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Kirsten Brown

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  1. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2hZrlx7Hgi8/UEU_wVi2uxI/AAAAAAAACDs/Tn6Wwz1tUAg/s400/span_sc.PNG On August 30, the Twins placed Denard Span on the 15-day disabled list with a strain of his right sternoclavicular (SC) joint. At first look, that seems like an odd move, given that the Twins would increase their rosters on September 1. However, as ESPN1500's Phil Makey (@PMac21 on Twitter) explained it, they did it so they could call up Matt Carson to take his place. The rules state that when a player is optioned to the minor leagues, he must remain there for at least 10 days (or maybe it's 10 games) before being called up again, unless it's to replace someone going on the DL. Carson had been optioned on August 24th, so this was the only way to get him back right away. The SC joint is the joint between the sternum (breast bone) and clavicle (collar bone). It supports the shoulder. He injured it a while ago while attempting a diving catch in the outfield. He rested it for seven or eight days and then played a couple of games, after which he either aggravated it or decided he just couldn't tolerate it. His diagnosis was further delayed by his claustrophobia making having MRIs difficult (I don't blame him a bit). It will take four to five weeks of rest to heal it fully, but both he and the Twins say he might get some playing time in late September. ~~~ September Call-ups RHP Esmerling Vasquez was called up and started Sunday's game against the Royals. He was a bit shaky, but it was his first major league start (he does have several appearances in relief with Arizona). He's 28. PJ Walters has been activated from the 60-day DL as a September call up. He was recovering from a strained shoulder. He made a few rehab starts in the minors and now will be part of a six-man rotation (Walters, Vasquez, Cole De Vries, Samuel Deduno, Scott Diamond, and Liam Hendriks -- Brian Duensing was sent back to the bullpen) to finish off the season. He's 27. LHP Luis Perdomo and his beard will be given another look in the bullpen. He's also 28. IF Eduardo Escobar, who was acquired in the Francisco Liriano trade, will be given a chance to impress his new team. It sounds like he's pretty versatile; he's listed as a 3B, SS, and 2B, and FSNorth mentioned he can also play outfield and back-up catcher. He's 23. And it sounds like that'll be it for the call-ups, even though there's still plenty of roster room. It's probably hard to get guys enough playing time to really make an assessment. Notably missing: RHP Anthony Slama has had a terrific year at Rochester -- 35.2 innings pitched with 13 saves and a 1.26 era. He did miss a big chunk of the season with a broken leg. He's 28. IF Brian Dozier was sent down in August with the hope that he could regroup and get back to being good at baseball, but he kind of didn't do much in Rochester. He's 25. It's no surprise that RHP Nick Blackburn wasn't called up; he was recently removed from the 40-man roster and he didn't do much to make a case to change anyone's minds.
  2. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog I have some little opinions on some news items, so I thought I'd share some of them. ~~~ Scott Diamond received a 6-game suspension for throwing toward Josh Hamilton's head on Friday. He plans to appeal the suspension. I'm glad he's appealing because I thought the whole situation was handled poorly. Roy Oswalt inexplicably beaned Joe Mauer in the back of the neck, I'm assuming because he was pissy that Pedro Florimon scored on a play that Oswalt should have fielded better. At first, I was glad that the benches weren't warned immediately after Oswalt's stunt. Diamond's control hadn't been great, and I didn't want the inner half of the plate taken away from him. Then I developed a bad feeling when it became clear that Diamond was going to retaliate; because of that aforementioned shaky control, I didn't think he'd be able to pull it off. Unfortunately he wasn't. He got tossed without warning, and then later he got a suspension and a fine. And the big baby who started the whole thing didn't get anything. I don't think Diamond was truly trying to hit Hamilton in the head. He was probably trying to throw it in the same place Oswalt threw his, but since his control was, you got it, not great, and since Hamilton knew it was coming and ducked, it appeared worse than it was. It simply got away from him. Even though it really amounts to one start, I still think a 6-game suspension is a little harsh. ~~~ Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon received 50-game suspensions for testing positive for banned substances. I'm not clear on my own feeling regarding whether using "performance enhancing" drugs really helps enhance performance or whether using them really amounts to cheating. I'm also not clear on my own feelings regarding whether substance testing is conducted fairly and appropriately. However, I do know that I'm a fan of following the rules. So, guys who break rules they agreed to when they signed their contracts, and who go to lengths to cover up their misdeeds, should be punished. In light of these suspensions, there has been a lot of talk in the media whether the system is working and whether the punishment should be harsher. It's impossible to say whether the system is working. Some guys are speculating that as many as half the players are using some sort of banned substance. If that's true, then only busting two guys kind of means that it isn't. But, I may be naive here, I seriously doubt it's that pervasive. The fact that anyone got caught at all says that the testing is working, at least a little. Now, whether the punishments should be stricter, I don't think it would make any difference. There are always going to be some guys who are so arrogant to believe that they'll never get caught. To those guys, the length of the punishment is immaterial. It bums me out whenever players get busted. I hope we see less and less of it. However, I still can't watch an NFL game without wondering why baseball is the one with all the bad press regarding PEDs. ~~~ http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ADijKP2BN_o/Sennd_0ZwpI/AAAAAAAAAwY/VesIaC2sQNY/s1600/beer.jpg Way back on August 15, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners tossed a perfect game. It's about time I buy him is virtual beer for it. I remember being impressed with him when the Twins played the Mariners back in 2006. I believe I even congratulated Seattle fans for having such an exciting pitcher to look forward to cheering for. He hasn't disappointed. I believe he's one of the most dominate pitchers in the game, and I not-so-secretly wish he played for my team. And, at 26 years old, he's just now hitting his prime. Although I worry about my team having to face him, I am kind of looking forward to seeing him pitch on Monday.
  3. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog I have some little opinions on some news items, so I thought I'd share some of them. ~~~ Scott Diamond received a 6-game suspension for throwing toward Josh Hamilton's head on Friday. He plans to appeal the suspension. I'm glad he's appealing because I thought the whole situation was handled poorly. Roy Oswalt inexplicably beaned Joe Mauer in the back of the neck, I'm assuming because he was pissy that Pedro Florimon scored on a play that Oswalt should have fielded better. At first, I was glad that the benches weren't warned immediately after Oswalt's stunt. Diamond's control hadn't been great, and I didn't want the inner half of the plate taken away from him. Then I developed a bad feeling when it became clear that Diamond was going to retaliate; because of that aforementioned shaky control, I didn't think he'd be able to pull it off. Unfortunately he wasn't. He got tossed without warning, and then later he got a suspension and a fine. And the big baby who started the whole thing didn't get anything. I don't think Diamond was truly trying to hit Hamilton in the head. He was probably trying to throw it in the same place Oswalt threw his, but since his control was, you got it, not great, and since Hamilton knew it was coming and ducked, it appeared worse than it was. It simply got away from him. Even though it really amounts to one start, I still think a 6-game suspension is a little harsh. ~~~ Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon received 50-game suspensions for testing positive for banned substances. I'm not clear on my own feeling regarding whether using "performance enhancing" drugs really helps enhance performance or whether using them really amounts to cheating. I'm also not clear on my own feelings regarding whether substance testing is conducted fairly and appropriately. However, I do know that I'm a fan of following the rules. So, guys who break rules they agreed to when they signed their contracts, and who go to lengths to cover up their misdeeds, should be punished. In light of these suspensions, there has been a lot of talk in the media whether the system is working and whether the punishment should be harsher. It's impossible to say whether the system is working. Some guys are speculating that as many as half the players are using some sort of banned substance. If that's true, then only busting two guys kind of means that it isn't. But, I may be naive here, I seriously doubt it's that pervasive. The fact that anyone got caught at all says that the testing is working, at least a little. Now, whether the punishments should be stricter, I don't think it would make any difference. There are always going to be some guys who are so arrogant to believe that they'll never get caught. To those guys, the length of the punishment is immaterial. It bums me out whenever players get busted. I hope we see less and less of it. However, I still can't watch an NFL game without wondering why baseball is the one with all the bad press regarding PEDs. ~~~ http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ADijKP2BN_o/Sennd_0ZwpI/AAAAAAAAAwY/VesIaC2sQNY/s1600/beer.jpg Way back on August 15, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners tossed a perfect game. It's about time I buy him is virtual beer for it. I remember being impressed with him when the Twins played the Mariners back in 2006. I believe I even congratulated Seattle fans for having such an exciting pitcher to look forward to cheering for. He hasn't disappointed. I believe he's one of the most dominate pitchers in the game, and I not-so-secretly wish he played for my team. And, at 26 years old, he's just now hitting his prime. Although I worry about my team having to face him, I am kind of looking forward to seeing him pitch on Monday.
