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“Winning” or not
Published 9:34pm Sunday, November 20, 2011Ok, let’s face it, in most of the high profile sports inMinnesotait hasn’t been going so well. We all know how the Twins did this year and now we are in a season of Viking and Gopher football were it hasn’t gone so good either. Since the Timberwolves aren’t playing maybe we could say they were having a successful season though.
Gopher football is something we didn’t expect much from this year but we did have some hope for the Vikings but wow, these guys are just not very good. The Vikings are a little like the Twins in that they have some stars at some positions but are lacking in a lot of other areas like offensive line, defensive backfield, wide receiver, special teams, and maybe coaching.
Two teams that are having success are the hockey teams, the Wild and the Gopher bunch. The Gophers have been rated number one and the Wild are in first place. I do have a couple of readers who have no interest in the hockey teams and I don’t understand why because besides the Lynx they are the onlyMinnesotateams that are, if I can borrow a Charlie Sheen phrase here, “Winning!”
Since you guys aren’t interested in winners I will talk about the Twins and what they have been up to this past week.
New/old General Manager Terry Ryan has been busy with a couple of major league free agent signings and a few minor league free agent signings. The first player signed was infielder Jamey Carroll. Carroll started is Major League career late at 28 and has been thought to be more of a utility player but do to injuries on some of the teams he has played on has become a starter. The idea is that he will play shortstop because as we all know nobody really played that position for the Twins last summer. For a shortstop he may be a better second baseman but Carroll at shortstop will be a whole lot better than anyone last year. He will turn 38 early next season and has been signed for two years.
So what do I think of this signing? Well, he wasn’t my first choice of the free agent shortstops out there and now I didn’t have any dreams of the Twins signing Jose Reyes. I would have preferred Clint Barmes as he is a little younger and has a little more pop in his bat. But, I don’t dislike Carroll either because like I said, he is a whole lot better than what was there last year. Carrroll has also been a player who has been able to stay healthy during his career, although now that he is a Twin that may change. He is also a guy who know how to play and that is something else the Twins lacked last year.
The second signing was Ryan Doumit a switch hitter from Pittsburgh. Doumit has been mostly a catcher in his career but has also played a lot at 1st base and outfield. Mauer and Morneau had a tough injury plagued season last year and the Twins came up short in filling in for these guys especially at catcher. If my mother was still alive she could have hit better than Buetera, Rivera, and Holms and she had no athletic ability whatsoever.
So what about this signing? I like this one. People say he will replace either Cuddyer or Kubel if one of them would leave. I think he replaces Jim Thome only with lots more versatility. If Morneau can’t play and Cuddyer is gone then he replaces Morneau, if Mauer goes down then he replaces him. I do think, however, with this signing that the Twins won’t sign both Kubel and Cuddyer so in that way I suppose he replaces one of them as well. He is adequate with a glove but it is his bat that the Twins liked most as he is just a good hitter and will fit into the lineup if miracles of al miracles the Twins sign both Kubel and Cuddyer.
The other area that will be interesting to watch is how the minor league free agents work out. Most of them are pitchers with some Major League experience. Ryan has always had away of finding other teams cast offs and putting them to good use so it will be fun to see who will come out of this crop and find a home in the Twins bullpen,
So there, I didn’t bore you guys with theMinnesotateams that are “Winning.”
Tom –
Attacking your readers! I like it! Certainly more than I like hockey, which is every bit as much of a sport as the ESPN televised World Series of Poker.
So the Wild are winning? Winning what, has the regular season started? Still not enough to draw my attention. I would honestly not even be interested if they win the Stanley Laurel Cup.
But talk about winning. J Robinson took a very young and talented Gophers Wresting team into Penn State last Sunday and thumped the defending national champs. Kerkoven-Murdock-Sundberg alum Kevin Steinhaus highlighted the event by dominating the 184 lb #1 ranked and defending national champ Quentin Wright. Incredible. Deichler, the olympian, made his Gophs debut over the weekend. David Thorn and Dylan Ness, younger brothers of Goph legends, looked outstanding. Trust me, Tom, action along the boards can’t touch action on the mat.
And if winning is your thing why is the phrase “besides the Lynx” your only reference to a current Minnesota championship team? I know basketball doesn’t have the randomness of hockey, but still.
As to the Vikes, they are really struggling. Including Ponder who, despite his obvious athleticism, is struggling to keep from falling even farther behind McNabb statistically. I know everyone loves Ponder, including me, and everyone hates McNabb. I’m just saying.
I can’t believe the Twins are looking to give Doumit a corner outfield position as you suggest. He can be a real serviceable bench bat and occasional fill in at C. But they are definitely keeping both Span and Revere, and will resign either Cuddyer or Kubel. With Tosoni, Benson, and Parmalee close, and Hicks right behind, there are too many athletic options there.
As much as I like this and other signings, I still remember that TR is the guy that brought the Twins Rondell, Castro, Batista, and that 3rd base muffin whose name escapes me. The AAA signings are solid. this looks good.
Some how I knew you would bring up wrestling which I can return a comment you made here about hockey. “Not interested.” Hockey is a sport where people bang into each other much like football which you are interested in. Wrestling is two guys on a mat touching each other in places I would rather not see them touch. Carson Kressley and Richard Simmons may enjoy watching a couple of guys lay on top of each other but not me.(to other readers I must say that the reader here I am referring this to and I go round and round all the time. This is not ment to offend the people who wrestle as it is a tough sport.)
As far as putting Doumit in the outfield I mearly meant that he could be a fill in when needed. I think I said he replaced Jim Thome more than anyone but has more flexibility.
I am sad to see Joe Nathan go. I really thought of the three big free agents the Twins had that he would be the one they would sign. The Twins pitching staff needs a lot of work so it will be interesting if anything is done there. I think Glen Perkins can be the closer but the loss of Nathan is just another loss for the pen the Twins didn’t need.
Agree 1000% on Nathan. The Texas deal is well within the range of what I expect the Twins offer to have been. Nathan’s comments indicate that he is lusting after a ring, and was awed by his sit-down with Nolan Ryan (who wouldn’t be). So the Twins would have had to grossly over pay to keep him if they could. Losing that quality arm from an already deficient bullpen group hurts.
Tom — there is a qualitative difference between a suffle-board-on-skates contest with penquins and mano-a-mano clash with some of the best mat warriors in the nation. But then, I suppose you prefer pro bowler league action to MMA.