It's Trading Time

National sportswriters are speculating that the Twins might be in the market for a couple of right handed starters that are being offered by their teams (Jeff Samardzia-White Sox, and Clay Buchholz-Red Sox).

And I don't see any real reason to buy into that kind of talk. The fact is, the Twins ought not be in the market for another right-handed starter. They have too many of them as it is, This weekend Ervin Santana comes off his suspension, and then what?

So as June turns into July and the trade deadline edges ever closer, let us not be gullible -- not even after a game such as Monday's, in which the starter was bad and the lineup put up seven runs.

The Twins may well seek to add pieces in the next few weeks -- but those pieces will be position players and relievers, not starters. Indeed, it's plausible -- perhaps even wise -- that the Twins will trade away a starter in July.

Paul Molitor has started four different men at shortstop this season (Danny Santana, Eduardo Escobar, Jorge Polanco, Eduardo Nunez). He has started five different center fielders (Jordan Schafer, Shane Robinson, Aaron Hicks, Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario). He has started five different left fielders (Oswaldo Arcia, Robinson, E
scobar, Rosario, Nunez). He's split up the DH role six ways (Kennys Vargas, Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer, Nunez, Escobar, even one start for Santana).

While I believe the lineup juggling has benefited the team, the Twins entered Monday's game just 10th in the American League in runs scored. There's only so much lemonade to squeeze out of the current fruit.

To trade for a starter would be fixing a problem that doesn't exist. And I have to believe that Terry Ryan, Molitor and the rest of the decision makers know that.

I HOPE they know that...

Milone Great! Bullpen Not So Much

The less said about those last three innings the better.

Twins Win

The Twins had just 25 wins last year at this point of the season. They have 40 wins today. My Minnesota math tells me that the Twins are doing SOOOOOO much better this season. Torii had 10 total bases, including TWO home runs in yesterday's game. He hasn't had that many total bases in a game since 2006! And Gibson was good again yesterday as well.

Go Twins!

Twins and Wolves

Well, Trevor May's 1/3 of an inning sure ended the Twins pitchers string of great starts.


He now is the leading lottery candidate to be the odd man out when Nolasco and Santana return. I personally stopped watching after the home run and double to start the first for the Brewers, so I missed everything after the score was 1-1.

The Wolves, on the other hand, still have people talking. Their two number one draft picks are making people smile nation-wide. MOST credible sports sites are giving the Wolves an A+ as having the best draft this season.

In a sport where only FIVE guys are needed to play regularly, it's kind of cool that we have those two guys plus the rookie of the year last season AND the slam dunk contest winner as well. I'm actually looking forward to the coming season.

Wolves Take 19-Year Old Kentucky Center

The Wolves say taking this kid was a no-brainer. MOST experts say he was the best pick in the draft.
 Fans at Target Center last night seemed to agree.

Me? I figure he was the safe choice. If he doesn't work out, we can always say he was the consensus best pick available. He didn't have great numbers for the runner-up Wildcats this past season, but he was big and athletic on both ends of the court. And he had GOOD consistent numbers on a team that was balanced.

If you read the Boston Globe article I linked to a couple days ago, you'll see that most teams regret their first selection every year. NO ONE has a crystal ball. No one is very good at drafting. But sometimes you make a good pick.

It looks like we made the right choice. It helps that we already have some young players that were already looking pretty good already. AND fans are going to be buying more tickets this year. Now days that's all NBA franchises can hope for.

Will we be a winner from all this? That's still to be determined.

TEN Great Starts in a Row!!!!

Awhile back, I mentioned that the Twins had more good starters than they really needed. After 10 straight better than good starts the Twins have to decide what they are going to do with a couple of them.

You see, Nolacso is coming off the injury list any day now and Santana's suspension ends in early July. THOSE TWO ARE OUR HIGHEST PAID PITCHERS. They are not going to sit.

Unless another injury comes up soon, the Twins have to figure out which TWO of their very effective starters is not going to start anymore. The Tigers, who have a similar situation, have recently tried a 6-man rotation. I'm not sure if that's really the answer. The Twins will still have to make roster spot available for them. Which means a bench player will have to go elsewhere OR a bullpen guy will get sent packing. That's not an option Mollie wants to pursue either.

