George Twins fan
Apr 7 2005, 10:35 AM
I'm sure I'll be talking to myself in this year's Twins thread as I did most of last year!
Anyway I think the Twins are a great bet to win their 4th straight AL Central crown. They've lost Corey Koskie and Christian Guzman but have replaced them pretty solidly. Rookie SS Jason Bartlett is being touted as a Rookie of the Year hopeful while Michael Cuddyer will take over at 3B. Keys will be Joe Mauer staying healthy, some of the other young guys stepping up offensively and how good P Joe Mays will be after his injury plagued 2004. They've got the entire pitching staff back from last year's team that led the AL in ERA.
A nice start in Seattle, winning 2 of 3. Now they go home to host teh White SOx who many think will be the biggest challenge for the AL Central title.
Win Twins!
Joe in Philly
Apr 7 2005, 01:57 PM
Oh, George, I'm sure someone will talk to you. wink
I like the Twins to win the division but I'm not sold on their getting into the World Series.
George Twins fan
Apr 11 2005, 11:49 AM
Santana looked great last night in shutting down the White Sox. Looked like he's picking up where he left off last season.
Radke's slow start has me a bit concerned though.
Joe in Philly
Apr 11 2005, 12:23 PM
I had the game on briefly and they said something about Carlos Silva being hurt. What happened?
George Twins fan
Apr 16 2005, 09:26 PM
Six straight! Woo hoo!!!
Erik G
Apr 17 2005, 02:34 AM
I will start rooting for the Twinks if they finance their own stadium and tell the instigators to let the stadium issue die on the house floor. It has been voted down several times due to the state facing much greater financial priorities. Poor, poor Carl Polat, can not use some of his enormous wealth to pay for his own stadium. Those poor, poor players having to play and pratice in a run down stadium while living in mansions and driving luxury autos. frown
George Twins fan
Apr 18 2005, 08:25 AM
Win streak broken yesterday but encouraged by the return of Joe Mays. The pitcher missed all of last season but has a 3.21 ERA despite getting no decisions so far.
George Twins fan
Apr 21 2005, 02:42 PM
The Twins score in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game and score on a bases loaded single in the 10th to win today. Hopefully Carlos Silva will be back after the All Star break!
Joe in Philly
Apr 21 2005, 02:44 PM
After the All-Star break? I thought I heard on ESPN that he was going to pitch a lot sooner.
George Twins fan
Apr 25 2005, 10:13 AM
When Silva first got hurt they speculated he'd be out at least until the All Star break. Turns out he came back and pitched Friday night. Good news for the Twins.
Back to back snow outs this weekend in Detroit. I wonder what is the latest non-Colorado snow out in MLB history?
There is suppossed to be an announcement today re: a new stadium deal for the Twins. While I like the advantage the dome has provided for the Twins all these years, I think a new park is needed. Hopefully a retractable roof is part of the plan.
Allen
Apr 25 2005, 10:22 AM
I agree. I do love the Metrodome, but it is time for my beloved Twins get a a stadium of their own.
QUOTE
George_Twinsfan:
There is suppossed to be an announcement today re: a new stadium deal for the Twins. While I like the advantage the dome has provided for the Twins all these years, I think a new park is needed. Hopefully a retractable roof is part of the plan.
Erik G
Apr 25 2005, 01:11 PM
Allen I agree with you. The Twins should have a home of their own. It should be in another state of the union. Cause Minnesota as a state has said "No" several times. It is actually a minority that is constantly bringing this up on the agenda. The state should not be funding private business ventures. It has been done regrettably in the past in Minnesota (Northwest Airlines). It is a conflict of interest. Especially when you are taking money away from 30,000 people on MNCare health care and giving to a rich owner and pampered athletes. The best that would happen is that the state gets paid back with nominal gain at the expense of those who really need the money.
George Twins fan
Apr 25 2005, 04:51 PM
The plan for the new stadium. The current plan does not include a retractable roof, but could be factored in later.
QUOTE
The proposed ballpark would be located at the Rapid Park site behind the Target Center, which is located at the convergence of I-394 and I-94, the Hiawatha Light Rail line and the proposed Northstar Commuter Rail line. In addition to existing parking facilities, the area would benefit from access to existing bars and restaurants and the Downtown Minneapolis business district, as well as future mixed-use development, \"Twinsville,\" which would be modeled after the Wrigleyville neighborhood in Chicago.
Paying for a new ballpark has been a sticking point for past proposals, but the team and the county believe they've come up with a unique funding mechanism that will cover the project's $444 million price tag without tapping into the State of Minnesota's general fund.
Under the proposal, the Twins would contribute $125 million, including a $40 million payment up front, with the balance to be paid prior to completion of construction. Hennepin County would fund its share -- including $235 million in construction costs and approximately $84 million in site development expenses -- through a countywide sales tax increase of .15 percent, or three cents on a $20 purchase.
