July 2005

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Hunter carted off field on stretcher

Filed under: Twins

And the tragicomedy that is the 2005 season rolls on.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 29, 2005 7:35 PM | Comments (0)

 

Maybe they just don't like him ...

Filed under: Twins

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.

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at July 27, 2005 5:48 PM | Comments (1)

 

July 31: The Third Most Exciting Day of Regular-Season Baseball

Filed under: MLB

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.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 27, 2005 3:46 PM | Comments (0)

 

Can Flip flip the script?

Filed under: NBA

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.

With the Wolves, Flip's teams were built first and foremost on a voluminous playbook and crisp, constant passing that generated high-percentage, mid-range shots in the half-court offense. Scouts really admired Flip because figuring out all the permutations of his set plays was such a challenge (and obviously right up their alley).

But there are a lot of things Flip doesn't emphasize. He'll play one-on-one, star-oriented basketball only if he unearths and chooses to exploit a glaring mismatch. His teams in Minnesota were consistently abysmal at penetrating to the hoop, drawing fouls, or otherwise scoring in the paint. Teams with a physical, bruising style, such as Utah under Jerry Sloan and many of the clus in the Eastern Conference, often were able to impose their will on Saunders' teams.

Although Flip is like almost every coach (including Dwane Casey, the man who replaced him in Minnesota) in claiming that defense is his abiding priority, it simply wasn't borne out by the character of his teams. The best defensive ballclub during his tenure here crystallized by default, when injuries to Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi created ample minutes for Trenton Hassell and Ervin Johnson. Coaches who truly emphasize defense are maniacs about it, willing to bench or trade people who don't play it effectively. Greg Popovich is such a coach. Larry Brown, Flip's predecessor in Detroit, is another. Flip isn't, and a suspicious jury is still out on whether or not Casey will be.

One school of thought is that the offensively gifted coach and the defensively tenacious players will shore each other up. But the depth of defensive tenacity deployed by squads like the Pistons and the Spurs only occurs if you have a pack mentality, like a dogs pulling a sled. That requires a musher, an unyielding taskmaster, at the controls, and I repeat, that's not Flip. The Pistons will probably be among the league's top half-dozen defenses under Saunders, but it is hard to see how either he goads them or they collectively discipline themselves to the elite level of the past two seasons.

It's revealing that when Casey was announced as coach here, he stated that the Wolves needed above all to tighten up their defense. About a week later, knowing that he'd spent many hours breaking down film on his new club, I asked Casey if there had been any pleasant surprises in what he'd seen. He replied that the potential for defensive improvement among the leftover personnel was greater than he first thought; that the team seemed to defend the paint and the perimeter much more aggressively later in the season. That, of course, is when Kevin McHale had taken over for Saunders.

As for the personnel in Detroit, the key relationship will be Flip and Chauncey Billups. As a former point guard, Flip is more judgmental about that position than any other. During Billups' tenure in Minnesota, one got the impression, rarely overtly, but often covertly, that Flip felt Billups didn't read the floor and move the ball as well as the system required (which was true); that he looked for his own shot a little too often (generally true); and that, ironically, he wasn't a staunch enough defender (hard to believe, but true back then). Saunders and the rest of the Wolves coaching staff weren't particularly aggrieved when Joe Dumars and the Pistons snapped up Billups in free agency, and matching what they believed to be an unrealistically high number was never seriously entertained in Minnesota's front office. Gambling on Terrell Brandon returning from injury, or signing a point guard on the cheap (which turned out to be Troy Hudson) were both seen as shrewder options than inking Billups to a sizable long-term deal. I heartily agreed with their cynical assessment.

Three years later, Billups not only has the last laugh, he has some leverage in the locker room that could help make or break Saunders. Under Brown, Billups was tutored into becoming a better-than-average defender. He also transformed himself into one of the game's more renowned clutch shooters, meaning he doesn't have to pass the fucking ball if he doesn't feel like it. He owns one more ring and two more trips to the finals than Flip possesses. Two years ago, Flip came to a very productive compromise with Sam Cassell on the operation of the offense, ceding as much as he seized with respect to running the show, in part because Cassell's court vision and deadly midrange jumper fit Flip's system so well. Billups's package of skills is less simpatico, but Flip needs to make at least as many concessions, and hope Chauncey remains the genuinely nice guy he was in Minnesota and not nurse a grudge.

Then there's Rasheed Wallace, who respected the impulsively combative Larry Brown enough to tone down his antics, but may get itchy and test the congenitally non-combative Saunders at some point during the season. And as for the conundrum of Darko, even with Kevin McHale on board, how many big men besides Kevin Garnett flourished in Minnesota?

