I deleted the poll because there appears to be some sort of silly glitch involved that is creating literally hundreds of fictional visitors to the blog. (Eight-hundred plus as of this morning supposedly going straight to the poll, which had all of 24 votes.)
Google has not acknowledged this, nor has it fixed it. And while I am not particularly driven by the pursuit of hits, I am this week more interested in an accurate count than usual because of the Charter-blackout topic, which appears to be bringing more readers than usual.
Had it been an interesting, unique poll question, I'd feel worse about deleting it. Discarding it isn't much of a loss.
----
While on the topic of me deleting stuff: I deleted a comment on the subject of Charter on Wednesday. I axed it not because it was critical of Charter, but because it contained a mild vulgarity and some shouting.
It's my blog, and I am judge, jury and executioner. It's OK to criticize Charter and FSN over this dispute, but if I don't like the tone, it's gone. Just wanted to make that clear. (I have deleted fewer than five comments since the blog moved to this platform, so it hasn't been a real problem.)
Showing posts with label poll results. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poll results. Show all posts
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Woodie Fryman (betraying my age)
Left-handed and no longer breathing: Woodie Fryman, a journeyman southpaw who toiled 18 seasons in the majors, died on Sunday at the age of 70.
Seventy. Boy, am I growing old.
Woodie Fryman had a marvelous, memorable name and one glorious half season in 1972. He was a mere 4-10 for a lousy Phillie team when he was waived to the Detroit Tigers, for whom he went 10-3, 2.06 and was a key cog in their drive to unseat the Baltimore Orioles at the top of the AL East.
And the next season, Fryman was 6-13 with an ERA above 5. Whatever bottle he caught that lightning in had shattered.
It's rather a surprise to me to see in his stats that he had more decisions with Montreal than anyone else. I remember him at a Tiger and a Phillie, but he was most effective with the Expos, especially after he moved to the bullpen.
Most effective for Montreal -- and for a few months with Detroit, when he demonstrated to this then-young fan a long-established pennant race principle: A seemingly ineffective veteran on an also-ran can be something else completely on a contender.
---
Poll stuff: We had 44 responses to last week's question on what to expect from Joe Nathan.
Seven (15 percent) expect his pre-injury dominance; 19 (43 percent) expect him to be the fulltime closer but less effectively than in the past; 15 (34 percent) see him sharing the closer role; and three (15 percent) foresee another injury.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Poll stuff
There were some glitches this past week with the Blogger polls. About half the votes from the three polls disappeared at one point; they apparently returned within a day on the Nick Punto question, but not to the two questions related to my Strat-O-Matic league.
So the results are even more meaningless than usual for a poll of limited, self-selecting respondents.
The Punto results, assuming that the final results shown accurately reflect the voting: Forty-nine people responded to the question, Are you happy or sad that Nick Punto is no longer a Twin? Eighteen (37 percent) said happy; 16 (32 percent) sad; 15 (30 percent) indifferent.
At the peak of the results, the Strat questions each had about a dozen responses with no clear consensus on the MVP or Best Pitcher. I don't regard the final numbers as worthy of recording.
New poll up.
So the results are even more meaningless than usual for a poll of limited, self-selecting respondents.
The Punto results, assuming that the final results shown accurately reflect the voting: Forty-nine people responded to the question, Are you happy or sad that Nick Punto is no longer a Twin? Eighteen (37 percent) said happy; 16 (32 percent) sad; 15 (30 percent) indifferent.
At the peak of the results, the Strat questions each had about a dozen responses with no clear consensus on the MVP or Best Pitcher. I don't regard the final numbers as worthy of recording.
New poll up.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Managerial transition points
I mentioned earlier this month that I was nibbling my way through Chris Jaffe's book on managers. I've finished now, and if you're interested in the history of baseball, you will be interested in the book, although it's not a particularly easy read.
One point he made -- keeping in mind that it was published a bit less than a year ago -- concerns his notion that there have been three significant "waves" of managerial retirements, each of which coincided with significant changes in the job.
The first came in 1920, when Hughie Jennings, Clark Griffith and George Stallings left the job. The second was in 1950-51 (Connie Mack, Joe McCarthy, Billy Southworth and Frankie Frisch, among others). And the third was in 1976-77 (Walter Alston, Bill Rigney, Paul Richards, Danny Murtaugh and Red Schoendienst).
The first wave came with the banning of the spitball and the coming of the lively ball era. The second came with the societal shifts of the post-war era, including the breaking of the color bar, night ball and the rise of personal autonomy -- managers were less able to police the off -field activities of their players. The third came with the advent of free agency.
Jaffe, I think, somewhat overstates this contention. Mack's "retirement" wasn't because of the social shifts so much as because he was 87; elsewhere, Jaffe notes that he was merely a figurehead for the last 10 years of so of his career. Richards' 1976 stint as manager came 15 years after his previous dugout job. Schoendienst returned for two interim stints after 1976. Stallings didn't retire at all; he continued to manage in the minors.
But there remains truth to the thesis, which makes me wonder: Is there a similar shift under way now?
Lou Piniella, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre all left the profession in recent months. That's at least as significant a departure of managerial experience as any of Jaffe's identified waves.
I don't know right now what the big shift in the job would be if there is one. It's something I hope to keep in mind the next year or so, to see if there's something happening behind the scenes that changes the job.
More likely, we simply had a whole lot of really old managers decide at once that they could be happier without the headaches. (And we have more old guys -- Tony LaRussa, Dusty Baker, Jim Leyland -- still around.)
---
Poll results: We had 51 responses to last week's question, which Twins starter would you be willing to trade for Joba Chamberlain?
