Wednesday

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Twins Thoughts

Twins Minor League Report

American Idol Thoughts

IDOL DAY

Good morning !

Well, I was again having some internet issues last night, so tonight's entry will be fairly short. I want to talk briefly about the Twins 3-2 loss to the Indians in 10 innings. Two of the Twins minor league affiliates did not play. But that maybe allows me to tell you to check out the two pitching performances that the affiliates did receive from Colby Miller and Anthony Swarzak. Very impressive, especially Swarzak! Oh, and of course, there is a newly crowned American Idol!! Was it Bo, or was it Carrie? Well, if you actually care enough to read my American Idol Thoughts, odds are that you watched the show and know already!

But anyway, I really hope that this will work to post today's entries. The Prospect stats have been updated on the left side of the screen. I also have to again encourage you to check out the other Twins blogs today as well!

TWINS FALL TO CLEVELAND IN 10

Well, it was really an unfortunate loss for the Twins. They didn't get a lot of chances, and when they did, they were unable to make the best of it. However, thanks to Carlos Silva, they had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the 9th. That means Joe Nathan comes in for the save. However, for just the second time this year, Nathan was unable to hold the lead. He allowed a home run to Ben Broussard. And then the rest of the bullpen didn't come through in the 10th and the Indians scored the winning run on a bloop single by Travis Hafner. Here are just a couple more thoughts on the game and the Twins:

1.) Joe Mauer did not play last night. But it is not because of his knee. It was because of a sore groin. So, that sounds precautionary to me. I would expect that he will not play tonight against CC Sabathia either. Then again, I would also expect that Justin Morneau will be out of the lineup (and probably Jacque Jones) against Sabathia.

2.) I have been hard on Torii Hunter in this column the last couple of days, if not longer. When I wrote all that about how he is simply not a good hitter and should be moved down in the lineup, I almost added the following: "Part of me writes this knowing that as soon as I write it, Hunter will go on a tear and I will look like an idiot." Well, last night, Hunter hit a home run in the second and a double later in the game. Hopefully it lasts!

3.) I'm usually just as tough on Jacque Jones, and of course, he went 2-3, with another walk!

4.) Michael Cuddyer went 0-4 to end his hitting streak at 13 games.

5.) What more can we possibly say about Carlos Silva. With just the unearned run in 8 innings, his ERA drops down to 2.85. At what point will some people start believing that he is for real? Sure, he'll have his off-games, but I am excited about the potential of the still-just-25-year-old-Silva! He did have to throw a lot of pitches last night, 87 pitches in eight innings. That is a lot considering he threw just 74 pitches in nine innings last Friday night.

6.) Don't worry about Joe Nathan. He's just fine!

7.) Another inherited run allowed by JC Romero.

8.) Brad Radke will pitch tonight for the Twins, and before he struggled in his last start, he had three straight great starts. Hopefully he can be on his game again tonight!

Do you have any thoughts on last night's game, or the Twins in general?? If so, e-mail me.

Here is tonight's pitching matchup, the last game of the series:

Thursday - 6:05 - Brad Radke (4-4, 3.65, 1.09, .267) vs CC Sabathia (3-3, 3.48, 1.27, .266)

TWINS MINOR LEAGUE REPORTS

ROCHESTER REDWINGS

Wednesday - REDWINGS 3, Toledo 1 - No Game Scheduled.

NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS

Wednesday - ROCKCATS 0, Trenton 1 - Colby Miller gets the loss, but I would have to say that he pitched as well as he has all year. Miller went eight innings and gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out four. Unfortunately, the Rockcats were unable to score even a single run to help him out. They had just seven hits. Doug Deeds led by going 2-3 with a walk.

FT MYERS MIRACLE

Wednesday - MIRACLE, Jupiter - Rained Out.

BELOIT SNAPPERS

Wednesday - SNAPPERS 5, Cedar Rapids 1 - The story has to be the pitching of Anthony Swarzak. When Baseball America named him the #9 prospect in the Twins system, I thought it was crazy. Ends up that those people know what they're talking about. Swarzak has been great, and last night was no different. He went eight innings. He gave up just one unearned run on just two hits. He walked zero. He struck out 13 batters. I think that's pretty impressive! On offense, Deacon Burns again led the way. He was 3-4 with his 14th double and 4th home run. David Winfree and Tarrence Patterson were each 2-4 with a double. Dewayne White went 1-4, but hit his second homer.

American Idol Thoughts

Last night was the final night of American Idol for this season. It was down to Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice for the title of American Idol. Both were incredible in their own way. I wonder if the producers of the show are real excited about the two finalists? I mean, they are looking for a pop artist, right? Or, at least they had been in previous shows. But in the final two, they had a 30 year old rocker and a country singing girl. If we're looking at the type of singer that would be more pop-like, Vonzell Solomon was probably the choice, maybe even Anthony Federov. But at the same time, if we're being truly honest, we have to admit that the two best singers in the competition were Carrie and Bo.

Here were my thoughts yesterday on the performances:

SethSpeaks Rankings

I will rank the two performers. I guess that, in doing this, I will be picking who I really think should be the winner, the new American Idol..

1.) Bo Bice - Vocally and his stage presence were just better than Carrie's. He is a pro, which isn't necessarily untrue, as he has been performing for years.

2.) Carrie Underwood - She is going to be very successful and make a lot of money. She's incredible!

So there you have it. I guess I would say that last night Bo Bice was the better of the two singers. However, I don't necessarily think that means he will win. I really think that the vote will be very close, and both are great, so I really don't care who wins. I have thoroughly enjoy watching (re: staring) and listening to Carrie throughout the competition. I just think that Bo Bice is really very good! Of course, that brings up the question, should American Idol have increased their age limit to 29, or left it at 25? Should Bo be eligible since he has been performing in bands for over a decade? Well, I guess all of that may factor into the vote. I am very interested in tonight's results show. It is going to be two hours. Each of the 12 finalists will be singing with some professional. Carrie Underwood will sing with Rascal Flats. Bo Bice will get to sing with Lynard Skynard. And in the end, one of the two will be the American Idol.

Well, I was wrong, and for it, I am very happy. I am thrilled that Carrie Underwood won! Bo will be successful. He'll be just fine. Had Carrie not won, she would have been fine too. I just think that Carrie fit the role of "American Idol a little better." The final show was great. Plenty of flashbacks and audience panning of former finalists from previous seasons, which I always think is fun to see. LaToya London was my favorite last season (she finished fourth) was involved. Matt Rogers was a former college football player who could sing a bit as well. He was hilarious in Oklahoma. They talked to the judges and got different opinions. The songs with the celebrities were awesome!

But in the end, I was happy that Carrie won! (and, if anyone out there knows Carrie, tell her to e-mail me!!)

What do you think? Did the right person win win? E-mail me.

On that note, I am going to call it a day!

Back to Archives Home