This sounds more negative toward Saunders than I intend it to be, simply to put forth my argument. The guy is a fantastic coach in terms of organization, X's-and-O's, creating a comfortable but focused atmosphere, and, yes, in making adjustments without whining. He's also great with owners, general managers, and the media, which played no small part in him getting this job. As ESPN.com's Marc Stein rightly points out in this column, the easy route for Flip to take was through Milwaukee, which has a promising young nucleus and little pressure to win immediately. Saunders should be given credit for challenging himself. But Detroit Pistons basketball has seen two periods in the past 20 years when hardcore, blue-collar defense and a combative, take-no-prisoners style have produced taut, exciting, late-round playoff losses and some glorious championships. Both the fans and the players won't be patient with any signs of slippage from that standard, a level Flip achieved just once in his nine years in Minnesota.

I sincerely hope Flip proves me and the other naysayers wrong; that his adaptability includes the ability to get in players' faces and demand that they defend for him the way they did for Brown. At the very least, he has earned the opportunity now before him: To succeed, or fail, with a bona fide championship contender.

Posted by Britt Robson at July 22, 2005 5:01 PM | Comments (0)

 

Aging brothers recapture lost glories

Filed under: MLB

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.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at July 22, 2005 1:52 PM | Comments (0)

 

Zygi gets Vikings PR train back on track

Filed under: Vikings

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.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 21, 2005 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

Gardy's monday meltdown

Filed under: Twins

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."

Posted by Paul Demko at July 20, 2005 9:58 AM | Comments (1)

 

That's (a little) more like it

Filed under: Twins

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.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 20, 2005 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Horseshoes and hand grenades (and baseball)

Filed under: Twins

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.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 19, 2005 2:40 PM | Comments (0)

 

Minnesota and Mississippi teams win high school solar car race

Filed under: Prep

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.

Read the complete story at KVUE.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 18, 2005 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

 

"Give 'em a year, then see how it tastes"

Filed under: Twins

That's an old food critics' rule, albeit one that isn't followed too much these days. All the same, the sentiment applies: if there are still price tags on the plateware, come back in a day or two. Same goes with Boone's "performance" last night. You just can't judge a guy on one game. If I learned anything from Moneyball (which I'm embarrassed to admit I only just finished), it's that.

Then again, maybe that's just an excuse, and now that we're into the second half of the season, maybe it's too late for excuses. Hell, maybe it was too late before Boone ever donned his bright new Twins uniform. This little piece of breaking news reminded me just how convenient the timing of this rare sluggling second-baseman's downfall really was.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 15, 2005 2:12 PM | Comments (0)

 

Wolves Update: McCants dinged, Jones in the wings

Filed under: Timberwolves

Approximately 24 hours after signing a multimillion-dollar, multiyear contract, Wolves' top draft pick Rashad McCants dinged his groin enough to postpone, and perhaps forego entirely, his participation in the team's summer league schedule. Coach Dwane Casey seemed remarkably sanguine about the setback in today's Strib, but he's right--it's better to have McCants healthy and ready to go during this fall's regular season training camp than during the mostly ragtag summer shenanigans.

On a more hopeful note, the Wolves' will probably help themselves more with the upcoming signing of 6-11 center Dwayne Jones (which can't be made official until the free agent signing period begins on July 22) than they did drafting Bracey Wright in the second round. With perennial underachiever (and that's being kind) Michael Olowokandi and undersized Mark Madsen as the most likely pair of returning pivot men, the Wolves are in need of someone who is within at least two inches of seven feet and has more than a smidgen of court intelligence, especially since it is no sure thing that Eddie Griffin will be back.

Here's the best bio I could find on Jones, which notes that he was named the Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year last season. This pre-draft bit from ESPN had him going between the 35th and 46th picks. Finally, here's the Wolves' summer league roster, which includes McCants (who won't be playing) but not Jones (who hopefully will be taking over McCants's spot after he signs).

Posted by Britt Robson at July 13, 2005 3:25 PM | Comments (0)

 

Digesting Bret Boone

Filed under: Twins

The results are in, and it's official. The denizens of Twins Territory are welcoming Bret Boone with extremely, exceptionally, exceedingly and exorbitantly tepid enthusiasm. Or maybe "cautious optimism" is more like it. Any way, the consensus seems to be, "Well, shit, we're paying 150 grand plus some mid-level minor leaguer for an $8 million former All-Star" ('former' being the operative word here). All of which is another way of saying, "He can't be any worse than Rivas." And while my contrarian inner cynic wants to call this a "Boone-doggle" (my inner cynic also loves puns, as it happens), I gotta agree. There isn't much downside, and he sounds like he really wants to come here. You gotta love that.

