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Thursday, March 31, 2005
Link-O-RamaNo, you're not imagining things, this week's Link-O-Rama comes a day early. In preparation for a family event that will have me wearing a suit and tie for the first time in nearly a decade, I am taking a rare three-day weekend from blogging. I'll be back Monday for all sorts of Opening Day goodness, and in the meantime here's some stuff to tide you over.The good news -- and this is really grasping for straws -- is that the Wolves will have a lottery pick for the first time in a long time. Actually, the last time the Wolves even picked in the top 20 was back in 1999, when they drafted Wally Szczerbiak out of Miami of Ohio with the sixth pick and William Avery from Duke with the 14th pick. Avery turned out to be one of the biggest busts in the history of a franchise filled with spectacular busts, but Szczerbiak turned out about as well as could have been expected. Anyway, I really think the Wolves should look at grabbing a point guard. Sam Cassell is a free agent after next season and is clearly on his last legs. Whoever they pick could back up Cassell for a year and then take over as the starter in 2006-2007. Interestingly, this figures to be a pretty good draft for point guards. Here are the top 10 point guards who will likely be in the draft, according to ESPN Insider: 1) Chris Paul, Wake Forest 2) Deron Williams, Illinois 3) Raymond Felton, North Carolina 4) Daniel Gibson, Texas 5) Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas 6) Guillermo Diaz, Miami 7) Monta Ellis, Lanier High School 8) Mardy Collins, Temple 9) Jarrett Jack, Georgia Tech 10) John Gilcrest, Maryland Basically, I'd be thrilled with Paul, Williams, Felton or Gibson, although I'll admit I haven't seen Gibson as much as the other three. Felton in particular is the type of up-tempo, pass-first point guard that I like, and his improved shooting this year is impressive. Not that I don't like Paul or Williams, of course, but I think Felton has a better shot at being available when the Wolves pick. The Wolves are a team in need of a massive overhaul, as the core of their roster got old in a hurry this year. Unless they can find some way to turn Cassell into a younger star player, the only way to rebuild things with Kevin Garnett's salary on the books is to draft well and develop young players. The Spurs have done this with guys like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and the Wolves need to start doing it with Ndudi Ebi and whoever they snag with their upcoming lottery pick. And yes, I know no one thinks Ebi can play and that he is looking like a bust, but I'd like to actually see him play 20 minutes a game before I decided that for sure. The guy was an absolute stud coming out of high school just two years ago, considered as good or better than any number of guys who will be first-round picks this year. It's time to see what he can do, because giving up on a high-school draftee this soon is crazy. Sixteen students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, including 11 members of the football team, were arrested this week for their alleged involvement in a retaliatory attack off campus.Can you imagine looking out your window and seeing an angry mob of football players on their way to your front door? Is there a worse feeling in the world than the one you'd have in that situation? From what I gather, this backup quarterback got beat up by a guy at a party and then got a couple dozen of his football-playing buddies to come to his rescue ... a week later. This is like two kids getting into a fight in the sandbox and the loser going to get his older brother, except like 50 times worse. Here's the money quote: "I think they took it too far," LaScola said.What is this world coming to when you can't get into a fist fight with a backup quarterback without risking getting your ass kicked by an entire football team? Starting rotationYeah, that makes sense. Go check it out. The pictures of Blez posing with various players while always sporting the "I can't believe this is happening" look on his face is worth the price of admission. You know, if there was a price of admission. Oh, and seeing pictures of Zito wearing the exact same thing at night and then the next morning is interesting too, in that whole "gee, I wonder what he did last night" sort of way. Today at The Hardball Times: - Five Questions: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (by Rob McMillin) - Five Questions: Chicago Cubs (by Bryan Smith) - Giving Up The Long Ball (by Tom Meagher) - Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week (by Studes)     