  4. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog The last time I talked about the Twins roster changes, Danny Valencia had just been traded and Tsyoshi Nishioka had been called up to replace him. That was August 6th. The Twins have made a move or two since then. Let's review. August 6: Nishioka was called up to replace Valencia on the roster. Since he makes $3 million a year, it was worth giving him another chance to see if he could hack it in the bigs. In fact, Gardy mentioned that he wanted to give him a nice long look -- saying something like it being more than a 3-day thing. The team wanted to give him full opportunity to make an impression. August 13: Nishioka was optioned to AAA to make room for Trevor Plouffe to return from the DL. So, technically, he was with the Twins more than three days, but he really only played three games. He once again looked so lost and overmatched both in the field and at the plate, it was painful to watch him. He made an impression alright. August 15: Brian Dozier was optioned to AAA. After making a good first impression at the beginning of the season (how many times did I write that I thought he wanted me to love him?), he struggled quite a bit. He jumped from AA last year to the bigs this year, so he probably just needs more development. Terry Ryan said something about slowing the game down for him to build his confidence. I'll bet he's back with the Twins for September call-ups. Pedro Florimon was called up to replace him. August 16: The Twins optioned Luis Perdomo and Jeff Manship to AAA. It's funny, every time Perdomo came in to a game, I never remembered who he was; he was always "the guy with the beard." One of them was sent down to make room for Anthony Swarzak's return from the DL. The other one was sent down because the Twins were finally tired of a 13(!)-man pitching rotation. August 17: The Twins purchased the contract of OF Matt Carson. They wanted another outfielder around because Denard Span and Ben Revere were banged up. Rene Tosoni, who is having kind of a crummy year in AA, was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Carson. August 20: The Twins outrighted both Nick Blackburn and Tsuyoshi Nishioka to AAA, which means they removed them from the 40-man roster. It doesn't really mean much for Nishioka, but it does mean that the organization has pretty much given up on Blackburn. Removing them from the 40-man roster means that they won't come back for September call ups, so they'll just finish up their seasons in Rochester. Both of them have contracts that last through next season, so we might see them again in Spring Training. Who knows who will take these roster spots. They could add some guys that they want to see in September, or they could be getting ready for Carl Pavano or PJ Walters to return off the 60-day DL. And, finally, the roster move that wasn't made: Denard Span sprained his shoulder/clavicle on August 12 and hasn't played since; however, the Twins haven't put him on the DL yet. And it doesn't seem like they have any intention of putting him on it any time soon. I guess they're comfortable with a thin bench.
  5. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog The last time I talked about the Twins roster changes, Danny Valencia had just been traded and Tsyoshi Nishioka had been called up to replace him. That was August 6th. The Twins have made a move or two since then. Let's review. August 6: Nishioka was called up to replace Valencia on the roster. Since he makes $3 million a year, it was worth giving him another chance to see if he could hack it in the bigs. In fact, Gardy mentioned that he wanted to give him a nice long look -- saying something like it being more than a 3-day thing. The team wanted to give him full opportunity to make an impression. August 13: Nishioka was optioned to AAA to make room for Trevor Plouffe to return from the DL. So, technically, he was with the Twins more than three days, but he really only played three games. He once again looked so lost and overmatched both in the field and at the plate, it was painful to watch him. He made an impression alright. August 15: Brian Dozier was optioned to AAA. After making a good first impression at the beginning of the season (how many times did I write that I thought he wanted me to love him?), he struggled quite a bit. He jumped from AA last year to the bigs this year, so he probably just needs more development. Terry Ryan said something about slowing the game down for him to build his confidence. I'll bet he's back with the Twins for September call-ups. Pedro Florimon was called up to replace him. August 16: The Twins optioned Luis Perdomo and Jeff Manship to AAA. It's funny, every time Perdomo came in to a game, I never remembered who he was; he was always "the guy with the beard." One of them was sent down to make room for Anthony Swarzak's return from the DL. The other one was sent down because the Twins were finally tired of a 13(!)-man pitching rotation. August 17: The Twins purchased the contract of OF Matt Carson. They wanted another outfielder around because Denard Span and Ben Revere were banged up. Rene Tosoni, who is having kind of a crummy year in AA, was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Carson. August 20: The Twins outrighted both Nick Blackburn and Tsuyoshi Nishioka to AAA, which means they removed them from the 40-man roster. It doesn't really mean much for Nishioka, but it does mean that the organization has pretty much given up on Blackburn. Removing them from the 40-man roster means that they won't come back for September call ups, so they'll just finish up their seasons in Rochester. Both of them have contracts that last through next season, so we might see them again in Spring Training. Who knows who will take these roster spots. They could add some guys that they want to see in September, or they could be getting ready for Carl Pavano or PJ Walters to return off the 60-day DL. And, finally, the roster move that wasn't made: Denard Span sprained his shoulder/clavicle on August 12 and hasn't played since; however, the Twins haven't put him on the DL yet. And it doesn't seem like they have any intention of putting him on it any time soon. I guess they're comfortable with a thin bench.
  6. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog A few weeks ago, the Minnesota Twins sent out a tweet inviting folks to apply to their social media event beneath the Budweiser Roof Deck that they call Deckstravaganza.This was the third time I had applied, and this time I got an invitation. First of all, I'd like to thank the Twins for hosting such a terrific event. The staff did a great job making us feel welcome and well-taken-care-of. Aside from the score of the game itself, we couldn't have had more fun. Some quick notes: They had these amazing pretzels there -- darker brown, but yet softer than the standard pretzels. Totally yummy. I've had them before at other events at Target Field, but I have yet to find them in the regular concessions during games. Please, Twins, start selling the amazing pretzels to the masses. Robby Incmikoski is really nice. He took a few minutes to go around and introduce himself and chat with everyone. It was also pretty interesting to watch how he does his job. He keeps a score card so he's up on the game, but he also has to keep track of everything FSN is doing. It seems like he has to be pretty good at memorizing things because, while he does use notes while he's speaking for a voice-over drop, he doesn't have a teleprompter when the camera is on him. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-70ZxiEzz7ww/UChl6cnTofI/AAAAAAAACCs/JrGOm4jM7V8/s320/photo%2813%29.JPG[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Robby hard at work[/TD] [/TABLE] The folks there were great. It was fun to see some familiar faces: Betsy (@bitzybetsy), TCM (@commnman), Bill (@Bill_TPA), and Nick Nelson (@NNelson9). It was also fun to meet some folks whom I only "knew" through Twitter: Clubhouse Gal (@clubhousegal) and Lindsay Guentzel (@LindsayGuentzel). Bill is extra cool because he shared my undying love of the pretzels. When Blackburn gave up the second home run in the first inning, the crowd booed so lustily that the vibrations from it shook the deck. Heartbreaking. Nick Nelson was caught by the TV camera with mustard on his face (and making a crazy expression). He is henceforth known as #mustardface. We got to sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame with TC Bear during the seventh-inning stretch. And we were on the the Jumbotron. We rocked it. TCM is extra cool because he not only knew that Take Me Out To The Ballgame has verses (we sing the chorus during the stretch), but he also sang the first verse with me. I was by far the oldest one there. Not that I mind. All in all, it was a great time talking Twins baseball with a bunch of smart, fun fans. And, yes, we all spent a lot of time tap-tap-tapping on our smartphones. But, that was the point, right? Thanks, Twins, for hosting such a fine event. If you're a social media nut, I highly recommend that you watch out for a tweet or Facebook status from the Twins announcing that they're having another event and then apply.
