Article: My Twins Mt. Rushmore

[tshide]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2885-My-Twins-Mt-Rushmore

[Twins Daily Admin]

How much more does Mauer need to do to crack this list?

[gunnarthor]

Killer, Carew, Puck should all be locks. Fourth spot is open for some debate but I'd pick Mauer.

[Seth Stohs]

Killer, Carew, Puck should all be locks. Fourth spot is open for some debate but I'd pick Mauer.

 

I agree with this... Those top three are obvious. The next level is Oliva, Hrbek and Mauer... and Mauer is another future Hall of Famer, so I'd go with him.

[Brandon]

no pitchers?

[Craig Arko]

If you make this out of bobbleheads you could fit in more people.

[BigTrane]

The tough thing is only 4... and I agree with Brandon wholeheartedly. Go figure!

 

I'd say Carew and Oliva were similar-type players, so you might have to make a tough choice there. I'd go with Sir Rodney. Opens up a spot for a pitcher, and I'm partial to a guy named Walter. Otherwise, Kitty Kaat comes to mind, Mudcat, Bert, Sweet Music, Reardon, Radke (?) Johan, The Gambler (just checkin'), Eddie (?), Rick Reed (checkin' again), Nathan...

 

With the All-Star game coming, I think you're ahead of the curve... I expect all-time Sens/Twins lists to start popping up around then- hope so, anyway.

With a full roster to play with, you'd have a chance to really flesh things out... 25 or 40-man rosters... could be fun.

 

Sam Rice!

[Brock Beauchamp]

I agree with this... Those top three are obvious. The next level is Oliva, Hrbek and Mauer... and Mauer is another future Hall of Famer, so I'd go with him.

 

Yep. Mauer HAS to be on this list. He has a slightly higher WAR than Oliva in 4-5 less seasons. He played catcher and did it at a high level. Their adjusted OPS+ is almost identical (133 to 135).

 

It's unfortunate that Oliva's career was derailed by injury but Mauer is the better player, period.

[gunnarthor]

no pitchers?

 

If Blyleven played most of his career here, then I'd say him. And if we had a better connection to our Senators past, I'd say Walter Johnson. But we don't. Still, Kaat, Santana, Radke and Blyleven could all be considered for that fourth spot but I'd put Mauer ahead of them.

[Squirrel]

If you were choosing your 'Mt. Rushmore' right now, I think he has it right. I think you choose past greats for Mt. Rushmore now. Not current or future greats. When Mauer retires and is elected into the Hall, then you chisel out Mauer over Oliva.

[strumdatjag]

The positive Rushmore is easy, except for choosing between Mauer and Oliva.

 

Now the tough question, the Anti-Rushmore Four, using any combination of generally bad playing, uniquely bad playing, bad results for team (gave up a great player in trade), bad attitude and longevity as criteria. My four would include an easy first three: Terry Felton, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and Ron Davis (good guy but too many blown saves). The fourth one is tough. Despite his limited tenure, I'd choose Tommy Herr, who was poison in the clubhouse (handing out photographs of aborted fetuses and other unwanted preachiness), and was traded for Tom Brunansky, who had been a productive and loyal player for the team. I'm sure there are may other worthy ex-Twins to put on the Anti-Rushmore (Matt Capps, Hosken Powell and Willie Norwood, Pat Mahomes, and even Dave Engel who batted well but couldn't throw the ball back to the pitcher).

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Hard to take Carew down, but if we are giving priority to guys who devoted their whole careers here (or 99.9% of their career), then Tony O would come first. Also on the other thread we discussed TK. I think TK deserves to be up there with Harmon and Puck (and Mauer eventually) for all the things he's done for this organization both before and after he was manager.

[strumdatjag]

Back to my Anti-Rushmore (the four worst Twins), I note that I don't put Hosken, Bombo nor Disco on the face of that Mount of Shame. Hosken has a shot, and Disco had his peculiarities, but Bombo wasn't really that bad of a player and, in my opinion, only is derided because of his unusual name. Willie Norwood? That's another thing! Again, Terry Felton, Nishi, Ron Davis and Tommy Herr are the ones I'd put up on the Mount of Shame.

[drock2190]

I don't think Mauer belongs yet. I mean, have we really decided on a nickname?

[Craig Arko]

I don't think Mauer belongs yet. I mean, have we really decided on a nickname?

