Typical

Twins streak again
This one kicks off a two-game losing streak

By Bullpen Catcher

The Twins' loss to Cleveland Tuesday night signals the official end to post-season talk for this team. It also shows exactly why the Twins were never a true contender this season: Lack of any consistency at all.

The Twins go five straight to pull within 5.5 games of Cleveland, then, facing the Indians and playoff destiny in their own hands, puke up two straight losses. The season has been full of streaks like this.

Heck, they may even come back to within 5 games next week when they face the Indians again, but that's as close as they'll get.

It's difficult when Boof has been so bad on the mound. He simply can't cut it. It may be time to think about him in a trade package over the winter. What is his upside for this team? I see very little. The rest of the rotation has an upside: Garza has a live arm. Liriano has the possibility of being Liriano again. Baker looks like most fifth starters in the league. Santana is the best pitcher in the American League. Slowey is young enough to still be a prospect (think a young Kevin Tapani). Heck, there's even hope for Perkins if his arm could heal (think a young Mark Guthrie).

But Boofie? You can have him.

Should He Stay Or Should He Go Now?

"Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An’ if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know!
Should I stay or should I go?"
- The Clash
By Bullpen Catcher

Joe Strummer could just as well be singing his classic lyrics to Twins management.

Should Torii stay or should he go?
Should Johan stay or should he go?
Should Joe Nathan stay or should he go?
Should Terry Ryan stay or should he go?

The answers are as simple as the tune by The Clash: If any of them go it may be trouble; if they stay it may be double.

Longtime Star Tribune fossil/grump Sid Hartman made up something the other day (as is his usual wont), telling the WCCO-AM radio crowd Torii Hunter is for sure to be a Twin next year. He claims the Twins are readying money and lining up an offer for the Gold Glove centerfielder and put him under the TC lid for the rest of his career. Facts have never been Sid's best friend. Neither have common sense. If Hunter goes, sure there'll be trouble (ticket sales, jersey sales, center field defense, good quote), but if he stays it could be double. Double in the sense that it will cost the team from bringing whatever money they would dole out for Hunter to such better investments as Johan Santana and Justin Morneau.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday there are absolutely zero talks between Hunter's agent and Twins GM Terry Ryan. A Chicago Tribune story yesterday claims the White Sox's top free agent pursuit of the offseason will be to re-tool center field with Hunter. The Dallas Morning News had a story claiming the Rangers' top need of centerfield will be addressed this winter with Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones or Hunter being their top picks.

There are six weeks left in the 2007 season. The Twins pulled to within six games back in the Central. As Tom Powers adequately pointed out, the season is all but over for this team.

As Hunter's stock rises for offseason bidders, Johan Santana's takes exponential leaps. Santana becomes a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. I believe, as several Hall of Famer's claim, Santana is the best pitcher in the Major League right now. Every day the Twins don't lock Santana up to a long-term contract costs them money -- or Santana. The two-time Cy Young Award winner could fetch upwards of $20 million per season for a five-year contract.

Should they stay or should they go now? Heck, with decisions like this Terry Ryan might be thinking about leaving as fast as his hair.

(Torii Hunter photo courtesy of http://www.mlb.com)

Time To Think Positive About 2008

Next Year's Team Can Be Now
By Bullpen Catcher

The Catcher has returned to the Bullpen after a well-earned vacation.

As the Twins continue to play mediocre baseball, it's time to look ahead rather than dwell on the negatives that so easily abound right now.

Good moves by the Twins of late: Luis Rodriguez is now playing in the minor leagues with Lew Ford. This rightly allows youngsters Garrett Jones, Brian Buscher, Alexi Casilla and Tommy Watkins a chance to prepare for next season.

As duly pointed out in a nice column last week, it's time to ready everyone for next year. Even if the Tigers and Indians falter at an historic rate the rest of the season and the Twins get in the playoffs, they will be promptly disposed of by the likes of the Red Sox or Mariners.

In regards to the Times article: I agree it's time to let the youngsters play. But Mauer at leadoff? At first it seems an odd proposition. He's the Twins best hitter, but tends to be dismal with runners in scoring position. I would have suggested he'd fare better as a No. 2 hitter, but maybe leadoff isn't a bad idea. Heck, Barry Bonds used to lead off for the Pirates.

