Recently, the lovely Lindsay Lohan celebrated her 18th Birthday. SethSpeaks wants say Happy Birthday Lindsay!
Monday July 19, 2004
WEEKEND ROUNDUP
Hello again and welcome to another work week! I don't know about you, but I sure am excited to punch in to work and work! (Note extreme sarcasm!) My weekend was great though. Here's why. I went down to the lake cabin, in central Minnesota. Spent the night there which is always nice and relaxing. Saturday morning, I had to run to Detroit Lakes, to Jiffy Lube, to get my oil changed. (Is 4,000+ miles too much??) Left there and went to my brother Justin's amateur baseball playoff game. His team, the Wolf Lake Wolfpack, beat the team from Midway 5-1. A couple of years ago, amateur baseball in Minnesota went back to wood bats. That makes the game so much more interesting and fun to watch. I remember when I played, my last year, I batted ninth for a team that finished in the final 8 in the state. I batted .398. I think that team averaged about 15 runs a game, but that's not fun. So anyway, back to Saturday's game. I am going to brag up my sibling just a little bit... because this is my site and I can, right? First at bat, single to right center. Second at bat, run-scoring single to right field to give the team a 1-0 lead. Third at bat, single up the middle. Fourth at bat, he got a fastball right down the middle of the plate on an 0-2 pitch. I'm sure the pitcher wanted to throw it high and out of the strike zone, but it was right there. My brother sent it well over the fence in left center field to give Wolf Lake the 5-1 lead that they ended the game with. He did make one more plate appearance in the top of the 9th and hit another single up the middle. 5-5 with a homer and 3 RBI. Oh, and a Doug Mientkiewicz-like scoop of a low throw to 1B late in the game. Amateur baseball in Minnesota is in its playoffs. If you have a chance to catch a game or two, be sure to do it!
Anyway, after the game, I went to church, but then it was back out to the lake! I sat around doing very little and playing with the dogs. Later, my brother and I went to the neighbors where there was a bonfire and lots of baseball talk... and then went back to the cabin and watched Van Wilder and laughed a lot. I prefer to go to church on Saturday night because then I can listen to sports talk radio all Sunday morning and I did. I listen to KFGO (Fargo) starting at 8:00 where Derek Hansen holds a local sports talk show. I enjoy listening to it, but at the same time, get very frustrated with some of the questions and responses. At 9:30 is The Ron Gardenhire Show and starting at 10, it's two hours of Sid Hartman.
I did rake and load up 3 whole wheelbarrows full of leaves, just so I could say I did something. But then I went back inside and took a little nap! Ha! But, alas, the time to make the 3 1/2 hour drive back home came. It is always sad, but I did make it safely home.
Well, there is a recap of my weekend. What was the weekend like for the Twins and their minor league affiliates? See below.
If you have any questions, or comments, or ideas for future postings, please e-mail me.
Have a Great Week!
A week earlier, the Twins had just finished sweeping a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals by a score of 27-0. This past weekend, the Royals got an early start on their role as spoiler in the season's second half. After their 4-3 win in 10 innings yesterday, the Royals had won three of the four game series and left the Twins looking up at the Chicago White Sox.
Sox Get Everett... Again
The White Sox were busy again yesterday. They traded the tall (and so far unsuccessful) Jon Rauch to the Montreal Expos, along with another pitching prospect, for OF/DH Carl Everett. Last year about this time, the White Sox made a couple of deals to bring in Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett. I wrote a passionate posting saying at least the White Sox are doing something rather than just standing pat. The Twins later picked up Shannon Stewart and Everett and Alomar did pretty much nothing to help the White Sox and the Twins won their second division title. This year, the Sox again pick up Everett, but it doesn't even phase me. Basically, Everett will be the DH because Frank Thomas is out for quite awhile with a broken bone in his foot. Everett will come nowhere near replacing the production of Thomas. That said, they didn't give up a lot to get him either. Rauch, the tallest pitcher to ever pitch in a big league game, was once considered the top prospect in baseball, but injuries followed by inconsistency have really hurt his stock and the Sox had given up. A change of scenery may be good for him.
