Don't Feed the Greed Guy

A few highlights from Clinton, home of the Lumberkings, and your visiting Cedar Rapids Kernels. Randy LeBlanc looked like a good reliever who is being stretched out into a starting role. He was cruising through the Lumberkings order until he fell behind their #8 hitter, catcher Adam Martin,who entered the game hitting. 094,but left the game with a. 132 batting average. LeBlanc fell behind Martin and grooved a fastball as the at-bat extended and perhaps he tired. Martin deposited LeBlanc's Sunday offering over the left field wall. Suffice it to say that LeBlanc's day went from bad to worse from there. Other items of note: 1) Nick Gordon looked stellar in the field, ranging well to his left on several occasions. I didn't get to see him pressured "into the hole" but we have tickets for tonight's game in Cedar Rapids. At bat, he had some good hacks, and showed speed not just by stealing second, but also by advancing to third on a wild pitch that barely left the catcher's feet. 2) The Lumberkings roster contains some fan favorites, namely Gianfranco Wawoe, pronounced Wah-WOO! Both the Lumberkings announcer and fans took full advantage.., and Wawoe rewarded them with a home run and four rbi's. The other fave is Burt Reynolds-yes--Burt Reynolds. Kernels pitchers smoked him twice as he went 0-5. 3) Finally,the Clinton ballpark is one of those intimate venues where home plate is within sniffing distance of the fans. A kind Lumberkings ticket taker snapped our family picture after the game, and he explained that if the park were replaced or rebuilt, home plate would need to be moved at least ten feet further from the stands in order to comply with league standards.

(also posted in the comments to the article: Did Miguel Sano's Homers Cause Perseid Meteor Shower?) Our family is on our way to Iowa in a little over a week. We'll catch the Kernels in Clinton on Sunday afternoon, and then take in one or more home games the following week. For campers--a hint: Maquoketa Caves State Park is less than an hour from Cedar Rapids, and forty-five minutes from Dyersville, home of the "Field of Dreams" site. The park is annually regarded the best campground in Iowa, with amazing limestone caves and hiking trails that pass through the unique rock formations. We're also planning a day trip to Des Moines for an Iowa Cubs game--Ernie Banks Jersey Day!!

Our family is on our way to Iowa in a little over a week. We'll catch the Kernels in Clinton on Sunday afternoon, and then take in one or more home games the following week. For campers--a hint: Maquoketa Caves State Park is less than an hour from Cedar Rapids, and forty-five minutes from Dyersville, home of the "Field of Dreams" site. The park is annually regarded the best campground in Iowa, with amazing limestone caves and hiking trails that pass through the unique rock formations. We're also planning a day trip to Des Moines for an Iowa Cubs game--Ernie Banks Jersey Day!!

Trades won't occur until the trade deadline approaches. IF the Twins are in a buying mood, I'd package two starters (Pelfrey, Milone and/or Gibson) for an ace. If we sell, sell Pelf for prospects. At any rate, make room for Berrios & company in 2016.

To my eyes, the biggest surprise is who isn't on this list, namely Nick Burdi. 2014 WHIP @ Cedar Rapids, 1.23 & Ft. Myers, 0.95 2015 WHIP @ Chattanooga, 1.77. With the preseason predictions regarding the Twins bullpen, I was hoping to see Burdi move quickly through AA and AAA, and be called up after the All-Star Break. Not going to happen.

Does anyone know what the implications are for releasing Santana now? Would the Twins have to honor the contract after eighty games?

