I don’t think Mueller is necessarily an answer to our problems. Or he could be…never thought Stewart would be either.

Hmm...who would get sent down.

I know who I'd send packing, but that's not the same.

With the Man Named Jody being traded by Cleveland...you have to look at the moves CWS made at the beginning of the year and the moves the Indians are making now.

They continue to improve their lineup...we have to make a few moves, and be willing to give up a little, to better this team not only this year...but for the next few as well.

I'm tired of rent-a-players. I'd like to see a few long term mid-season moves. Open up the wallet a bit, and I'll be more willing to support a stadium.

[Dear Mr Bloom,

BG is trying to keep things reasonably on topic. If you feel strongly about that article, BG humbly suggests you might just post the link rather than the whole thing, in an effort not to distract too much from the conversation. If you have a link, please e-mail BG and she'll post it in your comment here.

Sincerely,
BG]

I read the player they send down - has to stay for at least ten days at AAA - soooo - this bites.

probably an infielder - we have enough up here- and I guess it would free up some at bats for Cuddy -

When does Glenn come off the DL -
I don't care if JC leaves - never liked him - never will -
Mueller before Millar anyday

Guys I can currently do without:
Ullger (our hitters makes the same mistakes at the plate day-in day-out...he's not catching whatever this is...and look at Ortiz. What the heck happened there?)
Cuddyer
Romero
Morneau (he. looks. like. crap.)
Radke (you thought I was mad at Morneau)

Doesn't mean I want them gone (cept for Romero an Ullger) Just means I REALLY am not happy with them.

Guys I feel bad for:
Stewart (No. 3 spot?)
Boone (he'll be blamed for ANYTHING that goes wrong..though he was the guy being asked to climb back on a sinking ship to save a kitty...)
Mauer (is doing well, but it's all his fault)
Santana (umps forget that the batter doesn't ALWAYS have to swing to record a strike...)
Gardenhire (that's gotta be a wig)
Nathan (Hey guys...it's me...the closer. Just let me know if you're ever in a lead...)

Oh, don't misunderstand Mauer. What I'm saying is he is doing REALLY well, but is getting blamed for some reason because he's not clubbing the ball around (Which is something he never even did in the minors)

I do love Gardy. He's gonna pay dearly for this, though.

Mueller doesn't look like a good trade to me. It seems to me we've got plenty of .277/4/36 guys in our batting order. THAT'S THE PROBLEM!

I'm nominating my own boyfriend,10 days would do Mornizzle some good down in AAA to get his confidence back. Sure we'd miss him, but Cuddy can fill in for awhile. They need to do something with him, he's so frustrated. He needs to go knock some AAA pitchers around and make them his bee-yatch for a bit. He'll come back much better.

As for JC, get rid of him. He has shown nothing but immaturity for the last few seasons and it seems no matter how much Rick Anderson works with him, he doesn't get it. I would really like to see Bill Mueller in a Twins uniform, have Nicky Punto at SS, Bret "I've still got some handy glove work" Boone at 2B and Morneau at 1B and Cuddy as a utility guy. I think Cuddy is our new Denny Hocking only better. Also, I'm pretty tired of this "Next Shannon Stewart" talk. I think we can all agree that that was a fantastic move, but it's just not going to happen again. All I want is a solid everyday infield, and if Bill Mueller can help stabilize us, that's all I'm asking.

I still have rays of hope shining through the cobwebs in my heart. We're still in the running for the Wild Card, our pitching is still outstanding, Gardy's still passionate and we still love our boys, but my patience is really running thin and I'm tired of seeing the same thing over and over again everyday.

Dear Ms. Kat,

BG wonders if they weren't having Cuddles play 1B for a reason, and thinks perhaps the organization agrees with you.

Thoughtfully,
BG

I think Mr. Ryan must have looked through his 2003 baseball card set and realized he was missing 2 all-stars from that year. Trade for all the 2003 all-stars you want Mr. Ryan, just dont trade for the gum!

I would welcome a Romero for Mueller trade. It even makes sense for both teams- we need a third baseman and they need bullpen help.

