It's the top of the 8th, 2 on for the Angels, nobody out. Twins SS Adam Everett looks like he'll come out of this game as the Twins' "Offensive Star of the evening".

When Adam Everett is your offensive star, you might as well have not come to play the game at all. Actually, you didn't.

Angels lead, 6-1. I really should have worked on unpacking instead.

Update: I turned off the TV and went on to other things when the Angels lead expanded to 7-1. Final score, 9-1. No, Ihad not planned on "live blogging" the game, but I felt it best to put something down at that moment before I walked away and moved on to other things, like installing doors and unpacking and whatnot.

Yes, Boof had a rough start to the game, giving up 2 runs early. The thing is, it seemed to deflate the team as a whole. All the energy from game one had completely evaporated like that gut that used to be around Boof's belly. At least the lost weight made it easier for him to spin around that mound to watch the balls go flying by.

But the real issue was the offense, specifically the "heart of the order". Gomez had a 1-4 night, but the Twins will expect that he'll have some good nights and some average nights. The fact is they still, even with all the improvements (on paper) to the lineup, must rely on Mauer, Morneau and Cuddyer to be the engine that makes this particular machine go. Mauer and Cuddyer both went 1-4; not grea, but not terrible. However, Justin Morneau has yet to get anything going with his bat, having another o-fer night and not even putting a good swing on a ball.

Yes, we're only 2 games into the season, but I find Morneau's inability to even put a good swing on the bat to be somewhat troubling. For this team to have any kind of a decent record this season, they have to have a strong start while they are still within sight of the top dogs in the division (i.e. early on, when everyone's starting from the same point). Poor performance from Morneau could spell utter disaster for this team this year and in effect end this team's season even earlier than most predict.

Morneau struggled in spring training, even requesting some ABs in an extra minor league game to try to work on some things. Morneau was profiled in a Star Tribune article at one point talking about his new approach to his offseason regimen, trying to peak at a different time this season. The Twins better hope he peaks sooner rather than later.  

Me, I am glad I walked away from the game when I did, even though I normally see a game through to the end, regardless of the score. I can walk around in the guest room now. That's a bonus. I think I'll take a night or two off from this blogging thing to do other things....

So, it's been over a month since my last post. I got kind of busy, buying a new house and moving into it. I had to shovel the driveway and the sidewalk for the first time this morning. Hooray homeownership. I think I should take a bed out in Cali next to Kelvim Escobar. My shoulder's a little sore, and I would not mind calling it a career on snow shoveling.

Anyway, it's hard to tell, judging by my escapades slogging through the snow this morning, that Opening Week in the MLB has comenced. Come 2010, I think it's safe to say the Twins won't have their home opener until about 2 weeks into the season. Fine by me, as long as those home games come back to Minneapolis during the stretch runs in September...assuming they're in contention at that point.

I somehow decided I would start blogging this season for the Twins, with my goal being 82 games worth of babbling here on the internets. I don't think I have ever watched that much baseball in one season, though I would not doubt I have gotten up to 50 games of baseball watching in a season before. Perhaps someday I will be able to get in all 162 games for one team in a year, but since I actually have a job that requires me to be somewhere during the day, that might be difficult.

So, I begin with last night's Twins victory.

It wasn't exactly a matchup that jumped off the page - Livan Hernandez v. Jeff Weaver. Given the Angels' injury woes in the starting rotation, I am a little surprised that they didn't try signing Bert Blyleven to a minor league contract to take the mound. I'm not sure it would have made much of a difference. Sure, the final score shows it was only a 1 run game, but (much like last year) the Twins left a lot of ducks on the pond. Nine of them, to be exact.

Livan kept the Angels guessing all game, even dipping into his bag of tricks for a 59mph curveball that made his fastball that followed look like it might have broken the sound barrier. For a guy whose ERA was well over 4.00 last year, an opening day start going 7 strong only giving up 2 runs is more than what the Twins could have expected from Livan. Minnesotans will gladly take starts like that from all their guys all year long.

The young guys behind Livan in the rotation can learn a lot from that outing on Monday night. Stay steady, stay ahead of hitters and let the defense handle getting the outs. That's a pretty good formula for success, and the reason the Twins brought Livan in to begin with. While Johan Santana was a leader by example in terms of superior ability, Livan is a leader by example in terms of determination and pitching knowledge. Whether his stuff holds up all season long will remain to be seen - like the first fans to be circled by Bert Blyleven's telestrator pen, we're all LIVAN on a prayer.

(BTW, is Bert's telestrator the most overpriced and underused piece of equipment in television history? I think so. It goes to show the extent of Bert's "insight" into the game that the only time he uses the technology that made Mike Frattello look like a genius is to point out fans in the stands with stupid signs or cute babies on their laps in Twins swag.)

