played 25 games at Shortstop, 18 games at Second Base, and 5 games at Third Base.

COACH - JOE VAVRA
Yeah, you thought I was going to say Gardenhire, and he deserves a lot of credit too. But can you imagine the stress Joe Vavra has had to go through trying to work with 20 position players, not to mention the pitchers in interleague play. Of those 20 position players, 7 started the year at Triple A, and Vavra has done a good job with Revere, Hughes, Tosoni, and Plouffe to get accustomed to major league ball. While the offense probably shouldn't be praised at this point, with all the injuries, the damage control that Vavra (and Gardy and Andy) have done is comemorable.
HONORABLE MENTION - Ron Gardenhire.

DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS - JOE MAUER
What happened to baby Jesus? The guy who could do no wrong, who was idolized by all from old to young, suddenly was not so golden. The Twins have had 89 games this season and Mauer has played in 31. That's 35% of the Twins games this year. If he plays at that same pace, Mauer will play in only 57 games, which at $23 Million a year would net him $403,509 a game. Hmmm, it would be hard to say that was worth it at that rate. But let's give Joe the benefit of the doubt and say the Twins have been protecting him with the mysterious bilateral leg weakness problem and the random off days, maybe it was necessary for the long run. On the contrary, Mauer seemed to not push the issue to get out on the field, and when Cuddyer and guys like Hughes, Tolbert, and Tosoni did everything the team asked from them, it was tough to sit back and watch Mauer rake in millions from afar in Florida. I'm a Mauer guy and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but its tough when he's in his prime and the Twins still can't play him everyday.
HONORABLE MENTION - Tsuyoshi Nishiokia, Jim Thome, Jason Repko, Jason Kubel, Delmon Young, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, Target Field (3 rainouts)

GOPHER BALL PITCHER - NICK BLACKBURN
Not only has Blacky given up the most home runs on the season at 15, he's also given up the most per innings at about 1 per 7 innings, meaning if Blackburn is starting and your in the home run porch, bring your glove. Blacky actually has a decent 7-6 record with a moderate 4.26 ERA, but has struggled his last two starts. And if Blackburn's career stats are any indicator, he's likely to give up and down results the rest of the way. Other than his brief 6 games as a rookie in 2007, Blackburn's record, including this half of 2011, has been exactly 1 win or loss off of .500. At 39-42, how much can we expect Blackburn to flourish, at this point we'll likely see a 6-7 finish to the season.
HONORABLE MENTION - Francisco Liriano, 1 every 9 innings

REAL WINNERS - The FANS (especially those who come to Target Field)
As a Twins fan and season ticket holder, it's been a tough go this year, even with the recent surge. The first 2 months were downright brutal. Not only was the team bad, but the weather was just as bad. I personally, went to 2 of the 3 rainouts. But with all the bad weather, the true Twins fans know that even with the bad weather and poor play, Target Field is truly a treasure and one of the best venues in all of sports. Those who realize this are the ones who benefit.

Alright, that's good for tonight. So glad to write again, I REALLY missed it. Thanks for listening, I hope you liked it.

Until next time, remember to renew your licenses before a government shutdown.

TCW
Brock

2011 Twins Bullpen Plan = Worst Idea Ever?

The biggest question heading into the season, sans any injury concerns, was the bullpen. Why? because the team decided to forgoe nearly all of their veteran arms in lieu of paying large sums of money for them to stay.

From a logical point of view, it can be tough to assign a large part of payroll to guys that only pitch an inning or two every other game. If you take the stance of paying per game played then its natural to think the bullpen shouldn't be given anything close to the hitters. The major league record for games played by a pitcher in one season is 106 done by Mike Marshall in 1974. On average though, a healthy reliever can expect to pitch in about 75 games. Matt Capps pitched in 85 games in 2006, the highest career mark of any Twin on the staff. But if we go by games played, it would seem that bullpen guys are more important than starters, which we know is not the case. Therefore if we disect by innings, we know that on average a good season for a starter is 200 innings. For relievers, its almost safe to assume the amount of games equals the amount of innings. Therefore a good season would result in roughly 75 innings. This gives the starters an easy comeback when faced with the objection that they only play every 5th game. Salaries between starters and offensive players opens another can of worms and can be debated at another time.

Ok, so we've established that out of the 3 segments of a team, the offense, starting pitching, and the bullpen, the last of the three, the bullpen, comes in last on the payroll priority. Or does it? Obviously there's a high premium on closers. It's the most pressure packed position in the bullpen and should be given luxury to the few who have proven able to conquer the position. The Twins knew coming into 2011 that with a healthy Joe Nathan, they had what few teams in the league had, 2 all-star closers. A value that probably gave the Twins a little bit more wiggle room to let go of their veteran arms. One would be the closer, the other, the 8th inning set-up man. That leaves just a few high impact bullpen spots left, and on the pay scale, considerably less valuable. Therefore, the Twins believed that letting go of Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, Brian Fuentes, and Ron Mahay was acceptable given the fact that their value had exceeded the perceived value of their positions.

But the Twins problems in this method was that the two highest valued positions, the closer and set-up were so egragiously over-valued that there was no room to pay fair value, let alone a premium for the other positions. Joe Nathan and Matt Capps are earning a collective $18.4 million this season. The only other bullpen player earning more than one million is Kevin Slowey at $2.7 million. Slowey was supposed to be the long reliever after being the odd man out, but he's unsatisfied with his role and is basically useless as the Twins try to decide how to move him. The rest of the bullpen has been a revolving door between Minneapolis and Rochester, NY. Maybe this shouldn't surprise the Twins, because the level of talent in those positions at the beginning of the season was razor thin in comparison to what was at Triple A. But that's what you pay for right?

So how are the five veterans doing since they left free agency and what contributions are they bringing to their new teams?

Matt Guerrier signed a 3 year, $12 million deal with the Dodgers. So far it's paying off for them. While the Dodgers are just 21-28, Guerrier has pitched the most innings out of the bullpen with 24.2, going 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA, 1 save and has yet to give up a long ball.

Jesse Crain signed a 3 year, $13 million deal to stay in the AL Central, but with the hated rival, the Chicago White Sox. Like Guerrier, Crain is on an underperforming team (22-27), but at this time, everyone is on a better team than the Twins. But also like Guerrier, Crain has tossed the most innings in the bullpen with 22. He's 1-1 with a sizzling 2.45 ERA and 23 strikeouts.

Jon Rauch, the major league's tallest player ever at 6-11, signed a 1 year, $3.75 million deal with Toronto. He slid into the closer role after Frank Francisco failed to keep the job. Rauch is 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA with 5 saves. The Blue Jays are 24-23 and in 4th place in the majors toughest division, the AL East. They are right in the thick of it though, just 1.5 games behind NY and Tampa for the lead.

Brian Fuentes signed a 2 year, $2.5 million deal with Oakland to be their closer. At 22-26, Oakland is last in the West, but like Toronto, their right in the thick of it, just 3 games behind Texas for the AL West lead. Fuentes has struggled compared to the rest of the A's pitchers. Currently the A's have the best pitching staff in all of baseball at a mere 2.90 ERA. Fuentes however is just 1-7 (7 losses leads the league), with a 5.10 ERA. However Fuentes is 5th in the AL with 9 saves in 11 opportunities. Proving that he usually gets the job done when given the chance.

