My daughter told me last night that my wife's birthday is today and I about puked before I had to remind her she was off by a month. Crisis averted.
115 thoughts on “May 30, 2013: Gripping Fear”
On pace for 71-91.
I live in Wisconsin right now. This morning I was talking to a coworker. Not realizing I'm from Minnesota, he says to me "Ugh, Brewers lost again last night." I replied to him, "Yeah, but at least the Twins won!"
If you're looking for something different to stream today, try Radio Dismuke on Live 365. It's all tracks taken from 78rpm LPs.
Javy Vasquez - I haven't thought of him in quite some time.
I wonder what the list of pitchers who defeated every team in the majors that existed at the time of their career looks like, because guys like Bert or Nolan Ryan would never have had the chance to beat the Rays.
Nolan Ryan's last year in the league was 1993 with the Rangers in the AL, so he never beat Colorado or Florida, that year's expansion NL teams.
Bert went winless in 12 career starts against Philadelphia and never played against Pittsburgh as that was the only NL team he was ever on.
what you meant to say is that Nolan Ryan never allowed a hit to Colorado or Florida.
So here's a spreadsheet of all non-Negro League HOF pitchers. I've started filling in the "Never Beaten" column from the bottom up. A useful tab to have open is "19XX in Baseball" on Wikipedia. It'll list all the teams in the league for that year. Replace "XX" with the last year the player played and that'll be every possible team to have defeated (at least in the modern era. I haven't looked at someone like Christy Mathewson yet, back when the leagues were a bit more malleable). Then on their BR page, go to their career splits and see if all the teams match up.
If anyone wants to help out filling this out, please be my guest. Here's my results so far (I started bottom up)
The track record of high school catchers drafted in the top 10 isn't encouraging to say the least, although Mauer being one of the biggest success stories probably makes the Twins less wary of that than most teams.
Ugh. Sorry, Aaron, but Mauer's success should have zero bearing on their wariness about any subsequent catching prospect. Particularly one whose bat is suspect. Mauer was a national POY in two friggin' sports in h.s. He compares to exactly nobody.
He compares to exactly nobody.
I've seen him compared unfavorably to teammates such as Mike Cuddyer and Torii Hunter.
As well as to plaeyrs who have been in LCS's like Mark Prior.
I appreciate the snark, but re-read what I actually wrote. I didn't say it should make the Twins less wary, I said it probably will.
Thanks,
Ugh.
It's Alive!
Reading comprehension is the first thing to go
when there's blood in the water.
Heh.
It was a test of Aaron's lurking capacity.
In my defense, one could read Aaron's sentence as snarky, or as resigned to a pathetic fate (i.e., predictive), or as approving of such an updating.
For my failure in interpretation, I shall accept...discommendation!
Aaron, feel free to drop by more often. We'd love to have you.
This.
Did we learn nothing from "should have drafted Prior"? If you're analyzing a team's draft strategy over a couple of decades, you might be able to point to a particular class of player (HS/College/Pitcher/Up-the-Middle/Corner/Infield/Outfield) has been relied on too much by a team, but when you're talking about individual cases, the particulars can outweigh the stereotypes. HS catchers might not have a great track record as a group, and you should consider that, but in the end drafting Reese McGuire (or anyone else) with the 4th overall pick should have to do with his particular strengths and weaknesses, not the track record of a handful of guys he happens to share a position with.
On top of that, what exactly is the track record of HS catchers drafted in the top 10? Maybe I'm counting wrong, but in the last 10 drafts, I count one guy--Kyle Shipworth--who qualifies as a HS catcher drafted in the top 10. His numbers are pretty ugly, but he's still just one guy.
I think it does the Twins a disservice to say that because Mauer worked out they would be more likely to take a HS catcher early in the draft. I'm sure they know as well as anyone that Reese McGuire is no Joe Mauer.
Oh good. Then we'll be able to cheer McGuire.
Just as we started to look for renters, we got a bunch of interest over the weekend in our current house, and now it's under contract (closing in a month or so). Ended up selling at a somewhat significant loss, but at least we aren't paying two mortgages when we move (6 weeks to go!).
Congrats! We closed on the 20th and we're finishing up the move over the next two days. It's been pretty painful, but we spent the night in the new house for the first time last night. Pretty great.
Congrats to both of you!
Good news indeed!
Congratulations both!
Our first night in the new house will be tomorrow night.
...we’re finishing up the move over the next two days. It’s been pretty painful
We've packed nearly everything, but as of right now, we don't have anything at the new place yet. Everything is either in a U-Haul truck or still in our current house...which has to be completely vacated by 9 am tomorrow when we go to closings for both houses (old & new). I feel your pain.