Hughes was spectacular last night. He's safe.

Pelfrey has been our best starter for a couple of months. He's safe as well.

Milone is getting wins, and giving up few runs, but he's constantly working out of trouble.

Gibson is inconsistent BUT younger than most.

And Trevor May is having his best season with a very good strikeouts to walk ration. He's also young.

SO...

...who do you get rid of?

Do you trade the ones that give you the most is return? AND which players are available that will really help us? Do you even think about trading Santana or Nolasco?

I've been reading lately that the Twins should trade for a "power hitter". That's all well and good but WHO specifically? It's not like great power hitters grow on trees and you can get one any time you want. Guys like Trout, Harper, and Stanton aren't available. AND if you aren't those guys (or guys like them) are the hitters we would be getting be any better than those we already have. AND if they are a regular, not a DH, which REGULAR player or players do you get rid of. If he is a DH-type, do you give up on a young guy like Vargas, who shows signs of real promise? You only have so many roster spots.

I'm not offering any solutions. I'm just saying it's a lot harder coming up with real working solutions than offering suggestions. I said I'd like to be the manager and GM of the Twins.  At times like this I'm glad I'm neither.

ONE bad trade could kill the Twins for years. I don't need that kind of pressure.

But I love to criticize whoever does it wrong. We all do. That's what makes us fans.

Twins Lose, NBA Draft

 Pelfrey had another good start for the Twins last night, the problem was the Twins couldn't score.

I was going to write an NBA draft preview today, but I found this Boston globe article that says it so much better than I ever could.

Basically, NO ONE gets the draft right. There is no ONE best pick, and most teams, if given a choice, would want a do-over with most of their picks. That takes the pressure off the Wolves...

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/06/22/redrafting-nba-lottery-picks-from-last-five-years/wyAF8voVBMSxCrbJNkDT0N/story.html

They Remembered!

Pitching, league-wide, has been great this year. Even the Twins now have EIGHT straight great starts.

But there's something about the White Sox pitching that seems to wake up the Twins' sleepy bats. After being in an amnesiac coma for the better part of a month, Chicago starter John Danks was just what the doctor ordered for Minnesota batters. Byron Buxton had THREE hits in the lead-off spot. Vargas had FOUR hits including another homer. Actually, basically everybody hit last night for the Twins.

And Milone was solid on the mound for the Twins.

More please. Cranky Curtis' golden boy, Mike Pelfrey, takes the mound today for the Twins.

Amnesia

The Twins biggest problem?

They forgot how to hit.

Max Scherzer

Yes, the Twins had another good start yesterday, but they couldn't get any hits themselves. The results were disappointing.

So let's talk about something cooler: Max Scherzer.

Last time out, Carlos Gomez broke up his no-hit bid in the eight inning with a bloop hit off the end of his bat just out of the second baseman's glove. Yesterday Scherzer flirted with a perfect game and still ended up with a no-hitter.

WOW!!

That's one impressive pitcher. The ONLY guy to reach base yesterday got hit by the pitch with a 2-2 count in the ninth with two outs. AND he leaned into the pitch.

If I subscribed to MLB, I think I'd make the Nationals MY team. Between Scherzer and Bryce Harper, this is one team worth watching.

Hughes and Plouffe

I know a lot of Twins fans want to bring up Miguel Sano and have him play third, but it's kind of hard to get rid of Trevor Plouffe. He, along with Brian Dozier, have been the only reliable players the Twins have had the past few seasons. Last night was no exception. Plouffe's 4 RBI in yesterday's game gives him 38 for the season. And his defense has gotten better each year. I say keep him around awhile longer. Maybe he can play first and we'll work out something else for Joe Mauer.

(Side note: It still bugs me that Wilson Ramos is playing for Washington as THEIR catcher because we still had Joe Mauer at catcher at the time we traded him.)

Hughes last night was simply outstanding. That's five great starts in row for the Twins. Even when hitting goes in the dumpster, great pitching will keep you in the race.

And I still can't believe the Twins at this point of the season are still in a pennant chase. A lot is still wrong with this team, and even the most faithful are finally starting to see the same problems that I pointed out before the season even began, but the GREAT starting pitching caught most everyone by surprise, and that's what keeping us in the hunt.

