Terry Tiffee: 2005's Lew Ford?

Unfortunately for most of us in (as well as outside) Twins Territory, Wednesday's Twins vs. Tigers game was not broadcast on television - for some reason the waning moments of an extremely overrated team's now-hopeless "playoff push" took preference last night (postscript: I'm told those reasons were contractual... too bad for FSN). That was unfortunate, because yesterday's game sounds like it was an extremely entertaining one.

Anyway, that brings me to the title of today's post: Terry Tiffee. As you probably well know by now (I'm not naive enough to think that TC is the first stop on everyone's web browsing schedule) Tiffee was the star of last night's game, going 2-4 with a double, homer, and 3 RBIs in his first game up from AAA. He even hit in the cleanup spot! Even before that surprising performance, it seemed like every semi-knowledgable worth his/her weight in off-color Teflon Twins fan has an opinion one way or another about this 25 year-old corner infielder.

Since I would lump myself in with that group of people (perhaps even near the head of the class) and I am paid so very un-well to share my opinions with all of you, I'll briefly summarize my opinion of the Tiffmeister (as he shall from now on be called). First of all, all of you are exactly right: Tiffee definitely deserved to make the team out of spring training. He didn't impress me that much the time I watched him down in Florida (and I heard conflicting reports about him from people "in the know", if you will) but his numbers were very good overall. Instead, concerns (arguably overly-cautious concerns) about The Knee led to the retention of Corky "Corky" Miller, who appears to be nothing more than your standard AAA catcher but with a funky first name.

Despite the fact that he has never been considered a top-tier prospect, Tiffee has done nothing but hit in his time in the big leagues. He was outstanding as a replacement for Koskie last September before he went down with a season-ending injury partway through the month, and appears to have picked up right where he left off.

My rhetorical questions for you are as follows: Is there a chance that Tiffee could become 2005's version of Lew Ford for this team, the unsung seasoned minor leaguer who steps in and exeeds expectations? Or is he simply a mid-level prospect who has been lucky enough to play his best baseball in the majors? Conventional wisdom says that he doesn't have the skills (bat speed, hands, etc.) to cut it as an everyday player, but then again, conventional wisdom has been known to fail on occasion (see Eckstein, David).

Say (theorectically speaking, of course) that Tiffee continues to hit at a torrid pace. Who would he replace in the lineup once Morneau returns? Cuddyer? Ford? Rivas, perhaps? I must admit that despite my initial skepticism (I've never considered Tiffee to be a potential starter in the majors) the possibilities are intriguing, and I'm all for anything that improves this team. Anyone else have any thoughts on the issue? I realize this discussion is extremely premature, but I just thought I'd get a jump on what may become a hot issue over the next couple of weeks.

Either way, it's getting late and I'd best be going to sleep. Tomorrow's game will be on TV (thankfully!) so I'm sure we'll have something more substantial for you then. Take care, everyone.


Two different photos of Tiffee's fourth inning home run.
-RM

Proving a Point

The Twins are the three-time American League Central Championships for a reason and they continued to prove it last night. While the rest of the division continues to catch up in terms of talent the Twin’s organization continues to be one step ahead. What makes the Twins special is that they love being the underdog so much that they seem to swoon every summer just to give teams false hope and then pull away in the closing months. Comments made earlier in the week by a certain Tiger outfielder only served to fuel the fire of a team that has learned how to win. Last night the Twins beat the Tigers with a walk dramatic walk-off double by Shannon Stewart.

The Tigers are a much improved team thanks in large part to their willingness to overpay for just about every big free agent player (some of them actually even sign with the team!). In the next couple of seasons their payroll is expected to exceed $100 million, almost doubling that of the Twins. They also have a good manager in Alan Trammell. Both their lineup and bullpen have potential. Their ace, Jeremy Bonderman, is developing into an impressive pitcher and Mike Maroth has come a long way from his 20-loss season.

Despite all of this the Tigers are still a team that falls a couple of pieces short. Their veterans are old and injury-prone and their pitching is yet unproven. What this all means is that the Twins will no longer be able to beat up on them like they have in past seasons but they also wont have to worry about looking up in the standings to see orange come September. So while Dmitri Young has had a good start to his season, his grasp of reality remains a little off.

There were plenty of highlights for the Twins besides the way the game ended. Joe Mays finally started a game, and while he wasn’t great, it was a step in the right direction. Many people disagree with me but Joe Mays is a big key to this season, whether Carlos Silva is able to come back quickly or not. I continue to look for Mays to have a good year and prove his critics wrong.

Both Twins homeruns last night were impressive. Bartlett and Cuddyer showed how strong they are. Bartlett’s homer looked like he had got a little under it and yet he was still able to muscle it over the fence. Cuddyer just spanked the ball. It is easy to imagine Cuddyer someday bringing it all together to at least hit 30. With Morneau out of the lineup it’s important for others to pick up the slack.

Both Juan Rincon and JC Romero were electric last night. It’s scary to think how good this bullpen can set up. The team was even able to score a run off of Troy Percival for the first time ever.

If the team can figure out a way to get Craig Monroe out they will be well on their way to exercising all of their demons on the Tigers.

Linkin' It Up

I don't have the time or inclination to post any original thoughts on the Twins tonight (there was no game today, so I'm using that as an excuse). However, I would like to direct your attention to a few links/tidbits for your reading pleasure this Tuesday.

Maybe it's not all bad
There are actual some positive news coming out of the Metrodome today! Carlos Silva may (possibly) not need surgery after all, which would be by far the best news I have heard in a long time. Also, Justin Morneau may not have to go on the disabled list, as an MRI and CT scan showed there was nothing seriously wrong with him. Click here for the Strib article.

A tough start? What gave it away?
New York sportswriter and frequent ESPN.com contributor Buster Onley, a favorite of Aaron Gleeman, posted the following on his blog (available to ESPN Insider subscribers only) the other day:

Tough Start for Twins
The Minnesota Twins got through the first week with three wins in six games, right in the middle of the AL Central's five-team scrum. But they had the worst week of any team in baseball, unquestionably, losing pitcher Carlos Silva for at least a few months with a serious knee problem. And there are worries about first baseman Justin Morneau, still dizzy after getting beaned last week. The short of it is that Morneau has had four other concussions in the past, and feels foggy and light-headed. For the Twins, it is the equivalent of the Yankees losing Hideki Matsui and Carl Pavano, or the Red Sox losing David Ortiz and Matt Clement.

And at least one observer is predicting they won't be part of the AL Central race. No less an authority than Dmitri Young says the Tigers and Indians are the best teams in the division. This from MLB.com's Mark Sheldon:

Detroit Tigers first baseman Dmitri Young won't see the Twins until Tuesday's series opener at the Metrodome. But after Detroit finished its series with the Indians on Sunday, Young has apparently seen enough to make some predictions about the outcome of AL Central. "This is our rival right here," Young said of Cleveland. "Forget the other teams. I think it's going to come down to us and them. Just look at the different positions, look at the matchups. The matchups are pretty similar." The Twins have won the last three division titles and are many experts' pick to take a fourth-straight championship. When a reporter asked him about Minnesota, Young shrugged. "Us and Cleveland," he said.

Interesting quote from Young, I thought. Is this unjustified arrogance or simply confidence?

