Friday, December 15, 2006
Friday's Bullets
It is Friday, and I am skipping work today. OK, I am not skipping. I am simply taking a day off. Christmas is coming really quickly and shopping had better get going, so I am going to drive to Grand Forks for a few hours and see what I can find.
Again today, I just want to highlight a few bullet points.
Blatant attempt for some help... As I posted yesterday... First things first, I mentioned it yesterday as well, but if you would like to help me get some data for what could eventually become a more feature article, I would greatly appreciate it. I am trying to figure out who are the hitters and pitchers that people would build their franchise around. I have an Excel file with 26 hitters and 30 pitchers to help make that determination. If you are interested in participating, please e-mail me and I will e-mail you more specifics. It may take a few minutes, but I think that the format is fun and the topic could be very interesting to many of you!
Yesterday I mentioned that former Twins prospect Adam Harben was not tendered a contract by the Chicago Cubs. With all the deals the Cubs made, it did make sense. However, Harben did sign a minor league deal with the Cubs so he is not a free agent. There is more to this story though. In mid-November, Harben left the Arizona Fall League because his arm hurt. Soon after, he had Tommy John surgery and will likely miss the entire 2007 season. I know there are a lot of you that come to this site for the minor league information and I'm sure you all would join me in wishing Harben a great recovery.
Lew Ford - Hall of
Famer - Ford was named this year to the NAIA Hall of Fame for his
time at Dallas Baptist. The induction will take place in early January in
Orlando. Here is what his bio says about him:
Lew Ford was one of
the finest student-athletes at Dallas Baptist University and continues to
prove his outstanding baseball ability in his position and his personal
character with the Minnesota Twins. Ford broke many team records while at
Dallas Baptist and most remain today. Currently Ford holds the record for
batting average, runs in a season, doubles in a season and stolen bases in a
season. Ford's collegiate and professional baseball success is a direct
result of his hard work and determination. He continues to serve the
university and school community as a mentor to current student-athletes.
Many would say Ford is even a better person than he is a baseball player,
his character has allowed him to overcome adversity when he went undrafted
after his junior season, on his climb to becoming a major league player.
Three Twins players won Legacy Awards from the Negro League Baseball Museum. Johan Santana won his third straight Wilbur "Bullet" Rogan Award as the AL Pitcher of the Year. Joe Mauer won the Buck Leonard Award for the Major League's highest batting average. Finally, Terry Ryan won the Rube Foster Award for the Executive of the Year.
Joe Mauer signed an exclusive autograph deal with Cal Ripken owned Ironclad Authentics LLC. Ripken, Don Mattingly and now Mauer are the only three signed by the company. That's not bad company for Mauer to be in.
The cause of Joel Zumaya's World Series wrist injury came out yesterday. Turns out that he hurt himself by playing Guitar Hero on PlayStation2. Normally I enjoy mocking people who play video games a lot. I have never really been able to get into it to any degree. That said, I played Guitar Hero at my relative's place on Thanksgiving and it is incredibly fun and addicting!
Justin Morneau finished ahead of the likes of Derek Jeter, Frank Thomas and David Ortiz to win the AL MVP this year. However, he could not beat speedskater Cindy Klassen for the Lou Marsh Award for Canada's Athlete of 2006. She won five medals at the Olympics in February. Actually, Morneau finished third, behind Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns as well.
Last week, Joe Nathan was at a college basketball game at his alma mater, Stony Brook University. At halftime of the game, Nathan was honored by being inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
Here is a terrific article on Twins international scout Howie Norsetter from The Capital News in Madison, Wisconsin. If you're interested in the Twins minor league system and the guy responsible for signing many of the players that the Twins sign, including Justin Morneau, the Australians in the system and Alexander Smit.
Finally, be sure to check out the Rochester Red Wings 2006 Year in Review DVD and order your copy today.
With that, please have a great weekend!
If you have any thoughts, please e-mail me or leave some Comments below.