For now.

A-Rod

Alex has had more drug tests in the last couple of years than any player in baseball history, and he's going to be 40 in about a month, and yet he's still one of the best players in baseball. Old and without drugs, he's still producing.

Last night his 3,000th hit was a homerun, just like his buddy Derek Jeter's was.

The drugs may have helped his power, but that swing is all skill. No one knows what his stats MAY have been without the juice, but he lost over a year of his career because of it. Love him or hate him, those 3,000 hits were EARNED. Steroids and  human growth hormones don't give you that kind of swing and eye-hand coordination. I get why people don't like him, but those hits were skill, and last night's accomplishment is one most baseball fans should be able to celebrate.

They won't of course, but they should.

Asterisks have destroyed their love of the game.

I don't blame them. I can't celebrate the accomplishment as much either. I'd like to, but. well...

...asterisks.

Pelfrey, Mauer, Vargas, BOOOOM!!!

I know KC is on a bit of a hot streak right now, but WE just split four games with the BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL. And our pitching was GREAT!!!!

Basically, hitting-wise, our whole team is in a slump (or maybe we're just finally seeing what they are really like), but that pitching is fun to watch.  Let's see if it continues against the Cubbies.

Still above .500, a lot better than I ever expected.

Bryce Harper

Anybody else happen to follow this kid? What a year he's having.

Milone Great, Perkins Still Perfect

Whew!

That ninth made me antsy. The Twins starting pitching has been excellent while going against the best team in baseball. We've lost two out of three, but that's because the Cards REALLY have great pitching.

Another game with them this afternoon but we're still 3 1/2  back with KC winning.

Our game won't be televised. Bummer.

Warriors Win!

With the Twins now losing on a daily basis, I needed somebody, anybody to knock off the Cavs. That it was Curry and the Warriors was especially satisfying. That it was a good game was just a bonus.

It's obvious that any team with LeBron should be a threat for years. But more than anything, Lebron rediscovered that basketball is a team game. He needed help in Miami from other all-stars. He'll need help in Cleveland as well. He had a great series, but everyone else was missing by the time it was over.

Kevin Love got lost in the shuffle this season at Cleveland as well, long before the injury bug hit. I'm anxious to see if he re-ups there. He enjoyed superstar status in Minnesota as a big fish in a small pond. He saw his value plummet in Cleveland this year. Just another faceless cog in the overwhelming tidal wave known as LeBron. He needs a supporting cast, too. He just doesn't like being one of the supporting players.

As to the Twins, it LOOKS like the Cardinals are cheating with cyber hacks in another team's database. Though if the Cardinal official is still using his OLD password to access Houston's info, you kind of have to wonder why Houston doesn't change their passwords more often. It's not so much hacking as stupidity on the Astros part. IF you have critical information, it's kind of YOUR responsibility to protect it. It's kind of like getting a divorce and never changing the locks on your doors. Your ex might show up someday and not find anybody home...

If someone has keys, they might use them.

Outfield Today

The Twins have a bunch of outfielders now -- on the active roster, on the disabled list, and in the minors but still seen as significant pieces. Let's sort through the priorities.

1) Buxton. Yes, he has all of one game in the majors. He's still the single most important piece of this team's puzzle, the cornerstone player for the anticipated success ahead. He's here; he's playing.

2) Hunter. He's 39, but the team didn't commit $12 million to him to sit on the bench. I'd prefer to see him DHing than playing right.

3) Rosario. Debuted May 6 and has played in all but a handful of games since. Has so far lived up to his minor league billing, with arguably more power (three homers in his first 100 at-bats) than should be expected. Between his youth/developmental needs, his bat and his defensive skills, he should be in the outfield on a near-daily basis. Despite being in the running in training camp for the center field job, he has been strictly in the corners since his call-up, which is proper.

4) Oswaldo Arcia. Spluttering with a .167/.189/.229 slash line in Triple A, he appears to have been eclipsed by Rosario in the corner outfield plans. He's a better hitter than that .418 Rochester OPS suggests, but so what? His fielding woes negate the hitting, and between Hunter and Kennys Vargas, there's not much room available at DH. He's still only 24, but he's out of options after this season. A trade seems inevitable, and right now his value is probably as low as it's ever been.

