The Twins have 86 games left in the season. It's a pretty good bet that means they only have 57 games with Joe Mauer in the lineup. Why? Because it appears Mauer needs to have a day off every third day. At first glance, it appeared that manager Ron Gardenhire was the responsible party for keeping Joe out of the lineup. To be honest, I'm not so sure it's not Joe himself.
I've been one of the biggest proponents of keeping Mauer behind the plate and not playing him anywhere else in the field. My rationale was simple: he was drafted a catcher, he's been one of the best catchers in baseball since he became a permanent starter, and he signed a huge mega-deal to play catcher. Simple as that. But extreme times call for extreme measures. With Justin Morneau hitting the disabled list earlier this week to have surgery on his neck, and Delmon Young landing on the DL Sunday morning with an ankle issue, the Twins had two open spots in their lineup.
The active outfielders on the roster going into Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers were hitting a combined .235, and were only even that high because of the .292 batting average that Michael Cuddyer has put up. The starting lineup included Ben Revere, Michael Cuddyer, and Jason Repko in the outfield, and after a double-switch late in the game, Rene Tosoni was brought in to play right field when Cuddyer slid into the infield to play first base. Again, we all know my disdain for Delmon Young. I'm not shy about bringing that up. And yes, a couple of weeks ago, I suggested playing Jason Repko in place of Young in the outfield, because Young refuses to show up during a contract year and I thought the Twins needed a little shake-up in the lineup.
Today, I'm changing my tune a little bit. I still think Delmon Young is worthless in the outfield (and at the plate). But, I do believe they need a little shake-up in the outfield. And the person who might need to shake that outfield up is #7 himself. One problem, however, is that apparently Joe doesn't care to play anywhere else, as evidenced by his absence from the lineup on Sunday. A gaping hole in left field and another at first base, and yet Mauer sat for the second time in five days.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the point of putting him on the 60-day disabled list to ensure that he was going to have enough strength in his legs to catch five or six games in a row and be effective doing so? I swear I heard the Twins saying they didn't want to bring him back too soon. But, it would appear that Mr. Mauer's legs are a little weaker than they should be, since he's continuing to take an abnormal number of days off. What's the definition of a "team player"? Clearly, right now, it's not Joe.
So, what does it take to get through to Mauer? This year, we've heard it all. We've heard that Joe and his "people" were the ones monitoring his rehabilitation from the off-season knee surgery he went through. If the Twins were taking the bull by the horns, so to speak, they would've started his rehab out much sooner, and we may have had him up to full speed by the end of spring training, as he should've been. We've heard that Joe is the one telling Gardenhire that he "needs a day off" when his manager asks if he's able to play. I guess the inmates run Gardy's asylum. Last time I checked, the manager was the one that filled out the lineup card, not the players. When you have a player on the roster like Michael Cuddyer, who is a fantastic clubhouse guy and seemingly willing to play any and everywhere you'd need him to play, someone like Joe Mauer appears to be more of a prima donna or a "diva" each and every day. Yet Mauer is the face of the franchise, and the name on the back of over 50% of the jerseys you see at Target Field. Hmm...makes you wonder some times.
When you add all the pieces together; injuries to both Morneau and Young, a day out of the lineup on Thursday, and the fact that the Twins were playing their final game in a National League ballpark, it would seem logical that the star player, the face of the franchise, and the supposed team leader would've made every effort to find his way into the lineup, even hiding himself in the outfield if he had to. Instead, his legs should be well rested to start the series against the Dodgers this week.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
If It's Broke, Joe, Fix It
The old saying says that, if something isn't broke, you don't try to fix it. Although that's the philosophy, it should also be allowed to work in reverse order. If something's not working, then a different tactic needs to be tried. This flip-flopped mentality should be one adopted by Mr. Joe Mauer. Just because he might be a three-time American League batting champ, doesn't mean he shouldn't need to adapt to the changing landscape.
It's hard to argue with success, but that doesn't mean you can't. As we've seen Joe struggle over the years, when he actually has, many fans tend to fall into the "look at his track record" stance. Prior to this season, Mauer has it .347, .293, .328, .365, and .327 over his last five campaigns. His career batting average is .325. So, when we see Mauer struggle, many fans just assume that he'll find his way out of it, just based on his past history. The real question should be, how long does one wait before making a change to improve? If Mauer continues on his current pace, hitting only .200 thus far during his injury plagued 2011 season, when is it time for Joe to tweak things up a bit? After the season? After he struggles in 2012? Or, should he learn to adapt immediately? In my opinion, the change needs to happen sooner, rather than later!
Watching Mauer since his return to the lineup on June 17th, his approach to the plate doesn't appear to be any different than it has been in the past. In 22 total plate appearances since his return, he has taken a total of 10 first-pitch strikes, more than likely balls right down the heart of the plate. Out of those 22 plate appearances, only twice did he not take a first strike, once resulting in a four-pitch walk and once resulting in a fly-out to center. The other 20 at-bats, the first strike thrown to Mauer, he watched go right by him. Often times, this results in him being immediately behind in the count. Not including 2011, here are Joe's stats behind, even, and ahead in the count:
It's hard to argue with success, but that doesn't mean you can't. As we've seen Joe struggle over the years, when he actually has, many fans tend to fall into the "look at his track record" stance. Prior to this season, Mauer has it .347, .293, .328, .365, and .327 over his last five campaigns. His career batting average is .325. So, when we see Mauer struggle, many fans just assume that he'll find his way out of it, just based on his past history. The real question should be, how long does one wait before making a change to improve? If Mauer continues on his current pace, hitting only .200 thus far during his injury plagued 2011 season, when is it time for Joe to tweak things up a bit? After the season? After he struggles in 2012? Or, should he learn to adapt immediately? In my opinion, the change needs to happen sooner, rather than later!
Watching Mauer since his return to the lineup on June 17th, his approach to the plate doesn't appear to be any different than it has been in the past. In 22 total plate appearances since his return, he has taken a total of 10 first-pitch strikes, more than likely balls right down the heart of the plate. Out of those 22 plate appearances, only twice did he not take a first strike, once resulting in a four-pitch walk and once resulting in a fly-out to center. The other 20 at-bats, the first strike thrown to Mauer, he watched go right by him. Often times, this results in him being immediately behind in the count. Not including 2011, here are Joe's stats behind, even, and ahead in the count:
Behind In The Count: 272 for 1,000 = .272 Average
Even In The Count: 356 for 1,073 = .332 Average
Ahead In The Count: 383 for 1,019 = .376 Average
When you look at those numbers, it doesn't seem like the smartest idea to get behind in the count by taking a first-pitch strike right away. It's something many fans have even joked about during Mauer at-bats. It's common knowledge around the league that you can get ahead of Mauer right away, just by throwing a fast ball down the middle on the first pitch, because he won't swing at it. Oh, it should also be noted that, over the last three seasons, Mauer is hitting .463 with 8 doubles, 5 HR's, and 23 RBI's when swinging at the first pitch. In 2009, in 523 total at-bats, Mauer swung at a total of 19 first pitches. Of those 19 first pitches he took a whack at, Mauer had 9 hits, including one double and three HR's. When certain undisciplined hitters (i.e. Delmon Young) swing at the first pitch, it often gives the notion a bad name. But, when you're one of the most disciplined, cerebral hitters in baseball, it might not be a terrible idea.
Now that we've addressed the first strike issue with Joe, we need to discuss where he's actually hitting the ball. I joked earlier in the week about the notion of the "Mauer Shift", saying that if teams were smart, they would bring all three outfielders onto the third base side of second base. All joking aside, over his career, probably more than any other hitter in baseball, Joe Mauer has made a living hitting the ball to the opposite field. In his MVP season of 2009, Mauer had a .510 average hitting the ball to left field. It's something he's perfected from the time he came into the big leagues. However, I want you to think about something for a moment. Early in his career, Michael Jordan was one of the NBA's best at getting to the rim, finishing with acrobatic mid-air moves and even more spectacular dunks. At some point just before he led the Bulls to their first three NBA Championships, he made a decision to expand his game out to the perimeter, where he quickly became one of the best shooters in the game. Sometimes, a player just needs to make the necessary change to evolve into something greater. It appeared we started to see that evolution in 2009 with Mauer, but unlike Jordan, he's been unable to sustain that evolved state.
We all understand that Joe is coming back from an injury, which is no doubt affecting his abilities at the plate somewhat. What most people aren't realizing is that, the ability to adapt and evolve was present in 2009, and disappeared in 2010. It was almost as if Joe was saying, "See, I can hit for both average and power, so now you can leave me alone." It seems as though for one season, he proved he could do it, but has chosen not to pursue that style anymore. We've seen it done once before, now we need to start seeing Joe get back to that. As of now, it appears he's more interested in flipping the ball into left field than he does driving the ball to a gap. Because of this perception, teams are using Mauer's hitting style against him. They are getting him started with a first-pitch strike, then proceeding to pitch him inside, knowing that rather than pull the ball to right field, he will inevitably try to inside-out the ball to left. Joe needs to evolve as a great hitter and learn to adapt to this opposing strategy.
There is no doubt that Joe Mauer is one of the greatest hitters of this generation. It's probably also a safe bet that his three batting titles are great credentials for a ticket to Cooperstown when he's done playing. But what makes great players great is, not only their ability to, but their drive to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the game. For the Twins to be successful this season, and those going forward, they'll need their All-Star catcher to find the drive to go with his unquestionable ability.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Rubio Is A Band-Aid On A Broken Leg
When you break your leg, you can't just put a Band-Aid on it and make it better. You actually need to have it surgically repaired and fixed. What the Timberwolves are attempting to do by hyping up their 2009 first-round draft pick, Ricky Rubio, is to use him as a Band-Aid for the bigger issue: that the team is terrible and the front office is choosing not to make it better. Rubio isn't going to help you there.
Since the departure of Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves have been a complete laughing stock in the NBA. They haven't come close to being a competitive team in the Western Conference, and the main reason why is the lack of effort the front office is putting toward making this team better. They have continued to make a mockery of the NBA Draft, of which they have seemingly been a permanent fixture in the Draft Lottery for the last eight seasons. Over the last six years, aside from the lone standout move made to acquire Kevin Love in a draft-day trade for O.J. Mayo, they have passed on numerous outstanding NBA players (Rajon Rondo, Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis) in favor of lesser talents (Jonny Flynn, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants). Yea...I'm sure taking drafting Brandon Roy and then trading him for Randy Foye was a great idea at the time. Rudy Gay and Rondo thank you from the bottom of their hearts that you didn't bring them to this cemetery of a basketball town.
The Timberwolves have been banking money, saving on the free agents they've been signing over the last couple of seasons, opting to go with third and fourth tier players. They have shown no initiative in utilizing that saved coin to better the franchise. To top that, they recently asked the city of Minneapolis to help with a $155 million renovation to Target Center, the fourth oldest arena in the NBA. Really? This is a give and take kinda thing guys...and the crap you're "giving" us on the court doesn't mean you can "take" us for idiots! If you're going to screw us over, at least take us out to dinner first. That's at least common courtesy.
The Wolves currently sit $11 million under the $53 million salary cap for the 2011-2012 season. This all may change with the NBA's collective bargaining agreement coming to an end. The 2011 free agent class is fairly weak, with the only "big" names being the likes of Michael Redd and Shane Battier. The main problem the Wolves will encounter this year is really making their only true star player, Love, happy. Kevin Love becomes a free agent after the 2011-2012 season, and it's expected that he will more than likely sign elsewhere, rather than wilt away in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are doing to Love what they did to Al Jefferson. Both are great players, but neither is a #1 caliber star that can carry his team. Both have the type of skill sets that would be outstanding sidekicks to major stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Derrick Rose. When they acquired Jefferson in the trade for Kevin Garnett, they immediately began selling him to Wolves' fans as Kevin's replacement. They began positioning him as the face of the franchise, when even at that time, he was nothing more than a glorified role player. Unfortunately...this is exactly what they are doing now with Rikcy Rubio; trying to make him a superstar in the eyes of the fans, when in reality he is nothing more than a back-up point guard.
Rubio, albeit a flashy, likable player, is not someone you can count on to carry your team into the future. With Kevin Love, you have a star on your hands, but again, he's a star in need of a superstar to really flourish. Rubio is not that superstar. When you look at what appears to be happening in the NBA, with superstar players deciding to play each others' sidekicks, it would seem that you have only two choices. One of those choices is to find one of these superstars, like a Dwight Howard or Derrick Rose, and look to deal Love to one of those teams in exchange for lesser contracts, so you can continue to save money you refuse to spend. The second option would be to seek out one of these superstars and convince him that Kevin Love is someone who would welcome you with open arms. Think of it this way; back in 2007, the Boston Celtics, already with Paul Pierce as their star, pulled off a great trade on draft day, bringing in Ray Allen to play alongside Pierce. Shortly after that, they pulled off the deal with the Wolves to acquire Garnett. Then, in June of 2008, the Boston Celtics became NBA Champions. The previous season, the Celtics had the second worst record in the NBA. They had a slew of players that collectively couldn't compete on a nightly basis with the rest of the league. Not necessarily that all of them were bad players, but that unit couldn't successfully play together. Unfortunately...what happened was a game of Pass The Buck, with the Celtics essentially passing those players to the Wolves in favor of Kevin Garnett.
