(Twins sign Romero and Monson!)
Monday Morning Ramblings
Happy
Monday and welcome back to the work week! I hope you all had a great
weekend! I mainly stayed home, and in my house. The temperatures
didn’t even get close to touching 0 degrees the whole weekend, so
staying warm was my primary goal of the weekend. What does that mean
for me? Welp, I got to play with Abby a lot (see picture on
right), watched a few movies, read some interesting stories online,
watched a little football, and wished Spring Training would be
coming sooner! Today, I intend to discuss the Vikings, the Twins,
the Timberwolves, movies and a few other random thoughts. I hope you
enjoy it today and feel free to e-mail me to discuss anything you
read. Have a great week!
TWINS THOUGHTS
The Twins will be beginning their Winter Caravan trips today.
Players, coaches and media members will be dispersed throughout the
upper-Midwest. Check out their schedule and try to get to one of the
events if you can!
ROMERO SIGNS
Yesterday, during a radio
interview, Terry Ryan acknowledged that
the
Twins had re-signed lefty JC Romero to a two-year
contract (around a million dollars per year, with an option for the
third year). Romero plateaued in 2002 when he went 9-2 with a 1.89
ERA. In 2003, he was 2-0 with an ERA of 5.00. All of his pitching
numbers were significantly worse. Now, last year, Romero was 7-4
with a 3.51. Seeing just that, it doesn’t look like a bad year. But
remember, after giving up three runs in 2/3 of an inning, Romero’s
ERA was 5.70. He was sent down to Rochester where he made a few
dominant starts. He came back up to the Twins late in June and from
June 26 through September 12, Romero did not give up an earned run.
That was quite the impressive streak on the surface, but in reality,
Romero still was not pitching well. The job of a set up man is to
keep the game where it is. In that time, he allowed over 50% of
inherited baserunners to score. His ERA kept dropping because none
of the guys he let on scored. But it is just another case where
statistics don’t always tell the whole story.
So, you probably think that I think that this is a bad signing.
Actually, I really don’t. I am not going to claim to be a big fan of
the whole lefty-lefty matchups thing. Last year, lefties hit .261
off Romero while righties hit just .199. But every once in awhile,
we get to see that dominant Romero from 2002. Those glimpses tell me
that he is worth keeping around. Maybe his struggles the last couple
of seasons will somehow come as a blessing to the Twins. Maybe it
meant keeping him signed at a reduced rate!
Terry Ryan said, " I think he dwells a little bit on the
past… maybe a rough outing and he presses a little bit too much.
He’s got security now for a couple of years so maybe he’ll relax and
be consistent like he was three year ago for us."
Twins fans can hope so!
TWINS SIGN ERIC MUNSON
But that wasn’t the only signing the Twins announced this weekend.
3B Eric Munson, who spent the past five seasons with the
Detroit Tigers, signed with the Twins. I really do like this signing
as I mentioned last week when I was discussing which
free agents were still available:
Munson's name has been brought up by the Twins media as a possible 3B for the team this year. I like the idea of bringing in Munson who does have some power and is coming off a bad season meaning he should be cheap. The problem is that the team has already signed Luis Rivas and Juan Castro and Matthew LeCroy, so I don't know that a roster spot is even available.
Munson hit just .212 for the Tigers last year in 109 games. Even in part-time duty, he hit 19 homers and drove in 49 runs from the left-side of the plate. Now again, official terms of the contract were not announced, so I don’t know if we can fully discuss how good this trade really is. Munson made $1.7 million in 2003 and just under $1.5 million last year. We know that he signed a minor league contract, but you would assume that if he makes the team out of spring training, he will get between $750,000 and $1 million, which is actually very fair. He will probably have a chance to play a lot at 3B, although he is not regarded well defensively (his fielding percentage and range factors were actually above average for the position last year). He can also play some 1B. And don’t forget, he was drafted out of USC as a catcher. This signing also ensures that Rusty Greer will not become a Twin. Munson could fill the role that Jose Offerman filled last year as pinch-hitter and occasional DH. In other words, he gives the team options. Sure, there is a risk, but he does have power potential, and if he ends up playing a lot of 3B, he will come at a very fair price.