5) Hicks. Buxton pushes him out of the center field job. His bat pushes him out of a regular corner outfield role. That makes him a fourth outfielder, which is not what he was drafted in the first round to be. Is the organization willing to accept that, or will they dump him? He's also out of options after this season.

6) Shane Robinson. Too flawed to be an outfield regular, but he does enough things well to use him. A prototype reserve outfielder.

7) Jordan Schafer. Rosario has already garnered 40 more plate appearances than the Opening Day center fielder. Schafer wasn't anywhere near the player this year that he was in August-September last year, and I don't see a role for him after he comes off the disabled list. Hicks and Robinson rank ahead of him as reserve outfielders, and nobody needs four center fielders on the roster.

8) Eduardo Escobar. I'll list him here because Baseball Reference has him as the regular left fielder so far. If he's still so listed after the All-Star break, Molitor is doing it wrong. Even if the Twins decide to turn to Jorge Polanco or Danny Santana at short, Escobar shouldn't get outfield time ahead of the first five on this list. He's an infielder. Use him as such.

Golden State

I actually watched more of last night finals game than any NBA game in a long time. I sure hope Golden state finishes strong.

I admit LeBron is good, BUT I also saw several times why they made the "LeBron Rule" a couple seasons back. Without it, he'd be called for traveling almost every time he touched the ball. He says he's the best, but how good are you if the league has to change a universal standing rule just to make sure YOU don't get called for traveling?

Michael, Wilt, Magic, and Larry didn't need special help from the league for THEIR games to work.

The best? Not hardly.


Protected? Yeah, that's closer to the truth.

Twins

Leave it to the Twins to get THREE triples in one inning, and be the only team in major league history to score just ONE RUN from those three triples.

At least they won. Buxton even scored the winning run while going 0-4.

Not pretty, but a win none the less.

The losing streak is over.

Pelfrey

I can't even talk about Pelfrey's outing yesterday. The Twins are sliding off to oblivion before our very eyes.

The GOOD news? Everyone else in the division stinks right now, too. We're still just two out of first.

Hicks

A Hicks' dropped ball gave Texas 4 unearned runs late.

The Twins have now lost six of their last seven.

They are now playing according to their stat capabilities.

Internet chatter is now focusing on Byron Buxton replacing Hicks in center.

Stats:

Byron Buxton's first 12 games at AA: .180 AVG, .241 OBP, .300 SLG

Byron Buxton's last 45 games at AA: .306 AVG, .373 OBP, .541 SLG He's 21.

Most teams start the major roster changes in June.

I expect Buxton's arrival soon...

Golden State Ties Series 2-2

A TV camera gave LeBron a nice gash on his head last night. And Golden State looked golden in using that injury to their advantage, beating the Cavs convincingly 103-82.

LeBron had an off-night with the deep cut and stitches in his head. He didn't score at all in the fourth quarter.

It's weird to think how one TV camera may have changed the complete course of the series.

The American Dream

Dusty Rhodes was one of the most influential wrestlers in history. He not only filled auditoriums and venues in the South for the NWA and WCW with his brawling matches, he also wrote most of the scripts for their shows. As a booker (writer) he was probably best known for the "Dusty Finish."

That's where a wrestler apparently wins the title, and fans start celebrating with the new champion, only to have the "knocked out" ref reverse the decision at the end of a show and give the title back to the original champion.

Oddly enough, that's what happened at the last WWE pay-per-view. Dean Ambrose "won" the title only to have the ref give it back to Seth Rollins when the ref disqualified him.

Dusty died yesterday. He was still responsible for much of the talent direction in WWE's farm system known as NXT. He was 69, and he will be missed by the fans, the wresters, and his sons Goldust and Stardust, who both wrestle for WWE.

Here is my drawing, in tribute to The Dream.

Swept

I decided not to watch last night's game. When things start going bad for a team, things start to steamroll. I turned it on in the ninth to see how it was going, saw the score, and went to bed.

The Twins do not match up well with the Tigers or the Royals. IF they are going to stay in contention, THAT has to change. They only needed  one win in the series to remain tied for first. KC didn't give them that opportunity.

We're now two games back, just like that.

My pessimism and cynicism is set to return..