Of course, Carlos Gomez is getting all the headlines this morning, and rightfully so. But much like Livan's start, it's hard to know whether this is truly a sign of things to come or the stars aligning in just the right way on one day. Weaver's slow delivery to the mound allowed the Twins to do a lot of moving around on the bases. Hell, Cuddyer even stole a base. But Gomez's performance was almost pirahna-like. Like Nick Punto if he actually knew how to swing a bat. His energy was truly a catalyst for the team as a whole, the prime example of what a good leadoff hitter can (and should) do for his team. If this kid can do that consistently, his career will be one worth remembering.

It'll be a year of ups and downs for all the young guys on this team, but if they can string together a few good days, this team might actually gather some steam and potentially do better on this season than most of the pundits think. Tomorrow's always another day, or something like that.

However, this team will go nowhere if the Twins "stalwarts" cannot get it going. Morneau looked like he needed smelling salts to stay in the game when at the plate, though he made a great play on a double-play ball, missing the catch with his glove hand, but saving it barehanded on the other side. Otherwise, a forgettable opener for the former MVP.

Joe Mauer was, for the most part, unable to take advantage of the havoc Gomez was creating ahead of him. Mauer had a 1-4, 1 RBI day, and did have a couple of productive outs that moved Gomez over,  but that is not what you want to see from a former batting champion. You don't want outs, you want hits. It'll be interesting to see whether Mauer can come close to the form he showed in 2006. If Mauer can take advantage of the days when Gomez is in a groove, his RBIs should skyrocket this season. But, that's a pretty big if.

I like that manager Ron Gardenhire put Cuddyer in there behind Mauer, with Morneau and Delmon Young behind him. If he sticks with this, Cuddyer should see a lot of good pitches to hit in that position IF the top two guys do their job, and given the solid year he had at the start of last year, Cuddyer should be in good position to improve upon those numbers and sustain it throughout the season.

However, once he gets on base, opposing pitchers are going to work him. You saw it last night, after Gomez did his dance over at first and the Angels kept trying to pick him off to no avail, they took their frustrations out on Cuddyer once he got on. They threw over to him almost as much as they did Gomez. The Angels were proven right in doing so, but they couldn't even catch Cuddy at second as he stole his first base of the year. 

Delmon Young had a decent hit up the middle, but nothing to write home about. However, he got robbed of his first of what should be many assists this year when he gunned down Chone Figgins trying to stretch a single into a double but got robbed by the 2nd base ump, who was in terrible position on the play.

Craig Monroe and Jason Kubel both looked like they really didn't want to be there last night, which didn't bode well for the DH position. If Gardy's going to be juggling that spot all year, why not make a plan and stick to it starting on day one? Kubel (much as I really am not the biggest fan of the guy) should be getting the ABs against righties. Monroe's "performance" pretty much sealed the deal there. 

All I can remember of Mike Lamb was his RBI and his UNIBROW. I would almost call for his teammates to get him drunk & passed out and shave it off, but I worry that he's like Samson and the UNIBROW is the reason he can play baseball at the major league level...so perhaps it should stay. 

Hey, at least they waited long enough for someone to represent the Wolves at All-Star Weekend.

I am sure the coverage of this move will be exhaustive. Not like anything else happened of note on the Trade Deadline, except for a lot of Spurs back-scratching (my god, Gregg Popovich's GM tree is starting to reach Bill Walsh coaching tree proportions) and LeBron James getting "help" in the form of Wally Sz...aw, whatever...I'll call him the Other Great White Hope (OGWH) who hasn't played defense since college, and a living, breathing point guard who might actually be able to bring the ball up the court all by his lonesome. How quaint!

Oh, and they get the remains of Ben Wallace and the somehow still productive Joe (franchise killer) Smith. But hey, the Suns are banking on Shaq having a little left in the tank, so why not? Let's hope they meet in the Finals so we can see whose contract is more of an albatross over the course of a meaningful 7 game series.

Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas' shot blocking stats should improve with all the opportunities they'll have due to Wally's matador defense.

But, Danny Ferry and John Paxson had to look like they were doing something this year, so they decided they might as well spin their wheels together. I know everyone out on the internet thinks this is a great move for Cleveland in terms of getting geared up to win now, but consider this: if this doesn't work, what do the Cavs do from here? Their championship window is really small now, since the Franchise Killer, Ben Wallace, and the Big Z are all well over 30 (and Wally plays like he's about 35).

Lebron becomes a free agent again in the sumer of 2011. That may seem like a long time from now, but this team has clearly bet it all on winning the championship in the next 2 years, given the players they have acquired.  If they do not win a championship in the next 2 seasons, James could get really cranky and put the Cavs in the unenviable position of possibly having to pull a Kevin Garnett-type trade lest the risk losing James and gaining nothing in return.

