Saturday October 4, 2003

FRIDAY’S POST

PLAYOFF REPORTS

GIANTS/MARLINS SERIES

CUBS/BRAVES SERIES

TWINS/YANKEES SERIES

A’s/RED SOX SERIES

KG CONTRACT CLARIFIED

I’VE GOT MAIL

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For those of you that will be at either of the Twins games this weekend, or even just watching on the television, be sure to look for this sign in the crowd (Look along the 3B line!)!! Hey Bert Sign

SPECIAL SATURDAY EDITION:

PLAYOFF COVERAGE AND MAILBAG

Hello everybody!  I know, I rarely post on Saturdays. But, it’s the playoffs now, so I figured that I really should keep the coverage coming. Mark Prior/Greg Maddux is a matchup that warrants a little talk! The other game was in the Giants/Marlins series and went 11 innings. I will recap the two National League Game 3’s from last night, and preview their Saturday Game 4’s. I will also re-post the Game 3 predictions that I made for both the Twins/Yankees and A’s/Red Sox series that I wrote yesterday. So, don’t get too used to Saturday editions, but for this weekend at least, you’ve got one. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to e-mail me your thoughts on anything you read and have thoughts on. As you can see toward the end of today’s posting, in the Mailbag section, many e-mails I receive have a chance of getting posted on the site.

But to start out, here is the Playoff Lineup for today, Saturday (all times Central):

Game 4 - Giants @ Marlins, 12:05 (ESPN 2)

Game 3 - Yankees @ Twins, 12:05 (ESPN)

Game 4 - Braves @ Cubs, 3:05 (FOX)

Game 3 - A’s @ Red Sox, 6:35 (ESPN 2)

GIANTS/MARLINS SERIES (MARLINS LEAD 2-1)

Game 3 Recap - Pudge (Marlins) 4, Giants 3 (11 innings)

Kirk Reuter didn’t start out like he would have wanted. In the bottom of the first, with Luis Castillo on base, Reuter served up a pitch the Ivan Rodriguez deposited well into the left field bleachers, giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead. Marlin starter, and former Twin, Mark Redman gave up no runs in the first 5 innings. But in the 6^th, the Giants tied the game at 2 a piece with a Jose Cruz fielder’s choice and a Pedro Feliz RBI single. Both teams received four solid innings of bullpen work.  In the 11^th, the game got good!

The Giants took back the lead, 3-2 in the top half of the inning. Edgardo Alfonzo blooped his 4^th hit of the game into shallow right field (beyond the pulled-in infield) to score Rich Aurilia.

In the bottom half of the 11^th inning, Jeff Conine popped up to right field. However, inexplicably, Jose Cruz just dropped the ball (for the 2^nd straight game? He used to be a decent fielder!). Conine did not hustle down the first base line, assuming the ball would either land foul or be caught, so he was only able to get to 1B, a definite foul up on Conine’s part. Despite trying to give an out to the Giants with a bunt, Tim Worrell walked Alex Gonzalez. Miguel Cabrera sacrificed the runners to 2^nd and 3^rd. Then Felipe Alou chose to walk Juan Pierre intentionally, to set up a force out at home. That brought up Luis Castillo, a very quick runner who was unlikely to ground into a double play. He squibbed a ball back up the middle that Tim Worrell made an incredible falling/diving play on, quickly got up and threw home for the force out; the second out of the inning. That brought up Ivan Rodriguez and the result of his at bat has caused much second guessing of Alou. With the bases loaded and two outs, Pudge battled Worrell, following off a number of tough 2 strike pitches before taking an outside fastball and drilling it between first and second for a hit. With Juan Pierre on 2^nd, he was able to easily score the winning run!

The second guessing on the walk of Juan Pierre will probably be over-analyzed, at least until today’s game is complete. I think it makes sense. I think it helps out the infield, knowing they have a force out at home. They got the desired result from Castillo, a grounder back to the mound for the out at home. That’s where the second-guessers come in. Had they not walked Pierre (and the stars had aligned just perfectly for the Giants), he would have made the 2^nd out without the run scoring, and Castillo would have made the third out, therefore meaning Rodriguez would not have even needed to bat.

Basically, I think Alou made a baseball decision. I think it was the right decision. It just didn’t work out. Similarly, using the Twins game as another example, Ron Gardenhire made the decision to got to LaTroy Hawkins in the 7^th inning, removing Brad Radke from the game. I still think that was the right decision, it just didn’t work out as planned. Had Hawkins come in and got the last two outs, no one would even be talking about that!

Did you know? I was reading Baseball Cranks, one of the great new sites I’ve linked to on the left side of your screen, and in it, he writes: “The Giants have yet to score in an inning when Bonds doesn’t get on base.” In a word, “Valuable”!!!