Ron Mahay signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks in the spring, but was released in May. At 39, Mahay's career is likely over. But if he wanted to continue and was willing to sign on to a minimum just to play, the Twins might be best to give him a call. While Mahay doesn't excite too many, between 2009 and 2010, Mahay played in 57 games, pitching 43 innings going 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA and 33 K's.

So looking back, now that the Twins sport the majors worst bullpen, with a 5.21 ERA, was it worth the savings? Mind you that the bullpen's effectiveness relied on the assumption that the starters would consistently toss 6 innings or more. At 21 quality starts (6 IP, 3 runs or less), the Twins are last in the American League. What was the contigency plan if the Twins bullpen had to be relied upon more than the norm. Even more so, how valuable are those non-closer roles now that the Twins are scoring runs at a turtle's pace and the starters are barely pitching enough for decisions? These are the questions that should have been asked at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the Twins looked at the bullpen as spoke on the wheel, instead of lever that would help move it.

Ok, well that's about enough on the bullpen. They are trying and injuries have led to a less than desirable situation. However, if hindsight was 20/20, I find it hard to believe they would attack 2011 with the same bullpen plan.

Until next time, remember to dust once a week to reduce allergies.

Brock
TCW

Get to know 'em - The Minnesota "Rochester" Twins

A few years ago, the Minnesota Twins had a advertising campaign called "get to know 'em". It was highlighted as an effort to really get to know the players and took a comical view on what life was like away from the ballpark. It was a funny in part because most of the Twins were already well known in the community, i.e. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, etc. The Twins might want to think about reviving that campaign again with the 2011 squad. The difference this time would be that that half of the squad is made up of guys that started in Triple A. The Twins have called up 10 players since they broke camp, some have stayed and some have gone back down. So in order to keep you informed on who's who, I've created a little, get to know 'em for each player so next time you see them on TV or at the ballpark, you can lean over and share your baseball knowledge with everyone else.

Here they are in chronological order.

Who: Luke Hughes
Position: 2nd base
Call up: April 7th
Why: Tsuyoshi Nishioki broke his leg
Red Wings stats: Hughes hadn't even played a game yet.
Twins stats: 16 games, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 12 Strikeouts, .234 Avg

Hughes is the resident Aussie on the team, hailing from Perth, Australia. He is one of 5 Twins that have homered in their first major league at-bat, doing so last year. The first since Andre David in 1984. Hughes is a combination 3B and 2B, but hasn't seen any third base yet. However, in the minors Hughes has played every position except catcher (yes he even pitched for an inning in AA ball).


Who: Alex Burnett
Position: Relief Pitcher
Call up: April 9th
Demoted: April 18th
Called-up: April 28th
Why: Kevin Slowey placed on DL for right shoulder strain
Red Wings stats: 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K's, 7.36 ERA
Twins stats: 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 4 K's, 3.86 ERA

You should know Burnett by now. He spent the majority of the 2010 season with the team, racking up 47 IP while going 2-2 with a 5.29 ERA. Burnett is a mop-up guy at this time in his career. He rarely gets action in tight ball games, and if so, its likely a one hitter-matchup situation. With the uncertainty and inconsistency of the bullpen, Burnett has the chance to stay with the team again in 2011 if he can be moderately effective like he was last year. At age 23, there's no reason to think Burnett can't be one of the best in the bullpen. He was a 12th round draft choice and has already surpassed dozens if not hundreds of players picked before him.


Who: Steve Holm
Position: Catcher
Call up: April 14th
Demoted: May 4th
Why: Joe Mauer placed on DL with bilateral leg weakness
Red Wings stats: 4 games, 2 hits, 2 BB, 0 extra base hits, .250 avg
Twins stats: 6 games, 2 hits, 1 2B, 0 RBI, 4 strikouts, .118 avg

Holm wasn't expected to make much of an impact. If anything, Holm was brought up because of experience and the fact that he's not on the Twins prospect lists to become an everyday player. Therefore he can sit on the bench or back up Butera without having to give the Twins valuable prospect at-bats in the minors. Holm is 31 and played sparingly in 53 games for the San Franciso Giants in 2008 and 2009. He was drafted in the 17th round in 2001 by the Giants and should be given praise for being able to stick around in baseball for 10 years and make more than 1 trip up to the big leagues.


Who: Jim Hoey
Position: Relief Pitcher
Call Up: April 17th
Why: Jeff Manship was demoted to Rochester.
Red Wings stats: 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 8 K's, 1-0, 2.70 ERA
Twins stats: 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 4 K's, 0-0, 5.79 ERA

You may not know much about Jim Hoey, other than he's got a killer fastball. But you should know that Hoey was at one time one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball. He earned the Minor League Pitcher of the Year award in 2006 and was in line to be the Orioles new closer. But after less than spectacular call-ups by the O's in 2006 and 2007, Hoey's future came crashing down when he had to undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery and miss the entire 2008 season. Since then, he's had a long road back. The Twins however, have hope that the old Hoey will emerge and in the offseason they traded JJ Hardy, Brendan Harris, and minor league pitcher Brett Jacobson to the Orioles for him. He's in a similar situation to Alex Burnett, where he's not the set-up or closer, but given the current bullpen situation, he has the ability to really prove his worth and stay up with the team for a long time.


Who: Eric Hacker
Position: Relief Pitcher
Call up: April 18th
Demoted: April 27th
Why: Alex Burnett demoted to Rochester.
Red Wings stats: 13 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 K's, 1-0, 0.00 ERA
Twins stats: 5.1 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K's, 0-0, 0.00 ERA

This isn't Hacker's first time on the merry-go-round, but it's close. Hacker had what they call a "cup of coffe" with the Pirates in 2009, appearing in just 3 games and 3 innings with a strikeout. In Hacker's 18 innings between the minors and majors, he's done a pretty good job impressing the Twins brass, especially since he has yet to allow an earned run. While the Twins sent him back to Rochester, you can bet that he's on the short list for an injury replacement or even a promotion and it's likely we'll see Hacker again before September.


Who: Rene Tosoni
Position: Outfield
Call-up: April 27th
Why: Delmon Young placed on DL for a strained left oblique
Red Wings stats: 19 games, 20 hits, 6 doubles, 3 HR, 16 RBI, .286 Avg
Twins stats: 7 games, 5 hits, 0 extra base hits, 2 RBI, 4 K's, .208 Avg

While Tosoni has had an impact in a few games, his numbers are no where near what he was doing in Rochester and he's obviously having a tough time adjusting to the talent level. But give Tosoni credit for making it this far, he was a 34th round selection by the Twins in 2004, didn't sign, then was a 36th round selection by the Twins the following year. Tosoni gives the Twins their 2nd Canadien, joining Morneau, as Tosoni was born in Toronto, but like Morneau, grew up in British Columbia.


Who: Anthony Swarzak
Position: Starting Pitcher
Call-up: April 27th
Demoted: April 28th
Why: Eric Hacker demoted; emergency starter needed
Red Wings stats: 25.2 IP, 28 hits, 13 ER, 3 HR, 6 BB, 20 K's, 1-1, 4.56 ERA
Twins stats: 5.1 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, 8.44 ERA

Swarzak was called up for a rain suspended game that had to be played as part of a double header against the Indians. It has been 2 years since Swarzak made his major league debut with the Twins in 2009 and he was left out of any major league call-ups last year. While he had to be excited to get the call, I'm sure it was a little mooted as he knew it was just for 1 game. Regardless, the Twins gave him a chance to impress and he failed miserably. His start lasted 5.1 IP, but he gave up 8 hits and 5 ER, while giving up 2 HR and only striking out 1. At 25, the Twins still think highly of him, for now, and if he does well considering the Twins pitching situation, he's got a good chance to redeem himself again this year.