However, my question has to do with how many infielders the Twins
now have for just three positions (as we know that Justin Morneau
will be rooted at 1B). Here are the team’s options:
3B - Michael Cuddyer, Eric Munson, Terry Tiffee,
SS - Juan Castro, Jason Bartlett, Augie Ojeda
2B - Luis Rivas, Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto
Again, it just makes me completely clueless as to why they signed
Juan Castro and re-signed Luis Rivas. Of course, they may
not have assumed Munson would be available for a minor league
contract. Had they known that, they could have made Munson the 3B,
kept Cuddyer at 2B and Rivas could have been dropped. There’s $1.6
million wasted on Rivas, to go along with the $2.05 million wasted
on Juan Castro.
But, like the Twins minor league pitching depth, maybe the team
officials feel a strength in numbers in the infield too?! Seems like
a lot of wasted money considering what it would have cost to simply
keep Corey Koskie instead of Jacque Jones. See, Lew
Ford could still have played RF. They could still have signed
Munson to a minor league deal to play 3B with Terry Tiffee
(or Tiffee play 3B and Munson DH). In either case, there is no
excuse for re-signing Rivas!
So, what do you think about these Twins signings?
E-mail me.
VIKINGS THOUGHTS
Well, the season is over. With yesterday’s loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia, the Vikings end the season back at .500 with a 9-9 overall record.
Although it was clear that the Eagles were dominating the game in
every way and were the better team yesterday (and all season), the
Vikings were always close enough to make Vikings fans wonder. I
mean, when they were down 21-7 in the 3rd quarter and driving, I
kept thinking that if they could score, they’d be within one score,
and you never know what could happen. Actually, had an extra lineman
not been on the field when the Vikings did that ugly fake field goal
attempt, maybe things are completely different.
But the Eagles defense was strong. Daunte Culpepper completed
just 52% of his 46 passes, well below his average, and yes, the
weather/wind can be blamed for some of that, but I always think it
is important to give a little credit to the other team. There was
constant pressure on Culpepper. Their best drives came when they
quit trying to play pretty football and just ran straight ahead with
Smith of Bennett. But even then, the Eagles adjusted. IN other
words, the Vikings had to work for everything they got.
Donovan McNabb was also very impressive. He made all of the
right decisions. Of course, much of that credit has to go to the
Eagles offensive line which didn’t allow any pressure on McNabb.
They got the ball into Brian Westbrook’s hands 17 times for 117
yards and a TD. And my man Freddie Mitchell came through with
an early TD reception, followed later by a right-place/right-time
fumble recovery in the endzone. I remember when he was coming out of
UCLA, he was all talk, but had the numbers to back up his draft
position. Since then, he has never done much. Of course, Packers
fans remember him as the receiver on 4th and 26, right?! I've
remembered him since the draft for his great quotes and arrogance.
So, now what do they do? Fire Mike Tice? I say No. Fire
Defensive Coordinator Ted Cottrell? Please, NO! A little
continuity would be good! They’d be as well off to fire Mr.
Predictable, Scott Linehan. Think about it. What did we know
the Eagles Defense was going to do to the Vikings offense? That’s
right, blitz them. So, what is the play used to counter a blitz?
That’s right, a screen pass! The Eagles Defense knows this, so when
the Vikings tried a screen pass to Michael Bennett on the
game’s first play from scrimmage, the Eagles had a spy or two on him
and the play was killed. The sneaky genius (note sarcasm) of Linehan
tried to do the same exact play to start the second half, with as
much success. That said, Linehan should stay. Let’s keep some
continuity in the coaching ranks for another year!
Linebackers. That is where the problems seem to be with the Vikings.
