Tuesday July 13, 2004
ALL STAR BREAK
The Twins are on their All-Star break. The Rochester Redwings are on their All-Star Break. The New Britain Rockcats' game last night was postponed and now they are on their All-Star Break.
The Ft. Myers Miracle actually played and beat Dunedin 7-3. Alex Romero, Doug Deeds and Garrett Guzman each had three hits. Jose Morales had two hits. Marcus Moseley started and walked 7 in four innings. Somehow he gave up just 3 runs. John Thomas, Levale Speigner and Justin Olson combined to pitch the final five innings without giving up a run.
OK, the Swing of the Quad Cities had a day off. The Elizabethton Twins had a day off.
So, what am I saying? Well, I am pretty much taking a day off too. I wouldn't, but my mom and my sister drove up here to help me paint my house. So, given that kind of help, I had to take them up on it, and that meant I had to help. It is only fair, I guess! So, I will just type out a few opinions and thoughts and call it a day.
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Please remember to participate in this week's Discussion Questions. They have to do with the first half of the Twins season and what you expect from the second half of the year.
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The Twins are now on their All-Star Break. Miguel Tejada won last night's home run derby. He set a derby record with 15 home runs in the second round. He advanced to the finals where he beat Lance Berkman of the hometown Houston Astros. Berkman himself put on quite a show for his home crowd. At one point in the second round, he hit four straight balls completely out of the stadium. Of all the names in the contest, Tejada and Berkman outshone Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmiero and Jim Thome. It was fun to see all of the living members of the 500 home run club in attendance. What an honor and opportunity for the likes of Hank Blalock and David Ortiz to be in their presence.
And how great would All-Star Monday be for the other All-Star selections? I mean, how great would it have been to be Joe Nathan last night? I love seeing those players with their kids and with their video cameras just capturing the moment. They really seemed to grasp just how fun a moment last night was, and what incredible company they were surrounded by.
Tonight is the actual All-Star game. I'm sure I'll watch some of it while painting more and more. Oh joy!
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BLOG SPOTTING - TWINS
Since I am not going to be writing in depth tonight, I will encourage everyone to check out the following Twins sites and Twins stories. The Twins have a lot of really incredible bloggers to choose from. Obviously I thank you for coming to my site frequently and hope you would continue to do so. But here are some other great Twins-related sites:
DTFC Twins Fan Forum - The best site I have found for fun, interesting, highly educated and well thought out Twins discussion. There are disagreements, but that's just because everyone has different opinions. Currently, there are discussions on bringing up Justin Morneau, moving Shannon Stewart to 1B, Michael Cuddyer to Seattle rumors, and First Half Grades. Check them out and feel free to participate. There are a lot of great people there.
Twins Geek - The king of the Twins blogging kingdom, John Bonnes is by far the best, most well-written writer in the business. His entries are clear and concise and one of the first I read every morning. Today, he discusses the Michael Cuddyer to the Mariners for Gil Meche rumors.
Seth's Thoughts - The idea of getting Gil Meche, who was sent to AAA by the terrible Seattle Mariners, does not bode well in my head. Sure, he's got talent and been successful as recently as last year. But the man has had arm surgeries that have cost him 2-3 years. He is no sure thing even if he is healthy (which is also why I am not a fan of the Kris Benson rumors either!). So taking his question mark talent and question mark durability is scary for me. The thought of giving up Michael Cuddyer for him makes it even worse. Sure, Cuddyer has never taken the Twins by storm, but he has never been given a real shot. With the possibility, maybe likelihood, that the Twins will have four new infielders next year, I think Cuddyer should be in that mix, either at 3B or 2B.
Sidenote - Is anyone else as excited about the concept of the Twins infield next season being Justin Morneau at 1B, Michael Cuddyer at 2B, Jason Bartlett at SS and Terry Tiffee at 3B (did you notice his batting average is up to .318!?). Seriously, as young as they are, can it be any worse than their current infield, the League of Nations?
Twins Chatter - Ryan and John seem to almost alternate posting their thoughts on this relatively new Twins blog. But, they write in a fun way and express their opinions with solid information, but also in an entertaining way. The other day, they wrote their thoughts on Jim Souhan's article in the Star-Tribune saying the Twins may be interested in the Blue Jays Miguel Batista.
Seth's Thoughts - I really like Miguel Batista. I think he would be an excellent pickup for the Twins. Batista has been a slightly better than average pitcher in the big leagues for some time now. His contract actually calls for two more years at $4.75 million each. That sounds pretty fair to me for a guy with his track record. A friend of mine sent me something from CBS Sportsline's fantasy baseball that said the Twins were interested in Batista but the Blue Jays were looking for Justin Morneau or Michael Restovich. OK, if they just want Resto, I'm thinking make that trade today! Resto deserves the chance to play and the Twins have a million outfielders. Great trade! However, if Justin Morneau were to be traded straight up for Batista, I might vomit profusely. First, I would like to see the Twins package Doug Mientkiewicz, Michael Restovich and Adam Johnson in a deal to acquire Batista and Orlando Hudson instead. That said, part of me almost wants the Twins to trade Morneau. In a sick way, I want to see him go to an organization that would do the right thing and bring him up to the big leagues. yes, that would be any of the other teams in the major leagues. I want them to realize how mistaken they have been for keeping him down in the minor leagues.
Bat Girl - Just a very fun look at the Twins. A little different perspective on what's happening with the Twins. Ever wonder what the Twins might be doing during the All-Star break? Check it out here. Vote to give Joe Mauer a nickname here. Just a fun site. You'll enjoy it!
Will Young's Twins Page - Will is a great Twins fan going to school out in DC. He has written some great entries. His current one is called Limping into the Break. It discusses the Twins first half struggles, especially the offense's of late. Check out his site, bookmark it and send Will some Comments.
Aaron's Baseball Blog - He admits it himself. He has a tendency to lean to the pessimistic side when it comes to our beloved Twins. But he backs up his opinions with all the necessary numbers and writes very well. Yesterday, Aaron outlined 5 things that he would like to see the Twins do in the second half, preferably soon! I have to say, I can agree with each and every one of them.
The Baseball Boys - Eric writes about the Twins. He too has plenty of great and interesting thoughts on the Twins first half and what needs to be done in the second half. Check it out and e-mail Eric to let him know what you think.
BP's Terry Ryan Q&A - Twins General Manager answered some questions for Baseball Prospectus. His thoughts are very interesting. Here is Part 1 of the interview.
Brent Net - OK, this isn't entirely a baseball blog. I like reading about other topics besides baseball (dont' tell anyone). Brent writes about music, movies, running, basketball, articles he finds online or in newspapers and pretty much anything. And yes, some baseball too. Please take a look at his site. I think you'll find something in it you like. Bookmark it and stop their frequently!
So there you have it. Plenty of reading material to lead you up to tonight's All-Star game. Thanks again for stopping by the site. And please feel free to e-mail me your thoughts to this week's discussion questions.
Have a great day!