Tigers Sweep Yanks

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Every Yankee-hater’s heart is swelling glad tonight after the Detroit Tigers’ four-game sweep in the ALCS. It wasn’t just the Tigers’ domination – they were never behind in any game – it was how bad the Yankees looked. They got two (two!) runs off Detroit starting pitching in four games, and both were scored by someone named Eduardo Nunez, who wasn’t even on the Yankees’ playoff roster when the series started.
Not only were the Yankee hitters impotent, they gave us hope of bad years to come. Look down the lineup: Ichiro is fading – Seattle was much improved by his departure. Curtis Granderson was exposed as a strikeout artist, and he’s on the wrong side of 30, too. Robinson Cano, supposedly the best player in New York and the only youth in the Yankee lineup, set a record by going 0-for-29 and responded with lackluster effort and poor defense. Derek Jeter, my personal bete noire for his smug manner, epitomizing ‘Yankee cool,’ broke his ankle and, at 37, will have a hard time ever reaching this year’s level. Nick Swisher is probably at the end of his time with the Yankees; and Mark Texeira, who mishandled two ground balls today, has, it’s safe to say, peaked. A-Rod? He’s been in steady decline and was thoroughly humiliated by his own manager as well as the Tiger pitchers, lefthanded and right. Who are the backups? Eric Chavez, Brett Gardner, a catcher no one has heard of – where will the Yankees turn next year, while they are still paying huge salaries to all of the above? Their pitching is forgettable, as well. Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera are in the twilights of their careers. C.C. Sabathia is the only solid starter, and the Tigers rocked him tonight. It’s no stretch to believe that his best years are behind him. Somehow the Yankees compiled the AL’s best regular-season record this year. Including the playoffs, though, they were barely ahead of the Orioles. You have to think – with great pleasure – that this particular dynasty has ended.
As a Twins fan, my delight at the Tigers’ success is slightly alloyed with the recognition that they are now the dynasty to contend with. Theoretically, all their players still could have their best years ahead of them. Austin Jackson gets better every season, and they pulled a player out of Double-A, Avilais Gomez, who looked right at home facing the Yankees in the playoffs. Miguel Cabrera has obviously matured since his meltdown before the one-game playoff with the Twins a few years ago, and it is a pleasure to watch him hit, he is so completely comfortable at the plate. The most fun, though, is Prince Fielder, who seems to enjoy himself 100% of the time and brings that joy to his teammates, too. What a contrast to their Twins counterparts, Mauer and Morneau. Watching Fielder catch the final out today, motioning everyone away from a routine popup, brought tears to my eyes that I hadn’t felt since Argo. Then there is Justin Verlander, who is not only the most fun pitcher to watch because of his control and his stuff, it turns out he’s a fun personality, too. He was miked up for a half-inning of today’s game and held his own with the TBS announcers.
Speaking of announcers, the Tigers-Yankees series was a pleasure to watch. Ernie Johnson calls a clean game and his commentators – Ron Darling and John Smoltz – were smart and never intrusive – i.e., the exact opposite of Tim McCarver, who is doing the NLCS on Fox with Joe Buck. The TBS postgame show was also excellent, largely because of Dennis Eckersley, although Cal Ripken was also a creditable contributor (David Wells not so much). I also highly applaud a TBS innovation – keeping the pitch-track box on the screen for the entire at-bat, showing not only where the last pitch went, but where every pitch in the sequence crossed the plate. How long until this is standard on every baseball broadcast?
Will the World Series be an anticlimax? Probably, if only because I won’t be able to concentrate on the games, with McCarver babbling pointlessly. Also, I’m not as familiar with either St. Louis or San Francisco as I was with the American Leaguers, and from what I’ve seen of the Cardinals I don’t like their facial hair. I will hope that the Tigers continue to roll. Maybe a World Series win will make them less hungry next year. But for the moment, I can’t begrudge their potential supremacy over my Twins. I am first and foremost a Yankee-Hater at heart.

