Nothing's Going to Stop us Now!

By Tyler Savage

The Vikings had a great opportunity the last two games--win and your in the playoffs. This is a scenario that usually gets fans excited; with the Viking's fans, this is not the case. I personally felt horrible about the Viking's chances against the Giants, and all the fans calling in on KFAN also felt the same way. Surprisingly, the Vikings won on Sunday, and they are going to the playoffs. So here is the point--if we want the Vikings to win, we have to have zero hope for them. If the hope train starts we are in big trouble. Here is what is likely going to happen:

1. The Vikings are going to kill the Eagles at home. Why? Because the hope has not started for the Vikings just yet. Fans are still timid, the Vikings have whispered that they loved us many times after screwing up, and we are sick of taking them back (I have already let them come back to my home after 3 late night bar calls). I honestly see the offense looking like a Juggernaut in this game and going for over 500 yards of total. The key to the hope train will be Tavaris Jackson going crazy in this game.

2. (option 1): This is the hard part, even with the huge win against the Eagles, the fans may not have much hope with the Vikings going on the road in the second round to face the Panthers. If this is the case, the Viks will roll over the Panthers.

(option 2): People get excited, and the real T.J. shows up. Hovan marches off the field and gets hit with chew (hey! how did he get back on the team?).

3. (if option 1 happens): The Vikings go into Giant Stadium 1 win away from the Super Bowl. Want to know what will happen: google 41-0 NFC Championship. If the Viks do make the Super Bowl, I could not tell you what will happen, I will then be back on the hope train and all hell will break loose.

Merry Christmas and Happy Festivas!

By Tyler Savage

It is official--if you like sports this is the greatest time of the year. Thanksgiving officially kicked off this greatest time, and it will end instantly at the end of the NFC and AFC Championship games. Here are the things that make the next month and a half a great time to watch sports:

Thanksgiving football:
Yes, the games sucked--but who cares. Is there anything better than a family holiday that is all about watching football and stuffing your face--I don't think so. Wait...yes there is something better, if we could get rid of the family part to Thanksgiving and make it a holiday that we have to share with our friends.

Baseball Winter Meetings:
This is my second favorite time of the baseball year (only the spring training with the hope of a World Series is better). In a way, the winter meetings are the official start to the new hope of a new season, and Red...hope is a good thing. There is nothing better than reading the rumors flying around, and waiting for the Twins to sign their big free agent. Wait...yes there is something better, and that would be when the Twins actually do sign that big free agent (note to readers, this has yet to happen in Twins' history).

Crappy College Bowl Games:
This is the only time of year that you would watch Troy play Akron on a Tuesday night. Why...because both teams are playing for the pride of godaddy.com (whoever the hell that guy is). What's my idea for a good new crappy bowl game? Glad you asked: take two crappy teams-records don't matter-who average around 30 points a game, and match them against each other. Also, the teams have to be only a high powered jittery passing team, and they have to have horrible pass defenses. Then, you fly these teams to the country of Colombia and host the first every Coffee Bowl presented by Folgers Morning blend. Final score: 110-108 on a last second safety.

Good Bowl Games:
The magic of the Christmas season is all about the great bowl games, and the fact that you don't have to work or go to school during most of these games. What would I change about sports if I were president? Glad you asked: Make it illegal to play any bowl games after New Year's Day. Why are the games being pushed back all the way to the 5th of January? I want one day of super football to end with the BCS game.

Sports Documentary Shows During Xmas Eve:
The year in review, the top ten games of the year, and the top performers of the year--I love those shows. Who could forget in '99 when ESPN ended their 100 Greatest Athletes Series over Christmas? Patrick Ewing not in the top ten is still confusing.

Fight Night:
MMA season officially kicks off. Ordering the December UFC with a group of 20 guys is never a bad idea. Going downtown shortly afterwards will always have a story that starts with: "Remember that fight that (insert drunk guys name here) got into after we watch UFC..."

These are just a few of the things to look forward to in the rest of the year. Why didn't I mention the Super Bowl? Because the Super Bowl sucks, and is officially the downfall of sports, and it kicks off the worst month and a half or sports watching (watch for that column soon)!

Dream Bowl Games

David Jensen

The College football season is done and all the bowls are set. Yes, the BCS is terrible, but since the 1A postseason was bought and paid for a long time ago, there's really no sense in bitching about it. The only way to console ourselves is to dream up games we actually want to see, not which games Federal Express wants to shove down our throats. I thought I'd share some of the match-ups I'll be dreaming about.
Note: It is now 1990. A strange time when bowls were named for the stadium's they were played in, usually having something to do with the region or host city. Keep in mind that playing on New Years Day is a great honor at this time in history.