The Lighter Side of Baseball

Yes, the Twins had another great pitching performance last night but still lost. KC is now ahead of us once more in the standings.

BUT Chris Heston, a rookie for the Giants, pitched the first no-hitter of the season last night. He HIT three batters in the process, but they didn't get any hits back.

AND I was wrong, it seems that the A's pitcher I mentioned last week as being ambidextrous was really a frog. This headline shows my error. Thanks to Iron Myron for the photo...

Phil Hughes

It's tough when the Twins lose.

It's tough when you lose with Hughes on the mound and you can't score him any runs.

It's awful when it's KC.

Let's see how the rest of the series goes.

The Twins picked a left-handed pitcher from Illinois as the sixth pick in the draft yesterday. In college, Tyler Jay was a bullpen guy. Since NOBODY drafts a bullpen guy that high, it's pretty obvious the Twins are looking at him as starting material. He was a consensus "best lefty available in the draft" pick. Rumors are the Twins might call him up late THIS season.

They think he's that good.

Most picks languish in the minors for years, so they must be really high on him. We'll see.

Mike Pelfrey!

The Twins lost two out of three this weekend to the lowly Brewers, but still ended up with the best record in the American League again when all the dust settled.

Pelfrey says he's better than he's ever been before because he's now learned to throw the split finger fastball, a  pitch taught him by Twin's bullpen coach, Eddie Guardado. Whatever the reason, the Twins are avoiding long losing streaks this season, and winning most series. They keep that up and they'll be in the pennant race all season.

Pelfrey's ERA? 2.28

Just, WOW!

Go Twins.

As I predicted early in the season, Danny Santana has been demoted to the minors. That gives Kennys Vargas another chance. Santana was never a good shortstop, but his batting average last season convinced the Twins to try him there anyway. With him struggling at the plate and in the field, the handwriting was on the wall for Santana. Escobar will get the everyday job for at least awhile. If he struggles, the Twins may give Santana another chance or bring up Jorge Polanco.

With Vargas back, that means Torii will be playing right field again (heavy sigh) instead of DHing. Torii has only played right once in the last five games and in that game he had another error. The Twins would be better off with Torii as DH. One of the reasons the Twins are winning games lately is that Arcia was hurt and Torii was DHing. Arcia in now in the minors, but Torii's bad fielding is about to come back into play.

But we got Vargas to HIT. And he's sure not playing first with our highest paid player there. Molitor's trying to make the best of a bad situation I guess.

Our outfield defense has been outstanding as of late. That's all about to change...

American Pharoah

I watched the last leg of the Triple Crown yesterday fully expecting another stumble by the favorite. It seems that third leg has tripped up every horse since the days of Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed.

I was pleasantly surprised to see I was wrong. I've now seen my 4th Triple Crown winner in my lifetime.

On a more serious note:

24 race horses die on the track every single week in the U.S. alone. That's over 1000  every year. England loses a horse on the track about once every three days.

Could you imagine the outrage if 24 football players died every week in the U.S. playing football? Horse racing IS inherently dangerous to the animal. It always has been, but we, as a society put our betting and entertainment needs above the basic well-being of the horse.

I am as guilty as anyone I guess. It was cool seeing another Triple Crown winner yesterday, the first in nearly 40 years, but I guess I want others to know it does come at a tremendous cost to the horses.

There are people trying to stop horse racing world-wide in much the same way that we have tried to stop dog fighting and cock fighting in  America. I can't say as I blame them. And I sure won't stand in their way.

Another Disappointing Loss

BUT still in first place.

Loesch and Garza may be disappointing to the Brewers THIS season, but they showed the last couple of games why teams should still fear them. The Twins found out the hard way.

Being ex-Twins themselves, they had a little something extra to prove.

Ambidextrous Pitcher Debuts For Oakland

It's been 20 years since a pitcher has thrown with both hands in the same inning. Last night, Pat Venditte did it for Oakland in his pro debut.

I think this is so cool. I have a nephew, Tim, who could pitch like this. His first organized coach told him to CHOOSE one or the other. I always disliked that coach. I used to catch for Tim during practice sessions, and I was amazed at his speed and control from both sides. Having him choose was a mistake. Tim went on to have a good college career, but it always bugged me that a coach never realized how special that gift was.