Who: Ben Revere
Position: Outfield
Call up: May 4th
Why: Jason Repko placed on DL for right quad strain
Red Wings stats: 23 games, 27 hits, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 7 SB, .293 Avg
Twins stats: Yet to play in 2011

Revere is a name that you should have heard by now. He was a 1st round pick in 2007, which means a lot is expected of him. Revere just turned 23 this week and he's got a bright future ahead of him. Known for his speed and ability to get on base, he's not a power hitter and would settle into the 1 or 2 spot in the order eventually. He's basically Denard Span in a different uniform. Revere was called up last year and played in 13 games, but they were for the most part unimpressive, batting just .179 with 5 singles, 2 RBI and no stolen bases. But, I have a feeling those numbers are not indicative of what we'll see from Revere.


Who: Trevor Plouffe
Position: Shortstop
Call up: May 4th
Why: Jim Thome placed on DL with a left oblique strain
Red Wings stats: 22 games, 21 hits, 4 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 13 RBI, .282 Avg
Twins stats: Yet to play

It was fitting the Plouffe was called up the same day as Revere. Both players are 1st round draft picks in the 20's (Plouffe 20th, Revere 28th), both players made their major league debut with the Twins last year, and both players hit under .200 during their 2010 stint in the bigs (Plouffe .146 in 41 at-bats). Unlike Revere, however, Plouffe was drafted 3 years earlier in 2004 and has had to wait his turn to get to the majors. By contrast, Glen Perkins was picked just 2 spots behind Plouffe that year at #22 and is in his 6th year playing at least partially with the Twins. With Alexi Casilla's struggles, and Matt Tolbert's inability to grasp the opportunity, a golden ticket has opened up for Plouffe to seize the spot he was drafted for 7 years ago.


Who: Rene Rivera
Position: Catcher
When: May 5th
Why: Steve Holm demoted to Rochester
Red Wings stats: 13 games, 9 hits, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 10 K's, .200 Avg
Twins stats: Yet to play

Rivera's Rochester roommate, Ben Revere, was called up just the day before. As he tweeted good luck to Revere, he didn't realize he would be the recipient of good luck tweets the next day. Rivera also makes the Twins the only team in baseball to carry 2 guys with the first name Rene (I didn't look that up, but the chances of that happening elsewhere are ridiculous). Rivera is no stranger to the major leagues, but it's been awhile since he's stepped onto the big stage. Rivera played with the Mariners from 2004 to 2006, getting first called up before he was even legal to drink at age 20. So it's been a long 5 year wait to get back for Rivera. His call-up is more out of desperation than it is offensive numbers. Rivera's mendoza line batting average just shows how desperate the Twins are to find someone to fill in for Mauer and give Butera a break since Butera's .111 average is not giving Gardy or the Twins any reason to play him full time.

Alright, well I hope this has allowed you to catch up to speed on the Rochester...I mean Minnesota Twins. If history suggests anything, there's likely to be several more names to learn.

Until next time, remember object in mirror are closer than they appear.

Brock
TCW

p.s. Special nod to Francisco Liriano for his no-hitter against the White Sox this week. The 5th in Twins Franchise history and first since Eric Milton in 1999!

Why You Should Still Get Up Tomorrow Morning

Look, Minnesotans, I feel you. I am one, so I know. It's tough right now. The weather is 20 degrees below normal, the golf courses are empty, the winter clothes are still not put away, the Twins are the worst team in baseball, the Vikings picked a mid 2nd round QB with the 12th pick, the Timberwolves finished dead last in the NBA, the Wild missed the playoffs and folded under pressure, and the Gophers big 3 sports (football, basketball, and hockey) collectively, were a major disappointment.

All that said, you should still get up and go to work, school, dance, fishing, hunting, or whatever it is you do on a Monday. Why? Because maybe it's not THAT bad. There has been a lot of negative lately, but that loop needs to change, even if we don't see it in the newspaper.

Let's work backwards. Yeah the Gophers big 3 revenue sports were dreadful, but the Gophers Football team beat Iowa at the end of last year. Iowa had 6 players drafted in last week's NFL draft. The Gophers had none, and while you can get down on the team for the latter, you can point out that the team finished with heart. And with a new coach and new QB, how can you not be at least a little optimistic about the Gophers. Plus they have beautiful TCF Bank Stadium, a fan treat. I'm not a huge hockey mind, but the fellas at the Daily Gopher do a great job and have provided some reason for optimism next year. Read about it here. The basketball team had an epic collapse after a brilliant start. The Gophers will lose most of the starting line-up, but the one man they needed to come back, Trevor Mbakwe recently stated he'll be back for his senior season. Mbakwe has NBA talent, no doubt, but you gotta think he doesn't want to end his collegiate career that way. And with Tubby Smith still able to reel in high-grade talent, don't count out the Gophers b-ball team as competitive again next year.

The Wild, in the self proclaimed, "state of hockey" left Minnesotans out of the playoffs for the 3rd straight year. Because of this, the Wild fired head coach Todd Richards. Like the Vikings and Gophers Football, Wild fans can find optimism in a new coach and a fresh start. They recently sent 7 players to the World Championships, so this team definitely has a lot of talent. Also, like Gophers football, the Wild has one of the best home arenas in the nation. The Excel is truly a treasure.

Ah the Timberwolves. I know what you're thinking, this is going to be tough. I could take the easy way out and highlight Kevin Love's amazing season and Most Improved Player Award. Yes, that is remarkable. But then again, the Timberwolves had more rebounds then they should have because they missed A LOT of shots. The reason for optimism lies in the Timberwolves having the best shot at the #1 overrall pick. While this has never happened, you can't deny the fact that this is the best chance they'll have. While there's no LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in this draft, that's unrealistic to think about anyways. The Wolves can support their Love-Beasley combo with playmakers like Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker, and Kyrie Irving. Look at the Memphis Grizzlies, they were just like the 2007-2011 Timberwolves not too long ago. How did they go from laughing stock to beating the Spurs in round 1 this year? Part of the reason is they stockpiled first round picks from years of futility. Mike Conley, OJ Mayo, Marc Gasol, and Rudy Gay. All top 10 picks, a pretty nucleus there.

The Vikings have now wiped themselves clean of the Brett Favre experiment. An endeavour that we all know should have ended with only 1 year. The Vikes finished 6-10 and tied for last in the NFC North. Because a ton of other teams were just as bad, the Vikings only got the 12th pick for their miserable season. With that 12th pick they got a QB ranked around 45th overrall in a lot of expert minds. Kevin Seifert, a blogger for ESPN, and former beat writer for the Vikings wrote a great article the other day on why the Vikings had no choice but to choose Ponder because, among other things, he was the best quarterback available. He argues that they only had one choice. Check it out here. The last time the Vikings put the faith of a 1st round QB to lead the team to glory, was 1999 when they chose Daunte Culpepper at #11. A pick that despite the decline in later years, actually proved pretty worthwile in the end.