  7. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog A few weeks ago, the Minnesota Twins sent out a tweet inviting folks to apply to their social media event beneath the Budweiser Roof Deck that they call Deckstravaganza.This was the third time I had applied, and this time I got an invitation. First of all, I'd like to thank the Twins for hosting such a terrific event. The staff did a great job making us feel welcome and well-taken-care-of. Aside from the score of the game itself, we couldn't have had more fun. Some quick notes: They had these amazing pretzels there -- darker brown, but yet softer than the standard pretzels. Totally yummy. I've had them before at other events at Target Field, but I have yet to find them in the regular concessions during games. Please, Twins, start selling the amazing pretzels to the masses. Robby Incmikoski is really nice. He took a few minutes to go around and introduce himself and chat with everyone. It was also pretty interesting to watch how he does his job. He keeps a score card so he's up on the game, but he also has to keep track of everything FSN is doing. It seems like he has to be pretty good at memorizing things because, while he does use notes while he's speaking for a voice-over drop, he doesn't have a teleprompter when the camera is on him. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-70ZxiEzz7ww/UChl6cnTofI/AAAAAAAACCs/JrGOm4jM7V8/s320/photo%2813%29.JPG[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Robby hard at work[/TD] [/TABLE] The folks there were great. It was fun to see some familiar faces: Betsy (@bitzybetsy), TCM (@commnman), Bill (@Bill_TPA), and Nick Nelson (@NNelson9). It was also fun to meet some folks whom I only "knew" through Twitter: Clubhouse Gal (@clubhousegal) and Lindsay Guentzel (@LindsayGuentzel). Bill is extra cool because he shared my undying love of the pretzels. When Blackburn gave up the second home run in the first inning, the crowd booed so lustily that the vibrations from it shook the deck. Heartbreaking. Nick Nelson was caught by the TV camera with mustard on his face (and making a crazy expression). He is henceforth known as #mustardface. We got to sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame with TC Bear during the seventh-inning stretch. And we were on the the Jumbotron. We rocked it. TCM is extra cool because he not only knew that Take Me Out To The Ballgame has verses (we sing the chorus during the stretch), but he also sang the first verse with me. I was by far the oldest one there. Not that I mind. All in all, it was a great time talking Twins baseball with a bunch of smart, fun fans. And, yes, we all spent a lot of time tap-tap-tapping on our smartphones. But, that was the point, right? Thanks, Twins, for hosting such a fine event. If you're a social media nut, I highly recommend that you watch out for a tweet or Facebook status from the Twins announcing that they're having another event and then apply.
  8. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog A bunch of random thoughts that individually aren't enough for a blog post, but collectively are, well, something. Or not. Buh-bye Danny In a sudden, but not necessarily surprising move, the Twins traded Danny Valencia to the Red Sox for rookie-ball outfielder Jeremias Pineda. Danny seemed to be pretty popular with his teammates, but his relationship between with the organization was becoming strained. Obviously, we can't know for sure what really happened, but I'm guessing that Danny's reputation for allowing his ego to be in charge (I picture him like that Cars.com commercial where the shopper's confidence comes out of him, but instead of singing about a great value of a car, Danny's confidence just spits swagger) helped to make the decision. I'm also guessing that Gardy's tendency to get fed up with such things also contributed. It probably was one of those "it's not you, it's...wait, yeah, it's you" moments. To illustrate how badly the Twins wanted to be rid of him, just take a look at the return on investment. Pineda is 21 years old and in only his second year of rookie ball, which makes him kind of old for the level. He is having a good year, so maybe he'll progress quickly, but I believe he'll be just an organizational guy. Look Who's Coming -- Quickly We're all very used to ooohing and aaahing over Ben Revere's defense and speed. With amazing catches and blazing baserunning, he's faster than a speeding baseball. But, have you noticed what he's been doing with his bat lately. He's collected a nice little 20-game hitting streak. Additionally, he just needs a few more plate appearances to qualify to be in the batting race. Yeah, the batting race. He's currently hitting .345; if he keeps it up, he'll surpass Joe Mauer as the team leader, and he'll be a very close second in the league behind Mike Trout of the Angels. Go Benny. And, yes, I write this at the risk of totally jinxing him and ruining everyone's fun. So I'm crossing my fingers as I type. Or something. A Second Chance at a First Impression To replace Danny Valencia, the Twins recalled Tsuyoshi Nishioka. And on his first game back, he looked as if he had picked up right where he left off. *Sigh* Hopefully, he just had a case of the butterflies on Monday, and he'll straighten things out soon. Also, maybe I'll stop being delusional. Deckstravaganza! I've been invited to participate in the Twins Deckstravaganza social media event on Saturday. And, because it's a social media event, I'll probably be live-tweeting the game. Follow along at twitter.com/kbrobaseball.
  9. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog A bunch of random thoughts that individually aren't enough for a blog post, but collectively are, well, something. Or not. Buh-bye Danny In a sudden, but not necessarily surprising move, the Twins traded Danny Valencia to the Red Sox for rookie-ball outfielder Jeremias Pineda. Danny seemed to be pretty popular with his teammates, but his relationship between with the organization was becoming strained. Obviously, we can't know for sure what really happened, but I'm guessing that Danny's reputation for allowing his ego to be in charge (I picture him like that Cars.com commercial where the shopper's confidence comes out of him, but instead of singing about a great value of a car, Danny's confidence just spits swagger) helped to make the decision. I'm also guessing that Gardy's tendency to get fed up with such things also contributed. It probably was one of those "it's not you, it's...wait, yeah, it's you" moments. To illustrate how badly the Twins wanted to be rid of him, just take a look at the return on investment. Pineda is 21 years old and in only his second year of rookie ball, which makes him kind of old for the level. He is having a good year, so maybe he'll progress quickly, but I believe he'll be just an organizational guy. Look Who's Coming -- Quickly We're all very used to ooohing and aaahing over Ben Revere's defense and speed. With amazing catches and blazing baserunning, he's faster than a speeding baseball. But, have you noticed what he's been doing with his bat lately. He's collected a nice little 20-game hitting streak. Additionally, he just needs a few more plate appearances to qualify to be in the batting race. Yeah, the batting race. He's currently hitting .345; if he keeps it up, he'll surpass Joe Mauer as the team leader, and he'll be a very close second in the league behind Mike Trout of the Angels. Go Benny. And, yes, I write this at the risk of totally jinxing him and ruining everyone's fun. So I'm crossing my fingers as I type. Or something. A Second Chance at a First Impression To replace Danny Valencia, the Twins recalled Tsuyoshi Nishioka. And on his first game back, he looked as if he had picked up right where he left off. *Sigh* Hopefully, he just had a case of the butterflies on Monday, and he'll straighten things out soon. Also, maybe I'll stop being delusional. Deckstravaganza! I've been invited to participate in the Twins Deckstravaganza social media event on Saturday. And, because it's a social media event, I'll probably be live-tweeting the game. Follow along at twitter.com/kbrobaseball.
