Well, the Twins got their crushing late-innings come-from-ahead loss out of the way already. Should be smooth sailing from here!
78 thoughts on “April 3, 2014: Optimism”
It struck me last evening that yesterday's game was a good example of #6pen.
The meme that keeps on giving for the Twins.
I wish it would stop giving.
Oakland's prize new closer has two blown saves in two appearances so far. #couldbeworse
Ahhh, optimism. Good old, soul crushing optimism.
Me.
No white flags.
Swear to the big man, I hit refresh, see Dido and one of her songs comes on the radio as a "flashback" single. Nutzo.
Wild Playoff Watch
Phoenix lost twice in the last two nights (once in OT) to drop the Wild's magic number to 7 for a playoff spot. With 6 games left on the schedule, you have to like the Wild's chances.
Games tonight:
Minnesota @ Chicago - technically, Chicago can still be caught by the Wild. Only if the Wild win this one though.
Dallas @ Carolina - Dallas has a game in hand on Minnesota.
Los Angeles @ San Jose - If San Jose wins, LA is set in the third place spot of the Pacific Division.
Buffalo @ St. Louis - Anaheim keeps winning, so it's not clear who will be the 1 seed in the West.
The Wild's playoff odds are at 95% after the Yotes loss last night and 64% to finish in the top wild card spot. Anaheim's at at 71% to finish second in the conference. That's probably the best the Wild can hope for too.
The Wild have got some tough games in those last 6. Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, St. Louis. Hopefully those teams are resting up for the playoffs.
The Hawks are resting Toews until the playoffs.
Conflicting thoughts on that. I don't really want them resting up and then hitting the Wild full force in the post season. I also don't want the Wild losing that 7th spot and/or having to face StL in the first round.
I'm also wondering if having to face such a tough slate late could be useful to this club. It seems like they're a momentum team - continued good play (and wins...hopefully) against quality opponents might help 'em get through a first round series. That, and a healthy Granlund and (maybe?) Harding.
I'm also hoping that the lines can solidify a bit over the next week or two - consistency and chemistry and all that.
Haven't they been talking about solidifying lines for years now?
Why yes. Yes they have.* Even so, being comfortable with the skill set of your line mates is important, and hoping that they're actually able to do so in time for this years playoffs isn't a bad thing...whether or not it's realistic is another story. I know they ran into a really good squad in the first round last year, but having a top-3 forward in Pominville coming back just in time to start the post season certainly didn't help the offense (though losing Backstrom last minute probably "didn't help" more).
*I sometimes forget that I need to be careful about using throw-away, talk radio commentary around here. 🙂
It seems like the Wild are constantly shuffling their lines, even when there's no injuries. Do other teams have the same players play on the same lines for 30-40 games at a time?
Some do. Sometimes there are player combinations too. There's obvious combos like Getzlaf and Perry. But, off the top of my head, it seems like Krejci and Lucic have been paired for years, before with Horton and now with Iginla. Sticking with the Bruins, Bergeron plays a lot with Marchand. There's a site that shows you line combinations with frequency, but I can't find it right now. DG probably knows.
I think this is what UW is referring to. You can manipulate the data in a bunch of different ways if you are so inclined.
That's it. And, of course, Eriksson played with Krejci and Lucic, because Iginla missed his first game in seven years.
Conflicting thoughts on that.
I don't know. I think with Suter playing 47 minutes per game (approximate), my guess is an escape from the meat grinder to rest before the playoffs would be a benefit.
From a purely selfish perspective, I'd like to avoid biting my nails through game 82 (again).
You'll get ingrown fingernails that way.
And they manage another point! 2-3 loss in the SO against the Hawks after Haula scores the tying goal with less than 2 minutes in regulation!
Still, Brodziak manages a -2 (but 2 SOG at least) and Heatley a -1 with 0 shots on goal...oy.
Can I be hyperbolic?
Hockney seems fun.
My wife grew up with the sport. I didn't Yay the olympics recently! but it was fun to see a NBC? NHL game on tv after I set it on a PBS program before leaving for a few min.
Hockney was fun and provided decent comic relief, but eventually, Keyser Soze had no more use for him.
Really? I live in Queens. Did you put that together yourself, Einstein? What, do you got a team of monkeys working around the clock on this?