The Twins are the worst team in Major League Baseball. Give that a moment to sink in. You can slap or pinch yourself all you want, but the fact is its May 1st, and the only team in baseball that has yet to reach double digits in wins is the Minnesota Twins. The Twins have the 9th highest payroll, a future hall of famer (Thome), 2 MVPs (Mauer & Morneau), two 15 game winners (Pavano & Baker), and 2 closers in the top 105 of all time (Nathan & Capps). Yet with all this talent, the team has collectively failed. There are the obvious injury reasons. The DL has been visited by Mauer, Nishioka, Young, and Slowey. Nathan & Morneau have played but are still coming back from devastating injuries. But when the team is healthy, there isn't much left for excuses. Here's why you shouldn't give up on this team yet. Jason Kubel. If All-stars were picked today, Kubel would be the lone Twins rep. He's batting .351 with 9 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI and a .511 SLG %. Yeah that doesn't set the world on fire, but last year he hit .249 and had 116 strikeouts. This could be a bounce back career year for #16. Jim Thome. Ok if all else fails and this turns out to be a "rebuilding year" (I just can't believe I wrote that). Then we still have Thome's pursuit of history to join the 600 home run club. Only 7 players have done it, it's about as elite as it gets. If you catch yourself at the game when he cracks #600, consider it one of the highlights of your life. Target Field. C'mon Twins fans and Minnesotans, do you understand how lucky we are to have Target Field? Going from the Metrodome to Target Field is like replacing your 13" black & white TV with a 62" 3D/HD TV. The Twins have always had great fan support, consider Target Field as the gift that'll keep on giving for generations to come. The teams will change, some will win and some will lose, but Target Field is here to stay and we are so lucky to have it. Finally, the Twins may be 9-18, but that doesn't mean the season is over. The 1914 Boston Braves were 9-22 to start the season. How did they end up? They won the World Series. It can happen, keep the faith.

Oh and as for the weather, I'll take rain and cold over earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes ANY day. Maybe we are more lucky than you thought.

Until next time, remember you've got 1 week 'till Mother's Day.
Brock
TCW

Minnesotans in the Draft

The NFL has lifted its lockout via the order of Judge Susan Nelson from the great state of Minnesota and the NFL is now back in business. Now this would not have affected the draft, it does bring more attention to the work that needs to be done on the field, rather than off it. (at least for now).

Other than the Vikings needs, you might be wondering who are the local talents that are hoping to be picked and placed in NFL uniforms. Any Gophers on that list? Below is what the TCW has dug up on the local guys.

Minnesota Gophers
The Gophers officially have 8 players listed as eligible for the draft: Adam Weber QB, RJ Buckner RB, Jon Hoese FB, Curtis Hughes TE, Jeff Wills OT, Dominic Alford OG, Kyle Theret S, and Eric Ellestad K.

Don't expect to hear any of these names called during the 3 day event. In fact, any of these guys will be lucky just to get a free agent contract. Adam Weber is the most recognizable face and he's ranked as the 16th best QB, so he'll likely be signed by someone and is the only outside shot at a Gopher draft pick. Fox9 did a story on Adam and his NFL chances you can watch here. Eric Ellestad is the 25th ranked kicker. Jon Hoese is the 46th ranked FB (all rankings found on CBS sportsline). Curtis Hughes is the 66th ranked TE. Kyle Theret is the 81st ranked Safety and the other guys are all above 100 in their own position rankings.

There might be a better chance of getting a college draft pick from Duluth than Minneapolis. I'm not joking, the D2 National Champion UMD Bulldogs have a stud running back in Isaac Odim who ranks 45th in RBs. What a year it would be for UMD if Odim made it to the NFL. He's no slouch in the classroom either and also likes to write. You can check his blog out here for an in-depth look at life of an NFL prospect.

There are several Minnesotans that played there college ball elsewhere that you may hear get there name called. These local guys have a chance (College).

RB Rankings
40th - Alexander Robinson, Minneapolis (Iowa State)

TE Rankings
49th - Jordan McMichael, Breck (Boston College)

OLB Rankings
64th - Blake Sorensen, Eden Prairie (Wisconsin)

WR Rankings
73rd - David Gilreath, New Hope (Wisconsin)

What will the Vikings do at #12, well there could be an interesting tie-in if the Gophers decide to go with Cameron Jordan, DE out of California. He's the son on Vikings TE great (good) Steve Jordan. No joke, he's a first round talent that won't be around long after the Vikings pick if they pass on him or if he's gone already. In fact many draft boards have him ranked, you guessed it, 12th overall.

Well that's all for now, I apologize if I missed a name or two, or underevaluated anyone. Maybe Kill will turn things around down on University Ave and turn some recruits into bonified NFL players. Oh how ironic that we long for the Glen Mason days...

Until next time, remember to that leather and rain don't mix.

Brock
TCW

What's wrong with the Twins?

The easy answer is everything. It's been Murphy's law so far this year for the Twins as just about everything has gone wrong so far. Alas it is only April 21st, meaning we are just 3 weeks into a 25 week season. Small as that may be, the Twins are not showing many signs of breaking out of their slump.

Statistically speaking, the Twins have no place to go but up. Looking at their team numbers, here are their AL and MLB rankings:

THINGS THEIR DOING REALLY BAD IN:
Home Runs - 6, Last in MLB
RBI - 49, Last in MLB
Runs - 54, Last in MLB
OBP - .284, Last in MLB
Slugging - .314, Last in MLB
K's (Pitching) - 99, Last in MLB
Total Bases - 193, Last in AL, 29th MLB
Walks (batting) - 44, 13th AL, 29th MLB
Home Runs allowed - 22, 13th AL, 28th MLB
Batting AVG - .231, 12th AL, 26th MLB
ERA - 4.76, 12th AL, 26th MLB
Walks (P) - 61, 12th AL, 24th MLB
Runs Allowed - 88, 11th AL, 22nd MLB
Doubles - 29, 11th AL, 18th MLB
Stolen Bases - 7, 10th AL, 22nd MLB
Hits Allowed - 156, 10th AL, 19th MLB
Hits - 142, 9th AL, 22nd MLB
Triples - 2, 8th AL, 19th MLB

THINGS THEIR DOING OK IN:
Fewest Strikeouts - 117, 6th AL, 8th MLB
Fielding - .985, 6th AL, 12th MLB
Fewest Errors - 10, 6th AL, 12th MLB

THINGS THEIR DOING GOOD IN:
Not getting caught stealing! The Twins are the only team left in MLB not to be thrown out. Granted they have just 7 steals, but are perfect nontheless!

Statistics aside, the Twins are far from healthy. In the first week, they lost Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the star Japanese import to a broken fibula. We'll be lucky to see him on the basepads before July. The DL has also being visited by Joe Mauer and Kevin Slowey. Two guy that are desperately needed for stabilization. Mauer, for obvious reasons being the Twins MVP and all-world catcher, and Slowey to help stabilize a shaky bullpen and be a possible early replacement in a an unpredictable rotation.