Liberty Bowl-Georgia v Oklahoma State. Both are very good teams in great conferences. Both would score in the 30's. 35-31 UGA

Fiesta Bowl-USC v Oklahoma. The imovable object versus the irresistable force. USC gave up 93 points in 12 games, 27 of those to Oregon St. OU scored 645 points. They gained 39 first downs against the 20th ranked team in the land. It would be a clash so epic, we would be lucky if the football Gods let us know who won, much less watch it.

Orange Bowl 1-Oklahoma v Texas. A rematch for all the marbles! 45-42 Texas.

Orange Bowl 2-USC v Alabama. Two great defenses, two very good offenses. 27-20 USC.

Sun Bowl-Nebraska v Minnesota. Great mismatch no. 1. I love it when the Huskers score 60+ in bowl games. 65-28 Nebraska.

Sugar Bowl-Ohio State v Florida. Great mismatch no. 2. Isn't it great to see the Buckeyes get run over by the SEC on the National Stage? 55-18 Gators.

Cotton Bowl-Boise State v Texas Tech. Two programs trying to prove their not just a gimmick or a fluke. 43-42 BSU.

Gator Bowl-Nebraska v Ole Miss. Two programs striving for the top tier in great conferences. 27-24 Nebraska.

Citrus Bowl-Nebraska v Miami (FL). Always great when these two meet in bowl games. This time, the 2 point conversion succeeds! 32-31 Nebraska.

Sugar Bowl-Texas v Alabama. With the national championship on the line, there would be bodies everywhere! 28-24 Texas.

Las Vegas Bowl-Buffalo v Ohio. Both coaches were Big Red running backs. 28-17 Buffalo.

Boise Bowl-Minnesota v Wisconsin. I never get tired of watching the Gophers blow late leads. 33-31 Badgers.

Scout Team East v West Allstar Game. A new spin on the Senior Bowl. I would love to see this game happen. Make allstar teams of the best freshman players in the country who red-shirted that season and toiled all fall running their opponents' plays. It would be a futures game! Play it on Christmas eve at the L.A. Collesium.

Winter of Change?

By Tyler Savage

What do the Twins need to do to win the World Series this off season. Before you read this make sure that you realize that the Twins are not going to accomplish these things, because it's not in their nature. Also realize that I am going to mention some things that are pretty realistic. I am not going to make up some weird trade situations that would be completly impossible (example: Boof Bonser for K-Rod, a player to be named, and cash).

First, the Twins need to lock up third base and shortstop with legit middle of the road players. To accomplish this, they need to sign a proven free agent at short or third. Then they need to use their abundance of outfielders to trade for another proven MLB short or third basemen.

Next, the Twins need to sign some form of middle relief this off season. With the injury of Ole Pat N. the Twins may need to overpay Reyes to get things done. Young arms are coming up, but the team will still need a proven arm in the end.

Then, Re-sign Punto as a utility infielder and use him 2-3 times a week. Punto is not an everyday player, but he is a damn good utility player. With proper use, this will keep our infielders healthy and in the lineup.

Lastly, put Kubel on a short leash. He looks good at times, then he drops the S-bomb on TV and strikes out with three men on. I think he could become a break out star of the league...he is too damn relaxed though. The team needs to give him an ultimatum--produce or pack up your stuff.

The Twins have issues to fill this off season, making the right moves could make for a great dome get away. I have a feeling Bill Smith will make some moves and noise this off season.

I Miss Hating You

At the range, we have decided a new approach--from now on, we are blogging about anything that we find fun to write about. Here is my first try:
By Tyler Savage

In the upcoming years there are four big sports teams that I want to see return to glory. The first two are obvious, I long for the Knicks to bring me back to the NBA, which was after all my first sports love. Secondly, I am awaiting the return of my beloved Miami Hurricanes to make the news in other ways then from fighting and shooting deaths.

The next two teams I want to get good again are the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Chicago Bulls. Yes, I am talking about the same Bulls who made me cry in every 1990's playoff seasons. And yes, I am talking about the same Cornhuskers team who made me lose money when they crushed the Tennessee Volunteers in the Fiesta Bowl.

These teams caused me a lot of pain growing up, why should I want them to return to glory? The answer is simple: I miss hating them.