However, Larry Hughes was starting to show signs that he knew how to play basketball again, so perhaps he'll finally make one of the Bulls' various diminuitive guards expendable in the off season. You know, the Bulls might be inclined to field a "Lollipop Guild" lineup with Tyrus Thomas, Larry Hughes, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon in an effort to secure a higher draft pick this year. Or, they might pull a Golden State with that kind of lineup and sneak into the playoffs as the 8th seed.

Might as well put Aaron Gray on the treadmill and call it a season.

And while most people watching the NBA are calling Danny Ainge the executive of the year, Sonics GM Sam Presti gets my vote. The insane number of first round draft picks he has put together via trade in 2007-2008 (the Sonics will have 6 in the next three drafts) along with the expiring contracts set to come off the books in the next 3 seasons puts them in position to have a completely rebuilt team with cap flexibility in the very near future. Whether the city of Seattle or Oklahoma City is the fan base that will benefit from these moves remains to be seen.

Art Thiel over at the Seattle P-I has a pretty good article on the subject. Scroll to the bottom and see what I mean.

I'll write up a more coherent post sometime this weekend....

The times, they are a-changin'. NBA front offices have gone crazy, a bevy of blockbuster trades have been made and we haven't even hit the trade deadline yet. More could still be on the horizon. If you're a basketball fan, specifically an NBA fan, chances are you haven't felt this good about the game since the Clinton administration. 

Today's bit of news, The Nets trade of Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks, looked bizarre in its original form, with Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse in the deal along with young emerging star PG Devin Harris. Along with DeSagana Diop and two first round picks, it almost looked like Dallas was mortgaging both today and tomorrow to get the future Hall of Famer. Of course, once the world found out that Stackhouse could get a month of rest and then return to Dallas, it didn't look so bad, unless you happen to work in the NBA league office.

Amazingly, while the new iteration of the trade - with Trenton Hassell and the second coming of the Great White Hype , Keith Van Horn (remember him, the "next Larry Bird"?) - may cost owner Mark Cuban more in terms of dollars, it may have helped save the Mavs' chance at a title. While Dallas may have been able to re-sign Stackhouse after the trade, it's possible that the NBA may have wised up and closed the door on that loophole lest the NBA let the cat out of the bag that their current CBA is so easily circumvented. We all know how David Stern hates looking soft. The amount of attention given to the deal would not have made it so easy to slip Stackhouse's return to Dallas under the proverbial rug, as happened when Gary Payton was traded to Atlanta and then reappeared in Boston a short time later. Of course, nobody cared about either of those teams at the time, so it was less of a story. Even if Stackhouse had not said anything to the media, it may have been time for the league office to do something about it anyway.

Instead, losing Trenton Hassell and the GWH mean next to nothing for the Mavs in the long run. Hassell is an undersized small forward with no jump shot whose supposedly A+ defense seems to have left the gym about the time the Minnesota Timberwolves lost the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers a few years back. The GWH? He was retired. 'Nuff said.

While many have lambasted Devean George for blocking the trade at first, and his status as a player may not be all that high on the court, given that he never fully reached the potential he showed when he first appeared on the scene with the Lakers in the early 2000's, I would prefer him on the roster over Hassell. George's championship experience could be useful come playoff time, and George is at least a little more athletic than Hassell and has shown the ability to score in the past. The Mavs keep Stackhouse without having to go through the process of waiting 30 days before re-signing him, which means keeping him in the rotation and in the flow of the game. Rest be damned. We all know what Jason Kidd brings to the table, and the other guys coming with him will be nice roster and salary cap filler.

The main question Mavs fans should be asking themselves is this: if J-Kidd couldn't win a championship before, why would it make a difference now? And if they fail to win a championship, how long is it before Kidd pulls his usual stunts and either runs Avery Johnson out of town or pulls the rug out from under another front office who sees no other alternative but to trade him. Again. The Nets come off looking pretty good, though. Getting Harris, Diop and 2 first round picks will go a long way toward building the Nets into contenders a couple years down the line. They can build around Harris and current small forward Richard Jefferson and have gained some toughness in the middle from the shot-blocking Diop. If they get anything out of Hassell and the GWH, then it's a bonus.

This does make one curious about the development of second year PG Marcus Williams, who showed flashes of ability early in the year last year, but seems to have regressed slightly with diminished playing time behind Kidd, as coach Lawrence Frank kept Kidd on the floor as long as he could in order to give his team the slightest chance at winning. The Nets willingness to bring in an obvious starter at the same position may mean Williams isn't as good as once advertised, and perhaps there were more than just character concerns that kept Williams' trade value sliding in the months leading up to the 2006 draft. The Nets need to continue cleaning house in order to position themselves as a potential contender in the near future, with a move to Brooklyn looming.

