Twins Rally, Lose Anyway

sigh

Walk-Off Walk, Great Pitching

The Twins now think the secret to becoming winners again is great starting pitching. I can't say I disagree with them. They traded Nunez on Thursday night for a potential late season starter, and were actively trying to unload Nolasco to any team that will pay part of his unheralded salary, just for a chance to bring some young arms up for major league experience.

But then a funny thing happened. Nolsco had eight great innings last night. Eight. Great. Innings.

Will the Twins now unload him faster since he had that start or will they keep him because, you know... he looked great?

Nothing is ever easy. The starters have now ALL been showing signs of brilliance lately, though Duffy is starting to stumble again.

Me? I'm still interested. And for once, I have no answers. Let those making the big bucks decide.

I can always criticize them later. I do what I'm best at.

Gibson Good, Kepler Great, and Defense?

This is becoming a typical Twins game. Starting pitching keeps the game close. Hitters start to hit in late innings. Defense looks surprisingly good late. Twins win.

Avoiding the long losing streaks is the key to keeping fan interest. That and Sano globes.

Twins Swept By Worst team in Baseball

At least it was only a two game series.

Twins Shutout By Worst Team In Baseball

Atlanta still has the worst record.

But the series isn't over yet!

WWE

Raw and Smackdown have both become their own brands. Wrestlers will now be exclusive to just one show. If last night is any indication, that is going to be a very positive step for the biggest sports entertainment corporation in the world.

Newer wrestlers like Finn Balor are elevated to superstar status almost immediately. There are fresher, longer match-ups. And old wrestlers are given new looks and associations. Even the announce desk is no longer at ringside as just another prop to send wrestlers through.

I like it. I'm looking equally forward to Smackdown tonight. With another show attempting to be equally different from the status quo, the WWE has a chance to become something much different.

Stale bread can still be eaten. But the smell of fresh bread can you up in the morning.

The delightful odor of freshly baked bread is tickling my nostrils right now. It's up to the writers to make me breakfast, however. There has to be more substance than new guys, and different camera angles.

Sano

Quote of the Day:

"Miguel Sano's error rate at third base is ridiculous. He's been charged with 10 errors in 15 games since July 3, and he's had other make-able plays go unmade that were ruled hits. This audition at the hot corner while Trevor Plouffe recovers from his cracked rib is making the right field experiment look less silly by the day.

I didn't expect him to be Brooks Robinson, or even early Corey Koskie, at third base. I find it difficult to believe that he's this awful, but the evidence is mounting."

Edward Thoma

Chris Sale

This is becoming the most interesting of stories. Chris Sale, one of the White Sox best starters, was sent home yesterday for the weirdest of reasons. He hated the teams 1976 throwback uniforms so much that he reportedly took a scissors to them while the team was having batting practice.

He thought they were uncomfortable and he was not going to wear them. He said the team was putting PR above winning and he protested in the only way he could. The team ended up wearing a different, more comfortable throwback uniform that they had worn before.

It was a peaceful protest but no one's sure what's going to happen next other than Chris Sale will not pitch today either.

Twins Rally, Win

The pitching wasn't there early, but the bats sure came alive late.

If the Twins weren't 23 games below .500, you'd think they were a pretty good ball club. Boston fans must be stunned. It's not often their Red Sox are treated this way. The Twins actually have a chance of taking the series today.

They've been doing that a lot lately.

Still watchable.

Unbelievable.

Go Twins!!

Twins Win

Kyle Gibson gave up just two hits in eight innings last night. And Dozier had three hits including a homer.

Kintzler nailed down his 7th save, but I admit to missing it. I turned the game off with two on and no one out for Boston in the bottom of the ninth. I just couldn't stand the thought of watching the Twins blow it in the bottom of the ninth after that performance by Gibson.

Once more, I needn't have worried. Kintzler eventually got the job done.

The Twins continue to be very watchable this month.  Go Twins!

Denny Green

He was the most offensive-minded coach the Vikings ever had. And he knew talent.

He just made poor decisions in crucial playoff situations.

I never appreciated him as a coach much as I should have. Over time the Vikings would have gotten better with him. His replacements were mostly horrible. In hindsight, I saw how good he was.

Twins

If nothing else, we found out who the Twins' long man out of the bullpen is going to be last night. Tonkin came out when Duffy failed early. Fans were wondering. Now we know.

Twins Win!

