Minnesota -127, Detroit +117

Welcome SBG fans to another edition of beating a dead horse.
The 2005 Twins are officially dead. My role as part of the pocket protector crowd is to repeat the mantra.
But first, some diversions. Most of my shirts don't have pockets! How annoying is this? I suppose it's a style thang. [...]

If you've ever listened to the Common Man "progrum" on KFAN, you know that he's the best radio guy out there. He refers to the two newspapers in town the "Fish Wrap Factories" on their respective West and East side. Good stuff.
From the East Side factory today concerning Scott Ullger.
Ullger, who became the Twins' hitting [...]

MINNESOTA -150, KC +140.
Wow. Has Cleveland really hurt themselves. They have to sweep the White Sox this weekend to win the division and they have lost their lead in the Wild Card. Not good.
Meanwhile, the evil empire is in first place in the East.
I'm on the train, so not much [...]

I'll try to update at lunch.

Minnesota-180, KC+160

I'll take Johan and the Twins for 300, Alex.

Mike Brown remains on the FEMA payroll as a consultant.
Brown told congressional investigators Monday that he is being paid as a consultant to help FEMA assess what went wrong in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to a senior official familiar with the meeting.
This just in... John Wilkes Booth has been hired to conduct an [...]

Minnesota -300, KC +250.

1. The Twins lose 5-0 to KC. Some guy named "Thurston" Howell, who came into tonight's game with an ERA over seven holds the Twins hitless over five. But then, he had to come out because he'd already thrown almost 100 pitches. If these guys can shut out the Twins, kind [...]

Minnesota -180, Kansas City +160.
The season, and the contest, are winding down. The off season looks to be critical. Will the Twins be able to fix their offensive problems? Or has the era of good feeling started to slip away.
Watching Liriano on Sunday, it seemed to me that he's still just a [...]

1. Contest. Sometimes, you have to say, what the F@#$. I got an e-mail from FRW on Friday taking the White Sox for the next three games. The result? Look at the standings.

FRW
AAC
BEM
TWJ
TEB
CHC
SBG
RED
GEB
APH
DEP
ANM
AMR

983
956
767
647
215
165
51
6
0
-205
-235
-503
-856

For the record, CHC did exactly the same thing and passed SBG. With one week to go, several contestants still have a [...]

Lavelle E. Neal III reports on the Twins first inning woes:
The Twins went down in order in the first inning on Saturday, the 21st consecutive game in which they have failed to score in the first inning. They haven't scored in that inning since Aug. 30 against Kansas City.
The Twins have been outscored 100-68 in [...]

Chicago -210, Minnesota 185

After Saturday night, we have a new player in second place.

Player
FRW
AAC
BEM
TWJ
TEB
CHC
SBG
RED
GEB
APH
DEP
ANM
AMR

Points
883
856
767
647
215
65
51
6
0
-205
-235
-503
-856

Yep, that's our friend AAC in second place, 17 points behind FRW. Our friend TWJ is moving up, too. The contest is hot, even if our Twins are cold.
Tonight's Picks:
FRW: Chicago
AAC: Chicago
TWJ: Chicago
CHC: Chicago

Did you know that I have a subscription to Baseball Prospectus? James Click of BP analyzes who has been clutch and who hasn't. Send me an e-mail if you want to know how it's figured, but I wanted to show you this list, which has the 20 least clutch players in 2005. My favorite is [...]

Jason Williams at the Pioneer Press reports that the Twins are looking at Jason Tyner as a possibility for the 2006 roster.
In the lineup as the leadoff hitter and left fielder for the fourth consecutive game Friday against Chicago, Tyner continued to impress the Twins in his bid to win a 2006 roster spot. The [...]

From the Pioneer Press:
The Timberwolves said Wednesday they were cautiously optimistic that newly acquired point guard Marko Jaric was not injured during a locker-room fight at the European Championship.
The Associated Press reported that Jaric had a fistfight with a teammate on Serbia-Montenegro's national team after their loss to France on Tuesday. Jaric's national team coach, [...]

Chicago -210, Minnesota 185.
The Twins are mathematically eliminated, but the races are on fire. So is the SBG comtest. There's still time to get in.
If not, SBG will have a contest for the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be sure to check that out.
Also, SBG, The Mag will be entering the world of audioblogging soon! [...]

Player
FRW
BEM
AAC
TWJ
TEB
SBG
GEB
RED
CHC
APH
DEP
ANM
AMR

Points
783
767
756
547
215
51
0
6
-35
-205
-235
-503
-856

That's right, our buddy FRW is in the lead.