Two thoughts, recycled from above: 1) I agree with the hope/expectation that our starting five will log more quality starts. This should shorten the workload, and broaden the options for Paul Molitor as he and the coaching staff make late-game TACTICAL decisions. Right now Molitor & his staff are making final decisions regarding their bullpen STRATEGY as they settle on a 25-man rosters. In Detroit on Opening Day, strategy will soon make way for in-game tactics, which gives way to the OPERATIVE challenge of making the best pitch. Strategy-Tactics-Operations. Longer starts lead to more "bullets" in the manager's "gun" as he makes tactical decisions from the dugout--hopefully in the seventh or eighth innings, rather than the fourth, fifth or sixth frames. 2) Strategic options are also emerging in the minor leagues: Lefty Aaron Thompson showed promise during Spring Training. He should keep a carry-on bag packed. A rejuvenated Caleb Thielbar is a real possibility--hopefully the 2013 version. He was filthy against lefties. And Mark Hamburger and Nick Burdi are quality options who can gas either side of the plate. Also the strategic move of picking up Graham looks promising, but the games haven't started counting, yet. It will be fun to watch how the Twins' Bullpen Strategy plays out!

The difference, of course, is that since Dec. 13th, Mike Pelfery has posted a 1.32 ERA over 14.2 innings, while May and Milone are sitting at 4.22 and 4.50, respectively respectful numbers, too. Pelfery's fastball sits at 92 mph on the radar gun. I believe he rushed his way back from Tommy John surgery, and that cost him--and the Twins--dearly. I also believe he was told by the Twins front office that he would be competing for a spot in the Twins starting rotation during Spring Training. He worked hard in the offseason, came into camp, and put up some good numbers, leading him to spill the ink that he's “kind of disappointed, frustrated, a little upset,” at not making the rotation. Which leads me to believe that someone--not just Pelfery--didn't handle the situation very well. He went on to say “If some team realizes I’m healthy for the first time in years and thinks I can help them, let’s do it." Game on. Do it Pelf. Prove us wrong. It makes me want to cheer for the guy.

Yes, both "aired laundry." I wonder if this doesn't play to the best interests of both Pelf, and the Twins. If Pelfery wants to start elsewhere, and Ryan wants to manufacture a trade for a proven reliever, why not spill a little ink via the media? There is so little we know from the fan's view. But I wouldn't put it past Ryan and Pelfery to put on their little media show, and then give each other a high-five behind closed doors. If no one team takes the bait, Pelf goes to the pen. That's all. If Ryan wasn't a willing partner in the ruse, Pelfery's desire to start for another club is still advanced. Pelfery played his bargaining chip, and then offered a mea culpa behind closed doors. "I'll behave. I'll pitch in the pen." Meanwhile, other teams are shopping for pitchers to fill the back end of their rotations BEFORE the season begins...

The only thing being compared here is signatures. Fun article. Fun. Lighten up, guys. Happy New Year.

Roster changes via trade, the draft, and offseason moves seem to create the most activity. I, for one, rarely log on to the site during the season unless a big story breaks. I get my Twins fix through watching/listening to games and reading box scores during the season, but rely on Twins Daily to make it through the offseason.

Cody, I wonder where you would rank Trevor May, absent his MLB numbers? He and Polanco are the only two of your top ten who saw major league action in 2014. Conversely, does Polanco drop down if not for brewing a stellar "cup of coffee" during his brief stay on the Twins roster?

The story broke 24 hours ago? How about this story from the Strib, dated Nov. 21: "Torii Hunter Pondering a Return to the Twins" plus numerous reports of his Thanksgiving dinner with former teammate and new bullpen coach, Eddie Guardado. Sorry, Twins Daily was asleep at the keyboard on this one.

Hey, this is fun. Sports are fun. Torii Hunter is fun. And if he can light a fire under the boys, even better. I like the move of bringing Torii in as a player-coach, and if he hits 20 homers, all the better. Also, I'm glad that Twins Daily is FINALLY covering this story, with three articles? Guys, did you take a long Thanksgiving Break? This story has been in the local media all week. Seems like you got out-scooped, and are only picking up the story after-the-fact.

I like Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe. They have a chemistry that one can sense around the batting cage, and during warmups. They are also under team control for the next 3 to 4 seasons. Why overpay now, when Sano and Polanco are emerging? Rosario is also an interesting option, although he seems to be headed back to the outfield. Are his days at 2b over? Maybe not. We'll know much more about Sano by June, if not by the end of Spring Training. The same is true with Rosario. So, I say the Twins should keep their options open, and leave these two roster/payroll decisions until after the 2015 season. I say no.

