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Cup of Coffee: July 23, 2009

Finally, we're able to escape that offensive juggernaut in Oakland.

This entry was posted by SBG on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 6:21 am and is filed under Cup of Coffee categories and tags. It is one of 3284 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post.

106 LTEs in response to Cup of Coffee: July 23, 2009

  • AMR
    July 23, 2009 at 6:46 am

    Deck Chairs on the Titanic:
    Mulvey down, Crain up.

    • Jonas
      July 23, 2009 at 8:17 am

      I wonder how many more AAA/AAAA starters will be drafted into the bullpen and used in totally inappropriate situations this season. I'm counting four so far: Mulvey, Duensing, Humber, Dickey (debatably).

      I am guessing at least 2.

      • AMR
        July 23, 2009 at 8:35 am

        I think Mulvey was used appropriately yesterday: Long relief in a blowout. Unfortunately, his results were as bad as those of the starter he replaced and required a second long reliever.

        • Algonad
          July 23, 2009 at 10:48 am

          I think the problem is that these guys are used differently in the majors than in the minors. If you are asking them to get warmed up quicker than they are used to, shouldn't they be making that transition in the minors instead of doing it at the same time they are adjusting to the majors?

          • brianS
            July 23, 2009 at 10:56 am

            I'm not sure that is a fair complaint, algonad. Who tries to develop long relievers in the minors? Nobody. It's a groundskeeper role.

            if a pitcher with a marginal shot at making/staying on a major league staff wants to keep making that ML meal money, he'd better adjust himself. Otherwise he won't be in the league for long.

            I'd have to imagine that part of what is going on is the organization is trying to both educate some of these kids about pitching against major-league hitters (lots of guys get hammered their first go-arounds) and evaluate their mental and physical makeups on the fly.

            We are frustrated because we can see that this year's club has a real shot at the playoffs. If we were 10 games out, I rather doubt any of us would be complaining too much about the experimentation with the marginal pitching talent as BS tries to hit on 20.

            • SBG
              July 23, 2009 at 11:07 am

              Right. There were chances to upgrade the bullpen in the off season, all squandered. Even, in season, as Aaron pointed out today, there have been chances that didn't require giving up the farm.

              The Twins are in the process of squandering a chance to win a division that is imminently winnable. And that pisses me off.

            • Algonad
              July 23, 2009 at 11:19 am

              I'm not saying that they should make them all relievers in the minors. I just think they should have them pitch out of the bullpen for a week or two before being called up. At least give them a chance to adapt to that change on the small stage before having to adapt on a much larger stage.

              Wasn't that a point that Bouton touched on in Ball Four, also? I can't remember but it sounds familiar.

    • brianS
      July 23, 2009 at 11:06 am

      In 17 2/3 at Rochester, Crain gave up 13 hits (zero HR), 8 BBs (none intentional) and 5 runs. He struck out 22 and threw 3 WPs and compiled an impressive 1.62 tRA (league avg is 4.08).

      in 71 BF, he had 41 balls in play: 39 pct GB, 24 pct FB, 19 pct LD. SSS, obviously (that's ~one extra LD compared to his ML career averages of around 16 pct). [add: the one thing that is really out of whack is his swinging strike rate: 13.5 pct compared to his more typical 7-8 pct]

      The Ks are nice, the walks not so much. But if he can keep the ball in the park (stay near his typical 5pct HR/BIA), he can be very useful to this club.

  • Jeff A
    July 23, 2009 at 7:07 am

    Birthday list:

    Ginger Beaumont (1876)
    Hod Ford (1897)
    Jimmie Wilson (1900)
    Ival Goodman (1908)
    Ray Scarborough (1917)
    Pee Wee Reese (1918)
    Johnny Groth (1926)
    Don Drysdale (1936)
    Nomar Garciaparra (1973)

  • Jeff A
    July 23, 2009 at 7:07 am

    Minor league reports will be on hiatus until at least Saturday, more likely Sunday, and possibly Monday.

  • Andrew
    July 23, 2009 at 7:50 am

    Here's me over the weekend. Look at that form!

  • kalarson
    July 23, 2009 at 8:12 am

    Here are some preliminary photos from my trip out to western ND, as I mentioned on Monday:

    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28844&id=1409850010&l=5e7700f79c

    there are a lot of stories and explanations to go with these, I should get around to writing something more extensive up. This is a start, though.

    • Beau
      July 23, 2009 at 10:30 am

      Ugh. Harmon's not too high-horsey here, but the 90's were not the first era that baseball players cheated. Though I do agree with assertion that perhaps caring about records at all is pointless, other than for trivia. I certainly don't care that Bonds passed Aaron.