Don't misunderstand me. For the first few years, I took great pleasure in the Bulls' and Huskers' pain. The 2002 Rose Bowl was one of my greatest sport's watching moments. The complete destruction of the Bulls after '98 was a fine moment also. However, now it has just gotten pathetic.

It's like that girl you hated in High School. When she gained 20 lbs. after her freshmen year of college it brought you joy. Now you see her, and she's got a kid, short hair, and weighs 200 lbs; secretly, you long for her to make a comeback, lose the weight, and get back to being perfect...so that you can hate her again.

So for now, I am going to be rooting for the Huskers and the Bulls. I am going to root them right into the championship game of their respected leauges. Then, right as they take the field, I will rip off their team shirt, and take pleasure in watching them choke on the highest stage.

Predictions Revisited

By David Jensen

ESPN is smart enough to bury it's predictions so they don't look like fools. But I'm not. Let's see how I did.
AL
East Actual: Tampa Bay
Prediction: NY Yankees. Injuries and age held back The Bombers who sitll had a decent year by most standards, just not thier own.
Central Actual: Chicago
Prediction: Detroit. Offseason deals made for one of the funniest seasons in a generation. White Sox tried thier damnedest to fade away, but the Twins wouldn't let them.
West Actual: California
Prediction: California. Hot shit, I got one right.
Wild Card Actual: Boston
Prediction: Cleveland. Injuries and the leaky bullpen cost them this year.
Worst Record Actual: Seattle
Prediction: Baltimore. Baltimore managed to finish 7.5 games ahead of Seattle who some picked to win the west.
Surprise Prediction: Minnesota. I'd say I got that one right. In March, the Devil Rays had a much better team on paper.
Disappointment Prediction: Chicago. Clearly not. It's split between Detroit and Seattle. The Mariners paid $1.07 million per loss!
NL
East Prediction: Philadelphia
Actual: Philadelphia. That one was too easy.
Central Prediction: Milwaukee
Actual: Chicago. I thought the Cubs would celebrate 100 year anniversary by not building on 2007's success and burning down Wrigleyville.
West Prediction: Arizona
Actual: Los Angeles. Dbacks made me look like a genius in April. Then tried to give the west to anyone who would take it.
Wild card Prediction: NY Mets
Actual: Milwaukee. I knew the Mets would piss away the division, but screw up the wild card for the 2nd year in a row?
Worst record Prediction: San Francisco
Actual: Washington. Oh, those poor Senators!
Surprise Prediction: Pittsburgh. I have to say it's Florida at 84-77. Got a good deal for Willis and his 9.38 ERA.
Disappointment Prediction: Atlanta. I'd say I got that one right. They finished 4th with 90 loses
after many picked them for the division. Although the defending champion Rockies went 74-88.

My world series pick wasn't even remotely close. Neither made the playoffs and they finished a
combined 2 games above .500.

Round Three

By David Jensen

2008 is an important year for Boof Bonser. This is his third year in the majors, he is a very talented pitcher and much has been expected from him since Minnesota acquired him from the Giants. On top of that, the Santana trade has put more pressure on him to perform now. He is the longest tenured Twin and has the most career starts in the American League in the rotation. That is why I picked Boof for my annual “Perform or you’re dead to me” ultimatum. Previous challenges have made Justin Morneau an MVP and Carlos Silva a Cy Young candidate, for Seattle. My expectations for Bonser are average for a number two starter: seven wins with a winning percentage of at least .450 with an ERA under 3.75 at the all-star break.

A month into the season, Boof has, at times, looked like a premier pitcher. In six starts, he is 2-4 with a 3.75 ERA, 22 strike outs and 9 walks. Opponents are hitting .250 with three home runs against him in 36 innings of work.

In his first two starts, he wasn’t sharp, but he gave the Twins a chance to win both games. He allowed three ER in on eight hits in six innings with four ks against the Angels. Against Kansas City, it was 3 ER on eight hits in seven innings with four ks and no walks. Minnesota lost 9-1, 3-1. In his third start, in KC, Bonser shut out the Royals on three hits for six innings to pick up his first win. Next was his only truly bad game thus far. The Devil Rays lit him up for seven runs, six earned, on seven hits in just four innings as the Twins lost 7-3. He rebounded in his next start by holding Oakland to two runs on three hits over six innings. Same old story, Boof falls to 1-4 as the A’s win 3-0. Bonser finished April in fine style. Against the hated White Sox, he allowed six hits in seven innings with one walk and 8 ks. He gave up just one run on a solo shot by Joe Crede.