I'm good with this. Here's hoping that Gene Glynn moves up and joins Molitor's coaching staff. That leaves AAA open for Douglas "Eye Chart" Mientkiewicz.

Big drop for Rosario. He's poised for a nice comeback in 2015, I hope...

I have a great picture of Gardy, with his arms around my two boys after a Spring Training Game--they were seven and nine when the pic was taken. It was a delight to see him out before the game, taking infield with the players, yukking it up with the fans when he missed a ground ball, looking for the hole in his glove... I will miss him, but it was time. Thanks for the memories. I will enjoy seeing the name "Mientkiewicz" across the back of a Twins jersey again, hopefully soon!

The Twins and Timing: 2015 arrives and Sano breaks camp for the big leagues. Fans pay to watch him and Vargas take BP, but leave before the game starts. Who can stand to watch Nolasco & Co. give up four runs in the top of the 1st?

One last run at this: 2013: Number of starting pitchers with ten or more wins = 0 2014: Number of starting pitchers with ten or more wins = 2 Given the topic, that's a "quietly solid" sign of a reemerging starting rotation, with Hughes and Gibson at the top of that recovery. Sure, the team will need pitchers who can miss bats, stay durable and pitch 200+ innings, and have lineups that can hit behind them. But at the end of the day, pitchers are credited with victories and losses in the box score. No other player receives a "W" or an "L" by his stat line. There's a basic, logical reason for this--good pitching wins ballgames...most of the time. Seth's lead points out that "another 90 loss season is within reach." Yep, especially when Correia, Nolasco, and Fien follow Hughes and Gibson on the 2014 win chart with five victories each. We won't see the Twins post a winning record until five or six pitchers register 10+ victories--no matter what their other peripheral numbers might be. As winning pitchers, Hughes and Gibson have the Twins on the right track.

This winter several teams can warm themselves by burning piles of statistical readouts that measure WAR, K/9, etc... All the same, one team will "win" the World Series by combining pitching (the focus of this article), defense, and hitting in a formula that generates more wins than losses. At the end of the day, you have to win the game.

At the end of the day, the "W" is still the most telling statistic for starting pitchers. Here's a quick glimpse back to 2013's won-loss totals: Correia 9-13 Pelfery 5-13 Diamond 6-13 Deduno 8-8 Hernandez 3-3 (12 GS; Albers, Gibson, Worley & Hendricks = 38 GS for a combined: 6-17) Hughes (12-8) and Gibson (11-9) have seven or eight starts left in 2014. Both should finish the season with winning records--AND--could realistically total fifteen to eighteen victories. That will be a dramatic improvement over 2013. Now, if three or four other starters (Milone, Nolasco, Pelfery, May, Meyer, etc...) can break even in 2015, with 9-11, 13-10, 12-12-type records, that would lay the foundation for an 85-77 season in 2015. Sound realistic? Too optimistic?

I like the move, for many of the reasons mentioned above: 1) Shafer could click... at the very least he's an excellent pinch run option. 2) I'd rather see our elite CF prospects play every day in the high minors until they are ready. Hicks should get one more shot on Opening Day, 2015. If he doesn't make it, Shafer & Santana can still hold down CF until Buxton's train reaches Target Field Station. 3) Santana gets more starts at SS building chemistry with Dozier and the rest of the infield, so they can be a MLB-ready middle infield by Opening Day, 2015. 4) The Fuld pickup/parlay for Milone built some of my trust in Terry Ryan's "buy low" capacity, at least until Jason Bartlett calls TR and volunteers to come back... 5) Shafer gets one more shot--August, September, and Spring Training 2015--that seems like a reasonable gamble, given the current status of the Twins outfield.