Well, I was planning on having a few more links, but I just couldn't find the right ones. If you're still hungry for reading, check out the other Twins blogs, linked for your convienience on the left side of this page. Tomorrow John will be back with some more Twins-related thoughts.

-Ryan M.

Chattin' It Up

This was an eventful weekend in Twins Territory (I don't know about you, but I like that phrase much better than my previously-coined Twinsland), probably the most eventful weekend of the year thus far. And nothing shall go un-commented upon here at TC.

• Although the Twins lost 2 of 3 to their arch-rivals from the South Side, Carlos Silva's potentially season-ending injury was the story of the weekend. It sorta blindsided everyone, including those people in the organization, especially given how well he pitched last Wednesday. I will go on the record with this right now: I do not think that Joe Mays will be an adequate replacement for The Jackal. I may have been able to live with either Kyle Lohse or Joe Mays stinking it up every five days, but both? I'm not so sure about that. I almost guarentee that Mays will struggle initially (which is at least somewhat understandable, given the fact that he hasn't started a game since Aug. 29, 2003) but I will still be surprised if he regains his long-lost effectiveness this year at all. Mays was hit pretty hard towards the end of spring training and in his only appearance of the season on Friday.
  
  And as Aaron Gleeman states today, Dave Gassner isn't the answer to our problems either. He's a soft throwing lefty who might fool some bad teams (hopefully) but probably isn't going to be mowing down quality major leaguers anytime soon.


• Justin Morneau's extended absence also has me worried about the state of the Twins. Originally it was thought that he would be out only a day or two, but now the timetable is very uncertain. He'll see a specialist today, and it is sounding more and more like there might be something pretty serious wrong.


• The new-look Go-Go Sox impressed me this weekend in taking two of three. The Twins did not play particularly well either Friday or Saturday, but the ChiSox deserve a lot of credit for putting both of those games away with some timely hits and timely thrown double play balls. The Sox were dismissed by much of the media this past winter, predicted to finish as low as fourth in many preseason predictions, but I wouldn't be surprised if they stick around for quite a while this year after seeing them play firsthand.


• The Twins defense has been a little disappointing through six games. We all knew it probably would suffer with the departures of Dougie, Koskie, and Guzman, and that indeed seems to be the case. Cuddyer can be absolutely infuriating at third sometimes, making a spectacular play in the hole but then botching a routine grounder or throw. And LeCroy makes Morneau look like Dougie Baseball himself over at first - that's how bad he looks. He misplayed a couple of balls early in the game Sunday that could have made things dicey for Johan. I seriously can't wait until we get him off the field and into the dugout where he belongs.
  
  Rivas also had a mental gaffe last night, failing to cover second in time on a steal attempt. I believe Corky Miller would have had his first highlight as a Twin if Louie had not been so slow (the runner probably would have been out).


• "Sweet" Lew, the Official Player of this Blog, has had a rough start to the season. He's got just four singles so far this season (at least two of them infield singles) and I have yet to see him hit the ball with authority. Has the bubble burst for everyone's favorite computer geek? I sure hope not, but Lew's going to have to make some adjustments relatively soon if he hopes to stay in the lineup on an everyday basis.

That's all I've got for you today. If you disagree/agree/don't care about what I said today, feel free to express that inner voice in the comments section below. I (or possibly even John!) will be back with more Twins Chatter tomorrow.

-Ryan Maus
twinsfan21@msn.com

Interview with Mike Herman: Minnesota Twins Media and Player Relations Manager

Greetings, loyal readers. Yesterday, as most of you all know, the Twins were able to pull out a season-opening series win against the Mariners, as Carlos "The Jackal" did exactly what he is paid to do. I wasn't able to catch the game because of some other duties of mine, but fortuntately I will be able to get some Twins Chatter milage out of what I did in lieu of the game.

While in Florida a week and a half ago, I conducted an interview with St. Olaf alumni Mike Herman, who also happens to work for the Twins in their media and player relations department. Since this is a field that I may someday enter myself, I thought Mike would make an excellent subject for an interview. Below, I will post for your enjoyment the Twins-related questions that I posed to him. It's a very fascinating interview, and it provides some unique insight into the Twins' front office.

I probably won't have anything new up for tomorrow, as I'm falling behind on my homework. However, I'll be at Friday night's game (along with many of you, I hope) so be sure to cheer on our hometown nine as loudly as possible.

Note: If you would like to read the entire interview (St. Olaf-related questions and all) just click here.


Ole finds home with Twins

By the time most people enter the hallowed halls of higher education, they have long since dismissed any dreams of playing professional sports. But have you ever entertained the possibility making a career with a professional sports team? Mike Herman, former St. Olaf baseball player, is living out such a dream. He is currently holds the position of manager of media and player relations for the three-time American League Central Division Champion Minnesota Twins, dealing with players like Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, and Joe Mauer on an everyday basis. Mike recently took some time out from his busy schedule to chat with the me from the Twins’ spring training home in Fort Myers, Fla.

Coming into college, what were some of your career aspirations?

I wanted to go into sports broadcasting. I had done internships with TV stations and also in media relations departments of sports teams. But originally, I wanted to be on TV, but that quickly faded when I realized what my financial situation would be after college. I wanted to make money right away; I didn’t want to work for nothing for some small town station. I wanted a job related to sports and somehow related to the media.

You went through a number of different career changes before you ended up here with the Twins. Can you take us through that path?

As a sophomore, I interned for KARE 11 during the summer. My freshmen and sophomore years I also worked for the sports information department, writing articles, interviewing coaches, calling the Star Tribune to give them scores, stuff like that. I was also the sports editor for the Messenger as a junior, and I also wrote some stories after that. I interned with the Phoenix Coyotes for two j-terms. After I graduated, I also interned for a TV station in South Dakota, and that’s when I started realizing that I needed to get away from the TV industry and into the public/media relations area.

Mike with Hammond Stadium as a backdrop.

Then I started as an intern with the Twins in the winter of 1999. A friend of mine worked for Midwest Sports Channel (MSC), and she was always on the lookout for me for jobs. One day she called me and told me the Twins were looking for someone in media relations, although it was only an internship. I said “I don’t care” and called the guy up anyways. Even though they already had their candidates, the guy agreed to take a look at my resume. I called him an hour later and he agreed to interview me. One day I got a call (actually the day before my birthday) offering me the internship, and I’ve been there ever since. I got the full-time job just before the 2000 season.

As the media and player relations manager, what exactly does your job entail?

I set up interviews, and generally take care of any media requests that come in—commercials, public service announcements, and player appearances (like an autograph signing)—I set all that stuff up. A lot of it is media services; whatever the media wants. My job is to make our club as accessible as any other club in major league baseball. This means that we need to do a lot more than the Yankees in terms of media services, because everyone wants to cover the Yankees.

Another aspect of my job is taking care of the baseball information, like stats, game notes, and baseball-related press releases. Basically, we disseminate information. Our job is to get as much information out there as possible promoting the Twins. There are some cases where we have to deliver negative information, but we try to put a positive spin on it if at all possible.

How does your job differ here at spring training?

