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As the ultimate reward for their loyalty, today the White Sox gave season ticket holders an unprecedented opportunity to chat with pitcher John Danks, pitching coach Don Cooper and new hitting coach Jeff Manto. The event was facilitated by long-time White Sox and Chicago Blackhawks public address announcer Gene Honda.
I told you ESPN has a coastal bias! That the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network totally overlooks the Midwest; especially the upper midwest. Look at the graphic above where they drew Wisconsin in the shape of Minnesota!
But I understand the confusion, I mean why should they pay attention to Wisconsin? It’s not like the Green Bay Packers are the reigning NFL champions, and the only remaining undefeated team in the league. Or the Wisconsin Badgers are about to make back to back Rose Bowls on the strength of not one, but two Heisman candidates. Or that the Milwaukee Brewers have the NL MVP in Ryan Braun and reached the NLCS.
Oh wait, it’s exactly like that.
Here’s a listing and synopsis of some of the top prospects in the Arizona Fall League. Many reside in the AL Central and NL Central divisions. The Chicago Cubs have two.
Ryan Doumit signed a one year contract for $3 million with the Minnesota Twins yesterday. This gives Joe Mauer a fairly expensive back up for the 2012 season.
This past week Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad dismissed general manager Bill Smith from his role despite giving him the dreaded vote of confidence after the team’s ninety-nine loss season. It was mentioned that the change was due to philosophical differences and that Smith was offered another role within the organization in baseball operations.
I can understand that there would be turmoil on a club that was expected to compete for the division once again and tanked the season, but the manner in which this maneuver took place is nonsensical. The top assistants to Bill Smith are remaining intact in their posts. Ron Gardenhire undoubtedly will be in the dugout on opening day and Terry Ryan was brought in to be the interim general manager with no timetable on filling the position permanently.
When have I ever turned down free White Sox tickets? Yesterday, on the last day of the season of 2011. Sure, I did have legitimate work obligations, and the Chicago weather was lousy. But if I were free, and it were 75 and sunny, I’d still take a pass.
Baseball is dying among my generation, and MLB doesn’t seem to care why/how.
Sure it’s easy to write this essay the day after after my favorite team mercifully ended one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. Losing is one thing, losing when you went “All In” like the slogan says, out-spending almost everybody to the point that expectations were sky high…only to fall on your face, well that’s the worse kind of losing. And two days ago they parted ways with my favorite baseball personality of the decade Ozzie Guillen, so that hurts too.
But I’m a life-long Chicagoan, and I know better than anyone how disappointing, prodigious losing in baseball is a way of life. 2011 was just routine in the second city. (Don’t even get the Cubs fans started. I think Brian’s piece here sums it up)
No, this disinterest in baseball is more a global phenomenon, and it’s due to the much larger issues at work.
And yes, I’m aware that last night was quite possibly the greatest regular season night in baseball history. But it still doesn’t fix the larger problems at work.
The Minnesota Twins are evidence of Murphy’s Law taking effect this season. Whatever could have gone wrong certainly has for the ball club. That is why it is time for pitching coach Rick Anderson to take his approach and turn it upside down. Some say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This staff is busted into a million little pieces right now.
We knew this was coming, just a matter of when. The Chicago Cubs today officially fired General Manager Jim Hendry, naming Assistant GM Randy Bush as his interim successor. Owner Tom Ricketts issued a statement saying that the search for Hendry’s long-term replacement has already begun.
Hendry, 56, was named Vice President/General Manager on July 5, 2002 and departs as the third-longest tenured general manager in the National League. He is the GM in franchise history to oversee three post-season clubs (2003, 2007, 2008) and is the first Cubs general manager to lead the franchise to consecutive post-season berths.
Of course, that accomplishment is a little bit inflated given:
The Minnesota Twins have been plummeting in the American League Central standings. There win percentage may be lower than Adam Dunn’s batting average by the end of September. The Scott Baker injury recently put the icing on the cake of a disastrous season. Fans looking for a bargain in the Twin Cities should look to purchase tickets secondhand during an NFL Sunday. They could pick up the seats for next to nothing.
In analyzing the struggles of the ball club, the most glaring shortcoming is the lack of RBI production from those who should have provided more impressive numbers. Delmon Young, Jason Kubel, Justin Morneau, and Joe Mauer were all expected to have substantially more runs batted in. Usually the team can weather the storm if one of its players falls off, but when it’s almost everyone, good luck.
American League fans in Chicago and Minneapolis have experienced tremendous disappointment so far this season. The lackluster play of their clubs has had many sitting on their hands at US Cellular and Target Fields. There are actually tremendous parallels between the two situations. It starts with a list of three disappointing players on each roster.
The trade deadline is fast approaching in Major League Baseball. It is a unique season, so the date is largely ignored due to the NFL free agent comings and goings. Twins General Manager Bill Smith has some tough decisions to make. The team is on the borderline of heading into contention for the stretch run or on the cusp of faltering into the depths of the cellar in the division.
This is the type of decision that he can make from watching the club on a daily basis and getting a feel for which direction they are headed. I think that he should choose to sell at this juncture. Michael Cuddyer is a solid and versatile player. He has been the rock of the club this season with a myriad of injuries affecting almost every aspect of the roster. This is why he is valuable to all the other squads looking to add a complete player for the late summer push.
Outside of Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel is the most prolific bat in the Twins lineup on a consistent basis. He has more potential than Joe Mauer to put up big time numbers in the RBI and home run departments. The argument could also be made for Delmon Young or Michael Cuddyer, but I would wonder if those that would bring up those names have ever been to a batting practice session. People often speak of making judgments concerning the eye test. This would be more of a case of trusting the ear test.
If the Twins could take the Tigers and Yankees off the schedule, then the reason of the season would be pure bliss. The team showed promise in the first two series that were post All Star break. The Indians and Royals are anonymous nationally, but intra-divisional contests are always of the utmost importance in Major League Baseball. Then the team faced the Tigers-a team that had beaten them eleven straight times before Saturday night.