      • SBG
        July 23, 2009 at 10:52 am

        That's exactly where I'm at on records. In fact, the HR record is important for one reason: Babe Ruth, whore monger, was an American hero. If someone from Cleveland had set the record, it probably wouldn't mean as much. More than seventy years after he last played, Ruth's influence is still being felt across the sports landscape. You can hit a baseball (or throw a football or dunk a basketball) and have a media savvy persona? Well, then, you can do no wrong (and hey, feel free to enjoy the favors of however many women you want, regardless of your marital status, whether they be prostitutes or unwilling partners, as if any woman would actually be unwilling, wink). When we're old, we'll get misty-eyed recounting the myth surrounding you.

        • brianS
          July 23, 2009 at 11:34 am

          The record surely would not have meant as much, but would still have been iconic.

          How many players are responsible for fundamentally changing the way the game is played? Not many: Ruth in baseball, Mikan in basketball, maybe Paul Brown in football?

          Obviously, an important part of Ruth's place in the American sports psyche is due to his having played in New York. But a much bigger part has to do with his ridiculous performance in the most important sport.

          • Beau
            July 23, 2009 at 11:45 am

            like Wayne Gretzky, who became famous in Edmonton of all places.

            It wasn't just Ruth's homers. The homers was just one part of his absolutely amazing ability to play baseball. If he had hit 700 homers but never pitched, had an average of .240, and rarely walked, I don't think he would be quite as iconic. That's not to say Musial would have taken his place as the sports hero (likely Gehrig or Dimaggio), but it's possible.

        • AMR
          July 23, 2009 at 12:08 pm

          Well, Mike Sweeney has a lot of Records, Season HRs and Season Avg, but he got those in KC, and no one even noticed. He probably has the career HR record by now for all I know.

  • zooomx
    July 23, 2009 at 9:11 am

    Well, my sons little league season came to an abrupt end last night. A couple of us Dad's coached an expansion team of 3-4th graders. Every other team had returning 4th graders, where all of our 4th graders were facing live pitching for the first time. We started out 0-3, then scored 11 runs in the final inning of our4th game to win 12-11.That sparked our confidence, and we eventually won 4 out of our final 6 games to finish 6-10. 5 more experienced teams finished below us.

    I have coached on and off for 20 years, and this group of kids have renewed my confidence that our society is not doomed, as naysayers will tell us. 12 kids who listened to coaching, applied what they learned, rooted hard for their teammates despite many let downs, never gave up, and simply loved the game all summer.

    We got beat last night by a really good team, but the kids competed well. It broke my heart to see their season end. On a positive note, lil' zooomx really was hitting the crap out of the ball the last 5 games and moved up to #3 in the lineup as a 3rd grader. He already hits better than I ever could... the little creep.

    • AMR
      July 23, 2009 at 9:15 am

      I think my 3-year old already bats better than I ever did. But that's because I had more suck in me than yesterday's game.

    • Beau
      July 23, 2009 at 10:23 am

      Live pitching for the first time in 4th grade? That seems old. I was facing live pitching in 2nd grade. I know a lot of leagues don't allow kids to pitch any more until they're 10, but most allow coaches to pitch.

    • freealonzo
      July 23, 2009 at 10:32 am

      There's nothing better than exciting little league baseball playoffs. Here's a link from my then 5th graders influential playoff run of 2006.

  • SBG
    July 23, 2009 at 9:17 am

    Allegedly, Ben Roethlisberger is a very bad man who belongs in prison. I just happened across this story on Deadspin, because ESPN is refusing to report that the QB for the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers is being sued for sexual assault. It's impossible to know at this point if this is a valid suit or not. Is this woman a gold digger who is trying to entrap an ultra rich superstar? Or is she the victim of a heinous criminal? I don't know.

    • SBG
      July 23, 2009 at 9:21 am

      I do know one thing, though. I would never want my daughter involved with a professional athlete.

    • Dread Pirate Will Young
      July 23, 2009 at 9:44 am

      I had the same reaction. I read that story yesterday and wondered why it was no where to be found on ESPN.

    • ubelmann
      July 23, 2009 at 1:11 pm

      I think it's legitimate for the media not to jump on allegations until they can have a better idea of whether or not it's a valid suit. Widely publicizing allegations is going to be damaging to the more prominent party even if he's done nothing wrong, and there's no particular reason I can see that we need to be in a hurry to trumpet allegations.