The plurality went for Nick Blackburn (19 votes, 37 percent). Fifteen (29 percent) said Kevin Slowey, 11 (21 percent) none of the abover, six (11 percent) picked Scott Baker and zero wanted Brian Duensing to go in such a trade.
New poll up.
One point he made -- keeping in mind that it was published a bit less than a year ago -- concerns his notion that there have been three significant "waves" of managerial retirements, each of which coincided with significant changes in the job.
The first came in 1920, when Hughie Jennings, Clark Griffith and George Stallings left the job. The second was in 1950-51 (Connie Mack, Joe McCarthy, Billy Southworth and Frankie Frisch, among others). And the third was in 1976-77 (Walter Alston, Bill Rigney, Paul Richards, Danny Murtaugh and Red Schoendienst).
The first wave came with the banning of the spitball and the coming of the lively ball era. The second came with the societal shifts of the post-war era, including the breaking of the color bar, night ball and the rise of personal autonomy -- managers were less able to police the off -field activities of their players. The third came with the advent of free agency.
Jaffe, I think, somewhat overstates this contention. Mack's "retirement" wasn't because of the social shifts so much as because he was 87; elsewhere, Jaffe notes that he was merely a figurehead for the last 10 years of so of his career. Richards' 1976 stint as manager came 15 years after his previous dugout job. Schoendienst returned for two interim stints after 1976. Stallings didn't retire at all; he continued to manage in the minors.
 |
| Does Bobby Cox's departure indicate a change in the job of managing? |
But there remains truth to the thesis, which makes me wonder: Is there a similar shift under way now?
Lou Piniella, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre all left the profession in recent months. That's at least as significant a departure of managerial experience as any of Jaffe's identified waves.
I don't know right now what the big shift in the job would be if there is one. It's something I hope to keep in mind the next year or so, to see if there's something happening behind the scenes that changes the job.
More likely, we simply had a whole lot of really old managers decide at once that they could be happier without the headaches. (And we have more old guys -- Tony LaRussa, Dusty Baker, Jim Leyland -- still around.)
---
Poll results: We had 51 responses to last week's question, which Twins starter would you be willing to trade for Joba Chamberlain?
The plurality went for Nick Blackburn (19 votes, 37 percent). Fifteen (29 percent) said Kevin Slowey, 11 (21 percent) none of the abover, six (11 percent) picked Scott Baker and zero wanted Brian Duensing to go in such a trade.
New poll up.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The ramifications of Rafael Soriano
The news that the Yankees had signed Rafael Soriano had barely sunk in when reports surfaced that this wasn't anything general manager Brian Cashman wanted to do. This came from the powers above him.
Those reports were quickly followed by declarations that Cashman still has the "full confidence" of the Steinbrenners, but really. It's never a good thing for an organization when somebody is eager to make it immediately known after a major move that the GM was opposed. Either the GM is convinced that it's a blunder and wants the rest of baseball to know he's not responsible, or the higher-ups are setting him up.
And it's really never a good thing for an organization to let Scott Boras make its personnel decisions.
Meanwhile, one has to wonder what this means for Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees of the past 15 years plus have not been patient with young pitchers, and young pitchers need patience. Cashman wanted to go into 2011 relying on Chamberlain and David Robertson in set-up roles; the Steinbrenner brothers didn't agree. The Yankees don't see Chamberlain as an effective starter, and they have some unsettled spots in the rotation.
Joba the Heat may now be Joba the Trade Bait. One can argue with how the Yankees have handled him, but trading him for a starter seems likely. That's the Yankee Way.
When (OK, if) Carl Pavano re-signs with Minnesota, the Twins will have six established starters. I wonder how the Twins view Chamberlain. Would they trade Nick Blackburn or Kevin Slowey for him? Would the Yankees accept either?
---
Poll stuff: My misworded question on Hall of Fame candidates (it should have referenced the 2012 class, not 2010) drew 37 responses. If those voters were representative of the actual electorate, none of the four listed would win election.
Barry Larkin led with 24 votes, but that's just 65 percent -- well short of the 75 percent he needs from the writers. Alan Trammell had 16 votes (43 percent), Tim Raines 15 (40 percent) and Jack Morris 12 (22 percent). Four respondents said none of the above.
New poll up
Those reports were quickly followed by declarations that Cashman still has the "full confidence" of the Steinbrenners, but really. It's never a good thing for an organization when somebody is eager to make it immediately known after a major move that the GM was opposed. Either the GM is convinced that it's a blunder and wants the rest of baseball to know he's not responsible, or the higher-ups are setting him up.
And it's really never a good thing for an organization to let Scott Boras make its personnel decisions.
Meanwhile, one has to wonder what this means for Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees of the past 15 years plus have not been patient with young pitchers, and young pitchers need patience. Cashman wanted to go into 2011 relying on Chamberlain and David Robertson in set-up roles; the Steinbrenner brothers didn't agree. The Yankees don't see Chamberlain as an effective starter, and they have some unsettled spots in the rotation.
Joba the Heat may now be Joba the Trade Bait. One can argue with how the Yankees have handled him, but trading him for a starter seems likely. That's the Yankee Way.
When (OK, if) Carl Pavano re-signs with Minnesota, the Twins will have six established starters. I wonder how the Twins view Chamberlain. Would they trade Nick Blackburn or Kevin Slowey for him? Would the Yankees accept either?
---
Poll stuff: My misworded question on Hall of Fame candidates (it should have referenced the 2012 class, not 2010) drew 37 responses. If those voters were representative of the actual electorate, none of the four listed would win election.