Game 3 MVP - Only one choice, it has to go to Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. 2-5, HR, and all 4 Marlin RBI.

Game 4 Preview- @ Florida, Friday, 12:05 p.m. Central Time

Game 4 Starters -

Game 4 Predictions

Jason Schmidt will be coming back on just 3 days rest. The plan was for the Giants to have the 2-1 lead and for them to pitch rookie phenom Jerome Williams in Game 4. But, because they’re down 2-1, they will be going back to Game 1 starter, Jason Schmidt in a must-win situation. Recently, when a pitcher has been brought back on short rest, it hasn’t gone well at all. That said, there may not be better option in baseball to go use. Florida was planning on pitching its rookie phenom, Dontrelle Willis regardless of the situation. His season has been well documented. He had a rough August, but came back with a strong September. In Game 1, he came in and got Barry Bonds out in the late innings (then gave up two hits and came out). He should be ready to go today! Prediction: Giants 5, Marlins 3.

BRAVES/CUBS SERIES (CUBS LEAD 2-1)

Game 3 Recap - Braves 5, Cubs 3

It was touted as a pitching matchup between pitchers of two styles. Mark Prior is young, throws hard and has a curveball. Greg Maddux is a veteran, throws basically only fastballs with a lot of movement. Both pitchers were on, but the difference in the game occurred in the first inning. Prior struggled with some control in the first inning, walking 2 batters. He threw 23 pitches, 13 of which were balls. That’s unusual for Prior who does have excellent control. However, Prior was able to get out of the inning without giving up a run. In the bottom half of the inning, Maddux had his issues as well (his usual ‘struggle inning’, like so many great pitchers, is the first), but it really wasn’t with control. He threw 25 pitches, 19 of which were strikes. Kenny Lofton led off with an 8 pitch at bat where he saw everything Maddux throws, fouled off some pitches, and ended with a single to RF. The next batter, Mark Grudzielanek laid down the next pitch toward 1B. Rob Fick slipped (the game had been delayed due to rain), and both Lofton and Grudzeilanek were safe on the play. Maddux came up big though, striking out Sammy Sosa and getting Moises Alou to fly out to for the 2^nd out. Then Randall Simon came up. On a 1-2 pitch, Maddux threw a change up in the dirt, allowing Lofton and Grudzeilanek a free base (Lofton actually was attempting a steal on the pitch). On 2-2, Maddux made a great pitch, about 8 inches inside that Simon just muscled into right field for a 2-run single.

After the first, a lot of 0’s were put on the board. Maddux threw five shutout innings after that inning. And, Mark Prior continued to post 0’s until the top of the 8^th when the Braves manufactured a run. Mark Derosa had a pinch hit double to lead off the inning. Rafael Furcal moved him to 3B with a grounder to second. Then, with one out, Marcus Giles hit a sacrifice fly, making the game 2-1. In the bottom of the 8^th, the Cubs got an insurance run off Kevin Gryboski. Aramis Ramirez doubled in Moises Alou, and the Cubs took a 3-1 lead into the 9^th inning.

Mark Prior was allowed to finish what he started. He was still throwing hard, and finished the game as dominant as ever (2 strikeouts and a pop out), giving the Cubs the win and the 2-1 series lead going into tomorrow’s Game 4.

Game 3 MVP - Another no-brainer. Odds are, if a starting pitcher throws a complete game and gets the win, he's going to be my choice for game MVP! His line: 9 innings, 2 hits, 4 walks, 1 run, and 7 strikeouts. He three 133 pitches, and 89 of them were strikes.

Game 4 Preview- @ Wrigley Field, Saturday, 3:05 p.m. Central Time

Game 4 Starters -

Game 4 Predictions

I have a lot of confidence with the Giants bringing Jason Schmidt back on short-rest. I’m not as confident with Russ Ortiz in the same situation. I’m not saying he’ll do poorly, but he’s not the type of pitcher who can overpower hitters, so he will be hit. I would also think he wouldn’t go too long. Matt Clement is consistently inconsistent. Just look at his above numbers! I mean, winning percentage right around .500. His ERA, although not poor, is not great either, just average. But Matt Clement has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his entire major league career. Which Matt Clement will show up this afternoon for the Cubs? Well, I’m thinking the good one! This season, Clement is 8-2 with a 2.69 ERA in day games. He is also 10-5 with a 3.10 ERA in home games. That bodes well for Clement and the Cubs! The series could be over today! Prediction: Cubs 7, Cubs 2.