How clueless did EJ Henderson look yesterday? To play the run
or the pass? He just looked awful. The same can be said about
Dontarrius Thomas as well. Actually, I don’t think Chris
Claiborne is too bad, and Keith Newman has his moments.
At least Henderson and Thomas are young! But I think that the draft
in April needs to give the team one thing, Speed. Speed at the
linebacker position, and speed in the defensive backfield. I like Brian
Williams, but he got burnt and didn’t have closing speed. Speed.
Speed!
So, what did you think of the loss to the Eagles, or the Vikings
season? E-mail me.
OTHER NFL PLAYOFF GAMES
Well, I was 2-2 in my predictions again this week. I got the two AFC
games right, but the two NFC games wrong. The Steelers and Jets game
was very boring to watch. I actually quit watching it during the
overtime, so it must have been bad. And, I was surprised with just
how dominant the Falcons running game was. Well, maybe I was more
surprised with just how bad the Rams defense was, far worse than
even the Vikings! Michael Vick, Warrick Dunn and TJ
Duckett ran all over them! And finally, I said after the
Patriots lost on a Monday night to the Dolphins that they would win
the Super Bowl. I think their biggest test came yesterday and they
passed with more than flying colors! They completely dominated the
Indianapolis Colts. Their ball-control offense led by Tom Brady
and Corey Dillon kept the Colts potent offense off the field.
And when they were on the field, the Patriots defense kept them at
bay. Just an impressive performance by an impressive team! I really
don’t think they will have a problem against the Steelers either.
WOLVES THOUGHTS
The Wolves team needed something to happen, a spark of some kind.
Would their be a trade? Rumors were flying all over the place! ESPN
talked about a few three-team trades, trades that would have brought
the Wolves Gary Payton and Ricky Davis, or other
players.
With no trade completed, Friday night, Flip Saunders, already
without PG Sam Cassell, altered his starting lineup. He
replaced Cassell with Anthony Carter. Wally Szczerbiak,
one of the more consistent players, was moved to the bench with
Trenton Hassell now starting. And Michael Olowokandi was
replaced by former Gopher John Thomas in the lineup. What
this did is put a little more defense into the starting lineup, to
go with KG and Spree as scoring options. It also meant that the
second team would have some scoring options as well.
On Friday, the Wolves were playing in Denver against the Nuggets. As
we all know, both of these teams are playing rather poorly. We also
know that these two teams literally do not like each other at all.
Here is where having two TVs in the living room becomes very
important. I was watching a movie on TV1 while the Wolves game was
on TV2. At one point, I notices something happening on the boards. I
quickly turned off the movie and turned TV1 to the Wolves game. The
next time down the court, enough was enough. Michael Olowokandi
and Nene were going at it! Who knew it? The Kandi Man
actually had enough pride and heart to get into a brouhaha! That is
the part of the whole thing that surprised me.
Now, ESPNs play-by-play man (I think his name was) Mike Breen,
commented on how some young players believe that a fight can break a
team out of its doldrums, but that is it never really a good thing.
I completely disagree. I think that the team needed something like
this to come together. And again, the fact that it was the low-keyed
Olowokandi that started it also said a lot.
Yes, he was suspended four games, but it was well worth it (even if
he thinks it was excessive). In the Denver game, Latrell
Sprewell’s offensive game came to life. As scoring option #2,
instead of #4 (as he likely was behind KG, Sam and Wally), he came
up big with 29 points! Hudson came off the bench to score 18.
Garnett had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
Then on Saturday night, with the new lineup intact, the Wolves came
home and beat the Portland Trailblazers 92-84. Sprewell again led
the way with 25 points. Garnett had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Eddie Griffin scored just 6 points but led the team with 18
rebounds. Hudson came off the bench to score 15 points, many with me
yelling "NO!! Good shot!".
Tonight, the Wolves will host the Toronto Raptors at 6:00. Hopefully
this weekend is the turning point that this team needs!
Any thoughts? E-mail
me.