It’s pretty much the same thing. We have a lot more interview requests during spring training, just because there are so many more players. For example, because Justin Morneau is from Canada, we get every radio station in Canada wanting to kick off baseball season by interviewing Justin. But because there are so many of them, we have to be careful about how we handle it. Everyone thinks that when you come to Florida for four weeks it’s a vacation, but it’s actually a lot of work down here. I’m not complaining, but we put in long days under the hot sun and humidity. But it’s still a good time.

Mike giving a tour of the facilities to some St. Olaf baseball players.

What would you say are some of your favorite parts of your job?

Number one, I get to watch baseball for a living. Growing up, playing the game, I just love the game of baseball. I get to be around a great organization, one of the best organizations in the league to work for. PR people from different teams come into our office when their team is in town and comment on how there’s a different feel when you walk around the Twins offices. Everyone’s happy, everyone’s upbeat. Part of that is because the upper management treats everyone so well. In our organization, most people still come from within. You start here, you keep moving up, and finally, you get to the top.

One of my other favorite things is that I get to travel a lot. I get to go on a lot of road trips, see a lot of different cities and ballparks, and meet a bunch of different people.

What are some of the disadvantages?

I do have to put in a lot of hours, which is hard sometimes. Also, sometimes you do have to deal with the egos [of the players]. We’ve been pretty lucky on the Twins—we don’t have many guys that are that egotistical. A lot of the times you just have to be careful what you ask of these guys. They’re financially secure; they don’t need $100 here, $100 there. You have to pick and choose when you go to them for a favor.

What is so unique about the Twins organization that allows them to win all these awards like Baseball America’s “Organization of the Year”?

On the field, I think a lot of it comes from scouting and development. Our minor league system has always been known as one of the stronger systems in the game, so the credit there has to go to our minor league coaches, scouts, our general manager, assistant general manager—people like that. Another thing, which I mentioned earlier, is that everybody (even upper management) respects everyone else, regardless of where you are on the totem pole.

That also applies to the baseball side of things. We have so many homegrown players, especially compared to teams like the Yankees that barely even have a farm system [due to trades], and we always know there’s someone in the minor leagues that can come up and help us. There’s a “Twins way” of playing, and it’s taught in the minor league system. If we call a guy up, he knows what’s expected from him in order to get to the major leagues, because that’s all they’ve been pounding in his head for the last six years. That’s a big reason why this organization has been so successful.

As a Twins fan, I’m curious: How do you think the 2005 Twins will fare?
I don’t see why we can’t repeat as Central Division champions. Our pitching staff is still one of the best in the major leagues. In spring training we lead the American League in earned run average. There’s still the matter of getting production out of the shortstop position but other than that, we should be just fine.

A Solid Second Showing

For the first 4 innings of last night’s game it appeared the Twins were in for a tough year. Forget all the big predictions going into this season, in the first game and half of the year the team had shown that it couldn’t hit or pitch up to expectations. When Johan Santana gives up 4 runs to start a game something appears to have gone horribly wrong. All it took was ½ of an inning for everything to be as it should be. Suddenly the team was making plays in the field, their CY Young was back to his old self, everyone in the lineup had a hit and all that was left was for a bullpen full of power arms to finish it off.

Anytime Johan Santana starts he is story of the game. He didn’t have his best stuff last night and had to rely on his changeup even more than usual. The best pitchers in the game are able to overcome bad innings and Santana was marvelous. He didn’t allow a run in his last 4 innings while finishing with 6 K’s and the win. He kept his team in the game so they had a chance to come back.

The lineup finally showed what it was capable of. This lineup should be better then last year with no easy out 1-8 in the order. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter have a chance to be an especially potent combo. We haven’t seen the power potential yet but this team is going to need to generate a lot of runs anyway.

To many, Jacque Jones is an enigma and last night he did a little to prove that both true and false. He showed what frustrates people when he swung at the first pitch and hit into a double play early in the game. His homerun to end the 5th inning scoring was really a thing of beauty and gives hope of the kind of season he is capable of.

The Twins look like they are going to be just fine with a rookie at short. It is hard to remember his brief stint with the team last year because he did nothing special. Now he looks like a hitter at the plate and showed he is able to come up big when needed. He isn’t going to be Cristian Guzman right away but he is showing the Twins weren’t crazy to let Guzman go this winter. Speaking of infielders, even Luis Rivas didn’t look too bad at the plate last night, hear is hoping he proves Gardenhire and me right.

The Twins were able to showcase much of their bullpen with Santana’s early high pitch count. For the most part they looked pretty good. There was a scary moment when Jesse Crain hit Brett Boone but JC Romero was able to come in and pitch effectively, always a good sign with him. Juan Rincon showed no ill effects carried over from game four of the ALDS and threw some pretty nasty stuff. Joe Nathan ended the game like he is supposed to.

With the excitement of the early season it is easy to lose sight of the old cliché that it is a marathon, not a sprint. Games are played for 9 innings and often times the difference between an out and a rally is less than an inch. The Twins are a team built for success. Brad Radke and Santana can have bad outings and Joe Mauer can strike out 3 times and the beauty of the sport is they all can bounce back the next time out. This is the first of many wins in what promises to be an exciting year of baseball.

John (Yes, I know it has been a while)
john.betzler@mnsu.edu

Brief Opening Day Thoughts

I don't have a lot of time to write tonight (damn you, 8 a.m. classes!) but I thought that I would briefly share a few thoughts with all of you about yesterday's game, the first of 162 here in 2005. I was able to take time out of my busy schedule and caught every single pitch on TV (I wouldn't miss it for anything), so I'm coming from a position of familiarity here.

Here goes:

• Brad Radke wasn't perfect by any means, but he did put together a pretty solid outing overall. The two mistakes that hurt him the most (the two home runs) came on fastballs that he simply left up in the zone. I had a sinking feeling that Brad might be somewhat flustered after his mental gaffe in the first, and sure enough, he grooved the very next pitch to Sexson. Sexson's third-inning homerun came on a pitch that only he could hit out: just a little bit above the knees and out over the outside corner. Not a terrible pitch, but that's the reason the M's gave this guy $50 million this winter.


• The M and M boys didn't look stellar at the plate against the crafty lefty Moyer, as I thought might happen. Joe didn't hit the ball that well all day, and Morneau looked pukey in just about every at-bat (save his lineout to right late in the game). That's the risk you run with two young left-handed hitters batting back-to-back: the occasional off-day. I think both these guys will fare much better tomorrow against Gil Meche.


• How about that throw by Mauer to nail Ichiro stealing? Even though Ichiro was probably safe, it was still a helluva play by Joe. There aren't very many other catchers out there that can scoop a tough pitch out of the dirt and still throw out one of the fastest runners in the game. Now I remember why we like this guy as a catcher so much :).


• Jacque Jones and Luis Rivas, two much-maligned Twins this offseason, turned in a number of excellent defensive plays yesterday afternooon. Hopefully we'll see that excellence transter to the plate in the near future (although Rivas did have a single in yesterday's game).


• Jason Bartlett looked very comfortable at the plate, a 100% improvement from his brief stint last summer. If he can cut it defensively (he wasn't tested at all Monday) this kid might just make it.


• Despite suffering their first Opening Day loss since 2000, Monday's 5-1 loss wasn't a wasted effort by any means. Bradke pitched decently and the defense looked solid, and the Twins hit the ball hard a few times (with little to show for it). Johan K. Santana is in a good position to enact a little revenge tonight, and I think he is chomping at the bit to do so. Be sure and tune in to FSN at 9:00 p.m. CT tonight.