Speaking of that bullpen, it's been a rollercoaster ride for everyone involved. I don't think anyone believed the plan they left camp with was going to stick all season, but it didn't even last a month. Joe Nathan blew consecutive saves and has been replaced as the closer to a shaky Matt Capps. Alex Burnett replaced Slowey in the bullpen only to be replaced by Eric Hacker recently. Hacker had just 3 appearances with Pittsburgh in 2009, but was lighting up Triple A Rochester and the Twins don't have the luxury of time to wait. Jeff Manship continues punching in those frequent flyer miles from Minneapolis to Rochester, once again being sent down. In his place is the fireball righthander Jim Hoey, who clocks a high 90's fastball.

Injuries, slow starts, and even a couple bouts with the flu (Mauer and Morneau), have the Twins in an early season position of which they haven't faced in recent memory. Still, if you erase the statistics next to each players name, on paper, this line-up still puts fear into the opponent. As for on the mound and in the bullpen there is plenty of experience and proven winners to make us forget the first few weeks of the season.

What I'm saying is, don't count the Twins out just yet. They have the benefit of being in the AL Central, and like the Twins, none of those teams have emerged as elite from the rest of the group. The Twins will face the suprising AL best Cleveland Indians this weekend. A series that will give serious indications on how good or bad each of these teams are.

Until next time, remember that batted balls and objects can enter the stands during field of play.

Brock
TCW

Misery Rankings - April edition with a Glass of Hope/Despair

Holy smokes were halfway through April and yet there's still snow on the ground and in the forecast. I skipped March's misery rankings because, well, I needed a break from writing about the sad state of sports in this area. But keeping with tradition, I'll ramp them up again this mont. The last two months, like this winter, have been exceptionally miserable. Last year at this time witnessed our first ever March without any snow, the opening of Target Field and an NCAA tournament berth from the Golden Gophers. This year, the winter has dragged on to a comically insane beat. According to Paul Douglas, this is already our 4th snowiest winter to date, and with flakes still in the forecast and always the chance for the white stuff until May, it'll go down as one of the harshest ever.

Longing for some normalcy, March and April have been especially unpredictable and hardly kind. Although it is tough to live with 6 month winters, we will take that over any hurricane, earthquake or tsunami of which have ravaged parts of the world with unbelievable losses and heartbreaking stories. It is easy to forget that we still have it pretty good.

On the sports side, the winter teams did not do much to help us get through to spring. In fact, they probably contributed to an extra exodus of Minnesotans this winter, permanent and non. Collapses and disappointments are abound and with so much negativity, I'm going to try to find the bright spots amid a sea of despair, because why live life with a glass half empty?

First off it should be noted that the land of 10,000 lakes had something to celebrate recently, as the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs won their first ever National Championship as Division 1 Hockey champs. About half of the alumni from UMD live in the Twin Cities and neighboring communities, so it was definitely a bright spot in a sea of gray among the other teams.

TWINS
Records: 5-10, 5th in AL Central
Rankings: 21st ESPN
Glass Half Empty: Here we go. No team had more pressure going into the season to save its fan base from insanity than the Twins. The optimism regarding this team was overflowing if not for anything but we as fans were dying to see a competitive team. Well 2 weeks in and we've yet to see that. Here's a short list of what's gone wrong. New Japanese all-star import, Tsuyoshi Nishioka breaks his leg in the first week. Joe Mauer has already landed on the DL. Joe Nathan has 2 blown saves and just lost the closer job to Matt Capps, who also has a blown save. Twins are last in the Majors in runs (41), home runs (4), and RBI (38). While the pitching and fielding have been average at best.
Glass Half Full: It's April. The baseball regular season is 6 months long and we're not even 1/10 of the way done. Despite the team's struggles, a few players are coming around. Denard Span is 10th in the AL in hitting at .339, a welcome sight after last year. Kubel is 16th at .320 and leads the team with 2 home runs (hey gotta be positive here). Carl Pavano is holding down the fort in the rotation. He's 1-1, but easily could be 3-0 because of the lack in run of support. Pavano has 3 quality starts, 11 K's, a 3.60 ERA, and an impressive 0.95 WHIP. He's definitely been worth the money.

GOPHERS FOOTBALL
Records: 3-9, (2-6) 10th in the Big Ten
Rankings: 85th in Sagarin Ratings
Glass Half Empty: New coach + difficult schedule including USC, Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State, and Wisconsin = slim chance at more than 3 or 4 wins.
Glass Half Full: Because of what happened this winter to the Hockey and Basketball teams, believe it or not, Gophers football is on top of the U revenue sports. Spring practice is under way and there is a ton of optimism regarding the new coach and new quarterback Marquis Gray. And the best news of all, they can't lose until September!

GOPHERS BASKETBALL
Record: 17-14, (6-12) 10th in Big Ten
Rankings: 85th RPI
Half Empty: Lost 10 of last 11 games in one of the most epic collapses in Big Ten history. Team losing entire starting lineup Al Nolen and leading scorer Blake Hoffarber to graduation. Trevor Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson III to NBA draft (likely), and Colton Iverson to transfer.
Half Full: Starting over might be the best thing for this team. Getting some fresh faces with a clean slate, records, and attitudes might be what the Gophers need.

GOPHERS HOCKEY
Records: 16-14-6, (13-10-5) 5th in WCHA
Rankings: 23rd USCHO.com Poll (March 21st)
Glass Half Empty: The team ended one of its worst seasons in recent history with consecutive losses to perennial WCHA doormats Alaska-Anchorage. The Gophers misses the Final Five at the WCHA in consecutive years for the first time in 11 years since the WCHA expansion era.
Glass Half Full: This team may not have been great, but they at least were smart. 12 players on the roster earned Academic all-WCHA for having a GPA of at least 3.0, not too shabby.

VIKINGS
Records: 6-10, Last NFC North
Rankings: 12th Draft Pick
Glass Half Empty: A superbowl pre-season pick turned into a nightmare of a season. The team doesn't have a quarterback, proven at least and you can't win in the NFL without that. Off the field, efforts for a new stadium are being shot down left and right. If the team can't turn it around on the field, they'll have an even tougher time pushing for a new stadium with public financing. You think the Twins would have gotten Target Field if they played like they did in the mid 90's? Their 2000's resurgance was a big reason why their still in Minnesota. Can the Vikings play the same card and rally behind the purple to stay in the frozen north?
Glass Half Full: Good bye and good riddance the Brett Favre experiment is over. It worked for one season and should have ended there. Not only did his age catch up with him, but his off-field behavior too. The Vikings have a long history of off-field problems and last year was just no different. A new head coach, Leslie Frazier will be a big boost for the team. For one, he has the support of his players, which Childress hardly had, for another he's a super bowl champion player and brings that player mentality with him. Whatever the QB situation, be it McNabb, Newton, Locker, Dalton, or Joe Webb, the team can still rely on their young guns AP, Harvin, and Sid Rice to keep this team electrifying.

WILD
Records: 39-35-8, 12th in Western Conference
Rankings: 23rd ESPN
Glass Half Empty: Finished the season 4-10-1 after flirting with the 8th spot in the West. Gave up 4 or more goals in 8 of those games including an 8-1 drubbing at home vs. Montreal.
Glass Half Full: 1 win better than last year. Kicked Dallas out of the playoffs with gutsy win in last game. Todd Richards fired as head coach.