Now, it's the Wolves' turn. Rubio can be a great player, but you can't rest the success of the franchise on his shoulders, nor can you expect Kevin Love to carry this team on his. Imagine a lineup of Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Beasley, Chris Paul, with Ricky Rubio coming off the bench. I'm not saying Howard, Prince, or Paul would even want to come to Minnesota. Heck, if it were between Los Angeles, Chicago, or Minnesota, I think it's safe to say that the Twin Cities would be the third choice. But, after finishing with the second worst record in 2006, would anyone have thought the Celtics would've won the 2007-2008 NBA Championship with a team consisting of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett? The Celtics chose to make the moves to ensure they could compete. They knew Allen was spinning his wheels in Seattle, and that the Wolves couldn't put enough pieces around Garnett to be competitive, so they pieced together the puzzle for both, making it the perfect opportunity for both, along with Pierce. The Wolves could have that same opportunity, if they chose to pursue it.
Instead, the only thing they seem to be pursuing is superstardom for Ricky Rubio. I think David Kahn should legally change his name to David Con, because that's apparently all he's good at. He's "con"ning Rubio into thinking he's a star. He's "con"ning the fans of the Wolves by making them think this kid can save their team. And lastly, he's "con"ning himself into believing that he can't make the necessary changes to make this team competitive. Get with the program, before the Wolves become even more of a joke than they already are.
Since the departure of Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves have been a complete laughing stock in the NBA. They haven't come close to being a competitive team in the Western Conference, and the main reason why is the lack of effort the front office is putting toward making this team better. They have continued to make a mockery of the NBA Draft, of which they have seemingly been a permanent fixture in the Draft Lottery for the last eight seasons. Over the last six years, aside from the lone standout move made to acquire Kevin Love in a draft-day trade for O.J. Mayo, they have passed on numerous outstanding NBA players (Rajon Rondo, Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis) in favor of lesser talents (Jonny Flynn, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants). Yea...I'm sure taking drafting Brandon Roy and then trading him for Randy Foye was a great idea at the time. Rudy Gay and Rondo thank you from the bottom of their hearts that you didn't bring them to this cemetery of a basketball town.
The Timberwolves have been banking money, saving on the free agents they've been signing over the last couple of seasons, opting to go with third and fourth tier players. They have shown no initiative in utilizing that saved coin to better the franchise. To top that, they recently asked the city of Minneapolis to help with a $155 million renovation to Target Center, the fourth oldest arena in the NBA. Really? This is a give and take kinda thing guys...and the crap you're "giving" us on the court doesn't mean you can "take" us for idiots! If you're going to screw us over, at least take us out to dinner first. That's at least common courtesy.
The Wolves currently sit $11 million under the $53 million salary cap for the 2011-2012 season. This all may change with the NBA's collective bargaining agreement coming to an end. The 2011 free agent class is fairly weak, with the only "big" names being the likes of Michael Redd and Shane Battier. The main problem the Wolves will encounter this year is really making their only true star player, Love, happy. Kevin Love becomes a free agent after the 2011-2012 season, and it's expected that he will more than likely sign elsewhere, rather than wilt away in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are doing to Love what they did to Al Jefferson. Both are great players, but neither is a #1 caliber star that can carry his team. Both have the type of skill sets that would be outstanding sidekicks to major stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Derrick Rose. When they acquired Jefferson in the trade for Kevin Garnett, they immediately began selling him to Wolves' fans as Kevin's replacement. They began positioning him as the face of the franchise, when even at that time, he was nothing more than a glorified role player. Unfortunately...this is exactly what they are doing now with Rikcy Rubio; trying to make him a superstar in the eyes of the fans, when in reality he is nothing more than a back-up point guard.
Rubio, albeit a flashy, likable player, is not someone you can count on to carry your team into the future. With Kevin Love, you have a star on your hands, but again, he's a star in need of a superstar to really flourish. Rubio is not that superstar. When you look at what appears to be happening in the NBA, with superstar players deciding to play each others' sidekicks, it would seem that you have only two choices. One of those choices is to find one of these superstars, like a Dwight Howard or Derrick Rose, and look to deal Love to one of those teams in exchange for lesser contracts, so you can continue to save money you refuse to spend. The second option would be to seek out one of these superstars and convince him that Kevin Love is someone who would welcome you with open arms. Think of it this way; back in 2007, the Boston Celtics, already with Paul Pierce as their star, pulled off a great trade on draft day, bringing in Ray Allen to play alongside Pierce. Shortly after that, they pulled off the deal with the Wolves to acquire Garnett. Then, in June of 2008, the Boston Celtics became NBA Champions. The previous season, the Celtics had the second worst record in the NBA. They had a slew of players that collectively couldn't compete on a nightly basis with the rest of the league. Not necessarily that all of them were bad players, but that unit couldn't successfully play together. Unfortunately...what happened was a game of Pass The Buck, with the Celtics essentially passing those players to the Wolves in favor of Kevin Garnett.
Now, it's the Wolves' turn. Rubio can be a great player, but you can't rest the success of the franchise on his shoulders, nor can you expect Kevin Love to carry this team on his. Imagine a lineup of Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Beasley, Chris Paul, with Ricky Rubio coming off the bench. I'm not saying Howard, Prince, or Paul would even want to come to Minnesota. Heck, if it were between Los Angeles, Chicago, or Minnesota, I think it's safe to say that the Twin Cities would be the third choice. But, after finishing with the second worst record in 2006, would anyone have thought the Celtics would've won the 2007-2008 NBA Championship with a team consisting of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett? The Celtics chose to make the moves to ensure they could compete. They knew Allen was spinning his wheels in Seattle, and that the Wolves couldn't put enough pieces around Garnett to be competitive, so they pieced together the puzzle for both, making it the perfect opportunity for both, along with Pierce. The Wolves could have that same opportunity, if they chose to pursue it.
Instead, the only thing they seem to be pursuing is superstardom for Ricky Rubio. I think David Kahn should legally change his name to David Con, because that's apparently all he's good at. He's "con"ning Rubio into thinking he's a star. He's "con"ning the fans of the Wolves by making them think this kid can save their team. And lastly, he's "con"ning himself into believing that he can't make the necessary changes to make this team competitive. Get with the program, before the Wolves become even more of a joke than they already are.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Does Pujols' Injury Cost Him More Than Just Six Weeks?
When Albert Pujols suffered a broken bone in his left wrist during a collision on Sunday, the entire city of St. Louis gasped, wondering if this might be the end to their season. How could they overcome this? Their all-star first baseman, arguably the best player in baseball, sidelined for up to six weeks. Would they be able to stand their ground without him?
Oddly, the Cardinal fans weren't the only ones gasping at the news. Baseball fans in general, upon hearing the word that Pujols had suffered an injury that no hitter would ever want to endure, began to wonder if they'd seen the last of Pujols, at least the Pujols we've grown to expect. Will his power numbers ever be the same? Will he still be able to hit for the same .329 career average he has? Will he still be considered a lock for the Hall of Fame if the answers to both of those previous questions are "no"?
There was one more large gasp to speak of, and that gasp was from Albert's agent. Would the injury squash any potential they would have to get him the $300 million contract they'd been rumored to have been seeking this offseason? Would this injury potentially drive down his value, in this, the last year of his current contract?
These questions, among many others, are all very valid questions and concerns. We won't know until Albert comes back, some time in August, whether he'll be able to get back to the player he's been for his entire career. There is a strong possibility that he may not, given the history of some players who have had similar injuries. When you look at players such as Derrek Lee, the first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, who broke his wrist in a similar fashion while playing for the Chicago Cubs in 2006, the power numbers take a slight decline immediately. Lee was able to improve those power numbers a couple years after the injury, but overall, his career averages have been down since. Would Pujols be the same way?
Looking at his career numbers, he is easily one of the greatest players to ever play the game. If his career were to end today, I think it would be safe to say that Albert Pujols would be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. In his first ten season in baseball, he's never hit below .312, he's never hit less than 32 home runs, and never driven in less than 103 runs. Just those three stats alone are impressive, but there are so many more. It's those career numbers, however, that this injury could ultimately rob baseball fans of. The type of player that Albert Pujols is only comes along so many times during a generation. Given all of the talk of performance-enhancing drugs over the last few years in the sport, Pujols seemed to be the poster child for doing it the right way. His career numbers would have been those we would ultimately have compared to the greats of the game. Those comparisons are what have been jeopardized now by this injury.
From a business perspective, the injury could cost Pujols millions of dollars. Unless he comes back in August and lights it up over the last two months, the consensus thought amongst those in baseball is that he may never recover to be the hitter he once was. If that's the case, his overall value would take an incredible hit. No team in their right mind would give a player like Albert Pujols the type of contract he'd reportedly been looking for, just on reputation, especially coming off this type of injury. The reason Pujols and the Cardinals couldn't get a deal done before his spring training deadline was because of how far off the two sides actually were. Now, whatever the Cardinals were offering will more than likely go down, so the gamble Pujols and his agent took by not accepting any of the offers put before them by the Cardinals could come back to bite them in the rear. Only time will tell.
Having been a baseball fan for over 25 years of my life now, I've seen many great players come and go. I've seen players that were great, and we now know they were artificially great. I've seen players be crowned the next big thing, only to never pan out. When it comes to Albert Pujols, he is the real deal. He's been the most impressive player of the last 50 years. His career numbers through the first ten years are numbers many life-long Major Leaguers would kill for. And he's not done...that's the scary part.
All we, as fans, can hope for is that the injury isn't as serious and career-threatening as it appears it may be. If it's not, we can expect to see more of the same from Albert over the next few seasons. If it is as bad as advertised, then how he comes back from it will define the career of Albert Pujols. Is he truly "the machine" we sometimes think he is? We'll have to wait a few weeks to find out.
Oddly, the Cardinal fans weren't the only ones gasping at the news. Baseball fans in general, upon hearing the word that Pujols had suffered an injury that no hitter would ever want to endure, began to wonder if they'd seen the last of Pujols, at least the Pujols we've grown to expect. Will his power numbers ever be the same? Will he still be able to hit for the same .329 career average he has? Will he still be considered a lock for the Hall of Fame if the answers to both of those previous questions are "no"?
There was one more large gasp to speak of, and that gasp was from Albert's agent. Would the injury squash any potential they would have to get him the $300 million contract they'd been rumored to have been seeking this offseason? Would this injury potentially drive down his value, in this, the last year of his current contract?
These questions, among many others, are all very valid questions and concerns. We won't know until Albert comes back, some time in August, whether he'll be able to get back to the player he's been for his entire career. There is a strong possibility that he may not, given the history of some players who have had similar injuries. When you look at players such as Derrek Lee, the first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, who broke his wrist in a similar fashion while playing for the Chicago Cubs in 2006, the power numbers take a slight decline immediately. Lee was able to improve those power numbers a couple years after the injury, but overall, his career averages have been down since. Would Pujols be the same way?
Looking at his career numbers, he is easily one of the greatest players to ever play the game. If his career were to end today, I think it would be safe to say that Albert Pujols would be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. In his first ten season in baseball, he's never hit below .312, he's never hit less than 32 home runs, and never driven in less than 103 runs. Just those three stats alone are impressive, but there are so many more. It's those career numbers, however, that this injury could ultimately rob baseball fans of. The type of player that Albert Pujols is only comes along so many times during a generation. Given all of the talk of performance-enhancing drugs over the last few years in the sport, Pujols seemed to be the poster child for doing it the right way. His career numbers would have been those we would ultimately have compared to the greats of the game. Those comparisons are what have been jeopardized now by this injury.
From a business perspective, the injury could cost Pujols millions of dollars. Unless he comes back in August and lights it up over the last two months, the consensus thought amongst those in baseball is that he may never recover to be the hitter he once was. If that's the case, his overall value would take an incredible hit. No team in their right mind would give a player like Albert Pujols the type of contract he'd reportedly been looking for, just on reputation, especially coming off this type of injury. The reason Pujols and the Cardinals couldn't get a deal done before his spring training deadline was because of how far off the two sides actually were. Now, whatever the Cardinals were offering will more than likely go down, so the gamble Pujols and his agent took by not accepting any of the offers put before them by the Cardinals could come back to bite them in the rear. Only time will tell.
Having been a baseball fan for over 25 years of my life now, I've seen many great players come and go. I've seen players that were great, and we now know they were artificially great. I've seen players be crowned the next big thing, only to never pan out. When it comes to Albert Pujols, he is the real deal. He's been the most impressive player of the last 50 years. His career numbers through the first ten years are numbers many life-long Major Leaguers would kill for. And he's not done...that's the scary part.
All we, as fans, can hope for is that the injury isn't as serious and career-threatening as it appears it may be. If it's not, we can expect to see more of the same from Albert over the next few seasons. If it is as bad as advertised, then how he comes back from it will define the career of Albert Pujols. Is he truly "the machine" we sometimes think he is? We'll have to wait a few weeks to find out.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Putting Rory's Performance Into Words
Amazing. Historic. Monumental. Inspiring. Surreal. Magical. Perfect.
You could use any number of words to describe Rory McIlroy's 2011 U.S. Open performance. What we witnessed this weekend was absolutely incredible. A 22 year-old kid from Northern Ireland, who we last saw complete one of the most heart-wrenching collapses in golf history in this year's Masters, literally making the rest of the U.S. Open look like they didn't belong. From his first tee shot on Thursday to his final tap-in putt on the 18th hole Sunday, Rory owned every piece of the U.S. Open. When it was all said and done Sunday, he owned just about every record the Open had to offer.
Over the years, we've come to expect the U.S. Open to make the World's golfing stars look like every day 10 handicappers. The long rough, the lightning fast greens, and the ridiculously hard pin placements have all become staples of the second major championship of the year. When you look at the history of the tournament, it's not unforeseen that the winner of the U.S. Open actually finish even par or worse, as was the case last year with Graeme McDowell winning the tournament at level par. When Tiger Woods won his last U.S. Open in a playoff in 2008, he was the only player under par (along with Rocco Mediate, who lost to Tiger in the 18-hole playoff). So, for McIlroy to do what he did this weekend was very impressive. But, was the course too easy?