TWINS/YANKEES SERIES (SERIES TIED 1-1)

(Re-posted from yesterday)

Game 3 Preview- @ Metrodome, Saturday, 12:05 p.m. on ESPN

Game 3 starters -

Game 3 Predictions -

The game will be a little different than the first two games, which were well pitched. The key to Game 3 is, without question, Kyle Lohse. And, more specifically, Kyle Lohse in the 1^st inning. If he can put a 0 on the board in the top of the first, that would bode very well for him, and the Twins. However, look at how he pitched in other ‘big’ games late this season. His start in Chicago in September, when he gave up 5 runs in the first inning, then none in the next 5. Or, a week and a half later when the White Sox were at the Dome, Lohse gave up 2 first inning runs before settling into his rhythm. Key to the game – Kyle Lohse, Inning 1! Roger Clemens is one of the best pitchers ever. He’ll be keyed up and ready for this game. Hopefully the Twins can do exactly what we don’t want the Yankees to do… score early! Prediction: Yankees 8, Twins 4.

Your turn… what do you think about the Twins/Yankees series? What is your take on Games 1 and 2 in New York? What do you think will happen in Games 3 and 4 in the Dome? Can Kyle Lohse come up big for the Twins. E-mail me your thoughts.

A’S/RED SOX SERIES (A’S LEAD 2-0)

(Re-posted from yesterday)

Game 3 Preview- @ Fenway Park, Boston, 6:35 p.m. Saturday

Game 3 Starters -

Game 3 Predictions -

Assuming Lowe is 100% after his two innings in Game 1 on Wednesday night (or was that Thursday morning?, I think that he should induce plenty of ground ball outs against the A’s. Ted Lilly, despite his very solid post all-star break numbers, is definitely not going to intimidate any of the Red Sox hitters. He may keep them off-balance once through the order, but I would expect him to get hit hard. I would think that the Green Monster could be hit a few times Saturday. Prediction: Red Sox 9, A’s 2.

Again, be sure to check yesterday’s posting to see my predictions for today’s National League Game 3’s. If you have any thoughts on those series as well, please send me an e-mail.

KG’s CONTRACT CLARIFIED

OK, so this Kevin Garnett signing has confused me and probably many of you. On Thursday, I wrote about why thoughts on Garnett signing a 5-year, $105 million extension to his contract. I wrote about how happy I was for the Wolves and Wolves fans, and how Garnett deserved a lot of credit for accepting far less (about $75 million) from the Wolves than he could have asked. Yesterday, I wrote of ESPN and other sources that were reporting Garnett’s contract extension was for more like $179 million. I discussed that if that were the case, fan’s expectations of both Garnett and the Timberwolves should be very high!

Well, today, we find out the actual value of the contract extension. 5 years - $100 million, even a little bit less than what I figured it would be. It’s even simple to calculate. For this upcoming, 2003-04 season, Garnett will be making $28 million. In 2004-05, the first year of the extension, he will make “just” $16 million, then $18 million, then $20 million, then $22 million, then $24 million in 2008-09. There is an option year somewhere in there that Garnett could use if he likes. Not sure why he would because no other team would be able to sign him for more money.  The lone reason that he would opt-out and become a free agent would be so that he could sign another extension to stay in Minnesota for even longer.

The Wolves held their first full-squad practice on the campus of  St. Johns University in Collegeville, MN. Here are some pictures from Day 1 of practice, check them out here.

I’VE GOT MAIL

I have received a number of really good e-mails in the last week or so, and wanted to include a couple of them today. So, here we go. Again, I welcome you to e-mail me your thoughts on anything you read here, comments on the site, ideas you’d like me to consider writing about, or just anything else you may want to say or know.

First, a thought from this website’s webmaster, Melissa Olson, on the Twins fate in Games 3 and 4. (Note - she will be in attendance at both games this weekend. She will be the one holding the Hey Bert sign, so feel free to say hi if you see her. Anyway, here are her thoughts heading down there:

My predictions for Saturday’s game - Clemens gets absolutely shelled in the last outing of his career!!!!!!! Seriously, the Twinkies are gonna smoke him. He’ll be out of the game before the 6^th inning. And I’m gonna LAUGH, and LAUGH!! ‘Cause we don’t like him at all…and when I say we, I mean me!!

Sunday - It’s gonna be a close game, but the Twinkies are gonna prevail. Koskie will start coming out of his slump on Sat. and be the hero on Sunday!!

There you have it, the happenings for the weekend. Now you don’t even have to watch the games!!

Thanks, Miss, but believe me, I will definitely still be watching the games still!!!!

Here are the thoughts of regular reader, Leslie:

If the pompous New Yorkers think the Twins are going to quit, they’ve got another thing to coming. I think the Twins are doing fine. They have proven they are on the same field as the Evil Empire. It should be a good series. I am disappointed that the Twins are not up by 2, but the Evil Empire is not a good team for nothing. Twins need to win both games big time. We will see if they up to the task. One thing for certain. Yankees will have to work to beat the Twins.

