124 thoughts on “September 6, 2011: Let’s Lose One”
even though its a chilly 43 degrees this morning, I love this time of the year. highs get into the 70s and low 80's. very few days with hot and humid conditions. just perfect.
totally agree. unlike spring, we don't have fall allergies here, so we can open the windows as well.
Likewise, although we do have fall allergies in this house. Still, this weather beats the heck out of July.
Love this weather - crisp in the morning warming into pleasantness through the day. I sleep a lot better too. Hopefully tomorrow I get up in time to ride my bike in to work.
Yes, walked barefoot out to the bus stop with zooomx.2.2 and zooomx.2.3 and my feet were freezing, but I was still loving this crisp morning weather. BTW... kids told me to get back in the house before I embarrassed them.
kids told me to get back in the house before I embarrassed them.
Then, as I understand parenting, you are doing it correctly.
I know we have another forum for this, but a quick story. I have coached my son the past 3 years in baseball (grades 3-5 so far). I have been that coach who is super-positive, orchestrating team cheers, etc, with the goal of the boys gaining confidence and enjoying the game so they will return next year. I still do the drills and development, but I am known for the rah-rah part of it more. Most kids that age, eat it up and a few (including my son), roll their eyes and participate reluctantly.
At the end of the season, I thought it was time to hang up the coaches whistle and let someone else coach next season. I let me son know that, and his jaw dropped. He said "Dad, you are by far the best coach in the league! Everyone wants to play on your team!" It is completely arguable that there are lots of better coaches in our league. However, to get the positive feedback from my son really shifted my perception of the job I do as a Dad. I think kids understand the dynamic more than we think and they play to it by acting embarrassed or failing to publicly embrace us and the strange things we do. Yet if our hearts are in the right place, they do appreciate and love us for who we are.
Your kid could not have said a cooler thing. Congrats, Superdad!
That's awesome. My dad stopped after five years, and I pretty much stopped liking baseball when I had different coaches. It was Little League. Fun was the most important thing, and we had a ton of fine. Not coincidentally, we also had some very good seasons.
I used to coach the Girl's YMCA soccer and basketball teams. Those were a lot of fun.
for years I ended every soccer practice with the hokey pokey. The girls loved it the first couple of years, but by about 3rd or 4th grade, some were getting too "cool" for it. That's about where I stopped coaching and she moved on to a more competitive grade of soccer. I miss those days a little.
I figure, since we had a girl, it'll take significantly less effort to be a solid trolldad than if we had a boy.
all you have to do is breathe once they get to a certain age.
"I'm not going to reward him for this; his reward is seeing my embarrassment," Rain said.
Awesome.
I do my embarrassing without working at it- it just comes naturally. That's the best way. Although, dressing in a costume to wave at your 16-year old on the bus is going to be a lot funnier to the kid once he's got his own kids.
But Peter King was certain his veteran presence could help a young team, and not just because they were NBC colleagues. If Peter King doesn't know what's good for an NFL team, well then I don't know what I think I think.
But he predicted the Bills to finish in third in the AFC East this year!
I'm embarrassed to say I had to read the description to understand what was so special about Linus with palm trees. Then I had that "Oh, yeah" moment. I wouldn't get one, but it's clever.
Yeah, I was trying to figure out why he had glasses on.
I'm genuinely excited to watch the Twins tonight just to be able to see Hendricks, Benson and Parmelee. I'm assuming they'll all be in there with Span and Morneau still out. Hopefully, Mauer can catch. I would really like to see Benson, Revere and Span in the same outfield some time, especially with Slowey pitching. The STrib said that Benson will most likely be a RF in the majors, but Seth Stohs said that Revere is the only guy in the organization faster than Benson, who also has a strong arm.
I also would like to see Luke Hughes and Hendricks start together since they're both Australian. I wonder when the last time two Aussies started for the same team in MLB.
Brad Thomas and Grant Balfour both pitched for the Twins in '04, but they weren't on the roster at the same time.
Mark Hutton and Graeme Lloyd were both on the 1996 Yankees, but again they weren't on the roster at the same time. Lloyd started the year on the Brewers, and by the time he was traded from Milwaukee to NYY, Hutton had been sent to Florida
Alright, here is every Aussie to play in MLB since 1986. The only player I left out was Joe Quinn, who played from 1884-1901. Everyone else has been since 1986.
(Click to embiggen)
There have been four sets of Aussies on the same MLB roster at the same time.
Oeltjen never hit the bigs with the Twins?
97 games in Rochester in 2007 is as close as he got. He was granted FA after that season.
Michael Nakamura and Grant Balfour both played for the 03 Twins
I looked up Nakamura because I remembered him being half-Australian and I remember he lived there, but it seems he was born in Japan.
I'm excited about that outfield as well. My only concern is, do we want Cuddii to play in the outfield enough to get back to being a Type A free agent, or are we OK with him being a Type B?
