Minnesota Sports Talk

Minnesota Twins win some lose some

2006-05-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers, I have been very busy at work and I have been away from my Blog. The Minnesota Twins have won two series in a row and now the Chicago Whitesox come into town for four games.

Well I have to salute hitters Michael Cuddyer and Torri Hunter for having big hits in this crappy lineup. I don't know what to say Hunter has his off days and on days and he is a very streaky hitter. Cuddyer on the other hand must love the outfield because he looks like a professional hitter at the plate. Johan Santana is finally waking up from his WBC preseason, and has made hitters look very confused.

With all the good here comes the bad. Radke, Silva, and Loshe are on the edge of getting better or falling out of the rotation. Rondell White, Justin Morneau, Tony Batista, and Juan Castro have looked bad at the plate. Rondell White and Justin Morneau need to get there swing back and make pitchers pay for pitches pay for pitches in the zone. Tony Batista needs to hit his pitch lately he has been missing it and his homerun totals are way down, but his walks are way up. Juan Castro needs to be on the bench and they need to Free Jason Bartlett from AAA.

So where do the Twins go from here hopefully up and not down. They have three big series coming up: Chicago at home, the Tigers and Brewers away. The need to win all three series to keep this show moving. They need to have a big month to make up for a subpar April.

Minnesota Twins need to rebuild

2006-05-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers, Happy Friday morning and TGIF. Well the Minnesota Twins my favorite Minnesota sports franchise lost last night 1-0 to the Kansas City Royals. This teams needs to rebuild and this is how I would do it.

Carlos Silva or Kyle Loshe needs to be traded to a contender if the team seems to be falling. We could get a minor league prospect for them and I would be looking for pitching and outfielders. Teams that might be looking for pitching the Reds, Mets, Rangers, Angels and Dodgers.

Shannon Stewart needs to be traded to a contender if the teams seems to be falling. We need minor league prospect for Stewart, players in return should be shortstops, second-basemen and pitching. Teams that would like Stewart include the Dodgers, Astros, and Angels.

Players that go without a new stadium: Rondell White, and Torri Hunter for multi talent. Younger talent needs to be signed in the long-term like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. So lets look at next 3- year lineups without free agents.

2007 lineup

Denard Span OF
Luis Castillo 2B
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Michael Cuddyer 3B
Jason Kubel OF
Lew Ford OF
Garrett Jones DH
Jason Bartlett SS

Reserves:
Luis Rodrigez IF
Luis Maza IF
Terry Tiffee 3B
Doug Deeds OF
Nick Punto IF

Pitching

Johan Santana SP
Scott Baker SP
Fransico Lirano SP
Boof Bonser SP
Matt Guerrier SP

Joe Nathan RP
Pat Neshek RP
Jesse Crain RP
Juan Rincon RP
Ricky Bartlett RP
Jason Miller RP

2008 lineup

Denard Span OF
Luis Rodrigez 2B
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Matt Moses 3B
Jason Kubel OF
Lew Ford OF
Garrett Jones DH
Jason Bartlett SS

Reserves:

Luis Maza IF
Doug Deeds OF
Danny Matienzo 1B

Pitching

Johan Santana SP
Scott Baker SP
Fransico Lirano SP
Boof Bonser SP
Glen Perkins SP

Adam Harben RP
Pat Neshek RP
Jesse Crain RP
Juan Rincon RP
Ricky Bartlett RP
Jason Miller RP

It's going to be a couple of bad years but a stadium would help alot or be ready to see the Las Vegas Twins.

Minnesota Vikings draft thoughts

2006-05-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers, well the draft came and went and over the weekend I came and went to move out of my apartment. I have been catching up with work and have been staying away from my blog.

The Vikings drafted a wide spread of players and now I am going to do a evalution of what I think of them:

Chad Greenway OLB Iowa: He is the complete package fast, smart, knows when to attack and stay back. He is a character guy who wants to play for the Vikings and is from South Dakota. Personally I love this pick and on many of my early draft boards I had the Vikings picking him. His numbers in college included Senior totals included 156/10/1 with one interception and eight defenses. Junior numbers included 113/8/3, when he also intercepted three passes.

Cedric Griffin CB Texas: A younger taller version of Brian Williams he is 6-0 and knows how to hit people hard. He is not the fastest cornerback in the draft but works well in a cover 2 system. His numbers in college included Four-year starter used at both corner and safety. All-Conference selection as a senior after 86 tackles and 15 pass defenses. Junior numbers included 68/2/6. Outstanding special-teams player throughout college.