[ April 25, 2005, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: George_Twinsfan ]
Adam
Apr 25 2005, 07:38 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there talk three or four years back of building a new stadium near the site of their former stadium, near the Mall of America in Bloomington? I know they weren't able to get the funding for it then, but has the idea of using that site fallen by the wayside?
~Adam
Erik G
Apr 26 2005, 01:51 PM
Yep, same old story.
The one hopeful thing here is that we have some representation of how our taxes are being spent. The owner is expected to pick up some of the tab in the current proposal. What was quoted is inaccurate as it doesn't detail ALL the financing. Most legislators want to can this crap and move on to fixing our budget shortfalls. If the Governor keeps supporting this stadium I do not think he is going to get re-elected. Yes a new stadium would be nice FOR SOME. However, considering the fact that we had to lay teachers off and thousands are being kicked off state health care, a new stadium is completely UNECESSARY and USELESS.
We gladly pay too much tax in Minnesota. This is not one of those happy taxes that are going to benefit our kids or standard of living. So most, when confronted with real issues and real budget numbers, just might want to tell the owner to take his team elsewhere. Or to shut up and just be happy being SUPER-RICH.
Cattledog
Apr 29 2005, 01:33 PM
Just so George doesn't get the feeling of "a tree falling in the woods", I would like to call attention to the current stats of 2004 AL Cy Young Winner Johan Santana:
4 Wins, 0 Losses, 3.55 ERA. Only 3 home runs and 3 walks given up in 33.0 innings (with 45 strikeouts).
Now if the Twins could just get Brad Radke and the hurting Kyle Lohse on track...
George Twins fan
Apr 29 2005, 01:39 PM
Yeah the Brad Radke situation has me concerned, though I still think he's one of baseball's most underrated hotties. On the bright side, promising Justin Morneau has been a beast since returning from injury, rookie SS Jason Bartlett Joe Mauer and Jacques Jones are playing really well and Carlos Silva pitched really well after an injury that many thought might end his season. If Radke gets it together, catching the White Sox will be a much more reasonable task.
Cattledog
Apr 29 2005, 01:46 PM
Brad Radke (who is indeed a hottie) has been killing me on my fantasy league team. I expected him to be one of the aces of my staff like he was last year. Shannon Stewart hasn't been doing too much for me, either. I stupidly dropped Justin Morneau after a slow start from him. That'll teach me for panicking.
George Twins fan
May 2 2005, 07:51 AM
Radke had a nice outing in his last start to improve to 2-3, so maybe he's starting to round into form.
Johan Santana had his streak of 17 straight wins snapped yesterday though. He hadn't lost since July 11 of last year! He only gave up two hits. Unfortuantely they were both solo HRs as the Twins lost to the Angels 2-1. But I still like the chances of Radke, Santana, Silva and a revitalized Mays to lead the Twins back to the playoffs.
Cattledog
May 2 2005, 02:36 PM
I wonder if I jinxed Johan Santana by calling attention to his fantastic 4-0 start eek! !
mets57
May 4 2005, 12:26 PM
rincon says he unknowingly took a banned substance... :confused:
George Twins fan
May 4 2005, 02:09 PM
Alot of the guys have said that they've taken supplements (as opposed to straight up anabolic steroids) which contain a banned substance. Some of these things you can buy at GNC and such may contain elements that are banned. I guess that is what he and a few others are saying. David Ortiz of the Red Sox tries to explain that some of the Latin ballplayers, many of whom don't read English that well, are the ones having this problem. But I saw Rincon read a note to reporters yesterday and he seemed to be reading that pretty well. So I don't know!
Then again, in Mexico you can get a lot of things that are controlled substances over the counter--including anabolic steroids. The same may be true in other Latin American countries.
As far as over the counter stuff in the U.S. (though as I noted above, what's on the label isn't always what's inside) I think in baseball the only things that are banned are steroid precursors like androstenodione.
Olympic athletes, on the other hand, have a very long list of banned substances that includes a number of common over-the-counter drugs.
canmark
May 4 2005, 03:46 PM
It's interesting to hear (former Twin) David Ortiz perpetrate this notion that Latin players are bumpkins from the Third World that don't know what's going on. Jose Guillen
refutes these claims: QUOTE
Washington Nationals center fielder Jose Guillen, who was born in the Dominican Republic, doesn't believe the language barrier is a problem.
\"You can trust me on this -- they all know what's going on and they're all aware,\" he said. \"They've been watching the TV. It's been in the Dominican. It's been all over the place in Spanish and in English.\"
It's my belief that a lot of players--not just Latin players--operate on a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. That is, somebody gives them some "supplements" and they don't ask what they are, and the supplier doesn't tell them what they are. This way, you can honestly say you didn't "knowingly" take a banned substance.
[ May 04, 2005, 04:04 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]
That still leaves the question of why latin players seem to be the ones getting tripped up (mostly).
Something else that has surprised me is all the minor leaguers. Haven't they been testing minor leaguers all along? Hell, Selig & co. told us the minor league program was going great. So what's up with all the minor league positives?