  10. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog I suppose you probably already know by now that the Twins traded Francisco Liriano, but I'm going to talk about it anyway. As I was thinking about getting ready for bed on Saturday night (yeah, this was at about 10pm; I'm a fuddy-duddy), I went to check Twitter quick before plugging in my phone. And in the five minutes since I had previously checked Twitter, it had exploded with news that the Twins had traded Frankie to the White Sox. Wait, what? No! Not the White Sox. Anyone but the White Sox. Ok. So here's the scoop: The Twins traded Francisco Liriano to the White Sox for two prospects -- infielder Eduardo Escobar and lefty pitcher Pedro Hernandez. All the buzz about these prospects wasn't terribly promising. But, overall, this isn't a horrible thing. I imagine that Terry Ryan didn't really want to trade to a division rival, but he probably felt this was the best deal he could get. It sounded like neither the team nor Liriano's agent were interested in an extension. So to get two prospects in exchange for him isn't bad, rather than getting nothing for him if they had kept him just to see him walk away in the off-season. And because he's a pending free agent, the offers from other teams were probably not stellar. He's also still prone to inconsistency and other teams know that. It's not a great deal, but I don't think a great deal was ever going to be available. PJ Walters was moved to the 60-day DL to make the second space on the 40-man roster. Jeff Manship was recalled to complete the 25-man roster. Chicago's pitching coach, Don Cooper, has a great reputation. It'll be interesting to see how, or even whether, Frankie responds to him. I'm also curious to see how he and his new catcher A.J. Pierzynski work together; A.J.'s not known to be terribly patient with his pitchers. Oh, and he gets his first start in a White Sox uniform on Tuesday against the Twins. ~~~ I almost forgot; it's been so long since we've seen him -- http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZEMXhuR1EI/UBYMA5Vt_eI/AAAAAAAACB4/1JSgzZYYdLo/s400/plouffethumb.PNG On Friday, the Twins have placed Trevor Plouffe on the DL, retroactive to 7/21, with a bruised right thumb. He jammed it while batting a over week ago. This is another example of an unnecessary delay in putting a player on the DL so that someone else can fill out the roster. But, this time, I think Plouffe is at least a little to blame. He tweeted right after it happened that he's had this before and it got better right away, so I imagine that he probably kept telling the coaches that he was getting better when he really wasn't. I understand that it's frustrating to be left out of the line up for such a seemingly minor thing, but if he can't even grip a bat, he's not much help. Danny Valencia was recalled to take his place on the roster.
  11. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog I suppose you probably already know by now that the Twins traded Francisco Liriano, but I'm going to talk about it anyway. As I was thinking about getting ready for bed on Saturday night (yeah, this was at about 10pm; I'm a fuddy-duddy), I went to check Twitter quick before plugging in my phone. And in the five minutes since I had previously checked Twitter, it had exploded with news that the Twins had traded Frankie to the White Sox. Wait, what? No! Not the White Sox. Anyone but the White Sox. Ok. So here's the scoop: The Twins traded Francisco Liriano to the White Sox for two prospects -- infielder Eduardo Escobar and lefty pitcher Pedro Hernandez. All the buzz about these prospects wasn't terribly promising. But, overall, this isn't a horrible thing. I imagine that Terry Ryan didn't really want to trade to a division rival, but he probably felt this was the best deal he could get. It sounded like neither the team nor Liriano's agent were interested in an extension. So to get two prospects in exchange for him isn't bad, rather than getting nothing for him if they had kept him just to see him walk away in the off-season. And because he's a pending free agent, the offers from other teams were probably not stellar. He's also still prone to inconsistency and other teams know that. It's not a great deal, but I don't think a great deal was ever going to be available. PJ Walters was moved to the 60-day DL to make the second space on the 40-man roster. Jeff Manship was recalled to complete the 25-man roster. Chicago's pitching coach, Don Cooper, has a great reputation. It'll be interesting to see how, or even whether, Frankie responds to him. I'm also curious to see how he and his new catcher A.J. Pierzynski work together; A.J.'s not known to be terribly patient with his pitchers. Oh, and he gets his first start in a White Sox uniform on Tuesday against the Twins. ~~~ I almost forgot; it's been so long since we've seen him -- http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZEMXhuR1EI/UBYMA5Vt_eI/AAAAAAAACB4/1JSgzZYYdLo/s400/plouffethumb.PNG On Friday, the Twins have placed Trevor Plouffe on the DL, retroactive to 7/21, with a bruised right thumb. He jammed it while batting a over week ago. This is another example of an unnecessary delay in putting a player on the DL so that someone else can fill out the roster. But, this time, I think Plouffe is at least a little to blame. He tweeted right after it happened that he's had this before and it got better right away, so I imagine that he probably kept telling the coaches that he was getting better when he really wasn't. I understand that it's frustrating to be left out of the line up for such a seemingly minor thing, but if he can't even grip a bat, he's not much help. Danny Valencia was recalled to take his place on the roster.
  12. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw-QBIVVtBw/UBH7F5qAWeI/AAAAAAAACBE/Z4hBX_dt_Kc/s400/swarzakshoulder.PNG The Twins have placed RHP Anthony Swarzak on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 25th, with a rotator cuff strain. I was surprised by this, and after a quick Twitter inquiry, I learned that I wasn't the only one. It didn't seem like there were any tell-tale signs that he was hurting like there there were with Carl Pavano and Matt Capps, nor did it seem like there was a specific event that caused his injury. He last worked on Tuesday in Chicago, and he struggled (giving up a single and a home run in an inning of work). But then, all the relief pitchers struggled that day, so that doesn't really indicate anything. So while we all were spending the last few days hungry for up-to-the-second word on Trevor Plouffe's jammed thumb, Swarzak suddenly developed a sore shoulder. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint. The team is calling it a "mild strain," so it's probably a bit inflamed and sore. If there are no tears, rest and rehab should take care of it. The Twins have purchased the contract of RHP Luis Perdomo to replace Swarzak. About five minutes of research on Perdomo reveals that he throws hard. To make room for Perdomo on the 40-man roster, Carl Pavano was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. This move shouldn't push out Pavano's return; he's been on the DL so long that it'll be about 60 days before he's ready to return anyway.
  13. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw-QBIVVtBw/UBH7F5qAWeI/AAAAAAAACBE/Z4hBX_dt_Kc/s400/swarzakshoulder.PNG The Twins have placed RHP Anthony Swarzak on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 25th, with a rotator cuff strain. I was surprised by this, and after a quick Twitter inquiry, I learned that I wasn't the only one. It didn't seem like there were any tell-tale signs that he was hurting like there there were with Carl Pavano and Matt Capps, nor did it seem like there was a specific event that caused his injury. He last worked on Tuesday in Chicago, and he struggled (giving up a single and a home run in an inning of work). But then, all the relief pitchers struggled that day, so that doesn't really indicate anything. So while we all were spending the last few days hungry for up-to-the-second word on Trevor Plouffe's jammed thumb, Swarzak suddenly developed a sore shoulder. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint. The team is calling it a "mild strain," so it's probably a bit inflamed and sore. If there are no tears, rest and rehab should take care of it. The Twins have purchased the contract of RHP Luis Perdomo to replace Swarzak. About five minutes of research on Perdomo reveals that he throws hard. To make room for Perdomo on the 40-man roster, Carl Pavano was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. This move shouldn't push out Pavano's return; he's been on the DL so long that it'll be about 60 days before he's ready to return anyway.