Anything different would be better. Morneau isn't himself. Cuddyer is playing as could be expected (last year was obviously a career year). Torii Hunter is back to being Torii Hunter.

Soon it will be time for the Bullpen Catcher to unveil some deeper thoughts on next year, but for now I've got a few bags to unpack ...

10-1 loss to Angels ... Ugh

Twins love the
binary system
Crappy offense yields nothing. Nothing.

By Bullpen Catcher

Homer: [on phone] Yeah, Moe, that team sure did
suck last night. They just plain sucked! I've seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked.

The Twins dropped yet another game last night, this time their offensive eruption wasn't enough to hold of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California Which Is Located In The United States Of America Baseball Team. The Minnesotans exploded for one run.

There's something wrong here. Binary system wrong. All 1's and zeros.

How's this for outbusts of offense? The Twins wasted a bunch of runs on the Omaha/Kansas City Royals on August 8 (11), but otherwise have nubbed out run totals of 1, 1, 1, 0, and 1 dating back to last weekend. Previous to that the Twins went on a 3, 2, 3, 5, 3 tear. Those numbers aren't going to cut anything, let alone with Scott Baker and Boof Bonser in the rotation.

It's gotten so bad even More-yes is in a hitting slump and not even hitting dingers to keep me interested. Did you notice John Mauer is hitting under .300. I guess it's time for everyone to start talking about moving him to shortstop or something.

When the moon hits your eye like a big Piazza pie ..

Amore?

Piazza isn't the answer

By Bullpen Catcher (photo from CNN.com)

Rumors of Tommy Lasorda's little pal landing on the Twins' roster this season seem absurd. Twelve-time All-Star Mike Piazza isn't leaving the Oakland A's for the Twin Cities and anyone who thinks his arrival would change anything for the local team needs to stop picking up packages labeled BALCO at the mailbox.

Piazza cleared waivers and can be traded to any team willing to pick up $2.6 million in salary for the rest of the season.

Piazza is my age. He was also a catcher. That being said, he's probably about done with his stellar career. This season, he's appeared in 43 games with the A's, mostly as the cleanup hitting DH. He has three home runs and 22 RBI, but is hitting .297.

Shooter wrote in his column this week that Piazza has a "gentleman's agreement" with A's GM Billy Beane that allows Piazza to veto any trade despite the fact he doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract. But the A's look ready to unload for next year -- they are 12.5 back in the lowly AL West and reportedly passed CF Shannon Stewart through waivers today, when he was picked up by the Chicago Cubs. Piazza apparently has no desire to play in the Twin Cities.

My sources said the Twins pursued Piazza after last season, hoping to make him a power right-handed bat in the DH slot. That pursuit went much the way of the Frank Thomas attempt following the 2005 season: nowhere because the team wouldn't pony up money set aside for Rondell White's doctors.

Besides, Piazza is built for the coasts ... hell his wife is a former Playboy Playmate. He doesn't want to be batting in a Twins lineup that can't score runs and can't/won't pay players.

Lew Ford sent to minors where he belongs

No More Leewwwww!
Here's something to cheer about

By Bullpen Catcher

The Twins finally sent OF Lew Ford to the minors this week. It's the one move the team has made recently that makes any sense. Ford was horrible the past few years and really only had one season worth calling him a major leaguer.

Since the Twins can't hit or score any runs, maybe it's time for people to stop being teased by the "we're still in it" talk and realize it's time for more dredge to get released or sent to the minors (If Lew Ford is gone, then why in the world is Luis Rodriguez still with the team?). Time to call up some guys to work on next year.

Glavine's 300th win says a lot about Bert

Biggest Hall Of Fame Atrocity?

Time for Bert Blyleven to enter Cooperstown

By Bullpen Catcher

Tom Glavine earned his 300th win Sunday and sent sports talk radio hosts into a tizzy with them making predictions like we won't see another 300-win pitcher in our lifetime.

There's enough talk generated by Glavine that Kelly Thesier and others got into the act in newspapers and online publications. The discussion is who is next to 300? Is it Johan Santana (89 wins at age 28) or Mark Buehrle of the White Sox (103 wins at 28)? Randy Johnson is having surgery on his arm in Arizona, but sits 16 short of 300 at age 43 (he turns 44 Sept. 10).

