Another year of the Hall of Fame voting has come and gone and Bert is still waiting for his call. Well, he actually got a call from the Hall of Fame this year, just not the one he wanted. Rather rare, but Bert did receive notification that he was not elected. “Hey Bert, we really think you’ve improved but again you didn’t quite make it. Sorry man, but come out again next year, ok bud?”
Our favorite combo former Twin and broadcaster’s plight has been well documented. And I’m not talking about Roy Smalley. It has been a strange ride for Bert in this voting process. In his first year on the ballot, 1998, he registered an underwhelming 17.5% of the vote. Not staggering by any means, but the number is respectable for a first timer. Bert hovered around that same percentage for 3 years, then finally began a slow and steady climb throughout the steroid-ridden 2000s into serious contention with percentages in the low 50s. He did see a drop in 2007, only to spike into the low 60s percentage the following year. Now, in 2009, he falls 5 votes short. You have to wonder.
Bert certainly made it clear that he didn’t understand the patterns of the voters, vocalizing his frustration in the media telling the writers to just not vote for him at all. A tad cynical at the onset, Bert has mastered the public relations game necessary to push himself into the hall and should go in next year. Gaining votes one year, losing the next, you can’t blame the guy if he felt he was in the middle of some Mean Girls scheme more appropriately contrived for a homecoming queen, not one of the best pitchers in his era aiming for the Hall of Fame.
The climate is perfect for his entrance. The grand ol’ game is seeing less of its stars and regulars on the juice and the focus is returning to the elements of pitching, speed, strategy, and defense. Natural beauties of the game that were run over by the homerun craze. Back to Ty Cobb style ball. Doubles, triples, bunts and sacrifices. And red-headed dutchmen hurlers who wanted the ball in their hands past the 7th inning. It may be a circus getting Bert into Cooperstown and he’ll fit right in as a prankster, but even more so as a class act for his respect of the game and accomplishments while playing for mostly small-market, mediocre teams.
Bert will get the last laugh when he asks, “what took so long?”
We’re just hours from a potentially season-ending Game 3 at the Metrodome, and two other powerhouses in the playoffs have already been swept. A Yankee victory will also close the book on the Metrodome era Twins. What a shame to see it go this way. Once a mystical postseason home, the Metrodome has turned into the stuffy confines for mismatched losses and underachievers. It’s not just New York where the Twins can’t win; they have two wins at home under Ron Gardenhire in the playoffs to eight losses. That last win was Game 1 of the ALCS in 2002. Thank goodness he won that tiebreaker.
If anything, the Twins recent woes at the dome validate the two prior World Championships and the players on those teams. The success was not just a result of where they played; Kirby, Hrbek, Morris, and the gang got the job done and deserve all the legend surrounding their heroics.
Friday night’s loss was as maddening and sickening as it was predictable. My brother and I listened to the game on the radio and during the commercial breaks before the Yankees’ at bats in the 9th and 11th I turned to him and said, first, “Nathan has to get Teixiera. If he doesn’t A-Rod ties this game with a homerun,” and secondly, “I think Teixiera ends this thing, leading off.” Twins fans have seen this so many times. Is there a safe lead against the Yankees? My opinion is there is no reason to celebrate till the final out is recorded and they have secured a win.
Tonight the story line is “Pavano faces his former team.” Not much of a story, as there isn’t enough intrigue or history to build on between the two entities. Based on Pavano’s recent outings against the Tigers and Royals, the pinstripers will have plenty of opportunities for big innings and will most likely cash in. If the Twins can put up some runs of their own we may have a Game 4. I just don’t like those odds.
Tuesday night’s win and culmination of an inspired run to the division crown was truly amazing, and you can’t take anything away from that. Unfortunately, another loss tonight and there’s not a lot to hang your hat on for this 2009 team. Really it boils down to one good run against AL Central opponents.
Should the Twins win tonight, tomorrow, and somehow pull off an impossible to overstate just how improbable come from behind series win, the Metrodome will regain some of that mystical aura.
But if this is it, thank you Twins and thank you Metrodome for two World Championships and one ALCS amidst five playoff appearances in the last eight years.