The Season is One-Third Over

Even with the loss last night, the Twins are still alone in first place with KC's loss to Texas.

Remember how a few days ago I said the Twins had seven starters (maybe eight with a hot minor leaguer) an no way to use them all? Well, with Nolasco's "impeded" ankle injury and expected surgery (and yet another probable stint on the DL,) Tommy Milone's quick call-up will probably become a regular assignment for awhile.

No, Milone's outing on Thursday wasn't very good, but no one expects him to be that bad every time out, either. . Nolasco's last stint on the disabled list put Mike Pelfrey back in the starting rotation and look how that turned out! Let's hope something similar happens to Milone. Milone's worst career starts have ALL happened at Fenway. Leftys and Fenway don't mix. Milone is no exception.

Ervin Santana, our highest paid free agent, will be back on the roster in about a month after serving his suspension. We still have too many big league starters for our roster, BUT the problem seems to keep taking care of itself...

And there is no OFFICIAL word on Nolasco and his ankle, yet, either. I'm just speculating. The Twins are known for quick moves to the DL when things like this arise, so I don't see them doing something different here.

Twins Win!

Tommy Milone wasn't so great yesterday, but the bullpen was AGAIN. And so was Torii Hunter. The 4-run ninth was an unexpected pleasure as the Twins came back to win the game after being down 4-0. They also managed to split the series after being down two games to none.

AND they've won nine of their last twelve.

AND KC lost, too!

I could get used to this.

What would make the day even sweeter?

If Golden State could only beat the Cavs in game one.

They DID! In OT!!!!!

A perfect day of sports.

What Ifs

The Nimble One posted a link to the Daily Norseman in a reply yesterday:

http://www.dailynorseman.com/2015/6/3/8724863/30-day-challenge-re-doing-one-moment-minnesota-vikings-history


To tell you the truth, I absolutely HATE these kinds of articles (Sorry Nate...)

There are dozens of plays in a fan's mind that you wish would never have happened or could have happened differently. "The Favre Interception" "The Cunningham Sack Fumble" "The Anderson Field Goal Miss" in the same game!

So what? Reliving these awful moments just bring back bad memories. It's Monday Morning Quarterbacking at its worst.

I've documented in the past that, especially in close games, there are one or two plays or questionable ref calls in EVERY SINGLE game that mean the difference between winning and losing. Cranky Curtis ceased being a Viking fan when he was a kid because of one of those plays.

They happen and that's what sports is. Dreaming about changing the past is a fool's errand.

NOW if you want to talk about organizational decisions or managing/coaching decisions or strategies that have long term effects for the FUTURE now, I'm willing to talk about it.

For instance: At the time, I hated MOST of Denny Green's late game coaching decisions in playoff situations. It was those decisions that cost us big games. That's why the Vikings fired Denny. I grew up in an era where the Vikings had great coaching for years and years and years at a stretch and I fully expected the Vikings to win the Super Bowl every year. Bud Grant and (to a lesser extent) Jerry Burns instilled that kind of belief in me.

I realize NOW that Denny was a good (perhaps even great coach). How do I know that? Because the coaches we have had since then have been absolutely, incredibly horrible. What caused me to change my opinion?

Experience.

Other than the Les Steckel fiasco, I had never seen a poorly coached Vikings team. I thought he was just a blip on the radar. But Mike Tice and Brad Childress taught me differently. I realized that MOST coaches are really bad most of the time, not just in close playoff games. That experience taught me to appreciate Denny much more than I had.

So if you ask me now what would I change if I could? I would have never fired Denny Green. It's not a playing scenario. It's an organizational one. It's not one event that affected one game. It was an event that affected the Vikings to this day AND perhaps beyond...

You don't get rid of a good coach because of a questionable call or two in a playoff game. That's my rule now. IF you are in contention every single year, you keep your coach. Your chance of winning the BIG ONE someday improves dramatically that way. It could also save you a decade of losing.

The call on the last play of the game in the Super Bowl this year was bone-headed. Every single Seahawks fan knows this and would change it if they could. But the MISTAKE would have been in firing in their coach. The right decision helps protect their future.

Twins Split Double Header

Trevor May was great last night.

We're still tied for first!!

