FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In a stunning move this weekend, Twins GM Terry Ryan put in a request with Bud Selig to switch to the National League."I was speaking to Tony LaRussa, and he mentioned that during interleague play it was a real burden to find someone to write in as DH. And I was like, tell me about it! And that got me thinking."
The move makes a certain amount of sense, as finding a traditional player to fill the DH role has not been a priority for the Twins. The Twins' competition has spent their offseasons signing big names to DH, including Jim Thome last year and now Gary Sheffield for the Tigers. "I wanted to play for the Twins," said Thome. "But they told me they just wouldn't know what to do with a real DH."
"Other clubs might like those big flashy players that hit lots of home runs and drive people in and generally help increase your odds of scoring more runs than the other team, and thus, winning," said Ryan, "but we find it all rather…immodest. It's so much more interesting to try to win when you don't waste a line-up spot with a real RBI guy. Plus, a lot of teams don't realize that it's a great way to get another back-up utility outfielder's bat in the line up.
But Ryan seemed very excited about the idea of using that extra spot for a pitcher. "It's just so much more interesting when you've got one guy in there who's total dead weight. We've tried to bring some of that over here, but there's really more opportunities for that in the NL.
"Anyway," Ryan added, "I think we could get the same production out of most of our pitchers as we have at the DH spot, so that would be a real advantage for us."
hmm this smells of Onion to me! But it would be nice to have a rivalry with the Brewers
Posted by: billhedrick at November 12, 2006 10:22 PMIs this some sort of double switch or something?
Posted by: Moe at November 12, 2006 10:22 PMDo I detect a hint of tongue-in-cheek humor here? Not on Batgirl! How atrocious! :P I enjoyed it very much, BG.
Posted by: TwinsPrincess at November 12, 2006 10:23 PMSmart A$$. I love it.
Posted by: ForMorneau at November 12, 2006 10:23 PMwhat, no mention of the Twins non-tendering who has arguably become the GREATEST DH in the game today, David "Big Papi" Ortiz???
Posted by: JonStebbins at November 12, 2006 10:24 PMHell Johan would have Hit better than RonDL hit in the first part of the year.
Posted by: Paul at November 12, 2006 10:56 PMKent Hrbek might still be available if he can have weekends off for fishing.
Posted by: Skippy Tastes Better than Jiff at November 13, 2006 02:28 AMThey could put the DH slot up for auction on ebay.
162 slots a year, DHing, batting 9th, promise to give you at least 3 at bats but they'll pinch hit for you if the game's on the line. Throw in 1000 free tickets for your friends and you get to keep your game jersey with your name on the back and you go in Baseball encylopedia FOREVER.
Not something to do in a year you could contend but in a rebuilding year it could raise 100million easy to put towards good players in the future.
Think outside the batters box people!!!!
Posted by: dan in london at November 13, 2006 04:38 AMI wish this were true! If the Twins were in the NL I could actually go to Cinci and watch them play on a regular basis!
I have no advice on a DH, although I like the ebay idea. :-) except, maybe, raid one of the lesser lights in the NL (Pittsburgh, Florida) for a still-good batter in his twilight years.....
Posted by: PatGLex at November 13, 2006 08:33 AMOh, those people with real DH's never enter the ballpark with that sense of suspense! They know who's playing. We got the moment of joy and surprise: "Oh, look, Jason T. is in left field today, and Jason K. is DHing! I thought for sure it would be Rondell in left."
Dan in London should get in touch with TR. ;)
Posted by: JustBeth at November 13, 2006 09:53 AM
Hee.
Paul, you read my mind. Put Johan in there.
Maybe in the NL, we'd make it past round one of the playoffs, too!
(Oh dear, did I just say that out loud?)
Posted by: TwinsGoddess at November 13, 2006 10:08 AMThe dh rule is relatively new and T.R. may not be aware of it. Remember when guys like Killebrew and Oliva were our dhs? I think Rondell holding the bat by the barrel for the first 3 months hurt his production somewhat. Viagra should have caught that before late July.
Posted by: al at November 13, 2006 10:17 AMTwinsGoddess -
WE have made it out of the first round of the play-offs- in 2002 - granted we only won one game (and it was quite the win)in the series against Anaheim - we still made it to round two.
I'd be ok in the NL Central - we can switch with Milwaukee - added bonus - Albert!
Just dump the DH already- I like to watch the pitchers hit.
Much Love
Wonder Woman
After seeing Pohlad's projected budget Ryan actually asked Commissioner Miles Wolff of the American Association requesting a switch to that league. Makes perfect sense - the crosstown rivalry with the Saints, the bus rides to Ft. Worth )where the hotels are cheaper than Dallas), the ability to really open up those Dakota markets...
This was after TR lost out on the Brian Buchanan bidding war to that Japanese team.
Posted by: ramon at November 13, 2006 04:03 PMNo, no, Wonder Woman. We don't want to see the pitchers hit. It's fun and all during interleague play, because it's different, but to watch it every day would be agony. When the big excitement from a hitter is an adequately executed sac bunt or sac fly, and even that is rare, do you really want to pay to watch that? "Hey, look - he fouled one off! Woo hoo!!!" No, thanks.
Posted by: adidasman at November 13, 2006 04:04 PMWonder Woman may employ sarcasm along with those magic bracelets, but I have no way of knowing. Aquaman
Posted by: al at November 13, 2006 04:19 PMWatching the pitchers hit is truly fun. It's not we had a productive DH all season. We can save on the DH and get a really good starter like...Jeff Weaver! That's about what our measly budget allows for, if that. Oh, and the Red Sox reportedly bid $42 million on Matsuzaka. $42 million is two-thirds of the Twins' payroll. Oof.
Posted by: Erin at November 13, 2006 05:47 PMI agree with Erin. We need to focus less on getting a good DH and more on patching up our less-than-desirable rotation (with the exception of El Presidente).
Posted by: TwinsPrincess at November 13, 2006 06:06 PMI heard Carl P. is raising the payroll to an even jillion next year, but, from an unreliable source: that is a lot of foreclosures, but we can buy 114,000 utility infielders for that kind of money,giving us flexibility, and my doctors say that is important.
Posted by: al at November 13, 2006 06:08 PMDearest Adidasman and Al - aka Aquaman
No - no sarcasm in the magic bracelets - I would really like to see the pitchers hit everyday.
Come on imagine it - really it would be fabulous!
How exciting was Jeff Suppan's HR in the play-offs - I about fainted!
Johan pitching the perfect game - and he comes to the plate bottom 9 and he hits one over the right field wall - that would be so priceless.
I know - I know one in a million that would happen but I do love the NL rules =)
And AL -Aquaman?!? You can do better then that ;)
Much Love
Wonder Woman
I would LOVE this to happen. I live in St. Louis, so that would mean 3 series each year with the Cardinals (assuming they stay central).
Posted by: Pun at November 14, 2006 12:55 PMSEVEN teams in the NL Central? Does Houston go to the West and Pittsburgh back to the East?
Oh, and keep the DH. Doesn't the NL use pinch hitters a good amount of the time *anyway*?
Posted by: Piranhtachew at November 14, 2006 05:44 PMYes, but they have to take out the pitcher to do so -- making it more of a strategic decision. Leave in the pitcher who's doing well, or get in a better hitter?
Of course, it isn't much of a decision to make if you have Carlos Zambrano pitching. 7 home runs! If he weren't a starting pitcher, that'd extrapolate to about 35 or so!!
Posted by: PsyMar at November 16, 2006 02:57 AMNow that was funny
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