Despite a 2-4 record, Bonser had a good month of April. He’s given up 8.8 hits per 9IP with a 3.75 ERA. Minnesota’s offense has averaged 7.7 hits and 1.7 runs of support in his starts.

The High Life

The 1988 Baltimore Orioles have popped the champainge. Their record of 21 consecutive loses to start a season is safe for another year. The Tigers defeated the Red Sox 7-2 tonight to improve to 1-7 on the year. They were not able to gain any ground on the Royals however, who beat the Yankees for the second day in a row. Minnesota evened its series with Chicago with a 12-5 triumph. Jason Kubel went 2 for 4 with a grand slam and six RBI. Despite this performance, he is still dead to me.

Who are these Guys?

By David Jensen

After eight games, the Twins have been a model of inconsistency. That can be expected from a club fielding six new starters. The good news: New comers Carlos Gomez, Livan Hernandez and Nick Blackburn are off to good starts and Leinenkugel’s has finally made it to Montana. The bad news: Boof Bonser, Morneau and the offense are still in Fort Myers. Minnesota is 3-5 and 2.5 games behind Chicago and Kansas City.

At the top of the order, Gomez has been Minnesota’s only consistent offensive weapon. In his first week as a Twin, Gomez is 11 for 33 at the plate with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He’s hit two doubles, stolen five bases in five attempts and scored five runs. Mauer, hitting second, is batting .308 with five RBIs. Cuddyer went 5 for 17 before going on the 15 day DL with a dislocated and lacerated finger.

Infielders Mike Lamb and Adam Everett are hitting a combined .160 with five RBI. Brendan Harris is leading the infielders in hitting with a .263 average, with one walk, four strikeouts and one error at second base. Twins infielders are hitting a combined .240 with 11 RBI. Justin Morneau has struggled his way to .222 with six RBI, two homeruns, three walks and five strikeouts.

As for the rest of the new everyday players; Delmon Young has a solid .290 average with 2 RBI and no homers, and Craig Monroe is .091 with one RBI while splitting the DH role with Jason Kubel. Kubel is hitting .227 with 2 RBI and one homer. The Twins DH spot is hitting .180 with 2 RBI and one homer. That is simply astonishing. Where is Paul Molitor when you need him? Minnesota’s team average is .258.

The pitching has been decent. The team ERA is 4.05. The Starters are at 3.87 with the bullpen at 4.50.

Hernandez has started 08 like Ramon Ortiz started 07. Livan has won both his starts, going seven innings and allowing seven hits in each. He has a 3.86 ERA, 3 strikeouts, 0 walks, and opponents are hitting .260 off him. Let’s hope he doesn’t follow Ortiz down the gutter. Blackburn has been very impressive in his first two major league starts. On April 2^nd, he pitched seven, stuck out five and gave up five hits to a very good Angel’s lineup. He surrendered one run on a wild pitch in the seventh and took a 1-0 loss.

On Monday against Chicago, he went five, allowed seven hits and two runs and struck out five to earn a no-decision.

Except for the seventh inning on Monday, the bullpen has been almost perfect. Joe Nathan is celebrating his big payday with a great start. He’s recorded three saves in three appearances allowing 0 runs on three hits with 3 ks. Pat Neshek has pitched 4.3 innings, struck out five and allowed three runs, all on Monday. Matt Gurrier has pitched 3.3 innings, giving up four hits, three walks and struck out two. He’s allowed two earned runs, both on Monday as well.

Notes

The Twins have hit into 14 double plays this year.

The Twins have turned 5 double plays.

Torii Hunter hit .188 with an RBI and 4 ks in his first series as an Angel.

WE'RE BACK BABY!!!

It's time to cash in those 401 K's for Twins' World Series tickets. Twins' fans had almost given up on their team, when the team made a miraculous come back. After defeating the KC Royals, it is obvious that the Twins are the real deal this year. This squad is clearly a better comeback team than the '06 squad, and they may even give Rocky in Rocky III a run for his money.

On a side note: The Detroit Tigers are clearly back in their 2000 and 2001 form, look for them to stay at the bottom of the barrel.

...And That's When it All Came Crashing Down Upon Us

By David Jensen

The Minnesota Twins are in big trouble. After dominating the Angels in the first game of the year, the Twins have looked like the worst team in the AL since. Tonights loss sends them below .500 to a 1-2 mark. In Tuesday nights game, the they put on a clinic of poor pitching, bungling defense and inept hitting in key situations. California rolled over Bonser and the Twins 9-1. On Wednesday night, they were again completely lost at the plate as Joe Saunders shut them down for eight innings. The two game skid puts them a distant 1.5 games behind Cleveland and Kansas City. From what we've seen the last two nights, Minnesota will be very fortunate if they don't smash the 1962 Mets record for losses in a season.