Tomorrow, Twins Chatter readers, should see the triumphant return of my long-absent partner John. Be ready to welcome him with open arms, as his presesce has been missed in the ever-expanding Twins blogosphere. Also, I have a nice little feature interview planned for later this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that as well.

Until next time,

Ryan Maus
twinsfan21@msn.com

We Come To It At Last

All I can say is this: It's about time.

We have been waiting for this day for almost six months. We've been waiting since Ron Gardenhire made that infamous non-move back in Game Two. Ever since Ruben Sierra launched that three-run homer off Juan Rincon in the eighth inning on October 9. Ever since Pat Borders so ignominiously ended his 16-year career with that most inexecusable of all baseball blunders: the passed ball.

We have been waiting for this day for 177 long, dark, and cold days. We've seen dead weight shed (Guzman). We've seen dead weight retained (Rivas). We bemoaned the exodus of a true Canadian folk hero (Koskie). Yet at the same time, we cheered as two key pieces stayed home, preserving hope for the future (Radke and Santana).

For 4,248 hours we have been awaiting the official return of our hometown nine. The foul stench of scandal emerged, doing all it could to dampen our excitement. We saw the return of the free-spending days of yesteryear, yet we sat patiently on the sidelines, confident in our battle-tested approach. Divisional opponents made bold moves in an effort to unseat us, one even trying to beat us at our own game.

For 254,880 minutes we have anxiously looked to this day. We have nibbled on the juicy nuggets of springtime the past two months. How would The Knee recover from a setback? Could illness truly fell a once-burly slugger? Would mediocrity (the utilitymen) or potential (Bartlett) emerge from the Scrum at Short? Could the Thunder from Down Under (Balfour) keep his head on straight and arm healthy?

For one entire off-season we waited patiently. A legend, one who was with us from the very beginning, saw his journey come to an end. A great many changes occured this past winter, profoundly shaping the game we all know and love. Yet in the end, none of it truly matters. In the end, only one thing really counts: the game.

Today, the cycle begins anew. Mistakes are forgotten. Optimism flows like wine at a springtime wedding. Wintery aches melt away like the snow on a balmy April afternoon. Baseball is back, and I can only say one thing: It's about time.

Let's play ball.

A Day at Spring Training In Pictures

Sorry about the lack of a new post yesterday folks. Things sort of piled up on me while I was away, and it's taken a couple of days to get them all sorted out. Today, I'm going to share with you a few of the pictures I took while at last Thursday's Twins vs. Pirates matchup at Hammond Stadium (a 5-4 Twins victory). It was (unfortunately) the only day of the trip we had to spend in Fort Myers, but it was still a great experience. Mike Herman, former St. Olaf baseball player and current Twins media/player relations manager, gave us an inside tour of the facilities before the game started and allowed us to watch most of the action from the press box (which was pretty cool). I'm no Art (who I saw with his camera by the dugout), but I think there are some pretty decent shots here.

Have a great weekend!


Joe Nathan walks by some starstruck St. Olaf baseball players before last Thursday's game.


Wayne Hattaway does some work in the Twins clubhouse. Pretty nice, huh?


Matty LeCroy takes some last-minute swings in the under-stadium batting cage.


Juan Rincon does some weightlifting in the training room.


The official lineup card (posted in the clubhouse) from Thursday's game.


Tony Oliva, never one to shy away from a conversation, gives an Ole player some advice.


Starting pitcher Joe Mays warms up in the bullpen.


The rest of the available pitchers for the game sit in the bullpen.


Shannon Stewart makes his way onto the field right before gametime.


A wide view of Hammond Stadium.


The view of the action from the press box.


Dan Gladden and Herb Carneal as they broadcast the game on WCCO.


Juan Castro makes contact during the later innings.


Terry Tiffee actually scored on Castro's hit.


Jesse Crain, one of my favorite Twins, gets warm in the bullpen.


Wouldn't this sign look great in my dorm room?

-RM

One Final Word: In case you hadn't heard, Micheal Restovich was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays yesterday. It's been a long six years for Resto in the Twins organization, and although I'm sad to see him go, I'm glad he'll finally get the chance to show what he can do in the bigs. I actually saw the Rochester native play back in high school back in 1998, and the 425 foot foul ball he hit at our local high school field in Northfield is actually the stuff of legend around here. Good luck, Resto. I wish you nothing but the best.

Guess who's back!

Hey! I know it has been an extremely long time since I wrote anything on Twins Chatter, but I just thought I would let y'all know that I'm still alive and kicking. After a bit of trouble at the airport (let's just say that I spent a night in Atlanta and yada yada yada, I was really tired the next day) I returned from Florida yesterday (Monday) morning. The trip was a great experience and I got to take in an absolute ton of baseball overall. However, most of it was St. Olaf baseball and not Minnesota Twins baseball, so I don't have loads and loads of content to share with you at this time. That being said, I was able to attend last Thursday's spring training game against the Pirates at Hammond Stadium, and I'll have a few things to share with you from that day later this week.

Also, another reason Twins Chatter went un-updated last week was the fact that my $2,000 laptop computer suffered a major mishap during our first day in Florida. As some of you might know, one of the reasons I went along with the team was to webcast a number of their games via our website for the good folks back home. I brought my computer along with me to the field last Monday (to do statistics and play music) and in what was quite possibly the most freakishly amazing event in the history of the world, my computer screen was nailed ON THE FLY by a foul ball from a neighboring field, rendering it completely unusable.

Before you dismiss my previous claim (the one about the freakishness and the history of the world, etc.), take these facts into account:

-I was sitting over a 100 feet away from home plate on the adjacent field (where the rouge foul ball originated from)
-My laptop's screen is a mere 15" wide
-The impact occured during the second batter of our first game, and not a single foul ball landed any where near me for the next 10 games (a span of about 75 innings)
-The ball hit smack dab in the middle of the screen, leaving a large crater in its wake, but then just bounced harmlessly away, leaving the actual inner workings of my computer completely unharmed.

So now I am left with the world's most expensive non-portable laptop computer, as I am relegated to my desk (where I have rigged up an old monitor to use as a working display). My laptop screen actually looks pretty cool, what with the impact crater and the jagged cracks in the LCD display. If you look closely enough, you can even see where the seams of the baseball hit! Perhaps tomorrow I'll put up a picture so you can all see what I'm talking about.

Anyway, the entire point of my rambling disertation was to tell those of you loyal readers (the ones who haven't completely given up on me yet) that I'm still alive and kicking and that Twins Chatter is far from dead: I'm back from my trip and rip-roaring ready to go. Spring is a very busy time for me, so I can't make any promises as to how often I'll be able to write, but rest assured I will squeeze in some time before school ends to share my Twins-related thoughts with those of you who care to read them. Thanks for noting my absence in the comments section below; it's good to know that people were still hoping I'd write something!

Until next time,

Ryan Maus
twinsfan21@msn.com

A Tumultuous Week Behind... And Ahead

First off, I want to apologize for taking this week off. I know I was riding high after churning out four pretty decent posts last week, but part of the reason I did that was because I knew this past week would be hectic. It was mid-term time up here at St. Olaf, and I was plenty hard myself. Writing for this site was a luxury that I simply did not have time to do, unfortunately.

