No, there aren't any rumors. I just wish there were.
Yes, AP is a great player, despite a small issue with fumbleitis. But in a draft considered as one of the deepest in years, trading AP for a couple #1s and a #2 (and very possibly more) seems tempting.
For fun, let's say we traded AP to Seattle for their two #1s (picks 6 & 14) and single #2 (pick 40) in the upcoming draft. The Vikings would have 5 of the top 62 picks, and their draft could look something like this:
6. Eric Berry, S (Tennessee) -or- Joe Haden, CB (Florida)
14. C. J. Spiller, RB (Clemson)
30. Patrick Robinson, CB (Florida State) -or- Dominique Franks, CB (Oklahoma)
40. Charles Brown, OT (USC)
62. Tony Pike, QB (Cincinnati)
Eric Berry is considered the best Safety prospect since Ed Reed. C. J. Spiller was the #1 player in the nation coming out of high school and is the #1 RB prospect in the draft. Robinson and Franks are considered two of the top few CB prospects. Brown is a top-10, maybe a top-5 OT selection this year. And Pike has the size and supposedly the tools to be an excellent pro QB.
Those are players that would help immediately, and could be the backbone of the team for years.
Sure seems like an interesting option to me...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
"You're A Plushenko!"
Unbelievable. I've seen sore losers before, but Evgeni Plushenko has pushed the envelope. An impartial set of judges awards him 2nd place, but the whining Russian has pouted for days, and now has his own solution: He awarded himself a "platinum" medal. Seriously? This is LOL funny.
I always look for new adjectives. They come in really handy, when used properly. So now, I introduce a new one: "plushenko". It's someone who is both a complete tool and loser.
So the next time you're tempted to flip someone off on the highway, instead call them a plushenko. You'll feel better, and the other guy won't shoot you. Double win!
I always look for new adjectives. They come in really handy, when used properly. So now, I introduce a new one: "plushenko". It's someone who is both a complete tool and loser.
So the next time you're tempted to flip someone off on the highway, instead call them a plushenko. You'll feel better, and the other guy won't shoot you. Double win!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Gopher Hoops: Too Little, Too Late or Just In Time?
As the Gophers are currently pasting Indiana, we're about to be 16-10 (7-7 B10) with 4 conference games left. The Gophers (#33 in the Ken Pomeroy ratings) are at home against #4 Purdue (#5 KenPom), at Illinois (#52), at Michigan (#71), and finish at home against the Iowa Suckeyes (#140). I will assume Iowa is not just a win, but a blowout.
For the Gophers to make The Dance, they probably must win 2 of the other 3, and might need 2 wins in the B10 tournament. Beating Michigan is a must. (Since they lost at home to Penn State today, that's a winnable game.) I like our chances beating Purdue at home more than beating Illinois on the road.
Right now, we're looking at a #6 seed in the B10 tournament, which means a first-round must win against either Penn State or Iowa, and a 2nd round game against Ohio State, Becky Badger, or Illinois.
It's a tough road ahead, but doable if we see the Gophers that spanked the Badgers. We MUST win at Michigan, home against Iowa, the 1st round conference tournament game, and AT LEAST one more to have a chance. Bring it home, boys.
For the Gophers to make The Dance, they probably must win 2 of the other 3, and might need 2 wins in the B10 tournament. Beating Michigan is a must. (Since they lost at home to Penn State today, that's a winnable game.) I like our chances beating Purdue at home more than beating Illinois on the road.
Right now, we're looking at a #6 seed in the B10 tournament, which means a first-round must win against either Penn State or Iowa, and a 2nd round game against Ohio State, Becky Badger, or Illinois.
It's a tough road ahead, but doable if we see the Gophers that spanked the Badgers. We MUST win at Michigan, home against Iowa, the 1st round conference tournament game, and AT LEAST one more to have a chance. Bring it home, boys.
Debby Downer: The Twins Will Disappoint in 2010...
...because pitching and defense win championships.
With an OF of Delmon, D-Span, and Cuddyer with Kubel as 4th OF, the Twins will have one of the worst defensive outfields in the league. Better hope the pitching staff induces an amazing number of ground balls.
Even if you view the defense as on par with everyone else, the Twins fall short when you compare the top three SPs of the contenders in the AL:
West:
Angels: Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders
Mariners: King Felix, Cliff Lee, Ryan Rowland-Smith (OK, 2 out of 3)
Rangers: Rich Harden, Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter (OK, 1 out of 3)
East:
Yankees: CC Sabathia, Javier Vazquez, AJ Burnett
Red Sox: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey
Rays: James Shields, Matt F-ing Garza, David Price
Central:
White Sox: Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd
Tigers: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello
Assuming the Twins make playoffs (with arguably the 3rd best rotation in the division), only the Rangers seem like a potential ALDS opponent with a weaker rotation.
The Twins will hit. Infield defense will be solid. The bullpen looks like a strength this year. But to make it to the ALCS or beyond, let alone out of the division, at least two of Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, and Liriano must perform like #2 SPs, not #4 SPs.