Here's the chatter so far:

Twins Geek: More questions than answers.
Patrick Reusse: It might work out.
Aaron Gleeman: It might not.
Pioneer Press: It's low risk, so why not?
Stick and Ball Guy: Remember Tommy Herr? Boy, was he a jerk.
Bat Girl: More Boone round-up.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 12, 2005 9:53 AM | Comments (1)

 

"The American public is basically bad people"

Filed under: Boxing

Carlo Rotella--an old friend of mine and one of the most stylish writers I know--handicapped last month's Floyd Mayweather-Arturo Gatti fight in a very funny, very insightful essay at Boxingranks.com. As it turned out, Carlo's carefully-hedged prediction of a Gatti victory was wrong. Mayweather, who is probably boxing's pound for pound best, schooled the outclassed Arturo. The mismatch ended by way of sixth round TKO.

That said, the essay--like Carlo's boxing book, Cut Time: An Education at the Fights--is worth a read. One reason: it contains what must be the richest observations ever uttered about the sordid science and its relationship to the American public. The quote comes from Evander Holyfield's trainer, Don Turner:

"I know there's a lot of bad people in boxing. Boxing is like society, and the American public is basically bad people."

Posted by Mike Mosedale at July 12, 2005 8:57 AM | Comments (0)

 

Twins get Bret Boone from Mariners

Filed under: Twins

The Twins--perennially hamstrung by a long line of no-name, no-hit middle infielders--have upgraded to a big-name, no-hit middle infielder. The Seattle Times reports that Bret Boone was traded to the Twins this morning just hours before the deadline for releasing him. The 36-year-old Boone, who hit 37 home runs in 2001 and 35 in 2003, was cut by the Mariners 10 days ago following a lackluster 2004 and a terrible first half in 2005: 74 games in which he put up a .231 batting average and a .299 on-base percentage. No word yet on the player to be named the M's will get in return, but it won't be much. The Times story also suggests the Mariners will eat all but $150,000 of Boone's $9.2 million salary this year.

Does Terry Ryan think Boonie's due for a breakout? He should hit for better power in the 'Dome than capacious Safeco Field, but Boone's days as a stud middle infielder are almost certainly over. It's not the worst deal in the world, for two reasons: the minimal price tag and Luis Rivas, who is currently slugging a robust .287). It reminds me of the Shannon Stewart deal from 2003 in the sense that it "addresses" pressing needs by offering up more of same. Stewart is a good ballplayer, but when the Twins went out and got him, one of the last things they needed was a singles-and-doubles-hitting outfielder with a decent on-base percentage.

Boone is very likely not a good player anymore, apart from his glove; he's just another below-league-average infielder who appears poised to enter the last, journeyman phase of his career. Here's how Boone stacks up against the Twins' other two muddle-infielders, Nick Punto and Juan Castro:

Boone .231 BA, .299 OBP, .385 SLG
Punto .274 BA, .341 OBP, .408 SLG
Castro .240 BA, .262 OBP, .358 SLG

Ryan could probably collect all the Boones if he were so inclined. Brother Aaron, back with Cleveland this year after a leg injury, plays third base and has been almost as good as Bret: .211, .266, .362.

Posted by Steve Perry at July 11, 2005 2:33 PM | Comments (2)

 

Twinkies, Cupcakes

Filed under: Twins

After watching the Twins drop game one of their "we're going to turn this things around by whupping the omega-dogs of the division" series against Kansas City, I got a little curious about the odd institution we call the American League Central. Even with last night's loss the Twins are still a game ahead of last year's division winning pace. Sure, the Chisox are lights out right now, and will win more than 100 games if they keep it up, but how could they have opened up such a big lead on a Twins team that is matching previous seasons? A quick look at a baseball reference yields the following stat: the average number of wins required to take the AL Central in the last eight years has been a little more than 91 games. That's good for a pat on the back and a "nice try, kid" in the AL East. So, yes, the White Sox are laying waste to the league (I'm not convinced they'll avoid some version of their annual late-season pratfall, however), but they're simply doing something no one in the Central has pulled off since Cleveland won 100 games in 1995: putting together a legitimately excellent season.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at July 8, 2005 12:49 PM | Comments (4)

 

Olympics Committee Drops Baseball...

Filed under: Olympics

...and tries to replace it with squash. Squash! The argument for the World Baseball Classic just keeps getting stronger.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 8, 2005 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

 

Playing Catch-Up

Filed under: Twins

That headline doesn't refer to the ten-ton shit-gorilla from south Chicago that the Twins are tailing (with increasing desperation; this buzz-kill even puts Cleveland's Wild Card chances well ahead of Minnesota's). No, I'm talking about my own to-do list, having spent the last week on the North Dakota prairie with nought but an A.M. radio to tune me into the goings on in Twins Territory. Since cow pastures get pretty lousy reception, I was surprised to find, when I returned to the 21st century, the following developments:

- My favorite Supreme Court justice retired. More importantly, my second-favorite minor-league pitcher (and only because Boof Bonser has a way cooler name) was finally called up for his debut big-league start. And he did pretty well.