Barry Larkin led with 24 votes, but that's just 65 percent -- well short of the 75 percent he needs from the writers. Alan Trammell had 16 votes (43 percent), Tim Raines 15 (40 percent) and Jack Morris 12 (22 percent). Four respondents said none of the above.
New poll up
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Snow and spring training
This is the thought that sustained me this morning as I shoveled the driveway for the umpteenth time this season:
Today is Jan. 11. The Twins pitchers and catchers report on Feb 17. Thirty-seven days to spring training.
I didn't attempt to calculate how many days it would be before I go ... that won't be until March. But I am going. Plane tickets purchased, hotel reservations made, and, on the morning single game tickets for the Grapefruit League games went on sale, game tickets ordered in a half-hour duel with the online system.
As the snowpiles at the end of my driveway once again edge toward eye-high on this 6-footer, it becomes increasingly difficult to wait.
---
Blog readers -- or at least those who participated in last week's poll -- look more favorably upon the Hall of Fame candidacy of Jeff Bagwell than does the actual electorate. Bagwell got 41 percent of the vote announced last week; 25 of my 40 respondents (62 percent) said yes to Bagwell, 15 (38 percent) said no.
New poll up.
Today is Jan. 11. The Twins pitchers and catchers report on Feb 17. Thirty-seven days to spring training.
I didn't attempt to calculate how many days it would be before I go ... that won't be until March. But I am going. Plane tickets purchased, hotel reservations made, and, on the morning single game tickets for the Grapefruit League games went on sale, game tickets ordered in a half-hour duel with the online system.
As the snowpiles at the end of my driveway once again edge toward eye-high on this 6-footer, it becomes increasingly difficult to wait.
---
Blog readers -- or at least those who participated in last week's poll -- look more favorably upon the Hall of Fame candidacy of Jeff Bagwell than does the actual electorate. Bagwell got 41 percent of the vote announced last week; 25 of my 40 respondents (62 percent) said yes to Bagwell, 15 (38 percent) said no.
New poll up.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Jeff Bagwell, PEDs and the Hall of Fame
Back in my youth, when I was trying to decide what role in newspapers I wanted to play, one of the attractions of aiming at becoming a baseball writer was the idea of being one of the Hall of Fame electorate.
I went in another direction, for reasons we need not bother with here, and I don't have a Hall of Fame vote.
And when I consider the current controversy over the candidacy of Jeff Bagwell, I'm content not to have a vote.
Bagwell was a great hitter, especially when considering the context of the Astrodome, his home park for the better part of his career. He also had a short career for such a productive bat; he had 14 good seasons, then had a major shoulder problem and was gone. So his career totals -- 2,314 hits, 449 homers -- aren't driving the writers to his cause. His selling point is peak value, and as Tony Oliva can attest, the BBWAA electorate is (for position players) more attuned to career totals.
And it certainly doesn't help his Hall of fame case that his best season, his MVP season, was 1994, the strike year. As it is, his compilation numbers that year -- 39 homers, 116 RBIs, 104 runs -- are better than the stats for some other sluggers who won MVPs. They just happened to come in a season shortened by about a third.
But the real reason Jeff Bagwell won't be elected when the results of the balloting are announced Wednesday is steroids.
Bagwell never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (not that they did much testing during his time, and not that the results are publicly revealed). He wasn't named in the Mitchell Report or fingered by Jose Canseco. He has always denied PED use.
But ... he played in the era of cheaters; he developed massive forearms; he was an unabashed admirer of Ken Caminiti, who was the third baseman whose presence forced Bagwell to play first base and who was, by his own admission, a heavy steroid user.
Circumstantial evidence at best. Guilt by association at worst.
Bagwell represents the worst aspect of the current consensus against electing steroid users. In his case, unlike those of Rafael Palmeiro or Mark McGwire, it's merely suspicion.
That consensus will eventually crumble. It's one thing to keep McGwire and Palmeiro and Bagwell out; it will be another altogether to keep out Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who clearly had HOF credentials long before any credible narrative of their careers can connect them to the chemical enhancers. Once that wall cracks, others will follow.
---
Poll results: The 48 voters make the Twins the favorite to win the AL Central: 28 (58 percent) pick the Twins, 14 (29 percent) pick the White Sox and six (12 percent) the Tigers.
New poll up.
 |
| Jeff Bagwell actually stepped back before his swing, not forward. |
And when I consider the current controversy over the candidacy of Jeff Bagwell, I'm content not to have a vote.
Bagwell was a great hitter, especially when considering the context of the Astrodome, his home park for the better part of his career. He also had a short career for such a productive bat; he had 14 good seasons, then had a major shoulder problem and was gone. So his career totals -- 2,314 hits, 449 homers -- aren't driving the writers to his cause. His selling point is peak value, and as Tony Oliva can attest, the BBWAA electorate is (for position players) more attuned to career totals.
And it certainly doesn't help his Hall of fame case that his best season, his MVP season, was 1994, the strike year. As it is, his compilation numbers that year -- 39 homers, 116 RBIs, 104 runs -- are better than the stats for some other sluggers who won MVPs. They just happened to come in a season shortened by about a third.
But the real reason Jeff Bagwell won't be elected when the results of the balloting are announced Wednesday is steroids.
Bagwell never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (not that they did much testing during his time, and not that the results are publicly revealed). He wasn't named in the Mitchell Report or fingered by Jose Canseco. He has always denied PED use.
But ... he played in the era of cheaters; he developed massive forearms; he was an unabashed admirer of Ken Caminiti, who was the third baseman whose presence forced Bagwell to play first base and who was, by his own admission, a heavy steroid user.
