Chuck James vs. Carlos Silva
Chuck James looks like a pretty standard middle-of-the-rotation pitcher, with maybe a slight walk problem. He is left-handed, though, so he's packing kryptonite.
Carlos Silva just had a boy, MVP Justin Silva, so hopefully this will improve his pitching. My only real hope for Silva is in this chart, from [...]
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is now a teammate of Jeff Gordon.
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” -- Tolstoy
3.2 K/9, 1.1 BB/9, 2.11 HR/9, 17 IP -- Kevin Slowey, rookie, age 23
3.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.59 HR/9, 181 IP -- Brad Radke, rookie, age 22
Yesterday in the pre-game, I said I want to see Slowey start missing more bats. That's still true. [...]
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]
From Worst to First!
The Improbable 1991 Seasons of the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins
The coffee Nazi says, "No coffee for you!"
Midnight Train to Georgia, 1973
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Kyle Davies vs. Kevin Slowey
Most of the time, interleague play results in meaningless matchups, like this weekend's Nationals series, but after then 1991 World Series, it's kind of neat anytime the Twins play the Braves. The only good quality Kyle Davies has as a pitcher is that he only makes $380K this year, not [...]
Minnesota Twins (30-31) v. Atlanta Braves (35-29)
The Twins host the Braves after an uninspiring start to the current homestand. Minnesota has now lost 3 series in a row as they look to turn things around against Atlanta. The Braves come into the series possibly turning the corner on their own struggles. They [...]
I've generally liked the Braves since I started paying attention to baseball again in 2001. They're pretty much my NL team (I've tried on the Brewers and the Reds, but neither have stuck). That still makes them like my sixth to eighth favorite team (behind all the AL Central and maybe the Rays [...]
I promise that we won't fade to black here today.
Good morning and welcome to the ongoing feature "What are You Hearing," where members of SBG Nation set the agenda of discussion by submitting stories and commentary. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, e-mail me at the address listed on the right. Now, let's get to it.
Apple Releasing a [...]
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Banjo shows how to grill crab cakes.
Wherein ubelmann feels the need to rant.
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]
Baseball Digest magazine cover - March 1985
"Frank Viola - How Twins Lefty 'Changed' Into A Winner"
There's about 100 games left, but I'm not feeling all that optimistic right now.
Good morning and welcome to the ongoing feature "What are You Hearing," where members of SBG Nation set the agenda of discussion by submitting stories and commentary. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, e-mail me at the address listed on the right. Now, let's get to it.
Big Mak writes: [...]
Duke Ellington for Craven Filter cigarettes, 1970.
For BP subscribers, the full Q&A is here. I'll try to do some fair use quoting here:
DL: Along with the Brewers taking Matt LaPorta seventh overall, your selection of Ben Revere at number 28 was probably the most talked-about pick in the first round. Why Revere?
MR: I know we raised some eyebrows when we [...]
Bob Gibson vs. Don Sutton
They say that good pitching beats good hitting. Does that mean that poor pitching beats poor hitting? Lately, it does seem that way...
(Note: Boof does have practically the same ERA+ that Sutton had in 1968.)
Here's a look at the Twins offensive and pitching performance to date, culled from the massive databases at the Hardball Times.
Intro to Philosophy in 4 minutes. Live at the Hollywood Bowl. [This entry rates one chile pepper for language, in the first minute--bS]
Something you want to see? Call the request line.
The motto of former Viking Orlando Thomas, who is now dying of ALS.
Levale Speigner vs. Johan Santana
Interleague play is all fun and games until you're browbeaten by the Nationals at home.
SBG Note: I mentioned a while back that I thought Howard Sinker used to be the official scorer. He confirmed that and he also told me that he will be doing it again tonight.
Inspired by The Colbert Report's "Better Know A District", I bring you "Better Know A Citizen". This is just a fun little thing to get know each other better. It's a mix of serious questions and some goofy ones. To kick it all off, our fearless leader himself, SBG. Email me at sbg-bkac at hotmail.com [...]
Good morning and welcome to the ongoing feature "What are You Hearing," where members of SBG Nation set the agenda of discussion by submitting stories and commentary. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, e-mail me at the address listed on the right. Now, let's get to it.
I've been saving [...]
There is a minute portion of the SBG Nation that likes to hear about my tales from SBGville. I kind of enjoy writing about some of my life outside of an obsession with baseball and the Twins, and part of the original idea on the blog was to talk about life in general. [...]
A great big shout-out to my brother Putzer, who turns 40 today (Saturday)!
"with special thanks to Mike James". [props to Moss for finding this one; absolutely OFF THE CHARTS -- bS]
[Language is not appropriate for all locations and ages.]
Something you want to see? Call the request line.