The Twins have been on a minor roll as of late. And it's been primarily starting pitching that's making the difference. Even in the recent Cleveland series that we lost, the starting pitch was good in two of the three games.

Yesterday, it was Ervin Santana giving up just one run in seven innings. And a couple more well-timed late-inning home runs by Kepler and Rosario that made the difference. Even Mauer hit a first inning homer. The Twins have been watchable all month.

Go Twins!

Russia Banned From Olympics?

In what is becoming one of the most fascinating sports stories of the year, it appears that the entire Russian track and field team will be banned from this year's Olympic games. The reason? State-sponsored doping, and cover-ups of that doping for nearly every track and field athlete.

And the story goes much deeper. It's possible this was a nationwide sponsored cover-up involving most of the Russian athletes. Though a decision has not yet been reached, it is possible that Russia will not be allowed to participate in the games at all. The integrity of the games is at stake.

Russia lost a formal appeal yesterday that sought to overturn the initial track and field ruling. Russia was informed that a full decision would be coming by Sunday.

Former WADA president John Fahey said Thursday the decision should be clear-cut. Russia, for all of its mis-deeds, should not be allowed to participate in the games this year.

This is the world we now live in.

To save face, watch for Russia to say that THEY have decided not to participate in the games this year because of health concerns of the Zika virus, and the water clean-up problem in Brazil.

Remember, in any event where nations compete, politics is always at play.

Milone Good

One hit through eight innings. That was a very good outing for Milone. The Twins scoring him 5 insurance runs in the eighth came in handy.

Bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, one out, tying run at the plate for the Tigers?

That's when I turned it off.

I needn't have worried. Brandon Kintler struck out the last two Tigers he faced, and the Twins pull out a 6-2 win.

Whew.

An update from yesterday's blog: According to sources, Paul Molitor will remain the Twins manager for the foreseeable future no matter who they hire as GM.

I guess I don't mind. There's a lot wrong that no manager can fix.

Terry Ryan

The Twins have been getting worse for years. It's not just the Mauer contract that has handcuffed them. It's the signing of aging pitchers with a history of arm trouble to long-term deals that no one else was willing to pay. It was the signing and promoting of young prospects who couldn't field. Or of those who could field but had no ability to hit major league pitching.

And it was allowing future superstars like Ramos, Gomez and Span to get away on a regular basis.

Jim Polhlad has described it as a "total system failure."

And like it or not, that system layed in the hands of the Twins GM, Terry Ryan.

He was much better the first time around,  but the game has changed.

We don't have a very good team. We probably won't have a good team for several more years.

Mauer and Molitor have to be the next to go. Then we can start rebuilding.

In the meantime, there is no quick fix.

"Cyborg" Santos

MMA is really a tough sport. At Bellator 158 on Saturday night, Evangelista Santos received a running knee to his head that actually fractured his skull. He's so fortunate to even be talking about the fight.

I'm starting to dislike MMA.

Twins Win!

Most fans missed the ending.

That's understandable. There was a lot of violent rain in the state last night, so much so in our area that TV became unwatchable with all the alerts and warnings. It also delayed the Twins game for over two hours.

AND the game went 11 innings.

That's a long difficult game to watch. Summary: Mauer scored and the Twins won.

Maybe I don't hate sports as much as I thought...

Sano note:  He's had 7 errors in his last eight games including two last night. A dropped foul ball and a muffed liner. This man screams DH but the Twins have so many vying for that position already. No matter how good your bat may become, a glove like that is going to kill your career...

Twins Defense? More Drugs

Things were going good until Sano tried fielding a slow grounder in the top of the fourth. Dozier's indecision later that inning made it worse.

I stopped watching at that point. It was just too painful.

And Brock Lesnar drug test came back with a possible violation for his UFC fight. Lesnar's response? "Merry Christmas to me."

I hate sports.

Where Have All The Closers Gone?

With Glen Perkins out the better part of two seasons including his career threatening labrum surgery this year, Kevin Jepsen was expected to fill the void. Last year he did great with an ERA of 1.61.

This season? Not so much. The Twins tried trading him and his 6.16 ERA and $5 million salary to anybody that wanted him. There were no takers so the Twins gave him his outright release on Monday. Some team is bound to sign him to a much lower contract now.

But what are the Twins doing in the area of closers now? If, you're like me, you've missed most of this season and haven't paid much attention. Brandon Kintzler is the saves leader currently on the club. He has 5. Casey Fien was waived to the Dodgers and Trevor May has had hip problems.

