Tuesday November 4, 2003
 

WAGNER TRADE

GUILLEN TO MANAGE SOX

MATTINGLY TO COACH

TWINS AWARDS

TIMBERWOLVES LOSE

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

NFL “EXPERT” PICKS
 

THINGS ARE HEATING UP IN THE HOT STOVE

I love the Hot Stove. Keeping up with what happens now makes things so much easier to figure out during Spring Training. Knowing who went where, and why, is fun. Plus, come March or April, you’ll sound smart when people ask you how the Twins got Fernando Vina! Or, why Dustan Mohr signed to play for Bobby Valentine for the Chibo Lotte in Japan.  OK, those things haven’t happened, and probably won’t, but speculation is so much fun! Anyway, some of those transactions are starting to fall into place already.
 

WAGNER TRADED TO PHILLY

The Philadelphia Phillies became a better team yesterday when they acquired closer Billy Wagner from the Houston Astros. The left-handed closer with the 100 mile per hour fastball is a huge improvement over both Jose Mesa and Mike Williams (both were released shortly after the season). I am not a huge fan of the “closer” per se, however, Wagner, John Smoltz and Eric Gagne are three closers that I think are head and shoulders above the rest. The 32 year old pitcher has racked up 255 saves in his 8 year career. In 504.3 innings, he has struck out 694 batters, for an average of 12.38 per 9 innings.

Wagner did not come to the Phillies cheaply though; he will cost the team $8 million in 2004. The team would then have a $9 million option on him for 2005. Also, the Astros were able to acquire some pretty good talent from the Phillies in return for Wagner.

The most known name would be 27 year old, RHP Brandon Duckworth, who has been in the Phillies rotation most of the past two seasons. His career record is just 15-18, with an ERA of 4.87. In 2002, he had 168 strikeouts in 163 innings. But in 2003, he took a step backward. Pitching just 93 innings, some out of the bullpen. He has a chance to be in the Astros rotation next season, but HRs could be a problem for him in Minute Maid Field.

Taylor Buchholz was probably the key to the deal from the Astros perspective. He ranked as the Phillies #4 prospect before the season started, by Baseball America. At the age of 21, Buchholz went 9-11 with the Phillies AA team in Reading, but his ERA was just 3.55.

Finally, the Astros also received Ezequiel Astacio, a tall, slim, 22 year old, Dominican right-hander. He is 6-3 and weighs just 156 pounds. He’s Pedro Martinez, plus 4 inches. After being brought along slowly, Astacio has gradually increased his workload. Last season, Astacio was 15-5 for Clearwater, the Phillies Class A team. He had an ERA of just 3.29.  He would probably be the definition of a project. He isn’t an overpowering pitcher; he doesn’t rack up many strikeouts. But, he must have the “stuff” to get people out, and if he can somehow add some weight, he could be worth the gamble.
 

OZZIE TO MANAGE THE WHITE SOX

Not Ozzy Osbourne, and no, not even Ozzie Smith, but Ozzie Guillen may have been the perfect choice for White Sox GM Kenny Williams. Here is a brief look at Guillen’s playing career. He played 16 seasons, but the first 13 were with the  White Sox. He was a three time All-Star. He was the 1985 AL Rookie of the Year. SABRmetricians probably won’t like this hiring. Always a contact hitter, Guillen rarely struck out. But even less frequently did he walk. His career numbers of .264/.287/.338, just prove that he didn’t walk. He was a slap-type hitter (over 1,700 hits, just 28 home runs) as his diminutive size (5-11, 150) would attest. To summarize, Guillen was a typical shortstop of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. A good glove (he won one Gold Glove Award), slap hitting player.

So, why do I think he would be a good manager? First, since his playing days ended, following the 2000 season, he has been a coach. Even his last few years in the big leagues, he was brought to teams for his personality and his leadership qualities. He has very little managerial experience. But, I see Ozzie Guillen as another Tony Pena-like manager. He’s a very positive influence on a team. He will keep the clubhouse light (which that White Sox team definitely needs!). And he has always been one who has shown he knows the game. I like seeing new guys get a chance to manager, as opposed to the same managers just moving from city to city. I like former players getting their opportunities.