      • SBG
        July 23, 2009 at 1:33 pm

        Well yes, there's that. ESPN is now reporting the story, with the angle that no criminal complaint is being filed. There is a lawsuit filed and the plaintiff has an extensive record of mental health problems after the alleged incident.

        The story was being reported in most other media outlets, but not at ESPN, which, of course, is pretty submissive to the NFL. (Remember the NFL's reaction to the little football soap opera that ESPN ran?) So, the questions are two-fold. Is this newsworthy? Was ESPN not reporting it because of their relationship with the NFL? I'm not pretending to know the answers, just like I don't know whether Big Ben raped this woman. I'm just identifying the questions.

        As for the valid suit issue, I can tell you that it is a valid suit in that it has been filed. It isn't just someone who is alleging something, she has actually hired lawyers put together a complaint that alleges some pretty awful things, including Roethlisberger luring the woman into his room under false pretenses and forcibly raping her, and filing the suit. At what point do we determine whether the plaintiff's claims have enough merit to discuss? Well, lawyers who knowingly file suits without merit are at least subject to sanctions. So, the fact that some lawyer was willing to sign the complaint is at least some evidence that the suit has merit (okay, stop laughing!!!). If the case gets to discovery, is that newsworthy? How about if the suit is settled? Is that newsworthy? (I think that is newsworthy, and I think that most would agree that if the starting QB settles a sexual assault case out of court, that's pretty newsworthy. But, hey, does that mean he's liable? No.)

        • SBG
          July 23, 2009 at 1:54 pm

          Roethlisberger read a statement denying the allegations. It's now newsworthy.

          • SBG
            July 23, 2009 at 2:00 pm

            Here's the text of his statement:

            "I did not sexually assault [name deleted]," Roethlisberger said. "Saturday was the first that I learned of her accusations. Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never, ever, force myself on a woman. I am going to fight to protect my family and my reputation. I'm not going to discuss my private life or this civil case in the media. I'll respond to her outrageous allegations in the appropriate forum. I have an obligation to our fans, to my teammates, to my coaches and everyone in the organization to remain focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I will do that. The allegations against me are reckless and false. As much as I would like to answer everyone's questions, I'm going to respect the legal process and I am confident that the truth will prevail."

            Note that he didn't say, "I didn't have sex with that woman."

            • yickit
              July 23, 2009 at 2:04 pm

              I wonder if the ESPN talking heads are still going to call him Big Ben Rothethlisberger.

              Its sad how pervasive stories like this are in pro sports/the world in general.

            • Beau
              July 23, 2009 at 2:06 pm

              Working with the mentally ill, there's not too many men that don't eventually get accused of being inappropriate with a female client, especially if they have a personality disorder. Granted, it usually doesn't get all the way to lawsuit territory, but still.

              If Ben does get cleared of this, knowing that the woman is mentally ill should hopefully help his reputation from being tarnished.

            • SBG
              July 23, 2009 at 2:07 pm

              Her lawyer is part of a two-lawyer law office. He's been in the practice for a long time (since at least the early 1970s), and maybe he's a really effective attorney. But, if I had such a case, I'd be going for a law firm that's larger than that. Such a case requires resources. So, that's not a particularly good move by her and I wonder if she shopped the case to larger firms before settling on effectively a solo practitioner. This isn't a land dispute between two neighbors. She is suing an extremely wealthy man and an extremely wealthy company. I would imagine her lawyer is not used to the power he's going to face.

            • AMR
              July 23, 2009 at 2:13 pm

              Is it possible that he's had concussion-related memory loss?

              • brianS
                July 23, 2009 at 2:36 pm

                for what it's worth, at the end of the story today is this:

                Law enforcement officials in Nevada said Wednesday they do not plan to open a criminal investigation into the alleged incident, which the accuser says happened in July 2008 when Roethlisberger was in Lake Tahoe participating in a celebrity golf tournament.

                Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Teresa Duffy said the accuser would have to file a criminal complaint to trigger an investigation.

                "The victim is the only one who can do that," Duffy told The Associated Press. "Unless there was a third party that actually witnessed the incident which, according to the civil case, was not the case here."

  • sheenie
    July 23, 2009 at 9:19 am

    I know I haven't been around for a while, but I do have a fundraiser going on for the walk. TODAY at 10p my team's online silent auction is going to close. You can view the items and then bid on them via my blog: .
    Also, the "Walks for a Walker" program will end on July 31. So, lets hope for 100 twins walks in the next week! :) Thank you for your support!

