Today's standings:
AL CENTRAL
TEAM W L PCT. GB
Twins 57 44 .564 -- BitchSox 52 47 .525 4
Have a nice day.
Posted by Batgirl at July 29, 2004 11:03 PMlooks great to me.
the twins are going to need every bit of that cushion; schedule taking a turn for the worse starting tomorrow.
Posted by: brink at July 29, 2004 11:15 PMCleveland is lingering in the shadows, threatening to overtake Chicago in the standings, too.
The Twins schedule over the next month, and really the rest of the season, truly is going to be trial by fire. Modest as the goal may seem, I think I'll be pleased if the Twins can win 16 of the next 30.
Posted by: frightwig at July 29, 2004 11:20 PMYES, it will be a BEAUTIFUL morning knowing that!
Posted by: Stacy at July 29, 2004 11:48 PMfrightwig--
i concur completely. i believe down the stretch that the indians will pose a greater threat to the twins than the white sox. this is more due to maggs and thomas going down with injuries than anything, but it's also a testament to how good the tribe has gotten in run producing AND pitching in a short time.
they get it done both ways.
Posted by: brink at July 30, 2004 12:46 AMYes indeed, it's time to circle the wagons (oh crap, I wanted to be more PC).
Anyway, I agree, the Indians might have something to say this year. Their schedule is very soft and comforting. However, our Twins schedule is quite abrasive.
Posted by: jason at July 30, 2004 01:55 AMyes, the schedule is menancing. But I'd much rather be the Twins with 80% of their offense intact against "good" teams, than the W.Sox with 50% of their offense intact against "bad" teams.
We'll see about Cleveland. I thought they were still ONE year away. But teams grow up fast nowdays.
Posted by: drake33 at July 30, 2004 02:22 AMCleveland needs a better relief corps. Once they get that, they can contend with us (and the Whine Sox too I guess although they might be ready to contend with them NOW.)
Posted by: Mimiru at July 30, 2004 04:39 AMIt seems to me that the Tribe's bullpen has improved lately, working with a core of Betancourt, Howry, White, and Wickman. But we'll see. I actually do expect them to be a big factor in this race, even if their role is just to be a thorn in the Twins' side.
Posted by: frightwig at July 30, 2004 05:14 AMI love wakin gup after an off day and finding that we have picked up ground on the Sox! We still have played 2 more games than them, so rest days down work in our favor. Yes the Twins play some of the better teams in the league yet this year, but if we play up to form (as we have since the all-star break) I think we have nothing to fear! My rose colored Twins glasses are currently on my eyes.
CLeveland is making a nice run this year, but I still think when the dust settles the Sox will be second.
Posted by: Soccerfan at July 30, 2004 07:50 AMOne interesting note - Cleveland is not involved in any of these late trade rumors. The team, the management and the fans all agree that these 25 players are enough to win the division. Cleveland rivals the Twins in young talent that can be used for trade bait, but there is no interest in using the young talent this year. May the best team win - it will be fun.
Posted by: tribefan at July 30, 2004 07:55 AMI watched part of the Bitch Sox game against Detroit last night, and listened to the broadcast crew talk about how the Twins have a much tougher second half. (They were virtually ignoring the actual game that was going on to discuss the Twins. It was so obsessive and cute!)
Here's what occured to me:
Twins' first half: weak schedule, crippling injuries, played (to use Batgirl's wonderful term) craptacularly on a semi-regular basis.
Twins' second half: tough schedule, appear to be getting healthy, playing beautifully.
Sox' first half: tough schedule, healthy, played well
Sox second half: weak schedule, crippling injuries, every sign of a descent into craptacularity.
On the whole, I'd take the tough schedule, good play and health for the second half, and I don't envy the Sox their upcoming stretch at all.
Posted by: hrunting at July 30, 2004 08:22 AMI hate off days....but putting another 1/2 game on the Sox certainly made it a little better. Way to go Bitch Sox....and now time to pound down the RichSox!
Time for Kyle to find his stuff.
Dave
Posted by: SDave at July 30, 2004 08:25 AMIf I were the BitchSox (God forbid) and had only just begun to play the Motor City Kitties, I might recall last season's games with what where then far less fearsome cats. I would come to the realization that I probably should not consider them weak or take them lightly.
Posted by: Franorama at July 30, 2004 08:33 AMI'm with you Franorama.
I've been listening to the Bitch Sox fans talk about their easy schedule down the pike here, thinking they're going to stomp all over the rest of the Central division, and I've said all along, "These are not the Tigers of last season".
Batgirl, you just made my morning. That's not easy, since I'd rather sleep till noon everyday.
Posted by: The 7th Angel at July 30, 2004 08:55 AMMany Random Thoughts:
1) Yankee Fan or not, are we not all human? Do we not all bleed? Are we not all please to sweep our respective hated Sox and post multiple game leads over them?