However, next week is my spring break and I have a special announcement to make: I'm going to Florida! I'll actually be in the Fort Myers area (in the neighborhood of Port Charlotte) with the St. Olaf baseball team on their spring trip. I'm sure it will be a blast to be down in the warm weather watching baseball every day under beautiful sunny skies.

Even though this will not be a Twins-centric trip (someday perhaps, but not this year) I'm still planning on spending a couple days at Hammond Stadium late next week. To be certain, Twins Chatter readers will benefit greatly from this visit. I've got something lined up with a member of the team's front office and I'm bringing our athletics deparment's very nice camera with to (hopefully) snag some excellent photos. More information will be forthcoming, but obviously I'm very excited about the trip!

Have a good weekend everyone.

-R. Maus

The Light's On But Nobody's Home

Sorry again about the lack of a new post today. Mid-terms are coming up this week and things have been getting extremely hectic around campus... plus, I need my sleep! If it's Twins talk you're looking for, look no further than Stick and Ball Guy, one of the most up-and-coming blogs on the Twins scene. Tuesday is Twins Day, and SBG is ranting about someone near and dear to the collective heart of Twins Chatter: the Official Player of this Blog, "Sweet" Lew Ford. Check it out today!

Also, I'd like to call your attention to this little gem on the newly-formed Twins Territory site. The article, written by someone named dukemag1, is rather interesting and details the "Trade that Keeps on Giving", i.e. the Knoblauch trade. I highly recommend that you check the article out as well some of the other good stuff at Twins Territory.

That's all from me today. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow, but as has been the case since I began flying solo (temporarily, hopefully) a couple months ago, I can't promise anything. Until then, have a great Tuesday!

-RM

2004 Draft Follow-Up: Part Two

Hello! Thanks for stopping by Twins Chatter today. I especially want to welcome all of you who made the trip today because you just had to read more from the genius who so dominated Stick and Ball Guy’s weekly game of Pepper! today. Well, here I am!

Seriously, SBG has a great thing going with his Friday feature, as well as his many other features throughout the week. It seems like nearly every Twins blog has been at the top of its game the past few weeks, and I’d like to think that Twins Chatter is holding its own as well.

Today, as promised, I’m going to finish reviewing the Twins’ fourth, fifth, and sixth overall draft choices from last year’s June draft: Matt Fox, Jay Rainville, and Anthony Swarzak. This will wrap up prospect week, but in case you missed it, here’s all that went on:
Twins Chatter’s Top 10 Prospects #6-10
Twins Chatter’s Top 10 Prospects #1-5
2004 Draft Follow-Up: Part One


Matt Fox (1st rd supplemental– 35th overall, RHP, U. of Central Florida)
In the buildup to the draft, I saw Fox’s name listed at around #65 in terms of the draft’s best players, so I was somewhat surprised when the Twins took him with the 35th overall pick. However, it was good to see the Twins draft a more polished collegian to help balance out all the high school pitchers they ended up drafting.

After having a spectacular senior spring season at Central Florida (14-2, 1.85 ERA, 10.07 K/9) Fox also experienced success last summer down in Elizabethton. His 5.40 ERA is a little misleading, as he averaged almost 11 strikeouts per nine innings and allowed just eight walks in 26.2 innings. Just like Waldrop, Fox has shown excellent command thus far, a great sign for a rookie pitcher.

Fox is a big guy (6’3”, 190 lbs.) and as you can also see, a strikeout pitcher. I’m looking forward to following Fox’s progress this season, as it will be interesting to see if he’s able to achieve a rapid rise to the big leagues like some of the team’s other polished college pitchers. ETA: late 2007-2008

Jay Rainville (1st rd. supplemental – 39th overall, RHP Bishop Hendricken HS, Pawtucket, R.I.)
Rainville, who has drawn comparisons to a young Roger Clemens, was considered one of the top high school pitchers entering the draft but saw his stock fall slightly in the days immediately preceding draft day. Fortunately for us, Rainville’s (slight) loss was our immense gain!

He is a big (6’3”, 220 lbs.) hard-throwing righthanded strikeout pitcher, the kind that scouts dream about. Last summer, Rainville pitched well with the GCL Twins (low-rookie ball), allowing 19 runs in 34 innings while walking just three (!) and striking out 38. Keep in mind this was at the lowest level of the minor leagues, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Jay this season at Elizabethton. ETA: 2009

Anthony Swarzak (2nd rd. – 61st overall, RHP Nova HS, Ft. Lauderdale FL)
Of all the prospects on this list, I regrettably admit that Swarzak is the one I know the least about (I do have his rookie card at my house, but I’m still at my dorm right now). But I do know that Swarzak had a very good first professional season with the GCL Twins (click on his name to see the stats) which vaulted him up near the top of many Twins’ prospect lists. Other than that, there isn’t much I can tell you. ETA: 2009

Overall, it appears that the 2004 draft was an immense success for the Twins. The team was able to squeeze several very good players out of what was perceived as a relatively mediocre draft pool. It also served as a way to replenish a minor league system that had graduated many top prospects (Mauer, Morneau, Crain) into the major leagues. With a solid foundation in place at the lower levels, there is no reason the Twins can’t continue to win using their current approach: scout well, draft well, and develop your own talent.

Personally I had became a bit worried last June after reading quotes like “this isn’t a good year to have a lot of picks” or “2004 features one of the weakest drafts in years”. But the Twins made the right choice in focusing on high school pitchers, which are much more high risk/high reward-type players than their college counterparts. If even a couple of these players live up to their potential, the 2004 draft may go down as one of the best in team history.


That’s quite enough for one night. Again, if you haven’t done so already read my Pepper! answers over at SBG. After writing four elaborate posts in a row, I may be taking next Monday off, so don’t be too disappointed if there’s nothing new to start next week. However, John (remember him?) may possibly make his triumphant return to the Twins blogging scene sometime in the next few days, so keep your eyes open for that.

-Ryan Maus
twinsfan21@msn.com

2004 Draft Follow-Up: Part One

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who have come to Twins Chatter for prospect week thus far, especially yesterday to see Twins Chatter’s top 5 prospects. It’s good to know that everyone enjoyed what I had to say. Prospect week continues today with my exclusive follow-up analysis of the 2004 amateur draft.

As you may remember, the excitement surrounding last June’s amateur draft was considerably higher than usual. Because of the free agent defections by LaTroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado, the Twins received several early compensation picks, giving them a total of six picks in the first two rounds (including the supplemental first round). Last June I spent an entire day crafting an in-depth Draft Preview, which was well received by many readers. I encourage you to go back and read some of the things that I said, as it’s interesting to see where I was both right and wrong! The next day I also wrote a short draft recap, which you can read here (it's the second post on the page).

Below I’ll write a little about the top three of those first six picks, including what was said about them when they were drafted last year, their performance in 2004, and their prospects for the future. The other three will be discussed tomorrow.