Ryan Cook C/OG/OT New Mexico: This is a puzzling pick I had Cook as the fifth best center in the draft. I had him going in the late third early second round of the draft. I think the Vikings picked him because they knew they were going to give up the two third round drafts for Jackson. Former walk-on awarded All-Conference honors every season since moving into the starting lineup as a sophomore. A solid-sized lineman with growth potential, Cook has made definite strides the past three seasons.

Tarvaris Jackson QB Alabama State: The mystery player of the draft I had him going in the fifth round and actually thought he might not be drafted. Vikings wanted Jackson so bad that they gave up there two-third round draft picks to get him. He has a giant arm he college coaches say he has the strongest arm that they have ever seen. A two or three year project but has all the skills to be a top quarterback. Second-team All-Conference selection who totaled 60.9%/2,941/29/5 as a senior.

Ray Edwards DE Purdue: Here is a guy who had character issues but the Vikings took him in the fourth round of the draft. I had Ray Edwards going in the third round. He is a monster on the field, Flashes quickness off the snap, plays with good pad level and makes plays laterally. Fast off the edge, has a closing burst and redirects to ball handlers. Tough to handle once he gets the first step on opponents. He was a top number one draftee in 2004, but fell off the wagon. I love this pick lots of potential.

Greg Blue S Georgia: This is a special teams selection and with the Vikings only having Darren Sharper, Tank Williams, Willie Offord, and Dustin Fox on the roster and all four have injury problems this was a safe pick. Explosive run-defending safety who is best between the hashes. Breaks down well, is fast in all directions and flashes on the scene. Strong at the point, goes for the knockout blow and wraps up tackling. Fine athlete who makes a lot of difficult plays. Two-year starter awarded All-Conference and All-American honors last season after career-best numbers of 88/2/5. Posted 80 tackles as a junior. I like this pick but one of these safeties isn't going to make this team or switched to a corner or linebacker.

First 3 rounds mock draft 4.0

2006-04-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Houston Texans Reggie Bush, RB, USC =
New Orleans Saints Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina St.
Tennessee Titans Matt Leinart, QB, USC =
New York Jets D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
Green Bay Packers A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio St. =
San Francisco 49ers Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland =
Oakland Raiders Vince Young, QB, Texas =
Buffalo Bills Winston Justice, OT, USC =
Detroit Lions Michael Huff, DB, Texas =
Arizona Cardinals Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt =
St. Louis Rams Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon =
Cleveland Browns Manny Lawson, DE/OLB, North Carolina St.
Baltimore Ravens Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida St. =
Philadelphia Eagles Chad Jackson, WR, Florida =
Denver Broncos(from the Falcons) Jimmy Williams, CB, Va Tech =
Miami Dolphins Tye Hill, CB, Clemson =
Minnesota Vikings Ernie Sims, LB, Florida St. =
Dallas Cowboys Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio St.=
San Diego Chargers Jason Allen, DB, Tennessee
Kansas City Chiefs Jonathan Joseph, CB, South Carolina =
New England Patriots DeAngelo Williams RB Memphis=
SanFransisco 49ers (from the Broncos) Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Marcus McNeill, OT, Auburn =
Cincinnati Bengals Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio St.
New York Giants Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio St.
Chicago Bears Antonio Cromartie, CB, Florida St.
Carolina Panthers Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota
Jacksonville Jaguars LenDale White, RB, USC
New York Jets(from the Broncos) Kamerion Wimbley DE Florida St.
Indianapolis Colts Joseph Addai, RB, LSU =
Seattle Seahawks Max Jean-Gilles OG, Georgia=
Pittsburgh Steelers Nick Mangold, C, Ohio St. =
Houston TexansEric Winston, OT, Miami =
New Orleans Saints Abdul Hodge, LB, Iowa
New York Jets Thomas Howard, OLB, UTEP
Green Bay Packers Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami
Denver Broncos (from 49ers) Maurice Stovall, WR Notre Dame
Oakland Raiders Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan =
Tennessee Titans Donte Whitner, S Ohio State
Detroit Lions Andrew Whitworth, OT L.S.U.
Arizona Cardinals Tamba Hali, DE, Penn St.
Buffalo Bills Darnell Bing, S USC
Cleveland Browns D'Qwell Jackson, LB, Maryland
Baltimore Ravens Daniel Bullocks, S, Nebraska
Philadelphia Eagles DeMeco Ryans, LB, Alabama
St. Louis Rams Marcedes Lewis, TE, UCLA
Atlanta Falcons Darryl Tapp, DE/OLB, Va Tech =
Minnesota Vikings Charles Spencer, OG Pittsburgh
Dallas Cowboys Ko Simpson, S, South Carolina
San Diego Chargers Sinorice Moss, WR, Miami
Minnesota Vikings Charlie Whitehurst, QB Clemson
New England Patriots Richard Marshall, CB Fresno St.
Washington Redskins Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College
Kansas City Chiefs Derek Hagan, WR Arizona St.
Cincinnati Bengals Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia
New York Giants Rodrique Wright, DT Texas
Chicago Bears Anthony Fasno, TE, Notre Dame
Carolina Panthers Gerris Wilkinson, LB Georgia Tech
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mark Anderson , DE Alabama.
Jacksonville Jaguars Jon Alston, OLB Stanford
Denver Broncos Joe Klopfenstein, TE, Colorado
Indianapolis Colts Demetruis Williams, WR, Oregon
Seattle Seahawks Pat Watkins, S FSU
Pittsburgh Steelers Jerious Norwood, RB Mississippi St.