Instant Replay, Baseball Edition

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The horrible call in last night’s Yankees-Tigers game that resulted in two very unearned runs for the Tigers could easily be avoided by a system that Major League Baseball does not appear to be considering, perhaps because it is the exact same system that the NFL currently uses: give each manager two challenges a game. Balls and strikes would be excluded, of course – just as many species of decision cannot be challenged in football – but everything else is fair game. With only two challenges at his disposal, a manager would have to be wary about using them – thus, saving them for game-changing moments and plays where the evidence should be clear.
Rather than slowing the game, a challenge system would speed it up. No longer would we have to wait for the manager to come trotting out of the dugout, engage in a lengthy conversation often requiring the presence of other umpires, then slowly tromp back to his seat, if he hasn’t been ejected, which then consumes a further minute or two. Under my proposal, he could toss a red flag from his back pocket without even moving; a replay official in the booth upstairs would review as many replay angles as are needed or available; he would then communicate electronically with the home plate, or other designated, umpire; and the call would either stand or be reversed. Further appeal would be futile. Note the one change from the NFL: there would be no need for the umpire or umpires to leave the field and look at the replays themselves, as baseball currently does for its limited home run/not home run review. If the missed call isn’t obvious to independent eyes in the skybox, the call stands.
Last night, Infante was out by two feet on Cano’s tag, and every replay angle showed the same thing. In sixty seconds, the call could have been corrected and the game could have proceeded without controversy. As for second-guessing the umpire, what umpire wants to be remembered for a bad call? And if MLB wants to proceed even more cautiously in this direction, start with one challenge per game. I’ll bet most will never be used, and pointless arguing will be curtailed even further. If a manager doesn’t have the courage to throw his flag, how seriously will the umpire take the manager who comes out to complain?

Morneau Must Go

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At the end of last season, I warned the Twins that I wouldn’t take them seriously this year if they brought back Tsuyoshi Nishioka, which they didn’t. As the 2012 season winds down, I must tell them I feel the same way about Justin Morneau. As valuable as Morneau was in the past – and for several years I proclaimed that the Twins would go only so far as Morneau could carry them – he has turned into a millstone dragging them down, as they live on the memories of what he once was and the hope that he will revive his career. As a result, they bat him fourth or fifth, where kills rally after rally, and further, he impedes the progress of Chris Parmelee, who is already a better hitter and cannot develop as the Twins’ first baseman while Morneau still casts his shadow. Maybe it’s just lack of confidence, but Morneau doesn’t even take very good swings. Half his hits are flares, lacking all authority. With two strikes, he is putty in the pitcher’s hand, totally helpless against a low, outside slider. Knowing he is dead meat once the count gets that far, he often makes up his mind to swing at the first pitch, which he will then do, regardless of its speed or location. If I have figured all this out, what must opposing scouts know, in addition? If Miguel Cabrera beats out Joe Mauer for this year’s batting title, think of the advantage he has, with Prince Fielder hitting behind him, while Mauer, now with Josh Willingham hurt, has only Morneau for protection.
I was glad to see in today’s paper that Morneau is aware that the Twins might trade him. (The problem is, who would want him, especially with his salary and concussion history.) The other rumored trade bait is Denard Span – a deal that I would oppose. Span and Ben Revere are a formidable top of the order, able to work the count, fast when they get on base, and afraid of no one. Mauer and Willingham fill the next two spots comfortably. It’s at that point that things get a little shaky. Ryan Doumit has been solid and would be even more impressive if he could bat a little lower in the order. Trevor Plouffe has shown more potential than actual Major League ability, both at bat and in the field. If he is truly a work-in-progress and can improve as much in the next two years as he has this year, he will be a keeper. He is just not good enough now to be an asset. Shortstop and second base remain holes to be filled. Given their lack of power, especially in the #3 spot, the Twins can’t afford two more players, however slick on defense, who hit .230.
As for pitching, the Twins amazingly have an effective rotation of five rookies, none of whom was with the team at the start of the year: Scott Diamond, P.J. Walter, Liam Hendricks, Samuel Deduno and Cole DeVries. This could be the start of something good – or it could mean years of mediocrity to come. Given how far each has come this year, I like to be hopeful. Jared Burton and Glen Perkins are solid anchors for the bullpen. I said at the start that Perkins was the best pitcher on the Twins, and I like him as the closer for the foreseeable future. There will be a role, too, for Brian Duensing. As for Alex Burnett, Casey Fien, Anthony Swarzak and others, I hope we can do better.