After the final round on Sunday, there were 22 players at even par or better in this year's Open. To put this into perspective, between the years of 2003 and 2010, there were a combined 24 players at even par or better. That seems a little strange, given the reputation of this tournament as being the "hardest test in golf." Without McIlroy's superhuman-like performance this weekend, the competition would've been very interesting, with five players between -5 and -6. The drama would've been incredible. As it turned out, however, the only drama left was how low Rory's total score would go.
But should the history of the tournament, the perception of the difficulty, and the ease at which players were able to score low this week take away from what Rory McIlroy accomplished? I have only two words to answer that question:
Absolutely not!
After falling flat on his face with a final round 80 at Augusta in April, it would've been very easy for McIlroy to cower in a corner for months. He had the Masters won, all he needed to do was just take it easy and play safe, and he would have himself a green jacket. But his back nine implosion left many of us to wonder if he would have the heart to finish off a major championship. In some cases, some of us wondered if he'd ever get another shot at one. After that disappointing finish, the kid couldn't have been more gracious. He showed maturity beyond his years, telling reporters afterward that he'd take the positives from the weekend and learn from the negatives in order to better himself and his game. It sounded like the right thing to say, and in many cases, something others have said, but never really, truly followed up on it.
Rory McIlroy did follow up on it. He stepped onto the first tee at Congressional Country Club on Thursday, and went on to birdie the first hole, getting himself right back on the horse, so to speak. He never looked back. I heard one analogy that I thought was an interesting take, but one that seemed a little strange. One of the radio announcers for ESPN's coverage of the event likened McIlroy's performance to Jason Vorhees of "Friday the 13th" fame. To paraphrase, he said that McIlroy had already killed all of the campers after the first 35 holes of the tournament. His bogey on the 36th hole was just him losing his weapon, but he'd already distanced himself from his nearest competitor that there now weren't anymore campers to kill once he got the weapon back. Strange way of putting it, but I get it.
One of McIlroy's biggest accomplishments on Sunday was the fact that, for the time being, people are now saying "Tiger who?". His performance this week shattered the 2000 performance of Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open. He put so much distance between himself and Tiger's Open performance that year at Pebble Beach that people may not even reference that amazing display of golf. What Tiger did was awesome. What McIlroy did was god-like.
From a personal point of view, I'm amazed with this kid. He has easily the prettiest swing in all of golf, even prettier than Tiger's swing when it was at it's most perfect point. His personality is exactly what golf needs. I'm really not one to talk, because when I miss shots, I get upset, sometimes even vocally, but with what happened at Augusta in April, you wouldn't have faulted him for throwing a club or dropping a curse. But...he didn't. He failed with such class and dignity that it made everyone take notice. It's hard not to like a guy like that. He's humble and honest, both refreshing characteristics to see from someone in that kind of spotlight. Most importantly though, the kid has fun! You can see it in his eyes and in his body language. He just enjoys playing the game of golf, and he's damn good at it.
So, to put a little bow on this whole amazing display, I think we're all witnessing the start of something brilliant. We just witnessed the golf coming-out party of one of the best, if not the best, young player in the game. His talent is only overshadowed by his potential...both of which are huge! I'm hoping we get to see this kid more and more, because he's exactly what golf needs right now!
You could use any number of words to describe Rory McIlroy's 2011 U.S. Open performance. What we witnessed this weekend was absolutely incredible. A 22 year-old kid from Northern Ireland, who we last saw complete one of the most heart-wrenching collapses in golf history in this year's Masters, literally making the rest of the U.S. Open look like they didn't belong. From his first tee shot on Thursday to his final tap-in putt on the 18th hole Sunday, Rory owned every piece of the U.S. Open. When it was all said and done Sunday, he owned just about every record the Open had to offer.
Over the years, we've come to expect the U.S. Open to make the World's golfing stars look like every day 10 handicappers. The long rough, the lightning fast greens, and the ridiculously hard pin placements have all become staples of the second major championship of the year. When you look at the history of the tournament, it's not unforeseen that the winner of the U.S. Open actually finish even par or worse, as was the case last year with Graeme McDowell winning the tournament at level par. When Tiger Woods won his last U.S. Open in a playoff in 2008, he was the only player under par (along with Rocco Mediate, who lost to Tiger in the 18-hole playoff). So, for McIlroy to do what he did this weekend was very impressive. But, was the course too easy?
After the final round on Sunday, there were 22 players at even par or better in this year's Open. To put this into perspective, between the years of 2003 and 2010, there were a combined 24 players at even par or better. That seems a little strange, given the reputation of this tournament as being the "hardest test in golf." Without McIlroy's superhuman-like performance this weekend, the competition would've been very interesting, with five players between -5 and -6. The drama would've been incredible. As it turned out, however, the only drama left was how low Rory's total score would go.
But should the history of the tournament, the perception of the difficulty, and the ease at which players were able to score low this week take away from what Rory McIlroy accomplished? I have only two words to answer that question:
Absolutely not!
After falling flat on his face with a final round 80 at Augusta in April, it would've been very easy for McIlroy to cower in a corner for months. He had the Masters won, all he needed to do was just take it easy and play safe, and he would have himself a green jacket. But his back nine implosion left many of us to wonder if he would have the heart to finish off a major championship. In some cases, some of us wondered if he'd ever get another shot at one. After that disappointing finish, the kid couldn't have been more gracious. He showed maturity beyond his years, telling reporters afterward that he'd take the positives from the weekend and learn from the negatives in order to better himself and his game. It sounded like the right thing to say, and in many cases, something others have said, but never really, truly followed up on it.
Rory McIlroy did follow up on it. He stepped onto the first tee at Congressional Country Club on Thursday, and went on to birdie the first hole, getting himself right back on the horse, so to speak. He never looked back. I heard one analogy that I thought was an interesting take, but one that seemed a little strange. One of the radio announcers for ESPN's coverage of the event likened McIlroy's performance to Jason Vorhees of "Friday the 13th" fame. To paraphrase, he said that McIlroy had already killed all of the campers after the first 35 holes of the tournament. His bogey on the 36th hole was just him losing his weapon, but he'd already distanced himself from his nearest competitor that there now weren't anymore campers to kill once he got the weapon back. Strange way of putting it, but I get it.
One of McIlroy's biggest accomplishments on Sunday was the fact that, for the time being, people are now saying "Tiger who?". His performance this week shattered the 2000 performance of Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open. He put so much distance between himself and Tiger's Open performance that year at Pebble Beach that people may not even reference that amazing display of golf. What Tiger did was awesome. What McIlroy did was god-like.
From a personal point of view, I'm amazed with this kid. He has easily the prettiest swing in all of golf, even prettier than Tiger's swing when it was at it's most perfect point. His personality is exactly what golf needs. I'm really not one to talk, because when I miss shots, I get upset, sometimes even vocally, but with what happened at Augusta in April, you wouldn't have faulted him for throwing a club or dropping a curse. But...he didn't. He failed with such class and dignity that it made everyone take notice. It's hard not to like a guy like that. He's humble and honest, both refreshing characteristics to see from someone in that kind of spotlight. Most importantly though, the kid has fun! You can see it in his eyes and in his body language. He just enjoys playing the game of golf, and he's damn good at it.
So, to put a little bow on this whole amazing display, I think we're all witnessing the start of something brilliant. We just witnessed the golf coming-out party of one of the best, if not the best, young player in the game. His talent is only overshadowed by his potential...both of which are huge! I'm hoping we get to see this kid more and more, because he's exactly what golf needs right now!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Biggest Chokes In Sports History
Coming off an NBA Finals where the "best player in the game" decided to phone it in for a few games, I started thinking about the biggest choking performances I've seen in sports. I didn't think a whole lot about it, until I started watching a little bit of coverage of the U.S. Open, seeing the first round leader's name on the leader board. Twenty-two year old Rory McIlroy shot a six under par 65 to open the first round of the 2011 U.S. Open. Outstanding performance for anyone, but even more so for McIlroy, coming off what could've been considered a major choke in this year's Masters. So, what are some of the other "chokes" in sports, either specific plays, matches, games, or series?
Given McIlroy's age (22) and virtual inexperience at the top of the leader board in major championships, it might be hard to actually consider his 2011 Masters fourth round performance a "choke", but it does have to be put into the conversation. However, when it comes to the Masters itself, one performance in my mind sticks out as an even bigger collapse. Back in 1996, Greg Norman entered the final round of the Masters up by six strokes. After his final round on Sunday, he finished a total of five shots behind eventual winner Nick Faldo. For someone widely considered to be one of the better golfers of his generation, this was easily one of Norman's darkest hours, and definitely ranks up there as one of the greatest chokes in all of sports, not just golf.
Boxing saw one of it's biggest choking performances back in 1990, when Mike Tyson was knocked out for the World Heavyweight title in Tokyo to little-known James "Buster" Douglas. For a lot of people, this was one of those events in history where, if you were old enough, knew exactly where you were when you heard the news. Tyson was always a little off-key, but the loss to Douglas was just the beginning of the downward spiral Tyson's career would see. Was it a choke? Maybe. Or, maybe Tyson just took Douglas a little too lightly. Hard to say, but regardless, it goes down as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
When it comes to choking in a playoff series, the most recent that comes to mind is that of the 2004 New York Yankees. Up 3-0 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the hated rival Boston Red Sox, it was considered a lock that the Yankees would end up in yet another World Series. It had never been done before in Major League Baseball history, that a team trailing a series 3-0 had come back to win the series...until 2004. Boston scrapped and clawed their way back, eventually winning four straight games, and moving on to the World Series, where they went on to win their first World Championship in 86 years. Definitely an amazing performance by Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, and the rest of the Boston Red Sox...but, an equally impressive meltdown by the New York Yankees.
Sometimes, it's difficult to distinguish between a "choke" and a hard-fought comeback. This was definitely the case in the 1993 NFL Playoffs, when the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32 point deficit, to comeback and defeat the Houston Oilers in a Wild Card playoff game. The Oilers had looked very impressive for the first half of football, seemingly steam-rolling over the powerful Bills. The second half, however, saw a completely different game. The Oilers looked nothing like they had in the first half, and the Bills looked twice as hungry as they had to start the game. So, was it a choke, or did the Bills just outplay the Oilers? Always a tough call, but I think any time you lose a 32 point lead, there has to be some choking involved.
So...help me out everyone. What are some of the other choking performances in sports history? Give me your thoughts. Let's see how many we can come up with.
Given McIlroy's age (22) and virtual inexperience at the top of the leader board in major championships, it might be hard to actually consider his 2011 Masters fourth round performance a "choke", but it does have to be put into the conversation. However, when it comes to the Masters itself, one performance in my mind sticks out as an even bigger collapse. Back in 1996, Greg Norman entered the final round of the Masters up by six strokes. After his final round on Sunday, he finished a total of five shots behind eventual winner Nick Faldo. For someone widely considered to be one of the better golfers of his generation, this was easily one of Norman's darkest hours, and definitely ranks up there as one of the greatest chokes in all of sports, not just golf.
Boxing saw one of it's biggest choking performances back in 1990, when Mike Tyson was knocked out for the World Heavyweight title in Tokyo to little-known James "Buster" Douglas. For a lot of people, this was one of those events in history where, if you were old enough, knew exactly where you were when you heard the news. Tyson was always a little off-key, but the loss to Douglas was just the beginning of the downward spiral Tyson's career would see. Was it a choke? Maybe. Or, maybe Tyson just took Douglas a little too lightly. Hard to say, but regardless, it goes down as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
When it comes to choking in a playoff series, the most recent that comes to mind is that of the 2004 New York Yankees. Up 3-0 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the hated rival Boston Red Sox, it was considered a lock that the Yankees would end up in yet another World Series. It had never been done before in Major League Baseball history, that a team trailing a series 3-0 had come back to win the series...until 2004. Boston scrapped and clawed their way back, eventually winning four straight games, and moving on to the World Series, where they went on to win their first World Championship in 86 years. Definitely an amazing performance by Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, and the rest of the Boston Red Sox...but, an equally impressive meltdown by the New York Yankees.
Sometimes, it's difficult to distinguish between a "choke" and a hard-fought comeback. This was definitely the case in the 1993 NFL Playoffs, when the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32 point deficit, to comeback and defeat the Houston Oilers in a Wild Card playoff game. The Oilers had looked very impressive for the first half of football, seemingly steam-rolling over the powerful Bills. The second half, however, saw a completely different game. The Oilers looked nothing like they had in the first half, and the Bills looked twice as hungry as they had to start the game. So, was it a choke, or did the Bills just outplay the Oilers? Always a tough call, but I think any time you lose a 32 point lead, there has to be some choking involved.
So...help me out everyone. What are some of the other choking performances in sports history? Give me your thoughts. Let's see how many we can come up with.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Twins Getting Confident (And Hot) At The Right Time
Here we are, sitting on the 15th of June, and the Twins are in last place in the American League. All of this recent talk about realignment in baseball, and the Twins would be sitting 15th out of 15 teams in the AL. So, if the Twins are in last place, with the worst record in the American League, then why are Twins fans getting excited?
With Wednesday night's 4-1 win over the White Sox, the Twins have now won 10 of their last 12 games. Their bats have started to come alive a bit, their pitching has greatly improved from earlier in the season, and they are starting to do those "Twins-type" things once more, like stealing bases, hit-and-runs, and moving runners over. Add all of those facets together, and you have one of the more dangerous teams in the American League Central.
Oh, and there's one more thing to mention. Health.
Wednesday afternoon, the Twins outrighted left-handed reliever Dusty Hughes to Triple-A Rochester to make room for Tsuyoshi Nishioka. And that's not all. It is expected that All-Star catcher Joe Mauer will be back in the starting lineup on Friday. Combine those with the returns of Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, Glen Perkins, Joe Nathan, and Denard Span over the next two to three weeks, and this team will finally be healthy again, and become a serious threat in the Central Division.