The Astros are undefeated and the Yankees are winless. I like this universe.
Thanks to an electric kettle and my new AeroPress, I'm enjoying a delicious cup of coffee at my desk in my new office.
I'll admit to being a little surprised by how much coffee the AeroPress requires for brewing, but then I remember that I'm actually getting a stronger brew that I can dilute into an Americano if I so choose.
I know there are other AeroPress fans here, but allow me to also recommend the Bonavita gooseneck kettle, which has the ability to heat water to user-defined temps. (Tea drinkers, take note!) It's a pretty sweet gadget.
Do we have a headcount? They don't really take reservations, but I'll see what I can do.
6 by my count - AMR, sean, Twayn, DPWY, free, CoC (unfortunately, no pepper - sick kids).
Noonish?
For some reason I had written down 11:30ish.
No biggie, just don't want to show up too early.
Pepper had said 12:15, but she can't make it. Figure I'll be there right about 12.
OK, so I wrote it down including my walk time to get there, plus procrastination in leaving.
hmmmm
Phil Miller @MillerStrib
I'd be surprised if Twins play today. It's pouring in Chicago, won't stop for 6 hours, and isn't supposed to get out of the 30s.
We've had thunderstorms here in StL for over a day now, so I'm not surprised.
Next is Cleveland, conveniently due east. Lots of rain on Friday, some on Saturday, and clear on Sunday. I'm predicting two days without games and a doubleheader on Sunday.
That's Cleveland's home opener on Friday. If they can't play a doubleheader on Saturday, they'll probably cancel Saturday early so they can play two on Sunday, making the first game the home opener for fans who have those tickets. This is why teams have day game home openers followed by an off day, especially in open-air stadiums in the Midwest and Northeast.
They should have put a roof on it.
Maybe they could play the game in Milwaukee instead?
It will be interesting to see about Saturday because that is the first FS1 game of the year. I imagine they will do everything to get that game in after all the promotion its been getting.
in the words of Wayne from Wayne's World "Game on!!"
Mike Berardino @MikeBerardino
Rob Antony just said it looks good for getting this game in today. Weather should break here soon. #mntwins
Scored six free tix to the home opener on Monday! So excited to take the fam and I have never attended a home opener before. I'm sure they're nose bleeds, but the price is right.
With the All-Star game perhaps driving some season-ticket sales and the whole craptastic product on the field, this might be a good year to get tix on the secondary market. Demand ain't gonna be high.
Expectations will be tempered Monday. I'm curious what demand will be for the all star festivities. My son would love to go to the home run derby.
We need some good vibes here...
ID the AU -- which Twins player (current or former) calls this his signature?
Rochester lost its opener to Buffalo 6-3. Scott Diamond pitched poorly. Liam Hendriks got the win in relief for Buffalo. We'll have a full report on this and the other Twins minor league games tomorrow.
It’s easy to point to Dieng’s success as a starter and say Adelman blew it.
Pek Who?
Oy.
Adelman is the George Allen of the NBA. He just won't trust young players.
I don't agree with that but at least I understand it. The thing I can' t understand is the rookie with the most minutes played as of three weeks ago was Robbie Hummel.
I can't fault Adleman too much for not going with him more earlier (even though I was beating the "give him ten minutes a game" drum around here) because of this:
while his foul rate dropped from over 7 per 36 minutes to 3.4.
That was Pek early in his career, too. He was an absolute bull in a china shop until he wasn't.
I am not saying that it's time to jettison Pek. I am saying that getting players that can play out of this draft is a huge win.
Yea, I'm on board. Getting a useful rotation guy late in the first round is a win.
As we have discussed before, that area of the draft (I think he was 21st) is just a crapshoot. Considering all the primo spots the Wolves wasted over the past 5-10 years, this is like, to pardon the phrase, manna from heaven.
so, the Goofs won the Lice Championship.
Only Austin Hollins and Malik Smith moving on out of their top 8, although Oseniks is unlikely to play next year. Do they have any recruits lined up?
Mo Walker and Elliot Eliason return inside, and are serviceable college big men who can improve a lot. Joey King looks like a player at either SF or PF and could be a focal point of the offense. Dre Hollins and Deandre Mathieu would form one of the shortest backcourts in the country. Hollins, in particular, needs to improve his game a lot to have any chance of playing beyond college. Wally Ellenson can jump out of the gym, but hasn't won much playing time (and might concentrate on track anyway).
