Playoffs? Don't talk about -- playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs?

So I guess there is an extra game today. They say it's still the regular season, but the team that wins this game gets to play more games. And this game wasn't originally scheduled. That sounds like playoffs to me. The Twins are playing playoff baseball! Again!

Well, if you haven't already noticed, this post is not by haasertime or soup. (The lack of humor, and sentences that begin with "and" were probably your first clue) It's my first time back at AH! in a long time. The last few months have been, as most of you know, interesting. And I chose that word carefully.

Don't feel bad if you don't get the above reference, that one was for me. But here is a hint: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/jwl/1406049121.html. Speaking of which, if you know of anyone in the market, let me know.

There has actually been a lot I wanted to discuss this summer, a summer that involved several moves (finally ending up in Minnesota), a great season of baseball and an exciting trip to the Minnesota State Fair. But those stories will have to wait another day.

I was given the task of simply giving my predictions for the upcoming playoffs. So that is what I shall do. First, the National League.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers
The Cardinals, one of the hottest teams in baseball (Pujols is sexy) has lost seven out of their last nine. Is this a case of easing up and coasting into the playoffs or a sign of them slowing down? I think the Cardinals will have no problem with the stalled Dodgers offense. The only question is exactly how good is the 1-2 combination of Carpenter and Wainwright. The answer is, very good.
Cardinals in 4

Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies
The Rockies are the team entering the playoffs on a hot streak. Can that momentum push them past the defending world champion Phillies? I would give the Rocks a chance if they played all the games in Colorado. Unfortunately for them, they won't. While Lidge will try to blow it, the Phillies will pull it off.
Phillies in 5

Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The BoSox have beat the LoAngAngOfAn (I just made that up, but I think it will catch on) in three straight divisional series. Could this be the year the Angels get help from Christopher Llyod and finally beat the Red Sox and their annoying fan base? I think so.
Angels in 4

Minnesota Twins/Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees
At the time of this publication nothing had been decided in the American League Central. After last year's coin toss fiasco they changed the rule, this year, thankfully, the Twins and Tigers get together and pick one all-star team to play the Yankees. Today's game is just to help them figure out who makes the team. Joe Mauer and Joe Nathan are captains and Miguel Cabrera has a number between 1 and 10 behind his back. That and a bottle of booze.

But seriously folks, whoever wins gets swept by the Evil Empire.
Yankees in 3

Bummer, right?

non-Yankees series related notes

-Guess who is leading the National League in batting average? It's our old friend and the world's fastest human, Christian Guzman!! The baseball reference May 15th stat of the day informs us that the WFH also has the most ABs in the majors with out a walk. 101! The next closest is Robinzon Diaz with 30. That's Twins baseball right there.

-Two players that have worn a Twins jersey made this list of the "best recent baseball deliveries." Neshek, of course, takes first place. The other player only pitched six innings for the twins, but is still quite awesome. I'll give you a hint. He rivals the Big Sweat for the fattest faced Twin.

-Denard Span has to be leading the majors in 3-2 counts. I know there is a way to use the internet to confirm this, but... I'm real busy. Paperwork and what not. So there is five blog points for anyone that actually finds the stats on this.

-We here at AH! have a rich history of providing the public with compelling optical illusions. In this spirit, we are happy to report that according to the American Institute of Physics, "The three best visual illusions in the world were chosen at a gathering last weekend of neuroscientists and psychologists at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Florida." I bet it was quite a party.

The winning entry attempted to demonstrate why the curve ball is so hard to hit.

This year's winning illusion, created by Arthur Shapiro of Bucknell University
in Pennsylvania, may explain this phenomena. His animation shows a spinning ball
that, when watched directly, moves in a straight line. When seen out of the
corner of the eye, however, the spin of the ball fools the brain into thinking
that the ball is curving.

So as a baseball flies towards home plate, the
moment when it passes from central to peripheral vision could exaggerate the
movement of the ball, causing its gradual curve to be seen as a sudden jerk.

-Friends, we really need to talk about this.

The Montauk Monster is gunna git ya! Well, maybe not this particular one. It looks quite dead and bloated. But still be on the lookout. Look at that thing. That is one mangy, mangy, beast. There are many theories on the identification of this animal. The most plausable, as wikipedia reports, is "or perhaps a science experiment from the nearby government animal testing facility, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center"

Now we're getting somewhere. This creature is clearly the creation of some mad scientist. I suspect this guy:
Look at him. There is no way he's not trying to raise an army of mutant monsters to take over the world. He's clearly mad, and judging by the lab coat and bow tie, is in fact a scientist. He must be stopped.