Trading a malcontent bullpen arm (that isn't even your established 7th inning, 8th inning, or closing pitcher) for a solid third baseman who has won a batting title and a world series within the last 2 years sounds like a good deal to me. Mueller's blue collar style would fit well with the Twins.

If that is the deal on the table, I say "pull the trigger".

KQ92 had a tape of Gardy's tirade. (Bob Sansevere is one of their regulars on the morning show, and it was from his mini-recorder). They counted seven "ki$$ my a$$"es. And there had to be at least as many "Bull S**t"s. Aparently Gardy initially yelled to Wendlestadt that strike three to Mauer was high...no cursing or anything. And immeditately gets tossed, along with some snide comment back from Wendlestadt.

Gardy also commented that the ump maybe ought to be knocked onhis tail a few times. And that he (Gardy) was going to contact Bob Watson's office himself about this.

Quite the audio. They'll be replaying it for some time.

They will be replaying at lest clips from that tape for some time. And Gardy wi

oh. and I agree that a couple weeks of AAA pitching might just give the Doctor the shot in the arm he needs. With a healthy Cuddy and the resonably warm bat of Big LeRoy, the O won't suffer and the D may only drop a pinch in the short term.

They toss Gardy too easily. Especially considering what they let the other teams do in the SAME game.

I just get these weird feelings sometimes...like watching the Wolves again. If anybody else followed the Wolves, not all of it was their fault. They get El Shafto by the refs a lot during the season...

But know the Twins are in big trouble. Gardy went off on an ump, which means we'll be on their [EDITED]list for a while.

There are some pretty vindictive umps out there. And sadly this was only the first game of the series...that same crew will be there for two days.

For anybody wondering, the comment that set Gardy ablaze was something about Gardy only coming out of the dugout to get "showtime."

Of all people, umps are the last guys who should be talking any kind of garbage...especially since they are IM-MUNE to ANY kind of verbal abuse or punishment regardless of their flat-out suckery (see kid grabbing Home Run ball in New York)

It's like that in every sport these days. (See Wolves vs. Lakers 2004...in which the ref actually ASKED how many fouls Shaq had before deciding not to blow the whistle on Number 6 (Which would've ejected ONeil from the game)

Or my personal fave in the: "How Does This Guy Still Have A Job Department..." The ref in the NFL who wasn't even able to get the coin flip right.

Dear Batgirl,

It is becoming appearant to me that the Twins are addicted to their ass-bats. I don't know for sure, but maybe Scott Ulger is their enabler. Maybe it's time for an intervention. I cannot think of a better person to be the moderator at the intervention than you.

Maybe we need to drive to the Metrodome, pick up the Twins, and tell them we are taking them to a water park or something. But instead we take them to a huge hotel room where all of the batlings are seated in a circle, and the twins players must sit in the center. One by one, we can each explain to the twins how their ass-bat addiction has hurt us. No yelling, no screaming. If we open our hearts to them, maybe they will realize what their addiction is doing to the people who love them.

One thing is for sure, Bret Boone is not our Hazelden. The Twins need more. Maybe an intervention will help, and maybe not. But something must be done.

Thanks,

NIH

Sending Morneau to AAA sounds like an excellent idea. He looks like he's pouting every time he gets to the plate. Rochester would be the perfect place for him to get an attitude adjustment.

Torhu, I can't help but agree with your comment about the Twins needing to open up the wallet. Right now I have no faith that the Pohlads will put money into this team if they get a new stadium.

Going to AAA would be better then putting the 'blame' on mom for your ass at bats - silly Justin

Send Morneau to AAA for a while.

Keep Romero. I agree with Dale and others - we don't need another mediocre hitter. We have plenty of those.

Fire Scott Ullger. If we get a worse coach at least that would be different. It's gotten so bad that I can predict the mistake our hitters will make with relative ease.

Finally, institute a series of penalties for stupidity at the plate. For example:
* Looking at a called third strike - you get to wash all the team's jock straps by hand that evening.
* Swinging and missing at ball four - Matthew LeCroy stomps on your foot. If it is LeCroy who does it, Al Newman fills in.
* Failing to advance a runner when called upon to bunt - you have to administer yourself a "hotfoot"
* Grounding into a double play - a swift kick to the jimmy

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5514725.html

Maybe this guy is looking for Batgirl.