MOVIE REVIEWS
I watched a few movies this weekend. They aren’t big name movies by
any means, but I have found on many occasions that those movies are
sometimes just as good, if not better, than the movies that got the
big marketing budgets. See what I think of these three movies:
ENVY
This is the story of a couple of friends that work together and
their families live near each other and are very close. The one is a
dream, while the other is more practical. The dreamer comes up with
an idea for a product called Va-POO-Rize, a product that, when
sprayed over dog (or other animal) feces would just disappear. The
practical friend would not go in on the product with his dreamer
friend, so when the product made it big, he became incredibly rich
while that practical friend stayed in his humble abode and
lifestyle. Of course, the title of the movie comes into play and
there are many strange, dark comedic situations the rest of the way.
In other words it is not much of a plot for a movie, at least not a
good movie. To this point, you must be wondering why I would rent
this movie. Well, the stars of the movie are
Ben Stiller
and Jack Black.
How is it possible that these two comedic talents could combine to
make such a bad movie?! I didn’t think it was possible, but
apparently it was!
I would not recommend Envy at all!
HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
When
I rented this movie, I knew it was going to be one of those dumb
comedies. I knew what I was getting into. But the cast was also
interesting to me!
John Cho plays Harold who is "the Asian Guy," as he calls
himself in the movie, that you have all seen in the MILF scenes of
the American Pie
Trilogy. He plays an intelligent mathematician.
Kal Penn is
his friend Kumar who has gone through medical school, but is
intentionally doing poorly in interviews so as not to get a job.
Penn, you may recall, played Taj Mahal in the classic
Van Wilder.
Anyway, the two complete their week and are at home getting stoned.
Suddenly, they have the munchies and decide that they need to get
some burgers at White Castle. Of course, it turns out that the
nearest White Castle is 45 miles away, but that doesn’t matter. It
becomes a trek, like
Road Trip or
Euro Trip, and they go through a lot to get to White Castle.
This is one of those movies that you have to be in the right mood
for. It is funny, but in a very dumb way. I enjoyed it, but I like
obvious humor.
By the way, the movie's official website is great!
I have mentioned previously that I really like the show Scrubs.
Zach Braff is
the lead character (Andrew Largeman) on the show. Anyway, he wrote
and directed this movie as well as playing the lead character, a
mid-20s former child actor who is just kind of gliding
through
life uncertain of what has happened in his life, and why? He is out
in Hollywood when he receives a call from his father telling him to
come home because his mother had died. He goes back to New Jersey
for the first time in nine years. Clearly there are issues with his
father (who also plays his psychiatrist) that we find more out as
the movie progresses. But he is really just going through the
motions, unable to deal with life, much less his mother’s death, and
he is unable to experience emotions. He went to a party at an old
friend’s place. But it is from meeting Sam (played by
Natalie Portman)
that he figures out a huge lesson. It is through their differences
and her issues that he seems able to come to grips with what has
happened with him.
Garden State is a different movie, but in the end, it comes together
very well. Braff is a very good actor who clearly meant this to be
something personal to him. And, I happen to think that Natalie
Portman is an incredibly underrated actress. This may be her
finest work! I really enjoyed her character.
Again, this is a movie that you need to watch when you’re in the
mood to think and watch a dramatic movie. But I would certainly
recommend it!
Sidenote - Portman won a Golden Globe Award last night for her supporting role in the movie Closer.
Do you have any thoughts on
any of these movies, or maybe some recommendations for me to view?
E-mail me.
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I wrote this later on Friday night, but feel it should be posted again. The Baseball Savant wrote me Friday afternoon to tell me about his most recent posting. Have you ever had to deal with office politics? Have you ever had to ask someone in Human Resources a question to clarify a company policy? The Savant recently had quite the experience. I wasn't sure what it would be about, but please read it here. It is absolutely a ridiculous situation and one that I think anyone who works in an office, a lab, or well, anywhere will find very interesting!! I am honestly shocked by what happened to him! Oh, and on a separate note, he tells me that his team previews will likely begin this weekend with the hated New York Yankees.