What does concern me is the frequent rumors surrounding the Sox. I have heard and read that GM Kenny Williams is not done. He may have a few more moves to make. Another pitcher? Randy Johnson? A bat? A leadoff hitter? Someone who can play some defense? The Everett deal has no affect on me. The next move will only be bigger.
What will the Twins do, if anything? Last week, I proposed two trades that I would like to see them make. But what will happen in the real world. Oh, for a glimpse into what's going on in Terry Ryan's head, huh?
Friday - Twins 3, Royals 12
After losing on Thursday night, the Twins had to feel good about the rest of their weekend. Brad Radke has been the Twins most consistent pitcher all year. Well, Friday night was definitely not a very good outing for him. He lasted just three innings. He gave up seven runs on eight hits and a walk. He gave up three homers including a grand slam to Dee Brown and a homer to Desi Relaford (which is really difficult to do!). Joe Roa came in and got just one out and gave up four runs on five hits. Grant Balfour got the next five outs. Aaron Fultz then pitched two shutout innings. Juan Rincon pitched the final inning and gave up a run on three hits. Shannon Stewart led off the game with a homer, so things looked good at that point. But then David DeJesus led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer of his own. Mike Sweeney had four hits. Dee Brown had five RBI. Even Ruben Mateo was 3-4. For the Twins, the offensive bright spot was Matthew LeCroy who went 2-3 with an RBI double.
Saturday - Twins 4, Royals 1
So, what do the Twins need to get a win? Just have Johan Santana on the mound. He continued his dominance. This time out, it was a one hitter. He went 8 innings and gave up an unearned run on just that hit (and four walks). He struck out 9 (ending his streak of double-digit strikeout games). He improves to 8-6 and his ERA dropped down to 3.55. Joe Nathan continued the dominant pitching with a flawless ninth inning. He recorded his 24th save and dropped his ERA to 1.11.
The Twins scored all four of their runs in the 6th inning. Jacque Jones doubled to score Luis Rivas. Lew Ford came up and hit his 10th home run of the season. Next up, Justin Morneau, and he did what he does best. He homered to give the team a 4-0 lead.
Sunday - Twins 3, Royals 4 (10 innings)
It was quite the pitching dual for the first 7 innings. At that point, it was a 1-1 game. Carlos Silva had only thrown 73 pitches when he came in for the 8th inning. But he gave up a couple of hits. JC Romero was brought in to get Matt Stairs out, but didn't as Stairs singled in the go-ahead runs. But, the Twins made a nice comeback in the top of the 9th, scoring two runs to tie the game. Jose Offerman tripled in Cristian Guzman and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Shannon Stewart. Unfortunately, Grant Balfour lived up to the Ball-four moniker. He walked three in the top of 10th before Aaron Fultz came in and gave up a game-ending single to Dee Brown.
Silva was great through 7 innings. All told, he gave up three runs on six hits and two walks. After the Romero gave up the lead, Juan Rincon came in and pitched two perfect innings.
On offense, Lew Ford again starred. His ERA had dropped just under the .300 mark the day before, but it is now back above. He was 2-4 with his 20th double and 11th home run of the year. Torii Hunter and Cristian Guzman were each 2-4.
NEXT UP?
The Twins now have a quick two game series in Detroit. The Twins will be without Doug Mientkiewicz. Joe Mauer went back to Minneapolis to get some more testing done on his knee, so he will likely miss both games in Detroit. Maybe he will be able to play some in the two-game Tampa series at the Metrodome starting on Wednesday. Here are the pitching matchups for the series.
Terry Mulholland (1-3, 5.04, 1.61, .319) vs Jason Johnson (7-7, 4.24, 1.29, .262)
Kyle Lohse (3-7, 4.74, 1.58, .303) vs Jeremy Bonderman (6-7, 5.97, 1.46, .264)
Any thoughts on the Twins? E-mail me.