I'll say someone will break 300 in my lifetime again. I'd also say Santana has a horrible shot at it. He's left-handed for one thing (only six lefties in the Hall). He also could be on his way to a bad case of Blylevenitis.

Blylevenitis is named for the most famous person to have suffered through the condition that haunts him to this day. Symptoms include being a great pitcher for many, many years; playing for several mediocre teams; not playing for any New York, Chicago or Boston team; and, I believe, for having red hair, a beard and being from Holland.

So Glavine won his 300th game and that "automatically" puts him in the Hall of Fame in the future. Great. I'm happy for you. But is 300 the only measure? Ask yourself if Randy Johnson is a Hall of Fame pitcher. Is he? C'mon, think hard.

I'll help: Johnson is pitching in his 20th season. His career stats sit at 3.81 ERA, 284-150 record, 3,855 IP (566 games played), 4,616 strikeouts, 3,065 hits allowed, 98 complete games, 37 shutouts, 368 HR allowed.

Blyeven: 22 seasons, 3.90 ERA, 287-250 record, 4,970 IP (692 games played), 3,701 strikeouts, 4,632 hits allowed, 242 complete games (!), 60 shutouts, 430 home runs allowed.

Blyleven didn't do this playing with Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Alex Rodriguez (Seattle) or Curt Schilling, Luis Gonzalez (Arizona) or Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and company (Yankees). Nope, Bert sludged alongside teammates in such hallowed 1970s and '80s powerhouses as the Twins (1970-76, 85-88), Texas Rangers (76-77), Pittsburgh Pirates (78-80), Cleveland Indians (81-85), and California Angels (89-92). He was a part of World Series champions in 1979 and 1987, but often his work went without much bat help.

Glavine's 300 wins is nothing short of fantastic. I'm not belittling the feat at all. But if you ask yourself if Randy Johnson (next on the active wins list) retired today, would he be in Cooperstown and you say yes -- then you must also say the same for Bert.

Cirillo gone, Santana unhappy, Twins losing

Recent moves puzzling
Cirillo latest to go; Twins lose ground

By Bullpen Catcher
Utility player/ponderer of retirement Jeff Cirillo was claimed by Arizona and let go with no compensation. It was another in a series of near dumbfounding moves by the Twins:

1) Trade leadoff hitter/second baseman Luis Castillo for two low-level minor leaguers (one a catcher);
2) Made no trade of any significance to upgrade the team at the trade deadline;
3) Made no trade of any significance to get rid of contracts that were expiring and pick up prospects;
4) Letting Jeff Cirillo go at a time when the team talks about veteran leadership and needs hitting.

I'm not sure what's going through the heads of those at 34 Puckett Place, but it sure isn't looking like things are getting better. The Star-Tribune's story about Johan Santana's unhappiness may be a portent of what is going on in the team's clubhouse.

Santana's right. When does the rebuilding end? When do fans decidedly stop accepting being "that plucky lil' team that almost was contracted" and demand Carl Pohlad and Terry Ryan put together a team that lasts longer than one year?

The time for revolt is upon us. Fans heard a song-and-dance from Twins management that is much like the Scarecrow's song from Wizard of Oz: "If I only had a stadium ..." Well Carl, you got the taxpayer's money and construction has begun.

Pay up.

Time for the Twins to ADD to the team and pay the big players (Santana, Nathan, Hunter, Morneau, Cuddyer) and keep Joe Mauer happy. Add one more veteran pitcher to settle the Kids Rotation of next year down and kick ass for a few years.

So tired of celebrating "being in the wildcard race". So tired.

Bridge Collapse

Bullpen Catcher and friends and family have all been accounted for since the collapse of the I-35W bridge Wednesday night. Spud was 300 feet short of the bridge on the south side (just past Washington Ave.) when it fell. He said he felt the ground shake and everyone all of a sudden started backing up quickly. He backed up to the Washington Ave. exit and got off the interstate and drove through the Cedar area south and didn't see anything else.

Thank God this didn't grow to a larger tragedy. God bless those who died or were injured in any way (physical or psychologically). It sure is hard to drive over a bridge now without worry, isn't it? I think my favorite quote thus far came from Sen. Amy Klobuchar who said something to the effect of: "Bridges in America just shouldn't fall down."

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins (http://www.mntwins.com); video courtesty of YouTube.