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State Champ 97 wrote:

schwang17 wrote:

Blue Breeze wrote:I'm probably a little bit harsher on him than most, but I just can't stand seeing him in our lineup.

AMEN! If BB is being a bit too harsh, that makes 2 of us. Lew Ford is an extremely nice person(I've met him a few times), but I'd rather see someone with some upside in our lineup as a utility player.

I am not a fan of Ford either. One thing I can't figure out, (Yes there are many things I can't figure out) is why does he get one of the loudest ovations when he comes to the plate outside of Mauer and Hunter? The fans at the Metrodome for the most part love this guy. He plays hard and all but that is how the Twins are taught to play. What's the deal?

It's because Bob Casey used to announce him with that cool "Lewwww Ford". People would just eat up those unique Bob Casey announcements.

as far as this next season goes, i think the twins will be around .500. They will start slow with their young arms in the bullpen/minors. Once ponson and ortiz are designated, garza and perkins will come up and we will do better. In 2 years i think we should watch out for this team. Santana, Liriano, Boof, Garza, Perkins and Silva as insurance. Just tie up Morneau, and Hunter for a a few years and maybe tag some more years on santana and we will be getting some championships

Silva was miserable today. His ball had 0 sink.

boblee wrote:Silva was miserable today. His ball had 0 sink.

Silva was bad. He was leaving pitches up all over the place and the Yankees were taking advantage. I hope his spot in the rotation is not a sure thing as some have made it out to sound, cause he has to regain his 2005 form if he wants to stick as the # 3 starter.

sachishi4 wrote:as far as this next season goes, i think the twins will be around .500. They will start slow with their young arms in the bullpen/minors. Once ponson and ortiz are designated, garza and perkins will come up and we will do better. In 2 years i think we should watch out for this team. Santana, Liriano, Boof, Garza, Perkins and Silva as insurance. Just tie up Morneau, and Hunter for a a few years and maybe tag some more years on santana and we will be getting some championships

Look for this to be Hunter's last year here. He is past his prime and the Twins won't offer much money for him to stay once he hits free agency. I forget the kids name, but Hunter has been training his replacement for a couple years now. He is a tall rangey center fielder, doesn't hit for power, but has speed and gets on base and steals a lot of bases.

SB24 wrote:

sachishi4 wrote:as far as this next season goes, i think the twins will be around .500. They will start slow with their young arms in the bullpen/minors. Once ponson and ortiz are designated, garza and perkins will come up and we will do better. In 2 years i think we should watch out for this team. Santana, Liriano, Boof, Garza, Perkins and Silva as insurance. Just tie up Morneau, and Hunter for a a few years and maybe tag some more years on santana and we will be getting some championships

Look for this to be Hunter's last year here. He is past his prime and the Twins won't offer much money for him to stay once he hits free agency. I forget the kids name, but Hunter has been training his replacement for a couple years now. He is a tall rangey center fielder, doesn't hit for power, but has speed and gets on base and steals a lot of bases.

You're right SB24, and the name of the kid you're looking for is Denard Span, former 1st round pick. He is looking like Hunter's heir apparent in center field.

I think people are being a little too pessimistic about the Twins pitching and how the team will do.

Remeber this about last year:

1. Radke was gosh awful the first half of the year and was only adequate the second half when he was healthy

2.Liriano didnt start until late May and when he went down, the Twins didnt miss a beat.

3. Silva was bad the whole year

They still won the division.

I think the starting staff has the potential to be as good as it was last year as far as producing wins.

I like Boof a lot. I think Garza will do fine. Santana is Santana.

If Silva is over with, Ortiz should fill in.

Between Baker, Perkins and the visa guy, a 5th should emerge.

Here is what they need to do:

HIT THE BOOFIN BALL!!!!

Does anyone know when Perkins/Ponson/Ortiz will throw their first spring training innings?

boblee wrote:Does anyone know when Perkins/Ponson/Ortiz will throw their first spring training innings?

Ortiz is starting tonight. I don't know about the other 2.

Top to bottom this is probably one of the stronger Twins lineups in years. Castillo is a veteran and disciplined hitter and sets the table well for the meat of the order. Punto will most likely hit a bit worse than last year, but his energy and speed on the basepaths is a spark for the squad. Mauer is Mauer, and while .347 again is unlikely, he's a lock for .310 or better. The 3-4-5 of Mauer, Cuddyer, and Morneau is one of the best hearts of the order in the league. I know I lot of people find my Kubel love affair as misplaced, but I really think he can make a difference in the lineup. He was once a highly touted hitting prospect but has been slowed by numerous knee injuries. If he stays healthy, I think he can be a very good bat near the bottom of the order. Cirillo is a great platoon/utility guy and could prove to be very valuable.