I just hope Ozzie Guillen is given a good shot. Free agency could really hurt the White Sox. For some reason, they offered Bartolo Colon 3 years and $36 million. And for reasoning that I’m sure makes even less sense, Colon turned it down. That would indicate the White Sox are going to try to compete next year. But of late, we have heard that they are trying to shop RF Magglio Ordonez and his $14 million contract for the coming season.  Also, Frank Thomas picked up his option, so he will remain with the team. He’s tough on a clubhouse, but maybe former teammate, Guillen, can keep him under taps!

So, what do you think of the White Sox making Ozzie Guillen their new manager. Good move? E-mail me.
 

MATTINGLY IS YANKEES NEW HITTING COACH

Last week, Rick Downs was fired as the Yankees hitting coach after the team quit hitting in the World Series. Immediately, speculation was that George Steinbrenner would do whatever it took to make Don Mattingly the next Yankees hitting coach.

Now, Mattingly has no coaching experience, but his 14 years of major league ball should warrant him the respect of the Yankees hitters. Of course, part of the reason that Downs may have been let go is because the Yankees didn’t hit with runners in scoring position in the World Series. Well, how many World Series teams did Mattingly play on? None. How many Championship Series did Mattingly play in? That’s right, none! So, there goes that theory.

It’s impossible to argue that Don Mattingly wasn’t a very solid major league baseball player. So many people seem to think that he should be a Hall of Fame player. I can’t say I understand that thinking at all. However, he was good. We’re talking about a 6-time All-Star who won 9 Gold Gloves and 1 MVP award (in 1985). He led the league in batting average in 1985 at .343, then hit over .300 the next five seasons. However, he hit .300 just one more time in his last six seasons. Over 2,100 career hits, led the league in doubles (another stat I like to look at), just not a Hall of Famer.

That said, I don’t know if this is a good move for the Yankees.  What can he provide that others can’t? He’s treated as such a legend in Yankee lore, and I don’t understand why. He played in one playoff series. Isn’t that the real measure of a Yankee. Paul Molitor is now the hitting coach in Seattle, but he does have some coaching experience. I don’t understand George Steinbrenner’s apparent infatuation with Don Mattingly. Maybe someone in New York or another Yankees, or Mattingly, fan can fill me in on what I’m missing. If so, please send me an e-mail and let me know the deal is.
 

TWINS THOUGHTS

The Twins Cities writers announced their 2003 Minnesota Twins awards yesterday. A few weeks ago, Joe Mauer was named the Twins minor league player of the year and Jesse Crain was named the Twins pitcher of the year. Yesterday, they gave out some major league awards.

Calvin Griffith Award - Twins Most Valuable Player - Shannon Stewart

Statisticians won’t agree with this decision at all, especially since he didn’t even play the whole season with the Twins. Arguments could be made for AJ Pierzynski or Doug Mientkiewicz, or even Johan Santana or LaTroy Hawkins, but I have no problem with the Stewart selection. The Twins did play much better after he arrived. Maybe it has little to do directly with his production, but maybe his mere presence made the team better. I always say, sometimes ‘Intangibles’ are as important, or more important than statistics. This might be one of those cases.

Joseph W. Haynes Award - Twins Pitcher of the Year - Johan Santana

No argument here. Johan was basically wasting away in the Twins bullpen, and once he hit the starting rot, he proved that. By far the Twins best pitcher, he strikes guys out, and just seems to be an even smarter pitcher, throwing less pitches to pitch more innings. He’s now arbitration-eligible and could earn some real money starting next season.  I think a very strong argument could be made for LaTroy Hawkins as well. Take away two or three performances and LaTroy’s numbers would be even more astonishing.

Charles O. Johnson - Most Improved Twin - Johan Santana

Did he really improve, or was he simply given more innings and more starts? He was pretty strong in 2002 too. That said, I don’t know that there are really any other Twins players that would be considered for this award. So, by default, I can’t argue with this award.