- Kenny Rogers sent a TV cameraman to the hospital on a stretcher. (An aside: Due to the slew of bloggers cracking "know when to hold 'em" jokes, I tried really hard to find some way to get "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" into this entry. Turns out that's pretty hard.) He was immediately fined 50 grand and voted into the All-Star Game.

- Torii Hunter was not voted in; instead, Chicago launched a massive get-out-the-vote drive for Scott Podsednick on the strength of his stolen base record. Really? A campaign for the All-Star Game? Whatever. Maybe he, Buehrle and Garland will all contract the same season-ending viral infection from Comerica's shower stalls. Pretty please?

- The White Sox kept winning, as did the Indians. Travis Hafner's three-home-run day, while it essentially lifted Cleveland to within one game of the Twins, was pretty sweet, if only because he's a corn-fed North Dakota boy like me. Darin Erstad, NoDak's other heavy hitter, however, I could've done without.

And now it's back to Kansas City for a four-game rehab assignment to get over those morale-crushing one-run losses before the All-Star break. During which time I'll be launching the official "Vote for LeCroy in 2006" campaign. Look for bumper stickers soon.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at July 7, 2005 4:46 PM | Comments (0)

 

True Grit

Filed under: MLB

Does anyone really take the All-Star voting seriously anymore? Even fans who still profess to love the All-Star game itself (Where are you? There you are!) know that just about any starting line-up for either league is going to be too, too whack. Add to that the desperate marketing tool that was the five-man runoff for the final AL spot--no online shenanigans there--and the rosters are bound feel as meaningless as that contest that ended in a tie a few years back.

That said, it's still a shame that Torii Hunter didn't make it to the game.

The last couple seasons, I've come to view Hunter as a figurehead for the team more than as a truly valuable ballplayer. Considering his great knack for homing in on fly balls and his temerity at the plate, I've often found myself wondering what Hunter could do in the defensive backfield for the Vikings.

(Hunter has admitted that he might have been a better football player in high school--as a D-back of the football variety--than baseball player. And it's not hard to see why.)

That's why it's been a welcome surprise to see Hunter play this year. It may seem odd, given that he's probably the most visible player the franchise has had in the last 10 years, but be honest: The love of Hunter comes more from his off-field charisma than any earth-shattering feats on the diamond. Especially at the plate.

This season has been different. It's not so much that his stats are all-star worthy (he put up good numbers when he made the game in 2002), it's that he's made it his mission to put the team on his shoulders whenever possible.

(Hunter leads the team in home runs, stolen bases and RBIs, and his .277 batting average is more than acceptable. But even that doesn't mean much on this passable-at-the-plate Twins team. Still, he's on pace to hit 25 more RBIs than last year.)

It's a cliche that real players do things that don't show up in the box score, but in this case, that's been true of Hunter. For starters, he's been dropping leadership quotes in the clubhouse all season. One particularly poignant one came after the Twins played a game in practice jerseys, without the player names on the back. Hunter hinted that the team might continue to do so until they snapped out of a slump, saying "We're going to earn the names."

Hunter has hinted that some of the younger players (read: Justin Morneau) are afraid to play hurt, or have been too casual in the field (Morneau again).

And at the beginning of the season, Hunter vowed that the team (that means Hunter) would be more aggressive on the base paths. He's made good on that, ranking among AL leaders in stolen bases.

In fact, it's when Hunter is on base that he becomes a man on a mission. Nobody is more adept at advancing an extra base right now than Hunter, and teams know it. He's been especially good at rattling opposing pitchers when he's on first or second. Two weeks ago, during an 11-8 home win against Kansas City, one of the more compelling sideshows was watching Hunter toy with J.P. Howell with a wide lead after he had stolen second.

(Nothing immediately came of it, but Howell only lasted 3 1/3 innings.)

None of this should come as praise for a team's supposed star, one with an all-star game already under his belt and four Gold Gloves in his trophy case. But it's looked for a while that Hunter might be the sort of player that gets put on a pedastal to sell tickets, then flickers out without a meaningful season or a memorable career. It's the difference between, say, a Matt Lawton or a Kent Hrbek.

At the very least, for three months this season, Hunter's shown the determination of a winner.

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at July 7, 2005 4:10 PM | Comments (0)

 

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