The pitching will stabilize eventually, although there may be some bumps early. The AL Central looks like a 4-team race where any of those 4 can finish between 1st and 4th.

Opening Day in exactly one month!

Blue Breeze wrote:Opening Day in exactly one month!

Driving to K.C. to see Twins vs. Royals in 50 days!

Anybody else made this trip before? It's great. Kauffman is very "70's"... I love it. Of course, Arthur Bryant's is worth the trip alone.

The Shanty is setting the Wild Card number at 93.

Ponson is too fat and Silva doesn't have consistant enough stuff to have a winning record for the Warroad Muskies.

Can the Twins get to 93 wins by their 162nd contest? That is the question.

Irishmans Shanty wrote:The Shanty is setting the Wild Card number at 93.

Ponson is too fat and Silva doesn't have consistant enough stuff to have a winning record for the Warroad Muskies.

Can the Twins get to 93 wins by their 162nd contest? That is the question.

I think because of the increased talent in the AL East & Central, that WC could creep a little lower... there's going to be a little more balance at the top of the divisions (Cleveland, Toronto, now in the mix in each division), and with the unbalanced schedule it's going to be a lot tougher for teams to put up big records. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Angels end up with the best record in the AL. I could see the WC number a little closer to 90 or 91.

But you're right... it's going to be the first time in a while where the hometown club is going to need to lean on offense more than pitching. Fortunately, the defense is still there, so if the rotation can manage to keep the ball in the yard, and last 5 innings each start, I think they'll still be fine and 93 is attainable (if needed).

Govs93 wrote:

Blue Breeze wrote:Opening Day in exactly one month!

Driving to K.C. to see Twins vs. Royals in 50 days!

Anybody else made this trip before? It's great. Kauffman is very "70's"... I love it. Of course, Arthur Bryant's is worth the trip alone.

I haven't been there yet but am planning a trip there this summer. From every account it's a great experience and one of the best baseball atmosphere's in the league. It's too bad that the Royals are such a downtrodden franchise because Kaufman could be a special place with a good team in there.

When is the first Minnhock night at the Dome? Afternoon?

Yea, and got room for one more Gov?

Blue Breeze wrote:

Govs93 wrote:

Blue Breeze wrote:Opening Day in exactly one month!

Driving to K.C. to see Twins vs. Royals in 50 days!

Anybody else made this trip before? It's great. Kauffman is very "70's"... I love it. Of course, Arthur Bryant's is worth the trip alone.

I haven't been there yet but am planning a trip there this summer. From every account it's a great experience and one of the best baseball atmosphere's in the league. It's too bad that the Royals are such a downtrodden franchise because Kaufman could be a special place with a good team in there.

It is a lot of fun. It's certainly no Wrigley or Fenway, but I would personally put it right behind those two.

The only problem I had was when I drove into the parking lot and saw Kaffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium side-by-side and no roof anywhere in sight. I was also bothered by being able to park about 30 yards from the gate and paying only $9 to park instead of walking the 5 blocks and paying $15 like I do in Minneapolis.

As a Minnesota sports fan, I was really pissed off.

We should look into having a message board gathering at the dome. Good call.

Hunter got plunked in the head today by ex-Twin Kyle Lohse. Looks like he'll be alright but he had to be removed from the game.

Ponson finally got his VISA and will be allowed to pitch.

Looks like the "Twins Think Tank" will have a few more posters involved this year.

Then again, if they start 10-18, most of them will wiggle away.

Looks like Ortiz and Perkins pitched pretty well today.

News from enemy camp.

Buerhle and Garland were really bad in their first outings.

Pain in Jenks' shoulder as well.

Irishmans Shanty wrote:News from enemy camp.

Buerhle and Garland were really bad in their first outings.

Pain in Jenks' shoulder as well.

I've talked to a few White Sox fans this off-season, and they have pretty much surmised that the Central is theirs for the taking. Not sure where this notion comes from, but honestly I am a lot more worried about the Indians and Tigers than I am the White Sox.

Guillen does an awful job of using that staff and managing the bullpen. Countless times he has left his starters out to dry, ran their pitch count way up and dug his team a hole because he refuses to use the bullpen in situational roles. Buehrle was awful last year, and even when he was solid he wasn't really an ace. Garland had one good year, and every other one he has been mired in mediocrity. Jenks walks every other hitter he faces. Their best hitter is 38 and has chronic back problems, and their other elite hitters are about to exit their prime and slowly regress. I'd pick the Sox to finish 4th in the AL Central, they just don't scare me all that much.

Not to mention that Sweaty Freddy Garcia is gone as well. He logged a lot of innings last year that will need to be replaced.

Bonser got roughed up today. 1IP, 5H, 3ER. Twins pitchers gave up 25 hits for the game. Rough start in the Grapefruit league.