I took the long way home and missed Silva's appearance entirely. I see lots of hits on the board, and lots of ground outs, so I'm curious if Silva was hit hard, or had some groundballs find some holes. Using the Gameday descriptions of the play-by-play, I see these results for Silva:
1. [...]
Jason Simontacchi vs. Carlos Silva
Silva had a lot of ground balls the last time out, so I'm hoping he can build on that.
Simontacchi has been awful from the stretch. .408/.456/.673 against with men on and .253/.286/.402 with the bases empty. This has given him an ERA much higher than his FIP and xFIP. [...]
In my continuing endeavor to educate SBG's palate away from BudMilloors UltraLiteIceDry, I bring you another installment of Barley Pops and Hop Hits.
Sure, the Nats are visiting the Dome, but I don't care. This is about beer in the DC area. And any beer tour of the planned community of L'Enfant Town has to include [...]
Inspired by the upcoming series against the Nationals, Banjo serves up crabcakes.
I've figured out that I have to adjust Big Mak's and AMR's accounts so that they can schedule posts with the new upgrade. Fudge!
Series Preview in Blog and Mugshot Purgatory are now up. Next week, we should be okay.
SBG
Minnesota Twins (29-29) vs. Washington Nationals (24-36)
Ramon Ortiz's trip down memory lane continues with this weekend series at the Dome against the Nationals. The Twins are returning home after a disappointing road trip. After finishing May winning 11 of 15, the Twins struggled on the west coast, dropping 2 series in Oakland and [...]
I remember three years ago when the Twins played a series against these guys. The team was the Expos, there were French-language ads for a Harry Potter and the Prisonier d'Azkaban, and Luis Rivas hit a foul ball that was ruled a home run and Frank Robinson had to be ejected for choking... himself.
On [...]
One if by land, two if by sea.
Can were a German experimental-rock band of the late '60s and '70s, which influenced contemporaries such as Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and David Bowie, and continue to inform the sounds of rock bands, electronic composers, and avant-garde artists today. For example, recently E-6 astutely noted that the guitar during the verses on "Lazy Eye" by the [...]
Denard Span
The Twins drafted Denard Span with the #20 overall pick back in 2002. He was coming out of Tampa Catholic HS, and his senior year, he hit .456. As a 6'1", ~160 pound speedster without much power, he was supposed to be able to steal a lot of bases, and cover a [...]
The Twins should have the same draft strategy this year that they should have every year: they should take the most valuable player available on the board, regardless of position.
Is the farm system completely devoid of hitting talent? Yeah, basically. I still have some hope for Parmelee--the Midwest League is tough on [...]
I hope that Randy Moss returns to his former brilliance. A little positive publicity won't hurt. Neither does playing with a QB that can get him the ball.
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]
Beckett Baseball cover - August 2005 issue #245
"With All Due Respect to The Unit and D-Train...Johan Santana Is The Most Dominant Lefty In The Game"
Did you hear that Baby Jesus is going to bat second?
To make sure I keep things fair and balanced around here, I figured I'd repeat my Sunday analysis for Wednesday's victory.
4th Inning: Runner on first, one out. Run expectancy: 0.93. Result? Cuddyer 2-run HR, then two outs.
5th Inning: Runners on first and second, no outs. Run expectancy: 1.58. Result? [...]
German synth experimentation, 1975.
Kevin Slowey vs. John Lackey
Lackey is awesome. Maybe the most underrated pitcher in the game. At 3.24, he has the fifth best FIP in the AL, and unlike a couple of the pitchers in front of him on the list (I'm looking at you Josh Beckett), he's shown an ability to maintain a [...]
[contributed by: CarterHayes]
Kent Hrbek's Tales from the Minnesota Twins Dugout
You know, let's call up one of those studs we have in the minors to help out with our hitting woes.
[Here's a live performance by one of my favorite blues bands, Indigenous. --twayn]
on Austin City Limits [--brianS]
[If you're not familiar with them, the band members all grew up on a Lakota Nation reservation near Yankton, SD, and they're all related. They've toured pretty relentlessly over the past several years, opening for folks like Bonnie Raitt, [...]
...that try men's souls.
Since entering the pacific time zone, the Twins are hitting 0.199/0.274/0.267, with 5 extra base hits in 5 games.
Jeff Pearlman: Although baseball boasts its fair share of enlightened players who actually (gasp!) read and pay attention to world events (Mike Piazza, Sean Casey, Derrek Lee, Mike Mussina, Matt Morris, Carlos Delgado, etc.), they are always overshadowed by the dangerous morons, who equate volume with veracity. They are men like John Rocker, David Wells, [...]