A new era begins next spring. Let’s hope for one day, some frigid October night, when lightning will strike again as it did in 1987 and 1991, and the perfect storm of free agents and homegrown talent will come together and win it all. This time you’ll need earmuffs for more than just the noise.
Shortly after the end of the 2008 season I put together a subjective analysis of the Twins, laying out my perceived good, bad, and ugly.
The good: Franchise M&M boys, Joe Nathan, promising young pitching, plus the surprising nucleus of young speed and talent in Span, Gomez, and Casilla. Predictably, the M&M boys did it again this year. Unfortunately the young staff buckled. Go-Go sputtered and Casilla, well, stunk, and Span emerged as the lone real deal.
The ugly: Mike Redmond. Who doesn’t love Red dog? I just wish he was a bench coach at this point in his career. I am grateful for his contributions to the Twins, especially his leadership and championing of the “Smell ‘Em” campaign in 2006. He deserves praise for his veteran presence, but the decline began in 2007, got worse in 2008, and yet the Twins still handed him the backup job in 2009. I’m not the general manager, but Redmond, an above-average hitter over his career, is now a liability both at the plate (something Redmond admitted earlier this season against Fausto Carmona) and defensively in the running game.
The bad: I had mistakenly given up on Michael Cuddyer. He was struggling with injuries in recent seasons and I thought those would continue. I went as far as to claim that he would never approach hitting 30 HR or 100 RBI again. Despite a miserable start to the season, Cuddyer rebounded with consistency and desperately needed clutch hitting with big home runs in some huge spots, four of them this week alone. He has shown tremendous value and flexibility filling in at first base, playing excellent defense in Morneau’s absence.
I’m sorry, Cuddy. So sorry. You have earned some serious consideration for Comeback Player of the Year in my book.
Much could be said about this Twins team. A lot is written and even more is discussed among fans and friends who follow the game. Some is speculation, a lot of it is adulation, and more than a fair share is frustration. And of course, sports discourse festers in exaggeration.
A few neutral words to describe the Twins under Ron Gardenhire’s direction: they play 162 games. In some cases, 163. They give their all and continue to muster through 140 games of meddling mediocrity. Rather than bemoan disappointment, they methodically insist they still have a chance to get it right for the last 20. Which they do. They’ve still got 15 to go of that final 20 and if they can stay hot, they just might find themselves in the postseason.
Comparisons to 2006 are floating around now, and it’s actually sort of depressing. The AL Central was phenomenal that year with three legitimate World Series contenders: the reigning champs in the White Sox, the Cinderella Tigers, and the fiery hot Twins. It’s still the only season the wild card came out of this division. I think the crowd tonight shows the difference between the two seasons. In 2006, the dome would have been pushing 40,000 if not mid to upper 40’s in attendance. Tonight, a Friday night in the heat of the pennant race, and a low 32,000 or so were there to cheer on the club. It’s a reflection of the lesser quality products on both sides. One amazing stat to chew on for just how incredible that 2006 season was: The Twins went 40-13 in the heart of the season between June 8th and August 7th, and gained one game on the Tigers, still trailing by 10 1/2. (thank you Patrick Ruesse for that statistic, startribune.com)
Enjoy the rest of the season, but steer clear of the hype, in its many flavors. Win or lose, it’s one game at a time till 162.
Then it’s either off to New York or new beginnings in the Warehouse District. Both make for an exciting game 1.
.500 baseball in late August means your home club is in a pennant race.
Nevermind the days of dangerous, flawless clubs built for the long haul. This is the age of the best of five first round dream teams.
Even in the days of yesteryear there have been weak divisions that produced World Series winners. Take the 85 win Twins in 1987, or the 1973 Mets who finished a paltry 82-79 yet managed to make it to the show before bowing out to the mighty A’s. In more recent memory, consider the St. Louis Cardinals of 2006 who won it all with an 83-79 regular season.
Before you think I’m crowning the Twins the next Cinderella, let’s see if they can break this 6-6 tie against the Orioles. The positives are Alexi Casilla has finally shown the Twins they do have a second baseman somewhere between Rookie Ball and the Major Leagues that can get on base. In addition Jesse Crain, my goodness, Jesse Crain is throwing strike one and mixing off speed breaking balls across the plate to complement his fastball. Mijares is emerging as a reliable 8th inning option and Guerrier has yet to show the fatigue he did last season.