Peterson Still Doesn't Own Up to What He Did Was Wrong

There's been a lot of discussion in fan forums the last few days about Adrian Peterson coming back to the Vikings and pretending to be happy to be here again.

Like everything else he has not owned in the last year, he simply changed what he said when it came to the point where he could not do anything else anymore.

He changed his non-guilty stance to a no-contest plea late in the trial (about beating his son) once he realized he was going to be found guilty and go to jail.

Publicly, at he end of the trial he still said what he did wasn't wrong. When the NFL told him he could not play again until he admitted what he did was wrong and completed THEIR counseling program, he elected to sue the league instead. When most of that failed, he decided to admit that "spanking" his kid may have been a mistake and that he would do what the league required to get re-instated.

He then told everyone he would not play in Minnesota anymore because they had not supported him during HIS ordeal. When that failed he decided to come to camp and tell everyone how much he missed them (while still demanding secretly for the Vikings to renegotiate his contract.)

As a bonus, he now tells us what a good person he is because his therapist/counselor told him so AND because he admits he made a mistake...

...except he adds...that everyone else just made TOO BIG A DEAL about the situation.

There are now people saying that he has now owned his mistake and we should move on.

At best Adrian is RENTING his mistake. He is still blaming others for the situation in which he finds himself, by half-heartedly admitting only what he has to, rather than freely admitting that it is ALL ON HIM.

He assaulted his child so badly that he has permanent scars. Physical of course, and likely mental too. And all along he has called himself the victim. Even this week, the NFL was the bad guy for "one-sided" contracts, even though he voted to approve the CBA that specifies how this all works and was collectively bargained.

Letting a child abuser off because he said "mistake" four times in 16 months is just wrong. IF there was a shred of him being truly sorry, he would stop blaming others at every opportunity, and admit that his actions were just plain WRONG.

He has not done so.

He may still have a couple years left in him as a GOOD football player, but he is a BAD man.

I don't support the Vikings decision to keep him.That's the biggest mistake of all. How can anyone cheer for or support such a loser?

 

Mildly Amusing Story of th Day

On June 2, 1925, Wally Pipp had a headache and popped a couple of aspirin, so Lou Gehrig stepped in at first -- and "The Iron Horse" would not miss a game for the next 2,128 games. Said Wally Pipp: "I took the two most expensive aspirin in history."

Pitcher's Duel

Mike Pelfrey looked great again last night.
Clay Buchholz was better.

I hate losing 1-0.

By The Numbers

I'm a dedicated stat guy. With the Twins not playing yesterday, I decided to look a little closer at the numbers the Twins are putting up this season, AS A TEAM.

The first number I look at is the date. Only ONE team that was leading their division last year on June 1st WON their division. The other five did not. Being in first place now is a pleasant surprise but it does not mean anything yet with well over a hundred more games to play.

I know the Twins are winning games, but the more I look at the stats, the more the numbers scare me. When you get statistical anomalies like this you start to see "luck" at play. And luck doesn't last an entire season.

For instance, the Twins are number four in the AL in runs scored, but they are near the bottom in on-base percentage at 11th. That's one of the anomalies that simply doesn't compute. Statistically it won't continue. They'll have to get better at getting on base for that scoring to continue. Even their slugging percentage, in all of baseball, is below average at number 18. It may APPEAR to us that the Twins are hitting more doubles and home runs this season simply because we hit so few the last several seasons that this seems good. Stats, however don't lie. We are less than average here.

And our pitching...

We simply are AWFUL at it. We're 16th in ERA with 3.92. We're 28th in WHIP at 1.33. We're 26th in quality starts. AND we're 29th in the entire league in Batting Average Against at .272.

And our strikeouts to walks ratio is horrible as well.

I AM enjoying the Twins NOW. But I fear that may all come tumbling down in the near future. IF the numbers don't improve dramatically, and soon, we'll all to get to watch  the fall of this year's team.

When numbers don't add up, something has to give. Equilibrium is at play. You don't mess with with equilibrium.

Alone In First!!!

KC had a game rained out this weekend so the Twins find themselves alone in first place with the BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE!!!!!

Only the Cardinals are better in all of baseball.

And it was a comeback win. And Perkins had another save.

wow

This is fun.