MLB Thread Number 3, 2007

And, since twinsfanboyloosersSportsJournalists.com was woefully underrepresented last night, I'll let Dick Bremer do the talking for us...

"There it goes... My Goodness!" *

Pure Minnesota, right there.

*This is what you say when Morneau turns on a belt-high change and swats it into the upper deck to give the Twins an extra-inning win over the White Sox. Then you have a little lunch.

 

Apparently not ESPN, which is showing Yankees-Rangers. Yay, another matchup of sub-.500 teams.

Here's a drinking game for you - do a shot every time Clemens is named. I bet you'll be trashed by the third inning.

 

SoSueMe, can I honestly say that I am fustrated with the Jays? I don't know what is wrong with them ???

JP was given a 100 million dollar budget and this is what he has to show for it after his years with the Jays? I think Gibbons has to be fired first and foremost and I would do it this month (they should not wait until the end of the season because if they get someone in, the Jays could somehow salvage their season).

I am also tired of hearing the "injury excuse"...it wears off after a while. Their farm team in Syracuse doesn't even have that much talent. The fact is JP did not address the bullpen issue in the offseason and
after Halliday and Burnett, there is not much else. Also, we have to remember that when JP had 75 million to spend on the team, the market was not great so all he could get is mediocre players.

See, JP may have been great in Oakland, but he has not been able to improve the Jays drastically.

 

This long-distance dedication goes out to Good Doc and SC.

 

Hey, BYH, How is Josh Beckett doing this year?

 

Josh who?

 

You know, that one guy. Used to pith for the Marlins.

What's his face...

 

But can he pitch?

 

Who knows? Maybe someone will post his numbers and we'll be able to deduce his ability from there...

 

My $.02 on the Blue Jays.

This past offseason JP's two big moves were signing Frank Thomas to DH and to re-sign Vernon Wells to a long term deal. The jury is still out the Thomas move but the Wells signing was greeted with huzzahs! in Toronto because it was looking like he was going to be lost to free-agency.

As far as shoring up the bullpen or starting rotation via free agents - let me ask what free agents were available? Nobody needed bullpen help more than the Red Sox and they passed on the free agents because there was no sure things. Do you overpay and take a risk on a Gagne when you already have a BJ Ryan? The Red Sox were able to get Donnelly and Okijima fairly cheaply - so yeah JP was out maneuvered there but the Braves had to deal a Adam LaRoche to get a Gonzalez and a Horacio Ramirez to get a Rafael Soriano. Those are risky deals and maybe JP didn't think he needed to take those risks.

As far as starters - who was available? Pettitte was only going to sign with the Astros or Yankees. Schmidt, Zito and Wolf all wanted to stay in California. Who was he to sign? Ted Lilly or Gil Meche? He would have been crucified for giving big money contracts to those types of starters.

Injuries to BJ Ryan and Gustavo Chacin have hurt a lot. But so has the underperforming of AJ Burnett (who is pitching like a #5 starter not the #2 he's supposed to be) and Lyle Overbay (batting just .237).

I don't think Gibbons managing is helping things either.

 

Chris' analysis is pretty accurate. Let's not forget losing Reed Johnson, either. He's among game's underrated players.

Switching subjects, the Brewers won again. Geoff Jenkins, who guaranteed in spring training he was going to have a big year, continues to have a big year, despite a semi-platoon situation.

 

The Brewers still haven't gotten much out of Bill Hall, either.

By the time the Twins are done with their AL Central schedule, their interleague games with the NL East and "traditional rival" games with the Brewers, they're probably going to end up with the toughest schedule in baseball.

It starts to look especially tough when they can't beat the Royals.