So, we've covered the health aspect, and we've mentioned the "back-to-basics" mentality of stealing, bunting, and hitting and running. But the biggest factor right now that has led the Twins to one of the best records in baseball in June is the fact that, as a team, they've begun to realize that the can win. The confidence of each player is at a season-high right now. Alexi Casilla, who was having a hard time hitting out of a paper bag in April and May, was hitting .374 for June going into Wednesday's game. Delmon Young, who was having a hard time hitting thin air when he swung, as begun to hit balls hard, and has almost as many extra-base hits in June as he had throughout the first two months of the season. Michael Cuddyer has suddenly become more of the leader than many people, including myself, thought he should be in the absence of Joe Mauer. The starting rotation has been incredible throughout the last three weeks, including two complete games by Carl Pavano, including Wednesday's gem. All told, if you've watched the Twins play over the last two and a half weeks, you would think this was the team leading the division, not bringing up the tail.
What the Twins need to do is continue executing their game plan. As they've been executing the plan, each player has been gaining confidence. That confidence has become contagious. It will be incredibly important for the players currently in the lineup to foster this confidence further, as the returning players start to reintegrate themselves back into the lineup. Mauer, albeit a three-time batting champion, has not been hitting well during his rehab stints over the last 10 days. Those rehab games were primarily meant to get him used to catching games again, but the hope is that the bat will quickly return to what we're all used to. Nishioka had a very rough start to his Major League Baseball career before he went down with the leg injury. It will be important for the guys to make sure his confidence begins to soar, just as theirs has been. Likewise for the others as they gradually return from their various injuries.
If anything could derail the Twins right now, it would be a sharp detour from the "team" attitude that these guys have right now. As some of the guys begin to return and reclaim their spots, guys like Drew Butera, Matt Tolbert, Luke Hughes, and Ben Revere will likely see their playing time diminish. If those guys let their egos get in the way of the team, the confident, gritty team we've seen in June could quickly become the train wreck they were in April and early May. It will be up to the leaders of this team to hold it all together. The Mauers, Pavanos, Cuddyers, and Morneaus will need to ensure that these young guys know they're still a very important part of this squad. They will need to make sure they understand that importance, because no doubt they will be needed at some point in the future. It's up to the veterans to get this message across.
What we're seeing now is the beginning of a great comeback run by the Twins. They're playing the right way, they're playing with confidence, and we as fans need to make sure we have confidence in them to make this miraculous run a reality in July, August, September, and hopefully into October.
With Wednesday night's 4-1 win over the White Sox, the Twins have now won 10 of their last 12 games. Their bats have started to come alive a bit, their pitching has greatly improved from earlier in the season, and they are starting to do those "Twins-type" things once more, like stealing bases, hit-and-runs, and moving runners over. Add all of those facets together, and you have one of the more dangerous teams in the American League Central.
Oh, and there's one more thing to mention. Health.
Wednesday afternoon, the Twins outrighted left-handed reliever Dusty Hughes to Triple-A Rochester to make room for Tsuyoshi Nishioka. And that's not all. It is expected that All-Star catcher Joe Mauer will be back in the starting lineup on Friday. Combine those with the returns of Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, Glen Perkins, Joe Nathan, and Denard Span over the next two to three weeks, and this team will finally be healthy again, and become a serious threat in the Central Division.
So, we've covered the health aspect, and we've mentioned the "back-to-basics" mentality of stealing, bunting, and hitting and running. But the biggest factor right now that has led the Twins to one of the best records in baseball in June is the fact that, as a team, they've begun to realize that the can win. The confidence of each player is at a season-high right now. Alexi Casilla, who was having a hard time hitting out of a paper bag in April and May, was hitting .374 for June going into Wednesday's game. Delmon Young, who was having a hard time hitting thin air when he swung, as begun to hit balls hard, and has almost as many extra-base hits in June as he had throughout the first two months of the season. Michael Cuddyer has suddenly become more of the leader than many people, including myself, thought he should be in the absence of Joe Mauer. The starting rotation has been incredible throughout the last three weeks, including two complete games by Carl Pavano, including Wednesday's gem. All told, if you've watched the Twins play over the last two and a half weeks, you would think this was the team leading the division, not bringing up the tail.
What the Twins need to do is continue executing their game plan. As they've been executing the plan, each player has been gaining confidence. That confidence has become contagious. It will be incredibly important for the players currently in the lineup to foster this confidence further, as the returning players start to reintegrate themselves back into the lineup. Mauer, albeit a three-time batting champion, has not been hitting well during his rehab stints over the last 10 days. Those rehab games were primarily meant to get him used to catching games again, but the hope is that the bat will quickly return to what we're all used to. Nishioka had a very rough start to his Major League Baseball career before he went down with the leg injury. It will be important for the guys to make sure his confidence begins to soar, just as theirs has been. Likewise for the others as they gradually return from their various injuries.
If anything could derail the Twins right now, it would be a sharp detour from the "team" attitude that these guys have right now. As some of the guys begin to return and reclaim their spots, guys like Drew Butera, Matt Tolbert, Luke Hughes, and Ben Revere will likely see their playing time diminish. If those guys let their egos get in the way of the team, the confident, gritty team we've seen in June could quickly become the train wreck they were in April and early May. It will be up to the leaders of this team to hold it all together. The Mauers, Pavanos, Cuddyers, and Morneaus will need to ensure that these young guys know they're still a very important part of this squad. They will need to make sure they understand that importance, because no doubt they will be needed at some point in the future. It's up to the veterans to get this message across.
What we're seeing now is the beginning of a great comeback run by the Twins. They're playing the right way, they're playing with confidence, and we as fans need to make sure we have confidence in them to make this miraculous run a reality in July, August, September, and hopefully into October.
Monday, June 13, 2011
How Would Baseball Realignment Have To Work?
Often times, change is a good thing, right? Sometimes it's a change of scenery, say, from a job. Sometimes it can be a change in attitude. Other times, it can be a change in technique. Sports have gone through many different changes over the years, some of which weren't the greatest, but more often than not, those changes have worked out for the best. Major League Baseball is discussing the possibility of a pretty drastic change that could make the game even more interesting when it's all said and done. They've tried realignment before, and they're talking about doing it again. This time, however, if they want it to work, they have to be careful how they actually lay it out.
What league officials are discussing is evening out the American and Nationals Leagues. Currently, there are 14 teams in the American League, and 16 teams in the National League. The realignment discussion would bring one National League team over to the American League to even both leagues out at 15 teams. These two 15-team leagues would either be split up into three divisions of five, or lumped together in one 15 team "division," if you will. What this would do is create an inter-league match-up every series in order to accommodate the odd team out in each league. The next piece of the puzzle which National League team would come over to even things out. The preliminary talks are that it would be either the Houston Astros or the Florida Marlins, in order to create possible rivalries against the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively.
All of that seems simple, and logical enough, but there's one thing that Major League Baseball would need to consider. It's a drastic suggestion, one that's been thrown around loosely over the years, but never really taken seriously. This is a move that would change the way the game itself would be played. This change would be something that would absolutely need to happen in order for baseball to make this new idea of realignment a reality. That change is...
...Eliminating the designated hitter.
Yes, I did just say that. In order for Major League Baseball to make realignment possible in the way they are suggesting it, the would need to sacrifice the only true thing that differentiates the leagues, that being the designated hitter in the American League.
Let me explain the logic behind my thought.
If the American and National Leagues are evened out with 15 teams apiece, and an inter-league match-up will take place every series, that could possibly mean that an American League team could be playing a series in a National League ballpark with their season on the line...and be required to send their designated hitter to the bench while the pitcher takes his swings. Given the current situation, that doesn't seem entirely fair, that just the luck of the scheduling draw could send an American League playoff contender to a National League ballpark, to have the fate of their season rest on the below average offensive skills of their starting pitcher.
So, my suggestion seems like a logical one. If Major League Baseball is going to even out the leagues, why don't they truly "even out the leagues." Why not make the rules in both leagues the same, so one doesn't have an advantage over the other at any point during the season, especially down the stretch? Why not eliminate a position that many feel took away some of the purity of the game in the first place? Why not force those players who have become full-time DH's to play the field? One of the main reasons why this might be tough for the league to do is because it might lessen the offense in the American League. Balls might not fly out of the park as much if they take away that extra power-hitting spot in the batting order. But, would it really make that much of a difference?
Right now, American League DH's (those that are listed as permanent designated hitters) account for 8.9% of the home runs in the AL. They account for 10.3% of the total RBI's. The National League has hit a total of 884 home runs this season. If you average that out over 16 teams, you get an average of 55 home runs per team. Now, if you eliminate the DH totals in the AL (76 HR's) and take one team away from the NL (55 HR on average), the leagues would be almost identical. The American League would've hit 833 HR's while the National League would have 829. So, my question is this: Would eliminating the DH really stifle the offense in baseball? Probably not.
When you stop to think about it, there isn't another sport that allows it's players to only play part of the game. Football is slightly a different case because, aside from the rare two-way player, you play only your position. If that position is defense, then that's what you play. You don't see basketball players playing only offense, and then be taken out as soon as the team goes on the defense end, (unless it's the end of the game.) That being said, why should a player be allowed only to hit? If you're playing the game, you should need to play both positions. If you're unable to do so, then you can sit on the bench to allow another player to take that role.
So, what are the pros and cons of eliminating the DH?
Pros:
- Both leagues would be completely identical from a rules standpoint. Uniformity would eliminate the possibility of an unfair advantage in a pennant chase.
- More parity in the game. If a team already has a first baseman, but their DH's natural position is first base, the team probably wouldn't be able to keep both, or at least keep both happy. So, the team would need to either move one of the players to a different position to accommodate the lineup, or would need to possibly trade one of the players to a different team. For example, let's use the Twins. If there were no DH, the Twins would be forced to make a decision with both Justin Morneau and Jim Thome. Thome would need to play first base, but what would you do with Morneau. This would possibly force the Twins to offer one of the two up in a trade, potentially bolstering a different part of their roster, while possibly sending one of the two to a team with a need at that position, say, a team like the Kansas City or Toronto in need of a first baseman of that caliber.
- Bringing the more exciting brand of baseball to all teams. National League baseball presents more options and strategy than the American League style. Double-switches present a wrinkle that many fans haven't had the fortune to see.
- Potentially eliminating the careers of some lesser athletic players. Again, using the Twins as the example, Jim Thome is in the tail end of his career. He's closing in on 600 career home runs, but if realignment were to have taken place this year, Thome would more than likely have been forced to retire. With his injury problems and lack of mobility, teams would probably not be willing to take the chance on putting him in the field full-time.
The biggest question is, will Major League Baseball be willing to do what it takes to actually make this move work as well as it can? Will they actually look at the numbers and realize that there really wouldn't be much difference at all if they were to eliminate the DH and have both leagues share the same make-up? What do you all think? Post your suggestions on how they can make it work. What rules would need to be changed? What team should be moved to the AL and why? Let's hear it!
Dallas Earned The Title, But Miami Earned The Loss
It's always hard to make statements like this, but I think it's safe to say that the good majority of the country was fully behind the Dallas Mavericks last night as they went on to win their first NBA Championship. There really isn't an awful lot to dislike about the Mavericks. They have one of the greatest superstars in league history in Dirk Nowitzki. They had one of the best point guards in history in Jason Kidd. And they have probably one of the best owners in all of sports in Mark Cuban. But all those reasons combined weren't the main purpose for the country-wide backing of the Mavs. The primary cause for the support of the Mavericks was nothing more than the shear disdain for the Miami Heat, centered almost exclusively around #6, LeBron James.
When it was all said and done, Dallas outplayed Miami, Rick Carlisle outcoached Erik Spoelstra, and the Maverick players outclassed those of the Heat. All told, the Mavericks earned the right to call themselves champions. On the flipside, the Miami Heat earned the right to call themselves runners-up, chokers, or classless losers.
Over history, in all sports, teams often times take on the form of their leaders. Michael Jordan's teams in Chicago took on his killer instinct en route to six NBA titles. The Yankees teams over the last 10-15 years have taken on the persona of Derek Jeter, their calm, cool, and collected captain. And this NBA Finals was no exception, with the Miami Heat taking on the form of the "leader" in LeBron James. The only issue is that James clearly, by going to Miami, never wanted to be the "leader," and it showed over the last week.
LeBron was tentative throughout the series, seemingly deferring at every chance he had, primarily down the stretch. If you match up the two superstars, Dirk outscore LeBron 26-3 in the final five minutes of each game in the Finals. How does the supposed best player in the NBA not score a single point in the final five minutes of all six Finals games, until 1:51 left in Game 6, when he hit a meaningless 3-point shot down 12? Although he put up 21 points last night, James never looked comfortable, aside from his 4-4 start from the field. From that point on, he looked to give the ball up rather than take control, in an almost cowardly display of leadership. Some will say he was just being unselfish by giving the ball up. Those whose eyes are actually open will say that he gave up, and chose to be the sidekick. Honestly, I almost feel that this was an attempt to shift the blame of a loss onto his supporting cast, almost in a way saying "I was letting them try to win it, and they couldn't hit the shots." No LeBron, those shots were supposed to be yours to take. Those shots were shots that Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kobe all would've taken. Those were shots that Dirk Nowitzki took, and that's the reason your season is finished, and your fingers are void of jewelry.