ROCHESTER REDWINGS
Friday - Redwings 7, Richmond 6 (12) - Jason Bartlett played his first game after missing a couple of months with the fractured wrist. He batted ninth and went 3-5. Terry Tiffee and Michael Restovich were each 2-6. Restovich hit his 15th homer (and struck out three times). Michael Ryan was 2-5 with his 2nd homer. Juan Diaz was 1-3 but collected his 6th homer. Adam Johnson is in the Rochester starting rotation, at least for the time being. He went six innings and gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk. He struck out 7. Brent Schoening came in and pitched three scoreless innings. Jesse Crain pitched the next two innings and struck out three without allowing a run. Beau Kemp grabbed the win with a scoreless inning.
Saturday - Redwings 2, Richmond 3 - Matt Guerrier fell to 4-8 on the season, but he pitched well. He gave up the three runs in 8 innings. He allowed nine hits and two walks and struck out three. Kevin Hodge pitched a scoreless, two strikeout ninth. Jason Bartlett was back in the leadoff spot. He went 1-3 with two walks, a double and an RBI. Chris Heintz was 3-4 with his 7th homer of the season.
Sunday - Redwings 6, Richmond 9 - David Gassner took the loss to fall to 11-6. He gave up five runs on 12 hits (no walks) in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Joe Beimel got the last five outs on three strikeouts, but gave up four runs on four hits and two walks. Juan Diaz had two doubles in four at bats. Terry Tiffee needed five at bats to hit two doubles, but he also drove in three runs. Michael Ryan was just 1-5, but he did hit his 3rd home run. Luis Rodriguez was 2-3 with 2 walks.
NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS
Friday - Rockcats 5, Binghamton 3- Scott Baker is amazing. If the Twins don't make a move for a starting pitcher, I would be more than happy to see Baker get called up. Friday night, he went six innings and struck out 14 hitters! That's pretty dominant! He gave up a run on four hits. He is now 5-3 with a 2.43 ERA. Jason Miller came in and gave up a hit and two walks, but got out of the inning without giving up a run. Bobby Korecky went 1 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. Travis Bowyer came in and got the final two outs to record his first save. James Tomlin and BJ Garbe were 2-4. Garrett Jones was 1-4 but hit his 15th homer.
Sunday - Game 1 - Rockcats 2, Binghamton 5 - Garrett Jones continued to hit. The team had just five hits. Jones had two of them, including an RBI triple. This game actually started on Saturday, but the rains came and they started from that point on Sunday. JD Durbin got one out on Saturday, and will next pitch on Monday. Henry Bonilla came in an pitched six innings. He gave up four runs on nine hits and a walk. Kevin Cameron went 2 2/3 innings and gave up a run on three hits and a walk, and struck out four. His season ERA is now 0.64.
Sunday - Game 2 - Rockcats 5, Binghamton 12 - In this game, the Rockcats had just four hits and again, Garrett Jones had two of them, including a double. Luis Maza was 1-3 with a walk and two RBI. Boof Bonser started and went 4 2/3 innings. He gave up five runs (2 earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. Travis Bowyer finally had a bad outing. In one inning, he gave up six runs (3 earned) on three hits and three walks. Victor Moreno came in and got the last four outs. But before that, he gave up a run on three hits and two walks.
FT. MYERS MIRACLE
Miracle 4, Brevard County 2 - Jeff Randazzo finally got enough run support. He recorded his fourth win with seven strong innings. He gave up a run on four hits and a walk. he struck out four. Erik Lohse didn't give up a run in the 8th. Josh Gray made things nervous in the ninth. He got two outs but gave up a run and left runners on. Jannio Gutierrez came in and got a strikeout to record his second save. Alex Romero went 2-5 with a double. Doug Deeds went 2-3 with a walk, his fourth home run and 2 RBI.
Miracle 8, Brevard County 0 - Justin Olson got the start for the Miracle. He went just three innings. He didn't give up a run. He gave up just one hit and one walk, and struck out three. Ricky Barrett got the win (2-0, 1.69). He went four innings and gave up just two hits and two walks and struck out six. Marcus Moseley and Pat Neshek each pitched a scoreless inning. Danny Matienzo went 3-5 with a double, his fourth homer and three RBI. Jose Morales was also 3-5, with a two-run triple. Doug Deeds was 1-2 with three walks.
