Tuesday September 23, 2003

TWINS THOUGHTS

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

VIKINGS AND OTHER FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

NFL “EXPERT” PICKS

 GOOD AS GOLD

I realize the season isn’t over yet. Early next week, I will write up a posting giving my choices for AL and NL MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year and Managers of the Year. But, today I’m going to hand out MY National League and American League Gold Glove Awards.  We’ll have to check back in a few weeks when the awards are officially announced to see how well I do.

Those of you who have been reading this site for a while understand my thoughts on offensive statistics. I think they’re nice in end-of-season evaluations and are interesting to read, but they shouldn’t be an ultimate determinant in lineup and roster management.  Now for my thoughts on Range Factor and Zone Rating. They mean next to nothing to me. They’re both numbers comparing things like number of assists per game. Well, there are so many variables involved in that. I frequently use Twins 2B Luis Rivas as an example when discussing this. He has one of the worst Range Factors in baseball. Well, of course he does! How could he not? First, he plays on the field with the hardest surface in baseball. Second, he plays behind pitchers who are primarily fly ball pitchers. So, in determining my Gold Glove choices, you won’t see any of those statistics. At least not to determine my choices.

Let’s start in the American League:

Catcher - Bengie Molina, Anaheim Angels

This is always difficult to judge.  Is it blocking balls in the dirt? Is it throwing out runners? Is it calling a good game?  Well, Bengie Molina does all of that well.

First Base - Doug Mientkiewicz, Minnesota Twins

Many will argue that John Olerud should win this again this season, and Olerud is very solid defensively. But, he’s no Mientkiewicz. I don’t know what the Range Factor for Mientkiewicz is this season, but from seeing how far he goes to field grounders, he’s got great range! Olerud doesn’t. The only reason Olerud stole the award from Mientkiewicz last year was because Doug didn’t hit last year (which still bothers me!). This year, Olerud isn’t hitting at all. That’s probably the truthful reason why Mientkiewicz will reclaim what is rightfully his.

Second Base - Bret Boone, Seattle Mariners

Twins fans who saw Anaheim’s Adam Kennedy making every diving play against the Twins may disagree, but Bret Boone is great defensively. I always say that Luis Rivas turns the double-play as quick as anyone in baseball, with the exception of Bret Boone. He has just five errors the whole year.

Third Base - Corey Koskie, Minnesota Twins

I honestly believe that Corey Koskie deserves this award. I thought he should have won it last year. And yes, I am biased, but by seeing Koskie every day, I appreciate just how remarkable a defensive third baseman he is. That said, Oakland’s Eric Chavez will probably win it again, and if he does, it’s warranted. Chavez is very good at the hot corner too.

Shortstop - Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers

Last year, Omar Vizquel whined about A-Rod getting the award. Well, Omar, A-Rod deserved it last year, and probably a few years before that! Rodriguez has just 7 errors this year.  Seven errors on the season, at Shortstop! Amazing! So, not only is he the best hitter in the American League, but he’s a pretty solid defensive player too (I won’t say “valuable”, because I still don’t think he should win the MVP award!). Nomar Garciaparra continues to be mentioned as a candidate, but he has 18 errors. The Twins Cristian Guzman has become a very good SS the past two years, and this season, he has registered just 11 errors!

Outfielders - Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners - Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins - Mike Cameron, Seattle Mariners.

Ichiro and Torii both won Gold Gloves the last two years. Cameron lost out to a well-deserving Darin Erstad. Erstad has been injured most of the year because of the extreme effort that he always gives out in center field for the Angels. But, because of said injuries, Mike Cameron reclaims the 3^rd outfield Gold Glove in my mind. Ichiro is a great outfielder with an arm nobody runs on (the reason I believe outfield assists should not factor into this discussion). Torii Hunter’s range and web gems are incredible. His offensive woes this year shouldn’t be a problem, especially considering his 26 homers and 100 RBI. And, Cameron is right there with Hunter as far as center fielders go.

Pitcher - Mike Mussina, New York Yankees

Twins lefty Kenny Rogers won last year, and he’s done nothing to relinquish it. I just think Mussina will win it. Because Gold Gloves, especially for pitchers, seem to go to the same players, it makes sense that it has to go to one of the two.  I already have three Twins on here, so I’m going to give it to Mike Mussina.

 And now to the National League:

Catcher - Brad Ausmus, Houston Astros

Without quite the rocket arm of Bengie Molina (or probable winner in this category, Pudge Rodriguez), Ausmus is as good as anyone at blocking balls in the dirt and calling a good game. Part of the reason why he probably won’t win is because he is not a good hitter at all. Actually, he’s last in the whole National League in OPS. That’s why, in reality, Rodriguez or the Dodgers Paul Lo Duca will probably win the award.