-Baseball's former bottom prospect, Phillip Snodgrass, has officially announced his retirement. He did not speak to reporters but did release this statement:

This is such bull-crap

His surprising retirement is undoubtedly linked to this startling development:

Hey, did you know they played with pink bats yesterday!?!?!

Everyone loves Mother's Day. If you live near your mother it's a day where you get to go to brunch with the woman who birthed you, or if you don't live in the same zip code, you get to go and purchase a card and send it to her... um, tomorrow (sorry, Mom.)  But the real enjoyment of Mother's day is getting to watch major league ball players swing uncomfortably with pink bats that they have never used before and wear over sized wristbands that look simply ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for spreading the awareness of breast cancer. And I am all for the pink bats and the wristbands... for the players. I just think it's absolutely ridiculous that the every umpire yesterday wore two matching pink wristbands.


It has nothing to do with the color, it's ridiculous that there are umpires wearing wristbands at all. And two of them? That's just ludicrous. Good thing first-base umpire James Hoye has those wristbands on otherwise the sweat in his eyes would have prevented him from seeing that ball.

It was fair. Nice call Jim.

I know what you are thinking? "How are the umps going to show their support for breast cancer awareness?" It's simple, pink shirts and hats for the umps. I think it would be cool, and it might just cut down on the arguments. Then again, maybe not.


What do you guys think? I could see people saying pink umpires would be a distraction, but I say if anything, this would definitely spread awareness and it's certainly no more visually offensive than the Padres or AJ Pierzynski.

I don't mind when Punto slides into first

I really don't. He thinks it's faster. I have no reason to doubt him. We have to assume that Punto knows better than anyone how fast he is to first base -- either running through the bag or sliding. You might think you know better than Punto, but that's just because your little league coach or some dude that has a blog told you so. But the truth is, you haven't done any time trials on Nick Punto running to first.

I have never played in an organized baseball game (I don't think this league counts), but I understand that you are told from little league to run through first. Scouts say the same thing. It's conventional baseball wisdom. But I suspect this is far more related to preventing injury than getting to the base faster. I'm sure someone, at some point in baseball's long history has tried to do an experiment to determine which method in general is faster, but I haven't seen one. And I definitely haven't seen one specifically for Nick Punto.

The main argument for sliding being slower: friction.

From I Dislike Your Favorite Team:

Now, granted--there are times when sliding into first is a good idea (tag plays)
but generally speaking it is not a good idea. Your feet are two quick moving
contact points--your front of your stomach is simply a drag-causing,
momentum-slowing obstacle. You might think this is obvious. You, probably, do
not drive all around town with the parking brake on, under the assumption that
it gets you places faster.

From Lost Forest After Dark:

However one frustration that will also rise to the top is Nick Punto's
proclivity to slide into first base on close plays. As anyone who has played
baseball or has a rudimentary understanding of physics, sliding into first is
slower than running through the base, not to say anything about greater
possibility of injury while sliding...

...No Nick Punto we don't think
you're a jerk, we just think you are stupid. The evidence is there both at a
theoretical level and based on experience. All your "hard work" and
"personality" can't change the laws of physics.

Mr Punto, your rebuttal?

From the Star Tribune:

I think when you dive, it's quicker, as long as you hit the bag before you hit
the ground, or simultaneously.

Boom. Punto just made the whole stomach-to-ground-friction argument irrelevant. He doesn't slide. He dives. Punto: 1 Physics: 0. Also, you have to hit the bag directly. It's not just a finish line you have to cross. So often on close plays, batters either stretch their foot out to touch the bag or shorten the gate of their last two strides to hit the bag. Both slow you down. And diving almost eliminates your chances of getting tagged out.

The injury argument is relevant, but if Punto is okay with it, so am I. I can't really fault a role player like Punto for sacrificing his body for something he thinks will help the team. If Joe Mauer wanted to slide head first, well that's a different story.

I guess the main point is people need to relax. I have no idea why his headfirst slide irritates so many people.

So Nick, I'm not usually a big defender of yours, but in this case...Iz got yur back.

Cat at Wrigley Field

So, I was at the Cubs game last night. It was my first time on a rooftop and it was a delightful experience. I have been to many Cubs games in the past and I actually think I prefer the rooftop over several sections inside the ball park. The rooftop I was on had three levels:

The lowest level had large, floor to ceiling windows that could be opened in the summer. From here you could see about 70% of the field. (the right field wall and foul line were blocked by the stadium itself) On this level they had a buffet with mashed potatos, turkey, chicken wings etc. and a bar).