Twins in Misery

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Today (May 27) the Tigers finished sweeping the Twins, and the three losses each highlighted one of the Twins’ deficiencies: Friday, in a game we attended, their starting pitchers – Swarzak and Liriano – were terrible; Saturday, in a game I skipped, their hitters struck out 16 times; and today, in a game I watched on TV, they nursed a lead until their suspect closer – Capps – gave up a two-run homer on an 0-2 pitch. They have already ransacked their farm system, and with no help in sight are a lock to do worse than their 99-loss season of 2011.
Sometimes with a bad team there are young players whose potential can provide a measure of interest, but except for Brian Dozier, who may turn into a steady if unspectacular shortstop, the Twins are also lacking here. Last week SI had an article about the young players that teams have locked into long-term contracts, as well as a half-dozen newcomers with possible big paydays in the offing. Tellingly, there were no Twins on either list. The only bright spot so far this season came when rookie call-ups Scott Diamond and P.J. Walters provided five wins in their first six starts. Neither has obviously great stuff, and whether either or both will be winning pitchers long-term is still very much in doubt. I don’t have the same gut feeling for them I did when Baker, Blackburn, Slowey and Garza, not to mention the old Liriano, were embarking on their Twins’ careers. Speaking of pitchers, Kyle Lohse and R.A.Dickey, two that the Twins discarded, are off to great starts this year and would be the staff ace if still around.
One measure of the Twins’ desperate situation is their insistence on getting Trevor Plouffe, a .135 hitter, into the lineup, whether at second or third base, left or rightfield. Behind him on the bench have been outfielders named Mastroianni and Komatsu, wonderful for geographic diversity but a far cry from the never-better-than-average duo of Dustin Mohr and Bobby Kielty. Basically, where the Twins are is where they have been, in my opinion, for awhile: in a position to go only as far as Justin Morneau can take them. When he is on a streak, everyone perks up and the Twins can play with anyone. When he is slumping or, as has been the case more often, hurt, they just can’t do any damage. Joe Mauer is an endlessly debatable subject, but the bottom line is, if you’re down a run in the ninth, there are about 20 players in the American League you’d rather have at the plate, yet he’s getting paid more than all but one or two of them. Not only is he not a leader, but his presence makes it hard for any other leader to emerge. When it comes to well-struck, meaningless singles and the occasional double, though, he’s your man.
Which brings me to the question: why watch a team this bad? If the game’s on TV, I enjoy Dick Bremer’s announcing and the commentary of Messrs. Blyleven, Smalley and Coomer. On the other hand, as much as I didn’t like John Gordon, I am even less enamored of this year’s new radio voice, Cory Probis. Still, a baseball game is good background noise and there’s plenty to do – gardening, reading the paper – while they play. Going to the game, however, is a different story. I have been graced with great seats at both outings this year, but great seats don’t guarantee good company around you. At the first game, a quartet of young men behind us kept up a loud running commentary that I couldn’t escape and got continually more annoying. Friday was a similar experience, only this time it was a group of kids interested mainly in coming up with loud, unison cheers – “Mauer Power” – for each batter. The general noise level of Target Field, with the perpetually large crowd and the overactive scoreboard, is so high that, in fairness, these individuals almost had to yell to hear each other. I know that I could converse with my seatmate only by leaning close to his ear. Then there is the general ambience of Target Field, where there is always a multitude strolling the concourse and lining up for every drink and delicacy on hand. The Twins seem committed to making the ballgame an “evening-out experience.” It is very far from the old days when you went to the ballpark to watch a game – and could even hear yourself think. It’s not as bad as the NFL or, certainly, the NBA, where the in-person viewing experience requires a couple aspirin. Maybe, like my experience at rock’n’roll clubs, it’s more a matter of my growing old, but going to the ballpark has lost much of its allure. Combine that with the state of the Twins, and my rabidity level is way down. I wonder how long, if ever, it will take the rest of Minnesota to feel this way.

First Impression – ugh!