TIMBERWOLVES
Records: 17-65, Worst Record in NBA
Rankings: does it matter? 30th if you're counting.
Glass Half Empty: The Wolves lost its last 15 games to finish behind Cleveland for the worst record overall. The one bright spot on the season, Kevin Love didn't play in the season's last 5 games and on the season the team surrended a league worst 108 points per game. David Kahn and Kurt Rambis should be re-doing their resumes as neither should warrant another contract. Also, the Timberwolves now have the longest playoff drought in the NBA at 6 years.
Glass Half Full: With the worst record, comes the best chance for the #1 overrall draft pick. I'll keep this positive and it right now.

Well that's it for now. I'll try to keep pace with some other interesting and possibly uplifting stories. Until next time, remember to exercise for 30 mins a day.

Brock
TCW

Getting to know you...the new Twins for 2011

Major League Baseball officially opened its season yesterday with 6 games. The Twins will punch their opening day tickets today but won't be playing in the US. That's right, the Twins open their season north of the border in Canada against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Who can we expect to see this on this year's 25 man squad out of the gate? A lot of familiar faces. 23 of the 25 players that will suit up tonight played in 2010 for the Twins. The two that didn't, Japanese product Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and new bullpen arm Dusty Hughes.

Everyone should know about Nishioka by now, the Twins spent $5 million just for the right to negotiate a contract with him. He has high expectations, although with the Twins line-up, he's really expected to get on base and dangerous from there.

The Twins really lacked good baserunners last year and Nishioka is part of the plan to fill that void, along with a resurgent Denard Span and Alexi Casilla.

But who is this guy really? Can we expect an Ichiro or more like a Fukudome? Or neither. First off, no one should expect getting a player with the caliber of Ichiro Suzuki, already a first ballot hall of famer, despite having played half of his career in Japan. Suzuki will end his career with 3,000 hits and if he had played in the US his entire career, that number would have blown away Pete Rose's mark. Kosuku Fukudome came into the league with a lot of hype, gaining an all-star nod his first year, but has since leveled off and become more average than exceptional. The Twins would settle for something in-between.

Nishioka, a 26 year old switch hitter, played with the Chiba Lotte Marines out of the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 2003-2010. He carries a lot of accolades with him including a 2 time Japan Series Champion, 5 time all star, 3 time gold glove winner, a 2 time stolen base champion and in 2010 NPB batting champion. Nishioka is an Olympian, having played in the 2008 games in Beijing and also won Gold in 2006 with the Japanese team in the World Baseball Classic. Nishioka's style will be very similar to what we see in Ichiro, a slap style hitter with some pop in his bat and a very slick fielder. Don't be surprised if Nishioka goes long a few times too, in high school, he was a slugger as well as a lead-off hitter belting 42 home runs. Nishioka hit .345 with 20 hits and only 2 strikeouts this spring.

Hughes is a relative unknown, but I'm one of the few people who have known this kid for years. In 2004, I was an intern with the Burlington Bees, the low Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. I remember Hughes, a Mississippian with a distinct southern drawl, who threw a lot of heat and was promoted to high A later in the summer. I'm not a huge Royals fan, but I'm a fan of anyone who played with the Bees that summer and to date there's been at least 5 players to make the majors from that team. I'll have to write about my experience there and check up on where the players are. If you haven't experienced Minor League Baseball, I really implore you to try, you may not know the names, but the baseball is still really really good.

Anyways, on to Hughes performance on the diamond. After earning his licks in the minors, Hughes got his first cup of coffee in the majors with a September 2009 call up.

An 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA was not what he and the Royals had in mind for the 8 games he played. But the experience proved enough as he made the Royals bullpen for 2010 and in 57 games he put up a 3.83 ERA with 34 strikeouts, in 56 and a third innings pitched. Hughes impressed everybody this spring by not allowing a single run in 12 innings pitched, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 7 strikeouts, and 5 walks. As a lefty, he'll be a welcome addition to the bullpen looking to fulfill that specialty role in late inning pressure situations.

I've got a whole rundown of the the re-tooled Twins bullpen, but I'll keep that for another post. For now, sit back and enjoy Opening Day. It's April 1st and no, it's not a prank, baseball is here finally!

until next time, remember to keep your foot on the rubber.

brock
TCW

Checking in on the Twins Starters

Apologies to my legion of fans on my 3 week hiatus, I've been busy, but have been providing short, quick updates on my Twitter page. Please follow me there for more breaking news updates, quick interesting facts, and other random quips.

The Twins rotation will look very familiar in 2011 with all 5 players returning from 2011, the first 4 have been promised spots from Gardenhire. The last spot is an ongoing battle between two experienced career Twins. Let's look into how all 6 are doing this spring.



ACE - FRANCISCO LIRIANO
Spring Stats - 0-1, 5.59 ERA, 9.2 IP, 0 HR, 10 K's.
Until last Friday, Liriano's spring could have been described as shaky at best. But his 7 strikeouts in 5 innings performance has given Twins fans the faith we needed. Liriano is coming off his best post-surgery year. No one expects him to return to his 2006 pre-surgery form, but he's shown signs that he will not succumb to the fate of many Tommy John surgery recipients, a busted career. He was, after all, the Comeback Player of the Year in 2010. He can look down the bench at Jim Thome and see what hard work and perseverance can do coming off a serious surgery, Thome won the same award in 2006.

2ND STARTER - CARL PAVANO
Spring Stats - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 IP, 7 K's.
If not for Liriano and his dominating stuff, Carl Pavano would be the team's ace. But he's more of a control pitcher, a la Brad Radke, but with a slightly quicker fastball. After sitting on offers from other teams, Pavano returns to the Twins for his 3rd year (2nd full), which has made his fans very happy. Pavano's has created a cult following in the upper midwest with his patented mustache. After a slow 2010 start, Pavano grew out a Super Mario'esque 'stache and his luck seemed to turn around. He finished the season 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA, his 2nd best big league season. Like Liriano, Pavano was troubled with injuries during what was supposed to be the prime of his career. He'll likely be remembered that way, but is trying his best in the twilight of his career to put make a mark and establish himself as the elite pitcher everyone thought he would be. His perfect spring has Twins fans salivating for what could be in store for 2011.

3RD STARTER - BRIAN DUENSING
Spring Stats - 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 12.2 IP, 0 HR, 10 K's.
Sans playoffs, Brian Duensing has yet to disappoint Twins fans. Duensing is a bullpen to starter success story that so many relievers seek and yet so few succeed. Duensing is an oppportunist, taking full advantage of the situations that have presented themselves, mainly taking over for injured players. He came up in 2009 and was nearly flawless out of the bullpen and when injuries opened up a spot in the rotation, Duensing filled it remarkably for a newbie. However, despite starting game 1 of the playoffs that year (because of game 163), he was back to the bullpen after all 5 spots were sewed up. It didn't take long to realize Duensing belonged in the rotation. Another injury opened up an opportunity and Duensing seized it, posting a 10-3 record with a 2.62 ERA and 78 strikeouts. This will be his first year starting right out of the gate, from which high expectations will be had. If anyone can handle it, Duensing has proven he's up to the challenge.