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As a former MIAC athlete (albeit not much of one), I enjoy seeing when players from that conference make it to the NBA, NFL, etc. The Lakers Devean George graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis in 1998. He has won three NBA Title rings and had a solid NBA career. This year, he has been injured and should be back within a month. Maybe he is in need of money (based on his 6 year, $25 million contract, I doubt it), but if you are looking for a new vehicle, you can buy his Range Rover on ebay! The beginning price is $47,100. However, it has a Reserve.
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Before teh Gophers Music City Bowl game, RB Marion Barber said that he would be returning to the Gophers for his senior season. Then he had a huge game and decided he should at least look into it, and consider going to the NFL. I can't blame him. Apparently his advisers told him some news that made him happy because he decided on Saturday to enter the NFL draft (he has until Wednesday to change his mind). I personally can't blame him. I like the combination of he and Laurence Maroney in the Gophers backfield. Now, I think Maroney has to be considered a top candidate for next year's Heisman Trophy.
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Another player who will compete for next year's Heisman is this year's Heisman winner, USC's Matt Leinart. He decided to come back to college for his 5th year there, hoping to give USC a third straight national title. This one I do not understand. He likely would have been the #1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in April. That means a LOT of money would have been guaranteed to him. But he found some reason to stay around Southern California. I don't really have more to say about this. He must have his reasons!
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Royals 1B/DH Mike Sweeney is whining again about the direction of the Royals. First, he is right, I don't know what they are doing and don't see any real plan. However, maybe if Sweeney 1.) started contributing to the team again, and 2.) could ever stay healthy, then he'd be worth listening to. Kansas City Star writer Joe Posnanski is quickly becoming one of my favorite journalists. He writes a blunt article at Sweeney yesterday that is great! It's called Sweeney Looks Bad when taking on role of Jock the Ripper. I really like this part:
This is the part I wish Sweeney understood better. There is only one other small-market team in the game paying a single player $11 million or more (and that's the Cincinnati Reds paying hometown hero Ken Griffey). The Royals have invested everything they have in Sweeney. Everything. They gave him big money. They called him captain. They made him the face of the franchise. They batted him cleanup. They kept trying to play him at first base because that was what he wanted.
They have stuck by him through injuries and a sinking batting average.
And for what? Here are a few of the things the Royals might like in return: For Sweeney to always play hard (check, he always does that), for him to hit .300 (nope, hasn't done that in two seasons), for him to drive in 100 runs (nope, hasn't done that in four seasons), for him to stay healthy (he has not been lucky in that category) and for him to be a leader and an example for the other players (he does his best) …
Wait, er, there seems to be one other thing I'm missing.
Oh yeah. For $11 million, they might like for Sweeney to NOT TEAR APART THE TEAM EVERY STINKING OFF-SEASON AND MAYBE NOT MENTION POSSIBLE TRADES BEFORE SPRING TRAINING EVEN BEGINS.
Gotta love it. Posnanski last week wrote a great article on Carlos Beltran signing in New York called Nice Guy, But Money Drove Him.
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So many people talk about patience at the plate and think that to mean Walks, and OBP. To some degree that can be true. There are certain players who have an ability to draw a walk. Baseball America's Alan Schwarz wrote a great article (Having a Purpose at the Plate), one I have been thinking of for years. What does patience at the plate mean? Is it walks? Is it taking pitches for the sake of taking pitches? Is it simply waiting until you get your pitch? I don't know that this article answers any questions. I think that it just makes the point that plate discipline doesn't necessarily mean a walk!
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If you watched SportsCenter last night, or this morning, you likely saw Jayson Stark's interview with Curt Schilling. If not, much of it can be found here.
On that note, I am going to call it a day. I hope you all have a great week! If you have any comments, opinions, or ideas for future articles, please e-mail me.