I've said this before elsewhere, but may I add some support of Scott Ullger? Not saying I'm a fan of his or that he's good, but look at Guzman and Mientkiewicz. It's not like they suddenly became hitting machines upon joining new teams with new hitting coaches. David Ortiz might've finally found his groove at the wrong time (for us).

I was thinking the other day that Justin might need a brief stint in AAA, but I'm not sure that would help his confidence. On the other hand, just letting him play hasn't helped, either. (Gardy told the minor leagues to put Cuddyer at first and third in the re-hab assignment...I, too, felt there was a good reason to add "first" in there. Not necessarily minors for Justin, but more off-days.)

I think I'd have to know what the Twins line-up would be before I can speculate if J.Ro for Mueller is a good idea.

Personally, I'd like to see us get a good third baseman. Maybe one from an AL East team. An AL East team that needs pitching. An AL East team that needs pitching and could part with a good third baseman because they have guys named Sosa and Tejada and Roberts and Palmerio who can hit the heck out of the ball. That's right, I want Melvin Mora. And I want to give up Joe Mays to get him. I think Mora has 2 more years on his contract after this year, and I don't know about what price he's at, but this year at least, he's cheaper than Mays. It sounds ok to me, but then again, I'm just a random guy making a wild suggestion.

I agree that trading Romero for Mueller would not be much of an upgrade. We would be losing our only non-centurian lefty from the bullpen, for another guy that had 1 good year in the past.

But I am in favor of Morneau to AAA. let him get the mojo back and figure it out. Or send him to one of those rehab things where he bats every inning and goes 9-10 with 6 hrs (he did something like that after the beanball-to-the-head incident).

I think the player to be sent down should be Justin...and it looks like I'm just basically agreeing with everyone.

I'm thinking he just needs time away from all of this. And AAA could do him some good. And, although it canNOT be used as an excuse, comparing him and Mauer to Mantle and Maris at the beginning of the season was the last thing that should have been done.

You can tell when Justin goes up to bat that he's looking for the home run and that's kind of all he thinks about. And while he's looking for that pitch to crush over the upper deck railing, he flails helplessly and looks bad in the process....

And, as a side note, can someone tell Torii to stop talking and start hitting? "We need guys to step up."? Um...Torii...could you? I love you and all, but uh...you aren't stepping up either...

It's all just so frustrating....

As for the Mueller/Romero thing...*shrugs* I don't know. Who would our lefty in the pen be? And Mulholland doesn't count.

Regarding the Romero/Mueller trade, there are a number of other issues that must be considered.

Mueller makes $2.5M, Romero makes exactly half of that. Also, I think Mueller will be arbitration eligible at the end of the season. So if the twins get Mueller, at the end of the season they could either sign him or get a high draft pick in return if he leaves. I think that is how it works. So Terry Ryan is not only trading for Mueller, but potentially a high draft pick in 2006 that the Twin's organization covets.

My point is that this trade scenario may not be as simple as JC Romero for Bill Mueller, straight up. The trade is still not an easy decision, but the salary and future draft pick/big picture details need to be considered.

Interesting, at first I thought RandomGuy was referring to the Yankees' need for pitching and Eric Duncan (minor league prospect). That would be a great move for the Twins (and very Twins-like), only it's not going to happen.

Mays for Mora is interesting indeed -- I cannot think of any reason that either team would shy away from it... of course, Mora has been a hitting machine when healthy, but when not healthy, the O's have gotten by, making him expendable for the right deal. Mays is a good starter (not great again yet) who could definitely help the O's out.

I can't see any reason that this hasn't happened yet...but glad it hasn't :)

YankeeFan

One can only imagine the tone of the Gardenhire rant from reading the text. I suspect a stiff fine and a possible suspension are on the way.

If he is suspended - do you think that this may be a good (rally the troops) or a bad (further into the abyss) kind of thing???