On the second level was half outside half inside with heaters on the ceiling where you could get hot dogs, brats, pizza, ice cream etc. There was also another bar on this level but it was not open because of the cold weather and the lack of people.

On the third level was where the actually stadium seating was. There was a third bar at the top of this area that was covered and had propane heaters. There are TVs all over the rooftop including ones you can see from the stadium seats, as well as the WGN radio broadcast of the game being played through speakers all over.

But the real excitment came in the fourth inning when a cat ran out on to the field.



There was a collective gasp as the guy picked up the cat by the tail and just dropped him in the stands.

Everyone I was with had a theory of how the cat got onto the field. Almost everyone but me thought someone brought it into the stadium. But who holds on to a cat for four innings and doesn't get spotted throwing a cat onto the field from 15 feet up. Plus they would have to be in the front row of the bleachers, meaning they would have to have gotten to Wrigley 1-2 hrs in advance of when they open the field up so that means they have been with a cat in their jacket for close to 5 hours. Unlikely.

My theory is that it climbed into the stadium at some other point and had been chilling in the bleacher area for a while. Decided it wanted to check out the cubs dugout and catch those rats Ozzie is always talking about, and made a break for it?

Anyone else see this? Any theories?

Moderate spring fever

Alas, the professional baseball season is to begin. Tomorrow the Twins will play a game in which the outcome is insignificant, but the game's existence is imperative. For this game provides hope, a faint light dancing in the distance against the darkness of this hell-damned winter that enshrouds us. Let this game be a warning to the demonic creatures and NBA players that are running roughshod on our frigid streets with an insatiable hunger for childflesh. Like the banks of defiled snow, they too will melt under the purifying sun of spring.

Our front office, for fear of being disemboweled at the cold hands of winter's soulless hell-beasts, took to hiding for most of the winter. Only Stephen Hawking could prove that a Twins front office still existed. Then something miraculous happened. The sound of pitchers and catchers reporting rang loud and true from the green grass of Hammond stadium, and jolted the Twins front office out of their winter holes and they signed a right-handed, power-hitting, third baseman, Joe Crede.

He is only a year removed from being a foe with the other ne’er-do-wells on the south side of Chicago, but this is spring. Spring does not look back at past transgressions. Spring embodies new life and new beginnings.

May this hope of baseball carry us through this next cold month. For soon it will be spring and we'll squeal with delight as we twirl about beneath the shadowless rainbows of the baseball season! It will soon be time for kitten cuddling and tickle fights with your coworkers (I'd clear those with HR first).

And then spring bleeds into summer. And there will be backyard barbecues and three hamburger patties per bun. There will be awkward tan lines and baseball and baseball players with awkward tan lines. It will be a time of enchanted narwhal riding followed by enchanted narwhal feasting.

So prepare your tank tops and trim your chest hair, for the baseball season and hope for happier days is upon us.

John Updike: RIP

From his "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" first published in the New Yorker magazine Oct. 22, 1960

Understand that we were a crowd of rational people. We knew that a
home run cannot be produced at will; the right pitch must be perfectly met and
luck must ride with the ball. Three innings before, we had seen a brave effort
fail. The air was soggy, the season was exhausted. Nevertheless, there will
always lurk, around the corner in a pocket of our knowledge of the odds, an
indefensible hope, and this was one of the times, which you now and then find in
sports, when a density of expectation hangs in the air and plucks an event out
of the future.

Fisher, after his unsettling wait, was low with the first pitch. He put
the second one over, and Williams swung mightily and missed. The crowd grunted,
seeing that classic swing, so long and smooth and quick, exposed. Fisher threw
the third time, Williams swung again, and there it was. The ball climbed on a
diagonal line into the vast volume of air over center field. From my angle,
behind third base, the ball seemed less an object in flight than the tip of a
towering, motionless construct, like the Eiffel Tower or the Tappan Zee Bridge.
It was in the books while it was still in the sky. Brandt ran back to the
deepest corner of the outfield grass, the ball descended beyond his reach and
struck in the crotch where the bullpen met the wall, bounced chunkily, and
vanished.