Bill Boni Award - Most Oustanding Rookie - Lew Ford

I’m sorry! I can’t agree with this call. And, really, in my mind, it makes me wonder who voted on this (FYI - Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America), and if they watched the Twins at all this season. I’ve written on this site a number of times that I like Lew Ford. I love his approach at the plate, and think he could be a decent leadoff hitter. He hit .329/.402/.575, very solid numbers for a rookie, or for anyone really. But, he did that in just 34 games and 73 at bats. He missed a lot of time on the disabled list. His 3 home runs and 15 RBI were impressive. But, let’s take a look at who I would have given the award to. RHP Juan Rincon should have won this award in a landslide. He was just 5-6, but worked his way from a long-reliever to being a very important cog in the Twins bullpen. His 3.68 ERA was very respectable. He pitched in 58 games and 85.2 innings. Maybe the stats aren’t “Outstanding”, but they’re very strong. Lew Ford’s numbers may look impressive (And they are, so again, I’m not putting Ford down at all), but Rincon just provided so much more to the team

Do you agree with me, or the Twins writers? What are your thoughts on the Twins award winners? E-mail me.
 

TIMBERWOLVES THOUGHTS

It was not a good night for the Wolves (again) last night in Utah. Facing an inferior Jazz team, the Wolves got off to a very slow start, falling behind 25-16 in the first quarter. The Wolves did start to fight back in the 2^nd quarter a little bit, cutting into the lead. However, just 4 minutes into the quarter, Kevin Garnett picked up his second foul, a ridiculous offensive call. As the TV timeout was taking affect, we saw Garnett looking at the ref. When we came back from the commercials, the game had changed. Garnett apparently had the nerve to ask for an explanation of the call from the referee who made the call. Refusing to give KG an answer and upset that Garnett would want to understand, he gave Garnett a technical. Garnett, thinking that maybe the ref had misunderstood something, got closer to explain again that he was simply asking for an explanation of what was called. Shortly thereafter, KG had picked up Technical #2 and was tossed from the game. At that point, if I was KG, I would have maybe said a lot more to the ref. But he just walked away. Well, he walked away and threw the basketball well up into the bleachers. I may be being a little biased in my account of what happened, but it really didn’t look any worse than that. I mean, the cameras were right there on it. KG was asking politely and got tossed. I’ve seen a lot of ridiculous calls (note the make-up call on the Jazz the next time down the court), but this might have been the worst.

To continue with my thoughts on the actual game, I really think that the KG ejection may have  been a blessing in disguise for the Wolves. Until that point, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell had been able to concentrate on the little pieces of the game, and not concern themselves with scoring. Once Garnett was gone, they had to become much more aggressive. Both were very impressive and showed that they can do that. Cassell was 10-23 from the field including 3-6 from behind the arc. He finished with 27 points and 10 assists. Sprewell went 10-19 from the field (2-4 from 3-point range) for 23 points and 5 assists. Gary Trent was strong off the bench adding 12 points. The surprise in my mind was Trenton Hassell playing 29 minutes, but he did well.

The Wolves won the 3^rd quarter 30-19 and reclaimed the lead. However, leading 77-76 with about 4 minutes to play, the play that I think completely altered the game occurred. Gary Trent was trying to guard Andrei Kirilenko (which he really can’t keep up). Trent grabbed Kirilenko to foul him, but that wasn’t enough. Trent basically threw him to the ground. It was a terrible move for Trent and resulted in a flagrant foul. The Jazz converted the two free throws to take the lead, then got the ball back and scored again. From that point on, the Wolves were trying to come back, and just never could. For all that Trent does on the basketball court, I think that play really may have cost the Wolves a win.

Final Score - Jazz 93, Wolves 88. Wolves fall to 2-2.

Here is what I wrote yesterday, before last night’s game:

This is a pretty bad team with a couple of pretty decent role players. Kirilenko can do a little of everything. Matt Harpring is a pretty solid all-around ball player. Greg Ostertag has his days… once in a while… ok, not too often. Raja Bell is a great defensive player who has started off well shooting from beyond the 3 point arc, making 4 of 7 (so no, it’s not worth worrying about too much!). Hopefully the Wolves don’t look past the Jazz game to Monday’s home game against the Sacramento Kings.

So what happened with those players? Kirilenko had 17 points, 7 boards and 5 blocks (a little bit of everything). Matt Harpring scored 32 points, and many were big baskets, with 10 rebounds, 5 offensive. (pretty solid!). Ostertag had 12 points, 6 blocks and a career-high 21 rebounds, of which 13 were offensive boards. Also, he held Michael Olowokandi to 1-8 shooting. (last night was apparently ‘one of his days’!) Raja Bell had 7 points in his 20 minutes, but his one three pointer tied the game (might still want to defend him, I guess).  Did they look past the Jazz. Probably not. These games happen. But the Wolves have to start playing better, soon.