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It’s hard to look worse in your first four games than have the Twins, and although the first week of a baseball season is an unreliable indicator I fear the prospects for Minnesota this year are pretty clear, and pretty grim. I have only witnessed one game myself – yesterday’s home opener against the Angels – but I suspect my initial conclusions will hold up. I would love to be wrong.
The Angels are one of the more loaded teams in the American League, but there are at least five others at their level, on paper, so it is not farfetched to compare their lineup to the Twins. Other than possibly Denard Span in center, there isn’t a single position where the Angels don’t have superior talent. Joe Mauer is the Twins’ best player, but he played first base yesterday, where the Angels have Albert Pujols. (Not that Mauer looked particularly good yesterday, making one error and striking out twice.) Danny Valencia at third and Alexi Casilla at second are both on “cross-your-fingers” status, players the Twins brass are hoping, without much justification, will have break-out years. It’s more likely that this will be the year their “promise” is snuffed out. At shortstop, 38-year-old Jamey Carroll is a stopgap, someone to hold the fort while minor leaguers develop. He got fist-bumps and pats on the back yesterday for hitting a short fly to left.
The only two players who impressed at all yesterday were Josh Willingham, a defensive liability in left but a professional hitter, and in all an upgrade over Delmon Young of last year, and Glen Perkins, who is the real deal as a lefty reliever. Saddest of all is the duo of Mauer and Morneau, both shells of their former MVP selves. They will make contact along the way, but may not hit 25 homers between them. They form one of the least fearsome lineup middles in the league (cf. Cabrera and Fielder in Detroit). Then there is Trevor Plouffe, a good AAA hitter but not ready for prime time.
After knocking the Twins position players, it is worth noting that they are not considered the weakness of this team: that would be the pitching staff. Francisco Liriano is a head case. Carl Pavano and Nick Blackburn are competent and can usually hold the opposition to four runs, which is three more than the Twins have so far been able to score. I like Scott Baker, but it appears he will not be healthy at all this year. If the Twins were to ever be in the lead in the ninth, Matt Capps is unlikely to make it hold up. He throws straight fastballs that opposing hitters invariably square up on.
Finally, there is the intangible of team chemistry. Much has been made, as it should be, of the fact that Mauer and Morneau, the team leaders, are quiet individuals who don’t do much leading. With 14 new players on the roster, many others are unsure of their own status and unlikely to rally others. Valencia is unliked, Casilla’s head is in the clouds, Parmelee, Plouffe and Revere are basically rookies, Doumit, Willingham and Carroll are newcomers with modest credentials. That leaves Denard Span, who is mostly in the Mauer-Morneau mold and fighting his own concussion history. When the Twins come to bat, you sense nine individuals simply doing their job, not a united, aggressive bunch eager to attack the pitcher.
Which raises the question, what do you do with Ron Gardenhire? Traditionally, a manager who presides over back-to-back 99-loss seasons would be history. The Twins, almost unique in pro sports, have shown great loyalty to managers, and it’s hard to blame Gardy for the mediocre players he’s been given. Still, if this season goes as I expect it to, I would applaud shaking things up by bringing in a new manager, sooner than later. The Twins need an edge, which is something Gardenhire can’t provide. And a new manager would spare us Gardy’s postgame bromides – the opposing pitcher who was throwing the heck out of the ball, the way our boys kept battling back, etc. – or at least provide some new ones.

March Be Gone

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What a dismal month for sports was March!
The number one story on Sports Center was, where will Peyton Manning play next year? If you aren’t already sick of Peyton Manning from the way he calls the game at the line of scrimmage, let alone his commercials, the O.J.-like coverage of his every plane trip would surely have sealed the deal. It only got worse when he signed with Denver, for then we had to endure more weeks of analysis concerning the Jets’ new second-string quarterback, Tim Tebow. Oh, and don’t forget the hyperventilating over the Saints’ bounty program. As someone else pointed out, the bounties weren’t the problem, it was the refs who failed to call a penalty when the Saints hit Brett Favre too low and too late.
As for the NBA, the air went out of the ball when both Ricky Rubio and Jeremy Lin were injured, ruining the only two new and interesting stories of the regular season, which, as always, is largely a yawn. I’d just as soon skip to the playoff finals between the Heat and the Thunder, but that won’t take place until June.
We gave tennis a shot by attending the opening round at Indian Wells, but anything less than the majors is skippable. I did watch one set of the Federer-Isner finals, but found it the most uninspired, uninspiring tennis final I’ve seen. As for the women, the top U.S. player is ranked 35, which raises the question, if one Russian beats another Russian, does anyone notice? The golf season, of course, begins in April with the Masters.
With no football or baseball, no NHL or NBA playoffs, and no majors in tennis or golf, the sports world is made to due with March Madness, the college basketball tournament that receives more hoopla each year. While admitting that I watched almost none of the games, I must say that this year’s was the least interesting in a long time. After two opening round upsets, there was nothing in the Cinderella department to root for, and that is always my main rooting interest. No VCU, Belmont, George Mason, or even Gonzaga. Nor, to judge from the daily highlights, was there any individual star to follow: no Jimmer Fredette, Bryce Drew, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Larry Bird. Everyone gushed over Anthony Davis, and he may be a wonderful team player; but so is Tim Duncan, and no one pays to see him play. The fact that the best team won, and won handily, took some life from the event.
In short, I am more than ready for the newness, the unpredictability and the daily interest of the major league baseball season. The Twins have 14 new players and a new radio announcer. Bring on baseball! But protect us, please, from the Tigers.