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Twins NotesMatt Riley, who pitched in a minor league game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, likely will be traded. Several teams, including Texas and Minnesota, have expressed interest in Riley. It appears though that neither the Rangers nor Twins were able to match up on a trade.Matt Riley is Baltimore's version of Michael Restovich, a once-promising prospect who is now out of options and not a big part of the team's long-term plan. I'm not sure if the Orioles are interested in Restovich, but I would love to see a Restovich-for-Riley swap take place. Riley could step in as the second lefty in the bullpen for the near term instead of the proven mediocrity known as C.J. Nitkowski (which, if you've looked at his career numbers, is being kind), and potentially move into the rotation at some point. Riley has struggled through a ton of injuries since the Orioles picked him in the third round of the 1997 draft and he is just 4-4 with a 5.40 ERA and 74-to-62 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 85 career innings with Baltimore. On the other hand, he is still just 25 years old, he is a left-handed pitcher with good stuff, and his minor-league numbers are very good. Riley has a 3.54 ERA and 136-to-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 119 career innings at Triple-A, including a 1.71 ERA in 10 Triple-A starts last year. "He's the first guy to the ballpark," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "By the time I get there, he and his sidekick Carlos Silva are already on the bikes, jabbering things in Spanish that I don't understand, just having a great time." The Official Whipping Boy of AG.com is hitting .171 against major leaguers and went 0-for-6 in a minor-league game the other day. The Twins are spending $2.6 million between him and Juan Castro, which is a bargain when you consider that breaks down to about $4,000 per out.  Today at The Hardball Times: - The Biggest Deals of All Time (by Studes) - Five Questions: Oakland A's (by John Gizzi) - Five Questions: Arizona Diamondbacks (Robert Dudek)
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Two Men Enter, One Man LeavesWith the news (or at least implied news) that Terry Tiffee has made the Twins as the left-handed "bat off the bench" that Ron Gardenhire is constantly lusting after, the rest of the roster is starting to come into place. The only problem is that the numbers don't seem to add up. Assuming the Twins open the season with 11 pitchers (I think they should go with 10, but that's never going to happen), here's how the position players break down:C Joe MauerThose are the 13 guys who would appear to be locks to make the team, which leaves one spot left for a fifth bench player. The candidates are Nick Punto and Michael Restovich, along with Corky Miller if you believe Gardenhire's statement the other day about potentially opening the season with four catchers. I'm going to assume Miller isn't a serious option, which leaves Punto and Restovich fighting over one spot. Both players deserve to make the team. Punto showed last year (.253/.340/.319 in 38 games) that he is a solid utility guy, he is cheap and relatively young, and he gives the team a decent alternative to make Luis Rivas sweat a little bit at second base. Restovich has been languishing at Triple-A for years now, he is also cheap and relatively young, and he has done a nice job when given a chance with the Twins (.274/.364/.442 in 61 games). Perhaps most importantly, both players are apparently out of options (Restovich's option situation has been made public, and a little digging seems to put Punto in the same boat). Assuming that's true, what it means is that the Twins can no longer send them down to the minors without first passing them through waivers. The chances of either Punto or Restovich going through without being claimed by another team seems slim, which means the Twins either keep them on the roster or lose them. So what will happen? I honestly have no idea. I agree with keeping Tiffee on the roster, because he gives the team a relatively good backup at both infield corners, as well as a nice switch-hitter off the bench. Restovich would be a very solid backup outfielder, particularly if Gardenhire ever realizes that benching Jacque Jones against lefties is a good idea. He won't, of course, which basically just means Restovich would be around as a pinch-hitter and potential replacement should any of the outfielders go down with an injury. I also like Punto quite a bit as far as spare-part middle infielders go, but he is very redundant at the moment. He does nothing that Juan Castro can't do. Or rather, Castro does nothing that Punto can't do, but makes a guaranteed million dollars a year for the next two seasons doing (or not doing) it. That means Punto is the utility infielder who is expendable (since I don't see the Twins buying into the theory of "sunks costs"), which is just about the opposite of how it should be. The Twins appear to have backed themselves into a bit of a corner with the Castro signing. He was brought in to provide a veteran option at shortstop should Jason Bartlett need more seasoning at Triple-A. Bartlett has been very impressive this spring, making the need for that nonexistent. Instead, Castro is now being cast as the backup middle infielder, a job he could fill reasonably well. The only problem is that there is no need for him to fill it and no need for the Twins to pay him a million bucks a year to fill it when Punto could do the same job for the league minimum. Without Castro around, the Twins would suddenly have few decisions to make and they would be looking at a solid, standard bench. Mike Redmond backing up Joe Mauer behind the plate; Matthew LeCroy serving as the third catcher while being available to pinch-hit, back up Justin Morneau at first base, and sub for Lew Ford as the designated hitter; Tiffee backing up Morneau at first and Michael Cuddyer at third, while providing that all-important lefty "bat off the bench"; Punto backing up Rivas at second and Bartlett at