I like the Mora trade idea RandomGuy. Mays has been good enough for us, but we could always call up Baker, and we really really really need the offense. Besides, are we gonna sign Mays back? He's in his last year, right? Might as well get something for him. And even if it means hanging onto Mora for 2 more years, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

I remember reading once upon a time earlier this season that Mays wants to stay with the Twins. Of course, Koskie did too and we all saw what happened there.

We were discussing a Silva-for-Mora trade earlier, but I think I'd be more comfortable giving up Mays. Or Lohse + pitching prospect for their bullpen. I'd love to have Mora here.

have we all gone mad? why would Baltimore give up an ALL-STAR 3rd baseman that's signed for $3.8mil? and for joe mays, no less? never going to happen.

No kidding, Twinkie.

You cannot have Mora for Joe Mays. For Carlos Silva, I'll talk.

And I assure you, you will have to go through me. None of this silly GMs talking to each other. I shall personally oversee all negotiations, even if the GMs don't realize I am.

Right now Silva is about as consistent as they come for us and he's cheap (so far), we'd have to be getting back more than Mora in my opinion for him.

Mays on the other hand... he's got a giant contract and even though this is the last year of it if we could get someone to take on the rest of it we might free some money to pick up someone elses big contract. I'm not so sure I'd be happy losing Mays for the season either though (with Baker presumably taking his starts), but I'd rather trade him than Silva.

Frankly, I'm not sure who I'd trade, and I'm glad it's not my decision.

Dear Ms ICL,

Get your mits off my Jackal.

Threateningly,
BG

Dear BG,

I'm just sayin', my Melvin won't come cheap.

Reasonably,
CarrieICL

personally, i'd like to see us trade for Jorge Cantu of the Devil Rays. he's 23 and in 332 ABs this year he's hitting .289/15/60. they'd probably want young pitching in return, since Cantu is making the minimum this year, so TR should throw JD Durbin at them. he's stinking lately anyway, and in my mind is expendable with Baker, Bowyer, and Liriano in AAA.

or perhaps wait to see if the Astros drop out of it, then try to get Ensberg - however, that would take a LOT and i dont see is making that deal.

in my opinion, though, Mueller would be a better fit than Mike Lowell, who i also heard in some rumors. Lowell walks less and, therefore, doesnt get on base as much. we need guys getting on to spark us, like Torii did last night.

For starters, I realize that Mora won't come cheap. I figured the Twins would probably have to throw some sort of prospect at the O's along w/ Mays. So be it. However, that being said, Mays fills a big need for the O's, and a straight up trade would be far from "cheap".

I should also point out that Mora's numbers have declined a bit. This season is probably representative of what he will be consistently, and so, impressive as it may be, it's not as nice as he looked last year. Throw in the fact that the O's have offense to spare, and it really does make sense for both teams if the financials are all squared away.

Yes! Mitts off The Jackal!!

I don't think we'd be willing to part ways with Silva. Silva has been a great workhorse for us and he's young and cheap. Mays, eh, I'd like him to stay because I think he's got some good stuff left in him, he seems to have a passion to play for the Twins, he has been very verbal about wanting to stay, although with his contract, I wouldn't be shocked if he had to pack his bags. Kyle can go, as much as he's been doing well lately, sooner or later he will mentally implode. We all remember 2004 right? Hopefully other teams won't and they'll take him. I also don't get the feeling of him being overly excited about staying here. So I'd like to see Maysie or Lohsey for a solid 3B, heck I'll even throw in J.Ro.

I really don't have too much of a preference either way (Mueller vs. Mora), I just want an everyday infield so I don't have to guess who's playing when and who's filling in where.

I'm anxiously awaiting a move by Mr. Ryan. In Terry Ryan I trust.

I like Bill Mueller. his BA may be .277 like others on our team, but he's not as streaky, as far as I can recall. it's a consistent .277. others on our team go through hot hitting streaks, then are suddenly ice cold for a month or so, where their BA drops. then they get hot again, and the avg rises... and so on. what good is that?

but a guy who's going to be consistent at the plate like, oh I don't know, Joe Mauer... would be a big help. I am ALL FOR Bill Mueller for JC Romero.

and honestly, I thought DJ absolutely SPARKLED at 1B last night. send Justin to AAA to work on his swing, let DJ start 1B for a while.