  • sheenie
    July 23, 2009 at 9:20 am

    ok, i did the link thing wrong. The blog is onepinksprinkle.blogspot.com

  • meat
    July 23, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Day four of the WellsFargo / Slaughterhouse siege continues with a new twist: The sellers decided not to repair a minor structural problem (wood rot on the door leading into the garage) and according to FHA lending rules WellsFargo won't release the funding.

    So, what should have been the day that Dr. Chop and I joined the rest of in-debt america has instead turned into a nightmare of finger pointing and blamestorming.

    • SBG
      July 23, 2009 at 12:20 pm

      Isn't that fun. Sorry, meat. I hope that things eventually work out.

    • UncleWalt
      July 23, 2009 at 2:56 pm

      That's awful. Can't you just buy a damn door at Menard's?

      The closing on our place in IL lasted nine hours due to an incompetent broker. That was one of the most stressful days of my life.

      • brianS
        July 23, 2009 at 4:08 pm

        No reflection on meat and Dr. Chop, but I've been on the selling side of an un-fun real estate transaction. Flat/declining market so that we were already taking a loss on the sale, and the buyer comes to the closing with a set of novel, petty demands. I was so pissed I almost canceled the sale, even though we were literally (and physically) leaving town (Champaign, IL) for California that day.

        our real estate agent got pissed at their real estate agent too. thankfully, we had our lawyer there, and she kept a cool head and control of the situation. I learned the value of having a lawyer involved in those transactions right there.

        • meat
          July 23, 2009 at 7:07 pm

          I understand that selling a house sometimes includes doing things that you don't want to. But, these sellers agreed to list it as a FHA available house and then balked at the needed repairs. F-them.

          I asked that they replace 4 screens that were damaged, they said no, our realtor told me that she'll pay for the screens in order to get us into the house and we agreed to that. We really don't give a fuck about screens, I don't care that they painted the master bedroom iridescent silver or that the carpet looks like several kindergarden classes have puked and had diarrhea all over it. We like the house, it needs some work, we want to buy it, we don't give an eff about the small stuff and the sellers tried to cheap out on us.

          I call bullshit.

          • brianS
            July 23, 2009 at 7:50 pm

            it is amazing how buyers or sellers can sometimes get themselves all twisted up about petty things. again, no intended or implied criticism to you, meat.

            my intended point was that the closing is not the appropriate place for dickering. It should be for confirming that each side has met expectations in good faith and for signing the damn paperwork.

  • SBG
    July 23, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    Shooter:

    The Twins got a steal when they were able to sign Jason Kubel (16 homers, 52 runs batted in, .315 batting average) for $2.75 million this season, $4.1 million next season, and a club option for $5.25 million for 2011 that includes a $350,000 buyout.

    • SBG
      July 23, 2009 at 12:43 pm

      Shooter! That's just piling on.

      • SBG
        July 23, 2009 at 12:46 pm

        OMG! Shooter in the same article on regression to the mean:

        Twins all-star catcher Joe Mauer's batting average (.362) has cooled since his torrid start, but in the end, players generally settle to the level of their past performances. Mauer has been a .317 career hitter and that, if he continues to be healthy, should take him to Cooperstown's Hall of Fame. Late Hall of Fame Twin Kirby Puckett's career batting average was .318.

        Of course, that reliance on batting average as a metric for HOF consideration is a little less than astute, but hey, he's actually dancing in the neighborhood of small sample size issues.

  • Algonad
    July 23, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    I have a story to share that might only be interesting to me but there is an off chance that someone will find it interesting. And if someone finds it interesting, that someone would probably be visiting this website.

    When I was in high school in Iowa, they had a baseball rule allowing a designated runner. It is similar to the designated hitter, but it would be for running the bases. After the pitcher or catcher gets on base, the designated runner can run. The pitcher or catcher would then re-enter the game. I think the thinking was to get the catcher off the base paths and back into his equipment to keep the game moving. I'm not sure why they also allowed a runner for the pitcher.

    I was a track guy that played baseball (a little like Happy Gilmore was a hockey guy that played golf) so I was the perfect designated runner. And our catcher was a tough farm boy wrestler who sported an OBP somewhere north of .750 due to his ability to "take one for the team" on a nearly daily basis.

    We started this particular season with a tournament. Our first game of the day was against Manning. They had just gotten done playing their first game. And, as we soon found out, they occupied the first base dugout in their first game but were now in the third base dugout.

    As I sat into my usual spot on the bench as our team took the field, I noticed a piece of paper under my seat. I pick it up and see that it is a list of signs with "Manning" at the top. I talked to a friend of mine and we were both convinced that there was no way that they had left the signs in our dugout but we would watch closely to be sure.