There's something to be said for doing it all in one day. We've been moving over a two-week period and I think it just makes the stress of the move linger. I think my kids are having a tougher time the way we've dragged it out. Best of luck tomorrow.
Congrats to all you guys.
Apparently buying a new house is the new having a baby at the WGOM.
Causation? We need more space!
Two things that are a long way off, if ever.
Me, too.
The last four teams to win the Stanley Cup:
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Boston
Los Angeles
The last four teams remaining in this year's playoffs
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Boston
Los Angeles
I'm a huge fan of the NHL playoffs, but I'll admit to not being terribly excited about seeing any of these teams hoist the cup (again).
...I’ll admit to not being terribly excited about seeing any of these teams hoist the cup (again).
Then don't watch!
But...
I'm a huge fan of the NHL playoffs,
That's some Catch, that Catch-22.
best there is.
finest kind.
oh, wait, wrong satirical war novel.
I think that's fair, but the conference finals should be entertaining. And I feel like these have been the four best teams in the tournament. If only Comcast could make it out here before Tuesday...
I've been predicting big things for the Blues for three years now. I thought this year was it.
They were up 2-0 on the champs, then lost four one-goal games in a row. That's a rough way to go.
That's what I was thinking...I'd rather have a team in the Wild's current position than 3 years of "almost."
In other news Kyle Gibson is now working on 19 straight scoreless innings. How many does he need to be considered consistent?
This entire series of roster moves have been a mess.
when is the service time delayed a year? there's your answer
After about ten days. The super two deadline, however, is coming soon. You have to predict it two years in advance, so teams tend to be extra cautious.
He's on a short post-TJ leash, so whenever he does come up, it probably won't be for the rest of the season
Well, he just gave up 3 runs in the 3rd so I assume he'll be safely past the Super 2 deadline for his call up at this point.
He struck out the side in the fourth. There's that lack of consistency again.
He needs to just decide if he wants to be a GUY or a bum and pitch accordingly.
I can't wait until the Twins give up on him and Dick Bremer gives him the Slowey treatment.
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Serves him right for leaving balls up in the zone.
And looking to the bullpen.
speaking of pitchers on shutout streaks. Saw this in the dead-tree version of the SacBee this morning. It's all over the country (this one is from the WaPo).
I hate when media talks about "Minnesota State" like there is only one.
Of course there is only one Minnesota state!
*maintains civility and doesn't say "bite me!"*
Go Screaming Eagles!
well played, Bossman.
After perusing more of Mandelaro's stuff because of Zack linking his tweet, I spot this gem in Jim's latest blog post.
Deibinson Romero made his Triple-A debut Thursday, going 0-for-4 for the Wings. Twins assistant to the president/GM Bill Smith was raving about Romero to me before the game. [Emphasis mine]
Romero just hit a two-run homer to give Rochester a 12-10 lead in the eighth. Which proves nothing, of course, it's just kind of a coincidence.
He just needed sean to provide some emotional impetus.
What's the knock on Romero? He's not going to make any All-Star teams, but if he can field 3B adequately, his minor league numbers would seem to make him an adequate hitter at 3B. His power has only come around this last year+, but power generally lags for most players.
Just that he's progressed very slowly. I see he's not on the 40-man roster, so he amounts to roster filler at this point. I wish him the best, but it seems weird to rave about him.
I'm in favor of any and all players named "Deibinson" being promoted through the system post haste.
He has the Twins passing on Jonathan Gray for Kohl Stewart. If Gray or Appel fell to the Twins I'd probably be doing backflips. I realize the MLB draft is a pretty big crapshoot (and TINSAPP), but the idea of adding a polished college pitcher who works in the high 90s and strikes people out to the farm makes me even more excited for 2015 and beyond. I'm sure Stewart would be fun to watch move through the ranks but I'd like to have a pitcher or five in the rotation I can trust soon.
socal - I'm glad it's only teh interwebs...these people seem to hate you! My favorite is from Godbless...:
you are an idiot. The Twins have one 3 straight since making that change.
I'm sure the "quality" of the opponent didn't have anything to do with the games they've one.
Yahoo Sports comments sections are proof that anonymitiy isn't the problem.
and that the costs of Internet access are remarkably low.
[not here]
Yeah, that's why they tell us not to comment on our own stories. Of course, no one notices that the two crappy top of the order batters reached base twice in eight ABs for a predictable .250 OBP in front of Mauer. It just happened that both got on base to lead off the first inning, so Gardy's a genius!
