And the tragicomedy that is the 2005 season rolls on.
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I've never been a fan of Bradke Ball--the guy had one great season, his stuff would be better-than-good only if he were left-handed, he rarely shows the tougher-than-nails determination to be a true staff ace--but it's hard not to feel a little sorry for him these days.
Last night's pathetic support at the plate in the 4-0 loss in the Bronx is just the latest example of the Twins ditching out on poor Bradke. (Though he did give up a patented, aggravating early-inning home run.)
The staff ace--a truism about the man only if you work in the Twins' promotion department--has a shabby record of 6-10 this season. His ERA is hovering around a respectable 3.9, so what's the problem?
The team has scored 16 runs in his 10 losses. Idiot math will tell you that's less than two runs a game.
One could conclude, if one were being a cynic, that the team finds Radke to be a less-than-inspiring leader. But one would then be ignoring the pathetic run production that the Twins have offered the rest of the starting rotation.
The more startling stat: Since the All-Star break, the Twinkies are batting .188 with runners in scoring position.
Finally, one more thought to add to Chuck Terhark's trade-rumor post below: I was barely hot on him before, but I think the Twins missed out now that Joe Randa is a Padre. His .289, 13 HR, 48 RBI stat line before the trade looks much better to the average Twins fan than it might have back when we all believed the team could hit. (Platoon infielder and default third baseman Michael Cuddyer is currently .259, 5 HR, 24 RBI.) And his $2.1 million salary is one expense the Twins could have afforded for one season with a 35-year-old at third base.
Random thought: My buddy Dave, who, because of relocation has to claim the Dodgers as his team--but never, ever the dreaded Angels--thinks the Twins should sign Rickey Henderson. According to the LA Times, Rickey's ready.
This Sunday is the deadline for teams to trade players before the postseason, and it's probably the most anticipated day of the Twins' regular season, behind Opening Day and whichever day they clinch their playoff berth. (In other words, it might be the second-most exciting day this year.)
The Boone trade was an appetizer (in the same way liverworst and other undigestables are appetizers) to what Twins General Manager Terry Ryan may serve up this weekend. Then again, he may not serve up anything at all. This is the time of year when a team has to decide whether they are a buyer (read: a post-season contender) or a seller (read: licking their wounds and looking toward next year). The Twins have been playing like the latter lately, and they're traditionally conservative when it comes to doling out their minor league prospects, which happen to be their most bountiful currency in the trade market (the other being money, of which they have very, very little).
But you never know: Terry Ryan has gone on record saying that if the right deal came along, his tight payroll could expand if it meant a shot at the World Series. What the "right deal" would look like is anyone's guess, which brings us to the best part about the trade deadline hysteria: speculation. There's no shortage of it around, and after last night's embarrassing performance against the Yanks, I'm in no mood to go into it. If I were you, I'd head over to Twins Territory, where all the bases and more are covered (go here and here, specifically). Or check the Strib's coverage, which is generally a good day behind the blogs. Even better, go to Baseball Prospectus, an admitted stat-head site but full of interesting info. And starting today, all of their primo content is available for free (one-week only), including a constantly updated feature on all the trade rumors called Will's Mill.
I will mention one trade rumor that quickens my pulse: Alfonso Soriano, All-Star secondbaseman for the Rangers. There are plenty of reason not to take him (he's expensive, his defense sucks, he's hitting poorly outside of the Rangers' ballpark), but I don't care about any of them. I love this guy, always have. He's quick, he's pretty, and he's probably the skinniest guy in the majors with 24 homers this year. Seriously: I even loved him when he was a Yankee. And I'd boo my own mother if she were wearing the Bronx pinstripes, so that's saying something.
Regular readers of my Hang Time column know I've generally been an admirer of former Wolves coach Flip Saunders, easily the best bench jockey in the history of that franchise (against woeful competition) and someone who was unfairly scapegoated last season. Even so, I don't think Saunders taking over as the new coach of the Detroit Pistons yesterday will be a beneficial fit for either side.