What truly bothered me about the Heat in these Finals wasn't necessarily LeBron, although it's no secret I am not a fan of his. It was the actions of Dwyane Wade. I'm not talking about actions on the floor. Dwyane Wade had no other alternative but to take the reigns of this team, his team, and try to win the title with seemingly little help from the greatest player in the game. What I'm referring to was the off-court actions of Wade, primarily in the moments before Game Five. Wade has been a player many have thought of as classy, full of heart, intelligent, and gritty. This will be the second time I've used this word in this post, but his actions prior to Game Five, mocking Dirk Nowitzki's Game Four illness by pretending to cough into his shirt on the way into the arena, was nothing short of cowardly. What was worse was his explanation of the incident when asked about it later. Wade claimed the cough was real, and that it was actually played up a bit more because their were cameras in front of them and they were hoping the media would "blow it up." No Dwyane, you did it because you were a coward, plain and simple. You earned what you got.
LeBron and D-Wade, the two leaders of this team, were both responsible for the overall let down, but the reason most people are excited about the Heat's loss can be centered almost solely on LeBron. When he chose to do what he did, taking his talents to South Beach, it was expected that he was also taking some leadership ability to the team, helping to take the burden off Wade's shoulders. Instead, with his inability to perform when it matters, he did just the opposite, putting D-Wade in a position to have to carry the Heat, which he was already doing the year before when he was by himself. Unfortunately for him, the results were the same, even though he now has a higher priced Robin to his Batman.
To make matters worse for James, he's now distanced himself even further from many of the fans he always looked to for approval. His post-game press conference alienated him even moreso than his play on the court. What LeBron doesn't realize is that the majority of the sports fan population is more intelligent than he is, and we can all read between the lines with what your comments actually were.
"All the people that were rooting me on to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before. They have the same personal problems they had to today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy that not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they'll have to get back to the real world at some point."
Basically, what he told all of us that were rooting for his failure is, in so many words, he's better than all of us. We, as everyday people, have to go back to our $45,000 a year jobs, our $250,000 mortgages, our $25,000 car loans, and our mundane lives, while he gets to continue living his multi-million dollar life of expensive cars, huge houses, and insane toys. Closed circuit to Mr. James: If the rumors are true and you have a cheating girlfriend, you're much closer to all of us than you actually realize. The biggest difference is that you get paid a lot of money to perform your job, and unfortunately for you, you can't perform it very well.
Congratulations to Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, and the Dallas Mavericks. You earned the title of NBA Champions through hard work, dedication, and a will to not stop until you got it.
Congratulations to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat. You also earned something through all of this. You earned the titles of NBA Villains. You've earned the right to be rooted against, booed, and ultimately hated by the majority of, not just NBA fans, but sports fans in general. Good luck overcoming that "every day problem."
When it was all said and done, Dallas outplayed Miami, Rick Carlisle outcoached Erik Spoelstra, and the Maverick players outclassed those of the Heat. All told, the Mavericks earned the right to call themselves champions. On the flipside, the Miami Heat earned the right to call themselves runners-up, chokers, or classless losers.
Over history, in all sports, teams often times take on the form of their leaders. Michael Jordan's teams in Chicago took on his killer instinct en route to six NBA titles. The Yankees teams over the last 10-15 years have taken on the persona of Derek Jeter, their calm, cool, and collected captain. And this NBA Finals was no exception, with the Miami Heat taking on the form of the "leader" in LeBron James. The only issue is that James clearly, by going to Miami, never wanted to be the "leader," and it showed over the last week.
LeBron was tentative throughout the series, seemingly deferring at every chance he had, primarily down the stretch. If you match up the two superstars, Dirk outscore LeBron 26-3 in the final five minutes of each game in the Finals. How does the supposed best player in the NBA not score a single point in the final five minutes of all six Finals games, until 1:51 left in Game 6, when he hit a meaningless 3-point shot down 12? Although he put up 21 points last night, James never looked comfortable, aside from his 4-4 start from the field. From that point on, he looked to give the ball up rather than take control, in an almost cowardly display of leadership. Some will say he was just being unselfish by giving the ball up. Those whose eyes are actually open will say that he gave up, and chose to be the sidekick. Honestly, I almost feel that this was an attempt to shift the blame of a loss onto his supporting cast, almost in a way saying "I was letting them try to win it, and they couldn't hit the shots." No LeBron, those shots were supposed to be yours to take. Those shots were shots that Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kobe all would've taken. Those were shots that Dirk Nowitzki took, and that's the reason your season is finished, and your fingers are void of jewelry.
What truly bothered me about the Heat in these Finals wasn't necessarily LeBron, although it's no secret I am not a fan of his. It was the actions of Dwyane Wade. I'm not talking about actions on the floor. Dwyane Wade had no other alternative but to take the reigns of this team, his team, and try to win the title with seemingly little help from the greatest player in the game. What I'm referring to was the off-court actions of Wade, primarily in the moments before Game Five. Wade has been a player many have thought of as classy, full of heart, intelligent, and gritty. This will be the second time I've used this word in this post, but his actions prior to Game Five, mocking Dirk Nowitzki's Game Four illness by pretending to cough into his shirt on the way into the arena, was nothing short of cowardly. What was worse was his explanation of the incident when asked about it later. Wade claimed the cough was real, and that it was actually played up a bit more because their were cameras in front of them and they were hoping the media would "blow it up." No Dwyane, you did it because you were a coward, plain and simple. You earned what you got.
LeBron and D-Wade, the two leaders of this team, were both responsible for the overall let down, but the reason most people are excited about the Heat's loss can be centered almost solely on LeBron. When he chose to do what he did, taking his talents to South Beach, it was expected that he was also taking some leadership ability to the team, helping to take the burden off Wade's shoulders. Instead, with his inability to perform when it matters, he did just the opposite, putting D-Wade in a position to have to carry the Heat, which he was already doing the year before when he was by himself. Unfortunately for him, the results were the same, even though he now has a higher priced Robin to his Batman.
To make matters worse for James, he's now distanced himself even further from many of the fans he always looked to for approval. His post-game press conference alienated him even moreso than his play on the court. What LeBron doesn't realize is that the majority of the sports fan population is more intelligent than he is, and we can all read between the lines with what your comments actually were.
"All the people that were rooting me on to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before. They have the same personal problems they had to today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy that not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they'll have to get back to the real world at some point."
Basically, what he told all of us that were rooting for his failure is, in so many words, he's better than all of us. We, as everyday people, have to go back to our $45,000 a year jobs, our $250,000 mortgages, our $25,000 car loans, and our mundane lives, while he gets to continue living his multi-million dollar life of expensive cars, huge houses, and insane toys. Closed circuit to Mr. James: If the rumors are true and you have a cheating girlfriend, you're much closer to all of us than you actually realize. The biggest difference is that you get paid a lot of money to perform your job, and unfortunately for you, you can't perform it very well.
Congratulations to Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, and the Dallas Mavericks. You earned the title of NBA Champions through hard work, dedication, and a will to not stop until you got it.
Congratulations to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat. You also earned something through all of this. You earned the titles of NBA Villains. You've earned the right to be rooted against, booed, and ultimately hated by the majority of, not just NBA fans, but sports fans in general. Good luck overcoming that "every day problem."
Friday, June 10, 2011
Buyers Or Sellers? What Will The Twins Be?
The time is nearing again. Every year around this time in Major League Baseball, teams start deciding if they are going to be contenders that year, or if they want to start building for the next. Some teams have pipe dreams of being successful this year, others know they will be and just need to bolster a few spots on their roster in order to solidify themselves. And yet there are still other teams that are right on the edge of both. The Twins are one of those teams. Their track record says they're just a player or two away. Their 2011 start thus far says they may need to unload. My take is this: There's room for both competing and unloading. They just need to be careful doing it.
With the recent spurt of great play, winning seven of their last eight games, the Twins are showing that they're not quite ready to go away this year. They have an incredible mountain to climb, given their slow start, but have proven to have a team pedigree that can get the job done when it matters. That is, until the postseason. In reality, the Twins have their best mid-season acquisitions already in line, with the returns of Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka from the disabled list. With those main core players back, the Twins have the foundation to be the contender they usually are. This puts them in that category of just needing a player or two to solidify. Where it gets tricky is finding those players, and realizing that some of the players you have may need to be sent elsewhere to accommodate improvement.
As I look up and down the roster, the Twins have valuable commodities that other teams may want. Many would think these players would only be dealt if the team decides it's long out of the division race and they want to start building for the next couple of years. In reality, although some of these players have been integral parts of the competitive teams the Twins have put forth over the last couple of years, their stock may be on the down slope. And, in the tweeting words of LeBron James before Game 5 of the NBA Finals, "It's now or never."
1. Delmon Young - It's safe to say that I am not a Delmon Young supporter, as it seems these are growing fewer and fewer by the day. When the Twins acquired Young, his stock was up, coming off his best season with the Tampa Bay Rays. But, four years later, his improvement seems to have leveled off. His 2010 season was fantastic, by his standards. When the Twins needed clutch hits last year, many came off Delmon's bat. His upside a couple of seasons ago was that he was young and unpolished. Unfortunately, he's now aged a couple of years, and has shown signs that the unpolished nature of his game isn't going away. Would he still be valuable to a team in need of an outfield bat? Sure. His career .288 average would say that he's capable of putting the bat on the ball in getting it in play. His lack of heart and hustle, however, have made him an expendable piece, in my eyes.
2. Justin Morneau - Although Morneau has been a staple in the middle of the Twins order for the last few years, his post-concussion self seems to be a shell of what he used to be. If that's the case, do the Twins try and get some value for him now, or hold on to him until it's too late. When you look at his career stats, he appears to be a stud. When you compare him to other top first basemen in baseball, however, he appears to be nothing more than a suitable fixture at the position. This season, his average is way down, his power is way down, and his ability to hit in clutch situations is non-existent. All of this could be attributed to the injury bug as well, given the concussion mid-way through last season, and the minor ailments along the way (flu bug, neck, etc.). But is it possible that we're now seeing the real Justin Morneau, and that what we've seen before the concussion was the anomaly? The question is, can the Twins afford to wait it out to truly know for sure? Given the possible replacements to fill his spot at first base, both internally within the organization and throughout Major League Baseball, they might be wise to wait on this one.
3. Francisco Liriano - Since Liriano's no-hitter at the beginning of May, he is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in four starts. Considering he went into that game against the White Sox with a 9.13 ERA, it's safe to say he's been improving. In 21 innings pitched since the no-no, he has allowed only 15 hits, and has struck out 21. What has hurt Liriano this season, as well as seasons past, is his inconsistent control. His walk to strikeout ratio is almost flat (35/41). Even during the no-hitter, Liriano walked six White Sox, and was still able to overcome and pull off this historic feat. There is no doubting Liriano's ability, even after the arm injury a couple of seasons ago. He still has an incredible slider when he's on, and can still bring his fastball upwards of 95 miles per hour. Liriano may benefit from a change of scenery, but can the Twins afford to give up a starting pitcher? If they can continue to get starts like they have in Liriano's absence this past week from Anthony Swarzak, it's possible that the Twins could spin Liriano for a couple of stronger bullpen arms. Or, do they roll the dice on him this season, and hope that his last four starts are a sign of things to come?
4. Kevin Slowey - With starting pitching in baseball being at a premium, no matter the team, there will be takers for Kevin Slowey. Of the players the Twins are most likely shopping around, Slowey is probably the most likely to be moved this season. Although many thought Slowey deserved a spot in the 2011 starting rotation, perhaps ahead of Nick Blackburn or Scott Baker, the team moved him into the long-relief role in the bullpen, asking him to take that role and be the best at it. In doing so, Slowey's attitude began to deteriorate, and before long, he was seen by the team as a problem. Slowey has decent stuff, and should the Twins decide to deal Liriano, it would seem likely that a healthy Kevin Slowey would be the replacement in the rotation. His attitude and demeanor have soured the Twins on his ability, and that has unfortunately put Slowey at the top of the Twins' trading block. Look for Slowey to be dealt, regardless of whether the Twins are competing for the division come July or not.
5. Denard Span - This is probably my absolute least favorite option for a trade. I am a huge Denard Span supporter. I think what he's done for the Twins at the top of the order over the last two season has been outstanding. He's not going to hit for power like some center fielders do, but he's always hustling. There isn't a team in baseball that wouldn't appreciate a player like that on their roster. What's hurting Span is the emergence of Ben Revere as the Twins top outfield prospect. With all the injuries this season, especially that of Jason Kubel, Revere has had an opportunity to show what he can do at the Major League level. What the Twins are seeing is a potential Denard Span clone. An all-out hustling outfielder who can hit for contact, get on base, and put opposing teams on their toes. The biggest problem with this is that it makes Span expendable, at least in the eyes of some. For me, Span offers much more than just great defense, speed on the bases, and a .300-hitting lead-off hitter. Span's clubhouse presence appears to be a good one. He's always smiling, and always going 100% every day. That type of behavior seems to sometimes be a premium in baseball. Even if Revere is similar in nature, giving up on a guy like Span would be a mistake, regardless of what you could get in return. However, that being said, and with that type of player being coveted by many teams, his value could potentially be too high to pass up, and could possibly bring more talent to the team through a trade. Personally, Span is one of my favorite players to watch on this team, so I'm hoping they find other ways (i.e. trading Delmon Young) to get Revere into the lineup full time.
With the recent spurt of great play, winning seven of their last eight games, the Twins are showing that they're not quite ready to go away this year. They have an incredible mountain to climb, given their slow start, but have proven to have a team pedigree that can get the job done when it matters. That is, until the postseason. In reality, the Twins have their best mid-season acquisitions already in line, with the returns of Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka from the disabled list. With those main core players back, the Twins have the foundation to be the contender they usually are. This puts them in that category of just needing a player or two to solidify. Where it gets tricky is finding those players, and realizing that some of the players you have may need to be sent elsewhere to accommodate improvement.