Circumstantial evidence at best. Guilt by association at worst.
Bagwell represents the worst aspect of the current consensus against electing steroid users. In his case, unlike those of Rafael Palmeiro or Mark McGwire, it's merely suspicion.
That consensus will eventually crumble. It's one thing to keep McGwire and Palmeiro and Bagwell out; it will be another altogether to keep out Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who clearly had HOF credentials long before any credible narrative of their careers can connect them to the chemical enhancers. Once that wall cracks, others will follow.
---
Poll results: The 48 voters make the Twins the favorite to win the AL Central: 28 (58 percent) pick the Twins, 14 (29 percent) pick the White Sox and six (12 percent) the Tigers.
New poll up.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Waiting for Godot: Pavano and Thome
 |
| Christmas is past and Carl Pavano hasn't been wrapped up yet. |
Pavano and Thome play very different roles, but they have these things in common:
- They are older players whose very age makes them question marks;
- They performed better than 2010 than they can be expected to perform in 2011;
- They went into free agency expecting multi-year offers and, judging from the fact that they remain unsigned, aren't getting that kind of interest; and
- the Twins want them back, but aren't willing to bid against themselves.
Seth Stohs last week asked the question: Did the Twins lose out on other moves because they were waiting for Pavano?
My guess is not. As I see it, the Twins went into this offseason with two priorities:
- Make the middle infield younger, faster and cheaper;
- Revamp the free agent-laden bullpen.
They have certainly accomplished the first part, and they have a multitude of pieces from which to construct a new relief corps.
Now, if they retain Pavano, that will open some additional possibilities. Perhaps they'll trade one of their right-handed starters; perhaps they'll return Brian Duensing to the bullpen. But they've dealt with their chief concerns without a Pavano decision.
It appears that neither Jesse Crain nor Matt Guerrier — the two long-term Twins relievers who have signed elsewhere this month — found any sense that the Twins wanted to retain them. Nor has there been any sense that the Twins are particularly interested in keeping Brian Fuentes or Jon Rauch.
That lack of interest suggests to me that the Twins made a baseball decision as well as a financial one: That beyond the cost of re-signing even one of these veterans, it was time to move on to younger pitchers, fresher arms, in those roles.
True, they haven't added established major leaguers, but they are looking for four- and five-year solutions to both the middle infield and middle relief, not the short-term Band-Aids that the likes of Orlando Hudson and Rauch represent.
That means trusting your talent evaluators and going young. The Twins talent evaluators have, by and large, earned our faith.
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Poll stuff: A slow week on the blog and a less-than-compelling question result in a mere 37 votes in this week's poll question: Who should hit second for the Twins in 2011?
Tsuyoshi Nishioka won easily, getting 28 votes (75 percent) to Alexi Casilla's nine votes (25 percent).
New poll up.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Zach Greinke to the Brewers
Sunday's big trade — 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zach Greinke, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and cash to the Milwaukee Brewers for four young players — looks to me to be an excellent deal for the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals got, in Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress, a pair of right-handed pitchers who Baseball America's forthcoming Prospect Handbook will rank as Milwaukee's No. 1 and No. 3 prospects. In Alcides Escobar, K.C. landed the young shortstop who pushed J.J. Hardy out of Milwaukee, and Lorenzo Cain is a promising center fielder.
I am very much an admirer of Zach Greinke, but that's a lot of talent Milwaukee surrendered for two years of him. Joe Posnanski doesn't like the deal for Kansas City, but I think the Royals might have gotten more out of this forced trade than anybody else has gotten in recent similar deals (Santana, Sabathia, Lee twice, Halladay).
The word was that Kansas City wasn't going to consider trading Greinke within the AL Central. That would have ruled the Twins out anyway. But I doubt that the Twins had the pieces to match this deal.
Kyle Gibson is more advanced than Odorizzi, and either Ben Revere or Aaron Hicks would have fit well as a Cain replacement. Jeffress is a power arm, the type the Twins have lacked — and he is one more positive test for a recreational drug from a lifetime suspension, which makes him at least somewhat dicey an acquisition. He figures to step directly into the Kansas City bullpen.
But the shortstop — that piece of the puzzle just isn't available in the Twins system. Escobar's stock fell some with his rookie season, in which he hit just .235/.288/.326, but he just turned 24, has excellent defensive tools and a lot of "upside."
A roughly comparable package from the Twins would have been Gibson, Hicks, Carlos Gutierrez and Alexi Casilla or Trevor Plouffe. Even if the Twins would have been willing to surrender that much, and even leaving the division rival aspect out of the equation, I think the Milwaukee package is superior anyway.
---
Two more points about this deal:
(1) Betancourt's inclusion in the deal is interesting because he has been regarded in the sabermetric community as, if not the worst regular player in the majors, one of the "strongest" candidates for that status. That the Royals wanted a young shortstop in a Greinke deal was no secret.
Did the Royals insist that the Brewers take Betancourt as part of the trade, or did the Brewers insist on getting a body to fill the hole being vacated by Escobar? I suspect it was both, and that the cash involved in the trade is a year of Betancourt's salary.
(2) Prince Fielder is part of why the Brewers were willing to give up so much. He's eligible for free agency after 2011; his agent is Scott Boras, and that implies that he's unlikely to re-sign wth the Brewers; the trade market for Fielder has been slim to nonexistent.