Depends on if you want him to return or not. If he's a Type A, he's more likely to accept arbitration or re-sign with the Twins. I think he returns either way, but if he's a Type A, there's less chance that another team, especially a good team, will come up with a really stupid offer.
As of September 2, he was projected to be a Type A. If he remains a Type A free agent and the Twins offer arbitration, it could significant dampen interest in him.
I knew that Cuddyer was right in between the two types, depending on if he's got more games in at first or the outfield in the last two years. By how often Hughes has been playing 1B the last week or so, I'd say the FO wants Cuddyer to be a Type A. I don't know if I want him to leave or not, because if he did sign elsewhere, there's no guarantee the next team "leader" won't be Tolbert or someone even worse.
First base and outfield are in the same category, so it doesn't matter between those two.
Not completely true, at least according to the Twins Geek. I knew I'd read something about it somewhere- being a blog post, take it for what it's worth. Just another small twist that has a chance to make Bill Smith mess up another contract in some way.
Looks like they are first ranked in their position before being grouped together. So it definitely does matter where he starts over the next 21 games. With Parmelee up and Mauer still hanging around, I think RF is more likely.
Cuddiier's wrist is preventing the Iron Man from playing first base lately. His agent might want to prompt him to tough it out and play first base.
I don't understand this story. I mean, he's not left-handed!
And he slapped me.
That's the perfect payoff to that story.
FFFFF*********&&&&&&&&&&KKKKKKKKK! CJ! Noooooooo!
@Twins Minnesota Twins
LHP Chuck James designated for assignment to make room for #Twins starter Liam Hendriks on 40-man. Also recall Matt Tolbert from Rochester.
Screw you, Billy Smith. Gol'Dang travesty.
That's it. I'm done. Go Milwaukee!
They're doing him a favor. The Twins weren't going to call him up, so by DFAing him, he can sign with another team for the last few games.
But why weren't they going to call him up? That's what I don't get. Am I completely blind to some weakness or reason he's likely to be worse this year or next year than other lefty relievers?
I have no idea. I would prefer if they called him CJ, but if not, then DFAing him is best for his career.
According to an article, he signed with the Twins over the Nationals (with whom he played in 2010) because he felt he had a better chance to make the team with the Bullpen being questionable. I think it hurts the club's chances with other lottery-ticket recovering players that even merit will not get you to the club: try signing somewhere else.
Just another example of Billy Smith mismanaging the roster. I would think that CJ would at least be an asset to protect. He will probably end up in the AL Central and own our stable of lefty hitters for the next few years. (little bit of strib commenter coming out in me)
I knew this was going to happen, but hoped someone else would be cut or moved to the 60-day DL.
Should make getting a game-used CJ44 Jersey real cheap at Twinsfest though.
Yea, it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Neck Fat I at least get. He's substantially younger and had two pretty good seasons out of the 'pen ('09 and '10) before this season with the Twins.
But why would the club bother to keep Dumatrait and Hughes in front of James? He's pretty clearly better than Doom Treat or Dusty F'ing Hughes. Why keep those age-29 lefty relievers instead of CJ?
Hughes was DFA'd a while ago. He tweeted on Sunday that he was a day away from being a free agent for the first time in nine years.
Wow, I didn't keep up with Twitter today, but:
@Dhughes29 Dusty hughes
Had a terrible season. Hope to learn Japanese and go play over there. Free agency here I come. Yikes
and
@Dhughes29 Dusty hughes
Oh yea guess me working on my mechanics this morning worked I actually didn't give up a run for a change
I guess you can be sarcastic about your own abilities when you're no longer on anyone's roster.
CJ is 29 also. (But missing most of two seasons means his arm's only 27.)
My guess? Personality problems. Like every other talented player the Twins have sent packing.
It won't come out until the Strib Scribes write the articles next year when he's got like a 23-inning scoreless stretch or a 1.39 ERA through July or something like that, as why the Twins gave him no chance.
Message: we're sticking with our guys.
He's free now AMR. Run free little Chuckie... run freeeeee!
James posted impressive numbers at Triple-A, with a 2.30 ERA and 67 strikeouts against 27 walks in 62 2/3 innings.
But he didn't fare as well in eight appearances with the Twins, posting a 6.10 ERA over 10 1/3 innings, with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Yeah, or maybe he looked really good on the mound in eight appearances with a 2.70 ERA over 10 innings, but then was on the mound for the next inning and had a bad outing. He was hung out to dry that day because the starter only went 2.2 IP, and then Mijares only recorded two outs. #FYBS
The day with all the ER, the inning, he only gave up four singles (with one K). And the Twins' defense sucks. #FYBS
(Yes, I've decided to take this personally.)
BTW, Mijares at that point had a 5.47 ERA with 16 Ks and 21 BB in 26.1 IP. His ERA would not stop there.