Like a feather caught in a vortex, Williams ran around the square of
bases at the center of our beseeching screaming. He ran as he always ran out
home runs - hurriedly, unsmiling, head down, as if our praise were a storm of
rain to get out of. He didn't tip his cap. Though we thumped, wept, and chanted
''We want Ted'' for minutes after he hid in the dugout, he did not come back.
Our noise for some seconds passed beyond excitement into a kind of immense open
anguish, a wailing, a cry to be saved. But immortality is nontransferable. The
papers said that the other players, and even the umpires on the field, begged
him to come out and acknowledge us in some way, but he refused. Gods do not
answer letters.

Why are they still playing baseball this late in the year?

Its 3 days from Halloween and Tampa/Philadelphia could still play 3 more games.

I've caught wind that the playoffs , pending some seven game series, could go into November next year and years to come. November? Baseball? wasn't this the sport of summer? I love baseball, but having it span over 9 calendar months is just ridiculous. And what happens if teams like the Twins, Indians, Cubs, White Sox, etc make it to the world series and have to play games in November? How are you supposed to pitch in 20 or lower degree weather? imagine being a catcher trying to catch 80-90 mph frozen fastballs. How are you supposed to throw, hit, steal, dive, sprint for looping fly balls when you're wearing inches of body armor? Why should you play 8 months in warm weather, only to have everything be decided in the worst conditions that you could possibly play in?

And at least in football there's constant action so its easier for fans to be loud, jump around and get the blood flowing. imagine sitting through a 2-1 9 inning baseball game when its 18 degrees at Target Field or Park or whatever its called.

This is stupid. Stop having baseball go on this long, this late in the year.

LCS Preview

By TwinsWin83

It’s hard to believe we're already to the League Championship Series for this season, seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for the white-hot Rockies to take on the DBacks and the Red Sox to take on the Indians in last year’s LCS matchups. Now it’s 2008 and we have another surprise team four wins away from the World Series. Taking the Rockies spot as this seasons new kids on the block are the Tampa Bay Rays. Their opponents, the Red Sox, are no strangers to October baseball. The Dodgers and Phillies match-up on the National League side in a meeting of two teams with a lot of history, just not a lot of possitive history as of late. So once again, we will make our predictions, most of us without much certainty at all, and watch as we wait to see who the next entrants into the Fall Classic will be.


Rays vs. Red Sox









Season Series: Rays 10-8


What You Should Know: These two teams are incredibly familiar with one another, a result of meeting up 18 times this season as AL East rivals, so there won’t be many surprises. This series has been dominated by the home team but you can almost always throw that stat out the window come October as teams are to forced to deal with the added pressures of the postseason. They Rays are young, the Sox are experienced, but neither is a really clear favorite here. It's going to come down to which team plays like they should at home and can sneak a win or two out on the road.


Why the Rays Will Win: Because they are the best team at home in baseball. The Rays were 57-24 at Tropicana Field this year, and almost never lost when there was more than 30,000 fans in the stands ringing their cowbells. Common sense might tell you that their incredibly young and inexperienced team should be no match for the October-tested Sox, but if the previous 162 games and Division Series win over the White Sox have taught us anything about the Rays it’s that these kids don’t seem to care that they shouldn’t be here right now. If the Trop gets rocking and the Rays can pull out one or both games at home to start the series it could knock the Sox back on their heels and put them off their game for the rest of the ALCS. Look for the young pitchers to be fired up and throw well, and if the offense responds the Rays will jump out quickly.


Why the Red Sox Will Win: Because they are the Red Sox and this is October. That’s a statement that would have seemed ridiculous five years ago but things have changed and the franchise that couldn’t break “The Curse” for nearly 90 years are now on the edge of becoming a dynasty. Their pitching, which carried them in 2004 and last year, is as strong as ever, even without Mr. Bloody Sock Curt Schilling steering the ship. Jon Lester has emerged as a lights-out ace and a healthy Josh Beckett and Dice-K can shut anyone down when they are on top of their games. Throw in an often-dynamic offense and the Sox will be tough to beat. The series might come down to whether or not the Sox can pull out a win in one of the first two games in Tampa and take back home-field advantage from the Rays.


What to Watch For: Jonathan Pappelbon vs. the Rays. The Red Sox closer with the nasty glare has been human this year, with five blown saves and a ho-hum ERA of 2.34. If the Sox are ahead late in one of the first two games we might see Pappelbon in the 8th inning to protect a small lead, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pandemonium and cow bells at the Trop.


Who Will Win: As much as it would be great to see the Rays continue this improbable run I think their luck runs out here against the more experienced Red Sox. The Trop goes silent. RED SOX IN 6.