They have some Florida juco kid coming in next year, a 6-5 guard who looks athletic but shoots poorly. Meh.
Wally already left the team over a month ago. Oto will definitely not be playing next year.
King is an okay tweener backup big guy, but he's way too slow for SF and way too weak for PF. He'll probably have to play too many minutes again next year, and he's alright for a fourth or fifth option, but if he's the focal point of anything, something's wrong. They do have a PF recruit coming in for next season but he will probably not be ready to play much right away. My hope, perhaps unreasonable, is for more development out of Charles Buggs first.
I'm guessing Carlos Morris (the juco kid) will be replacing Austin in the initial starting 5. Daquein McNeil will be the main wing backup. He plays pretty good defense but doesn't do much on offense, yet. I doubt McNeil will be able to start with a Mathieu/Andre backcourt pair. They also have a PG coming in who will probably back up Mathieu if he can handle it right away.
Joey is still pretty young. If he can add some weight, I think he can be a decent PF.
Dre Hollins was their best player until he hurt his ankle. Austin Hollins was pretty much nonexistent during B1G season and then suddenly turned it up real late. If Andre can get back to where he was before the injury and they can make Mo Walker a consistent inside scorer, they could be really dangerous. The NIT really helped Pitino work more with the players. I heard a lot of comments from color guys about how well-coached the Gophers were, especially during the NIT. Like, they knew how to attack a zone, something I don't think I've ever heard of a Gophers team, even the Final Four team. It will be interesting to see if Pitino can get the players to play the up-and-down style he prefers. He likes to use full-court traps and a 2-3 zone, but this team was much better in man-to-man. King is undersized at the 4, but he's a scrappy hard worker that can shoot. If he and Buggs can live in the weight room this summer, they could be a strong combination like Eliason and Walker at center.
socal, I think your point about Buggs and King is a good one; I'd love to see the same development/maturation out of them as the centers. I'm really happy with the development of Elliot and Mo this season. If you'd have told me last year that both guys would be anything but competent bigs this year, I'd have chuckled and rolled my eyes.
If you'd have told me last year that both guys would be anything but competent bigs this year, I'd have chuckled and rolled my eyes.
FTFY.
Touche.
I don't care what championship it was, that game was fun and the team finished the season on a high note. I may be in the minority, but I think a solid run in the NIT does more for this team (players and coaches) long term then a first round loss in the NCAA's would have. I'm happy with how the year went, despite some pretty low lows and I'm looking forward to seeing what a full season of recruiting produces.
This.
then a first round loss in the NCAA's would have
The Twins and Wolves have filled my quota of first-round losses.
Yup
You guys are crazy. I'm much happier GW lost in the first second round than played in the NIT.
See now Pirate, what you did there changes the equation...but I'd still take winning the NIT for this team.
It's like the Gophers won their very own FCS title!
If the shoe fits.
I think the Pirate was referring to the NCAA rebranding the play-in games as the "First Round".
Ellenson already left the team. Oto is not coming back because of a balky knee/leg/something like that. They will have some scholarships open.
A lot of people mock the NIT, but it has it uses. Like for Pitino, it was nice to get a deep run in a playoff under his belt. Like in the semifinal game, the Gophers did not foul late in the game and FSU nailed a three. He took that and learned from it and fouled at the end of tonights game.
Bobby Knight was a color guy for ESPN and he was going off on how automatic it should be to foul in that situation. And yet, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen teams foul in that situation, and that includes NBA games. It makes sense if done correctly. However, in college or younger, I would be fearful of players waiting too long to foul and then do it while he's shooting and you end up with three shots or even a four-point play. I also really hate intentional fouls at the end of basketball games. It's stupid. The worst is when teams foul a guy who doesn't even have the ball just because he's the worst FT shooter. They have a rule for intentional fouls in which it's two shots and the ball, but they don't ever call it. In a late-game situation, they should at least give the leading team the option of free throws or possession out of bounds.
Fouling a guy in a dead-ball situation (the ball hasn't been inbounded yet and the clock is stopped) should be an automatic two free throws AND the ball.