  14. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog The family and I went on yet another baseball-themed long-weekend trip, this time to beautiful Kansas City. And like every family trip we've ever been on, the weather was really hot. The Weather: Yeah, it's summer, and I'm fully aware that Kansas City knows how to do hot, but man, that heat was something else. Additionally, the whole area is suffering a devastating drought. So even though the lack of humidity makes for a dry heat, it also allows for the temperatures to raise to record numbers. Whew. The dry conditions are remarkable. The ditches along the roads have no grass or wildflowers, only short stubbles of kindling. It looks like an errantly-thrown lit cigarette would cause serious problems. Oh, and the heat also caused some engine trouble both on the way there and on the way home. Nothing serious, just an inconvenience. But not really fun when we were excited to reach our destination. The Barbecue: On the recommendation of a tweet from the Star-Tribune's La Velle E. Neal III, we decided to give Oklahoma Joe's a try. We went to the "original" location, which is attached to a really tiny gas station that, for some reason, also had a huge selection of frolfing (frisbee-golfing) discs. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and we still had to stand in line about 45 minutes. It. Was. Worth. It. I ordered a "Z-man" sandwich: brisket, melted smoked provolone, a few huge onion rings, and sauce on a kaiser roll. Oh. Emm. Gee! It was the best sandwich I've ever eaten. My husband, who is pretty selective about barbecued ribs, just loved them. The fries were very good as well. The coleslaw is fair, but I'm pretty fussy about that. The dirty rice was meh (my husband makes it way better). I've heard that the "burnt ends" of brisket are amazing, but, alas, they were out. Add this place to your bucket list. The Museum: Speaking of bucket lists, visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has been on mine for awhile. We've been to KC a number of times, and this time I demanded (well, ok, asked nicely) to allow time to visit. It's a small-ish museum, but it's packed with lots of great stuff. And while the hardships that African-American players faced during segregation are discussed, the talent of these great players is the focus. The best part was the "Field of Legends," bronze statues of the Negro Leagues superstars. I enjoyed my experience there and I'm proud that I can cross this off my bucket list. There is also a Jazz museum next door, but, regrettably, we didn't have time to visit. The Bobblehead: Speaking of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Saturday's Royals/Twins game was played in its honor. You may have seen the throwback uniforms the teams wore: the Royals in Kansas City Monarchs uniforms and the Twins in St. Paul Gophers (referred to in the museum as the "St. Paul Black Gophers") uniforms. The St. Paul Gophers weren't officially part of the Negro Leagues; the team dissolved before the league was formed. There were no official Negro League teams from Minnesota. In addition, the stadium giveaway was an awesome bobblehead doll of Buck O'Neil. Buck was a former KC Monarchs player and manager, the first African-American MLB coach, a great ambassador for the Negro Leagues and all of baseball, and a great Royals fan. Here he is: Isn't he great? The Game: We only wanted to go to one game, so we chose Saturday's. We wanted to have an evening around the campfire on Friday, which, due to the drought, turned out to be an evening around the radio. We tailgated a bit before the game, which was fun, even though it was pretty hot. We met some nice college-aged Royals fan guys. I've always liked Royals fans; they're quite friendly. As far as the actual game: the Twins were terrible. The Royals were not. Enough said.
  15. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog The family and I went on yet another baseball-themed long-weekend trip, this time to beautiful Kansas City. And like every family trip we've ever been on, the weather was really hot. The Weather: Yeah, it's summer, and I'm fully aware that Kansas City knows how to do hot, but man, that heat was something else. Additionally, the whole area is suffering a devastating drought. So even though the lack of humidity makes for a dry heat, it also allows for the temperatures to raise to record numbers. Whew. The dry conditions are remarkable. The ditches along the roads have no grass or wildflowers, only short stubbles of kindling. It looks like an errantly-thrown lit cigarette would cause serious problems. Oh, and the heat also caused some engine trouble both on the way there and on the way home. Nothing serious, just an inconvenience. But not really fun when we were excited to reach our destination. The Barbecue: On the recommendation of a tweet from the Star-Tribune's La Velle E. Neal III, we decided to give Oklahoma Joe's a try. We went to the "original" location, which is attached to a really tiny gas station that, for some reason, also had a huge selection of frolfing (frisbee-golfing) discs. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and we still had to stand in line about 45 minutes. It. Was. Worth. It. I ordered a "Z-man" sandwich: brisket, melted smoked provolone, a few huge onion rings, and sauce on a kaiser roll. Oh. Emm. Gee! It was the best sandwich I've ever eaten. My husband, who is pretty selective about barbecued ribs, just loved them. The fries were very good as well. The coleslaw is fair, but I'm pretty fussy about that. The dirty rice was meh (my husband makes it way better). I've heard that the "burnt ends" of brisket are amazing, but, alas, they were out. Add this place to your bucket list. The Museum: Speaking of bucket lists, visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has been on mine for awhile. We've been to KC a number of times, and this time I demanded (well, ok, asked nicely) to allow time to visit. It's a small-ish museum, but it's packed with lots of great stuff. And while the hardships that African-American players faced during segregation are discussed, the talent of these great players is the focus. The best part was the "Field of Legends," bronze statues of the Negro Leagues superstars. I enjoyed my experience there and I'm proud that I can cross this off my bucket list. There is also a Jazz museum next door, but, regrettably, we didn't have time to visit. The Bobblehead: Speaking of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Saturday's Royals/Twins game was played in its honor. You may have seen the throwback uniforms the teams wore: the Royals in Kansas City Monarchs uniforms and the Twins in St. Paul Gophers (referred to in the museum as the "St. Paul Black Gophers") uniforms. The St. Paul Gophers weren't officially part of the Negro Leagues; the team dissolved before the league was formed. There were no official Negro League teams from Minnesota. In addition, the stadium giveaway was an awesome bobblehead doll of Buck O'Neil. Buck was a former KC Monarchs player and manager, the first African-American MLB coach, a great ambassador for the Negro Leagues and all of baseball, and a great Royals fan. Here he is: Isn't he great? The Game: We only wanted to go to one game, so we chose Saturday's. We wanted to have an evening around the campfire on Friday, which, due to the drought, turned out to be an evening around the radio. We tailgated a bit before the game, which was fun, even though it was pretty hot. We met some nice college-aged Royals fan guys. I've always liked Royals fans; they're quite friendly. As far as the actual game: the Twins were terrible. The Royals were not. Enough said.