Trevor Plouffe (1st round, 20th overall, SS, Crespi HS, Northridge, Calif.)
Plouffe was the team’s first pick in the draft last June, which came as somewhat of a surprise to me. I was under the impression that he was going to be available for the team in the supplemental round, allowing them to draft Missouri prep infielder Blake DeWitt (who went 28th overall to the Dodgers). However, the Twins decided to fill an organizational weakness by taking a guy they know can play shortstop (DeWitt played SS in high school but projected as a 2B/3B in the pros).

Plouffe, who I named the team’s 10th best prospect the other day, started his professional down in Elizabethton last summer. He hit .283/.380/.340 in 237 at-bats, which falls under the category of good-but-not-great. Unfortunately he did commit 16 errors at short, which obviously isn’t the most impressive stat in the world.

“Why on earth,” you’re probably asking me by now, “did you name this guy on your top prospects list if he had such a mediocre first season?” For me, the key word here is “projectable”. Plouffe is still a young kid, but he’s got a tall, athletic frame, good hands, and an excellent arm (he threw over 90 mph as a pitcher in HS). Once the 18 year-old fills out a little (he’s listed at just 175 lbs.) and gains some experience as a hitter, I could see him patrolling the infield of the not-yet-constructed Pohlad Park for a long time.

Glen Perkins (1st round-22nd overall, LHP, U. of Minnesota)
Perkins also made it on to my top-10 list the other day (he was number 7) has established himself as one of the up-and-comers in the organization. Last June there was little doubt that the Twins would be the ones to sign the ‘U’ product and Stillwater native; it was just a matter of when. Well the team played it safe and took the lefty with their second overall pick.

Perkins, who was one of the best pitchers in Gopher history, pitched extremely well during his first season at low-A Quad Cities (although the Twins eased him into pro ball by throwing him a few innings in E-Town before that). In 9 starts, Perkins posted a 1.30 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and struck out 9.12 batters per nine innings. I assume he’ll start 2005 with the Fort Myers Miracle (keep an eye out Dianna!) and don’t be surprised if he earns himself a mid-season promotion up to AA as well. This kid is definitely on the fast track.

As we discussed the other day, the only knock against Perkins is his size. He’s 5’11”, 190 lbs., which isn’t small by any means but also isn’t big. The thing is, if Perkins was 6’1” or 6’2”, the Twins would never have had a chance to draft him in the first place! There are countless examples of pitchers making it without possessing great height (our very own Johan K. Santana, for instance) so I’m not too worried about Perkins. I see no reasons why this guy shouldn’t be able to fill a spot in the Twins rotation beginning in 2007.

Kyle Waldrop (1st round-25th overall, RHP, Farragut HS, Knoxville TN)
It is players like Waldrop that separate award-winning organizations like the Twins from the average major league program. Waldrop was a dark horse in the 2004 draft. Draft previews said that he would most likely go in the 10th round or higher, despite possessing first-round skills, simply because of signability issues. This is sometimes the case with top high school players—Dexter Fowler (14th rd, Colorado) and Mark Trumbo (18th rd, Anahiem) are two prime examples of outstanding talents who dropped to the later rounds because of such concerns.

However, the scouting director Mike Radcliffe and the rest of the team’s front office sought out Waldrop before the draft and worked out a deal with him, allowing the team to take the prep righty with the 25th overall pick and quickly sign him for a $1 million bonus. He quickly proved his mettle down in the Gulf Coast League and in Elizabethton, going 5-2 overall with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP, including just seven walks (an outstanding number for such a young player). Looking back, Waldrop appears to be the steal of the first round.

Because he’s so young, we must temper our excitement at least slightly when it comes to this kid. Dominating the Appalachian League (rookie ball) is one thing—doing well in A or AA is quite another. Even with that being said, I think Waldrop has a good chance of succeeding and making it to the big leagues someday.


I don’t want to drag on too much for one day, so that’s all I’m going to print for today. Be sure and check back tomorrow (Friday) as I round out prospect week by profiling picks #4-6 from last year. I'll also finish off the two-part post with a brief preview of the June 2005 draft. Thanks for stopping by Twins Chatter!

-Ryan Maus
twinsfan21@msn.com

p.s. If you're still looking for more coverage of last summer's draft, be sure and read this piece from Baseball America, published last November.

Twins Chatter’s Top 10 Prospects: Part Two

Yesterday marked the beginning of prospect week, which I kicked off by naming prospects 6-10 on the Twins Chatter Top 10 prospects list. Today we’ll complete the list, and the choices become a little more controversial (although just a little).

5. Kyle Waldrop - When the Twins drafted Waldrop with the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft, most people (including myself) were very surprised. Because of perceived signability issues, Waldrop was not projected as a very high pick. But Terry Ryan and the Twins’ scouting department did their homework and convinced Waldrop to sign for a fair price (appx. $1 million).

The 19 year-old most definitely did not disappoint in his first pro season. Waldrop displayed amazing poise and control for such a young pitcher at both levels of rookie ball. He posted a 2.14 ERA and walked just seven batters in 63 innings. It looks like the Twins have found another gem where others couldn’t! ETA: 2008

4. Francisco Liriano - When the A.J. Pierzynski trade was announced, Liriano was most definitely the most unknown piece. As it turns out, he may yet prove to be the most valuable. Liriano may not have the raw stats of a Baker or Waldrop, but he has the word “projectable” written all over him. Just 20 years old and in already entering his fifth season of pro ball, Liriano finally dispelled the injury concerns that haunted him in the Giants organization the past few years. He’s a flame-throwing lefty who has actually drawn comparisons to Johan Santana. Sounds like one heck of a pitcher; can’t wait to see him in the Show! ETA: 2007

3. Jason Kubel - Ah, yes. We come to it at last: Jason Kubel, the great unknown. Had I published this list any time between last summer and October 21, Kubel would be a no-brainer at number one. The guy had arguably one of the best minor league seasons in team history, posting a 1.120 OPS at AA and slugging 16 homers with 71 RBIs in just 90 games at AAA. 2004 was the epitome of the “breakout season” for Jason Kubel.

Then came that fateful day in the Arizona Fall League, when Kubel collided with an infielder while trying to make a catch and suffered “a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn posterior cruciate ligament and torn lateral collateral ligament”—whatever all that means (edit: actually, I do know what an ACL is). In any case, it was some bad [stuff]. Kubel had to have major surgery this winter and will most certainly miss the entire 2005 season. Will he ever be the same player again? Many think that he will make a full recovery, especially given the fact that speed was never a big part of his game. However, you don’t just take a year off and not suffer any consequences. I’m still optimistic that Kubel will turn into the player we all hoped he’d become early last fall, but I’m not entirely sure of myself. ETA: 2006

2. J.D. Durbin - Yes, I know Durbin is having yet another horrible spring, but the fact remains that this guy is very highly regarded prospect. We’ve all heard gobs about his tough demeanor and “makeup” (which coincidentally doesn’t seem to be serving him all that well at the moment) but Durbin’s also got great stuff and throws hard. Plus, he’s proven that he can succeed at every level of the minor leagues. Let’s hope this recent funk is nothing more than a speed bump on the road to greatness. ETA: late 2005

1. Jesse Crain - The Twins are in somewhat of a unique position with their two top “prospects”, Joe Mauer and Jesse Crain. Both played a pretty decent amount in the majors last season, and both experienced considerable success. However, I have chosen to omit Mauer from this list and deny him his “prospect” status (as I’m sure he values my opinion on the subject very much). But Crain is in a little different boat from Mauer. Despite the fact that he was with the team from the trading deadline on, he threw only 27 innings and was used surprisingly little by Gardenhire, which in my mind still makes him somewhat of an unknown.