As I look up and down the roster, the Twins have valuable commodities that other teams may want. Many would think these players would only be dealt if the team decides it's long out of the division race and they want to start building for the next couple of years. In reality, although some of these players have been integral parts of the competitive teams the Twins have put forth over the last couple of years, their stock may be on the down slope. And, in the tweeting words of LeBron James before Game 5 of the NBA Finals, "It's now or never."
1. Delmon Young - It's safe to say that I am not a Delmon Young supporter, as it seems these are growing fewer and fewer by the day. When the Twins acquired Young, his stock was up, coming off his best season with the Tampa Bay Rays. But, four years later, his improvement seems to have leveled off. His 2010 season was fantastic, by his standards. When the Twins needed clutch hits last year, many came off Delmon's bat. His upside a couple of seasons ago was that he was young and unpolished. Unfortunately, he's now aged a couple of years, and has shown signs that the unpolished nature of his game isn't going away. Would he still be valuable to a team in need of an outfield bat? Sure. His career .288 average would say that he's capable of putting the bat on the ball in getting it in play. His lack of heart and hustle, however, have made him an expendable piece, in my eyes.
2. Justin Morneau - Although Morneau has been a staple in the middle of the Twins order for the last few years, his post-concussion self seems to be a shell of what he used to be. If that's the case, do the Twins try and get some value for him now, or hold on to him until it's too late. When you look at his career stats, he appears to be a stud. When you compare him to other top first basemen in baseball, however, he appears to be nothing more than a suitable fixture at the position. This season, his average is way down, his power is way down, and his ability to hit in clutch situations is non-existent. All of this could be attributed to the injury bug as well, given the concussion mid-way through last season, and the minor ailments along the way (flu bug, neck, etc.). But is it possible that we're now seeing the real Justin Morneau, and that what we've seen before the concussion was the anomaly? The question is, can the Twins afford to wait it out to truly know for sure? Given the possible replacements to fill his spot at first base, both internally within the organization and throughout Major League Baseball, they might be wise to wait on this one.
3. Francisco Liriano - Since Liriano's no-hitter at the beginning of May, he is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in four starts. Considering he went into that game against the White Sox with a 9.13 ERA, it's safe to say he's been improving. In 21 innings pitched since the no-no, he has allowed only 15 hits, and has struck out 21. What has hurt Liriano this season, as well as seasons past, is his inconsistent control. His walk to strikeout ratio is almost flat (35/41). Even during the no-hitter, Liriano walked six White Sox, and was still able to overcome and pull off this historic feat. There is no doubting Liriano's ability, even after the arm injury a couple of seasons ago. He still has an incredible slider when he's on, and can still bring his fastball upwards of 95 miles per hour. Liriano may benefit from a change of scenery, but can the Twins afford to give up a starting pitcher? If they can continue to get starts like they have in Liriano's absence this past week from Anthony Swarzak, it's possible that the Twins could spin Liriano for a couple of stronger bullpen arms. Or, do they roll the dice on him this season, and hope that his last four starts are a sign of things to come?
4. Kevin Slowey - With starting pitching in baseball being at a premium, no matter the team, there will be takers for Kevin Slowey. Of the players the Twins are most likely shopping around, Slowey is probably the most likely to be moved this season. Although many thought Slowey deserved a spot in the 2011 starting rotation, perhaps ahead of Nick Blackburn or Scott Baker, the team moved him into the long-relief role in the bullpen, asking him to take that role and be the best at it. In doing so, Slowey's attitude began to deteriorate, and before long, he was seen by the team as a problem. Slowey has decent stuff, and should the Twins decide to deal Liriano, it would seem likely that a healthy Kevin Slowey would be the replacement in the rotation. His attitude and demeanor have soured the Twins on his ability, and that has unfortunately put Slowey at the top of the Twins' trading block. Look for Slowey to be dealt, regardless of whether the Twins are competing for the division come July or not.
5. Denard Span - This is probably my absolute least favorite option for a trade. I am a huge Denard Span supporter. I think what he's done for the Twins at the top of the order over the last two season has been outstanding. He's not going to hit for power like some center fielders do, but he's always hustling. There isn't a team in baseball that wouldn't appreciate a player like that on their roster. What's hurting Span is the emergence of Ben Revere as the Twins top outfield prospect. With all the injuries this season, especially that of Jason Kubel, Revere has had an opportunity to show what he can do at the Major League level. What the Twins are seeing is a potential Denard Span clone. An all-out hustling outfielder who can hit for contact, get on base, and put opposing teams on their toes. The biggest problem with this is that it makes Span expendable, at least in the eyes of some. For me, Span offers much more than just great defense, speed on the bases, and a .300-hitting lead-off hitter. Span's clubhouse presence appears to be a good one. He's always smiling, and always going 100% every day. That type of behavior seems to sometimes be a premium in baseball. Even if Revere is similar in nature, giving up on a guy like Span would be a mistake, regardless of what you could get in return. However, that being said, and with that type of player being coveted by many teams, his value could potentially be too high to pass up, and could possibly bring more talent to the team through a trade. Personally, Span is one of my favorite players to watch on this team, so I'm hoping they find other ways (i.e. trading Delmon Young) to get Revere into the lineup full time.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
LeBron's Legacy Can't Stack Up With Other Greats
When it comes to gut-check time in sports, there are certain superstars in history that show they want to be "the guy" (or "the girl" in ladies sports). There are names that come to mind: Michael Jordan, Curt Schilling, Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady to name a few. One name that won't appear on that list is LeBron James. His lackluster performance in the NBA Finals thus far has many asking questions about his heart and about his drive. With the Dallas Mavericks taking a 3-2 series lead on Thursday night, it appears that LeBron is exhibiting neither.
This NBA Finals was supposed to be LeBron's coming-out party. He made his bed by "taking his talents to South Beach," and this was the time he was supposed to sleep in that bed. Unfortunately for Heat fans, LeBron is showing why his Cavaliers teams of the past always came up short at the end. When you look back at championship teams led by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, what you saw was an unwillingness to accept defeat. Their drive and their heart carried their teams to multiple championships, not just one. And, aside from Kobe's first three titles with the help of Shaquille O'Neal at his side, neither Jordan or Kobe had multiple superstars to play with. LeBron has two in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And what we're seeing from LeBron is more of a stance of "I'll take a back seat to let you two be the stars." That's not the attitude of a champion.
Yes, champions are unselfish. Champions know when to delegate. But champions also know when it's time to take over and ensure victory. With all the scrutiny placed on LeBron this season, this was his time to squash all of his "haters" and critics. Instead, he's gained more of each, and in some cases, deservedly so. Scoring 8 points in Game Four showed a complete lack of heart. That performance was his first single-digit scoring performance in over four years, and it came at a time when he should've been having his best performance in four years. When questioned after both Game Three and Game Four, LeBron insinuated that he was allowing Dwyane Wade to be "the guy." This was a convenient reason given the results of each game. But, had that game plan been one that was discussed before the series started, it's probably one that we all could've bought as legit. Instead, we got the performances, followed by the "reason" for the performances. Put two and two together here.
Thursday morning, a rumor began circulating that LeBron's Game Four performance came because of a lack of focus. That lack of focus was apparently caused by something off the court. Regardless of what this may have been, it shows his inability to compartmentalize outside situations and take control of things on the court, as a true leader would do. Instead, he decided to defer to the other stars on his team...not in the way of delegation, but moreso in the way of pacification. He chose to take himself out of the mix, and it cost his team a game. After the game, as a result of his passive approach, he chose to put much more undue pressure on himself for Game Five, tweeting that "It's now or never." What the Heat got was a slightly better version than the Game Four LeBron, but still a shell of what a leader should be.
And the result? A long flight back to Miami with the likelihood of being sent home as the 2011 NBA Finals Runners-Up after Game 6, and an off-season to contemplate what you actually want your legacy to be. The question is whether or not LeBron has the heart to change that legacy. At this point, that doesn't appear likely.
This NBA Finals was supposed to be LeBron's coming-out party. He made his bed by "taking his talents to South Beach," and this was the time he was supposed to sleep in that bed. Unfortunately for Heat fans, LeBron is showing why his Cavaliers teams of the past always came up short at the end. When you look back at championship teams led by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, what you saw was an unwillingness to accept defeat. Their drive and their heart carried their teams to multiple championships, not just one. And, aside from Kobe's first three titles with the help of Shaquille O'Neal at his side, neither Jordan or Kobe had multiple superstars to play with. LeBron has two in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And what we're seeing from LeBron is more of a stance of "I'll take a back seat to let you two be the stars." That's not the attitude of a champion.
Yes, champions are unselfish. Champions know when to delegate. But champions also know when it's time to take over and ensure victory. With all the scrutiny placed on LeBron this season, this was his time to squash all of his "haters" and critics. Instead, he's gained more of each, and in some cases, deservedly so. Scoring 8 points in Game Four showed a complete lack of heart. That performance was his first single-digit scoring performance in over four years, and it came at a time when he should've been having his best performance in four years. When questioned after both Game Three and Game Four, LeBron insinuated that he was allowing Dwyane Wade to be "the guy." This was a convenient reason given the results of each game. But, had that game plan been one that was discussed before the series started, it's probably one that we all could've bought as legit. Instead, we got the performances, followed by the "reason" for the performances. Put two and two together here.
Thursday morning, a rumor began circulating that LeBron's Game Four performance came because of a lack of focus. That lack of focus was apparently caused by something off the court. Regardless of what this may have been, it shows his inability to compartmentalize outside situations and take control of things on the court, as a true leader would do. Instead, he decided to defer to the other stars on his team...not in the way of delegation, but moreso in the way of pacification. He chose to take himself out of the mix, and it cost his team a game. After the game, as a result of his passive approach, he chose to put much more undue pressure on himself for Game Five, tweeting that "It's now or never." What the Heat got was a slightly better version than the Game Four LeBron, but still a shell of what a leader should be.
And the result? A long flight back to Miami with the likelihood of being sent home as the 2011 NBA Finals Runners-Up after Game 6, and an off-season to contemplate what you actually want your legacy to be. The question is whether or not LeBron has the heart to change that legacy. At this point, that doesn't appear likely.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Does Delmon Young Even Want To Play Baseball?
When it comes to looking completely uninterested, no one seems to look the part better than Twins left fielder Delmon Young. Routinely, Delmon appears lethargic and apathetic in the outfield, as if he has something better to do than play the game. His fourth error of the season in left field on Tuesday night cost the Twins their only run allowed, an unearned run, and thus costing them a chance at their sixth victory in a row. It's time now for Ron Gardenhire to make the decision to sit Delmon for a while, and give Ben Revere an opportunity full-time in left field.
Injuries have depleted the Twins lineup all season thus far, but regardless, this level of play in the outfield by one of your better players cannot be allowed to continue. Many have questioned how Gardy is handling some of his star players, from Joe Mauer to Justin Morneau, and now even Delmon Young. But to allow misplays in the field as we've seen from Young this season is just condoning the behaviors. His lack of hustle isn't something typical of a Twins player, and needs to be addressed.
Delmon's bat was one of the things that helped the Twins take control of the Central Division last season. Without that bat, the Twins would've most certainly struggled, especially considering the injury to Justin Morneau which took him out of the lineup for the last half of the season. However, even a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and again. Although Delmon is a career .288 hitter, he has to be one of the worst .280 hitters of all time. Aside from 2010, his ability to be somewhat clutch at times has been almost non-existent. In this, his sixth professional season, he has a total of 60 career home runs. That's all. That's not a great total for someone supposedly with a lot of pop in his bat who has been an everyday player for the last five years. Something has to change!
Although the lineup as been a shell of its preseason self, Gardy can't let Delmon's play be allowed to continue just because he doesn't have as many options. With Jason Repko back and healthy now, and Ben Revere's emergence, the Twins have options to put Delmon on the bench. Making him the DH shouldn't be considered an option, either, given his performance at the plate thus far. The designated hitter is supposed to hit, that's his one and only job. Right now, Delmon can't even do that. He's struck out more times this season than he has hits. It's clear that Delmon is just going through the motions.
It's time for Gardy to send a message to Mr. Young. If you want to actually play, the spot is yours. Until you decide to show me that you're willing to put forth the effort to improve, we've got a spot right here on the bench for you. It's time to reward the people who want to be there, and cut bait with the ones that don't. With Delmon, we continue to hear the phrase "he's still young." When will people stop using this complete cop out of an excuse, and start holding him accountable for the poor preparation and poor play, and in all actuality, lack of hustle and heart? It's time for him to go.
Injuries have depleted the Twins lineup all season thus far, but regardless, this level of play in the outfield by one of your better players cannot be allowed to continue. Many have questioned how Gardy is handling some of his star players, from Joe Mauer to Justin Morneau, and now even Delmon Young. But to allow misplays in the field as we've seen from Young this season is just condoning the behaviors. His lack of hustle isn't something typical of a Twins player, and needs to be addressed.
Delmon's bat was one of the things that helped the Twins take control of the Central Division last season. Without that bat, the Twins would've most certainly struggled, especially considering the injury to Justin Morneau which took him out of the lineup for the last half of the season. However, even a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and again. Although Delmon is a career .288 hitter, he has to be one of the worst .280 hitters of all time. Aside from 2010, his ability to be somewhat clutch at times has been almost non-existent. In this, his sixth professional season, he has a total of 60 career home runs. That's all. That's not a great total for someone supposedly with a lot of pop in his bat who has been an everyday player for the last five years. Something has to change!
Although the lineup as been a shell of its preseason self, Gardy can't let Delmon's play be allowed to continue just because he doesn't have as many options. With Jason Repko back and healthy now, and Ben Revere's emergence, the Twins have options to put Delmon on the bench. Making him the DH shouldn't be considered an option, either, given his performance at the plate thus far. The designated hitter is supposed to hit, that's his one and only job. Right now, Delmon can't even do that. He's struck out more times this season than he has hits. It's clear that Delmon is just going through the motions.