  16. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We're fully aware, now that the All-Star break is over, that the non-waiver trade deadline is looming (I hate the "looming" cliche -- it makes me think of a big shadow of a ghost looming with the players rumored to be traded cowering against the wall a la Scooby-Doo). Last season, the Twins did very little at the trade deadline. This year should be different; the Twins will most likely move a guy or two before the end of the month. What's different about this year: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There's a new (old) boss in town. Terry Ryan isn't historically known for making a ton of moves mid-season, but it seems like he's way more likely to let some guys go for a profit than Bill Smith was. I always got the sense that Smith made decisions with his emotions rather than his logic. There are new playoff rules. Now that there are two wild card teams in each league, there are more "on the bubble" teams vying for playoff spots. Many of those teams are just a good player or two away from making a nice September run. So there may be more interest than there was previously. There are new free agency rules. With the new collective bargaining agreement, the only way teams can receive a draft pick for losing a player in free agency is to offer him a one-year contract worth at least the average of the top 125 salaries in the MLB (which figures to be about $12 million this year). So the Twins may be more willing to trade pending free agents so that they can get something out of letting him go. 2011 happened. Last season at the end of July, the Twins were enjoying a nice little hot streak. Because they were only one year away from a playoff appearance, everyone was a little deluded into believing that they could turn things around. Well, we're all lucid now; we understand how bad things really are and that this team needs young help all up an down the organization. They can't afford to think about improving for 2012; they need to think about improving for 2013 and beyond. So, yeah, it really looks like we'll say goodbye to some of our guys in the next few weeks. It could be anybody, too -- Joe Mauer, who has a no-trade clause, and Ryan Doumit, who just signed an extension, are probably the only exceptions. It's important to realize that trading away anybody isn't likely to render huge immediate improvements; this would be all for strengthening the organization for the future. Let's hit a few of the top names: Fransisco Liriano (pending free agent). It seems bizarre that a team that so desperately needs quality starting pitching is willing to part with a guy who looks like he's found his mojo, but trading him actually makes sense if the situation is right. Offering him a $12 million contract (that he would have to decline) just so the Twins can get a draft pick might be a bit steep for their budget (because he just might accept it), so he's likely a goner anyway. The Twins may be able to net a nice prospect or two for him. Of course, this risk is that once he's gone, he'll turn into Cy Young. Matt Capps (pending free agent). Capps has been better than his reputation with Twins fans would suggest. He's freshly back from a minor shoulder injury, so he has a couple of weeks to shake off the rust and impress some scouts. Actually, he's back on the DL with shoulder soreness, and he's not due get off the DL until after the deadline, so never mind. Carl Pavano (pending free agent). Yeah, his shoulder injury must be pretty bad because after six weeks on the DL he has yet to throw off a mound. It really doesn't seem like he'll be back with the team before the deadline (although he could still be traded after July 31, but he would have to pass through waivers first). Considering his age, his injury history, and the extent of this most recent injury, it's unlikely that there will be any team interested. Denard Span (signed through 2014, team option in 2015) or Ben Revere (under team control through 2017). If there any teams out there looking for left-handed lead-off outfielders, the Twins have two. Span has the benefit of experience and has a little more power, and Revere has the benefit of youth and speed. Both also have the benefit of being contractually inexpensive, which would interest potential trade partners. However, the Twins have the upper hand in that there is no harm in keeping them the rest of the season to perhaps trade in the off-season, so they can ask for a lot in return. Of the two, it makes more sense to trade Span as he's 28 and has likely at or near his career peak; Revere is still valuable for the future. Justin Morneau (signed through 2013). About two weeks ago, it didn't seem like Morneau was a trade target at all with his inability to hit left-handed pitching and everything, but he's recently turned things around and is looking good. Teams may shy away from him due to his injury history and high salary. Again, there's no particular hurry to trade him yet this season, so the Twins will likely keep him. Josh Willingham (signed through 2014). Willingham has been one of the few bright spots in the Twins batting order this season, which would make him quite attractive to a number of teams. However, Terry Ryan has intimated in interviews that he's not particularly interested in trading Willingham. Of course, if someone calls and offers a huge haul of prospects for him, Ryan should listen. But it would have to be a haul to be worth it. There could be others, too. Ryan says they'll entertain offers for everyone. All this should make an interesting trade deadline. I just hope it's not a terribly sad one.
  17. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We're fully aware, now that the All-Star break is over, that the non-waiver trade deadline is looming (I hate the "looming" cliche -- it makes me think of a big shadow of a ghost looming with the players rumored to be traded cowering against the wall a la Scooby Doo). Last season, the Twins did very little at the trade deadline. This year should be different; the Twins will most likely move a guy or two before the end of the month. What's different about this year: There's a new (old) boss in town. Terry Ryan isn't historically known for making a ton of moves mid-season, but it seems like he's way more likely to let some guys go for a profit than Bill Smith was. I always got the sense that Smith made decisions with his emotions rather than his logic. There are new playoff rules. Now that there are two wild card teams in each league, there are more "on the bubble" teams vying for playoff spots. Many of those teams are just a good player or two away from making a nice September run. So there may be more interest than there was previously. There are new free agency rules. With the new collective bargaining agreement, the only way teams can receive a draft pick for losing a player in free agency is to offer him a one-year contract worth at least the average of the top 125 salaries in the MLB (which figures to be about $12 million this year). So the Twins may be more willing to trade pending free agents so that they can get something out of letting him go. 2011 happened. Last season at the end of July, the Twins were enjoying a nice little hot streak. Because they were only one year away from a playoff appearance, everyone was a little deluded into believing that they could turn things around. Well, we're all lucid now; we understand how bad things really are and that this team needs young help all up an down the organization. They can't afford to think about improving for 2012; they need to think about improving for 2013 and beyond. So, yeah, it really looks like we'll say goodbye to some of our guys in the next few weeks. It could be anybody, too -- Joe Mauer, who has a no-trade clause, and Ryan Doumit, who just signed an extension, are probably the only exceptions. It's important to realize that trading away anybody isn't likely to render huge immediate improvements; this would be all for strengthening the organization for the future. Let's hit a few of the top names: Fransisco Liriano (pending free agent). It seems bizarre that a team that so desperately needs quality starting pitching is willing to part with a guy who looks like he's found his mojo, but trading him actually makes sense if the situation is right. Offering him a $12 million contract (that he would have to decline) just so the Twins can get a draft pick might be a bit steep for their budget (because he just might accept it), so he's likely a goner anyway. The Twins may be able to net a nice prospect or two for him. Of course, this risk is that once he's gone, he'll turn into Cy Young. Matt Capps (pending free agent). Capps has been better than his reputation with Twins fans would suggest. He's freshly back from a minor shoulder injury, so he has a couple of weeks to shake off the rust and impress some scouts. Actually, he's back on the DL with shoulder soreness, and he's not due get off the DL until after the deadline. Carl Pavano (pending free agent). Yeah, his shoulder injury must be pretty bad because after six weeks on the DL he has yet to throw off a mound. It really doesn't seem like he'll be back with the team before the deadline (although he could still be traded after July 31, but he would have to pass through waivers first). Considering his age, his injury history, and the extent of this most recent injury, it's unlikely that there will be any team interested. Denard Span (signed through 2014, team option in 2015) or Ben Revere (under team control through 2017). If there any teams out there looking for left-handed lead-off outfielders, the Twins have two. Span has the benefit of experience and has a little more power, and Revere has the benefit of youth and speed. Both also have the benefit of being contractually inexpensive, which would interest potential trade partners. However, the Twins have the upper hand in that there is no harm in keeping them the rest of the season to perhaps trade in the off-season, so they can ask for a lot in return. Of the two, it makes more sense to trade Span as he's 28 and has likely at or near his career peak; Revere is still valuable for the future. Justin Morneau (signed through 2013). About two weeks ago, it didn't seem like Morneau was a trade target at all with his inability to hit left-handed pitching and everything, but he's recently turned things around and is looking good. Teams may shy away from him due to his injury history and high salary. Again, there's no particular hurry to trade him yet this season, so the Twins will likely keep him. Josh Willingham (signed through 2014). Willingham has been one of the few bright spots in the Twins batting order this season, which would make him quite attractive to a number of teams. However, Terry Ryan has intimated in interviews that he's not particularly interested in trading Willingham. Of course, if someone calls and offers a huge haul of prospects for him, Ryan should listen. But it would have to be a haul to be worth it. There could be others, too. All this should make an interesting trade deadline. I just hope it's not a terribly sad one.