 

"Walk a mile in my cleats."

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Back to my Anti-Rushmore (the four worst Twins), I note that I don't put Hosken, Bombo nor Disco on the face of that Mount of Shame. Hosken has a shot, and Disco had his peculiarities, but Bombo wasn't really that bad of a player and, in my opinion, only is derided because of his unusual name. Willie Norwood? That's another thing! Again, Terry Felton, Nishi, Ron Davis and Tommy Herr are the ones I'd put up on the Mount of Shame.

 

I will give you Nishi, Ron Davis, and Tommy Herr (I call him "Tommy" because he and I go way back), but yes please save a place for a 1978 outfielder

[Dbohnk]

I am assuming you are excluding players from the Washington Senator days because otherwise Walter Johnson would almost certainly be a lock as well.

[Dbohnk]

For the Anti-Rushmore Twins how about some players who were so bad they didn't last the season like Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz, Livan Hernandez, Mike Lamb, or even Rondell White who did attempted two seasons with the Twins.

[RedBull34]

I don't think Mauer belongs yet. I mean, have we really decided on a nickname?

 

http://gardynickname.com/

 

According to this it's Mauersy, which is good enough for me...

[TKGuy]

I'll never forget the series where Fred Lynn kept hitting HRs game after game.

 

Ray Milker would be the MGR, who got replaced by some geeky looking guy I'd never heard of

[gunnarthor]

Anti-Rushmore? Well, this skews toward the current but Delmon Young, Liriano, Tommy Herr and Kevin Slowey (my least favorite Twin ever).

[stringer bell]

If you put four guys on your mountain, it is Carew, Puckett, Harmon and Tony-O. As someone who saw Oliva play, he deserves to be a Hall-of-Famer, and he played his entire career with the Twins. I think there should be five and Mauer would be the fifth guy.

[ScrapTheNickname]

Yep. Mauer HAS to be on this list. He has a slightly higher WAR than Oliva in 4-5 less seasons. He played catcher and did it at a high level. Their adjusted OPS+ is almost identical (133 to 135).

 

It's unfortunate that Oliva's career was derailed by injury but Mauer is the better player, period.

 

But I think you have to be dead (or retired) to be on Mount Rushmore. So I say no Mauer.

[ScrapTheNickname]

This idea makes a great mental image. Somebody should Photoshop it.

 

Every MLB team could have a Mount Rushmore. It could be something to sell at the All-Star Game. Somehow.

[Thrylos]

Because Mt Rushmore is a big franchise thing, in my book it will have to start with Walter Johnson and Clark Griffith. I'd take Killebrew as the third one no problem, but I would have to think about who the fourth one would be... Not Carew. 11 seasons only. My gut says Bucky Harris, but I have to think about that too...

[Tibs]

I always try to sign my name neatly because of Harmon Killebrew. It's a bit of a challenge for me because I don't always have the best handwriting.

[strumdatjag]

Rather than some short-lived Twins like Livan (Sells Cartoon Balloons in Town) Hernandez and Sidney Ponzon, I'd pick one that had the Twins faithful all excited when he came up from the minors. Yet, that Twin, Pat Mahomes, offered little except a drunken crash on a bridge.

[tshide]

When I put this together I was considering only retired players, for me Mt. Rushmore is for people that have finished carving their place in history (or in this case Twins history). So Mauer could go there someday. I also considered players from the Twins era only. I think Walter Johnson is the best player in franchise history, but I'm a baseball fan because of the Minnesota Twins.

 

I like all the different choices I've read about here. I picked Tony O, Puck, Harmon and Carew for very personal reasons. I picked Tony O over TK for the fourth spot because he did something very special for a childhood friend of mine back in his playing days.

 

I know other people have their own four people for different reasons, I really enjoyed reading all the different opinions, that is what makes this sort of thing fun. I had a hard time deciding what pitchers to put among the Twins all-time greats. There have been many good ones but it seems the Twins have been dominated by guys who win batting titles.

 

Thanks for all the comments.

[Guest USAFChief]

Harmon, Sir Rodney, Puckett, and Tony-O on my Twins Mt Rushmore as well.

 

Great idea for an article, BTW!

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Anti-Rushmore? Well, this skews toward the current but Delmon Young, Liriano, Tommy Herr and Kevin Slowey (my least favorite Twin ever).

 

No room for Ron Davis?