    A Manning runner got on first base in that first inning. The third base coach gave the steal sign and the runner proceeded to take off on the next pitch. We let the catcher know what was going on and my friend and I were able to alert him to 3 steal attempts and a squeeze play. I think the catcher ended up with 3-4 assists on the day. That is basically unheard of at this level. For instance, I was never thrown out by a catcher.

    Getting back to the designated runner duties. It was always a goal of mine to steal home. I knew I was a runner more than a baseball player so I never had any foolish goals like hitting a walk-off home run (or any home run) but I really wanted to steal home.

    The Manning catcher was a little guy with a terrible arm. He was just lollypopping the ball around the infield. But he was fearless and really involved in the game. I remember he was always talking and he'd throw down to every base constantly.

    I ended up on third base. I can't remember if I stole my way there or just ended up there.

    Anyway, there are two outs and my partner-in-crime from the bench (who is also one of my best friends) is at the plate. I take an ok lead at third base and the catcher throws a lollypop down to third. I get back easily. The third base coach leans into me and says "get a bigger lead this time and once he throws down, take off."

    I'm psyched. Sure, it's not a straight steal of home like I would like but it still counts as a steal of home.

    I take a big lead. The batter takes the pitch. The catcher lobs the throw to third and I take off for home. The return throw from the third baseman hits me in the back as I'm sliding into the plate. I jump up to give my friend at the plate a high five and he's just looking at me dejectedly. I look at the ump and he says, "The pitch was strike three. That's the third out of the inning. No run."

    My one chance at the steal of home thwarted by my best friend. D'oh!

    While going through the "good game" handshake line after the game, I give the sheet with the signs back to the catcher. He takes one look at it and just starts cracking up. That's the last time I'd really thought about that catcher until I read this article yesterday.

  • SBG
    July 23, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    Speaking of NFL QBs, how perfect is this? Anguish! Ed Werder:

    With Minnesota Vikings players scheduled to report to training camp in less than a week, Brett Favre remains anguished about whether he should come out of retirement and join the team. That decision, according to sources, has become more difficult in recent days because of the efforts of Vikings players including Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen and Steve Hutchinson, all of whom have now begun calling and texting Favre in an attempt to convince him to become Minnesota's starting quarterback.

    "If it weren't for the involvement of the Vikings players directly telling Brett they want him on their team, I think he might have already decided against playing again,'' a source said.

    A source said that Favre is beginning to feel a sense of obligation, not only to Vikings players but to a coaching staff that has been recruiting him since the moment the New York Jets released him in April.

    See, it's not about Brett! It's about the guys! Oh Brett, I LOVE YOU!

    Kevin Seifert dares to deviate from the ESPN line:

    Method In Favre's Anguish?

    Might Brett Favre's indecision be setting up a side benefit for the veteran QB if he joins the Vikings -- missing part of the team's training camp in Mankato, Minn., and the dorm living that comes with it?

    No, that can't be!

    I want more Brett Favre stories! I mean that. Normally, I bristle at off-season NFL news, but the Favre story always entertains me.

    • cheaptoy
      July 23, 2009 at 6:36 pm

      Allow me to bristle twice as hard to make up for your non-bristling.

      I had my mind made up before, but this new BS is going to make me militant about it, I think.

  • davidwatts
    July 23, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    ohhh geesh..Mark Buerhle has a perfect game going. 3 more outs to go

  • kalarson
    July 23, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    gamecast says Kapler flied out...

  • Andrew
    July 23, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Did anyone else not know that JD and Stephen Drew had another brother in the Majors?

  • SBG
    July 23, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    Ah, the value of strikeouts. Twins have zero on Monday, allow 14 runs. Mark Buerhle has six today, hurls perfect game.

  • davidwatts
    July 23, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    what's worst: getting no hit/perfected by a good to great pitcher (like Buerhle), or getting shutout by a 'Jeremy' type pitcher

    • Beau
      July 23, 2009 at 4:17 pm

      oh, Jeremy for sure. A perfect game takes skill, but also a lot of luck. There's no shame in getting perfectoed by a stud.

    • socaltwinsfan
      July 23, 2009 at 6:21 pm

      On a related note, which is worse: to be dominated by the same Jeremy in a shutout or to leave a dozen or more base runners, so you had plenty of guys reach but could not score. In the first case, you could say the guy just had it that day and give him credit and in the second you could say the guy was just lucky.

  • FirstTimeLongTime
    July 23, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    I am off to see Neko Case at an outdoor venue for free. Expect drunken typos from me, a la after the Wilco show, during tonight's gamelog.