It struck me last evening that yesterday's game was a good example of #6pen.
The meme that keeps on giving for the Twins.
I wish it would stop giving.
Oakland's prize new closer has two blown saves in two appearances so far. #couldbeworse
Ahhh, optimism. Good old, soul crushing optimism.
Me.
No white flags.
Swear to the big man, I hit refresh, see Dido and one of her songs comes on the radio as a "flashback" single. Nutzo.
Wild Playoff Watch
Phoenix lost twice in the last two nights (once in OT) to drop the Wild's magic number to 7 for a playoff spot. With 6 games left on the schedule, you have to like the Wild's chances.
MIN - 89 pts
DAL - 85 pts (WMN = 11)
------------------
PHX - 85 pts (WMN = 7)
VAN - 79 pts (WMN = 1)
WIN - 78 pts (WMN = 0)
NSH - 77 pts (WMN = 1)
Games tonight:
Minnesota @ Chicago - technically, Chicago can still be caught by the Wild. Only if the Wild win this one though.
Dallas @ Carolina - Dallas has a game in hand on Minnesota.
Los Angeles @ San Jose - If San Jose wins, LA is set in the third place spot of the Pacific Division.
Buffalo @ St. Louis - Anaheim keeps winning, so it's not clear who will be the 1 seed in the West.
The Wild's playoff odds are at 95% after the Yotes loss last night and 64% to finish in the top wild card spot. Anaheim's at at 71% to finish second in the conference. That's probably the best the Wild can hope for too.
The Wild have got some tough games in those last 6. Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, St. Louis. Hopefully those teams are resting up for the playoffs.
The Hawks are resting Toews until the playoffs.
Conflicting thoughts on that. I don't really want them resting up and then hitting the Wild full force in the post season. I also don't want the Wild losing that 7th spot and/or having to face StL in the first round.
I'm also wondering if having to face such a tough slate late could be useful to this club. It seems like they're a momentum team - continued good play (and wins...hopefully) against quality opponents might help 'em get through a first round series. That, and a healthy Granlund and (maybe?) Harding.
I'm also hoping that the lines can solidify a bit over the next week or two - consistency and chemistry and all that.
Haven't they been talking about solidifying lines for years now?
Why yes. Yes they have.* Even so, being comfortable with the skill set of your line mates is important, and hoping that they're actually able to do so in time for this years playoffs isn't a bad thing...whether or not it's realistic is another story. I know they ran into a really good squad in the first round last year, but having a top-3 forward in Pominville coming back just in time to start the post season certainly didn't help the offense (though losing Backstrom last minute probably "didn't help" more).
*I sometimes forget that I need to be careful about using throw-away, talk radio commentary around here. 🙂
It seems like the Wild are constantly shuffling their lines, even when there's no injuries. Do other teams have the same players play on the same lines for 30-40 games at a time?
Some do. Sometimes there are player combinations too. There's obvious combos like Getzlaf and Perry. But, off the top of my head, it seems like Krejci and Lucic have been paired for years, before with Horton and now with Iginla. Sticking with the Bruins, Bergeron plays a lot with Marchand. There's a site that shows you line combinations with frequency, but I can't find it right now. DG probably knows.
I think this is what UW is referring to. You can manipulate the data in a bunch of different ways if you are so inclined.
That's it. And, of course, Eriksson played with Krejci and Lucic, because Iginla missed his first game in seven years.
Conflicting thoughts on that.
I don't know. I think with Suter playing 47 minutes per game (approximate), my guess is an escape from the meat grinder to rest before the playoffs would be a benefit.
From a purely selfish perspective, I'd like to avoid biting my nails through game 82 (again).
You'll get ingrown fingernails that way.
And they manage another point! 2-3 loss in the SO against the Hawks after Haula scores the tying goal with less than 2 minutes in regulation!
Still, Brodziak manages a -2 (but 2 SOG at least) and Heatley a -1 with 0 shots on goal...oy.
Can I be hyperbolic?
Hockney seems fun.
My wife grew up with the sport. I didn't Yay the olympics recently! but it was fun to see a NBC? NHL game on tv after I set it on a PBS program before leaving for a few min.
Hockney was fun and provided decent comic relief, but eventually, Keyser Soze had no more use for him.