It's time for Gardy to send a message to Mr. Young. If you want to actually play, the spot is yours. Until you decide to show me that you're willing to put forth the effort to improve, we've got a spot right here on the bench for you. It's time to reward the people who want to be there, and cut bait with the ones that don't. With Delmon, we continue to hear the phrase "he's still young." When will people stop using this complete cop out of an excuse, and start holding him accountable for the poor preparation and poor play, and in all actuality, lack of hustle and heart? It's time for him to go.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
It's Amazing What Happens When You Start Doing Things Right
The Twins couldn't have asked for a better start to the month of June. After one of the worst starts in team history, they've opened up the third month of the season 4-1, after sweeping the Royals this weekend. So, what's different? Granted, this four-game winning streak came at the expense of the Royals, who haven't been a factor for almost 25 years, but this is also a Royals team that swept the Twins at Target Field earlier this season. So, how did the Twins get it done?
The injuries continue to pile up, so the lineup thrown out there on Sunday was one of the most inexperienced of the season. Both Denard Span and Justin Morneau sat on Sunday, nursing injuries, so the lineup continued to look different. Jason Repko and Luke Hughes looked very solid today, which hopefully will give both guys confidence going forward. The inexperience, however, has been an excuse many Twins fans have used this season during the low points thus far. "You can't expect us to win with a bunch of minor leaguers in the lineup," has been a common argument of many fans. But, it hasn't been the inexperience that's been the problem this season.
Over the last couple of weeks, the performances the Twins have gotten from their starting pitchers have been outstanding. Nick Blackburn had a perfect month of May, and looked solid on Saturday before leaving with a little lower back stiffness. Carl Pavano has started to look more like the veteran leader he was re-signed to be. Anthony Swarzak has been a great fill-in for Francisco Liriano over his last two starts. And Scott Baker has looked much more comfortable in recent weeks than he has in the last couple of years. With the starters pitching better and pitching deeper into games, the bullpen has been less and less needed. In situations where we'd usually see Gardy bring in the pen, we're seeing him stick with his starters a bit longer, which I absolutely love! Bullpens are the most overrated thing in baseball, and many teams, not just the Twins, are too dependent on their bullpens, rather than letting starters work out of jams in the middle innings. When the starters are pitching better, it's easier on the bullpen. But, that's not the only reason the team is playing better.
What this series against Kansas City showed is that the Twins can get back to playing "Twins baseball." It may not be much, but going into this series, the Twins had stolen a base once in every 2.2 games. They stole four bases during the series, and had been caught three times. That's a total of seven stolen base attempts, which shows me that the team has begun to be a bit more aggressive on the base paths. This is something that, with the speed the Twins have, they need to be doing far more of. Guys like Span, Casilla, Revere, Tolbert, and Repko need to be turned loose on the bases in order for this team to generate more runs. Gardenhire can't be afraid to have runners thrown out. With the speed this team has, the results will be far more favorable and worth the risk.
Extra-base hits have also been something very difficult to come by for this team this season. Before this series, only 27% of the Twins hits this season were extra-base hits. That percentage was improved in this series, with the Twins having 33% of their hits this series (14 of 43) be of the extra-base variety. When you couple that with the increased activity on the bases from the speed guys, and you can see how the Twins started generating their runs, and thus generating a four-game sweep. These things will need to continue when the play this next series against the first-place Indians in Cleveland.
The injuries continue to pile up, so the lineup thrown out there on Sunday was one of the most inexperienced of the season. Both Denard Span and Justin Morneau sat on Sunday, nursing injuries, so the lineup continued to look different. Jason Repko and Luke Hughes looked very solid today, which hopefully will give both guys confidence going forward. The inexperience, however, has been an excuse many Twins fans have used this season during the low points thus far. "You can't expect us to win with a bunch of minor leaguers in the lineup," has been a common argument of many fans. But, it hasn't been the inexperience that's been the problem this season.
Over the last couple of weeks, the performances the Twins have gotten from their starting pitchers have been outstanding. Nick Blackburn had a perfect month of May, and looked solid on Saturday before leaving with a little lower back stiffness. Carl Pavano has started to look more like the veteran leader he was re-signed to be. Anthony Swarzak has been a great fill-in for Francisco Liriano over his last two starts. And Scott Baker has looked much more comfortable in recent weeks than he has in the last couple of years. With the starters pitching better and pitching deeper into games, the bullpen has been less and less needed. In situations where we'd usually see Gardy bring in the pen, we're seeing him stick with his starters a bit longer, which I absolutely love! Bullpens are the most overrated thing in baseball, and many teams, not just the Twins, are too dependent on their bullpens, rather than letting starters work out of jams in the middle innings. When the starters are pitching better, it's easier on the bullpen. But, that's not the only reason the team is playing better.
What this series against Kansas City showed is that the Twins can get back to playing "Twins baseball." It may not be much, but going into this series, the Twins had stolen a base once in every 2.2 games. They stole four bases during the series, and had been caught three times. That's a total of seven stolen base attempts, which shows me that the team has begun to be a bit more aggressive on the base paths. This is something that, with the speed the Twins have, they need to be doing far more of. Guys like Span, Casilla, Revere, Tolbert, and Repko need to be turned loose on the bases in order for this team to generate more runs. Gardenhire can't be afraid to have runners thrown out. With the speed this team has, the results will be far more favorable and worth the risk.
Extra-base hits have also been something very difficult to come by for this team this season. Before this series, only 27% of the Twins hits this season were extra-base hits. That percentage was improved in this series, with the Twins having 33% of their hits this series (14 of 43) be of the extra-base variety. When you couple that with the increased activity on the bases from the speed guys, and you can see how the Twins started generating their runs, and thus generating a four-game sweep. These things will need to continue when the play this next series against the first-place Indians in Cleveland.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Perception Vs. Reality: The Tale Of Two First Basemen
There are many quotes about perception. One involves perception being reality, the other involves perception being in the eye of the beholder. Both are true statements when one truly thinks about it. In the case of Albert Pujols an Justin Morneau, two of the top first basemen in baseball, both apply, however, the realities don't match the perceptions placed upon them by their separate eyes of their beholders.
Both Pujols and Morneau have been thought to have been slumping this year. Throughout the month of May, both were struggling at the plate, different from what each had done the previous year, and in Pujols's case, his entire career. Pujols went through a homerless drought in May that finally came to an end after close to 110 at-bats. Morneau, after missing the last half of the season in 2010 with a concussion, has come back a shell of his 2010 first-half self, hitting below .240 with only two home runs (until hitting two in the Twins' June 1st loss to the Detroit Tigers). So...the perception of both sluggers is that they were struggling and slumping.
Here's the reality:
A "slumping" Pujols is now hitting an un-Pujols-like .275 with 12 home runs (after hitting two, including a 12th inning walk-off on Saturday against the Cubs), and 37 RBI's. His .275 average ranks 6th on the Cardinals amongst their regulars. His two homers Saturday have tied him with Lance Berkman for the team lead with 12, and his total of 37 RBI's have him second on the team behind Berkman. So...the perception of Albert struggling right now is based on what? His career averages of .329, 37 HR, and 115 RBI? The sad thing is, Albert's insane career already has set his bar ridiculously high. So high that when he actually hits "average" numbers, we see it as struggling.
Morneau, on the other hand, is actually struggling. The part that is getting at me, though, is the lofty bar that Twins fans have placed on their above average slugger. Notice the descriptive words used. I said "above average," not "great." What most Twins fans need to realize is that Morneau is not a "great" hitter. His career only spans two less seasons than that of Pujols, but his numbers are nowhere near that of the "great" slugger in this conversation. Thus far in 2011, Morneau is hitting .236, with only 4 home runs, and 20 RBI's. But...let's look at his career averages. Batting average? He's a career .283 hitter. Home runs? His career average is 21. RBI's? Only 78 RBI's on average per year. So, what are people basing their perception of "slumping" on? His MVP 2006 season? His first half of 2010? Clearly these people aren't looking at the overall body of work.
It's almost hard to put Albert Pujols and Justin Morneau in the same conversation, because the reality of it is, they're not in the same class. Pujols is easily the best player in baseball, hands down. To me, there is no more evidence needed than that of Pujols's performance against the rival Cubs on Saturday, which I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for at Busch Stadium. My very first trip to St. Louis, and I saw one of the game's greatest clutch performers ever. There was no question that Pujols would be involved in the deciding run of that game, whether it have been a walk to put him aboard, or the outcome we saw, which was a hanging breaking ball drilled into the bullpen in left. The feeling was there that the Cardinals' go-to guy would be the one to ultimately put the team on his shoulders. Morneau doesn't come through in these situations, as evidenced by his .191 average with runners on base, and his .235 average with runners in scoring position. Compared to the .301 and .328 averages in those same categories that Pujols puts up, there is no comparison.
Morneau is a good player, don't get me wrong. But Twins fans, please don't make the mistake of calling him great. He is far from it. When the chips are down, he's not the player you can count on to pick you up. He's not a leader, and on a team in dire need of leadership, that's not a good sign from one of your "stars".
Both Pujols and Morneau have been thought to have been slumping this year. Throughout the month of May, both were struggling at the plate, different from what each had done the previous year, and in Pujols's case, his entire career. Pujols went through a homerless drought in May that finally came to an end after close to 110 at-bats. Morneau, after missing the last half of the season in 2010 with a concussion, has come back a shell of his 2010 first-half self, hitting below .240 with only two home runs (until hitting two in the Twins' June 1st loss to the Detroit Tigers). So...the perception of both sluggers is that they were struggling and slumping.
Here's the reality:
A "slumping" Pujols is now hitting an un-Pujols-like .275 with 12 home runs (after hitting two, including a 12th inning walk-off on Saturday against the Cubs), and 37 RBI's. His .275 average ranks 6th on the Cardinals amongst their regulars. His two homers Saturday have tied him with Lance Berkman for the team lead with 12, and his total of 37 RBI's have him second on the team behind Berkman. So...the perception of Albert struggling right now is based on what? His career averages of .329, 37 HR, and 115 RBI? The sad thing is, Albert's insane career already has set his bar ridiculously high. So high that when he actually hits "average" numbers, we see it as struggling.
Morneau, on the other hand, is actually struggling. The part that is getting at me, though, is the lofty bar that Twins fans have placed on their above average slugger. Notice the descriptive words used. I said "above average," not "great." What most Twins fans need to realize is that Morneau is not a "great" hitter. His career only spans two less seasons than that of Pujols, but his numbers are nowhere near that of the "great" slugger in this conversation. Thus far in 2011, Morneau is hitting .236, with only 4 home runs, and 20 RBI's. But...let's look at his career averages. Batting average? He's a career .283 hitter. Home runs? His career average is 21. RBI's? Only 78 RBI's on average per year. So, what are people basing their perception of "slumping" on? His MVP 2006 season? His first half of 2010? Clearly these people aren't looking at the overall body of work.
It's almost hard to put Albert Pujols and Justin Morneau in the same conversation, because the reality of it is, they're not in the same class. Pujols is easily the best player in baseball, hands down. To me, there is no more evidence needed than that of Pujols's performance against the rival Cubs on Saturday, which I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for at Busch Stadium. My very first trip to St. Louis, and I saw one of the game's greatest clutch performers ever. There was no question that Pujols would be involved in the deciding run of that game, whether it have been a walk to put him aboard, or the outcome we saw, which was a hanging breaking ball drilled into the bullpen in left. The feeling was there that the Cardinals' go-to guy would be the one to ultimately put the team on his shoulders. Morneau doesn't come through in these situations, as evidenced by his .191 average with runners on base, and his .235 average with runners in scoring position. Compared to the .301 and .328 averages in those same categories that Pujols puts up, there is no comparison.
Morneau is a good player, don't get me wrong. But Twins fans, please don't make the mistake of calling him great. He is far from it. When the chips are down, he's not the player you can count on to pick you up. He's not a leader, and on a team in dire need of leadership, that's not a good sign from one of your "stars".
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Mauer Belongs Behind The Plate
Given his recent injury woes, namely his knee and leg issues, there has been much speculation surrounding whether or not the Twins will try to shift Joe Mauer to a different position other than behind the plate. Some have suggested putting him at first base, some have suggested moving him to the outfield either in left or right, and yet others have said that maybe given his skills at the plate with a bat, he ought to be a permanent designated hitter. Here's a little news flash for everyone making those suggestions: Joe Mauer is a catcher, nothing more.
After signing his mega contract back in the 2009-2010 offseason, Mauer's health has become the hottest topic surrounding the Twins. Understandably, the Twins' pathetic start in the 2011 season has quite a bit to do with the absence of their offensive leader, although one could point fingers at just about every aspect of this club to explain the lack of, well, everything. With the hometown boy shelved with an injury (or multiple injuries, depending on who you talk to), many thoughts have been expressed that maybe he belongs somewhere other than the catcher position.
There are many reasons you can't move Joe around the diamond to avoid injuries:
For starters, the idea of moving him to first base is one that can not take place unless the Twins decide to part ways with Justin Morneau. Given Morneau's own injury issues (concussion, neck), it's possible that we may never see the Justin Morneau from the first half of 2010 ever again, so perhaps parting ways with him may be more of a possibility than many would actually have thought. More than likely, however, number 33 will remain the staple at first base, for better or worse. What I will say, though, is that possibly trading Morneau to open up the first base position for Joe might be the best of the alternate position options for the Twins. If Morneau can get himself somewhere remotely close to the MVP he was a couple of years ago, his value might be enough for the Twins to either bolster their rotation or possibly even their bullpen...both having been issues this season, although the rotation has seemingly stabilized over the month of May. Although this wouldn't be the most popular decision in Twins Territory, it may actually be the best for the organization. Right now, however, I don't believe it's an option at all.