So the Brewers are going for it now. They earlier traded another prospect, Brett Lawrie, for Shaun Marcum, a good if sometimes injured starter. This gives them a projected rotation headed by Greinke, Yovani Gallardo, Marcum and Randy Wolf. That foursome may not match the big fours in Philadelphia or San Francisco for hype or past achievement, but it's pretty darn good.
---
Poll stuff: Forty-one people participated in last week's poll, which asked which of four bullpen candidates would pitch in the most games for the Twins in 2011.
Scott Diamond had the most votes, 13 (32 percent); Pat Neshek, who led most of the week, had 12 (29 percent); Jim Hoey had eight (20 percent); Anthony Slama had six (15 percent) and two (4 percent) said they'll be tied at zero.
New poll up.
 |
| Zach Greinke's career record against the Twins is an unimpressive 3-8, 4.90. |
I am very much an admirer of Zach Greinke, but that's a lot of talent Milwaukee surrendered for two years of him. Joe Posnanski doesn't like the deal for Kansas City, but I think the Royals might have gotten more out of this forced trade than anybody else has gotten in recent similar deals (Santana, Sabathia, Lee twice, Halladay).
The word was that Kansas City wasn't going to consider trading Greinke within the AL Central. That would have ruled the Twins out anyway. But I doubt that the Twins had the pieces to match this deal.
Kyle Gibson is more advanced than Odorizzi, and either Ben Revere or Aaron Hicks would have fit well as a Cain replacement. Jeffress is a power arm, the type the Twins have lacked — and he is one more positive test for a recreational drug from a lifetime suspension, which makes him at least somewhat dicey an acquisition. He figures to step directly into the Kansas City bullpen.
But the shortstop — that piece of the puzzle just isn't available in the Twins system. Escobar's stock fell some with his rookie season, in which he hit just .235/.288/.326, but he just turned 24, has excellent defensive tools and a lot of "upside."
A roughly comparable package from the Twins would have been Gibson, Hicks, Carlos Gutierrez and Alexi Casilla or Trevor Plouffe. Even if the Twins would have been willing to surrender that much, and even leaving the division rival aspect out of the equation, I think the Milwaukee package is superior anyway.
---
Two more points about this deal:
(1) Betancourt's inclusion in the deal is interesting because he has been regarded in the sabermetric community as, if not the worst regular player in the majors, one of the "strongest" candidates for that status. That the Royals wanted a young shortstop in a Greinke deal was no secret.
Did the Royals insist that the Brewers take Betancourt as part of the trade, or did the Brewers insist on getting a body to fill the hole being vacated by Escobar? I suspect it was both, and that the cash involved in the trade is a year of Betancourt's salary.
(2) Prince Fielder is part of why the Brewers were willing to give up so much. He's eligible for free agency after 2011; his agent is Scott Boras, and that implies that he's unlikely to re-sign wth the Brewers; the trade market for Fielder has been slim to nonexistent.
So the Brewers are going for it now. They earlier traded another prospect, Brett Lawrie, for Shaun Marcum, a good if sometimes injured starter. This gives them a projected rotation headed by Greinke, Yovani Gallardo, Marcum and Randy Wolf. That foursome may not match the big fours in Philadelphia or San Francisco for hype or past achievement, but it's pretty darn good.
---
Poll stuff: Forty-one people participated in last week's poll, which asked which of four bullpen candidates would pitch in the most games for the Twins in 2011.
Scott Diamond had the most votes, 13 (32 percent); Pat Neshek, who led most of the week, had 12 (29 percent); Jim Hoey had eight (20 percent); Anthony Slama had six (15 percent) and two (4 percent) said they'll be tied at zero.
New poll up.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Poll stuff
I took a snow day Sunday, and while I have a couple of posts in mind, I will probably focus on other things on this frigid day off. Christmas shopping, doncha know?
But while wondering if this is really the right week for Tsuyoshi Nishioka's first impression of the Twin Cities (supposedly he's going to fly in for his physical and contract signing), let's clean up last week's poll.
The question: Which free agent signing poses the greater threat to the Twins? It drew 51 votes. Thirty-four (68 percent) said Adam Dunn (White Sox); 12 (23 percent) said Victor Martinez (Tigers); and five (9 percent) said neither will make that much difference.
New poll up
But while wondering if this is really the right week for Tsuyoshi Nishioka's first impression of the Twin Cities (supposedly he's going to fly in for his physical and contract signing), let's clean up last week's poll.
The question: Which free agent signing poses the greater threat to the Twins? It drew 51 votes. Thirty-four (68 percent) said Adam Dunn (White Sox); 12 (23 percent) said Victor Martinez (Tigers); and five (9 percent) said neither will make that much difference.
New poll up
Sunday, December 5, 2010
He shouldn't have printed that
It's generally amusing, and seldom informative, to see what pearls of "wisdom" the metro papers' sports gossip columnists, Sid Hartman and Charley Walters, come up with to fill their allotted space.
Here's a Walters marvel I encountered Sunday (under the heading "Don't Print That") while reading the Pioneer Press during breakfast in a Wisconsin hotel:
Here's a Walters marvel I encountered Sunday (under the heading "Don't Print That") while reading the Pioneer Press during breakfast in a Wisconsin hotel:
Maybe the Twins could include shortstop J.J. Hardy in a deal for Kansas City Royals starter Zack Greinke.
Yeah, and maybe the Kansas City front office is brain dead.
As I noted here last week, if the Royals move Greinke, it won't be for established major leaguers. Hardy might be eligible for free agency before Greinke is.
If Walters (or his editors) had a sense of reality, they would have done with that sentence what the header advised.
---
Poll stuff: We had 55 votes on the Twins double-play combo.