  18. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We're fully aware, now that the All-Star break is over, that the non-waiver trade deadline is looming (I hate the "looming" cliche -- it makes me think of a big shadow of a ghost looming with the players rumored to be traded cowering against the wall a la Scooby Doo). Last season, the Twins did very little at the trade deadline. This year should be different; the Twins will most likely move a guy or two before the end of the month. What's different about this year: There's a new (old) boss in town. Terry Ryan isn't historically known for making a ton of moves mid-season, but it seems like he's way more likely to let some guys go for a profit than Bill Smith was. I always got the sense that Smith made decisions with his emotions rather than his logic. There are new playoff rules. Now that there are two wild card teams in each league, there are more "on the bubble" teams vying for playoff spots. Many of those teams are just a good player or two away from making a nice September run. So there may be more interest than there was previously. There are new free agency rules. With the new collective bargaining agreement, the only way teams can receive a draft pick for losing a player in free agency is to offer him a one-year contract worth at least the average of the top 125 salaries in the MLB (which figures to be about $12 million this year). So the Twins may be more willing to trade pending free agents so that they can get something out of letting him go. 2011 happened. Last season at the end of July, the Twins were enjoying a nice little hot streak. Because they were only one year away from a playoff appearance, everyone was a little deluded into believing that they could turn things around. Well, we're all lucid now; we understand how bad things really are and that this team needs young help all up an down the organization. They can't afford to think about improving for 2012; they need to think about improving for 2013 and beyond. So, yeah, it really looks like we'll say goodbye to some of our guys in the next few weeks. It could be anybody, too -- Joe Mauer, who has a no-trade clause, and Ryan Doumit, who just signed an extension, are probably the only exceptions. It's important to realize that trading away anybody isn't likely to render huge immediate improvements; this would be all for strengthening the organization for the future. Let's hit a few of the top names: Fransisco Liriano (pending free agent). It seems bizarre that a team that so desperately needs quality starting pitching is willing to part with a guy who looks like he's found his mojo, but trading him actually makes sense if the situation is right. Offering him a $12 million contract (that he would have to decline) just so the Twins can get a draft pick might be a bit steep for their budget (because he just might accept it), so he's likely a goner anyway. The Twins may be able to net a nice prospect or two for him. Of course, this risk is that once he's gone, he'll turn into Cy Young. Matt Capps (pending free agent). Capps has been better than his reputation with Twins fans would suggest. He's freshly back from a minor shoulder injury, so he has a couple of weeks to shake off the rust and impress some scouts. Actually, he's back on the DL with shoulder soreness, and he's not due get off the DL until after the deadline. Carl Pavano (pending free agent). Yeah, his shoulder injury must be pretty bad because after six weeks on the DL he has yet to throw off a mound. It really doesn't seem like he'll be back with the team before the deadline (although he could still be traded after July 31, but he would have to pass through waivers first). Considering his age, his injury history, and the extent of this most recent injury, it's unlikely that there will be any team interested. Denard Span (signed through 2014, team option in 2015) or Ben Revere (under team control through 2017). If there any teams out there looking for left-handed lead-off outfielders, the Twins have two. Span has the benefit of experience and has a little more power, and Revere has the benefit of youth and speed. Both also have the benefit of being contractually inexpensive, which would interest potential trade partners. However, the Twins have the upper hand in that there is no harm in keeping them the rest of the season to perhaps trade in the off-season, so they can ask for a lot in return. Of the two, it makes more sense to trade Span as he's 28 and has likely at or near his career peak; Revere is still valuable for the future. Justin Morneau (signed through 2013). About two weeks ago, it didn't seem like Morneau was a trade target at all with his inability to hit left-handed pitching and everything, but he's recently turned things around and is looking good. Teams may shy away from him due to his injury history and high salary. Again, there's no particular hurry to trade him yet this season, so the Twins will likely keep him. Josh Willingham (signed through 2014). Willingham has been one of the few bright spots in the Twins batting order this season, which would make him quite attractive to a number of teams. However, Terry Ryan has intimated in interviews that he's not particularly interested in trading Willingham. Of course, if someone calls and offers a huge haul of prospects for him, Ryan should listen. But it would have to be a haul to be worth it. There could be others, too. All this should make an interesting trade deadline. I just hope it's not a terribly sad one.
  19. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ceNibDT2jXU/UASyUE-2juI/AAAAAAAACAQ/wzgG81RJeLE/s200/waterballoons.PNG I was listening to the news Sunday night as I was getting ready for bed, and between brushing my teeth and putting moisturizer around my eyes, I heard the sports guy talking about how glum the Twins clubhouse is lately. He said something about the mood there being the worse its ever been and that everyone is just demoralized. It's hard to blame them. All this losing is hard for me to take sitting here in my comfy living room; I can't imagine what it's like for the guys who actually want to take pride in their profession. I imagine that they're all cranky and secretly trying to figure out ways to throw stuff at each other. The hitters are thinking mean thoughts about the pitchers, and the pitchers are thinking mean thoughts about the defenders. All these repressed feelings are likely to cause a lot of clinched jaws and stress headaches. Also factor in this awful heat. These guys are wearing polyester clothes (with long pants, undershirts, and socks) and doing physical activity in air that feels like nacho cheese in a crock pot. Ick. These guys need something to cheer them up right quick. The fans won't have any fun unless the players have some fun. I propose that we line up all the guys out in the outfield, arm each one with a super-soaker squirt gun and a bucket of water balloons, and tell them to have at it. Francisco Liriano can nail Denard Span and Josh Willingham can shoot Brian Duensing to get things going, and there you have it. Aggressions will be released. Tempers, and bodies, will be cooled. Fun will be had. Outfield grass will be watered. Win win. They should sell tickets; I'd buy one. Or...they could do what they did Monday night and score seven runs in the first inning of a game that counts. But, like, every day.
  20. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ceNibDT2jXU/UASyUE-2juI/AAAAAAAACAQ/wzgG81RJeLE/s200/waterballoons.PNG I was listening to the news Sunday night as I was getting ready for bed, and between brushing my teeth and putting moisturizer around my eyes, I heard the sports guy talking about how glum the Twins clubhouse is lately. He said something about the mood there being the worse its ever been and that everyone is just demoralized. It's hard to blame them. All this losing is hard for me to take sitting here in my comfy living room; I can't imagine what it's like for the guys who actually want to take pride in their profession. I imagine that they're all cranky and secretly trying to figure out ways to throw stuff at each other. The hitters are thinking mean thoughts about the pitchers, and the pitchers are thinking mean thoughts about the defenders. All these repressed feelings are likely to cause a lot of clinched jaws and stress headaches. Also factor in this awful heat. These guys are wearing polyester clothes (with long pants, undershirts, and socks) and doing physical activity in air that feels like nacho cheese in a crock pot. Ick. These guys need something to cheer them up right quick. The fans won't have any fun unless the players have some fun. I propose that we line up all the guys out in the outfield, arm each one with a super-soaker squirt gun and a bucket of water balloons, and tell them to have at it. Francisco Liriano can nail Denard Span and Josh Willingham can shoot Brian Duensing to get things going, and there you have it. Aggressions will be released. Tempers, and bodies, will be cooled. Fun will be had. Outfield grass will be watered. Win win. They should sell tickets; I'd buy one. Or...they could do what they did Monday night and score seven runs in the first inning of a game that counts. But, like, every day.
  21. Kirsten Brown
    @ glunn and JB -- Thanks for the compliments. @ Peanuts -- Hahaha! Do it...DOOOOO IIIIT! If you create that photoshop, I'll put it on the post, give you tons of credit, and give you a virtual k-bro brownie!
  22. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We all know how crazy the Twins starting rotation has been this season. The club keeps moving guys around hoping to replace those who are hurt or ineffective. And it keeps happening because guys who are given a chance aren't always making the best of it. All these moves remind me of a metaphor that TwinsGeek John Bonnes likes to use: moving deck chairs on the Titanic. It's an intriguing phrase that perfectly describes the frustrating situation. I wondered what exactly that would look like. So here is my graphical schematic of the Twins moving deck chairs: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2KKPozBdpNY/T_ug6rmJkjI/AAAAAAAAB_c/uOYPJ9hTn_I/s640/titanicchairs.PNG Look again at Cole De Vries. Poor guy -- started in AAA, called up 5/22, sent down 6/7, back up 6/30, back down 7/1, back up 7/3. I wonder if he even bothers to unpack his suitcase.