Phillies vs. Dodgers










Season Series: Los Angeles 4-2


What You Should Know: These were the two hottest teams heading into October, as both rattled of an impressive 17-8 record in September. Both are storied franchises in the baseball world but neither has seen much October success lately. The Phillies have had a winning record for the past six years but have yet to get over the hump, and the Dodgers are a surprise coming out of the weak-NL West, but don’t tell either of them that because both clubs are four wins from the World Series.


Why the Phillies will win: Because the fans in Philly have suffered enough. The Phillies have been around for a long time, since 1883 to be exact, but they have only won one World Series (1980) and made only six playoff appearances (and this article won’t mention some of other sports inflicted-suffering that the folks of Philadelphia have faced over the past few decades). This Phillies team, which houses the past three National League MVPs, can be downright explosive when the offense is clicking. The pitching staff has done its job lately and Brad Lidge has been perfect this year in save opportunities, making most hitters look silly with his nasty slider and 97 MPH fastball. Once again, the momentum could swing the Phillies direction quickly if they are able to capitalize on the home-field advantage in the first two games.


Why the Dodgers Win: Because Joe Torre believes in karma. The Yankees who cast Torre aside after last season are at home watching now as Joe leads the Dodgers through October. As tiresome as Manny Ramirez and his antics can be there is no denying the impact he’s had in LA. His numbers are unreal, batting .396 in 53 games in Dodger-blue to go along with 17 home runs and 53 RBI’s. The pitching staff has patched things together and after the way LA finished the regular season and then dispatched of the heavily favored Cubs in the first round it looks like momentum is definitely a friend of theirs right now. All of the positive things that the Dodgers have going for them right now might pale in comparison to the simple fact that they are being led by a manager who has been here before and might be a cool head to prevail during any tight situations that might arise in this NLCS.


What to Watch For: Cole Hamels vs. Manny Ramirez. The best pitcher in this series vs. the best hitter in the series, what could be more important? Hamels was unhittable in his start against the Brewers in the NLDS and if he can shut down Manny the effect could trickle down to the rest of the Dodgers line-up. The opposite could also be the result if Manny has some success against Hamels, as it could show the rest of his teammates that the Phillies ace is hittable.


Who Will Win: I think the dynamic Phillies players, Howard, Utley and Rollins will be too much for the hit-or-miss Dodgers offense in this series, and the Phils make their city proud. Phillies in 6.


So.....
My 2008 World Series Pick
Boston vs. Philly

2008 AH! Play off Pick 'Em

Alright, It's that time of the year again where we get to guess at who will win games that do not have the Twins in them. How Exciting!

I realize we are a bit late with this so we already have three games under our belt. TW83, you can change that "Cubs in 3" call if you want.

Here is how it will work: In the comments section tell us for each series who will win and in how many games. Example: Brewers vs. Phillies: Phillies in 3.

We will tally up those predictions and post them tomorrow. The same thing for the ALCS and the NLCS, and again for the World Series.

Try to get your predictions in by 1:30pm CT.

Are We Done?

This is the confessions of desperate Twins fan. Here we are in the midst of a lukewarm June month and I feel the need to speak my troubles to the rest of the Twins fans world.
The Twins have survived in a division that has feed off of mediocrity for nearly a decade now but now is the time for them to take full advantage of that.

Not only have the Twins survived this long on youngsters and over-the-hill vets but there has been no attempt to adjust those means despite the fact that they are still hanging around. We are three months into the season and the less-then-loaded Twins remain 4.5 games out of first place behind the White Sox.
So what are we to think of our boys in white and blue pin-stripes? Apparently not enough to believe they can contend.

There isn’t going to be a team to make a major move on the division title over the next two months so it would be in this team’s best interest to make a trade to acquire a decent pitcher that could fill the hole in the starting rotation. Or a bat? (that has been a need on the block for how many years now?)

Call me bat shit crazy but I think the Twins could make a move at this time. The time is now in a division that is as weak as the AL Central. The Tigers are underachieving as well as the Indians and if the Twins are to make that move they better do so quickly because the window is quickly closing. Everyone seems to want to conseed and say the Twins can not compete for a few years but this division is ripe for the taking and a team as inexperienced and unsure as the Twins might be perfect for that gig if the bats come around and the bullpen realizes its place on the team.

Opinions?

An e-card for your fellow Twins fan

As I am sure many of you are aware there are these things called "eee cards" they are like regular cards, but they don't cost money and consequently really don't mean anything. They are a great way to show a person that you only care enough to take 4 minutes to find a free ecard website. Some of you also might know of a website called someecards. This site embraces the fact that ecards will never be able to replace over priced cards with chimps and presidents on them, so they make very specific and often hilarious ecards instead.