However that all should change this season. Jesse Crain is now an integral part of what is sure to be on the American League’s best bullpens. He throws absolute gas (95+ mph) and has, as Gardenhire said last spring, a “curveball from hell”. I actually think his best pitch is his slider, but we’re not here to nitpick. Crain is still the best relief prospect in the bigs and is the closest thing to a “sure bet” that exists in the Twins organization today. ETA: 2005


Well, there you have it folks. To recap, here’s the complete list:
10. Trevor Plouffe
9. Adam Harben
8. Jason Bartlett
7. Glen Perkins
6. Scott Baker
5. Kyle Waldrop
4. Francisco Liriano
3. Jason Kubel
2. J.D. Durbin
1. Jesse Crain

As you can see, that list contains an inordinate amount of pitchers (7 in all) and most of them relatively young. That is indeed where the organization’s current strength lies: young pitching. Just you know, that is a very good thing! There are tons of organizations that would love to have the Twins’ surplus of young stud arms, and if Smilin’ Carl decides to open up the checkbook at the trading deadline this year (an annual vain hope in Twins Territory) then we definitely have the chips to bargain with.

Prospect week continues tomorrow with an analysis of the monumental 2004 amateur draft. Until then, take care!

-Ryan M.
twinsfan21@msn.com

Twins Chatter’s Top 10 Prospects List: Part One

First off, thanks for coming by the site today. I know I have been extremely unreliable of late, but school and some other things have been just kicking my butt recently (I’m speaking in the figurative sense of course, although it wouldn’t surprise me if those words proved prophetic, the way things are going right now). Anyway, last week I promised that prospect week was on its way, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

I’ve been contemplating when to do my top 10 Twins prospects lists for quite some time (the post practically writes itself!) but I just haven’t found the most opportune time yet. But I figured with spring training starting and all (minor leaguers will be reporting next week I think) I thought it was high time I gave it the ol’ college try.

The top five will be released today, while I’ll post the next five tomorrow. More analysis and discussion will also be forthcoming over the next few days, but feel free to post your own thoughts and comments as well below.

Twins’ Top 10 Prospects

10. Trevor Plouffe (SS, drafted 1st round 2004) – The Twins have so many solid prospects that this spot could have gone to any number of players, but I particularly like Plouffe. He’s a bit on the spindly side right now (6’1”, 170 lbs) but has an athletic body that projects well. He experienced moderate success at Elizabethton last year, and it will be interesting to see how he fares during his first full pro season in 2005. ETA: 2008

9. Adam Harben (RHP, 12th rd. 2002) – Harben is a guy that neither I nor most other Twins fans know much about right now, as he’s kind of flown under the radar. But people like John Sickels and Baseball America regard him highly (especially as a sleeper) and his stats are very impressive from Quad Cities—3.09 ERA and 10.8 K/9 IP a year ago. Not too shabby at all. ETA: late 2007/2008

8. Jason Bartlett (SS, acq. in Brian Buchanan trade 2001) – Obviously this is a “prospect” list for a reason, as the major league-ready Bartlett is pretty advanced compared to some of the other guys on this list. I like Bartlett’s chances to be a very solid (if unspectacular) shortstop in the major leagues for quite some time. He should hit well enough to keep a job in the long run (this season notwithstanding) and if his defensive issues can be worked out (and I believe the Twins coaching staff was right to be critical of him last year) he could have a good career ahead of him. ETA: 2005

7. Glen Perkins (LHP, 1st rd. 2004) – For whatever reason, Perkins just hasn’t gotten as much recognition as I would have anticipated coming off a strong first pro season. First of all no major baseball card manufacturers produce a rookie card of the ‘U’ product (which might not strike you as particularly noteworthy, but from someone who knows, believe me—it is odd) and then BA leaves him completely off their top-10 prospects list. Who knows why this is the case, but we do know that Perkins is a very advanced and polished pitcher who probably won’t ever been a #1 starter, but should end up as a very solid lefty for the Twins within the next couple of years. Keep an eye out for a Scott Baker-like rise from Perkins in 2005. ETA:2007

6. Scott Baker (RHP, drafted 2nd rd. 2003) – Baker’s rapid ascension in 2004 was pretty unexpected, but exciting. The 23 year-old pitched at three different levels last season (A, AA, and AAA) and dominated the first two during this rather brief stints. However, he did hit up against reality at Rochester, where his ERA jumped up to almost 5.00 and his strikeout rate dipped significantly. I firmly believe Baker will be ready for the Show after a full season at AAA and could possibly help the team later in 2005 if injuries and/or ineffectiveness become a problem. I get the impression that Baker doesn’t quite have the stuff to dominate the majors like he did the minors last year (which is why he’s sixth on this list instead of like two or three), but there’s still no reason that he shouldn’t be a solid #2-4 starter in the very near future. ETA: mid-to-late 2005


TOMORROW:Prospects #1-5

Cosmetic Upgrades

In lieu of a new post today, I decided instead to spend my time on a few much-needed cosmetic upgrades for Twins Chatter. Simply put, the site was getting extremely stale. It was a very plain site to begin with, but after 10 months I was getting sick of seeing the same drab lettering over and over.

Overall, I've tried to simplify things a bit. Gone are all the funky, multi-colored lines, and gone is the super long marquee "Twins Chatter: A Better Way for Twins Fans". I assume those of you with older Macs or low-resolution monitors couldn't even fit those words on one line of your screen, let alone the equally tedious blog description below it ("Your source for insightful, thoughtful, and somewhat opinionated Minnesota Twins coverage..."). So they are gone. I know it seems like there is a lot of empty space up there, but that will change within the next few days. I'm in the process of creating a banner that will incorporate our official logo (what you see above) with some photos of Twins players. I'm still a Photoshop novice, but hopefully it will turn out well in the end.

Anyway, the otherwise hardly-noticable changes are the result of a couple hours' work tinkering with my Blogger template. I flirted with the idea of starting from scratch and creating a whole new site using Macromedia Dreamweaver but the complexity of the software and the cost of server space pretty much squashed that idea. It is possible to have a pretty decent looking site using Blogger, so I've decided instead to work with what I have.

I know you all didn't come here today to read my ramblings about the appearance of the site, so I'll provide a little teaser for tomorrow. I've decided that my next string of posts will deal with the Twins minor league system/prospects, which is a topic near and dear to my heart. Baseball America recently finished naming their 100 Top Prospects, and to mark the spirit of the occasion I've decided to follow suit in the coming days. Keep checking back over the course of the next week or so as the series gets started.

-Ryan M.
twinsfan21@msn.com

Nothing Doing

I absolutely hate to once again disappoint all of you that made the trek to Twins Chatter today, but I simply don't have it in me tonight to write a quality post. My numerous non-blogging activities (newspaper, baseball team, school) have been taking up an insane amount of my time the past two days, and I am completely exhausted.

I was actually at the Metrodome for most of today, where I witnessed the St. Olaf Oles lose their first two games of the season to Wartburg College. They were disappointing losses, to be certain, but my little brother Josh (an infielder on the team) played well in his collegiate debut, which was good to see.