Okay, Mijares didn't give up a single homerun this year until the game after that, when his ERA peaked at its season-high 6.26.
On July 6, Dumatrait had an ERA of 6.06 with 7K, 8BB, and 4 HR. He also allowed both of CJ's inherited runners to score from the one bad outing. #FYDM [Chuck James gave up one HR in his 10.0 IP.]
More bio on what his injury was:
The 29-year-old has a career record of 24-19 with a 4.53 ERA in parts of five big league seasons with the Braves and Twins. Before this year, he last pitched in the Majors in 2008, and he underwent a four-hour surgery on his rotator cuff and labrum performed by Dr. James Andrews after the '08 season. He made it all the way back to the Majors after rehabbing in '09 and pitching in the Minors the last two seasons, including last year in the Nationals' organization.
Oh, and Hoey in his now 17.0 IP has an ERA of 6.88, 4HR, 10K, and 11BB. He's one year younger than CJ.
I guess I wouldn't be writing any of this if the Twins had traded one of last year's starting infielders, currently having a career year, for CJ.
Hoe-Down.
CJ has a FIP of 3.89 with the Twins this year, ranking fifth for relievers. Perkins is the only one with more than ten innings pitched in front of him. For xFIP, he's middle of the pack at ninth. Perkins, Nathan, Slowey, Capps, and Burnett are the relievers with at least ten innings pitched above him. Below him in either stat: Mijares, Hoey, Hughes*, Hacker, and Dumatrait. Finally, in fWAR, CJ is second at 0.1. It's a sad bullpen.
* Admittedly, Hughes is barely behind CJ in xFIP, but waaay back for FIP.
What I read is: you're right, AMR, the club's insistence on minimizing CJ's opportunities looks ridiculous.
Turns out NBC, who has the rights to the Rugby World Cup, is only airing 10 of the games on free-view TV. The rest of the tournament (38 games) is being offered at $149.99 for web-based PPV. Guess who's firing up the ITV webplayer and watching UK-based feeds?
here's your depressing twins fact of the day (courtesy of AG's recent column):
Overall this season the Twins have scored zero or one run in 26 percent of their games, which is tied with the Mariners for worst in the league. And as bad as that sounds they've been far worse recently, scoring zero or one run in 17 of 33 games since August 1. To put that in some context, consider that the Yankees (13), Diamondbacks (15), Tigers (16), and Orioles (16) have scored zero or one run fewer than 17 times all season. What a mess.
[emphasis added]
i would have posted this in the recap post, but i think the apathy has overwhelmed that particular feature 😉
Yes, the recaps to me (lately) are about as enticing as a visit to the dentist. No offense to you authors out there. It's not your fault the subject matter stinks.
Twayn's work AND View From Your Ballpark excepted. I really don't care about the games themselves in those cases. Again, no offense to the other authors out there (it's not like I haven't mailed in my last few game logs...).
What? The culture club is chopped liver?
Hey, now. Culture Club is much appreciated. I was just in between rational thoughts when I wrote that.
Apathy, yes, and also the first teaching day of the semester. I watched some of both games, but totally Battey'd the wrap in getting everything ready for lecture today. I felt a little bad when I realized this around 11:30 this morning, but the ship had sailed by that point.
scoring zero or one run in 17 of 33 games since August 1.
And in the other 16 games, they are averaging 6.6 runs per game. In this stretch, the Twins have scored 2 runs once, 3 runs twice and four runs twice. So, they have scored 5 or more runs 11 times. It's either feast or famine right now for the Twins.
More famine last might.
I see there has been no mention of the abominations sported by the Maryland footballers last night. That's probably for the best.
Here's my question: Better or worse than the UGA uniforms on Saturday?
OK, those UGA outfits are ugly, but Maryland's actually offended me. 😉 See for yourself.
It's pretty easy to get him going, but most of the time that's half the fun.
Holy crap.
I don't know what I expected, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't have created those as a joke. It manages to be offensive to the sport and to art.
I actually am surprised it took this long. One thing I learned during my time in DC is that everything associated with Maryland LOVES to try to incorporate the state's unique flag in some way.
Holy crap.
I don't know what I expected, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't have created those as a joke.
I concur with all that. From first descriptions, I thought I might enjoy them in the way I enjoy Oregon: I don't want my team to look that way, but it's cool that someone's pushing boundaries. But what Maryland has there is half-baked edginess. It's like corporate group-think test-marketed "edgy"-ness. If they were going to do this successfully, they needed to go further. Make the whole uniform some harlequin clownsuit, add some terrapin print, etc. Instead, they added the flag patterns on top of the existing white uniform, keeping the numbers maroon (which is not on the state flag). The look reminded me of the NFL pro-bowl where the players use their teams' helmets but the rest of the uniform is for their conference and nothing goes together.