Round 3

Houston Texans Deuce Lutui, OG, USC
Houston Texans (from the Saints) Ray Edwards, DE Purdue
Green Bay Packers Davin Joseph, OG, Oklahoma
Denver Broncos (from the 49ers) Brian Calhoun, RB Wisconsin
Oakland Raiders Daryn Colledge, OT, Boise St.
Buffalo Bills (from the Titans) Claude Wroten, DT, LSU
New York Jets Omar Jacobs, QB Bowling Green
Arizona Cardinals Dominique Byrd, TE USC
Buffalo Bills Jonathan Scott, OT Texas
Detroit Lions Kai Parham, ILB | Virginia
New England Patriots (from the Ravens) Travis Wilson WR, Oklahoma.
Philadelphia Eagles Ryan O'Callaghan, OT California
St. Louis Rams Maurice Drew,RB UCLA
Cleveland Browns Jeremy Trueblood, OT Boston College
Atlanta Falcons Bernard Pollard S, Purdue
Dallas Cowboys Rocky Mclntosh, OLB Miami
San Diego Chargers Cedric Griffin, CB Texas
Miami Dolphins Brodie Croyle, QB Alabama
Minnesota Vikings Tim Dobbins, ILB Iowa State
San Francisco 49ers (from the Redskins) Devin Aromashodu, WR Auburn
Kansas City Chiefs Bruce Gradkowski, QB Toledo
New England Patriots Leon Williams, ILB Miami
New York Giants Jason Avant, WR Michigan
Chicago Bears Martin Nance, WR Miami
Carolina Panthers Tony Scheffler, TE Western Michigan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Garret Mills, FB Tulsa
Cincinnati Bengals Babatunde Oshinowo, DT Stanford
Jacksonville Jaguars Stanley McClover, DE Auburn
Atlanta Falcons (from the Broncos) Kyle Williams, DT LSU
Indianapolis Colts Terna Nande, OLB Miami (OH)
Minnesota Vikings(from the Seahawks) Greg Eslinger C Minnesota
Pittsburgh Steelers Anthony Smith S, Syracuse
New York Jets Chris Chester C, Oklahoma

Twins starting pitching killing us

2006-04-24T09:09:00.001-07:00

Hi Readers, Sorry for not posting I have been busy trying to move and get things straighten out. The Twins have been struggling lately and you can blame two key factors the Twins starting pitching, and Shannon Stewart and Luis Castillo not being in the lineup.

The Twins are spiraling down this past week playing the Angels and White Sox. I do have to say one thing about the White Sox is that there the best team in baseball, hopefully nobody gets hurt on this team, because there a good team to watch. Santana, Radke, Silva, and Loshe need to step up there pitching and Rick Anderson please try to fix this pitching staff.

I like the way the Twins are hitting players are starting to hit the grooves and there almost out of the horrible schedule that MLB gave the Twins to start the season. So the Twins needs to fire back this week and below are what they need to do to get out of this horrible month.

The Twins need to go 12-12 to be fine going into May. So this is what the need to do:

Kansas City Royals Away
3 out 3 Record 10-11
Detroit Tigers Away
2 out 3 Record 12-12

I think the Twins will end up 11-13 in May, but to be truthful if they end up 10-14, it was a pretty average month. This division is tough and it looks like it will be a hard division to overcome so Twins play your heart outs.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

A three round mock draft will be posted tomorrow so look for that. Jay Cutler is falling on some draft boards so look for his name to pick up more in Minnesota Vikings news.

