The Fergus Falls Daily Journal

Twins season is over

By Tom Grout

October 1, 2008

2 comments

Well the season is over for the Twins. Even though it was a loss for the Twins it was a pretty good game. The only sour grapes I have is that the game should have been played in Minnesota. The fact it wasn’t and how it was decided still reeks.

The one thing Twins fans can’t say this morning is that “they should have started somebody else on the mound.” Nick Blackburn pitched a great game. I know I have said some things about him in blog and my thoughts haven’t changed but last night he was on his game. In the early innings I thought the umpire really squeezed his strike zone which I thought would effect his pitching, but, it didn’t. Blackburn showed more composure in that situation than I thought he could. The bullpen with Mijares and Nathan also pitched well. Mijares will look good in the Twins bullpen next year especially if Neshek can come back.

What lost it for the Twins down the stretch here was the lack of hitting especially from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. No Mauer was getting some hits to keep his average at the top of the league but he fizzled when he was up with guys in scoring position. Morneau just went into the tank the last week of the season. He was always getting himself into 0-2 counts then he would swing at something out of the strike zone. If he wasn’t going 0-2 he was grounding out weakly or popping up on the first pitch. I will not get on these guys because these two guys are great players and great people and if it wasn’t for them the Twins would not have gotten this far. But facts are facts and they just didn’t produce here in the end.

I have to make a comment on the announcers last night. For one I was a little disappointed with Dick Stockton. I usually like the guy but at times he annoyed me last night. As a friend pointed out, every time the White Sox left fielder came to the plate, I forgot his name; he would bring up the fact that he was a life time minor leaguer. It was pretty obvious that he didn’t know anything else about him so that’s what he said.

One reason I don’t like to watch games done by national announcers is that they really don’t do their research. I am sure they are bad with every team and not just the Twins. Last night Dennis Eckersly commented about a pitch that Blackburn had thrown as he said he didn’t know he threw that one. The pitch was a sinker which, of course, all Twins fans know is what Blackburn throws. The national announcers always act like they are so much of an expert on something or someone which they have heard from someone else but they really don’t have a clue. Baseball isn’t the only sport with the “genius” announcers, all sports have them especially football.

The season was actually lost for the Twins on the weekend. Nothing against Kansas City, but the Twins should have one two of three from them. They are the team the Twins needed to beat and they didn't. It wasn't like they didn't have some chances. I am sure the White Sox felt the same against Cleveland.