Well, it's been very exciting here on BULLPEN IDOL. The Top Six have all pitched now, and we've really gotten to see who they were. Our judges' reports were mixed, but who cares what they think? For you, Batgirl's ingenious and perspicacious readership, get to decide who stays and who goes!
The top three vote getters: Grant Balfour, Joe Nathan, and Juan Rincon.
The bottom three: J.C. Romero, Aaron Fultz, and Terry Mulholland.
J.C. Romero...You pitched three times last week. Let's hear what the judges had to say about your performance.
Randy said, "I don't know, dawg, I just can't figure you out. Sometimes you're terrible and sometimes you're great. Consistency, man."
Paula said, "I can see you're trying really hard and I think that's great. You were a little off there at the start, but you really came through."
And Simon said, "What were you doing on Tuesday? Four runs in one inning? Just terrible. Really. Terrible."
Aaron Fultz...You pitched two innings on Tuesday and 1/3 of an inning on Friday.
Randy said, "Hey, dawg, that was hot on Tuesday. You really kept us in the game." Paula said, "Aaron, you got your first win as a Twin last week. I'm proud of you." Simon said, "I have no idea who you are."
Terry Mulholland...You pitched 1/3 of an innning on Thursday against Seattle, and two innings today.
Randy said, "What's up? How do you feel about your pitching? I thought it was pretty sketchy, I got to say. You almost lost the shut out for Johan. That's not cool, dawg." Paula said, "I was concerned about you on Thursday, but today you came in and stopped the bleeding. That was a professional's job, and you're a professional." Simon said, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are way too old to be in this competition."And the Readership says: Terry Mulholland, you have been voted out of the bullpen. Thanks for the memories, we've had such a great time together....
Now, Readership; we're down to five. Watch their performances carefully this week and when they're all done, it will be time to vote again on BULLPEN IDOL!
Batgirl, out!
Posted by Batgirl at May 16, 2004 07:25 PM
Grant Balfour is the man! Grant Balfour for bullpen idol! Yeah!
Posted by: Bob at May 16, 2004 08:20 PMWell, it looks like Bullpen Idol is gonna be a runaway hit. I've got two words for you: brand extension. C'est Bullpen Idol Minor®! :)
BTW, Ryan Seacrest, is that not a second baseman's name or what?! Get him out there on the Turf™. I heard he played Little League. About the same level as what Rivas has shown. Hear he's a switch hitter, too. ;)
Posted by: OldTown at May 16, 2004 09:21 PMGrant Balfour Bullpen Idol? That's proposterous. Terry's ERA: 1.80. Balfour's ERA: 40.50. I'm seriously starting to doubt the legitmacy of this contest. Is someone stuffing the ballot box? Perhaps if we put the names in a different order, hence changing the default selection, we might see different results. I submit that the order be reversed. I have a feeling there will be a sudden surge in support for Romero.
Posted by: Florida at May 17, 2004 08:48 AMCome on! You can't sour on Balfour because of one outing. It was his first in a very long time, and he was rusty. I predict that he will become a stalwart in this mighty 'pen before the year is out. Mulholland is old and washed-up; he is no more than a mop-up guy. At least Balfour has potential, and plus he can hit 96 on the gun! Now I know what the next response will be: "Velocity isn't everything, you know." Of course I know that. I don't know about you, but I think that's still a pretty desirable trait in a pitcher. Comparing the ERAs of these pitchers is very meaningless right now.
Posted by: Bob at May 17, 2004 10:26 AMBob,
You are absolutely correct. Comparing ERAs is unfair. It's a safe bet that Mulholland will finish the year with an ERA above 1.80, and I don't think anyone believes Balfour will end up with an ERA higher than his age. Still, if the Twins have a 3-2 lead in the seventh, who would I rather see on the mound right now? Old Manholland. I am rooting for Balfour, and I think he'll do well. I just don't know if he deserved second place recognition in our poll before even pitching. And how can I not root for Terry M? If there's one thing I've learned, it's to respect my elders.
One thing we can agree on, I'd bet, is that Gardy's decision to put Balfour in when the game was already out of hand was an excellent call. This outing would have done much more damage to Grant (and the Twins) in a closer game.
Respectfully,
FL
TR leading a tour through the Twins Museum of Ancient Pitchers...
Hmmm... there's "locomotus humongous" in his '91 uniform.
Ahhh, and one of our finer acquisitions, "sneerus sliderus" who helped guide LaTroy to respectability as a reliever sure to join this exhibit one day.
And, I think that is, yes, it is "regurgitatis reingestus" - especially known for bullpen trivia and wet grand slams.
And now we come to this year's addition to our collection: "craftius leftisaurus" and a particularly fine, if old, example.
Posted by: ThatsRich at May 17, 2004 04:55 PMI suspect that some voters did not really understand the guidelines of voting for this competition. Were we voting for our favorite, or voting somebody OFF the island? Besides, those of us who had other stuff to do on the weekend were disenfranchised by the narrow polling window.
Team Batgirl, I request a do-over.
Posted by: frightwig at May 17, 2004 06:11 PMDear Mr./Ms. Wig,
Batgirl, too, is concerned that people were in fact voting Balfour OFF the show--but whether off or on, no one seemed to vote for poor Terry Mulholland. Voting controversies are an essential part of BULLPEN IDOL; they give the show so much press. But Batgirl feels that next time, the show should not air over the weekend and the voting should run over two solid days. I hope dearly that that will assuage your worries.
Sincerely,
Batgirl
This team is 11th in the league in fielding. They are as bad on the road as they are on the evil new turf. In the 7th, when they wiped out Brad's 3 run lead, Torii, and Jaques, contributed bad plays in the outfield, and our man for no season, Luis, made a horrid throw to insure the tying run would score. Yet we hear how sharp they are defensively.This defense makes it tough on all the pitchers, and to think it used to be limited to the middle infielders. I am displeased. al
Posted by: al at May 17, 2004 08:37 PMI feel assuaged, and I will abide.
Thank you, Batgirl.
Posted by: frightwig at May 17, 2004 10:51 PMAll could be remedied the final week if Team Batgirl nominates a "Wild Card" from the ranks of the castoffs to compete for the ultimate prize.
FL
Posted by: Florida at May 18, 2004 10:52 AMDear Mr./Ms. Florida,
An interesting idea. We shall take it under advisement.
Yours,
Batgirl