More of my opinion on Oregon: some combos do look fantastic (I'm partial to all-white uniforms*, and what the Ducks have for that is gorgeous), and plenty of other schools can look just as bad as bad Oregon without being interesting. (Their worst look was the diamond-steel shoulders of nearly a decade ago. With a low that low, everything else looks good by comparison.)
BTW, Georgia looked good -- they had an idea and went for it completely. (Even if it was a bit Oregon-but-Red.) Boise looked nearly-great in all white with the asymmetrically labelled helmets. Still not sure I like asymmetrical sleeves though.
*Which is why I hate the Vikings' purple pants.
I'm thinking the wife and I will go to the game tonight. Weirdly, I expect it to be more like the games I've went to in other stadiums, where I have little interest in who wins but just want to see players I've only read about play in a gorgeous stadium on a nice night.
Did not see UGA's unis, but there is no way in Hell they were more hideous than the Terps. They took two ugly designs and split the difference. Worst. Uniforms. Ever.
designers of Roller Derby uniforms were crying after seeing those abominations.
The Birds of War are playing the Belgians on ESPN3 right now. Nil-nil in the 30th minute.
well, they spelled dinkelman right this time. of course, they misspelled hendriks.
As long as they get it right on the uniform, I don't think they'll complain much.
Heh. My wife might recognize two players on our team tonight. On the plus side, we got great seats and the weather is looking awfully nice (and I for one am really excited by that lineup).
H-E-N-D-R-I-X. Hendrix.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNDuBFpU9Q
DaveCampbellAP Dave Campbell
Diamond last night. Hendrix tonight. Who needs Paul McCartney?
I must have been out of the office when "nukes the fridge" became a thing. I thought it was just OUR thing.
Oh, and the piece is mildly amusing too.
I think they're making a leap that someone's home bathroom is necessarily clean.
When I saw that scene, I knew I was watching something really special.
It was a thing immediately. I just assumed someone here saw it written elsewhere and brought it over.
No, independently created.
Funny. I was just talking to someone about how I thought I came up with, "Now there's a man out standing in his field," but I was apparently hundreds of years late to that one.
Alright, dudes, I have some time to kill before my money league fantasy draft and I'll take the first suggestion on a great album I've never heard.
do you have any of Martin Zellar's stuff with the Gear Daddies?
not "great" albums, but certainly worth a listen.
Thanks, and done. Funny enough, though I've met and had a long conversation with Zellar, I've never gotten around to his music.
I always liked Marty well enough, although I can't claim that we were tight. I probably knew his brother Brad a little better.
for those of you who know him or his work, you may be amused to know that he was preznit of the student council as a senior (Brad, not Marty), IIRC.
He was very cool in our meeting (Martin, not Brad). Within one minute of BSing about music - I'd just been to the Austin City Limits music festival, and he wanted to hear all about it - I got the feeling I was talking with an old friend, not a man of mild celebrity that I'd just met.
Okay, so I actually knew that disc somewhat well ("Sonic Boom" was a favorite at our teen dances, which amused me greatly when I realized what it was about). As advertised, not a classic disc but plenty of fun.
I just watched "Rio" the other day and enjoyed the music, so I downloaded the soundtrack. Very nice. Obviously, a lot of samba influence.
That's in the queue, ready for whenever I see my kids next.
Here's one that you may not know that treads on the "great" territory: Emmylou Harris's Roses in the Snow.
The House of Love (1990). A wonderful slice of British guitar rock that never fully received it's due.
I don't know that I've ever even heard of them. I'll pull that up after Billy's Last Bait here.
Uh, Billy's Live Bait. Half-baked!
LIVE bait. Although it was nearly their last bait too. 😉
You're not alone. While they had some success in England, they were virtually unknown in the States. Well, except for some discerning record store clerks...
I was playing that disc at the studio recently when a painter friend stopped by. After about 10 minutes of visiting, he walked over to my boom box and turned up the volume. He was shocked when I told him the record was 20 years old. He thought they were some cool new up and cummers.
I'm on the first track right now, and digging it hard already.
Strassurection.
It's not exactly an album, but that's why you have radio.
Ha (I had to Google that).
Now that you remind me, maybe I'll put that on for a background visual instead of the Twins game...
I'm waiting to hear this one, a post-Katrina fundraiser album.
Trey brought home a picture of his family and wrote their ages next to each one. Himself, 6, Junior, 9, Daddy, 40, and Mommy, 89. He's having a conversation with mommy right now.
CF Joe Benson
SS Trevor Plouffe
DH Joe Mauer
3B Danny Valencia
1B Chris Parmelee
2B Luke Hughes
LF Rene Tosoni
RF Brian Dinkelman
C Rene Rivera
SP Liam Hendriks
AAAA.
Considering Benson and Parmelee spent all year at AA, I think they average out with Mauer and Valencia (especially this year) as a competitive AAA lineup. It might not even finish as the best team.
Heh. Maybe if Cuddii was out there playing through the pain...
