Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune asks Can't The Sox Get Kenny? Curiously, at the end of the article he seems to imply The Gambler could come back to Minnesota. It seems an awfully strange thing to say, though I suppose anything could happen. Lou Pinella couldget Manager of the Year.
Rogers helped the Minnesota Twins win the Central in 2003 and could follow new second baseman Bret Boone there in a trade. There's not a contender he couldn't help, including the team with the best record in the majors.
Jayson Stark at ESPN gives some dubious props for Twins in his Midseason Awards:
BASE-STRETCHER OF THE HALF-YEAR -- Speaking of Great Moments in Baserunning, we turn our attention to the exploits of Twins flake Matthew LeCroy last weekend.LeCroy -- who is so nimble that the Twins have compiled an actual highlight video of the 8,000 times he has literally fallen down on the job -- is also one of those speedsters who makes Juan Castro look like Scott Podsednik.
But for some reason, he tried to go from first to third July 3 on what looked like a game-winning single by Mike Redmond. Which meant Torii Hunter (the runner on second) had to shift into late-breaking turbo to make sure he crossed home plate before LeCroy got tagged out at third.
Fortunately, LeCroy stampeded into third safely, with a slide that manager Ron Gardenhire said later looked more like "a man falling down a stairwell." So the run counted. The Twins won. And Gardenhire then told the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Jim Souhan: "My goal is always to watch Matty slide -- because when Matty slides, that's more entertaining than baseball itself."
AND
Top Five Injuries of the Half-Year FIFTH PRIZE (HOTEL-LIFE DIVISION): (TIE) Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett ripped off a fingernail -- in his hotel room -- while trying to rotate the TV so he could watch a basketball game. And teammate Terry Mulholland missed a game when he rolled over in bed and a runaway feather from his pillow decided to insert itself in his eye.
Meanwhile, ESPN.com Page 2's Eric Neel picks Johan Santana for his dream team.
I could trot out a bunch of numbers to justify Santana, but I'm not going to do that, because you know the numbers and you dream about the numbers and you wish, the way a man in the desert wishes for a puddle of rain, that the numbers were for you instead of me. But numbers aside, my thing with Johan is this: He can pitch. He isn't just blowing guys away (though he is surely doing that), he's also toying with them on changes of speed and almost computer-calibrated location. All of this means we're likely to see him maintain his high level of performance, I think, because it isn't a straight physical gift that might one day up and leave him, like a flighty girlfriend who suddenly got a better offer.
In more Johan-related news, Gordon Wittenmeyer at the PiPress talks to El Presidente about his slightly-less-Supernatural season in Johan Santana Has Something To Prove.
And the Strib reprints a story from the LA Times that asks Where Have All the Organists Gone?
Posted by Batgirl at July 12, 2005 09:56 AMThere are some positives in that list for us too.
Guzy wins the "LVP" while Milton takes the "Cy Yuk" showing we weren't as crazy as we seemed letting them go. (Hawkins gets a nod for the "Cy Yuk")
Jesse Crain gets a nod for Rookie of the Year consideration.
Restovich is the cause of "Most Creative Injury" ;)
Last year's "Last Guy To Get A Hit" says he used Mike Lamb's bat to end the slump.
Our roots stretch far and deep they do. Much deeper than one might have thought when first reading that article.
Posted by: Torhu at July 12, 2005 12:45 PMDear Mr. Hu,
The Twins do have a tendency to get the better end of these things, but one has to wonder if one David Ortiz on the plus side outweighs a Guzy, a Milty,and a Hawk on the other.
Thoughtfully,
BG
"That would have been embarrassing, to get plowed over by a hot dog. I heard one of them yell, 'Look out!' I think it was the bratwurst."
HA!
Posted by: kafumbly at July 12, 2005 01:10 PMI, too, noticed how far the Ex-Twins reach. Some good, some bad. Thanks for pointing out all the articles, Bat-Girl!
Just Beth
Posted by: Just Beth at July 12, 2005 01:31 PMBG, I wouldn't worry. If you look at Twins deals in the last few years as a whole...so far Ortiz was the only real let-down. Koskie (defensively) is a close 2nd, but you still have to look at who've we've gotten.
Silva, Nathan, Santana, and Stewart all add up to greater than Ortiz.
Posted by: Torhu at July 12, 2005 02:19 PMThe Twins getting Kenny Rogers is an awfully strange thing to say for Phil Rogers because Phil Rogers is a hack. As a Cub fan I get to see him comment on the team every week, and he never has anything good to say.
Posted by: Mike Jansen at July 12, 2005 02:19 PM*Note: I add Santana because he was a Rule-5 steal from...the Marlins I think.
Posted by: Torhu at July 12, 2005 02:20 PMDear Mr. Jansen,
Thank you for the explanation. BG appreciates it.
Gratefully,
BG
Fellow Batlings -
the best part of this trade ...
give's team BG something to write about over the all-star break and spares us from another episode of Twins Hottest Chick.
Posted by: Hegs at July 12, 2005 03:26 PMRight on Hegs, right on.
Posted by: HooliganKat at July 12, 2005 03:35 PMshhhh! Hegs, don't give them any ideas!
Posted by: kafumbly at July 12, 2005 03:40 PMDear Batlings,
Sometimes I get the feeling you don't like Minnesota Twins: Hottest Chick.
Sorrowfully,
BG
Hegs-I thought of the same thing.
In all honesty, BatGirl, the hottest chick, as scarring as it is, made my giggle with laughter all day each time you did it. The photo-shop work was superb, but the names were what made me giggle the most.
Posted by: Just Beth at July 12, 2005 03:52 PMDear Batgirl,
Don't worry, We love everything else you do! We must allow you give us the eebee geebees every now and again.
Love,
HooliganKat
Batgirl -- Fear not, we love the Hottest Chick; it just makes us the littlest bit queasy, that's all. Kind of like too many corn dogs and a ferris wheel.
Posted by: Dee at July 12, 2005 04:07 PMHow many times do we need to clarify that Mulholland did NOT miss a game because of that feather?! He toughed it out.
And I loved this line regarding Santana:
"All of this means we're likely to see him maintain his high level of performance, I think, because it isn't a straight physical gift that might one day up and leave him, like a flighty girlfriend who suddenly got a better offer."
Thanks BG!
I am SO waiting to see a picture of Bret-ney Boone!
Posted by: aussie at July 12, 2005 04:31 PMBG -
While your photo-shop skill are incredible,
Hottest chick = scary. Bad dreams. Sick tummy.
The scariest part about hottest chick?
Torri and Shannon's names didn't change.
Posted by: aurora at July 12, 2005 05:33 PMDavid Ortiz: Hottest Chick? Star Ortiz.
Does anybody else think that his mlb.com picture looks like Baron Harkonnen at the end of Dune?
Anybody?
Posted by: Haplo at July 12, 2005 08:35 PMSad about the organists. The B-3 will always sound like baseball to me.I still describe jazz that uses a Hammond B-3 as "baseball jazz."
And don't be sad, BG. Twins' Hottest Chick is one of those things that will be appreciated beyond its time, like many of the great writers. It's just that...ugh...yeah, future generations, and all that!