Thirty-four respondents (61 percent) think the Twins will have Hardy and Tsuyoshi Nishioka in their middle infield this coming season; 18 (32 percent) think it will be Alexi Casilla and Nishioka; one thinks it will be Hardy and Casilla; two think it will be an unnamed combo; and nobody was cynical enough to pick the "Punto will be involved" option.
New poll up.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Notes, quotes and comment
Justin Morneau says he has no doubts about his availability for spring training. Not that he's ready to roll now; autographs yes, baseball, not quite:
The Hudson notion contradicts the conventional speculation -- I won't elevate it to the status of conventional wisdom -- that he and the Twins have a gentleman's agreement that he'll decline. I don't profess to have any actual knowledge, but I expect him to decline, if only because the Twins have made it clear they don't really want him back. As a free agent, he has considerable control on where he plays in 2011; if he accepts arbitration, he has none.
Speaking of Rogers, I thought his notion last week about of trading Chicago general managers was bizzare, but he was apparently just warming up. This Sunday's column is landing places for Derek Jeter, and it takes some fevered imagination.
Like this sample:
It's encouraging. Two months ago, I couldn't have come out and sat that long and signed, so it's come a long ways. It's not all the way better yet, but it's close.
Obviously the early October talk about maybe having him for the World Series was overly optimistic. On multiple levels.
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Tuesday is the deadline for the 35 players ... offered arbitration to accept those offers. Only a few are likely to do so. Among those believed to be considering the offers are Juan Uribe Giants), Orlando Hudson (Twins) and Miguel Olivo (Blue Jays). …
The Hudson notion contradicts the conventional speculation -- I won't elevate it to the status of conventional wisdom -- that he and the Twins have a gentleman's agreement that he'll decline. I don't profess to have any actual knowledge, but I expect him to decline, if only because the Twins have made it clear they don't really want him back. As a free agent, he has considerable control on where he plays in 2011; if he accepts arbitration, he has none.
Speaking of Rogers, I thought his notion last week about of trading Chicago general managers was bizzare, but he was apparently just warming up. This Sunday's column is landing places for Derek Jeter, and it takes some fevered imagination.
Like this sample:
Twins: Because the Twins can't beat Jeter, maybe they can sign him. The Twins aren't crazy about J.J. Hardy, which is why they have negotiated for the rights to talk contract with Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the .346-hitting shortstop of the Chiba Lotte Marines, and have had preliminary talks with the Red Sox about (Marco) Scutaro. Adding a guy with Jeter's presence could be the equivalent of adding a front-line starter, which is the piece that has seemed lacking.
Oh boy.
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Poll stuff: We had 48 participants in the "who will sign Cliff Lee" poll.
Thirty-eight (79 percent) say the Yankees; eight (16 percent) say Texas; two (4 percent) say someone else.
New poll up.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Silly season and poll stuff
Things must be rather boring on the Chicago baseball beat these days. My evidence for that is the latest foray by Phil Rogers, the Chicago Tribune's national baseball writer, into consider-the-source territory.
I'll bypass his centerpiece (the notion that the Cubs and Sox should swap general managers) because picking it apart would be to take it seriously.
Instead, I'll hit on this throwaway nugget in his "whispers" sidebar:
I don't know exactly what the Punto-on-steroids comparison is supposed to mean, but never mind. I'm struck instead by the notion that the Twins have excess bullpen arms to swap for Scutaro.
Remember: Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Brian Fuentes, Ran Mahay and Randy Flores are all free agents. Maybe it's possible to trade the right to offer arbitration to someone like Rauch, but that's all the Twins actually have of any of the six, the right to offer arbitration.
Scutaro has one year left on his contract, $5 million. He'd probably be a bit cheaper than J.J. Hardy, who's arbitration eligible, but he's about seven years older and, based on 2010 numbers, no upgrade at the plate. I don't see it.
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We had 41 responses to last week's poll question: Should the Twins make it easier to hit home runs in Target Field? Justin Morneau won't like the results.
Thirty-seven (90 percent) said no, four (10 percent) yes.
Thus proving (?) that, while chicks dig the long ball, my blog readers prefer flyball outs.
New poll up.
I'll bypass his centerpiece (the notion that the Cubs and Sox should swap general managers) because picking it apart would be to take it seriously.
Instead, I'll hit on this throwaway nugget in his "whispers" sidebar:
The Red Sox are talking trade with Marco Scutaro, and it's easy to see him going to the Twins for one of their bullpen arms. Scutaro is Nick Punto on figurative steroids. …
 |
| Boston signed Marco Scutaro as a free agent about a year ago; now they supposedly are shopping him. |
I don't know exactly what the Punto-on-steroids comparison is supposed to mean, but never mind. I'm struck instead by the notion that the Twins have excess bullpen arms to swap for Scutaro.
Remember: Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Brian Fuentes, Ran Mahay and Randy Flores are all free agents. Maybe it's possible to trade the right to offer arbitration to someone like Rauch, but that's all the Twins actually have of any of the six, the right to offer arbitration.
Scutaro has one year left on his contract, $5 million. He'd probably be a bit cheaper than J.J. Hardy, who's arbitration eligible, but he's about seven years older and, based on 2010 numbers, no upgrade at the plate. I don't see it.
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We had 41 responses to last week's poll question: Should the Twins make it easier to hit home runs in Target Field? Justin Morneau won't like the results.
Thirty-seven (90 percent) said no, four (10 percent) yes.
Thus proving (?) that, while chicks dig the long ball, my blog readers prefer flyball outs.
New poll up.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Poll stuff
We had 50 participants in last week's poll, which makes the percentages really easy to figure.