The Twins want May back in the starting rotation so our bullpen from early this season is kind of in disarray now.

We have no sure things there. It's just patchwork.

Closers? We barely have relievers.

Eddie Hall

Eddie Hall is a powerlifter. Over the weekend he became the first man to ever deadlift 500 KG. That's 1,102.31 pounds for those metrically challenged. It's kind of like the holy grail of powerlifting.

The previous record was about 80 pounds less. That was also done by Eddy. He's kind of in a class all by himself when it comes to deadlifts. He's also aware that this kind of heavy lifting is unhealthy. After the 500 KG lift he passed out and his nose started bleeding.

He's thinking about getting into strongman competitions now. They're easier on the system.

AL Wins! But a Plan For the Future Instead...

I FINALLY thought of what major league baseball should do for it's playoffs.

Feel free to thank me later.

Currently, there is a convoluted system that lets 2 wildcard teams play for the privilege of getting in the REAL playoffs. That stinks. Fans really don't like it. Players who played a whole year don't like it. Nobody really likes it. It gives the illusion of more teams in the playoffs, but is really no different than a sudden-death division tie situation.

There should be a better way.

And this is it. The whole idea behind the current system is to generate a bit more excitement among good teams who aren't the division winner. It's the right idea but its poor in its execution.

Let's try this instead:

Since the baseball season is so incredibly long anyway, divide it into two separate seasons. At the 81 game mark declare a first half division winner in each division. They have all made the playoffs.

The second half of the season? It all starts over. Everyone is 0-0 and you have to fight for the division title all over again. This way, even a late blooming team like the Twins would get fans excited again. EVERY fan could have second hope for their team. The best part? You could go back to TWO divisions. That way your second half division winners would go against your first half division winners in the playoffs. If some team is good enough to win BOTH halves, the wildcard to take their place would be the team with the best record for the whole year that didn't win a division. That way the whole season still matters, but all teams can be in contention longer. Everybody wins. Attendance would go up. Ratings would go up. And revenues would go up.

And you would have only EIGHT real teams in the playoffs when they start.

Who is with me?

Of Duncan and Derbys

Tim Duncan spent his whole life on one team. He was 10th in all-time scoring. 6th in all-time rebounds. 5th in all-time blocks. AND he won FIVE championships.

He was also the consummate team player. He never made headlines talking about himself. He never belittled teammates. He played NINETEEN YEARS in relative obscurity, winning championships in three different decades. And his team was so good that they were in the championship picture every year.

Tim retired yesterday. He will be missed by those who recognized his greatness. Unlike Kobe, he went out quietly, with no fan fare. That was just like Tim.

Giancarlo Stanton was unbelievable last night. He not only hit 61 home runs in the contest, he hit 19 of the 20 longest home runs on the night. Think about that. Among the absolute best the game has to offer, he was so much better than anyone else that you had to wonder how he did it.

It was an amazing display of power AND endurance. Everybody else always conks out after that first round, but Stanton just got stronger. His second round home runs were actually longer shots than his first round ones. And he hit more homers in the third round than he did in the second.

This kid was signed to a long term deal by the Marlins last season. We'll see if he reaches his potential over the next few seasons. Bobby Abreau once hit 41 homers in the contest. And everyone was amazed. What Stanton did was so much more.

You know you're getting old department...

During the homerun hitting contest last night I quick switched over to Fox Sports North to see how the Twins were doing.

Yeah, that was a senior moment.

UFC sold for $4 BILLION!!!!

Dana White and the Feritta bothers (Lorenzo and Frank) bought UFC for $2 million in 2000.

That's quite a return on investment. Dana is going to remain the president under new ownership.

Twins Thump Texas Again!!!

I started watching the game in the fifth when the Twins had a 1-0 lead. A few innings later? 15-5!

I know most teams are looking forward to a few days off for the All-Star break, but the Twins are so hot now, it's a shame they have to rest. Kepler especially. And let's mention Vargas, too. The whole starting pitching staff finally looks major league. Who knows, maybe Texas is just in a slump.

I'm just enjoying my Twins right now.

We're not the worst! We're not the worst! We're not the worst!

Twins Beat Texas Again

I missed the game due to the late start and rain delay, but that doesn't mean I wasn't interested. Go Rosario! Go Twins!

Lesnar Dominant In Return

The UFC is finally something worth watching again.