First Base - Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies

Todd Helton is the National League equivalent of John Olerud, however, with much better range. He is smooth around first base though and saves his infielders a number of errors with his scooping abilities. Atlanta’s Rob Fick… definitely won’t be considered for the award!

Second Base - Alex Cora, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have stayed in playoff contention because they have a great pitching staff. But, Kevin Brown, Kaz Ishii and Hideo Nomo are all extreme ground ball pitchers, so the infield must be good! Alex Cora has been great. He won’t win because 1.) he’s not a big name, and 2.) he also can’t hit. Jose Vidro will probably win the award. He doesn’t have a lot of range, but he has just 9 errors on the year. Marcus Giles leads the league in Range Factor, but again, he plays behind a group of ground ball pitchers, so he will have more opportunities.

Third Base - Scott Rolen, St. Louis Cardinals

He’s pretty amazing at the hot corner.  Good range. Great arm. Makes the routine play as well as some amazingly spectacular plays. I don’t think there is much competition for the award because Rolen can hit too. Florida’s Mike Lowell hit great, but not so much more than Rolen to win the award. This is probably the easiest to pick of all of these awards!

Shortstop - Orlando Cabrera, Montreal Expos

Healthy again this season, Cabrera, in my mind, should reclaim his Gold Glove from Cardinals SS Edgar Renterria. He’s got good range, quick hands and a strong arm and makes all the plays. Renterria is good too, and will probably win the award because he had a great first half and was the All-Star choice.

Outfield - Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves - Mark Kotsay, San Diego Padres - Preston Wilson, Colorado Rockies

Jim Edmonds will probably get an award for his acrobatic catches, but I just don’t see him being that great. He makes a lot of plays look a lot tougher than they really are. Andruw Jones is just the opposite. He makes everything look so easy. He gets to everything, has a good arm, and makes the truly spectacular catches. I think Mark Kotsay is one of the most underrated players in baseball. I would compare him a lot to a younger Steve Finley. Not really flashy, but makes all the plays. Preston Wilson is my other choice. He’s got to cover a lot of ground in Colorado. He has great range and a good arm. Plus, maybe his defense will be noticed now that he had such a great offensive season too. Also, because normally Larry Walker is considered for this award, and when voters realize that he’s not good any more, they’ll notice the centerfielder in Colorado and vote for Wilson.

Pitcher - Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves

Maddux will surely win his 14^th consecutive Gold Glove this year. Maddux consistency is amazing. 16 straight seasons with 15 or more wins. 14 consecutive Gold Gloves. How obvious is his first-ballot induction into the Hall of Fame!? Just as deserving this year though is Maddux’s teammate Mike Hampton. He’s a very good athlete, like Maddux, and comes off the mound to field his position incredibly well.

So what do you think of my choices? Did I overlook someone?  Make me change my mind on someone! Send me your e-mails and let me know what you think.

TWINS THOUGHTS

Well, the Twins are going to need a little help if they want to clinch the division title tonight! Magglio Ordonez hit a 3-run, game-winning home run off of the Yankees Jeff Weaver. White Sox 6, Yankees 3. The Kansas City Royals walked all over the Detroit Tigers, 12-6, giving the Tigers their AL record-tying 118^th loss of the season.

So, the magic number stays at 2 for the Twins to clinch the division title over both the White Sox and the Royals. In other words, for the Twins to clinch the AL Central tonight, they would need to win AND both the Sox and the Royals would have to lose. That said, if the Twins win, and those teams win, the magic number would drop to 1. A magic number of 1 means that the Twins will have clinched a tie. Best case, the Twins just win both games of this two game series against the Indians and win their way into the playoffs!

Pitching Matchups -

Tuesday night - Kenny Rogers ( 12-8, 4.73) vs. Jake Westbrook (7-9, 4.36)

Wednesday night - Kyle Lohse (14-11, 4.73) vs. CC Sabathia (13-9, 3.63)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

We’re going to have actually a two-question Question of the Week segment this week.  For those new to the Discussion Question process, it’s really quite simple. I ask a couple of questions and want to hear your thoughts, so e-mail me. This week, on Thursday, I will post the responses I get to the questions. For a couple of examples of how this process works, check these links:

8/8/2003 - Who Do You Want To Talk To?

8/15/2003 - All-Time Best Lineups

8/29/2003 - Your Thoughts on the Twins

9/5/2003 - Is Terry Ryan "The Man" or "The Goat"?

Question #1 - The Twins have the best record in baseball since the All-Star Game. Why? Is it because of the Shannon Stewart trade? Is it because Johan Santana was put into the starting rotation? Is it the lineup change (Rivas to #2, Mientkiewicz to #3 and Guzman to #9)? Or, is it something else? What do you think? Send me an e-mail and give me your thoughts!