I got the Twins tonight.
Update: Now that the game has started, here are the entrants tonight.
FRW: Sox
CHC: Sox
TWJ: Sox
SBG: Twins
RED: Twins

Chicago -160, Minnesota 145.
I have updated the contest below. AAC has made a big push and is threatening the lead long held by BEM. FRW is right there, too. TWJ is in striking distance.

Good Evening, SBG Fans.
Here are tonight�s topics. Discuss among yourselves.
1. Last week, I talked about luck. In that article, I postulated that the White Sox have been extremely lucky this year, while the Indians have been unlucky. Tonight, as the Indians continue to move up on the White Sox, starting tonight just 2.5 games behind [...]

Johan is the man. Whities continue to fade.

Minnesota -170, Chicago +155

Our boys are out, but the playoff chase is hotter than a Saturday Night Special.
1. Boston loses, NY wins, and the Yankees are in first place. Randy Johnson pitches 8 innings allows 8 hits and one run. Matt Lawton hits a two run homer in a 2-1 victory... And ESPN.COM has [...]

Oakland -147, Minnesota +137

I'll take the Twins.

1. Going into Tuesday night, the Twins have held the opposition to two runs or fewer 47 times. They've won 34 of those games, a .723 winning percentage. The league average is a .855 winning percentage. The Twins .723 percentage is the worst in the league. Obviously, the Twins (and [...]

Minnesota +158, Oakland -173.

Well, the possibility of trading Torii Hunter has got the Twins faithful talking.
Aaron Gleeman, blogfather of this site, points out that Hunter's been a pretty good player over the past several years. Aaron points out that Hunter has had an average VORP of 32 runs over the last several years offensively. (VORP, or value over [...]

Oakland -180, Minnesota 160.
None of the leaders in the contest made any entries this weekend so the standings at least at the top remain about the same.
The Twins can play spoiler again this week. I'd rather see Oakland in there than LA, but I don't care all that much.
Cleveland has been playing extremely well [...]

The Twins lose 2-1 for the eleventh time this season.
The Vikings get totally embarassed humiliated by Cincinnati 37-8. The much improved defense gives up 504 yards. It would have been a lot more, if the Bengals hadn't had about 20 penalties. Daunte Culpepper, who is listed as player of the game at [...]

Chicago -106, Minnesota -104.
Almost, but not quite, pick 'em. Do you think the Chisox are feeling a little tight these days? With a 3 1/2 game lead over Cleveland and a four game lead over the Yanks, it is at least possible that they won't make it. They still are an overwhelming [...]

It's hard to pick against Santana. He's the best pitcher in the league. However, I see that lineup, the huge line on Santana (-210) and I have to think, do I want to win this contest or not? I do. So, I'll breath deep and take the Sox today, even though [...]

Early game. Minnesota -210, Chicago +185.

Look friends, the contest is updated!

Player
BEM
FRW
TEB
TWJ
AAC
SBG
GEB
RED
CHC
APH
DEP
ANM
AMR

Points
767
583
415
347
319
251
0
-27
-135
-205
-235
-503
-756

Friday Night:
Picked the Chisox: SBG,TWJ,CHC,RED tenth time this year. Sigh.

I'm taking the Chisox tonight.

Chisox -120, Minnesota +110.
Well, the season is winding down. What was once seen as a potentially pivotal series is now a play out the string moment.
Fall is now upon us, and baseball-wise, it was a summer of unfulfilled expectations.
Some will no doubt say that the Twins can't compete in this economic climate. [...]

Happy Friday, from your best buddy SBG.
I don't have a good idea for a column tonight, so I thought I'd do some house cleaning.
Contest Update:

Player
BEM
FRW
TEB
AAC
TWJ
SBG
GEB
RED
APH
DEP
CHC
ANM
AMR

Points
767
583
515
319
247
151
0
-127
-205
-235
-235
-503
-656

Wednesday:
Picked the Twins: CHC, AAC, RED Saturday's Game
I'm not sure if I'll be at the game on Saturday. I asked Lucy if she wanted to go to the game and she [...]

Last night, I wrote about luck, the lack thereof, and so forth. I wanted to make one last point.
Last year, I wrote that I wished that the AL Central were more competitive. Well, I got my wish in 2005. Unfortunately, the Twims were not. As you read the article below, imagine [...]

"Sister luck is screaming out somebody else's name...." � The Black Crowes
Just about every Twins blogger has spent a considerable amount of time bemoaning the Twins offense and with good reason. Just like a broken record, I could spout the stats to you. The Twins are 13th in the AL in Runs with 624. If [...]

Minnesota -122, Detroit +112.
This is an afternoon game. I'm not sure right now of the starting time.