The Twins definitely have their work cut out for them, but they have shown that they can compete with the Yankees (or anyone else in baseball, for that matter). These two games at home are huge. It would be nice to win both of them and not have to play a Game 5 back in New York on Monday night!

The other topic a few people wanted to discuss was the Rush Limbaugh/Donovan McNabb situation that I briefly touched on Thursday. Leslie replied to that with:

If Rush thinks Donovan is overrated, that's fine. He could have avoid saying about how people want to see black QB succeed. Who cares what color he is? As long as he is productive, that's all that matters. I don't think his comments were racial at all, but nevertheless it was stupid to say it. I think he did the right thing resigning rather than let this controversy fester. It's too bad that he is gone because I really enjoyed him on ESPN. With that said, where was the outcry when Dusty Baker talked about how white players were not suited for the heat. I think his comments were as dumb as Rush's comments. I think they made good points, but when someone mention another person's color skin, it gets me to no end.

I really do like the point you made regarding Dusty Baker’s comments earlier in the year. Another example would be, what if Charles Barkley would make a comment on TNT that Dirk Nowitki is essentially overrated by the media because he is white.  Where is the outcry whenever a white boxer is named The Great White Hope?  The following comments, from Kirk, are along those lines as well:

I don't see anything racist in Limbaugh's words. He is not saying anything about McNabb's ethnicity affecting anything on the field of play. He's merely making a point that maybe McNabb is given more than his fair share of the credit for the success of the Eagles than he should get, and speculates that this could be due to an agenda by the media to see a black quarterback do well. Nothing about that statement is racist. Nothing about that statement suggests that McNabb's color makes him any less of a player or person. It's an indictment of the media (not something unexpected from Rush) and an indictment of an agenda of political correctness. When you break it down, the only knock on McNabb is that he's not living up to the hype this season. that's it!
I felt compelled to write and say something because this is an issue that really gets to me. It seems that political correctness/sensitivity is going so far overboard that we can't have a reasonable discussion about social issues any longer. I'm sure that many people would call me racist simply for coming to Limbaugh's defense, when nothing could be further from the truth. If there is a media agenda to promote black athletes more than others, it is technically racist (maybe minority favoritism would be a better term), and no better than racist actions on the part of Caucasians toward other ethnic groups. Why is it wrong to discuss that possibility? 

That's the message that gets sent, however, when public figures react the way they do to that statement. Instead of hearing what Limbaugh is saying, his opponents simply take the words "black quarterback" and "doesn't deserve the credit" and get worked into a lather over it. Two leading democratic presidential candidates have come out and called the comments "hateful and ignorant speech" and "absurd and offensive". Looking at the statements I've seen quoted, I see none of that and find the comments in response to be nothing more than using this situation as political fuel. It makes me want to puke.

Did Limbaugh make a mistake? I guess so. He had the integrity to not back off on comments that he believed in, simply because they were received poorly, and essentially that cost him a position that he described as "the fulfillment of a dream." To give up that job must have been awful difficult to do. I admire the guy for standing by what he believes in and not retracting comments that were not racist, but simply unpopular.

Very well written, and certainly some very poignant words to describe the situation. I have to admit, I probably didn’t look at the situation this critically, and Kirk presents some ideas that are definitely worth discussing.  Maybe you have some thoughts? If so, e-mail me.

I do know that there are certain public figures that, when I hear they are participating in a cause, I will change the channel and not take them or their cause serious. One of those people is the Reverend Al Sharpton. Another is Jesse Jackson. Basically any Democratic nominee for anything. Another is Johnnie Cochrane. Another that has again popped up recently, because he was advising and speaking for Maurice Clarett, is Jim Brown. Why does this guy get so much respect??  I don’t understand that! He went to jail because he thought it was better than doing community service, because he didn’t think he did anything wrong when he bashed in his wife’s car windows in a threatening way during a fit of rage!  He’s done other things that make me wonder why he is listened to as a public figurehead! Sure, he was a great RB long ago, but when I saw he was aligning himself with Clarett, that’s when I quit paying attention to that whole story! Anyway, anyone who is too far to the right (Limbaugh) or too far to the left (Arianna Huffington) are dangerous. They have their beliefs and have no leeway. As I’ve said, I consider myself a moderate conservative. So, I’m a little bit toward the right. But, I just think it’s best to be able to listen to both sides without speaking in generalizations in developing your own opinions!

OK, that’s enough on that subject. And, that’s enough for today. As you’re reading this, it’s now probably approaching noon on Saturday, and the Twins are about to start! So, Win Twins!

I will attempt to post something on Sunday as well, so check back frequently.  If you have any questions or comments on anything, please send me an e-mail and I’ll write back! Have a great weekend!

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