Sons of Anarchy is back! I hope this season starts off stronger than the last one. Danny Trejo is on the show now, so that's promising.
Oh, hey. The Twins were eliminated with that second loss yesterday. (Or when Detroit won, whichever happened last.)
Seeing as the MIN game started at 7:10 Central and went 2h26, while the Detroit game started at 6:10 (I'm guessing) and went 2h34, it looks like it was the loss that Eliminated the Twins.
So, now my best reason for watching the Twins is hoping for the Dink or Parmelee to do something significant enough that their cheering section will be shown. I'm grasping at straws here, fellas.
even though its a chilly 43 degrees this morning, I love this time of the year. highs get into the 70s and low 80's. very few days with hot and humid conditions. just perfect.
totally agree. unlike spring, we don't have fall allergies here, so we can open the windows as well.
Likewise, although we do have fall allergies in this house. Still, this weather beats the heck out of July.
Love this weather - crisp in the morning warming into pleasantness through the day. I sleep a lot better too. Hopefully tomorrow I get up in time to ride my bike in to work.
Yes, walked barefoot out to the bus stop with zooomx.2.2 and zooomx.2.3 and my feet were freezing, but I was still loving this crisp morning weather. BTW... kids told me to get back in the house before I embarrassed them.
kids told me to get back in the house before I embarrassed them.
Then, as I understand parenting, you are doing it correctly.
I know we have another forum for this, but a quick story. I have coached my son the past 3 years in baseball (grades 3-5 so far). I have been that coach who is super-positive, orchestrating team cheers, etc, with the goal of the boys gaining confidence and enjoying the game so they will return next year. I still do the drills and development, but I am known for the rah-rah part of it more. Most kids that age, eat it up and a few (including my son), roll their eyes and participate reluctantly.
At the end of the season, I thought it was time to hang up the coaches whistle and let someone else coach next season. I let me son know that, and his jaw dropped. He said "Dad, you are by far the best coach in the league! Everyone wants to play on your team!" It is completely arguable that there are lots of better coaches in our league. However, to get the positive feedback from my son really shifted my perception of the job I do as a Dad. I think kids understand the dynamic more than we think and they play to it by acting embarrassed or failing to publicly embrace us and the strange things we do. Yet if our hearts are in the right place, they do appreciate and love us for who we are.
Your kid could not have said a cooler thing. Congrats, Superdad!
That's awesome. My dad stopped after five years, and I pretty much stopped liking baseball when I had different coaches. It was Little League. Fun was the most important thing, and we had a ton of fine. Not coincidentally, we also had some very good seasons.
I used to coach the Girl's YMCA soccer and basketball teams. Those were a lot of fun.
for years I ended every soccer practice with the hokey pokey. The girls loved it the first couple of years, but by about 3rd or 4th grade, some were getting too "cool" for it. That's about where I stopped coaching and she moved on to a more competitive grade of soccer. I miss those days a little.
's why I like leading K-1 choir 😉
i'm still trying to decide how big of a trolldad i want to be.
I figure, since we had a girl, it'll take significantly less effort to be a solid trolldad than if we had a boy.
all you have to do is breathe once they get to a certain age.
Awesome.
I do my embarrassing without working at it- it just comes naturally. That's the best way. Although, dressing in a costume to wave at your 16-year old on the bus is going to be a lot funnier to the kid once he's got his own kids.
I've got a new hero.
Flabbergasted, I tell ya!
But Peter King was certain his veteran presence could help a young team, and not just because they were NBC colleagues. If Peter King doesn't know what's good for an NFL team, well then I don't know what I think I think.
But he predicted the Bills to finish in third in the AFC East this year!
Nobody circles the wagons...
Wait, that's another insufferable jackass.
teefury with a good one today
I'm embarrassed to say I had to read the description to understand what was so special about Linus with palm trees. Then I had that "Oh, yeah" moment. I wouldn't get one, but it's clever.
Now, this one is more my style.
Yeah, I was trying to figure out why he had glasses on.
I'm genuinely excited to watch the Twins tonight just to be able to see Hendricks, Benson and Parmelee. I'm assuming they'll all be in there with Span and Morneau still out. Hopefully, Mauer can catch. I would really like to see Benson, Revere and Span in the same outfield some time, especially with Slowey pitching. The STrib said that Benson will most likely be a RF in the majors, but Seth Stohs said that Revere is the only guy in the organization faster than Benson, who also has a strong arm.
I also would like to see Luke Hughes and Hendricks start together since they're both Australian. I wonder when the last time two Aussies started for the same team in MLB.
Brad Thomas and Grant Balfour both pitched for the Twins in '04, but they weren't on the roster at the same time.