I'm enthusiastic about the offseason moves. I'm not sure it's enough. We still need a top-shelf SP. (Which is why I quietly pray we trade Perkins, Casilla, memorabilia from the Metrodome, a handful of prospects, and suitcases of money for a front line starter.)
With an OF of Delmon, D-Span, and Cuddyer with Kubel as 4th OF, the Twins will have one of the worst defensive outfields in the league. Better hope the pitching staff induces an amazing number of ground balls.
Even if you view the defense as on par with everyone else, the Twins fall short when you compare the top three SPs of the contenders in the AL:
West:
Angels: Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders
Mariners: King Felix, Cliff Lee, Ryan Rowland-Smith (OK, 2 out of 3)
Rangers: Rich Harden, Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter (OK, 1 out of 3)
East:
Yankees: CC Sabathia, Javier Vazquez, AJ Burnett
Red Sox: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey
Rays: James Shields, Matt F-ing Garza, David Price
Central:
White Sox: Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd
Tigers: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello
Assuming the Twins make playoffs (with arguably the 3rd best rotation in the division), only the Rangers seem like a potential ALDS opponent with a weaker rotation.
The Twins will hit. Infield defense will be solid. The bullpen looks like a strength this year. But to make it to the ALCS or beyond, let alone out of the division, at least two of Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, and Liriano must perform like #2 SPs, not #4 SPs.
I'm enthusiastic about the offseason moves. I'm not sure it's enough. We still need a top-shelf SP. (Which is why I quietly pray we trade Perkins, Casilla, memorabilia from the Metrodome, a handful of prospects, and suitcases of money for a front line starter.)
Random Thoughts
Random thoughts... Twins will finish 91-71 in 2010. Tubby will keep his 20-win streak alive in the NIT. I will blog the 3/13 spring training game from behind the 1B dugout with 6 members of my fantasy baseball league.
Fantasy Baseball 2010. With the 220th pick...
Most of the fantasy baseball stuff posted will be in the context of my league: a 10-team Yahoo head-to-head league that scores 6x5, where the extra hitting category is OBP. Obviously, hitters are slightly more valuable in this format than pitchers.
With all the great stuff we've heard about Francisco Liriano, I looked through the player rankings at Yahoo, CBS, and Fox. Liriano is rated around the #60-70 SP, and roughly #240 overall player. Obviously (as Twins fans) we'll keep a close eye on him, but he could be a major steal in the 20th-24th round.
Last year he was rated in the top 80 overall players on several sites. One of the things I look at is highly-rated players that had off-years - is there still upside? Liriano fits the profile to me.
Also keep your eye on Jose Reyes, the Mets SS. He's rated around #40 overall, after being a top-5 pick the past few years. If he's healthy, he's another steal to be had in the 3rd or 4th round.
With all the great stuff we've heard about Francisco Liriano, I looked through the player rankings at Yahoo, CBS, and Fox. Liriano is rated around the #60-70 SP, and roughly #240 overall player. Obviously (as Twins fans) we'll keep a close eye on him, but he could be a major steal in the 20th-24th round.
Last year he was rated in the top 80 overall players on several sites. One of the things I look at is highly-rated players that had off-years - is there still upside? Liriano fits the profile to me.
Also keep your eye on Jose Reyes, the Mets SS. He's rated around #40 overall, after being a top-5 pick the past few years. If he's healthy, he's another steal to be had in the 3rd or 4th round.
May 27, 1964 -- When I Became A Twins Fan For Life
As a five-year-old in 1964, I used to listen to all the Twins and Gophers games on the radio with my dad. As luck would have it, the May 27th game between the Twins and Angels was televised -- rare stuff for that day. Don Mincher hit a solo shot in the 13th to win it for the Twins, 4-3. I've been a die-hard Twins fan ever since. And Don Mincher became my first "favorite baseball player", although he soon relinquished the title to Harmon Killebrew. Then Tony Oliva. Then Rod Carew. And the list has continued on for the past 45 years...
The Tenth Rock
Out of sheer despair and frustration, I once told my (then) 10-year-old middle daughter, "Nine out of ten rocks are smarter than you are!", to which she responded, "Nuh uh! I'm smarter than nine out of ten rocks!". I don't know if I'm any smarter than the tenth rock, either. But I hope you will find entertainment, insight, and/or value from the words that get posted here.
This blog is dedicated to the location, nurturing, and continued growth of the tenth rock. As I am confident the tenth rock is an avid Twins, Gophers, and Vikings fan, most posts on the blog will focus on one of those teams. I'll also periodically post about fantasy baseball or football. Be advised: I have no problem posting completely irrelevant, random stuff. You get what you pay for.
This blog is dedicated to the location, nurturing, and continued growth of the tenth rock. As I am confident the tenth rock is an avid Twins, Gophers, and Vikings fan, most posts on the blog will focus on one of those teams. I'll also periodically post about fantasy baseball or football. Be advised: I have no problem posting completely irrelevant, random stuff. You get what you pay for.
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