Really? I live in Queens. Did you put that together yourself, Einstein? What, do you got a team of monkeys working around the clock on this?
The Astros are undefeated and the Yankees are winless. I like this universe.
Thanks to an electric kettle and my new AeroPress, I'm enjoying a delicious cup of coffee at my desk in my new office.
I'll admit to being a little surprised by how much coffee the AeroPress requires for brewing, but then I remember that I'm actually getting a stronger brew that I can dilute into an Americano if I so choose.
I know there are other AeroPress fans here, but allow me to also recommend the Bonavita gooseneck kettle, which has the ability to heat water to user-defined temps. (Tea drinkers, take note!) It's a pretty sweet gadget.
Reminder that downtowners are meeting for lunch today - Noon(ish) at Be'Wiched Deli (800 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401).
Anyone in the area is welcome to attend.
Do we have a headcount? They don't really take reservations, but I'll see what I can do.
6 by my count - AMR, sean, Twayn, DPWY, free, CoC (unfortunately, no pepper - sick kids).
Noonish?
For some reason I had written down 11:30ish.
No biggie, just don't want to show up too early.
Pepper had said 12:15, but she can't make it. Figure I'll be there right about 12.
OK, so I wrote it down including my walk time to get there, plus procrastination in leaving.
hmmmm
We've had thunderstorms here in StL for over a day now, so I'm not surprised.
Next is Cleveland, conveniently due east. Lots of rain on Friday, some on Saturday, and clear on Sunday. I'm predicting two days without games and a doubleheader on Sunday.
That's Cleveland's home opener on Friday. If they can't play a doubleheader on Saturday, they'll probably cancel Saturday early so they can play two on Sunday, making the first game the home opener for fans who have those tickets. This is why teams have day game home openers followed by an off day, especially in open-air stadiums in the Midwest and Northeast.
They should have put a roof on it.
Maybe they could play the game in Milwaukee instead?
It will be interesting to see about Saturday because that is the first FS1 game of the year. I imagine they will do everything to get that game in after all the promotion its been getting.
in the words of Wayne from Wayne's World "Game on!!"
Scored six free tix to the home opener on Monday! So excited to take the fam and I have never attended a home opener before. I'm sure they're nose bleeds, but the price is right.
With the All-Star game perhaps driving some season-ticket sales and the whole craptastic product on the field, this might be a good year to get tix on the secondary market. Demand ain't gonna be high.
Expectations will be tempered Monday. I'm curious what demand will be for the all star festivities. My son would love to go to the home run derby.
We need some good vibes here...
ID the AU -- which Twins player (current or former) calls this his signature?
yeah, you noticed no hint today?
basically, even I could get it without a hint.
leaH Baleen?
Rochester lost its opener to Buffalo 6-3. Scott Diamond pitched poorly. Liam Hendriks got the win in relief for Buffalo. We'll have a full report on this and the other Twins minor league games tomorrow.
Gorgui gets a write up on Grantland
In an extremely poor draft, they got a player.
Pek Who?
Oy.
Adelman is the George Allen of the NBA. He just won't trust young players.
I don't agree with that but at least I understand it. The thing I can' t understand is the rookie with the most minutes played as of three weeks ago was Robbie Hummel.
I can't fault Adleman too much for not going with him more earlier (even though I was beating the "give him ten minutes a game" drum around here) because of this:
That was Pek early in his career, too. He was an absolute bull in a china shop until he wasn't.
I am not saying that it's time to jettison Pek. I am saying that getting players that can play out of this draft is a huge win.
Yea, I'm on board. Getting a useful rotation guy late in the first round is a win.
As we have discussed before, that area of the draft (I think he was 21st) is just a crapshoot. Considering all the primo spots the Wolves wasted over the past 5-10 years, this is like, to pardon the phrase, manna from heaven.
so, the Goofs won the Lice Championship.
Only Austin Hollins and Malik Smith moving on out of their top 8, although Oseniks is unlikely to play next year. Do they have any recruits lined up?
Mo Walker and Elliot Eliason return inside, and are serviceable college big men who can improve a lot. Joey King looks like a player at either SF or PF and could be a focal point of the offense. Dre Hollins and Deandre Mathieu would form one of the shortest backcourts in the country. Hollins, in particular, needs to improve his game a lot to have any chance of playing beyond college. Wally Ellenson can jump out of the gym, but hasn't won much playing time (and might concentrate on track anyway).