Here is one that I found to be specifically poignant for Twins fans. Click here to "forward it like it's hot."

Northfield Knights. Team to beat?

The club that calls Sechler park home has started out the summer with some new faces and others that can't seem to get away. The biggest new face acquired would be that of our incoming manager, Clark Johnson. Johnson, a long time veteran of the Cannon Valley League (CVL) has been brought on to give our former player/manager (Scott Paulson 3B) the opportunity to become a more focused player. Johnson has been determined to turn this squad into one that mixes solid fundamentals with the focus on the detail that should combine for a desirable outcome. Other acquisitions to this this year's team have been: Eric Dunivent, a much needed catcher who has been great defensively and hit many hard shots that have found almost as many gloves. Trevor Hill, another catcher who has shown off outstanding receiving skills that have given our pitchers an immeasurable advantage. Randall Kruse, a middle infielder that has found some playing time at second base, has had some timely hits, including a game winning RBI in Owatonna. Aaron Troyansky, a pitcher, has made his time count - a Carleton student from California only had as long as his school year kept him around, but provided sound defense at a variety of positions, and soaked up some good innings on the mound. Youngsters Blake Faust and Jake Pumper, who have the freshest contracts, have yet to show what they can do for the Knights, but they will add some needed depth all over the field.

After a series of booted balls and misplaced line drives, the Northfield Knights amateur baseball team stumbled to a 2-6 start of the 2008 season. Since then, they have won three of four, with some notable highlights. Jeremy Kruse P/OF; fresh off a season pitching at DCTC this past spring, has improved on his velocity, control, and mound presence. He has given some dominating performances on the mound, and complimented them with some spurts of offense as well. His most recent trip to the mound was a stellar complete game, three hit shutout of nemesis, Red Wing. He also had three hits in the game. Kruse uses a mid-eighties fastball that tails and sinks, a change-up, slider, and curve ball that can all be thrown for strikes at will. He will play a key role in the success of the Knights' summer.

Jeremy Kruse

Golden Gopher Luke Rassmussen has also had some dominating moments from the mound. He has lost some close games due to a lack of offense and defense. When Rassmussen is on point he is pert near un-hittable, showing off a high eighties fastball, change-up, and curve ball that keeps batters wishing.

Luke Rassmussen

The pitching has definitely been the strong point for this year's Knights team. The bats have just started to hit, and are going to have to keep putting runs together to help out our aces.

After a month of baseball the Knights have found a little groove and should be exciting to watch for the rest of the summer. So I suggest you make a trip down to old Sechler park, and take in some classic town ball.

Theory on Neshek's Elbow

You never want to see a pitcher get hurt. Not when they are on your favorite team and especially not when they also like to blog. That's why it wasn't fun to see Neshek grab his elbow after throwing a slider to Joe Crede yesterday.

Here is short video clip of what happened. There is no sound on the clip but since it's taken from the White Sox broadcast that's probably a good thing.

Everyone seems to be calling it a strained right elbow, but I think it's obvious that it's a case of the dreaded "Wii Elbow."

On Friday May 2nd, less than a week ago, Neshek said on his own blog:

"Yesterday was spent hanging out with my family, playing with the dogs, playing some Wii and cleaning the house."

As a Wii owner, and I am sure TW83 can also attest, that I have oft injured my arm trying to throw a wicked slider in Wii Baseball or a hard forehand serve in Wii Tennis. My worry is, that in an attempt to mimic is throwing motion in video game form, he might have over-exerted his arm.

Neshek is getting the elbow looked at today by the team orthopedist and in all seriousness I hope everything is alright with the elbow and he gets back to early 2007 form soon. If you want more video of Neshek getting hurt during baseball games check this out.

Santana Decision to Come Today

Buster Olney say that the Twins decision on what to do with Santana could come as early as today. The Yankees might be even more desperate with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite being executed, so some are speculating Steinbrenner might cave on his hard stance of not including Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.


But if history has taught us anything it is to believe the hype that things will get done in a timely fashion when it comes to Santana. I feel so confident, on behalf of Alright Hamilton I want to welcome Phil and Ian to the Minne...

Oh, wait. I didn't read the last sentence of the ESPN article. "The Yankees appear to be not presently engaged whatsoever in the Santana talks." Oh, so that first 2 paragraphs were just pure speculation?

I guess there is nothing new to report. This is getting annoying.

To read more about the talks check out the latest Santana info at MLB Trade Rumors.