I’m sure the “quality” of the opponent didn’t have anything to do with the games they’ve one.
Another reason why I prefer the central location for reviews, such as what the NHL has done.
I firmly believe that even if they had 100" 4K monitors, the Angel Hernandezes and Joe Wests and CB Bucknors of the world could still mess up a call. A central location for reviews would be great. I'd be fine with another guy off the field watching in real time and being prepped to review a call.
Tangently related: I wonder if there's any way we could get Hernandez, West, Bucknor, and Phil Cuzzi all in one umpiring crew. The calls would be awful, but we'd be concentrating a lot of ump suck into one series at a time. The ump shows would be great.
I think you're forgetting Bob Davidson.
They need an alternate!
Also, would be like the replacement refs in football maybe, make it apparent how bad they are?
Follow the link now, big correction/update. That's the monitor the grounds crew uses.
While I was told that I am not permitted to use the photos, I can describe them: they are 19″ Panasonic flat-panel monitors. I am told that they have HD capability.
So the blown replay is Hernandez's fault.
Who said it?
Plus, being a center goes beyond basketball. It's not merely a position; it's also a concept. The center is no longer about big plodding, motionless stiffs standing as monoliths waiting for the ball to fall into their laps. The center is all about movement, creativity, imagination, the vibrant, explosive game.
Only the truly unique players get to be called the center, for it's not a designation that is simply handed out. It's a title, a recognition, an acknowledgment of who really has a game.
Here's a BR Blog post about Pitcher Grand Slams. It only goes through 2008 though. Searching Play Index for Pitchers with >=4 RBI and >= 1 HR gives 6 results for 2008-2013, but I don't have a subscription
Gordon Ramsay is shooting an episode of Hotel Hell in my hometown. It's the best hotel in town. We stayed there on our wedding night. I did not say it was a good hotel. Just the best in town.
On pace for 71-91.
I live in Wisconsin right now. This morning I was talking to a coworker. Not realizing I'm from Minnesota, he says to me "Ugh, Brewers lost again last night." I replied to him, "Yeah, but at least the Twins won!"
If you're looking for something different to stream today, try Radio Dismuke on Live 365. It's all tracks taken from 78rpm LPs.
The Twins game tonight might be historic.
Javy Vasquez - I haven't thought of him in quite some time.
I wonder what the list of pitchers who defeated every team in the majors that existed at the time of their career looks like, because guys like Bert or Nolan Ryan would never have had the chance to beat the Rays.
Nolan Ryan's last year in the league was 1993 with the Rangers in the AL, so he never beat Colorado or Florida, that year's expansion NL teams.
Bert went winless in 12 career starts against Philadelphia and never played against Pittsburgh as that was the only NL team he was ever on.
what you meant to say is that Nolan Ryan never allowed a hit to Colorado or Florida.
So here's a spreadsheet of all non-Negro League HOF pitchers. I've started filling in the "Never Beaten" column from the bottom up. A useful tab to have open is "19XX in Baseball" on Wikipedia. It'll list all the teams in the league for that year. Replace "XX" with the last year the player played and that'll be every possible team to have defeated (at least in the modern era. I haven't looked at someone like Christy Mathewson yet, back when the leagues were a bit more malleable). Then on their BR page, go to their career splits and see if all the teams match up.
If anyone wants to help out filling this out, please be my guest. Here's my results so far (I started bottom up)
I need to add a text mode for those tables.
TJ Mulholland!
¡Olé!
the door to Gardy's office is trembling
You missed your wife's birthday by a month?
hmm, what to do with the 4-pick...
Ugh. Sorry, Aaron, but Mauer's success should have zero bearing on their wariness about any subsequent catching prospect. Particularly one whose bat is suspect. Mauer was a national POY in two friggin' sports in h.s. He compares to exactly nobody.
He compares to exactly nobody.
I've seen him compared unfavorably to teammates such as Mike Cuddyer and Torii Hunter.
As well as to plaeyrs who have been in LCS's like Mark Prior.
I appreciate the snark, but re-read what I actually wrote. I didn't say it should make the Twins less wary, I said it probably will.
Thanks,
Ugh.
It's Alive!
Reading comprehension is the first thing to go
when there's blood in the water.
Heh.
It was a test of Aaron's lurking capacity.
In my defense, one could read Aaron's sentence as snarky, or as resigned to a pathetic fate (i.e., predictive), or as approving of such an updating.
For my failure in interpretation, I shall accept...discommendation!
Aaron, feel free to drop by more often. We'd love to have you.
This.