They have some Florida juco kid coming in next year, a 6-5 guard who looks athletic but shoots poorly. Meh.
Wally already left the team over a month ago. Oto will definitely not be playing next year.
King is an okay tweener backup big guy, but he's way too slow for SF and way too weak for PF. He'll probably have to play too many minutes again next year, and he's alright for a fourth or fifth option, but if he's the focal point of anything, something's wrong. They do have a PF recruit coming in for next season but he will probably not be ready to play much right away. My hope, perhaps unreasonable, is for more development out of Charles Buggs first.
I'm guessing Carlos Morris (the juco kid) will be replacing Austin in the initial starting 5. Daquein McNeil will be the main wing backup. He plays pretty good defense but doesn't do much on offense, yet. I doubt McNeil will be able to start with a Mathieu/Andre backcourt pair. They also have a PG coming in who will probably back up Mathieu if he can handle it right away.
Joey is still pretty young. If he can add some weight, I think he can be a decent PF.
Dre Hollins was their best player until he hurt his ankle. Austin Hollins was pretty much nonexistent during B1G season and then suddenly turned it up real late. If Andre can get back to where he was before the injury and they can make Mo Walker a consistent inside scorer, they could be really dangerous. The NIT really helped Pitino work more with the players. I heard a lot of comments from color guys about how well-coached the Gophers were, especially during the NIT. Like, they knew how to attack a zone, something I don't think I've ever heard of a Gophers team, even the Final Four team. It will be interesting to see if Pitino can get the players to play the up-and-down style he prefers. He likes to use full-court traps and a 2-3 zone, but this team was much better in man-to-man. King is undersized at the 4, but he's a scrappy hard worker that can shoot. If he and Buggs can live in the weight room this summer, they could be a strong combination like Eliason and Walker at center.
socal, I think your point about Buggs and King is a good one; I'd love to see the same development/maturation out of them as the centers. I'm really happy with the development of Elliot and Mo this season. If you'd have told me last year that both guys would be anything but competent bigs this year, I'd have chuckled and rolled my eyes.
If you'd have told me last year that both guys would be anything
but competent bigsthis year, I'd have chuckled and rolled my eyes.FTFY.
Touche.
I don't care what championship it was, that game was fun and the team finished the season on a high note. I may be in the minority, but I think a solid run in the NIT does more for this team (players and coaches) long term then a first round loss in the NCAA's would have. I'm happy with how the year went, despite some pretty low lows and I'm looking forward to seeing what a full season of recruiting produces.
This.
The Twins and Wolves have filled my quota of first-round losses.
Yup
You guys are crazy. I'm much happier GW lost in the
firstsecond round than played in the NIT.See now Pirate, what you did there changes the equation...but I'd still take winning the NIT for this team.
It's like the Gophers won their very own FCS title!
If the shoe fits.
I think the Pirate was referring to the NCAA rebranding the play-in games as the "First Round".
Ellenson already left the team. Oto is not coming back because of a balky knee/leg/something like that. They will have some scholarships open.
A lot of people mock the NIT, but it has it uses. Like for Pitino, it was nice to get a deep run in a playoff under his belt. Like in the semifinal game, the Gophers did not foul late in the game and FSU nailed a three. He took that and learned from it and fouled at the end of tonights game.
Bobby Knight was a color guy for ESPN and he was going off on how automatic it should be to foul in that situation. And yet, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen teams foul in that situation, and that includes NBA games. It makes sense if done correctly. However, in college or younger, I would be fearful of players waiting too long to foul and then do it while he's shooting and you end up with three shots or even a four-point play. I also really hate intentional fouls at the end of basketball games. It's stupid. The worst is when teams foul a guy who doesn't even have the ball just because he's the worst FT shooter. They have a rule for intentional fouls in which it's two shots and the ball, but they don't ever call it. In a late-game situation, they should at least give the leading team the option of free throws or possession out of bounds.
Fouling a guy in a dead-ball situation (the ball hasn't been inbounded yet and the clock is stopped) should be an automatic two free throws AND the ball.
OFFS. Wolves' Dante Cunningham arrested for domestic assault.