Anyway, I have a few juicy topics cooking on the back burner right now and promise write about one of them for tomorrow. Right now, however, it is time for sleep.

-Ryan M.
twinsfan21@msn.com

Justified Optimism?

"Hope springs eternal" is how the saying goes, and that certainly seems to be the case this spring, especially when it comes to the Minnesota Twins. There is a sense of optimism sorrounding every team every year during spring training (hey, even the Royals are tied for first right now!) but the Fort Myers seems to be execuding even more positive vibes than normal this time of year.

I bring this topic up today primarily because of this article Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan wrote over the weekend. Souhan's start as a columnist has seen its ups and downs thus far, but he has been at his best when writing about the Twins - with whom he is obviously extremely familiar.

Saturday's column was well written, but my question for you is this: Is Souhan's confidence in this team truly justified? Is this really the "the best Twins team to kill grass at Hammond Stadium since Gene Larkin hit that fateful fly ball in October of '91"? I'd like to think so, but quite honestly, I don't share Souhan's unbridled optimism.

Don't get me wrong: I am a huge fan and supporter of the home team (I have, after all, been writing on this site for the past 10 months). That being said, I simply don't think we should be falling all over ourselves praising this team as one of the best in Twins' history! Will the Twins be good? Yes. Will they make the playoffs again? Yes, I believe so. But is this outcome all but guarenteed? Far from it.

Yes, the Twins led the A.L. with a 4.03 team ERA last year, but isn't very possible that that number could come down to earth in 2005? For every Kyle Lohse and J.C. Romero that underachieved in '04, isn't is also possible that Juan Rincon and Carlos Silva overachieved? I know it isn't Souhan's place to openly question things such as this, but this is a scenario that every Twins fan needs to consider.

Also, who out there can safely assume (which many people are doing) that the Twins offense (ranked 10th in the A.L.) will improve considerably in '05? The Twins have scored 780, 801, and 768 runs the past three seasons respectively, which is a relatively consistent number (a spread of just .2 runs per game). It is widely assumed that no matter who (if anyone) emerges at shortstop will be at least a slight downgrade offensively from Guzman, and it is seems a safe bet to assume that Cuddyer will do no more than match Koskie's production at 3B, if even that. Is it realistic to assume that full seasons of two very young players (Mauer and Morneau) will not only make up that slack, but provide significantly increased production in an otherwise average lineup? Quite frankly, I'm not willing to blindly believe that this will necessarily be the case (although obviously I hope it happens).

I just thought I would throw these thoughts out there on this Monday morning. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade or anything, but I think it's time we took a step back before we all become drunk with giddiness. The American League Central is going to be a very competitive division this season (perhaps more competitive than it has ever been before), and I think it's important too remember that before everyone starts getting ahead of themselves. As always, if you have any thoughts on the subject feel free to leave a comment below and I'll be sure to respond.

-Ryan Maus
twinsfan21@msn.com

Before you go, I'd like to highlight a couple of excellent links for you today. Longtime Twins Chatter supporter Seth Stohs is featuring an excellent interview with Twins' farmhand (and MN native) Pat Neshek today. Turns out that Neshek runs his own often updated webstite and is an avid autograph collector. I too have a pretty respectable collection of baseball autographs, and some pretty neat stories to go along with many of them! Perhaps sometime I'll share them in this space on a slow news day.

Meanwhile, fellow blogger Stick and Ball Guy is featuring an exclusive report from Fort Myers on his site, which Fort Myers Miracle Gal was kind enough to supply. FMMG also runs a couple of Twins minor league blogs, one about the Miracle and one about the New Britain Rock Cats! I didn't even know these sites existed before today, so you can believe that I will be checking them out often as the beginning of the season approaches.

Bonus Material

TGIF loyal Twins Chatter readers! I don't have time for a new Twins-related post today, but never fear. As longtime visitors to this site may remember, one activity that demands a fair amount of my time is our humble St. Olaf school newspaper, for which I am a sports editor and writer. Rather than send you back to your home page empty handed, I've decided to reprint my column from this week's issue, entitled "February: the Cruelest Month". It's nothing too special, but if you have the time and/or inclination to read another sports column this Friday, I encourage you to continue on down this page.

Have a great weekend and check back on Monday!

-Ryan M.
twinfan21@msn.com


February: the cruelest month
By Ryan Maus

Of all the months on the calendar, February always seems to get the short end of the stick. It has the fewest number of days, its main holidays are predominantly arbitrary and overly commercialized and it falls during the time of year when winter seems like it may never end.

Even sports wise, February has traditionally been something of a letdown. The Super Bowl, the most over-hyped annual event in the history of the world, is now over. The already-too-long NBA season is dragging along at a snail’s pace, its playoff chase still months away. The Madness that is college basketball’s conference and national tournaments doesn’t commence until March (which, I’ll admit, isn’t necessarily a bad thing – “February Fanaticism” just doesn’t have the same ring to it).

Even the National Hockey League, previously a popular winter diversion for dozens of fans south of the Mason-Dixon Line, gave into greed and officially canceled its season last week. A large percentage of the league’s nine southernmost teams will probably cease to exist by the time its labor problems are solved, which may not happen before the year 2007.

In other news, Canadian pharmacies prepared for a run on the popular antidepressant Prozac, as millions of distraught Canucks mourned the imminent demise of their favorite national pastime.

While February may be a dark and dreary month in more ways than one, hope still exists for the near future. College basketball’s postseason is shaping up to be a classic. Will the still-undefeated Illinois men glide all the way to the Final Four? Can the top-ranked LSU women put an end to UConn’s streak of three straight national championships? Will a recent slide keep the upstart Gopher men out of the NCAA tournament for the sixth consecutive year? All of these questions and more will be answered soon enough – just not during February.

Last week also saw the passing of another annual February landmark: the beginning of Major League Baseball’s spring training. This past offseason was one of the most eventful in baseball history, although not always for the right reasons. Just days the Red Sox put the kabash on their infamous Curse, it was leaked that several current major league baseball players (including superstars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi) admitted in front of a grand jury to have used illegal steroids. Over the past few months, steroid speculation has been a constant topic in baseball circles, almost overshadowing the numerous high-profile player transactions that have taken place.
The offseason of 2004-05 won’t be remembered as the winter the Yankees traded for Randy Johnson and the Orioles for Sammy Sosa, or even the year that the Mets signed both Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to extravagant contracts. Instead, it will be remembered as the offseason when the truth about baseball’s dirty little secret was finally revealed.

Fortunately, it seems as though fans are willing to forgive baseball for its previous (and some would argue, current) transgressions. Spring training and regular season ticket sales are up all over the country, as the 2005 season promises to be yet another great one.

So even though the sports landscape currently looks pretty bleak, don’t despair. Pretty soon you’ll be cursing an anonymous shooting guard from some school with three hyphens in its name for ruining your entire bracket, and shortly thereafter the boys of summer will head north and start playing games that actually count.

Instead of being bored to tears this February because there’s absolutely nothing happening, try to think of this month as a speed bump on the road to bigger and better things. In that regard, one of February’s many shortcomings may actually be a positive thing: With just 28 days, the month will be over that much more quickly.