Download attachment: jul08_chief_benders_250.jpg Before there was a Winfield, a Molitor, or a Mauer, there was a Bender. Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was born in Crow Wing County on May 5th, 1884. He bounced between his home on the White Earth Reservation, and various boarding schools. At a teenager, Bender was recruited by the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle Pennsylvania, the first of many off-reservation boarding schools. Carlisle is perhaps most known for it's resident coach, Pop Warner, and his star player, Jim Thorpe. Bender attended Dickinson College, also in Carlisle, before turning pro. He pitched for Connie Mack's Philadephia Athletics from 1903 to 1917. Bender pitched during an era of entrenched prejudice, and open racism. The definitive biography, that chronicles Bender's early years and his big break, was written by Tom Swift. It is aptly titled, Chief Bender's BurdenThe Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star: Chief Bender's Burden - University of Nebraska Press Swift has a wonderful short biography on Charles "Chief" Bender on the SABR website: Chief Bender | SABR A nugget from Swift's bio: "Bender is known foremost for a rare ability to pitch under pressure. 'If I had all the men I’ve ever handled, and they were in their prime, and there was one game I wanted to win above all others,' said Philadelphia Athletics icon Connie Mack, who managed fellow all-time pitching greats Lefty Grove, Herb Pennock, Eddie Plank, and Rube Waddell, 'Albert would be my man.'" Albert Bender is also credited by some as inventing the slider. He won 212 games over his Hall of Fame career. Again, from Swift's biography: "Bender’s life partner was Marie (Clement) Bender, whom he married in 1904. The couple’s marriage, which lasted nearly 50 years, did not produce any children. In 1953, Bender became the first Minnesota-born player enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and he remained the only one until Dave Winfield joined him in 2001. On May 22, 1954, the year following the vote, Bender died, a few weeks shy of his 71st birthday and a few weeks before his induction ceremony." Click here to view the article