The question: Which free agent reliever(s) should the Twins offer arbitration?
Jesse Crain had 35 votes (70 percent). Matt Guerrier had 20 votes (40 percent), Brian Fuentes 13 (26 percent) and Jon Rauch 12 (24 percent). (I should have had a none-of-them response available; I goofed.)
The respondents averaged 1.6 offers.
New poll up.
The question: Which free agent reliever(s) should the Twins offer arbitration?
Jesse Crain had 35 votes (70 percent). Matt Guerrier had 20 votes (40 percent), Brian Fuentes 13 (26 percent) and Jon Rauch 12 (24 percent). (I should have had a none-of-them response available; I goofed.)
The respondents averaged 1.6 offers.
New poll up.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Punto poll
We had 54 responses to last week's poll question: If Nick Punto would sign for one year, $1 million, should the Twins bring him back?
No. 8 did better than I expected: 35 (64 percent) said yes, 19 (35 percent) said no.
Here's what I kinda-sorta expect: The Twins will let Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy go (Hudson's departure is apparently a given) and lean on their internal candidates to fill the middle infield. That would allow them budgetary wriggle room on offering their veteran relief pitchers arbitration -- a topic I expect to explore in the coming week.
The primary candidates in that scenario for shortstop would include Alexi Casilla and Trevor Plouffe, with Brendan Harris and his guaranteed major-league salary a consideration as well. The primary candidates for second base would be Casilla and Luke Hughes, with Matt Tolbert a possiblity but a more likely choice as the chief utility infielder.
That's five candidates for a minimum of three jobs (shortstop, second base and utility infielder), none of them established major leaguers. I suspect Ron Gardenhire would prefer to have his Punto security blanket on hand in that scenario -- and the deal would be for a low guarantee with playing time bonuses, and no certainty that he's making the roster this spring.
Punto has his flaws, but he can probably do better than that on the open market. But if he's Gardenhire's security blanket infielder, Gardy's also something of a security blanket for him. This can happen.
New poll up.
No. 8 did better than I expected: 35 (64 percent) said yes, 19 (35 percent) said no.
.jpg) |
| Nick Punto: 21 career triples, 13 career home runs |
The primary candidates in that scenario for shortstop would include Alexi Casilla and Trevor Plouffe, with Brendan Harris and his guaranteed major-league salary a consideration as well. The primary candidates for second base would be Casilla and Luke Hughes, with Matt Tolbert a possiblity but a more likely choice as the chief utility infielder.
That's five candidates for a minimum of three jobs (shortstop, second base and utility infielder), none of them established major leaguers. I suspect Ron Gardenhire would prefer to have his Punto security blanket on hand in that scenario -- and the deal would be for a low guarantee with playing time bonuses, and no certainty that he's making the roster this spring.
Punto has his flaws, but he can probably do better than that on the open market. But if he's Gardenhire's security blanket infielder, Gardy's also something of a security blanket for him. This can happen.
New poll up.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Spring training mistake
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| Elvis Andrus stole third and home in the first inning Saturday. |
I said last week after the Rangers twice scored runs from second base on ground ball outs that the Yankees don't often make what Joe Maddon called "spring training mistakes."
Allowing a delayed double steal probably qualifies as that.
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Poll stuff: The question last week was why the Yankees have the Twins number. There were 46 responses.
Twenty-three (50 percent) say the Yankees are in the Twins' heads; 19 (41 percent) say the Yankees strengths match the Twins weaknesses; two (4 percent) blame luck and umpires; and two (4 percent) say the Yankees are simply the best team around.
New poll up.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Poll stuff
There were two parts to last week's poll, in which readers were asked to predict who would go to the World Series.
Home team optimism reigned, as expected, on the American League question. Of the 61 responses, 32 (51 percent) picked the Twins. Fourteen (22 percent) picked the Yankees; nine (14 percent) Tampa Bay; and six (9 percent) Texas. The Twins percentage, as might be expected, dwindled as the week progressed, and the Yankees percentage rose. For most of the week, the Yankees ran third.
For the National League, Philadelphia blew out its rivals all week. We had 45 responses, of which 33 (73 percent) picked the Phillies. Eight (17 percent) went with San Francisco, three (6 percent) with Cincinnati and just one (2 percent) Atlanta.
New poll up
Home team optimism reigned, as expected, on the American League question. Of the 61 responses, 32 (51 percent) picked the Twins. Fourteen (22 percent) picked the Yankees; nine (14 percent) Tampa Bay; and six (9 percent) Texas. The Twins percentage, as might be expected, dwindled as the week progressed, and the Yankees percentage rose. For most of the week, the Yankees ran third.
For the National League, Philadelphia blew out its rivals all week. We had 45 responses, of which 33 (73 percent) picked the Phillies. Eight (17 percent) went with San Francisco, three (6 percent) with Cincinnati and just one (2 percent) Atlanta.
New poll up
Sunday, October 3, 2010
It will be Twins and Yankees
The Yankees wound up the wild card winners, so the AL matchups will be Tampa Bay (the top seed) vs. Texas and New York vs. Minnesota.
Which is the way the majority of poll respondents wanted it. We had 36 participants, 20 of whom (55 percent) wanted the Twins to face the defending World Series champs in the first round, while 16 (45 percent) wanted Tampa Bay.
None of the four AL teams are playing particularly well right now.
New poll question is up.
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I can't help but note that Edwin Encarnacion hit yet another home run Sunday against the Twins. Somehow, for some reason, the Twins make him look like a Hall of Famer in the making.