The Twins offense, defense, and bullpen are beginning to synchronize. The starting pitching obviously remains the most important yet glaring weak link to the quest for the playoffs. But with Detroit and Chicago unable to render the Twins also-rans, one must concede this team has a legitimate shot to win the division.
Party hats on, blow the annoying plastic horns. This scenario prevents the team from actually facing the music on what the 2009 season has been, a disappointing waste of offensive production and major regression from the young starters, although Baker has redeemed himself after a miserable start. Nevertheless, you have to keep playing the games as long as you’re in the race and the end result of what you set out to do is still within reach.
Even if it means the reward is a trip to New York for that best-of-five-don’t-blink-or-you-might-miss-it Division Series.
Here’s hoping we’re talking post season roster options one month from now for the potential David vs. Goliath series. If anything, it’d be a great way to close out the dome with one more sea of white Homer Hankies.
I gotta hand it to the MVB. He knows this team’s MVP. It’s Joe Mauer.
Where has Justin Morneau gone? He’s gone to a .233 batting average in August with 8 RBI. I daresay another late season drop off has begun? His average has dipped below .300, which by all means, the fact that he’s hitting that well while also threatening to lead the league in home runs and RBI is quite impressive. Nevertheless, he didn’t do much to help the club avoid losing 2 of 3 to the Royals. Mauer tore the cover off the ball these last three games and they walk away with one win.
That’s just the frustration talking. Obviously Morneau and the offense aren’t the major problems. However, we as fans have seen this team take a turn offensively. They’ve become all power and no small ball. What used to be their staple is now the achilles heel. There’s absolutely so many fundamentals they are failing to execute and it’s killing their once famed peck, peck, and peck away rallies. Span failed to move Punto to third after a leadoff double. Cabrera banged into a double play with the bases loaded and 1 out. Punto boofed the sac bunt attempt with runners on 1st and 2nd and no one out. They should have been able to push across three or four runs alone off those situations. Instead they rely on the long ball and it’s not leading to victories.
It’s very difficult to keep hoping and rooting for this team, series after series. The team has not recovered from the colossal 10 run blown lead in Oakland. Sure, they came home and swept the White Sox, who seem to be the only team still claiming you can’t win in the Dome. Meanwhile the Twins haven’t won a series since and are 3-8 in August.
There’s no Republican National Convention to keep them on the road for an extended period during the crucial stretch run like last year. Sadly, the Twins don’t seem able to utilize their historic home-field advantage for one last run.
So it sounds like Twins fans are starting to disengage from the season. Which I can totally be on board with, after all, it’s truly not likely for the Twins to win this division.
I think the moment I knew for sure the Twins weren’t going to make the playoffs was when there was a Kevin Mulvey sighting. He actually made it into two games, neither of which I saw him pitch. What number did he wear? What does he look like?
The same can be said for the following names who actually pitched at the Major League level this season for your Minnesota Twins: Sean Henn, Phil Humber, and Juan Morillo.
That’s my “Tier 1″ of horrible, overmatched pitchers the Twins used to try salvage their bullpen in 2009. Tier 2 consists of these guys: Luis Ayala, Brian Duensing, Bobby Keppel, and Jesse Crain. Crain should actually be in the Tier 1 of junk, but since he’s a veteran, I’ll do him the courtesy of a Tier 2 level reliever in one of the worst bullpens in the league.
Tier 3 consists of guys who have actually contributed consistently at some point during the season – so basically Jose Mijares and RA Dickey. These guys have been decent. Dickey has slumped as of late and Mijares has never really been lights out like last September, but I’ll accept their efforts.
Lastly, Nathan and Guerrier are in a league of their own for their success. But they are only two men and two men can’t do it alone. They certainly aren’t the “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain” of bullpen pitchers.
All of this leaves the Twins prolific offense disillusioned heading into the pennant chase. Hard to call it a pennant chase when the squad is not even playing .500 ball, but the AL Central is still within reach. But as Zack and Kelly sang in Saved by the Bell, “Did we ever have a chance?”