Anything is Possible

By David Jensen

After one game, the Twins appear to be the team to beat in the American League. Livan Hernandez pitched 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits to earn his first win as a Twin. Carlos Gomez went 2 for 3 with two runs and two stolen bases. Cuddyer drove the winning run. Even Jason Kubel got a hit. Then Neshek and Nathan dominated out of the bullpen to slam the door on the Angels.
Among the six newcomers to the starting lineup, Delmon Young went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Brenden Harris went 2 for 4 with two strikeouts and played a good second base.
Minnesota played a great game all around. The defense was stellar and the pitching was solid. They ran the bases agressively and stole four bases to set up opportunities in the early innings. I don't think I've seen a better opening day performance from the Twins. There is no way this will all come crashing down upon us.

2008 Predictions

By David Jensen

Before last season, I made predictions on the division races and playoffs. They turned out to be very poor predictions. So poor in fact, Jim Souhan might have done better. So I put some more thought into this years.

AL

East- New York
Central- Detroit
West - California
Wild Card- Cleveland
Worst Record- Baltimore
Surprise - Minnesota
Disappointment- Chicago
Champion- Cleveland

NL

East - Philadelphia
Central- Milwaukee
West - Arizona
Wild Card- New York
Worst Record- San Francisco
Surprise - Pittsburgh
Disappointment- Atlanta
Champion - Arizona

World Series Arizona in 7

AL Central

1. Detroit - Good pitching, great lineup, great manager. They should have a better September than last the two years.

2. Cleveland- Everything hinges on the Bullpen

3. Minnesota- I have no idea how the Twins will finish this year. I would not be surprised if they finished first, or last. But I don’t think they will finish behind Chicago or Kansas City, could they?

4. Kansas City- Good looking young team. Somebody should tell ownership the Royals are not a farm team.

5. Chicago - If they’re out of the race in July, look for them to pack up the circus and fade away.

Miscellaneous

Team to go 100 years without winning a
world series- Chicago Cubs

Teams the national media won't give up on until September, even though they were out of it in May- Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs/White Sox, Houston, Atlanta and Oakland

Highest attendance- New York Yankees

Lowest attendance- Florida

Teams that won't need new stadiums- Yankees, Minnesota and Kansas City

Restraining orders filed by Bob Uecker- 3

Amount of Christmas presents Carl Pohlad will dump into
Lake Superior in tons-16

Times Tyler will be enraged by "Circle Me Bert" signs- 1377

Times Joe Morgan will go on at great length when someone does something that an eight year old little leaguer could have done just as well- 57

Soulless yuppies who will truly appreciate the Twins, the Metrodome and Baseball- 0

The Twins stadium project will face several more obstacles and construction will halt in late August.

Wishful Thinking

Boston will make a trade with Minnesota that will be looked back on as the single greatest front office blunder in the expansion era. As a result, Theo Epstein will resign in shame and the Red Sox will embark on another 86 year World Series drought.

Fox will disband its sports division and Joe Buck will apologize to America shortly before going into exile in Mongolia.

That's what I could come up with while doing my laundry. I'm confidant they will prove better than anything Jim Souhan and John Kruk will come up with.

Stat Chat 3/13

Pitching Numbers:

Starters:

• Boof is at 5.40, he has had two outings, looked okay against Boston, and bad against the Yankees. He has pitched five innings and give up four walks, and only has one strike out.
• Vet. Hernandez has pitched 3 games, pitched 9 innings, and has an ERA of 8.00. Lots of innings, but lots of runs.
  
• Slowey has a 8.10 ERA in 6.2 innings. He has given up 15 hits, and has 4BB.
• Liriano came back to pitch 3.2 innings has a 7.36 ERA, with only 2 SO. He also has 3 BB.
• Baker has had two solid starts 0.00 with 4 SO. However he is sidelined with back pain, may put him out to start the year.
  

Stat Chat

By Tyler Savage

Let's look at the newcomers

• Delmon Young has had 22 AB, he has a .435 OBP, .545 SLG, .435 AVG. He is going crazy right now, but look out for this guys numbers this year.
• Craig Monroe not as many AB, .750 SLG, .375 AVG, .412 OBP. Hopefully we may have a DH.
• Gomez: .185 OBP, .292 SLG, .167 AVG. He has speed, but he needs to be on base to use it.
• Lamb: 13 AB this guys needs to stay healthy.
  

