Quick Notes
1.) Boof looked great tonight, and not just with the results. Before our eyes, he has transformed into a confident, capable Major League starter. I love watching him pitch. The Twins haven't announced anything about their post-season rotation, but is there any doubt that Bonser is going to figure prominently?
2.) If the Twins win tomorrow, they will eliminate the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox from post-season play. Toronto's elimination number is sitting at 1, while Boston's is at 2. The Angels aren't far behind, with an elimination number of 3.
3.) In the Gammon's article which I linked to in a previous post, he mentioned that Ozzie Guillen called every day while he was in the hospital. That makes me feel a little more generous towards Guillen, but I still think he's a vastly over-rated manager. Then again, he has a ring on his finger, so what do I know . . .
4.) I was hoping that Glen Perkins would get a chance to make his Major League debut tonight with the Twins leading big going to the bottom of the 9th, but Juan Rincon needs to work out the kinks, so giving him some extended outings will probably be the norm the rest of the way, as the Twins try to get him right for the post-season.
5.) Justin Morneau is now just 1 RBI away from moving into a 2nd place tie on the All-Time Single Season RBI list. Meanwhile, Michael Cuddyer is now tied for 24th on that list, with 101 RBI's.
6.) Torii Hunter must have been jealous about Morneau breaking the 30 homer mark. Incidentally, the last time the Twins had a player hit 30 homers, in 1987, they actually had 3 guys pull it off. Kent Hrbek (34), Tom Brunansky (32), and Gary Gaetti (31) all turned the trick that year.
7.) Chicagosports.com has a poll up asking fans whether the Sox have a chance to get into the playoffs. The overwhelming response? "They Gone," a takeoff of one of Hawk Harrelson's horrendous catch phrases, which received 59.2% of the votes. A further 26.8% answered "I never can tell with this team," while a lowly 13.9% answered "Absolutely - - they still have a run in them." Fatalistic or realistic? You decide. (By the way, my answer was of course "They Gone.")
8.) Lest anyone forgot, I want to take you back to June 13, the day the Twins began their first season series against the Red Sox. The Twins entered that game with a record of 28-34, and were coming off a series win against the Orioles. That series was nice, but coming as it did on the heels of a miserable West Coast road trip which saw the Twins go 3-7 against the Angels, A's, and Mariners, winning a series at home against the Orioles wasn't nearly enough to justify saying things had turned around. Over the three games against the Red Sox, however, the Twins picked up wins from Dennys Reyes, Brad Radke, and Carlos Silva in sweeping the series. They outscored Boston 18-6. Basically, they dominated a team that most people were picking to be a force all the way into the playoffs. This also marked the three day stretch that saw the Twins cut Tony Batista, promote Jason Bartlett, and trade Juan Castro. In other words, June 13 - 15 were the most important three days of the Twins season, by far. Remember them well . . . maybe we should have a party next year.
9.) A belated honorable mention for Frank Thomas as MVP. I mentioned that I think Jeter and Morneau should finish 1-2 (preferably the other way around) in the voting, and I said why I don't think Ortiz or Dye will win the award, but nowhere did I mention Thomas. So, now having given him his honorable mention, here's what I think about his chances. As Mike Wilbon said on PTI a couple of days ago, Thomas is the ONLY MVP caliber player on his team. As a result, his numbers (.279 BA/38 HR/105 RBI) are pretty darned solid, and look even better because he's clearly been highly valuable to his team. But I can't help but looking at the batting average and thinking that Morneau, who is hitting about 45 points higher and who has more RBI's, is a more deserving player. Thomas is easily the comeback player of the year, and should get consideration for MVP. He just shouldn't win it.
2.) If the Twins win tomorrow, they will eliminate the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox from post-season play. Toronto's elimination number is sitting at 1, while Boston's is at 2. The Angels aren't far behind, with an elimination number of 3.
3.) In the Gammon's article which I linked to in a previous post, he mentioned that Ozzie Guillen called every day while he was in the hospital. That makes me feel a little more generous towards Guillen, but I still think he's a vastly over-rated manager. Then again, he has a ring on his finger, so what do I know . . .
4.) I was hoping that Glen Perkins would get a chance to make his Major League debut tonight with the Twins leading big going to the bottom of the 9th, but Juan Rincon needs to work out the kinks, so giving him some extended outings will probably be the norm the rest of the way, as the Twins try to get him right for the post-season.
5.) Justin Morneau is now just 1 RBI away from moving into a 2nd place tie on the All-Time Single Season RBI list. Meanwhile, Michael Cuddyer is now tied for 24th on that list, with 101 RBI's.
6.) Torii Hunter must have been jealous about Morneau breaking the 30 homer mark. Incidentally, the last time the Twins had a player hit 30 homers, in 1987, they actually had 3 guys pull it off. Kent Hrbek (34), Tom Brunansky (32), and Gary Gaetti (31) all turned the trick that year.
7.) Chicagosports.com has a poll up asking fans whether the Sox have a chance to get into the playoffs. The overwhelming response? "They Gone," a takeoff of one of Hawk Harrelson's horrendous catch phrases, which received 59.2% of the votes. A further 26.8% answered "I never can tell with this team," while a lowly 13.9% answered "Absolutely - - they still have a run in them." Fatalistic or realistic? You decide. (By the way, my answer was of course "They Gone.")
8.) Lest anyone forgot, I want to take you back to June 13, the day the Twins began their first season series against the Red Sox. The Twins entered that game with a record of 28-34, and were coming off a series win against the Orioles. That series was nice, but coming as it did on the heels of a miserable West Coast road trip which saw the Twins go 3-7 against the Angels, A's, and Mariners, winning a series at home against the Orioles wasn't nearly enough to justify saying things had turned around. Over the three games against the Red Sox, however, the Twins picked up wins from Dennys Reyes, Brad Radke, and Carlos Silva in sweeping the series. They outscored Boston 18-6. Basically, they dominated a team that most people were picking to be a force all the way into the playoffs. This also marked the three day stretch that saw the Twins cut Tony Batista, promote Jason Bartlett, and trade Juan Castro. In other words, June 13 - 15 were the most important three days of the Twins season, by far. Remember them well . . . maybe we should have a party next year.
9.) A belated honorable mention for Frank Thomas as MVP. I mentioned that I think Jeter and Morneau should finish 1-2 (preferably the other way around) in the voting, and I said why I don't think Ortiz or Dye will win the award, but nowhere did I mention Thomas. So, now having given him his honorable mention, here's what I think about his chances. As Mike Wilbon said on PTI a couple of days ago, Thomas is the ONLY MVP caliber player on his team. As a result, his numbers (.279 BA/38 HR/105 RBI) are pretty darned solid, and look even better because he's clearly been highly valuable to his team. But I can't help but looking at the batting average and thinking that Morneau, who is hitting about 45 points higher and who has more RBI's, is a more deserving player. Thomas is easily the comeback player of the year, and should get consideration for MVP. He just shouldn't win it.
posted by JST @ Wednesday, September 20, 2006
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