A story in yesterday's Detroit Free Press was pegged on Flip's fabled adaptability, something he always emphasized with pride. But the most compelling evidence of that trait is a decade old, a remnant from his old days in the minor league CBA, when he'd constantly be losing his best players to the NBA and have to adjust on the fly. By contrast, amid nine years of revolving personnel in Minnesota, Saunders had a consistent, signature style. And it's not one that will wear well in Motown.
More >>Thursday night saw a return to form (however temporary) for the slumping Boone brothers. Bret went 2-for-5 for the Twins, knocking in 2 runs in a 10-5 victory, and Aaron went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI's in Cleveland's 10-1 pasting of Kansas City. Bret raised his average to .228, while Aaron's skyrocketed to .225. Fans everywhere remain rapt over this fraternal batting race.
The Strib is reporting today that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has reversed the decision to charge fans a training camp entrance fee, and instead (are you sitting down?) has agreed to cover the $100,000 revenue shortage that originally caused Greater Mankato Training Camp LLC to institute the ticket plan. Fans are happy and opposing team scouts are once again restricted from practices. Nice to see a team owner's wallet with an out-going function. I think those cost extra, but well worth it.
UPDATE: There's been no greater metaphor for the Vikings' recent lackluster seasons than that dilapidated wooden Viking ship crumbling before our eyes in front of Winter Park. Entering the Wilf era, that too is being restored to its former glory.
Bat Girl has posted the insane clip.
The Twins' middle infield might be more than a touch suspect, but at least they're not paying Cristian Guzman $16.8 million over the next four years! The enigmatic shortstop has (finally) been dropped from Washington's starting lineup. Guzman's numbers are pitiful. He's batting .189. His on-base-percentage is .228. His slugging percentage is .274. And he's on pace to commit more errors than in any of the last three seasons with the Twins.
And oh yeah: last week SI's Tom Verducci declared Guzman the "worst offensive player in baseball."
I love walk-off homeruns. The Twins never hit them, though, so I have to love walk-off triples, doubles, and singles too. I guess I just love walking off with a win, which is why I'll gladly take last night's walk-off infield-hit-on-an-error. It wasn't pretty, but that's the Twins' style. Way to go, Jacques.
UPDATE: Jones just jacked (jacqued?) a walk-off homer. I've never been so happy to be proven wrong.
It's no secret that the Twins need a hitter (and are still looking for one). What no one seems to agree on is why, exactly, the plane has crashed into the fucking mountain.
But it hasn't; not yet. The Twins lost a string of one-run games to the Angels, and half of Twins Territory is ready to pack it in. That's insane. We just played the second-best team in the American League and stacked up almost identically. The difference in those losses was imperceptibly small (I'm thinking specifically of the Mauer homerun that Steve Finley stole). That's the kind of difference that can be made up by one decent hitter. Last night's loss to the Orioles was a case in point.
Baltimore has Miguel Tejada; we have Torii Hunter, a man I love for innumerable reasons, none of which is his hitting. Never was this contrast more clear than last night, when the Orioles intentionally walked our lumbering, slumping Canadian firstbaseman in favor of pitching to our charismatic, Gold Glove-winning, near-All Star center fielder. And on his birthday, no less. It was a defensive strategy poised to fail, and to thereby make a hero out of Hunter.
What kills me is that it worked. With two strikes against him, Hunter tried to pull an outside pitch into the left field stands, and as is too often the case in such situations, he struck out. Five minutes later Miguel Tejada showed him how it's done and won the game. Happy birthday, Mr. Hunter.
Shortly thereafter thousands of Midwestern tragedians sprang to their quills to write off, again, the baseball season. Forgetting the wildcard. "So close," they wrote... and how does it end? Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Well, the last three World Series champions were wildcard teams. Teams that almost won their division, but didn't. So let's just go ahead and add baseball to that list. And then let's go get us a hitter.
High school teams from Minnesota and Mississippi have won an eight-day solar-car race from Texas to California. The Minnesota vehicle traveled 960 miles at an average of 26 miles per hour to win the classic category. It went as fast at 51 miles per hour.