Did we learn nothing from "should have drafted Prior"? If you're analyzing a team's draft strategy over a couple of decades, you might be able to point to a particular class of player (HS/College/Pitcher/Up-the-Middle/Corner/Infield/Outfield) has been relied on too much by a team, but when you're talking about individual cases, the particulars can outweigh the stereotypes. HS catchers might not have a great track record as a group, and you should consider that, but in the end drafting Reese McGuire (or anyone else) with the 4th overall pick should have to do with his particular strengths and weaknesses, not the track record of a handful of guys he happens to share a position with.
On top of that, what exactly is the track record of HS catchers drafted in the top 10? Maybe I'm counting wrong, but in the last 10 drafts, I count one guy--Kyle Shipworth--who qualifies as a HS catcher drafted in the top 10. His numbers are pretty ugly, but he's still just one guy.
I think it does the Twins a disservice to say that because Mauer worked out they would be more likely to take a HS catcher early in the draft. I'm sure they know as well as anyone that Reese McGuire is no Joe Mauer.
Oh good. Then we'll be able to cheer McGuire.
Just as we started to look for renters, we got a bunch of interest over the weekend in our current house, and now it's under contract (closing in a month or so). Ended up selling at a somewhat significant loss, but at least we aren't paying two mortgages when we move (6 weeks to go!).
Congrats! We closed on the 20th and we're finishing up the move over the next two days. It's been pretty painful, but we spent the night in the new house for the first time last night. Pretty great.
Congrats to both of you!
Good news indeed!
Congratulations both!
Our first night in the new house will be tomorrow night.
We've packed nearly everything, but as of right now, we don't have anything at the new place yet. Everything is either in a U-Haul truck or still in our current house...which has to be completely vacated by 9 am tomorrow when we go to closings for both houses (old & new). I feel your pain.
There's something to be said for doing it all in one day. We've been moving over a two-week period and I think it just makes the stress of the move linger. I think my kids are having a tougher time the way we've dragged it out. Best of luck tomorrow.
Congrats to all you guys.
Apparently buying a new house is the new having a baby at the WGOM.
Causation? We need more space!
Two things that are a long way off, if ever.
Me, too.
The last four teams to win the Stanley Cup:
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Boston
Los Angeles
The last four teams remaining in this year's playoffs
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Boston
Los Angeles
I'm a huge fan of the NHL playoffs, but I'll admit to not being terribly excited about seeing any of these teams hoist the cup (again).
Then don't watch!
But...
That's some Catch, that Catch-22.
best there is.
finest kind.
oh, wait, wrong satirical war novel.
I think that's fair, but the conference finals should be entertaining. And I feel like these have been the four best teams in the tournament. If only Comcast could make it out here before Tuesday...
I've been predicting big things for the Blues for three years now. I thought this year was it.
They were up 2-0 on the champs, then lost four one-goal games in a row. That's a rough way to go.
That's what I was thinking...I'd rather have a team in the Wild's current position than 3 years of "almost."
You can't make this stuff up.
In other news Kyle Gibson is now working on 19 straight scoreless innings. How many does he need to be considered consistent?
This entire series of roster moves have been a mess.
when is the service time delayed a year? there's your answer
After about ten days. The super two deadline, however, is coming soon. You have to predict it two years in advance, so teams tend to be extra cautious.
He's on a short post-TJ leash, so whenever he does come up, it probably won't be for the rest of the season
Well, he just gave up 3 runs in the 3rd so I assume he'll be safely past the Super 2 deadline for his call up at this point.
He struck out the side in the fourth. There's that lack of consistency again.
He needs to just decide if he wants to be a GUY or a bum and pitch accordingly.
I can't wait until the Twins give up on him and Dick Bremer gives him the Slowey treatment.
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Serves him right for leaving balls up in the zone.
And looking to the bullpen.
speaking of pitchers on shutout streaks. Saw this in the dead-tree version of the SacBee this morning. It's all over the country (this one is from the WaPo).
I hate when media talks about "Minnesota State" like there is only one.
Of course there is only one Minnesota state!
*maintains civility and doesn't say "bite me!"*
Go Screaming Eagles!
well played, Bossman.
After perusing more of Mandelaro's stuff because of Zack linking his tweet, I spot this gem in Jim's latest blog post.
Now that Gleeman has joined, I don't see Romero on his Top 40 Prospects list from last year or 2011's list. Keep raving Billy, I don't think it will help.
Romero just hit a two-run homer to give Rochester a 12-10 lead in the eighth. Which proves nothing, of course, it's just kind of a coincidence.
He just needed sean to provide some emotional impetus.