We purchased tickets to Friday night's Twins Fest as a way to celebrate my Dad's 83rd birthday. Grandpa was accompanied by his two grandsons, ages 10 and 8, my wife and I. We parked in Lot B, and had only a short walk to Gate 6, where a host of ticket-takers greeted us as if we were walking up to a game. Once inside the gates, we peered out onto a snow-covered Target Field. Download attachment: snowy park.jpg It was quite a contrast to the green grass of Opening Day, and the warmth of a mid-summer matinee game. Minnie and Paul were still smiling, as they remained in each other's grip, while snowflakes fell around them. Download attachment: snowy minnie and paul.jpg The snow had been coming down for several hours. We drove through the white stuff all the way from Brainerd to the ballpark. That delayed our arrival by about an hour, which influenced our experience. There was no time to split up and gather Joe Mauer's autograph, our youngest son's hero. Instead we went directly to Rod Carew's signing station, located on the Service Level (-2). Here are some of my criticisms of the event. First, many fans are not used to navigating Target Field by the elevators, which were almost the exclusive way to move from the enclosed levels. During the season, I don't spend much time on the Service (-2), Club (2) and Suite (3) Levels. During the summertime, I'm outside, and these levels are either off limits, or too pricy for my blood. The second criticism was the Twins Fest brochure, and it's not-so-user-friendly locations. The first location was on the website. Here is the link to the Twins Fest page. If you bother to click on the page, try to find the brochure. It is located at the bottom of two alternating pictures. I should say, one of two alternating pictures, so half the time the link to the schedule is not visible. I tried to print out the map/schedule/brochure, but the ads and the big pictures dwarfed the type on a letter-sized document (my home printer does not load legal sized pages.) The type was too small and unreadable. So, we pre-planned our first two visits--to split up and find Mauer and Carew, and then meet up later to hatch our secondary options. The second problem was that the maps/brochures/schedules were not located at Gate 6, or just inside the door as we entered the Club Level. We asked a security guard if we cold look at his copy, just to find out where we were, and where Mauer and Carew's respective signing stations were located. He graciously offered us his copy of the brochure/map. Later, we would find scads of these handouts at the elevator entrances, and on various tables. They should have been at the point of entry, and more accessible at home. My wife forgot her Trevor Plouffe jersey in the car. So she went back for it, and we revised our plan of attack, Grandpa, the two boys and I set out for Carew's signing station. This is when we had our first stroke of luck. A delightful young lady approached us, wondering if we wanted to play Fan Feud, as part of the "Dozier Family." We were delighted to say "yes!" She handed us a ticket, with instructions to be at the Fox Sports North Stage in the Champions Club at 5:20 p.m. There was enough time to catch Carew, so we beat cheeks over to his signing station. Dad is a retired preacher, and he sat on stage with #28 back in 1968, the year after Carew's rookie season. The event was a Park Rapids Jaycees Banquet, and Carew was the guest speaker. Dad was asked to give the Invocation and Table Prayer. As they were seated next to each other, Carew leaned over and said to Dad, "You know Reverend, our jobs aren't really that different." To which Dad replied, "Oh? How is that?" Carew: "Well, we both have to pass the plate." Forty-five years later, Dad recalled the story with Carew over the signing table. He retold the joke, and paused so that Rodney Cline could deliver the punch-line, to which they both laughed like the material was still fresh! It was a delightful moment. Download attachment: Carew signing.jpg By the way, Carew also signed two baseball cards from my treasured possessions. Someday my boys will each receive one. Download attachment: carew cards.jpg My ten-year-old son is a big Dozier fan. They have the same May 15th birthday, and both play second base. So it was off to The Champions Club to meet our Plouffe Fan and keep our appointment with Richard Dawson/Kris Atteberry, Dozier, and our competition--Team Diamond, anchored by Scott Diamond, and members of Kyle Knudson's extended family. We played three rounds of "The Feud" with three questions: "Name the Most Recognizable Twins Player" "What do Twins players do after a game?" "Which team do you like to see the Twins beat?" Long story short: We won! But perhaps the best moment was in responding to question #1. We were down to our last answer with two strikes, and our eight-year-old was staring into the microphone as Kris Atteberry said, "Only one answer left. To win the round, what is your answer?" Grandpa and I are whispering "Dan Gladden, Dan Gladden!" The boy ignores his elders and says into the microphone, "Justin Morneau" matching the last answer on the board! Team Dozier wins, and we all got cool t-shirts, that our new favorite second-baseman signed (that is, next to Carew, who really turned out to be a first basemen, so that doesn't count, does it?) Download attachment: Twins Fest.jpg We spent the remainder of the evening operating out of a "home base" around the K-Twins Stage. It gave Grandpa a good place to rest his feet while we chased Miguel Sano's autograph, failed to get that Plouffe jersey signed, toured the Twins Clubhouse, and took in a number of other sights not available during a ballgame. I just about bought Jack Morris a beer before he went on stage with Corey Provus. Download attachment: morris and provost 2.jpg Perhaps one of the real advantages to the Target Field setting were such up-close encounters with players and personalities like Morris. We routinely walked past legends past and present throughout the hallways. Riding the elevator with Tony Oliva, walking the hallways with Dan Gladden, passing Gardy, greeting Dick Bremer at the door, and on and on. Dozier bumped into his little birthday buddy once more in the hallways, and enthusiastically greeting him with a high five. In conclusion, it was a good event, a good venue, and I hope the planners keep it relatively small next year. There need to be some logistical tweaks, and perhaps a little less restrictive on autographs. The fees are high, and I suppose this helps to discourage the memorabilia hounds, but for the average family those prices can get steep. All the same... the Twins Community Fund. The fund was instrumental in building our local baseball/softball fields, so it is a good cause that directly benefits our boys. Keep Twins Fest at Target Field. We enjoyed the experience, especially seeing such treasures as this one, below. Here's to Spring, 2014, and the chance for a third trophy... C'mon, at this time of year, Hope Springs Eternal! Download attachment: World Series Trophy.jpg Click here to view the article