We could always trade for that third baseman coming off the DL in Toronto.

how about Kyle/Lyle Lohse straight up for Sean Burroughs? or maybe DJ Cuddy straight up? Cuddy was selected 9th overall in '97, Burroughs was selected 9th overall in '98. pretty even swap, although i think Burroughs is entering his 2nd year of arbitration and Cuddy will be entering his 1st. i could be wrong, though.
Burroughs looks like his numbers arent doing very well, but he plays in Petco. let him smack balls against the baggy in the Dome and we will see him come around, i think.
additionally, i think he and Cuddy or Lohse could use a change of scenery. they're getting kinda stale in the Dome's A/C. Lohse is from CA, maybe he would like to return.

Bad Andy is thinking what I am.

As much as I hate to continue the Ulger-Hating...I've been upset with him for a while. And now it's just proving harder and harder to think he's doing anything helpful.

Other teams would've done it by now, hell...there are teams who'd fire the manager...but this isn't Gardy's fault...not from what i can tell.

Let's look at it this way, if the hitters don't turn it around, we won't make the playoffs. Winning 1 out of every 5 won't keep you in the Wild Card hunt.

Make the move now, while there's still hope to turn this thing around. All you hear about is "potential" this and "possible" that. Well why haven't we tapped in to ANY of that? Getting the new hitting coach brings in a fresh look from the outside...who can catch somethign Ulger hasn't.

Two things will happen:

1. The new coach could fix most of the problems and help us put up a fight for the Wild Card, getting us preparred and improved for the playoffs.

2. The new coach doesn't fix things right away, but has almost half a season to see the team inaction (in meaningful games) and start noticing and catching mistakes/problems.

Either way, come next year...he'll have had some time with the team and will be able to spend ALL of Spring Training working with their problems instead of coming in at the beginning of Spring Training and waisting most of the time looking for and fixing them.

I should've said: "One of two things will happen."

Well Mora was a 2003 all-star so that qualification is met.

I also think there is no way the birds take Mays and there is no way we give up the Jackal.

Silva's been the one consistent guy all year. And by that I mean consistently good.

..abd by that I meant...consistnatly good starting pitcher.

While we're blue-skying here... how about Chad Tracy from the D-Backs? Any takers?

-ex

I have never laughed so hard at the KQ morning show, Gardy was so funny. I love him!

Also, they played the "More Cowbell" SNL sketch.

Anyway, along the lines of "Free Terry Tiffee" how about "Jail Justin Morneau?" He DEFINITELY needs to go down to AAA. Who cares about his confidence? It's not his confidence that's lacking, he's OVER confident, and swings at garbage while getting caught looking on nice ones right down the pipe. An alternative to AAA would be something like in Major League where the guy isn't allowed to swing at anything and he gets fined if he does.

DJ Cuddles and Carlos Silva should not be on the trading block.

We do not need Bill Mueller, whoever said we already have too many people like him is right. Bo-ring.

I want Bret Boone to turn things around and start hitting consistently. I'm trying so hard to like him even though he sat in the broadcast booth and smiled so smugly while his awful brother hit that awful homerun in the playoffs against the Red Sox.

Boone is now on a three game hitting streak. If not more. Let the poor guy off the hook. He's not going to pull a Stewart.

Let him be Bret Boone, not Shannon 2.

"Oh great God's of baseball...please feel inspired to grant us, your most humble and smallball loving servents the power to score at least two more runs in this game."

Torhu 3:2

"I thank you...oh great Gods of Baseball, for deeming us worthy of your gift."

Torhu 4:3

Dear Torhu,

The tone of my comment was positive, not angry. At least the Bret Boone part. I meant more like, I'm pulling for him.

Crystallizingly,
Donnalove

Oh. Sorry. I just feel bad for him. People want so much from the poor guy.

He's going to be a good hitter...and he's shown his glove (though he had a flew slips tonight that made me upset)

If we just give him the good side of the fanbase he'll settle in.

Indeed, he has shown his glove...

to be the size of a novelty foam finger.