Contest Update:

Player
BEM
FRW
TEB
AAC
TWJ
SBG
GEB
RED
CHC
APH
DEP
ANM
AMR

Points
767
583
515
441
247
151
0
-5
-113
-205
-235
-503
-768

Tuesday at Detroit
Picked Twins: SBG,CHC,AAC
Picked Detroit: AMR(!) I should have paid out last place, too!
Comment on Yesterday's Poll: It was very close -- but the Timberwolves were deemed to be the most disappointing team this year. I agree. I really thought that the T-Wolves had a very good shot at winning [...]

I've got the Twins tonight.

Minnesota -115, Derroit +105
Week One of the Seth Speaks football pool found me at 8-8, which is generally pretty crappy. I was two games behind the winner. I suppose that about what I deserve seeing as how I paid no attention to the pre-season.
Kyle Lohse pitched well last night. That's a good thing. I didn't [...]

After tonight, here are the standings in the contest

Player
SBG
DEP
TWJ
GEB
CHC
FRW
ANM
TEB
AAC
RED
AMR
BEM
APH

Points
51
-235
247
0
-213
583
-503
515
341
-5
-668
767
-205

If the contest would end today, BEM would win and FRW would be in 2nd place. Your best buddy SBG has fallen way back.
For a detailed analysis, here is an XL Spreadsheet detailing the results to date.

Minnesota -108, Detroit -102.

If you read this column with regularity, you know that I've been pessimistic about the Twins' chances for some time. Back on July 6th, I said the following:
I think that if the Twins can make the playoffs then this will be the most impressive season that they've had since 2001 (I know. I'm a broken [...]

Minnesota +145, Cleveland -160

Hi Friends.

Cleveland -130, Minnesota +120

Minnesota -165, Cleveland +150

I know. It's a short week. But TGIF anyway.
I was reading an article at Baseball Prospectus yesterday about the Detroit Tigers. The article discussed the Tigs' rebuilding efforts. What got to me was a statement about properly identifying a team's potential. A GM doesn't want to overestimate its talent, of course, but what about underestimating [...]

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the NFL was opening it's season tonight. I'm actually more interesting to see the Stones play (did you know I'm a fan?), but there's no denying that the NFL is run by some very smart people. The team owners basically print money and almost no criticism sticks [...]

I garnered a little negative response for my assertion that Carlos Silva had the right to spout off the other day. Thanks for the feedback.
I think this team could use someone other than the usual suspects to step up and call people out. If you feel otherwise, that's fine, that's your opinion, just like this [...]

Minnesota -120, Texas +110.
I think three day weekends are all right.
Someone once said that timing is everything. On Monday, Carlos Silva ripa the Twins everyday lineup. Then, the Twins score seven runs and lose. Joe Nathan who seems prone to rough patches, got dinged for his third straight outing. Not good. It seems [...]

Let's see. At home against a sub .500 team. Big favorites, right?
Minnesota -105, Texas -105. Pick 'em.

I took Monday off from the blogging world and spent the day with Lucy.
We went to a matinee called "The Constant Gardener." I saw that Ebert had given the movie four stars and, without reading the review, I took Lucy to it.
Well, she didn't like it. Not at all. In fact, she offered to pick [...]

I'll take the Twins today.

Minnesota -126, Texas +116

Sunday: Cleveland -105, Minnesota -105

Minnesota -170, Cleveland +155.
Another fun night at the Metrodome last night. I wanted to see Friday night's game, but, as I mentioned before I had other commitments. As Lucy and I hurtled our way down to Lucyville, we listened to the carnage. I checked the box score this morning and Morneau is down to .238. [...]

I'm going with the Clevelands over the Twins.

Cleveland -105, Minnesota -105.
Sabbathia v. Radke. I'd like to see this one, but Lucy & I are heading to Lucyville for the weekend. I will post odds for the games this weekend, if you are interested in playing along.

Not all events that are "historic" are good. Some memorable events are bad. I think that goes without saying.
That game against Kansas City was pretty damned historic. Not only did the Twins lose 1-0, their fourth 1-0 game of the month, but they lost a game in which they had 13 hits. Only one other [...]

From the Strib:
You wanted mystifying baserunning? See [Jacque] Jones in the fourth, trying to score from second base and getting thrown out at home after Terry Tiffee beat out a potential double-play ball. Or see Punto getting caught stealing in the seventh after taking a ridiculously early jump against Royals lefty Andrew Sisco.
Manager Ron Gardenhire [...]

From Sid's Column today:
It's obvious that things have changed and that the league is much more competitive than it was when the Twins won the three consecutive division titles. As a result, the Twins must find a couple of infielders who can hit, because the competition in the division might get even tougher with the [...]