That was a bad loss for the Wolves. They should not be losing to such teams. Yes, the result could have greatly changed had Garnett not been ejected, but I refuse to put any blame on KG for that. I also think that Cassell and Sprewell asserted themselves as leaders and scorers for the team. Other guys did contribute to the team. However, without KG, the Wolves have a very average team, with just two stars. Even the Jazz are as good as them. The Wolves really need Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak back! At that point, the role players will be just that, role players, and not have to do more than they really should

Next up - Wednesday night - at Target Center - 7:00 p.m. (Central) - vs. The Sacramento Kings.
 

DISCUSSION QUESTION OF WEEK (reprinted from Monday’s posting)

We haven’t had a Discussion Question of the Week for a while. I have a new one for you to help me answer. As we have done in the past, I will ask a question today, and I’d like to hear your opinions on the question. On Friday, I will post the responses I receive. So, be sure to send me an e-mail and have your voice heard. So, here is this week’s question:

What is your favorite sport to watch? And Why? The second part of the question is just as important as the first. I realize that the majority of people that check out my site on a daily basis are baseball people, but I am beginning to get more and more basketball fans as well. But why? What is it about baseball that we love watching? What is it about basketball? Here is the list of my personal favorite sports to watch, in order (subject to change by Thursday). On Friday, I will also discuss the reasons that I enjoy them (or don’t as much, in some cases).

1.) Baseball

2.) NBA Basketball

3.) NFL Football

4.) NCAA Basketball

5.) NCAA Football

6.) College Hockey

7.) NHL Hockey

·         feel free to distinguish “watching” as “on TV” or “in person”, because, hockey is not enjoyable at all, for me, to watch on TV. However, watching games in person is as exciting as any of the above sports.

·         Feel free to distinguish between regular season and playoffs? I think College basketball is pretty boring, except during March Madness. That said, if college football went to a tournament, I might enjoy that more than the current Bowl process.

·         Baseball is a grind, with six games a week, over a 6 month period. The NFL plays one game per week. Does that factor in?

·         Does the sports marketing affect how much you enjoy the sport? The NBA markets its players. Warren Sapp is right, the NFL markets the teams, and not the players. I don’t really know who the NHL markets.

·         Other thoughts, I’m sure I missed many reasons. Actually, I know I have, because I’ve got more that I’ll share on Friday.

·         Because some might ask, I was driving to my parent’s place last Friday afternoon, a 3+ hour drive. I spent some time listening to the Sports Brothers on ESPN radio, and this was their topic. I didn’t listen to the whole thing because I like to sing to myself (really loudly) in the car so I spent a lot of time doing that too, but I caught a few of their points.

Take a look back at our previous Discussion Questions of the Week to see the format. I like giving the readers a chance to express their feelings, so I basically just post what you write (although expletives will be removed!). Here they are:

6/26/2003 - Would the Greatest Be SO Great?

8/8/2003 - Who Do You Want To Talk To?

8/15/2003 - All-Time Best Lineups

8/29/2003 - Your Thoughts on the Twins

9/5/2003 - Is Terry Ryan "The Man" or "The Goat"?

10/16/03 - Your Thoughts on the 2004 Minnesota Twins Roster

So there you have it, send me an e-mail and let me know your thoughts. Then check back Friday and see the results.
 

NFL “EXPERT” PICKS

Well, with 30 seconds to go last night, Patriots QB Tom Brady found David Givens in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown over the Denver Broncos. That play made me lose another game this week and have a 5-9 week! I don’t think I’ve ever had a week that poor. I can’t even believe it. At least everyone did poorly this week. We actually had four winners this week with records of 7-7. Here are the updated standings. Again, for specifics, be sure to check out our FB Picks page.

So, our Week 9 winners are Ben Jacobs, Aaron Gleeman, Mike Brasel and Vic Quick.  Be sure to check out their websites, as well as the other websites in our panel!

That’s it for today. If you have any questions or comments, send me an e-mail and I’d be happy to address it. Especially, be sure to answer our Discussion Question of the Week. Have a great day!

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