What's the knock on Romero? He's not going to make any All-Star teams, but if he can field 3B adequately, his minor league numbers would seem to make him an adequate hitter at 3B. His power has only come around this last year+, but power generally lags for most players.
Just that he's progressed very slowly. I see he's not on the 40-man roster, so he amounts to roster filler at this point. I wish him the best, but it seems weird to rave about him.
I'm in favor of any and all players named "Deibinson" being promoted through the system post haste.
For brianS: William Shatner on Celebrity Bowling (1975).
This is why YouTube exists.
Greatest. Living. Thespian.
This is why I love Bleacher Report and keep going back for more. Top 100 Hitters in Baseball.
95. Justin Morneau
61. Nick Punto
Punto has nine more triples in his career. I'm sold.
And untold many more torn jerseys.
There is no accounting for sCrappyness.
Also:
28. Joe Mauer
27. MarK Reynolds
Dingers & ribeyes.
Dingers, & ribbies, & K's! Oh, my!
Keith Law has an updated Mock Draft today for Insiders.
He has the Twins passing on Jonathan Gray for Kohl Stewart. If Gray or Appel fell to the Twins I'd probably be doing backflips. I realize the MLB draft is a pretty big crapshoot (and TINSAPP), but the idea of adding a polished college pitcher who works in the high 90s and strikes people out to the farm makes me even more excited for 2015 and beyond. I'm sure Stewart would be fun to watch move through the ranks but I'd like to have a pitcher or five in the rotation I can trust soon.
socal - I'm glad it's only teh interwebs...these people seem to hate you! My favorite is from Godbless...:
I'm sure the "quality" of the opponent didn't have anything to do with the games they've one.
Yahoo Sports comments sections are proof that anonymitiy isn't the problem.
and that the costs of Internet access are remarkably low.
[not here]
Yeah, that's why they tell us not to comment on our own stories. Of course, no one notices that the two crappy top of the order batters reached base twice in eight ABs for a predictable .250 OBP in front of Mauer. It just happened that both got on base to lead off the first inning, so Gardy's a genius!
I’m sure the “quality” of the opponent didn’t have anything to do with the games they’ve one.
Go back into you're moms basement stathead!
What umps use for replay reviews.
*sarcastic impressed whistle*
Wow! They got a color monitor?!
Another reason why I prefer the central location for reviews, such as what the NHL has done.
I firmly believe that even if they had 100" 4K monitors, the Angel Hernandezes and Joe Wests and CB Bucknors of the world could still mess up a call. A central location for reviews would be great. I'd be fine with another guy off the field watching in real time and being prepped to review a call.
Tangently related: I wonder if there's any way we could get Hernandez, West, Bucknor, and Phil Cuzzi all in one umpiring crew. The calls would be awful, but we'd be concentrating a lot of ump suck into one series at a time. The ump shows would be great.
I think you're forgetting Bob Davidson.
They need an alternate!
Also, would be like the replacement refs in football maybe, make it apparent how bad they are?
Follow the link now, big correction/update. That's the monitor the grounds crew uses.
So the blown replay is Hernandez's fault.
Who said it?
You didn't say it. So I will.
I missed it. Who made the 150,000th comment? I checked last night's game log and it wasn't there nor in this mornings CoC.
Jeff did.
Yay, me!
Cubs pitcher Travis Wood just hit a grand slam off Jake Peavy.
Didn't King Felix hit one off Johan one time?
He has hit only a single home run.
Here's a BR Blog post about Pitcher Grand Slams. It only goes through 2008 though. Searching Play Index for Pitchers with >=4 RBI and >= 1 HR gives 6 results for 2008-2013, but I don't have a subscription
Here's the list.
.
.
new Twins player autographed baseball card acquisition alert
Deolis Guerra and Mike Nakamura
Mike Nakamura, hell yeah!
They take spelling seriously in Oregon.
More likely it was scratched off, like the tops of the two letters near it.
I am expecting another thriller tonight in this Pacers/Heat series. This has been one heckuva show.
It would be so cool if the NBA would allow playoff games to be on network tv.
I've watched Everybody Loves Raymond reruns the last two nights. Wife is going out with friends tonight. N.B. freakin' A. at my house tonight.
I might have to just bite the bullet and borrow the game online. One eye on the Trinket and one eye on the second best series of these playoffs.
I haven't watched much basketball in the last few years, but I would like to see the Pacers tonight.
Gordon Gee, trying to turn Notre Dame into a sympathetic figure.
Gordon Ramsay is shooting an episode of Hotel Hell in my hometown. It's the best hotel in town. We stayed there on our wedding night. I did not say it was a good hotel. Just the best in town.
I don't see any way this ends well for the city.