2) That being said, allow me to let you all on a little secret: The '80s are coming. Yes that's right, Old Mother Hubbard has gone to her cupboard to get her (not-so) poor dog a Randy Johnson... but the cupboard is bare, which spells a decade of penance for Hubbard a la the 1980s. We know it is coming, and some of us secretly look forward to it. Although the sucking (and sometimes major sucking) grows wearisome on the soul, the bandwagoners tend to jump ship at that time, leaving the core of baseball/Yankee fans left. Yea, it is the bandwagoners who give the true Yankee Fan the bad reputation...verily.
3) THAT being said, I would love to see Dougie in pinstripes, if Giambi's agent (err...parasite) causes him to miss the remainder of the season. However, I have encouraged the Hubbard team to look within the organization, save a few bucks and the only prospects we have left by sending Don Mattingly out to play first base. Olerud and McGruff (sic) are approximately the same age as Donnie B. and the Don is much more well rested. However, should Doug land in pinstripes (though what your Twins could possibly receive in return from the Yanks is a mystery, other than chemo for a potential clubhouse cancer) know that he will receive love and adoration from at least one YankeeFan, and I vow to provide Dougie updates from afar.
4) "Howry, White, and Wickman" - sounds like a law firm to me.
YankeeFan
Assuming great things from here on out, might we hope for a post-season treat of Legovision-The Musical?
Posted by: twinbandwagoner at July 30, 2004 09:37 AMI am a Royals fan, and I really don't like the Twins, but I truly hate the White Sox, so, since the Royals are out of it, go Twins. Screw the Sox.
Posted by: Joel at July 30, 2004 09:44 AMIt feels so good to see the Twins ahead by 4 games. I know a lot of BitchSox fans thought they would gain 1/2 a game yesterday, but those Tigers will always give them a run. And to think they did it without Pudge for most of the game. I personally wouldn't mind seeing the Indians pass the Sox in the standings. It would bring great laughter to me, as long as they don't pass anyone else.
Thanks to these standings, I think I will have a nice day, a great day.
megan
Posted by: rods59 at July 30, 2004 09:52 AMDoug in pinstripes! Blasphemy!
I need to lie down for a minute, the mere idea is making me woozy...
Posted by: TwinsGoddess at July 30, 2004 10:21 AM
That's hotter than Kris Benson's hottie wife.
Yeah, I was hoping to have Ms. Benson in town as well. She'd be a hit at Chino Latino.
What are we going to do with Doug if we can't trade him? Terry Ryan is completely right to stave off attempts at snatching up Kubel; but he better figure out what to do elsewise if he's going to take a stand like that.
Posted by: Haplo at July 30, 2004 11:40 AMTeehee, I'd wouldn't mind trading Doug for A-Rod and switching him right back to SS! Whether you like him or not, he's one of the best. Seriously though, Doug=late inning defensive replacement.
Posted by: Mimiru at July 30, 2004 11:52 AM5 games on August 1st is a general dividing point between contenders and pretenders. Not close then, probably not close at the end.
Well, the Sox are 4 down, with an anchor. The Tribe is 5.5 back, and dropping some mostly because the Twins have started playing well.
Assuming 5 games out a legitimate marker, best bet here is that the very keen management team in Cleveland has decided against being a buyer this year because they don't really believe they're in it yet and they don't want to give away prospects for no gain, but at the same time they have to spin (read: lie) to their fans that "These are the guys we can win with." My take on the situation in Cleveland.
So far as toughness of schedules -- I heartily recommend Sparky Anderson's maxim, "It's not who you play, it's when you play them." The Twins right now are playing tough -- bring it on. The White Sox aren't all that scary without Frank or Magglio, and they've blown two games in a row because of shortstop errors on routinish plays. It doesn't matter who they play right now, because they aren't playing well. Anyone can beat the Sox these days, and that might be a phase that lasts well past Labor Day.
In short, if the Twins play to their abilities, which they have been lately, it's a cakewalk. And with the West a catfight, if Bronx Bombers keep getting into fights and getting suspended or keep coming down with that parasite, there might even be a shot at the home field advantage.
Posted by: Hart at July 30, 2004 02:31 PMDear Mr. Hart,
Sparky Anderson had infinite wisdom and, in the case of the 70's Reds, a pretty good lineup. The Twins' tough schedule cannot make up for the losses of Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez, the two best players on the Sox. Shoeless Joe is already looking to 2005, when the records will once again start with zeroes in the Wins and Losses columns.
(Am I right that Koskie, Hacque Jones, and Radke are in their walk years? I guess the Yankees would be interested in Radke, he's one of the few big name starters available in the off season, and his low walk rate would put him in Brian Cashman's most wanted category)
Posted by: Shoeless Joe at July 30, 2004 04:26 PMSJ,
The Twins should have one more year of owning J.Jones (I know, I know, he's played 6 years, but that's what they (the Twins) keep telling me).
Otherwise, yes, Guzman, Koskie and Radke are all FA's. My hope is that they keep 2 of them.
Sparky had infinite wisdom, but he also predicted that Torey Lovullo would be a Hall of Famer. He also said, Mike Laga will make you forget about every power hitter who ever lived.
Posted by: frightwig at July 31, 2004 07:15 AM