Question #2 - Why do we hate the White Sox so bad? Michael Labuda of ChiSox Daily asked the question yesterday, and it made me try to remember the reasons. Here is what he wrote:

I never really understood why the White Sox generate so much hostility. Last week, in about his tenth post in a row dancing on the Sox's grave, Gleeman (LINK) made comments about how cocky and arrogant the Sox were. I guess he’s talking about Ray Durham’s comments – last year. Uh, well, he’s no longer on the team. Or maybe he’s mad because Billy Koch said the Twins got some lucky bounces last season. Hardly cocky and arrogant stuff.
Anyway, I went to the game Friday night and had a good time. The Sox won, and its fun to watch them play when their hitting well. As for this club being cocky and arrogant, that’s not a very apt description. Konerko’s a good guy. Magglio says less than ten words a season. Lee seems to have a good time playing. Thomas can be difficult, but I’ve never seen him disrespect other teams. Manuel’s nickname is “Gandhi” for crying out loud… If anything, the Sox lacked confidence against the Twins and were too deferential. I think they could of used some arrogance. So where does the hostility come from? Is Hawk that annoying?

Well, let’s answer that question for Mr. Labuda, so he can understand why we, as Twins fans in general, dislike the White Sox so much. To be perfectly honest, I really can’t remember, and what Michael wrote sounds pretty accurate to me! Durham doesn’t play for them and Koch, although controversial in his comments, isn’t good enough to worry about what he thinks. E-mail me with “Why We Hate the White Sox?”

Again, here is the process for the Discussion Question of the Week:

1.)     Re-read the above questions, and think about them.

2.)     Send me an e-mail with your thoughts by Wednesday night about 9 p.m. central time.

3.)     Check back here on Thursday to see what ‘we’ think!

It’s that easy! Be heard! (er… read!)

VIKINGS AND OTHER FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

The Vikings are 3-0 going into Sunday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers. But they may be going into the game without their two best offensive weapons.  Daunte Culpepper is listed as Doubtful for Sunday’s game. On his second TD run, he was hit in the back and didn’t play the rest of the game.  Turns out that he cracked three bones in his back.  Well, Daunte wants to play, and the coaching staff may let him! Crazy?  Yeah! But that’s football players! They’re all crazy!  Tough… but crazy! Also, Randy Moss is listed as Questionable for Sunday’s game, but he should play as well.

Also, I need your help.  I’m looking for some Minnesota Vikings blogs.  I found a really good Packers blog, but I have been unable to find a Vikings blog. So, if you know of any, or write one, please e-mail me the links and I’d be really happy to include them on this site.

Leslie's Thoughts on Week 3

Each Week, our friend Leslie from New Jersey writes us with his thoughts on the week's games, so here are his Week 3 thoughts.

Hey, Seth. You have to feel good about the Vikings at 3-0. They are just playing good football in both sides of the ball. Daunte had a solid game till he got hurt. With that said, good job by Gus Freotte getting that T.D. and holding the lead. Moss is having a great start so far. It's not easy to play well with a flu, but that's what makes Moss great as he played well with a flu. Defense continues to make great plays and special teams just keep getting better. You can't complain. The one thing that I like about the Vikings is that they don't get too up and too down and they just go out and play. That's a credit to coach Mike Tice. Tice has really done a great job as coach. I hope they can keep it up.

Week 3 Takes:

1) Packers are NOT making the playoffs this year.
2) Ricky Williams and Priest Holmes are the goods
3) As good of a job Dick Vermeil and Mike Holmgren are doing, Mike Tice should be a favorite to win the Coach of the Year
4) Raiders are done after watching Monday Night Football tonight. Gannon is hurt, their receivers have aged along with their defense. They are a old team.
5) KC and Denver should have a good battle for the AFC West
6) Bengals are better off letting Carson Palmer start. What do they have to lose? They are not going anywhere with Kitna so they may as well not going anywhere with Palmer.
7) Sounds like the Saints are underachieving early already. That's not good considering how tough the NFC South is.
8) I wonder if the Niners miss Marriucci.
9) The Lions will be fun to watch. They will get their share of wins at the end of the season like last year's Vikings
10) The Steelers are not that impressive
 

NFL “EXPERT PICKS

Well, it’s official! With a record of 12-2 this week, Anthony Fox wins Week 3! Check out the Football Picks webpage for results of all of the games and well as our standings through Week 3!  Check back on Friday when we will show off out Week 4 picks! Here are our Week 3 results as well as the updated overall rankings.

Have a great Tuesday!

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