Adam
May 4 2005, 06:43 PM
So, the players from Latin America have difficulty reading the labels of the products they're taking (ummmm.....why are they taking drugs without knowing what's in them....) but somehow, players from Japan, for whom English is also a second language, haven't been caught using banned substances, however unwittingly. And where is the Players' Association in all this language confusion? Why aren't they helping the players from Latin America and Asia with translations of what is and is not a banned substance?
~Adam
Joe in Philly
May 4 2005, 09:20 PM
QUOTE
George_Twinsfan:
Alot of the guys have said that they've taken supplements (as opposed to straight up anabolic steroids) which contain a banned substance. Some of these things you can buy at GNC and such may contain elements that are banned.
If you can legally buy it in a store, seems to me you shouldn't be punished. If it's got an illegal substance ban the sale of it.
Cattledog
May 23 2005, 02:24 PM
Clutch home run by Shannon Stewart yesterday afternoon, and a timely run in the 11th inning helped the Twins gain a game back on the White Sox yesterday. What do you think of Kyle Lohse's chances tonight, George? ...and finally, and most importantly, will you hit 6000 posts before the end of the Twins game against the Indians
?
Cattledog
May 24 2005, 05:20 AM
Geez... George is going to ban me from the Twins thread. Everytime I have posted about the accomplishments of one of their players (i.e. Johan Santana, Shannon Stewart), they have followed up with a loss. Maybe I should start posting on the Massachusetts red team thread and start jinxing their players
?
George Twins fan
May 24 2005, 01:59 PM
Please cease and desist immediately!
wink
George Twins fan
Jun 3 2005, 05:07 AM
Twins have been really incossitent this year. They just haven't been able to get on any kind of a big roll like most of the other contenders have. If the Twins can get an 8 or 10 game streak going like the Rangers and Yankees and White Sox and Orioles have, they can take over the AL Central lead.
Another win in extra innings yesterday and they are back within 3 1/2 games. The Yanks visit the dome after being swept in KC. It'd be great to see the Twins use a broom themselves, but considering how much trouble they've had with the Bombers over the last couple of years, I'd settle for 2 of 3.
[ June 03, 2005, 05:08 AM: Message edited by: George_Twinsfan ]
George Twins fan
Jun 3 2005, 07:48 PM
Twins win 6-3! Mussina had been 20-3 in his career vs. the Twins but a big 3 run bomb by Lew Ford, heads up base running, a couple of mental mistakes by the Yanks and strong relief pitching from the Twins combine for a nice win, especially considering they were without Joe Mauer and Justin Mourneau and they were starting arguably their most vulnerable pitcher in Kyle Lohse.
Joe in Philly
Jul 30 2005, 05:57 PM
Bad news for the Twins as Torii Hunter was hurt and taken off the field on a stretcher trying to make a catch in the outfield last night. ESPN's Harold Reynolds reports that Hunter will miss four to six weeks with a torn tendon in his left ankle. The Twins said only that x-rays showed no break and that they'll do an MRI Monday. They're now behind the A's in the wild card race.
George Twins fan
Aug 1 2005, 03:16 PM
No trade deadline deals. Torii out, maybe for the rest of the season, with a broken ankle. 8-16 in their last 24. The A's on fire. I hope they can hang in there and snare the wild card, but color me doubtful. They had a bit too much faith in young guys like Morneau, Bartlett and Cuddyer and the pitching staff has underachieved. That said, if they can add a free agent bat in the off season, they'll be back next year. Mauer will be a star and Morneau should be too.
George Twins fan
Aug 19 2005, 12:26 PM
Well I may have waved the white flag a bit too soon. Thanks to a 5 game win streak (including a sweep of the White Sox) and the As and Yanks struggling a bit, the Twins are now just 3 1/2 out of the Wild Card. Hopefully they can continue to chip away and grab that last playoff spot.
DCBucky
Oct 17 2005, 07:29 AM
Now the Vikes boat show might threaten the Twins. Without a new stadium, Gov. Pawlenty: " ... the worst-case scenario for Minnesota is the Twins or Major League Baseball deciding to move or pull the plug."
"Major League Baseball isn't going to stand by after 12 years and watch this just sit for another two years or three years. ... I think you're going to see a series of steps from them and/or the Twins to say, you know, this situation where you just let it go, or this scenario where you let it go to 2007, just isn't tenable. I think the Legislature is going to have to vote on this issue sometime in the not-too-distant future."
Gov. Acknowledges Chance of Twins Departure (reg. req.)
Joe in Philly
Oct 17 2005, 01:01 PM
Are they planning to build each team a separate stadium? If so it would seem the legislature would find a way to get the Twins taken care of. After all, they didn't throw a sex party.
MiamiSpartan
Oct 17 2005, 01:54 PM
QUOTE
Joe in Philly:
Are they planning to build each team a separate stadium? If so it would seem the legislature would find a way to get the Twins taken care of. After all, they didn't throw a sex party.
Maybe they should... wink
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