Miracle 1, Brevard County 6- John Thomas came to the Twins for Dustan Mohr. He started and went three innings. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk, and struck out three. Manny Tejada came in and went the final five innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits (no walks), and struck out five. Jose Morales went 3-4 with an RBI. Doug Deeds was 2-3 with a walk.
SWING OF THE QUAD CITIES
Swing 5, Battle Creek 10 - Errol Simonitsch started and went 5 2/3 innings. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on nine hits and two walks. Peter Tautor took the loss, however, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Eric Brandon then gave up two runs (3 strikeouts) in 1 1/3 innings. But hey, TJ Prunty got the last two outs without giving up a run! Brock Peterson went 3-4 with a walk. Mark Zamojc 2-4.
Swing 1, Battle Creek 14 - Adam Harben had a bad start. Even so, he fell to 5-5 but with a 3.32 ERA. He gave up six runs (4 earned) on five hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. Kevin Culpepper then gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits in the next 1 1/3 innings. Billy Mauer gave up an unearned run in three innings. TJ Prunty gave up three runs in two innings. JR Taylor went 2-5. Scott Whitrock was 2-4 with his 9th triple.
Swing 15, Battle Creek 8 - Nick Blackburn grabbed another win despite pitching far from his best outing. He gave up six runs on five hits and three walks in six innings. He did improve to 6-4 for the season and his ERA is just 2.77. Julio DePaula recorded his 6th save by pitching the final three innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and two walks. The offense was the story in this one though. JR Taylor went 3-5 with a double and three RBI. Mark Zamojc was 3-5. Kyle Phillips was 2-4 with his 10th home run and 5 RBI. Paul Rutgers was 1-2 with three walks. Omar Burgos went 2-4 with a double.
ELIZABETHTON TWINS
E-Twins 3, Bluefield 2 - Tarrance Patterson was the story this game. He was 2-5 with two solo homers. Luke Hughes, Jay Yaconetti and Patrick Ortiz were all 2-4. Evan Meek started and went four innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out three. Chris Marini got the win. He pitched three innings without allowing a run. Javier Martinez and Jeff Mousser combined for two shutout innings to close it.
E-Twins 3, Greenville 2 - Did you know that Deacon Burns was a 26th round pick in June? In this game, he had two of the team's six hits, and a walk. The other four E-Twins hits were of the extra-base variety. Trevor Plouffe and David Winfree each had doubles. Johnny Woodard and Matt Tolbert each had triples. Woodard's drove in two runs, Tolbert's one. Glen Perkins made another strong showing. He started and went five innings. He gave up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out 8. Jonathon Martinez pitched two scoreless innings. John Williams gave up an unearned run in the 8th. Frank Mata struck out two in a perfect ninth for his fourth save.
E-Twins 5, Greenville 4 - Matthew Fox started on Sunday for the E-Twins. He got the win with five innings pitched. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out 9! Dennis Medina pitched three scoreless relief innings. Jason Bowlin gave up two runs on two hits and a walk and got just the first two outs in the ninth. Frank Mata came in and struck out his batter to end the game and get his 5th save.
Say what you will about Mark Cuban, but as I've said on numerous occasions: If I were an NBA-quality basketball player (welcome to my hypothetical world), I would want to play for Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks. I want an owner who clearly cares about how his team does. Yeah, he may complain about officials too much. He may be out in people's faces more than other owners, but I think that is a good thing.
Another thing I really appreciate about Mark Cuban is his weblog. He writes about the Mavericks and the NBA, but he also discusses his upcoming reality TV show, The Benefactor, and investments.
In the last weeks, he has written a couple of really great and interesting articles. The first was in response to the Mavericks letting popular point guard Steve Nash leave the Mavericks and sign with the Phoenix Suns. Cuban explains how he came up with the amount he offered Nash and then said why he wouldn't match the Suns offer. It is well written and very interesting.
The second is just an explanation of the sometimes very confusing rules of the NBA and its salary cap, trades and more.
Recently, the lovely Lindsay Lohan celebrated her 18th Birthday. SethSpeaks wants say Happy Birthday Lindsay!
And on that note, I am going to call it a day! Have yourself a great week! As always, if you have any questions or comments on anything, please e-mail me.