Mark Hutton and Graeme Lloyd were both on the 1996 Yankees, but again they weren't on the roster at the same time. Lloyd started the year on the Brewers, and by the time he was traded from Milwaukee to NYY, Hutton had been sent to Florida
Alright, here is every Aussie to play in MLB since 1986. The only player I left out was Joe Quinn, who played from 1884-1901. Everyone else has been since 1986.
(Click to embiggen)
There have been four sets of Aussies on the same MLB roster at the same time.
Oeltjen never hit the bigs with the Twins?
97 games in Rochester in 2007 is as close as he got. He was granted FA after that season.
Michael Nakamura and Grant Balfour both played for the 03 Twins
I looked up Nakamura because I remembered him being half-Australian and I remember he lived there, but it seems he was born in Japan.
Yeah, a situation like that wouldn't show up using BR's Place of Birth lists.
I'm excited about that outfield as well. My only concern is, do we want Cuddii to play in the outfield enough to get back to being a Type A free agent, or are we OK with him being a Type B?
Depends on if you want him to return or not. If he's a Type A, he's more likely to accept arbitration or re-sign with the Twins. I think he returns either way, but if he's a Type A, there's less chance that another team, especially a good team, will come up with a really stupid offer.
As of September 2, he was projected to be a Type A. If he remains a Type A free agent and the Twins offer arbitration, it could significant dampen interest in him.
I knew that Cuddyer was right in between the two types, depending on if he's got more games in at first or the outfield in the last two years. By how often Hughes has been playing 1B the last week or so, I'd say the FO wants Cuddyer to be a Type A. I don't know if I want him to leave or not, because if he did sign elsewhere, there's no guarantee the next team "leader" won't be Tolbert or someone even worse.
First base and outfield are in the same category, so it doesn't matter between those two.
Not completely true, at least according to the Twins Geek. I knew I'd read something about it somewhere- being a blog post, take it for what it's worth. Just another small twist that has a chance to make Bill Smith mess up another contract in some way.
Looks like they are first ranked in their position before being grouped together. So it definitely does matter where he starts over the next 21 games. With Parmelee up and Mauer still hanging around, I think RF is more likely.
Cuddiier's wrist is preventing the Iron Man from playing first base lately. His agent might want to prompt him to tough it out and play first base.
I don't understand this story. I mean, he's not left-handed!
That's the perfect payoff to that story.
FFFFF*********&&&&&&&&&&KKKKKKKKK! CJ! Noooooooo!
Screw you, Billy Smith. Gol'Dang travesty.
That's it. I'm done. Go Milwaukee!
They're doing him a favor. The Twins weren't going to call him up, so by DFAing him, he can sign with another team for the last few games.
But why weren't they going to call him up? That's what I don't get. Am I completely blind to some weakness or reason he's likely to be worse this year or next year than other lefty relievers?
I have no idea. I would prefer if they called him CJ, but if not, then DFAing him is best for his career.
According to an article, he signed with the Twins over the Nationals (with whom he played in 2010) because he felt he had a better chance to make the team with the Bullpen being questionable. I think it hurts the club's chances with other lottery-ticket recovering players that even merit will not get you to the club: try signing somewhere else.
Just another example of Billy Smith mismanaging the roster. I would think that CJ would at least be an asset to protect. He will probably end up in the AL Central and own our stable of lefty hitters for the next few years. (little bit of strib commenter coming out in me)
I knew this was going to happen, but hoped someone else would be cut or moved to the 60-day DL.
Should make getting a game-used CJ44 Jersey real cheap at Twinsfest though.
Yea, it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Neck Fat I at least get. He's substantially younger and had two pretty good seasons out of the 'pen ('09 and '10) before this season with the Twins.
But why would the club bother to keep Dumatrait and Hughes in front of James? He's pretty clearly better than Doom Treat or Dusty F'ing Hughes. Why keep those age-29 lefty relievers instead of CJ?
Don't be badmouthing Doomtree
+1
Hughes was DFA'd a while ago. He tweeted on Sunday that he was a day away from being a free agent for the first time in nine years.
Wow, I didn't keep up with Twitter today, but:
and
I guess you can be sarcastic about your own abilities when you're no longer on anyone's roster.
CJ is 29 also. (But missing most of two seasons means his arm's only 27.)
My guess? Personality problems. Like every other talented player the Twins have sent packing.
It won't come out until the Strib Scribes write the articles next year when he's got like a 23-inning scoreless stretch or a 1.39 ERA through July or something like that, as why the Twins gave him no chance.
He's free now AMR. Run free little Chuckie... run freeeeee!
Stupid Sting song.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBMBqAsaHPw
Official word from Twins.com:
Yeah, or maybe he looked really good on the mound in eight appearances with a 2.70 ERA over 10 innings, but then was on the mound for the next inning and had a bad outing. He was hung out to dry that day because the starter only went 2.2 IP, and then Mijares only recorded two outs. #FYBS
The day with all the ER, the inning, he only gave up four singles (with one K). And the Twins' defense sucks. #FYBS
(Yes, I've decided to take this personally.)