First 2 rounds mock draft 3.0

2006-04-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Houston Texans Reggie Bush, RB, USC =
New Orleans Saints Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina St.
Tennessee Titans Matt Leinart, QB, USC =
New York Jets D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
Green Bay Packers A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio St. =
San Francisco 49ers Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland =
Oakland Raiders Vince Young, QB, Texas =
Buffalo Bills Winston Justice, OT, USC =
Detroit Lions Michael Huff, DB, Texas =
Arizona Cardinals Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt =
St. Louis Rams Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon =
Cleveland Browns Kamerion Wimbley DE Florida St.=
Baltimore Ravens Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida St. =
Philadelphia Eagles Chad Jackson, WR, Florida =
Denver Broncos(from Atlanta) Jimmy Williams, CB, Va Tech =
Miami Dolphins Tye Hill, CB, Clemson =
Minnesota Vikings Ernie Sims, LB, Florida St. =
Dallas Cowboys Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio St. =
San Diego Chargers Jason Allen, DB, Tennessee
Kansas City Chiefs Jonathan Joseph, CB, South Carolina =
New England Patriots DeAngelo Williams RB Memphis =
Denver Broncos(from Washington) Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Marcus McNeill, OT, Auburn =
Cincinnati Bengals Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa
New York Giants Bobby Carpenter, LB, Ohio St.
Chicago Bears Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio St.
Carolina Panthers LenDale White, RB, USC
Jacksonville Jaguars Manny Lawson, DE/OLB, North Carolina St.
New York Jets(from Denver) Tamba Hali, DE, Penn St.
Indianapolis Colts Joseph Addai, RB, LSU =
Seattle Seahawks Max Jean-Gilles OG, Georgia =
Pittsburgh Steelers Nick Mangold, C, Ohio St. =
Houston Texans Eric Winston, OT, Miami =
New Orleans Saints DeMeco Ryans, LB, Alabama =
New York Jets Richard Marshall, CB, Fresno St.
Green Bay Packers Sinorice Moss, WR, Miami =
San Francisco 49ers Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami
Oakland Raiders Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan =
Tennessee Titans Abdul Hodge, LB, Iowa
Detroit Lions Daryn Colledge, OT, Boise St.
Arizona Cardinals Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College =
Buffalo Bills Darnell Bing, S USC
Cleveland Browns D'Qwell Jackson, LB, Maryland
Baltimore Ravens Daniel Bullocks, S, Nebraska
Philadelphia Eagles Thomas Howard, OLB, UTEP =
St. Louis Rams Marcedes Lewis, TE, UCLA
Atlanta Falcons Darryl Tapp, DE/OLB, Va Tech =
Minnesota Vikings Antonio Cromartie, DB, Florida St.
Dallas Cowboys Ko Simpson, S, South Carolina
San Diego Chargers Demetruis Williams, WR, Oregon
Minnesota Vikings Davin Joseph, OG, Oklahoma
New England Patriots Deuce Lutui, OG, USC
Washington Redskins Claude Wroten, DT, LSU
Kansas City Chiefs Travis Wilson WR, Oklahoma.
Cincinnati Bengals Dominique Byrd, TE USC =
New York Giants Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia
Chicago Bears Anthony Fasno, TE, Notre Dame
Carolina Panthers Alan Zemaitis CB, Penn State
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gerris Wilkinson, LB Georgia Tech
Jacksonville Jaguars Maurice Drew, RB, UCLA
Denver Broncos Joe Klopfenstein, TE, Colorado
Indianapolis Colts Maurice Stowall, WR Notre Dame
Seattle Seahawks Mark Anderson , DE Alabama.
Pittsburgh Steelers Maurice Drew,RB UCLA

Twins win 2 out of 3 and it ain't bad

2006-04-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers, well summer is here in Minneapolis. We have 70-80 degree weather everyday, so I claim it is summer and not spring. I watched some sports this weekend including three Twins games and the Minnesota Wild season closer.

The Twins are rolling and they took 3 out of 3 from the Athletics and 2 out of 3 from the New York Yankees. This team just needs to keep playing competitive baseball and it will be in good shape when they hit the end of the season. Well players like Hunter, Morneau, Nathan, and Rincon have looked good. But players like Santana, White, Silva, and Crain have looked bad.