UPDATE: SANTANA TO METS ACCORDING TO ESPN.
If anyone knows anything about these prospects please inform me.

Joe Mauer's Girlfriend has a Baby!

ALRIGHT HAMILTON! EXCLUSIVE

I don't know about all of you but, all this Santana trade (non)news is making me depressed. It's upsetting reading about all of these rumors involving the Twins Ball club and none of them making me happy.

Luckily while scanning the tabloids online I came across this whopper of a story involving none other than the future face of the Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer.

The Twin Cities royal couple, Chelsea Cooley and Joe Mauer are making headlines with the recent announcement that Chelsea was pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful 11lb 2oz. boy!

Here is a recent picture of both the proud mother and father.

Similar to Tom Cruise's child, pictures of the new baby have been difficult to find due to the parents being quite reclusive. But Alright Hamilton! investigative reporters did track down one picture from an unnamed hospital staffer at Fairview Southdale Hospital where the child was birthed.

Here he is:


The young boy, who has yet to be named has his mothers, eyes, hair and smile. While the future HOFer has his fathers eye brows, nose and trademark sideburns.

The three are doing quite fine and would appreciate privacy during this exciting time.

All Things Considered, This Is Not Fun

By M. Haas

It seems that everything in back to square one in the Santana sweepstakes. We've been waiting and waiting. And then waiting some more. It's an interesting time for Twins fans. Most can't even agree on whether or not the Twins are playing to win in 2008. I wish it would just be over with so we could talk about the Twins chances. There's not much to say. All I know, is that I have been too wrapped up in this stuff.

Here's what I have learned from this off season so far:

- Hank Steinbrenner somehow sucks even more than his dad. But no one is sure how badly he sucks; and it all depends on the point of view. Non deals are just as important as deals. And by the way, how did the changing of the guard in the Yankees organization fly so far under the radar?

- The word "nearly" does not mean what you think it means.

- One can never pay too close attention to rumors. If they were true, they wouldn't be called rumors. Seriously. When they come true, it's cool - but that hardly ever happens. There has been about one thousand rumors about Santana, but next to no one saw the Marlins - Tigers trade...

- The Tigers will be good next season. They were second in the A.L. in runs scored last season, and look to be even better in '08. So how does this impact the Twins? I don't know, but it will be hard to win the division.

- How far away is April 2010? Someone do the math. It's farther than it seems. Delmon Young will be playing in the Metrodome next year. And the next. That's two seasons. That's depressing.

If anyone is near Nashville and wants to start some rumors. Print out the Official Alright Hamilton! Johan Santana Trade Rumor Mask. And walk into the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center and start giving interviews.

If you want to start a rumor that he went to Boston, download this mask.

If you want to say Johan is playing for the Yankees download this mask.

Or if you want to say Santana is staying with the Twins, retiring from baseball or going to any of the other 26 teams that can't afford him, download this mask.

Just Trade Him Already

I don't even know what to do anymore. If my employer knew how often I have been checking a diverse mix of mlbtraderumors.com, ESPN Blog, SI.com and Google News Search for "Santana Trade", I'd probably have been asked to leave by lunch.

I want as much as the next Minnesota fan, for the Twins to come away with, Lester, Ellsbury, Hughes, Melky, Wright, and Reyes for Santana in some kind of 3 team, 7 player deal. But it's probably not going to happen.

Let's just trade him straight up for a low level pitching prospect and some cash. We can turn anyone into a 2 (shoulda been 3) time Cy Young winner no problem. Liriano can help, he's pretty good.

I am just sick of waiting and I want to imagine some new players in the Blue, Red and White.

I'm joking... Keep holding out, let's get everything we can out of these rich bastards.

The Santana Clause

I think most of us were hoping there was going to be some bigger news at this point and we couls start speculating next years lineup, but it looks like the Santana Trade options with the Yankees have slowed down, possibly to a complete stop.

Hank is saying as far as any deal with the Yankee's "It's probably off".

Here is a quick question, if the Yankees are the Evil Empire, doe that make George Steinbrenner, Darth Vader? And then would that make Hank Steinbrenner, Darth Vader's son?Thus making him Luke Skywalker? Sorry, the picture of the day had me thinking about Star Wars. But I digress.

However, from what I can find on the interwebs it looks like a Red Sox deal is more likely. Curt Shilling badly wants Johan for the Red Sox, can you blame him?