4TH STARTER - NICK BLACKBURN
Spring Stats - 2-1, 2.81 ERA, 16 IP, 3 HR, 6 K's.
Blackburn has been solid this spring and he's going to need to be solid in the regular season if he's to hold on to this spot. After struggling in the bullpen coming up for a cup of coffee in 2007, the Twins moved him to the starting rotation in 2008 where he had a solid rookie campaign, going 11-11 with a 4.05 ERA. His 2009 was neither better nor worse, it was deja vu. Blackburn again went 11-11, had a 4.03 ERA, gave up just 2 more homeruns, 2 more walks and had 2 more strikeouts. It was eerily bizarre. Unfortunately, Blackburn took a step backwards last year, although posting a similar record at 10-12, he had career lows in IP and Strikeouts. The Twins patience on Blackburn is growing thin, another mediocre season is not what this team is looking for. If he's headed for another 10-11 win season, he'll likely be headed for another team.


5TH STARTER - SCOTT BAKER or KEVIN SLOWEY
Spring Stats
Baker - 1-3, 2.84 ERA, 12.2 IP, 1 HR, 11 K's.
Slowey - 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 1 HR, 6 K's.
That leaves Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey. The winner gets the 5th spot, the loser gets the bullpen, or maybe the trading block. Gardy hasn't given the nod to either and in the press he has stated that it could come down to the final days. Both starters have looked good enough this spring to be in the rotation. Baker is the more veteran of the two and was at one point considered the team's #1 or #2 starter, but health and inconsistency plagued Baker in 2010, while the other starters have stepped up their games. Baker is only 1-3 this spring, but more importantly he has a 2.84 ERA and 11 strikeouts in nearly 13 innings. This will be his 7th season as a Twin and with a career 4.32 ERA we can't expect anything stellar from Baker. But he has thrown 170 plus innings with a 140 plus strikeouts the last 3 years and with a career 55-42 mark Baker's proven that he's still a winner when it comes down to it. Still it might be put up or ship out time for Baker as a Minnesota Twin.

Slowey isn't make Gardenhire's decision easy. But then again, that's a good problem to have, after all we want to see both Baker and Slowey succeed and regardless of who wins the spot, there's a good chance we'll see both as a 6 month season almost never goes as planned. Slowey really strengthened his case last Monday with 4 innings of shutout baseball against the Marlins, retiring the first 6 batters. Slowey's 2010 stats are a little skewed, he finished 13-6 but had a 4.45 ERA and was often the benefactor of some healthy runs support. While Baker has 2 more years experience, their career stats are quite similar. Slowey holds a 39-21 career mark with a 4.41 ERA. And if there ever was an indication that springs stats don't hold a lot of water, you can look at Slowey's perfect 7-0 spring record with a 2.11 ERA.

Neither Baker (2), nor Slowey (4) have thrown many games out of the bullpen, however either could be considered for the long reliever job, especially with the Twins lack of depth and experience in the bullpen. Furthermore, this all could be moot by mid-season if the Twins phenom prospect, Kyle Gibson makes a Matt Garza like ascension to the big leagues, a distinct possibility for a guy with a mid-90's fastball and previous mediocre seasons.

There are still 10 spring games left meaning Baker and Slowey should have at least 2 more times to impress the staff and GM Billy Smith. The battle in the bullpen is where there is room for great discussion and I will touch on that later this week.

Until next time, keep 'em honest and pitch inside.

Brock
TCW

Minnesota's Top 10 Sports Movies

While Minnesota may not be the first thing you think of when you ponder the greatest sports flicks of all time, there a few that hopefully come to mind. And if not, I've created this list as a helpful reminder. I had to scrape to find 10 that could fit within the criteria, so take Top 10 with a grain of salt, some of these movies shouldn't have the term "top" applied to them.

So, without further ado, here's the top 10 list of Minnesota Sports movies, ranked in order of least watchable to the most entertaining.

Honorable Mention - Miracle (movie not set in MN, but warrants a mention and if on the list, would be at least 3rd)
Sport: Hockey
Synopsis: The inspiring story of the team that transcended its sport and united a nation with a new feeling of hope. Based on the true story of one of the greatest moments in sports history, the tale captures a time and place where differences could be settled by games and a cold war could be put on ice. In 1980, the United States Ice Hockey team's coach, Herb Brooks, took a ragtag squad of college kids up against the legendary juggernaut from the Soviet Union at the Olympic Games. Despite the long odds, Team USA carried the pride of a nation yearning from a distraction from world events. With the world watching the team rose to the occasion, prompting broadcaster Al Michaels' now famous question, to the millions viewing at home: "Do you believe in a miracle? Yes!"

TCW Take: While the movie is not set in Minnesota, it's centered around Herb Brooks, who coached the University of Minnesota hockey team and is a legend in these parts. It's one of the greatest stories in all of sports, unless of course your Russian.

Minnesota Connection: Herb's wife Patti is in the movie as an extra in the stands during the U.S. vs. Russia game. You can see her positioned up and to the left of the actor who portrayed Jim Craig's dad in the movie, during many of his scenes during the U.S.-vs.-Russia game.

10. Major League: Back to the Minors
Sport: Baseball
Synopsis: Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) now owns the Minnesota Twins as well as the struggling minor league South Carolina Buzz. So he decides to hand over management duties for the minor league club to former pitcher Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula), and the fate of the hapless Buzz begins to change. Eventually, the Buzz take on the Twins, with Bob Uecker back delivering play-by-play in this third Major League movie.

TCW Take: Barf. The first Major League is one of the best sports movies around. The second one had enough laughs to make it watchable. They should have stopped there.

Minnesota Connection: In Roger Dorn's Minnesota Twins owner suite, a number 4 Lou Collins jersey hangs in a case, a reference to Timothy Busfield's character in Little Big League.

9. D3: The Mighty Ducks
Sport: Hockey
Synopsis: The Ducks return to their roots in the third installment of this series. Back home in Minnesota. The Ducks get scholarships to the prestigious Eden Hall Academy. Faced with a new uptight coach and the mounted pressure from the alumni board, Gordon mentors Charlie to victory in life and hockey.

TCW Take: Another film series that went too far. I vaguely remember seeing this and I vaguely remember caring.

Minnesota Connection: The name "Eden Hall Academy" is an amalgamation of the Twin Cities suburb of Eden Prairie and private schools Cretin-Derham Hall and Saint Thomas Academy.

8. D2: The Mighty Ducks
Sport: Hockey
Synopsis: Inspired by his own players, former peewee hockey coach Gordon Bombay decides to try out in the minor leagues. He becomes the star player for the fictional Minnehaha Waves, and is expected to make it to the NHL soon. However, after a career-ending knee injury, he returns to Minneapolis. Bombay is then offered a chance to coach a team representing the United States in the Junior Goodwill Games.

TCW Take: In the movie, Bombay gets caught up in the celebrity life and forgets about coaching and motivating the kids. It's the classic story of a Junior Goodwill Games coach getting caught up in the fame game. If I had a nickel for every time that happened.....I'd have a nickel.

Minnesota Connection: Seven out of 14 members of Team USA were born in the Twin Cities Metro Area (fictionally of course): Charlie Conway, Connie Moreau, and Jesse Hall are from Minneapolis; Guy Germaine is from St. Paul; and Adam Banks, Les Averman, and Fulton Reed are from the suburbs of Edina, Brooklyn Park, and Stillwater, respectively.

7. The Mighty Ducks
Sport: Hockey
Synopsis: Gordon Bombay, a successful Minneapolis lawyer, when, as the star player in his champion hockey team, he lost the winning goal in a shootout, thereby losing the game, and the approval of his coach. After being charged for drunk driving, the court orders him to coach a peewee hockey team, the worst in the league, Gordon is at first very reluctant. However, he eventually gains the respect of the kids and teaches them how to win. In the end he must face his old coach who still holds bitterness in Gordon's inability to make to win at the mature age of 9.