Bill Smith knew quite well the bullpen needed help last offseason and did nothing, placing a huge weight on the shoulders of the young pitching staff. If they had taken a step forward from their success last year this team would be leading the division.
Suffice to say the starters took at least one large step back. For the next two months the focus will be on trying to improve from within and win the division with what they have.
Needless to say, this isn’t how the Twins planned on opening 2010 in Target Field, with huge question marks and huge E.R.A.’s
After the Tigers picked up Washburn the Twins had to do something. Nothing burns me more, or the players on the team based off recent comments, than watching other clubs try make a run for it while the Twins stand by and observe.
The Twins have 60 games to go. Fully half are against last place or essentially last place caliber teams. That’s 30 games against the Indians, A’s, Orioles, and Royals. 18 of those are at home. The Twins must take advantage and beat up on this part of their schedule in order to make a push for the division.
The Tigers also have 60 games left. They play those 4 weak AL teams 25 times and have 14 games remaining against the Red Sox, Rays, and Angels. 10 of those are on the road including a 4 gamer at Fenway.
The Twins need to capitalize and go on a run. They play 4 games in Detroit in the penultimate series of the regular season, September 28 – October 1st. They need to make sure they go into Detroit 2 or 3 games up in first place. They have the schedule to do it, and now with Cabrera, a deeper lineup, bench, and energzied clubhouse.
If the Twins have any more moves in them to shore up the bullpen I’d pick them as odds on favorites to win the division.
The Twins have managed to squeak out two wins at home against the White Sox. Both teams came into the series avoiding 4 game sweeps on the road with victories on Sunday. Fortunately, one of these teams calls the Metrodome home in every sense of the word, and the other has developed a severe case of the willies.
That team with the willies is the White Sox. I hear tons of White Sox media down here in Iowa City between radio and television. These people absolutely despise the Metrodome. It’s their scapegoat for every single mistake when they play in Minneapolis. Maybe they’re on to something, but I tend to think it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. One check swing called against them, and the next thing you know it’s “oh that Dome again, here it comes…”
Buehrle was fantastic. I thought he was going to do it. He was almost 18 up and 18 down – luckily the first base umpire ruled that Casilla did not go around on what could have been strike three. If he had, the Twins would have went into the 7th trailing 1-0 with Buehrle just nine more outs away from two consecutive perfect games. We’ll never know if he would have made it.
My two heroes in these first two games of the series are Glen Perkins and Denard Span. Perkins because of his start last night, one that I was surprised to see him produce for as much as he’s struggled. Secondly Span because he knocked a solid base hit after Casilla walked. Had Span been retired, Buehrle would still have been working on a no hitter and the Sox would have maintained the excitement and momentum. As it was, the Twins got a break when Podsednik flat out missed Mauer’s fly ball. It wasn’t routine but how that was ruled a double is beyond me. Clearly a hometown break for Mauer, but either way, the game was tied and the Twins somehow averted the pressure of trying to squeak out a run off an unhittable pitcher.
They not only got into Buehrle’s kitchen, they pretty much went Iron Chef on him and the whole team. Getz, for some unknown reason, broke to his right for second base on Crede’s single hit just a few feet to his left. It was not a hit and run but must have been that crazy Metrodome just messing with the Sox again. So instead of a double play, the Twins had runners at the corners with no one out. Harris promptly smacked a single to give the Twins the lead. Punto (who must be wondering how much longer he’ll have a job if Cabrera is acquired) even smacked a two-run single.
The Twins should feel grateful to earn a win tonight. This wacky game with the baseball gods’ influences appearing all over the place is over and I have a feeling a more “normal” game will be played tomorrow night between these clubs. Both teams will send former all-star caliber pitchers to the mound in Liriano and Colon. Whichever pitcher shows up closer to that form should lead his team to victory. For the Twins sake, let’s hope they close the deal and earn a much needed sweep at home.
But if the Twins don’t come out and earn it themselves, rest assured they’ll welcome another win at the expense of White Sox mental miscues and those pesky Metrodome maladies.
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