Moving Mauer to left field seems like it may be the best idea, but let me throw the closest analogy I can at this. Back in 2002, the Atlanta Braves moved perennial All-Star third baseman, Chipper Jones, to left field after Jones offered to move in order for the Braves to bring in Vinny Castillia to play third base. Jones wasn't the most agile person in the world to begin with, but worked out "okay" for the Braves in left for a couple of years, but eventually moved back to third base after only three seasons in left. Now, third base and catcher are two different positions. The reason this analogy works is because of the two players involved. If you look at both Chipper and Mauer, they both have similar body types (Jones is 6'4" and around 215 pounds, and Mauer stands 6'5" and around 220 pounds) and have a similar contractual impact to their two teams. Back in 2000, Jones signed a huge $90 million deal with the Braves, similar to the deal that Mauer just recently signed with the Twins. Ultimately, the only reason Chipper was moved to left was to make room for another power-hitting third baseman. If the Twins have plans to bring in another All-Star caliber catcher to replace Mauer behind the plate, then the move to left might make sense. But, let's be completely honest here. As has been the case with this organization in the past, it's a safe assumption that if Mauer were to move to left field, we Twins fans would be graced behind the plate by the likes of a Drew Butera-type catcher whom the organization would see as an "adequate" solution.
If Joe were to move to right field, now you have an even bigger dilemma on your hands. Replacing Delmon Young in left field is something that needs to be done right now anyway, whether it's Joe Mauer or Bob from Section 117. There are 12 year-old Little Leaguers that take better routes to the ball than Delmon, not to mention show more love for the game than he does. Now, if you opt to try Joe in right field, you have not one, but two people you would be replacing: Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. In my opinion, Kubel has improved dramatically in the outfield, making him nowhere near the liability he was a couple of years ago. His ability to work hard and get himself to the fielding level he needed to be at to play every day in right could possibly even be rewarded with an All-Star selection this year, as he is the front-runner in my book for the Twins' lone representative at this year's game in Arizona. The other thing Kubel's improvement has done has allowed the Twins to put the Cuddyer band-aid on other positions needing help, namely first and second base. If you choose to make Mauer your every-day right fielder, then what do you do with Kubel and Cuddyer? Jim Thome will probably only play this year after being put on the disabled list for the second time in a month, so the DH spot might open up next season, but, is that the message you want to send to one of the hardest working players you have in Kubel? "Hey, thanks for busting your butt to become a better defensive outfielder. You've done great! We're so impressed, we're going to make you our permanent DH. Keep up the great work!" Yea...I don't think so.
Making Mauer the DH is also a suggestion that has popped up. This is also based on the assumption that the Twins might be able to find a suitable replacement on the defensive end behind the plate. What people need to realize here is that, the DH replaces the pitcher in the lineup, not the catcher. A suitable defensive replacement at catcher still has to put a bat in his hands and hit. So, what these people with lesser brain activity than a box of raisins are saying is that they'd rather have either Kubel, Cuddyer, or Thome sit on the bench so Mauer could DH and allow Butera to catch. Here's a thought: Put on your big boy hat, watch MLB Network for a full 24 hours, and come back to me when you seem to have enough knowledge to actually conduct yourself like an informed baseball fan. Having Mauer be your permanent DH would only work if the Twins' front office was willing to go out and grab a Buster Posey, a Brian McCann, or a Matt Wieters...and the last I checked, none of those three options are available, nor would the Twins' front office pull the trigger on a deal to make them available, so, let's move past the DH option.
Ultimately, what people need to remember is this: Joe Mauer is a catcher, plain and simple! He was signed to the mega-deal he was because a) he can hit the cover off the ball when he's on, and b) because he calls the best game in baseball behind the plate. If Tom Brady were continually hampered by injuries, would the Patriots consider moving him to place kicker to "save" his body? If Dwight Howard were getting banged up all the time playing center for the Orlando Magic, would the team move him to point guard to "keep him fresher"? If you answered "yes" or "maybe, you never know" to either of those questions, then you seriously need to consider watching "The Bachelorette" instead of sports, because you're clearly not intelligent enough to do so.
After signing his mega contract back in the 2009-2010 offseason, Mauer's health has become the hottest topic surrounding the Twins. Understandably, the Twins' pathetic start in the 2011 season has quite a bit to do with the absence of their offensive leader, although one could point fingers at just about every aspect of this club to explain the lack of, well, everything. With the hometown boy shelved with an injury (or multiple injuries, depending on who you talk to), many thoughts have been expressed that maybe he belongs somewhere other than the catcher position.
There are many reasons you can't move Joe around the diamond to avoid injuries:
For starters, the idea of moving him to first base is one that can not take place unless the Twins decide to part ways with Justin Morneau. Given Morneau's own injury issues (concussion, neck), it's possible that we may never see the Justin Morneau from the first half of 2010 ever again, so perhaps parting ways with him may be more of a possibility than many would actually have thought. More than likely, however, number 33 will remain the staple at first base, for better or worse. What I will say, though, is that possibly trading Morneau to open up the first base position for Joe might be the best of the alternate position options for the Twins. If Morneau can get himself somewhere remotely close to the MVP he was a couple of years ago, his value might be enough for the Twins to either bolster their rotation or possibly even their bullpen...both having been issues this season, although the rotation has seemingly stabilized over the month of May. Although this wouldn't be the most popular decision in Twins Territory, it may actually be the best for the organization. Right now, however, I don't believe it's an option at all.
Moving Mauer to left field seems like it may be the best idea, but let me throw the closest analogy I can at this. Back in 2002, the Atlanta Braves moved perennial All-Star third baseman, Chipper Jones, to left field after Jones offered to move in order for the Braves to bring in Vinny Castillia to play third base. Jones wasn't the most agile person in the world to begin with, but worked out "okay" for the Braves in left for a couple of years, but eventually moved back to third base after only three seasons in left. Now, third base and catcher are two different positions. The reason this analogy works is because of the two players involved. If you look at both Chipper and Mauer, they both have similar body types (Jones is 6'4" and around 215 pounds, and Mauer stands 6'5" and around 220 pounds) and have a similar contractual impact to their two teams. Back in 2000, Jones signed a huge $90 million deal with the Braves, similar to the deal that Mauer just recently signed with the Twins. Ultimately, the only reason Chipper was moved to left was to make room for another power-hitting third baseman. If the Twins have plans to bring in another All-Star caliber catcher to replace Mauer behind the plate, then the move to left might make sense. But, let's be completely honest here. As has been the case with this organization in the past, it's a safe assumption that if Mauer were to move to left field, we Twins fans would be graced behind the plate by the likes of a Drew Butera-type catcher whom the organization would see as an "adequate" solution.
If Joe were to move to right field, now you have an even bigger dilemma on your hands. Replacing Delmon Young in left field is something that needs to be done right now anyway, whether it's Joe Mauer or Bob from Section 117. There are 12 year-old Little Leaguers that take better routes to the ball than Delmon, not to mention show more love for the game than he does. Now, if you opt to try Joe in right field, you have not one, but two people you would be replacing: Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. In my opinion, Kubel has improved dramatically in the outfield, making him nowhere near the liability he was a couple of years ago. His ability to work hard and get himself to the fielding level he needed to be at to play every day in right could possibly even be rewarded with an All-Star selection this year, as he is the front-runner in my book for the Twins' lone representative at this year's game in Arizona. The other thing Kubel's improvement has done has allowed the Twins to put the Cuddyer band-aid on other positions needing help, namely first and second base. If you choose to make Mauer your every-day right fielder, then what do you do with Kubel and Cuddyer? Jim Thome will probably only play this year after being put on the disabled list for the second time in a month, so the DH spot might open up next season, but, is that the message you want to send to one of the hardest working players you have in Kubel? "Hey, thanks for busting your butt to become a better defensive outfielder. You've done great! We're so impressed, we're going to make you our permanent DH. Keep up the great work!" Yea...I don't think so.
Making Mauer the DH is also a suggestion that has popped up. This is also based on the assumption that the Twins might be able to find a suitable replacement on the defensive end behind the plate. What people need to realize here is that, the DH replaces the pitcher in the lineup, not the catcher. A suitable defensive replacement at catcher still has to put a bat in his hands and hit. So, what these people with lesser brain activity than a box of raisins are saying is that they'd rather have either Kubel, Cuddyer, or Thome sit on the bench so Mauer could DH and allow Butera to catch. Here's a thought: Put on your big boy hat, watch MLB Network for a full 24 hours, and come back to me when you seem to have enough knowledge to actually conduct yourself like an informed baseball fan. Having Mauer be your permanent DH would only work if the Twins' front office was willing to go out and grab a Buster Posey, a Brian McCann, or a Matt Wieters...and the last I checked, none of those three options are available, nor would the Twins' front office pull the trigger on a deal to make them available, so, let's move past the DH option.
Ultimately, what people need to remember is this: Joe Mauer is a catcher, plain and simple! He was signed to the mega-deal he was because a) he can hit the cover off the ball when he's on, and b) because he calls the best game in baseball behind the plate. If Tom Brady were continually hampered by injuries, would the Patriots consider moving him to place kicker to "save" his body? If Dwight Howard were getting banged up all the time playing center for the Orlando Magic, would the team move him to point guard to "keep him fresher"? If you answered "yes" or "maybe, you never know" to either of those questions, then you seriously need to consider watching "The Bachelorette" instead of sports, because you're clearly not intelligent enough to do so.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Love Shaq
There's not going to be too much overly special about this particular post. This is actually a post I never would've thought I would've written if you'd told me 10 years ago that I would be. On Wednesday, one of the greatest players to play the game of basketball decided to call it quits for a career. Shaquille O'Neal announced on Wednesday that, after a 19 year career, he has decided to retire from the NBA.
What made Shaq one of the greatest wasn't always about his talent, but what he brought to the game of basketball both on and off the court. Shaq was one of the most "real" stars of the game. What do I mean by that? Frankly, he let his personality shine through, and wasn't afraid to be who he was. He had other interests outside the game of basketball, and he would pursue those, but never at the expense of his team and teammates. In an era where it's far too common to read about athletes putting themselves in situations they shouldn't be in, Shaq was one that never did. He was flamboyant at times, yet still humble at times. He was the consummate teammate.
I'm not going to go through all of the Hall of Fame caliber numbers, but trust me, they're there. There's absolutely no question that he is one of the greatest big men to ever play the game. In fact, when he broke into the league 19 years ago, he revolutionized the way the game was played. He was nearly unguardable at times, and even spawned a new style of late-game defensive strategy known as the "Hack-A-Shaq." He brought Orlando to an NBA Finals, along with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, winning with both the Lakers and Heat. Later in his career, he hung on because he wanted to play the game, because it was a game that had given him almost everything he had...which was fitting, because he did the same. Sure, there were times where he was injured and didn't practice much because of bad feet or leg problems, but his heart was always there.
As a personality, there was almost no one more entertaining in the game. He may have come across as bland at times, but what came out of his mouth was usually great for conversation, and many times, great for a laugh. Kobe Bryant aside, his teammates loved him, and, if he were honest with himself, Kobe did as well. Kobe has proven later in his career that he is "the man", just as Shaq used to be. But without Shaq, Kobe's early success would've more than likely come much later in his career. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Shaq helped Kobe learn how to win, and learn how to lead a team. Putting a team on his shoulders was a Shaquille O'Neal calling card, and that's now been passed on to Kobe.
Over the last two or three seasons, Shaq wasn't close to the player he used to be, but that didn't stop him from trying. I always hated when my team would run up against him, but have learned to respect the talent and overall person that is Shaquille O'Neal. Thanks for the great career!
What made Shaq one of the greatest wasn't always about his talent, but what he brought to the game of basketball both on and off the court. Shaq was one of the most "real" stars of the game. What do I mean by that? Frankly, he let his personality shine through, and wasn't afraid to be who he was. He had other interests outside the game of basketball, and he would pursue those, but never at the expense of his team and teammates. In an era where it's far too common to read about athletes putting themselves in situations they shouldn't be in, Shaq was one that never did. He was flamboyant at times, yet still humble at times. He was the consummate teammate.
I'm not going to go through all of the Hall of Fame caliber numbers, but trust me, they're there. There's absolutely no question that he is one of the greatest big men to ever play the game. In fact, when he broke into the league 19 years ago, he revolutionized the way the game was played. He was nearly unguardable at times, and even spawned a new style of late-game defensive strategy known as the "Hack-A-Shaq." He brought Orlando to an NBA Finals, along with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, winning with both the Lakers and Heat. Later in his career, he hung on because he wanted to play the game, because it was a game that had given him almost everything he had...which was fitting, because he did the same. Sure, there were times where he was injured and didn't practice much because of bad feet or leg problems, but his heart was always there.
As a personality, there was almost no one more entertaining in the game. He may have come across as bland at times, but what came out of his mouth was usually great for conversation, and many times, great for a laugh. Kobe Bryant aside, his teammates loved him, and, if he were honest with himself, Kobe did as well. Kobe has proven later in his career that he is "the man", just as Shaq used to be. But without Shaq, Kobe's early success would've more than likely come much later in his career. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Shaq helped Kobe learn how to win, and learn how to lead a team. Putting a team on his shoulders was a Shaquille O'Neal calling card, and that's now been passed on to Kobe.
Over the last two or three seasons, Shaq wasn't close to the player he used to be, but that didn't stop him from trying. I always hated when my team would run up against him, but have learned to respect the talent and overall person that is Shaquille O'Neal. Thanks for the great career!
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