TCW Take: I hope you picked up on my sarcasm at the end there. Another ridiculous story line of a judge ordering a guy to coach a hockey team after a DUI. What happened to just community service or AA classes? It's the best of the 3 movies, mostly for its originality and not for its superb acting. The entire Trilogy is B material at best, but good enough for the kids.

Minnesota Connection: The courtroom scenes were filmed in St. Cloud and were dressed up to give it a more "hockey feel." This included adding small black circles that looked like hockey pucks near the ceiling architecture. Instead of taking them down, the "hockey pucks" still remain today. Also, in the movie, Adam Banks is often referred to as a "Cake Eater" this term is a reference people who live in the Twin Cities suburb, Edina. The term refers to one being rich and stuck up. "They buy their cake and eat it too."

6. Grumpier Old Men
Sport: Fishing
Synopsis: The spring and summer fishing season is in full swing in Wabasha, Minnesota, with the annual quest to catch "Catfish Hunter", the lake's largest catfish, consuming the fishing community. New arrival to Wabasha Maria Ragetti (Sophia Loren) has purchased the old bait shop with the intent of converting it into a fancy Italian restaurant. Max and John join forces to try and sabotage the restaurant and succeed to a point. In his quest to stop the restaurant from opening, Max falls for the owner and suddenly realizes what he really wants.

TCW Take: Congrats! We've reached the last sequel in this countdown, the best of the 2nd & 3rd run movies. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon reprise their roles and continue to make each other miserable, while finding the silver lining in their friendships and life itself. The movie didn't win any acting fans over, but it's pleasant enough for a good laugh or too and quantifies the simple rural life.

Minnesota Connection: Upon entering Wabasha you will see a sign reading "Welcome to Wabasha, Home of Grumpy Old Men" as a tribute to the 2 films written by Mark Steven Johnson about his grandfather, Wabasha native Charles Gilbert.

5. Angus
Sport: Football
Synopsis: Angus is highly intelligent and steady on the football field. Faced with peer pressure and growing pains, he deals with his problems through lively humor and a boisterous attitude. Accompanied by his amusing and geeky best friend Troy, Angus spends most of his time living in the shadow of golden boy Rick Sanford, and admiring his secret love, cheerleader Melissa Lefevre. Anchored by an eccentric family, including his mother and grandfather, Angus must find himself in a riotous search for his true high school identity.

TCW Take: Less about football, more about the life of an insecure teenager. It'll strike a chord with anyone who felt high school was the wtf period of your life.

Minnesota Connection: The shots in front of the school and at the football game were shot at Owatonna High School in Owatonna. The marching band playing during the opening credits is the actual Owatonna High School Marching Band.

4. Little Big League
Sport: Baseball
Synopsis: When the owner of the hapless Minnesota Twins dies and leaves his grandson (Luke Edwards) the team in his will, the 12-year-old decides to manage the team himself. Aside from the obvious headline value of his move, no one seems to like the idea and the kid finds himself battling for his fledgling managerial career. Eventually, however, he wins the confidence of his favorite player (Timothy Busfield) and before long has the team playing like kids: for the fun of it, rather than the money.

TCW Take: Aside from the fact that its another ridiculous concept, it has just enough acting and subplots to keep one interested. Plus if you're a baseball fan you get to see Randy Johnson, Iván Rodríguez, Rafael Palmeiro (pre-steroid), Sandy Alomar, Jr., Paul O'Neill, Tim Raines, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Lou Piniella, some of the game's greats try their hand at acting.

Minnesota Connection: John Gordon, who played broadcaster Wally Holland, is the real-life voice of the Minnesota Twins. While his use of silly statistics (e.g. batting average against left handed pitchers faced at home for the first time in the last month of the season) is a parody, he did use his trademark home run call when he said "Touch 'em all, Mickey Scales!"

3. Iron Will
Sport: Dog Sledding
Synopsis: In 1917, Will Stoneman's father is killed in a mushing accident leaving Will to care for his family. Needing money for college and to save the family farm in South Dakota, Will decides to travel to Winnipeg, Manitoba to take part in a dog-sled race from Winnipeg to Saint Paul, Minnesota. With the aid of Ned Dodd, the young man prepares both physically and mentally for the harsh weather and terrain throughout the race. During the race, Will becomes popular with the newspaper media due to his strong courage in what he must do.

TCW Take: Historical in nature, entertaining and inspirational are all characteristics of this film. It's by no means an exceptional flick, but it captivates you enough till the end in one of those feel good underdog stories in that old Disney way.

Minnesota Connection: Much of the movie was filmed in northern Minnesota near Duluth. Many of Duluth's citizens were extras in the movie, a large number at the end of the race. Furthermore, the trains used in the movie were from the Lake Superior Railroad Museum (LSRM) in Duluth. Because they were actual operating trains, actors could not operate as engineers or the conductors. They were all volunteer employees of the museum.

2. Grumpy Old Men
Sport: Ice Fishing
Synopsis: Retired school teacher John Gustafson (Lemmon) and former TV repairman Max Goldman (Matthau) have lived next door to each other in Wabasha, Minnesota for decades, but have not gotten along since childhood. With not much else to do with their seemingly boring and lonely single lives except watch television and fishing, Max and John compete and argue with each other on just about everything, and partake in cruel (yet funny) jokes on one another.

TCW Take: This is is the most heavily influenced Minnesota movie on the list. The speech, jokes, ice fishing, and winter related things are all Minnesotan. It's a light hearted feel good comedy that is easy and fun to watch.

Minnesota Connection: Though many of the places mentioned in the movie (such as the local VFW and Slippery's Tavern) can be found in Wabasha, most location shots actually were filmed in other Minnesota communities. The only scene filmed near Wabasha was the "snow angel" scene, filmed in nearby Red Wing.

1. Field of Dreams
Sport: Baseball
Synopsis: An Iowa farmer hears a voice in his cornfield accompanied by a vision of a baseball field. "If you build it, he will come". He takes it as a sign to build a baseball diamond which would enable Shoeless Joe Jackson of the infamous Chicago Black Sox to play ball again and eventually get him to re-connect with his father. After picking up James Earl Jones character in Boston, the two are given another sign and must travel to Minnesota to find another clue from the mysterious voice in the corn field.



TCW Take & Minnesota Connection: One of the best, top 5 sports movies of all time, and the best of Kevin Costner's baseball flicks (Bull Durham, For Love of the Game). Although predominantly set in Iowa, a key character and subplot occurs in the iron range town of Chisholm, where Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham is from. Graham was a real person and ballplayer who famously appeared in just 1 Major league game as a defensive replacement in right field. After his career, Graham completed his medical degree from the University of Maryland in 1908. He obtained his license the following year and began practicing medicine in Chisholm, Minnesota, where just like in the movie, "Doc" served the people of Chisholm for fifty years.

Well there you have it. From 10 to 1, from unwatchable to epic, from comically bad to just comical, this list has bits and pieces of each. While some connections were looser than others, they all had a connection to the North Star State, Minnesota.

until next time, remember that popcorn directions should never be fully trusted.

brock,
TCW