Another Question on Health?

• Mauer: 14 AB

This is your last Chance:

• Punto: .077 SLG and AVG.
• Kubel: .190 AVG, .292 SLG

Breaking down the pitching tomorrow

Bad Karma

Tyler Savage

Since Dave brought me back to watching the Twins in 2002, Twins fans have suffered some bad karma. The problem is that I can't figure out what we are doing that is so bad that is causing us to suffer so much. Here is a brief recap of our bad luck:

2002: Twins make it to the playoffs while facing contraction. The crowd at the Dome before game 1 of the ALDS is crazy. I literally thought that Dave was going to punch me because he was so excited (he bought 10 homer hankies before the game). Oakland starts the game by hitting an inside the park home run--the crowd was dead. We later get defeated by the rally monkey in LA.

2003: Roger Clemens and his steroids defeat us in the ALDS.

2004: The Twins blow a huge lead in game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees and Ruben Sierra hits a grand slam to tie the game. Kyle Lohse throws a wild pitch to give the Yankees the lead in extra innings, leaving Scotty speechless.

2005: The Twins spend 162 games trying to figure out how Ruben Sierra hit a grand slam to tie game 4 of the ALDS.

2006: After one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports, the Twins lose three straight games to Oakland in the ALDS. To make matters worse, none of the games were night games, the season ended and many of us did not even get to see it.

2007: This was another season where the Twins spent 162 games trying to get over what happened to them the year before in the playoffs. They also get rid of Luis Castillo, Tori Hunter, and trade Johan Santana for a box of Cracker Jacks and a celebrity's a-line tank top.

Twins fans need to find out how to get karma back on our side. There are only two more seasons left for the Twins to get to the World Series at the Dome. I want to finish 2009 with a game 7 World Series win, while seeing it from the seats, and helping Dave steal a toilet from the Dome in celebration...is that too much to ask?

Minnesota Punked.

I think we are going to be okay here guys.
Here's how I see this playing out...opening day at the dome, Scott Baker is just about to throw out the first pitch when Ashton Kutcher pops up 0n the jumbotron and says, "Yo, Minnesota Twins fans...you got punked!"
and after a series of fireworks, Johan cuts his way out of the baggie and comes running out of right field to throw a perfect game and lead us to an undefeated season.
I think that this is the only logical explanation for this crazy trade.

Betrayed

Or: Welcome to Edmonton
By David Jensen

I read the news today, oh boy. All winter, the Twins had us standing on the gallows, and this week, the trap door swung open. I read the text message from a reliable source in New York, but I could not believe what it told me. "Johan traded to Mets." My chest sunk and I became sick. Surely they wouldn't do that to us. This had to be a cruel joke. It didn't add up. Why now? Why to the Mets? Who for? Carlos Gomez? How many Cy Youngs has he won? Who else? Three prospects? I'd better wake up now, I must be late for work. But this was no nightmare, and sad confirmation soon slammed home.
Then I was blinded by a thin ray of hope. "Deal pending contract extension." The days wore on and I limped through the motions of life. Maybe they won't come to terms. Maybe Johan doesn't want to play in New York. Maybe the Mets will reconsider. Maybe he'll exercise his no-trade clause and come home and all will be forgiven. But that couldn't happen. If a trade is aborted, things are never the same. The front office would quickly find a new deal. Or Santana's play would suffer. Even if he made it to the end of the season in Minnesota, he wouldn't resign after being treated that way.
Then, last night, my source sent word. "6 yrs 137 million." I went numb. That moment was the closest I've ever came to forsaking the Twins. Worse than any strike. Worse than steroids. Worse than Rick Reed. It was a pain few fans feel. Most fans complain that players have no loyalty. They call the talk radio shows and bitch about Johnny Damon, Plaxico Burress and Jason Giambi going after the big money. But we Twins, Royals, Rockies and A's fans get no loyalty from our franchises. They give us empty talk and cliches about the future and how they'll "try everything in their power...", but nothing ever changes.
I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that Morneau and Cuddyer were just signed to long term deals. But isn't that what they promised us after they won their stadium fight in one of the great bamboozelments of all time? They said they needed it to sign bigger contracts. Sure they signed Mauer too, but all I can think about is how we lost Castillo, Hunter and Santana. It's fitting that days before the trade, the foundation for the new stadium was poured. Pohlad must have been waiting until they couldn't take it back before he pulled the trigger. Be careful Carl, It's a long way until opening day 2010.