BTW, Mijares at that point had a 5.47 ERA with 16 Ks and 21 BB in 26.1 IP. His ERA would not stop there.
Okay, Mijares didn't give up a single homerun this year until the game after that, when his ERA peaked at its season-high 6.26.
On July 6, Dumatrait had an ERA of 6.06 with 7K, 8BB, and 4 HR. He also allowed both of CJ's inherited runners to score from the one bad outing. #FYDM [Chuck James gave up one HR in his 10.0 IP.]
More bio on what his injury was:
Oh, and Hoey in his now 17.0 IP has an ERA of 6.88, 4HR, 10K, and 11BB. He's one year younger than CJ.
I guess I wouldn't be writing any of this if the Twins had traded one of last year's starting infielders, currently having a career year, for CJ.
Hoe-Down.
CJ has a FIP of 3.89 with the Twins this year, ranking fifth for relievers. Perkins is the only one with more than ten innings pitched in front of him. For xFIP, he's middle of the pack at ninth. Perkins, Nathan, Slowey, Capps, and Burnett are the relievers with at least ten innings pitched above him. Below him in either stat: Mijares, Hoey, Hughes*, Hacker, and Dumatrait. Finally, in fWAR, CJ is second at 0.1. It's a sad bullpen.
* Admittedly, Hughes is barely behind CJ in xFIP, but waaay back for FIP.
What I read is: you're right, AMR, the club's insistence on minimizing CJ's opportunities looks ridiculous.
Turns out NBC, who has the rights to the Rugby World Cup, is only airing 10 of the games on free-view TV. The rest of the tournament (38 games) is being offered at $149.99 for web-based PPV. Guess who's firing up the ITV webplayer and watching UK-based feeds?
here's your depressing twins fact of the day (courtesy of AG's recent column):
i would have posted this in the recap post, but i think the apathy has overwhelmed that particular feature 😉
Yes, the recaps to me (lately) are about as enticing as a visit to the dentist. No offense to you authors out there. It's not your fault the subject matter stinks.
Twayn's work AND View From Your Ballpark excepted. I really don't care about the games themselves in those cases. Again, no offense to the other authors out there (it's not like I haven't mailed in my last few game logs...).
What? The culture club is chopped liver?
Hey, now. Culture Club is much appreciated. I was just in between rational thoughts when I wrote that.
Apathy, yes, and also the first teaching day of the semester. I watched some of both games, but totally Battey'd the wrap in getting everything ready for lecture today. I felt a little bad when I realized this around 11:30 this morning, but the ship had sailed by that point.
And in the other 16 games, they are averaging 6.6 runs per game. In this stretch, the Twins have scored 2 runs once, 3 runs twice and four runs twice. So, they have scored 5 or more runs 11 times. It's either feast or famine right now for the Twins.
More famine last might.
I see there has been no mention of the abominations sported by the Maryland footballers last night. That's probably for the best.
Here's my question: Better or worse than the UGA uniforms on Saturday?
OK, those UGA outfits are ugly, but Maryland's actually offended me. 😉 See for yourself.
Uni Watch's take is entertaining.
Nice. I knew Lukas would be appalled.
It's pretty easy to get him going, but most of the time that's half the fun.
Holy crap.
I don't know what I expected, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't have created those as a joke. It manages to be offensive to the sport and to art.
I actually am surprised it took this long. One thing I learned during my time in DC is that everything associated with Maryland LOVES to try to incorporate the state's unique flag in some way.
Holy crap.
I don't know what I expected, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't have created those as a joke.
I concur with all that. From first descriptions, I thought I might enjoy them in the way I enjoy Oregon: I don't want my team to look that way, but it's cool that someone's pushing boundaries. But what Maryland has there is half-baked edginess. It's like corporate group-think test-marketed "edgy"-ness. If they were going to do this successfully, they needed to go further. Make the whole uniform some harlequin clownsuit, add some terrapin print, etc. Instead, they added the flag patterns on top of the existing white uniform, keeping the numbers maroon (which is not on the state flag). The look reminded me of the NFL pro-bowl where the players use their teams' helmets but the rest of the uniform is for their conference and nothing goes together.
More of my opinion on Oregon: some combos do look fantastic (I'm partial to all-white uniforms*, and what the Ducks have for that is gorgeous), and plenty of other schools can look just as bad as bad Oregon without being interesting. (Their worst look was the diamond-steel shoulders of nearly a decade ago. With a low that low, everything else looks good by comparison.)
BTW, Georgia looked good -- they had an idea and went for it completely. (Even if it was a bit Oregon-but-Red.) Boise looked nearly-great in all white with the asymmetrically labelled helmets. Still not sure I like asymmetrical sleeves though.
*Which is why I hate the Vikings' purple pants.