  23. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog We all know how crazy the Twins starting rotation has been this season. The club keeps moving guys around hoping to replace those who are hurt or ineffective. And it keeps happening because guys who are given a chance aren't always making the best of it. All these moves remind me of a metaphor that TwinsGeek John Bonnes likes to use: moving deck chairs on the Titanic. It's an intriguing phrase that perfectly describes the frustrating situation. I wondered what exactly that would look like. So here is my graphical schematic of the Twins moving deck chairs: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2KKPozBdpNY/T_ug6rmJkjI/AAAAAAAAB_c/uOYPJ9hTn_I/s640/titanicchairs.PNG Look again at Cole De Vries. Poor guy -- started in AAA, called up 5/22, sent down 6/7, back up 6/30, back down 7/1, back up 7/3. I wonder if he even bothers to unpack his suitcase.
  24. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TxaYgroHa88/T_Dv3YH237I/AAAAAAAAB8c/-UCGY6CQlR0/s200/photo%2812%29.JPG The family and I took a nice little vacation to Beloit, WI, to catch some minor-league ball and get a glimpse of some future Twins. We attended games on two steamy evenings, Friday and Saturday. The Snappers, the Twins Class A affiliate, are a pretty typical minor-league team. There are several features of the experience that are common throughout the minor leagues, and these features are what makes the minor league experience great. There are always the couple of uber-fans who show up first to every game, know every thing about every player, and keep score of every play in their own scorebooks. There is also the guy who brings a trombone so he can play a tiny ovation for each player as he's announced. Every minor-league park also features an auto-glass message for every foul ball that leaves the park (the parks are small, so the risk of a foul ball actually breaking a car windshield is pretty significant). There are always between-inning sponsored games and hijinks where fans actually get to go on the field and compete for coupons or tickets to future games. Also, every employee you see holds four or five jobs (the roving announcer for the hijinks is also on the grounds crew). Oh, and don't forget the scouts -- the entire section behind home plate is filled with men, dressed in business casual attire, armed with notebooks, iPads, and radar guns. The atmosphere is cozy, fun, laid back, and a little goofy. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VEGQ0qDHfTY/T_D0fE-EjCI/AAAAAAAAB9M/IrNKB5hqqYY/s400/photo%2810%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]The best seats in the house are only $7.50 and beers are only $3.50 [/TD] [/TABLE] The Snappers hosted the Clinton Lumberkings, the Seattle Mariners single-A club. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjpD14ex-xQ/T_D4YqEX23I/AAAAAAAAB98/Of4PHZVP8wU/s320/photo%2811%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Friday's lineup [/TD] [/TABLE] On Friday, Steven Liddle (nephew of Twins 3rd-base coach) homered to start the scoring, but the Snappers fell 6-3 in the drizzly rain. Saturday's game was a defensive umm... challenge... for the Snappers, and despite a rally in the ninth, they lost 10-5. But the fireworks afterwards were nicely done. Of course, I was most interested in scouting the Twins top prospect, Miguel Sano. It's easy to tell that he's special. The ball just sounds different coming off his bat; when he gets a hold of one, he gets a hold of one. He homered on Saturday, and the ball cleared not only the fence, but also the scoreboard. Wow. But, as good and special as he is, I can also see why the Twins haven't promoted him to Fort Myers yet. He simply isn't ready. He strikes out a lot, and his defense isn't there yet. They shouldn't promote him until he dominates this level, and he's not far, but not quite there. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yd2_XIWvrl4/T_EBG4NvtBI/AAAAAAAAB-s/gy8FlpviqpM/s400/photo%289%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Sano on deck [/TD] [/TABLE] All in all, despite the losing, the Snappers gave us a great time, and we all felt it was worth the drive. ~~~ If you happen to travel to Beloit to catch the Snappers, I also recommend you visit Historic Auto Attractions museum in nearby Roscoe, IL. It's so much more than a car museum; it's more of a collection great historic artifacts. It includes a large presidential exhibit, with a special area for the Kennedys. There are also a bunch of cool cars. It's in the middle of nowhere, but it really cool. http://historicautoattractions.com/ (Note: I mention this because I liked it; they didn't give me a discount or anything to blog about it.)
  25. Kirsten Brown
    Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TxaYgroHa88/T_Dv3YH237I/AAAAAAAAB8c/-UCGY6CQlR0/s200/photo%2812%29.JPG The family and I took a nice little vacation to Beloit, WI, to catch some minor-league ball and get a glimpse of some future Twins. We attended games on two steamy evenings, Friday and Saturday. The Snappers, the Twins Class A affiliate, are a pretty typical minor-league team. There are several features of the experience that are common throughout the minor leagues, and these features are what makes the minor league experience great. There are always the couple of uber-fans who show up first to every game, know every thing about every player, and keep score of every play in their own scorebooks. There is also the guy who brings a trombone so he can play a tiny ovation for each player as he's announced. Every minor-league park also features an auto-glass message for every foul ball that leaves the park (the parks are small, so the risk of a foul ball actually breaking a car windshield is pretty significant). There are always between-inning sponsored games and hijinks where fans actually get to go on the field and compete for coupons or tickets to future games. Also, every employee you see holds four or five jobs (the roving announcer for the hijinks is also on the grounds crew). Oh, and don't forget the scouts -- the entire section behind home plate is filled with men, dressed in business casual attire, armed with notebooks, iPads, and radar guns. The atmosphere is cozy, fun, laid back, and a little goofy. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VEGQ0qDHfTY/T_D0fE-EjCI/AAAAAAAAB9M/IrNKB5hqqYY/s400/photo%2810%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]The best seats in the house are only $7.50 and beers are only $3.50 [/TD] [/TABLE] The Snappers hosted the Clinton Lumberkings, the Seattle Mariners single-A club. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjpD14ex-xQ/T_D4YqEX23I/AAAAAAAAB98/Of4PHZVP8wU/s320/photo%2811%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Friday's lineup [/TD] [/TABLE] On Friday, Steven Liddle (nephew of Twins 3rd-base coach) homered to start the scoring, but the Snappers fell 6-3 in the drizzly rain. Saturday's game was a defensive umm... challenge... for the Snappers, and despite a rally in the ninth, they lost 10-5. But the fireworks afterwards were nicely done. Of course, I was most interested in scouting the Twins top prospect, Miguel Sano. It's easy to tell that he's special. The ball just sounds different coming off his bat; when he gets a hold of one, he gets a hold of one. He homered on Saturday, and the ball cleared not only the fence, but also the scoreboard. Wow. But, as good and special as he is, I can also see why the Twins haven't promoted him to Fort Myers yet. He simply isn't ready. He strikes out a lot, and his defense isn't there yet. They shouldn't promote him until he dominates this level, and he's not far, but not quite there. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yd2_XIWvrl4/T_EBG4NvtBI/AAAAAAAAB-s/gy8FlpviqpM/s400/photo%289%29.JPG [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Sano on deck [/TD] [/TABLE] All in all, despite the losing, the Snappers gave us a great time, and we all felt it was worth the drive. ~~~ If you happen to travel to Beloit to catch the Snappers, I also recommend you visit Historic Auto Attractions museum in nearby Roscoe, IL. It's so much more than a car museum; it's more of a collection great historic artifacts. It includes a large presidential exhibit, with a special area for the Kennedys. There are also a bunch of cool cars. It's in the middle of nowhere, but it really cool. http://historicautoattractions.com/ (Note: I mention this because I liked it; they didn't give me a discount or anything to blog about it.)
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