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LaVelle E. Neal reports that Jose Morales won't be on the playoff roster; the Twins instead will go with three utility infielders (Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert) to go with the backup catcher (Drew Butera) and reserve outfielder (Jason Repko) as their bench. Question: If (when?) Jim Thome's back acts up on him in the chilly night games we can expect in this series, who will DH?
Also from LaVelle: Scott Baker isn't likely to be on the roster. Kevin Slowey is expected to be the long man. As I said before, I'd rather see Glen Perkins in that role.
Which is the way the majority of poll respondents wanted it. We had 36 participants, 20 of whom (55 percent) wanted the Twins to face the defending World Series champs in the first round, while 16 (45 percent) wanted Tampa Bay.
None of the four AL teams are playing particularly well right now.
New poll question is up.
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I can't help but note that Edwin Encarnacion hit yet another home run Sunday against the Twins. Somehow, for some reason, the Twins make him look like a Hall of Famer in the making.
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LaVelle E. Neal reports that Jose Morales won't be on the playoff roster; the Twins instead will go with three utility infielders (Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert) to go with the backup catcher (Drew Butera) and reserve outfielder (Jason Repko) as their bench. Question: If (when?) Jim Thome's back acts up on him in the chilly night games we can expect in this series, who will DH?
Also from LaVelle: Scott Baker isn't likely to be on the roster. Kevin Slowey is expected to be the long man. As I said before, I'd rather see Glen Perkins in that role.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Poll stuff
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| Nick Blackburn is 7-3, 3.81 at Target Field, 3-7, 6.99 in road games. |
Two questions last week, both concerning the playoff rotation, and the results indicate general agreement with Ron Gardenhire's plans.
Question One: Who do you prefer as the Twins Game One starter?
We had 64 votes, of which 33 (51 percent) went for Francisco Liriano, 25 (39 percent) for Carl Pavano, and six (9 percent) for Brian Duensing. Liriano is lined up for the playoff opener.
Question Two: Who should be the Twins' fourth starter in the playoffs?
This one drew 49 votes, a dropoff of 15. Nick Blackburn was the overwhelming favorite with 32 votes (65 percent), while Kevin Slowey had 10 votes (20 percent) and Scott Baker seven (14 percent).
New poll question up.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Pierzynski, playoff pitching, poll stuff
A.J. Pierzynski was both hero and goat Sunday night, which seems apt considering how up and down his season has been.
The Tigers entered the ninth with a 7-3 lead, but Pierzynski led off the bottom of the ninth with a ground-rule double off Detroit LOOGY Phil Coke, and the White Sox scored four runs in the inning to force extra innings.
But in the top of the 11th, Brandon Inge struck out on a wild pitch and Pierzynski made a poor throw to first, with Inge taking third on his strikeout. The Tigers scored twice, and the Sox didn't have another comeback in them.
ESPN kept showing Pierzynski in the dugout, clearly replaying his miscue. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
The catcher Twins fans love to hate is is the final month of his contract, and it's hard to tell what the White Sox have in mind. He turns 35 in December, and he has a lot of mileage on him. He had a horrid April (.169/.229/.200) and a weak first-half (.247/.288/.376) but has been his typical self in the second half (.306/.321/.409).
Further complicating factors: Tyler Flowers, who's been groomed to be Pierzynski's successor, had a weak season at the plate in Triple A; and the White Sox may have budget issues this offseason.
My guess: Pierzynski will get a one-year deal to stick with the Sox. But he may be on the verge of being a nomad.
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The Star Trib's LaVelle Neal reports that the Twins shuffle up their rotation this week to set up an order of Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing in the first three games of the playoffs.
That prioritizes talent and power over veteran composure. That's what Tom Kelly did in 1987 when he flipped Frank Viola ahead of Bert Blyleven.
The poll questions are about the playoff rotation.
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More poll stuff: We had 61 votes on the question of whether Johan Santana, as of now, is a Hall of Famer.
The heavy majority — 46 votes, or 75 percent — said no. The other 15 (24 percent) say yes.
.jpg) |
| Good game, bad game: A.J. Pierzynski was 3-for-6 Sunday night with two RBIs, but his White Sox lost 9-7 in 11 innings. |
But in the top of the 11th, Brandon Inge struck out on a wild pitch and Pierzynski made a poor throw to first, with Inge taking third on his strikeout. The Tigers scored twice, and the Sox didn't have another comeback in them.
ESPN kept showing Pierzynski in the dugout, clearly replaying his miscue. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
The catcher Twins fans love to hate is is the final month of his contract, and it's hard to tell what the White Sox have in mind. He turns 35 in December, and he has a lot of mileage on him. He had a horrid April (.169/.229/.200) and a weak first-half (.247/.288/.376) but has been his typical self in the second half (.306/.321/.409).
Further complicating factors: Tyler Flowers, who's been groomed to be Pierzynski's successor, had a weak season at the plate in Triple A; and the White Sox may have budget issues this offseason.
My guess: Pierzynski will get a one-year deal to stick with the Sox. But he may be on the verge of being a nomad.
---
The Star Trib's LaVelle Neal reports that the Twins shuffle up their rotation this week to set up an order of Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing in the first three games of the playoffs.
That prioritizes talent and power over veteran composure. That's what Tom Kelly did in 1987 when he flipped Frank Viola ahead of Bert Blyleven.
The poll questions are about the playoff rotation.
----
More poll stuff: We had 61 votes on the question of whether Johan Santana, as of now, is a Hall of Famer.
The heavy majority — 46 votes, or 75 percent — said no. The other 15 (24 percent) say yes.
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