The Boston Globe reported Twins and Boston ended their talks last night around 2am ET, but that a deal appears "close". According to the source it looks like the deal would be, pitcher Jon Lester, center fielder Coco Crisp, pitcher Justin Masterson and infielder Jed Lowrie.

Jayson Stark and La Velle E. Neal III have the same list of players so this is looking like it might be true.



Not a horrible trade but still not what I was looking for. Essentially I want nothing to do with Coco. But that's just my opinion what's yours?

World Series Preview

By TwinsWin83

Two months of Spring Training, 162 regular season games and three rounds of playoff baseball all come down to this: the Colorado Rockies against the Boston Red Sox for the 2007 World Series title. If you had the Rockies as your pre-season pick to win the National League you’re probably out buying a new car or boat with your winnings. The Red Sox aren’t quite the Cinderella story that the Rockies are with their 143 million dollar payroll and World Series title three seasons ago but this squad has taken a much different path to reach baseball’s biggest stage this year then it did in 2004. Will nine days off between the NCLS and Wednesday nights World Series opener cool off the white-hot Rockies? Can Beckett continue his October mastery on the mound and does Schilling have enough left in the tank to recreate his 2004 magic? Stay tuned over the next week and half for the answers.

Rockies vs. Red Sox

Season Series: Rockies 2-1


What you should know: All bets are off. No matter what you might think about Colorado’s recent hot streak or Boston’s October-savvy starting pitchers it’s hard to peg this year’s World Series winner just by looking at the stats. The Red Sox are 2-1 favorites if you’re placing bets in Vegas but even that doesn’t necessarily make them the safe pick here. If you think the new-kids-on-the-block Rockies don’t have a shot against the October-tested Red Sox please see recent articles on 2001, 2003 and 2006 in your World Series guide.


Why the Rockies will win: Because there has never been a hotter team heading into a World Series then Colorado is right now. They have won 21 of their last 22 games and have been playing in playoff-like games for nearly a month and a half now. Just when everyone thinks they are about to return back to earth and fold to a team more experienced than them the Rockies simply bang out another win even more impressive the last. Their pitching staff has been great over the teams historic run, from 17-game winner Jeff Francis to the suddenly lights-out bullpen. The Rockies showed that they could play in Fenway Park earlier this season when they took two out of three games there in an interleague matchup. If Colorado can pull out at least one win in Boston before heading back to Denver for Game 3 they could grab the upper hand in the series. With a defense that doesn’t make mistakes, an offense that seems to manufacture runs every time it needs to and a pitching staff that has been the backbone of the team’s amazing run there is little reason to believe the Rockies can’t compete with the Red Sox in this World Series. I’ve said it before each round this October but it begs repeating: this team seems to have a bit of magic about them this postseason and that could mean trouble for the Sox just like it did for the Phillies and D-Backs.


Why the Red Sox will win: Boston has only seven players on their roster that won a title with the team in 2004 but that doesn’t mean they aren’t equipped for this Fall Classic. Ace Josh Beckett has a history of pitching his best games on the biggest stage and Curt Schilling already owns a place in playoff lure for his bloody sock masterpiece during the Bo Sox last postseason run. Daisuke Matsuzaka seems to have found his fastball again after a solid outing in Game 7 against the Indians and Tim Wakefield always seems ready for some big innings if called upon. The bullpen has been strong with rookie Hideki Okajima setting up Papelbon and fellow newcomers Dustin Pedrioa and Jacoby Ellsbury provided a spark for the offense late in the ACLS. Thanks to yet another All-Star Game win for American League Boston will begin the World Series in the friendly confines of Fenway Park which could play a big role if the series makes it to a sixth game and beyond. If Beckett can cool down the Rockies in the opener it could knock Colorado off Cloud 9 and set the tone for the series.


What to watch for: Rockies staff vs. Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox leadoff hitter finally got his bat going late in the series against the Indians and the rookie could be the wild card in the series if he can continue to get on base and set the stage for Boston’s powerful middle of the lineup.


Who will win: The Rockies are one of the best stories baseball has seen in a long time but nine days off is a long time to remain as hot as they were without playing an actual game. Colorado only had five days off total in over the previous month before the NLCS ended, and as last year’s Detroit team will tell them, the time off isn’t always a good thing. Beckett will be tough to beat and if Boston has to they can start him three times in the series. The Rockies should play well in Denver but will struggle out of the gates in Boston. The Red Sox use the home field advantage to their benefit one more time and win it all for the second time in four years, ending the Rockies magical and amazing run. Red Sox in 6.


My World Series Champion Pick: Boston
Your Pick?....