The Twins need to go 12-12 to be fine going into May. So this is what the need to do:

Los Angelos Angels of Anaheim Home
2 out 3 Record 8-7
Chicago White Sox Away
1 out 3 Record 9-9
Kansas City Royals Away
2 out 3 Record 11-10
Detroit Tigers Away
1 out 3 Record 12-12

I like how this division is looking also. Nobody is going way in front the division is staying close and our pitchers are going to come through in the end. I think the World Baseball Classic really screwed up the conditioning of Carlos Silva, Johan Santana, and Jesse Crain. But I think with a couple more starts Silva will get his sinker going and Santana will fill more comfortable with his pitches. And Jesse Crain needs to relax and not try to hard and press. Rondell White is pressing and I say Gardy keep him in the four hole and he will play dividends because this lineup is perfect.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

The Minnesota Wild season is over and we missed the playoffs. The Wild need to sign Gaborik to a long term contract and get key scorers next to him. They also need to get rid of the bad defensemen and get 6 soild ones. I would keep

Schultz
Tjarnquist
Burns
either Zyzuin or Skoula
either Foster or Kuba

The Minnesota Timberwolves are finally getting it lose and lose some more to keep that draft pick. They have one more game againest Memphis, and Coach Casey please lose and Kevin McHale start cleaning house. Players who should stay:

C Eddie Griffin
PF: Kevin Garnett
SF: Ricky Davis
SG: Rashad McCants
PG: Marcus Banks

Bench:
C: Mark Blount
PF: Mark Madsen
SF: Justin Reed
SG: Trenton Hassell
PG: ????

Get Rid of:
Marko Jaric
Troy Hudson
Anthony Carter
Ronald Dupree
Richie Frahm

Twins win Two in a row

2006-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers well it's like May in the Twin Cities and the temparture is rising into the 70's. With the temparture rising the Minnesota Twins are starting to win.

Homeruns are fun and last season this team didn't hit many homeruns. But the last two home games the Minnesota Twins have won on homeruns by Torri Hunter, Justin Morneau, and Tony Batista. I really like this lineup except for the right fielder, some days I wish we had Jacque Jones back but I see he is slipping for the Chicago Cubs. So I ask the question today who should be in right field and I think so people will be disapointed by my answer.

Players that can play right field include Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, and Lew Ford. So who should be there I think they should start Jason Kubel and then trade either Lew Ford or Michael Cuddyer for a prospect or a draft pick. I think the Minnesota Twins should have gone after a right fielder in the off season. If Jason Kubel doesn't pan out and probably all three guys will pickup after awhile then the Twins need to figure out another plan.

And that other plan might include trading Kyle Loshe for a prospect outfielder. Kyle Loshe starts againest Joe Blanton today at 12:10 as the Minnesota Twins go for the swip over the Oakland Athletics.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

The Minnesota Wild play the Nashville Predators tonight. It is going to be a very intresting offseason for the Wild. The Wild GM Doug Risenbourgh says the Wild are going to go after a big time defensivemen in free agency and a proven offensive scoring forward.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won last night againest the Houston Rockets. The T-puppies needed to loss to keep there draft pick now there in danger to lose that pick to the Los Angelos Clippers if they don't get a top 10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. All I can say to Casey and the Timberwolves is lose.

The Minnesota Vikings are bringing more rookies for looks. This includes Charlie Whitehurst. The agent for Texas quarterback Vince Young said last week that his client was on the Vikings' visit list.

Minnesota Twins Home Opener

2006-04-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Readers it is warm like a summer day in Minneapolis. Woke up this morning and it was 60 degrees outside with the prediction of 72 for this afternoon and it is only April 11.

Well I wish the Twins had a outdoor stadium because baseball is back in Minnesota, and the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics at 7:05 tonight. Brad Radke takes the mound againest Danny Haren both have a 6.00 ERA.

The Twins are 1-5 and need to get back to .500 at the end of the month. And this Oakland series could be a key factor take a look at the schedule after this:

Oakland Athletics April 11-13 Home
New York Yankees April 14-16 Home
Los Angelos Angels of Anaheim April 18-20 Home
Chicago White Sox April 21-23 Away
Kansas City Royals April 25-27 Away
Detroit Tigers April 28-30 Away

The Twins need to go 12-12 to be fine going into May. So this is what the need to do:

Oakland Athletics Home
2 out 3 Record 3-6
New York Yankees Home
1 out 3 Record 4-8
Los Angelos Angels of Anaheim Home
2 out 3 Record 6-9
Chicago White Sox Away
1 out 3 Record 7-11
Kansas City Royals Away
3 out 3 Record 10-11
Detroit Tigers Away
2 out 3 Record 12-12

So really think about it the Twins will be fine if they go .500 this month. This is the hardest month on the schedule and it always takes some time to get rolling into the season. Plus the Twins went 1-5 on the road and the Twins play way better at home. So tonight cheer for the Twins because there going to be fine as the season goes on.

Other Minnesota Sports News:

The Minnesota Wild play there last home game againest the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Look for the Wild to keep playing soild hockey even though the Wild are out of the playoffs they have had a very soild season.

The Minnesota Vikings have some rookies visting Winterpark this includes Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler. They took a look at Minnesota Gophers runningback Lawrence Maroney yesterday.