short; Restovich backing up Jones in right, Shannon Stewart in left, and giving the team a power bat off the bench. A backup catcher, two backup infielders, a backup outfielder, and a guy who can play catcher and first base. Toss in the fact that Jones and Ford can each sub for Torii Hunter in center field if needed, and you have a nice, versatile roster. Instead, now the team is facing the prospect of either losing Restovich and having two utility infielders or keeping Restovich and losing Punto while paying someone a million dollars a year to do what he does. And all because they are locked into paying Castro a premium to do a job he no longer has to do (and wasn't all that qualified for in the first place). Today at The Hardball Times: - Five Questions: Florida Marlins (by Aaron Gleeman) - Blast From The Past: Jimmy Wynn (by John Brattain) - Five Questions: San Francisco Giants (by Steve Treder) - Five Questions: Pittsburgh Pirates (by Tom Talavage)
Monday, March 28, 2005
Notes from the WeekendIn the past when I've fallen into a rut when it comes to getting sleep at normal hours and getting enough it, I have been able to crash for a couple days and get back to semi-normalcy. That's no longer the case, because I have what is for me a fairly strict daily schedule. I work six mornings a week for Rotoworld, produce an average of five entries per week here, and write anywhere from 2-5 columns per week over at The Hardball Times. That doesn't count school (which I'm sure will please my mom) or my job at Insider Baseball, which hasn't quite gotten into full swing yet. I'm not sure why I'm writing about this, since I'm confident that 99.9% of you don't really care or find it interesting, but it seemed like a reasonable thing to do while I sit here at 9:26 on a Sunday morning, having last slept ... well, to tell you the truth my internal clock is so screwed up right now that I'm honestly not even sure when. Wow, what a downer I am. Sorry. - "Sexy Pictures Jay Payton" - "Does Mark Bellhorn Have a Wife" - "Kevin Garnett and Wife" - "What Does Halle Berry's Sister Heidi Berry Look Like" - "Terrell Owens Homophobia" - "Gay Twins Free" - "Mr. Clutch" For a while, in the very early days of this blog, the #1 source for visitors was people searching for "Jennifer Aniston's Butt" on various search engines. It was worth like 50 new visitors every day, back when my mom represented about 10% of my total audience. Actually, I just did a Google search for that exact phrase and guess what? AaronGleeman.com is still the #2 search result. I have never been more proud of the work I've done here. Well, that has all changed. Not only are you no longer asked if you meant to search for someone else if you type in my name, a "Did you mean Aaron Gleeman" pops up if you accidentally leave off a letter and search for "Aaron Gleema." I discovered this because, along with questions about the wives of various athletes, someone found their way here over the weekend while searching for Mr. Gleema. By the way, a few e-mailers asked me who my favorite singer/group is, since I never really mentioned that last week. Do you want to take a guess? Go ahead, I'll give you a few seconds. Okay, ready? My all-time favorite musical artist is ... Al Green. And it's not particularly close, either. Any e-mails criticizing that selection will immediately be deleted. I'll stand by silently while you all bash John Mayer and James Taylor, but bashing Reverend Al is where I draw the line. As always, I apologize to anyone whose site I deleted, as well as those people who have asked me for links in the past without me giving them out. In my defense, I think this is a fair way to do things in that the links I do give out have some value or legitimacy, and I have been pretty good about linking to a ton of different sites each week in my "Link-O-Rama" entries. Don't let that stop you from holding a grudge though, because I certainly wouldn't. Today at The Hardball Times: - Five Questions: Chicago White Sox (by Studes) - Five Questions: New York Mets (by Jeremy Heit) - Five Questions: Philadelphia Phillies (by Bill Liming)
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 Official Fantasy Girl of AG.com OFGoAG.com Timeline: Heidi Klum (8/2002 - 12/2003) Jessica Alba (12/2003 - 10/2004) Elisha Cuthbert (10/2004 - 11/2006) Vacant (11/2006 - 6/2008) Keeley Hazell (6/2008 - 3/2010) Mila Kunis (3/2010 - Present) OFGoAG.com Candidates: Marisa Miller Jenna Fischer Kate Beckinsale Keeley Hazell Diora Baird Top 40 Twins Prospects of 2010: 1. Aaron Hicks, CF 2. Kyle Gibson, SP 3. Wilson Ramos, C 4. Miguel Angel Sano, SS 5. Ben Revere, CF 6. Angel Morales, CF 7. David Bromberg, SP 8. Danny Valencia, 3B 9. Matthew Bashore, SP 10. Billy Bullock, RP 11. Rene Tosoni, RF 12. Chris Parmelee, RF 13. Adrian Salcedo, SP 14. Joe Benson, CF 15. Jeff Manship, SP 16. Tyler Robertson, SP 17. Carlos Gutierrez, RP 18. B.J. Hermsen, SP 19. Anthony Slama, RP 20. Max Kepler, CF 21. Alex Burnett, RP 22. Robert Delaney, RP 23. Luke Hughes, 3B 24. Ben Tootle, RP 25. Deolis Guerra, SP 26. Shooter Hunt, SP 27. Trevor Plouffe, SS 28. Michael McCardell, SP 29. Reggie Williams, 2B 30. Estarlin De Los Santos, SS 31. Derek McCallum, 2B 32. Jose Morales, C 33. Chris Herrmann, LF 34. Bobby Lanigan, SP 35. Danny Rams, C 36. Josmil Pinto, C 37. Steven Tolleson, 2B 38. Anderson Hidalgo, 3B 39. Loek Van Mil, RP 40. Joe Testa, RP |