I'm thinking the wife and I will go to the game tonight. Weirdly, I expect it to be more like the games I've went to in other stadiums, where I have little interest in who wins but just want to see players I've only read about play in a gorgeous stadium on a nice night.
Did not see UGA's unis, but there is no way in Hell they were more hideous than the Terps. They took two ugly designs and split the difference. Worst. Uniforms. Ever.
designers of Roller Derby uniforms were crying after seeing those abominations.
The Birds of War are playing the Belgians on ESPN3 right now. Nil-nil in the 30th minute.
Mauer, Juicy and the Red Cats.
well, they spelled dinkelman right this time. of course, they misspelled hendriks.
As long as they get it right on the uniform, I don't think they'll complain much.
Heh. My wife might recognize two players on our team tonight. On the plus side, we got great seats and the weather is looking awfully nice (and I for one am really excited by that lineup).
H-E-N-D-R-I-X. Hendrix.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNDuBFpU9Q
I must have been out of the office when "nukes the fridge" became a thing. I thought it was just OUR thing.
Oh, and the piece is mildly amusing too.
I think they're making a leap that someone's home bathroom is necessarily clean.
When I saw that scene, I knew I was watching something really special.
It was a thing immediately. I just assumed someone here saw it written elsewhere and brought it over.
No, independently created.
Funny. I was just talking to someone about how I thought I came up with, "Now there's a man out standing in his field," but I was apparently hundreds of years late to that one.
Alright, dudes, I have some time to kill before my money league fantasy draft and I'll take the first suggestion on a great album I've never heard.
do you have any of Martin Zellar's stuff with the Gear Daddies?
not "great" albums, but certainly worth a listen.
Thanks, and done. Funny enough, though I've met and had a long conversation with Zellar, I've never gotten around to his music.
I always liked Marty well enough, although I can't claim that we were tight. I probably knew his brother Brad a little better.
for those of you who know him or his work, you may be amused to know that he was preznit of the student council as a senior (Brad, not Marty), IIRC.
He was very cool in our meeting (Martin, not Brad). Within one minute of BSing about music - I'd just been to the Austin City Limits music festival, and he wanted to hear all about it - I got the feeling I was talking with an old friend, not a man of mild celebrity that I'd just met.
Okay, so I actually knew that disc somewhat well ("Sonic Boom" was a favorite at our teen dances, which amused me greatly when I realized what it was about). As advertised, not a classic disc but plenty of fun.
I just watched "Rio" the other day and enjoyed the music, so I downloaded the soundtrack. Very nice. Obviously, a lot of samba influence.
That's in the queue, ready for whenever I see my kids next.
Here's one that you may not know that treads on the "great" territory: Emmylou Harris's Roses in the Snow.
The House of Love (1990). A wonderful slice of British guitar rock that never fully received it's due.
I don't know that I've ever even heard of them. I'll pull that up after Billy's Last Bait here.
Uh, Billy's Live Bait. Half-baked!
LIVE bait. Although it was nearly their last bait too. 😉
You're not alone. While they had some success in England, they were virtually unknown in the States. Well, except for some discerning record store clerks...
I was playing that disc at the studio recently when a painter friend stopped by. After about 10 minutes of visiting, he walked over to my boom box and turned up the volume. He was shocked when I told him the record was 20 years old. He thought they were some cool new up and cummers.
I'm on the first track right now, and digging it hard already.
Strassurection.
It's not exactly an album, but that's why you have radio.
Ha (I had to Google that).
Now that you remind me, maybe I'll put that on for a background visual instead of the Twins game...
I'm waiting to hear this one, a post-Katrina fundraiser album.
Let It Beard by Boston Spaceships.
Trey brought home a picture of his family and wrote their ages next to each one. Himself, 6, Junior, 9, Daddy, 40, and Mommy, 89. He's having a conversation with mommy right now.
CF Joe Benson
SS Trevor Plouffe
DH Joe Mauer
3B Danny Valencia
1B Chris Parmelee
2B Luke Hughes
LF Rene Tosoni
RF Brian Dinkelman
C Rene Rivera
SP Liam Hendriks
AAAA.
Considering Benson and Parmelee spent all year at AA, I think they average out with Mauer and Valencia (especially this year) as a competitive AAA lineup. It might not even finish as the best team.
Heh. Maybe if Cuddii was out there playing through the pain...
Sons of Anarchy is back! I hope this season starts off stronger than the last one. Danny Trejo is on the show now, so that's promising.
Oh, hey. The Twins were eliminated with that second loss yesterday. (Or when Detroit won, whichever happened last.)
Seeing as the MIN game started at 7:10 Central and went 2h26, while the Detroit game started at 6:10 (I'm guessing) and went 2h34, it looks like it was the loss that Eliminated the Twins.
So, now my best reason for watching the Twins is hoping for the Dink or Parmelee to do something significant enough that their cheering section will be shown. I'm grasping at straws here, fellas.