My guess is thta Vince and Dana will come to some understanding in the near future that give Brock Lesnar a UFC title fight. Maybe this is a one-off thing just to satisfy Lesnar's itch for real battle, but seeing how in shape Lesnar was last night makes me think Brock wants to do this a few more times.

Why not? He's really, really good at it.

Twins

They lost, but the game was fun until Texas took the late lead. Vargas' monster shot was tremendous.

Byron Buxton is looking better this time around but he simply has to stop running into walls. Very few ball players win their ongoing battle with the wall and Buxton is not one of them. He probably will just take off until after the All-Star break.

I'll be watching a little bit of the Twins last two games before the break today and tomorrow.

That's a lot more than I WAS watching them two weeks ago.

Twins Thump American League Leading Texas 10-1

I KNOW the Twins aren't going anywhere this year, but this last week sure has been fun.

And Texas fans must hate us. The Twins seem to have the Ranger's number. Last night it was Tyler Duffy who pitched another gem for the Twins. If Keplar had done some good hitting early we might have had 20 runs. As it is he settled for 3 more RBI. The Twins left 15 runners stranded last night.

Still...

Go Twins!!

UFC 200

The UFC has an ongoing drug problem. Their big UFC 200 event, scheduled for this Saturday, just lost it's main event with Jon Jones being caught with a banned substance.

Lesnar vs. Hunt now takes center stage.

Santana!

A complete game 2-hit shutout.

Twins have now won 4 out of their last five.

We're not the worst!  We're not the worst! We're not the worst!

Twins Pound A's In Empty Stadium

After a three hour rain delay at the start of the game, most Twins fans went home thinking there wasn't going to be a game.

But there was, and it was highlighted by more Twins homeruns. And Nunez? He made the All-Star Game.

The Twins are now above the .333 winning percentage. That means they're winning slightly more than 1 out of three. Okay, that's still pretty bad, but it's better than being BELOW .333. AND we're better than Atlanta.

Kevin Durant

Folks are divided. Choosing the Warriors over all other potential teams? Best decision ever.

IF they don't win several more championships over the next few years, it will look like an awful decision, but it was still the best decision.  IF you play sports to be the the best, then you want to play with the best and give yourself the opportunity to win. That's just what you do.

Durant picked the best option for a potential legacy. IF this doesn't work, he will never be looked at as a major player, so there is a risk.

Will next year's Warriors be better than this year? I don't know. Me? I picked Greg Odon ahead of him in the draft. What do I know?

Losing Bogut to make room for Durant's salary is going to cause Golden State more problems than they think at the beginning of next season. By the end of next season, barring injuries, Golden State should be back in the finals.

What they do there is up to them.

I just wonder how many championships he has to win in this situation for people to agree this was the right thing to do.

None will be awful. One may not be enough.

That's what makes the decision risky. It's a two-year deal so he can always leave and try again. LeBron knows short term contracts gave him the best option. Kevin's learned alot from LeBron.

Twins Take Series From Texas

And they BEAT Cole Hamels.

That was a very good weekend of Twins baseball.

17 Runs!!!!

Kepler led the charge with two home runs and SEVEN RBI, but when you score 17 runs, you know it was a lot more than one guy doing the damage.

The funny part? Only 13 hits. And just one error on Texas' part.

That's making the absolute most of your opportunities.

Go Twins!!!

Bobby Bonilla

Bobby Bonilla hasn't played a baseball game for 15 years, yet the Mets are still paying him money on his last contract. Every July 1st they send him a check for $1.2 million. Every year for the last 15 years he get's a million dollars richer. The best part? He's going to get one of those checks EVERY year until July 1st 2035.

The reason?

His last contract gave him deferred money over a lot more time.

The guy will be on the Mets payroll nearly 30 years after playing the game getting a million a year.

He likes it. The Mets like it.

I like it too.

Cool.

Twins Play Best Team In Majors Even Through Nine...

...and lose in the tenth.

Good game. Wrong outcome.

sigh

Wilson Ramos

Does anybody else remember way back, when the Twins STILL HAD Wilson Ramos and I was saying we shouldn't sign Joe Mauer to a long term deal and we should go with younger blood at catcher? I said Ramos long-term catching prospects were much better than the often times injured Mauer. I said he was a star who needed a couple more years of seasoning and we should simply let Joe go in free agency.

These are Ramos current stats. He's second in the national league in batting. Mauer? A total waste of $25 million dollars a year.

By the way, he's making $5 million this year.