Scott Baker vs. Kelvim Escobar
Escobar's posted sub-10% HR/F rates the last two seasons, so while his 3.3% HR/F rate is fluky, it's not that fluky--he's been pretty good at limiting HR. In terms of peripherals, there's not much difference between Escobar and Cy Blanton, so we could be in for another frustrating night on [...]
Joe Christenson writes that beat reporters "walk a fine line when stating our opinions."
I'll bet that is only the case when his opinion differs from that of the Twins organization.
Beat writers report facts basically, and I don't have much of a problem with that. In order to get access to those facts, [...]
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]
Topps Magazine cover - Spring 1993 issue #14
"Hometown Hero"
"Big Dave Winfield Returns To His Native Minnesota"
I didn't see the end of the game last night, but it appears that the Anaheimers missed an extra point.
In anticipation of the Bonds vs. Unit matchup tomorrow, Tim Kurkjian opined that, if given the chance to see any hitter and pitcher square off, he would most like to see Babe Ruth try to hit Nolan Ryan. Power hitter vs. power pitcher, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Converting to a run scoring environment of 4.42 runs/game, [...]
Hey, it looks like they boys were actually having fun here!
Baby Jesus could learn a thing or two about sideburns from Neil and Stephen.
who knew that Stills and Young could play guitar???
Something you want to see? Call the request line.
Boof vs. Jered "The Good" Weaver
Compare and contrast:
7.6 K/G, 3.5 BB/G, 0.87 HR/G, 35.1% GB%, 4.39 xFIP -- Weaver
9.5 K/G, 4.2 BB/G, 1.26 HR/G, 40.8% GB%, 4.02 xFIP -- Bonser
Weaver got lots of press with his glitzy ERA last year as a rookie, but it was completely unsustainable and now he looks more like the [...]
Welcome to a new, occasional feature, "Barley Pops and Hop Hits".
I won't make any attempt to compete with banjo's masterful On the Grill feature here. Instead, my goal will be offer a small foray into the foamier side of baseball fandom in each city.
The Twins open a series tonight in Anaheim, home of the [...]
Apparently, the Yankees can opt out of Clemens's deal. Will they? Clemens has a fatigued groin and may start again in the minors. If that groin keeps nagging the Rocket and the Yankees keep sliding, Roger may not may his much ballyhooed return, after all.
Minnesota Twins (28-27) @ Los Angeles Angels (36-22)
The Twins started their west coast road trip by losing two of three to Oakland while scoring 5 runs in 3 games. The Angels are finishing a 10 game homestand on which they are 5-2 so far, winning two of three from Seattle and three of four [...]
Good morning and welcome to the ongoing feature "What are You Hearing," where members of SBG Nation set the agenda of discussion by submitting stories and commentary. If you have a story that you'd like to submit, e-mail me at the address listed on the right. Now, let's get to it.
JeffA writes: Author [...]
If only that Santana character could pull his weight.
The date: June the Third, Two-Thousand and Seven, A.D. What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times... and you were there.
New from the White Stripes.
Something you want to see? Call the request line.
An (admittedly selective) sampling of today's events. (Run expectancies from BP's 2006 chart.)
-- First inning, runners on first and third, one out. Run expectancy: 1.17. What happened: Cuddyer MVP DP to end the inning
-- Third inning, runners on first and third, one out. Run expectancy: 1.17. What happened: Cuddyer K, [...]
The Man vs. Chad Gaudin
Gaudin is a big WTF? from where I sit. He goes from relieving to starting and halves his walk rate, which is somewhat normal (trying to be economical and all), but his strikeout rate and groundball rates got better. Practically everything about Gaudin improved from last year to this [...]
Hyde Park, 1969.
Thanks to Erpelding.
SBG note: This concert was held on July 5, 1969, two days after the death of former bandmate Brian Jones. I've always that it was rather cold that they went on with the show under the circumstances.
Something you want to see? Call the request line.
Carlos Silva vs. Joe Blanton
I used to get really excited for Silva vs. Oakland matchups, because Silva was a guy who would just pound the zone, and that meant the A's would have to take the bat off their shoulder. That Carlos Silva is gone, though. From his Baseball Reference player card, we [...]
Not too long ago, Joe Christensen challenged those of us who dared question the Twins' decision to sign Carlos Silva, Ramon Ortiz, and Sidney Ponson and insert them in the rotation.
So for those who’ve rolled their eyes at my recent pitching argument, for those who suggested my weekend post was nothing but a strawman argument, [...]
Lucy and I are heading down south this morning for a trip to the inlaws. I'm feeling like crap -- I've got a nasty cold and just about as lethargic as Barry Bonds running out a one-hopper to the pitcher.
The keys are handed over, enjoy the weekend. I'll be back on Sunday night.