The ridiculously wide-open (read: terrible) Eastern conference may mean it will take even less time for the Nets to turn things around. Look, Boston is dominant right now, but their championship window is relatively short. It's not long before Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett stop being referred to as veterans and just look old. And unless Danny Ferry grows a sack real soon and the Bulls get it together, the rest of the East is totally up for grabs to anyone capable of winning 3 games in a row on occasion.

To that end, if Vince Carter has any trade value, the Nets must move him. If it appears the market for his services may be hotter in the off season, wait it out then move him. There is no reason to go into next season with Carter on the roster. His skills are diminishing, and his current style of game grinds ball movement to a halt. Cut bait now, while you still can. If Marcus Williams doesn't figure into the future plans, move him as well. Bring back pieces either in young talent, picks, or expiring contracts (or all 3, if you're savvy enough), and build for the future.

The current moves in the NBA show that GMs are finally waking up and seeing the writing on the wall. It's not enough to excite the fans with a possible 8 seed in the playoffs. If you're not on the way up, you're on the way down, and fans recognize that. Ask Glen Taylor, who lost approx. $20M in each of the last 2 seasons - and that was WITH Kevin Garnett. While the team is not very good this year, at least initially fans were buoyed by the idea that this team was trying to right the ship, even if it meant trading away the best player this organization may ever have from now to the end of time. The losing has taken its toll on the players, but fans can still take solace in the idea that the team is actually trying to build a contender, misguided though some of their decisions may still be (that's an issue for another time).

Perhaps what is more striking, in the wake of the All-Star weekend and the Jason Kidd deal, along with all the previous deals that had been made this year, is the contagion of all this risk-taking by NBA GMs. The fact is, organizations are "going for it" like never before. The arms race continues, and ultimately the fans are the ones who will benefit. Not since the Jordan era has there been this much excitement surrounding the NBA. The image of the players has dramatically changed (for the most part), and the bulk of the news we read about revolves around actual basketball, not off-the-court issues.

I bet the NFL and MLB wishes they could say the same. The times, they are a'changin.

Phoenix traded for the wrong member of the Miami Heat. If they could have pried Udonis Haslem from the worst team in the Eastern Conference, they'd be my pick to run away with the NBA Championship. Haslem's solid defense at the power forward position, ability to hit the mid-range jumper and all around "good guy" status would have been exactly what the Suns were missing. He would have provided everything they were trying to get when discussing trade options with Minnesota for Kevin Garnett, albeit the poor man's version thereof.

But, contracts in the NBA must match, and thus Steve Kerr took the chance and bet his brand spanking new GM gig on the ghost of Shaquille O'Neal. Kerr is betting that a hungry all-time great is a better locker room presence than a whiny, though supremely talented walking distraction.

Unfortunately, Kerr seems to be betting the farm on a dying horse. In terms of gambles, this is akin to going all-in with nothing but a face card high at the World Series of Poker. If the community cards roll your way, you look like a genius and hopefully get to spit in Phil Hellmuth's face. If not, you're walking away from the table a goat.

Kerr realizes as much, saying, "If it works, I'm a genius. If it doesn't, I'm a moron.'' But what if it does work? HOW could it work?

Maybe it won't work all the time in the regular season, and this team probably will fall off the top of the standings in the West at first. But Kerr most likely accepts that. Upon Shaq's full return to the court, the Suns will probably take a few steps backward before (hopefully) taking  one massive leap forward. If they remain at the top of the standings until Shaq's full arrival, they can afford some slip-ups, so long as everything is in sync come late March and on into April. The Suns have to be willing to give up their current momentum. If it works, a big-man rotation of Stoudamire, Diaw, Skinner and O'Neal might sound pretty scary to a lot of teams come playoff time.

Not that I think it was a prudent move, as you will see. However, to play devil's advocate for a moment:

Shaq might not be as spry as he once was, but in his prime he ran the court very well for a man of his size. As long as all 4 on the court with him in a Suns uniform commit to the break having Shaq trail far behind will not slow their fast break as much as people might think. If Shaq commits himself to being the ferocious rebounder he still has the potential to be (though he was never the greatest ball-hawk of all time), his above-average (for a big man) passing skills could be a major asset in terms of the outlet pass, a dying art form current NBA scouts drool over UCLA's Kevin Love for.

As the Big Cactus gets the ball to point guard Steve Nash, the other 3 Suns can continue their fast-breaking ways. Rarely do you see a 5 on anything fast break, so the fact that Shaq won't be part of the break won't be terribly unusual by conventional NBA terms. Nash's creativity can still be exploited in early offense, even on a secondary break. By the time Nash discerns that the early offense is a no-go, Shaq should be joining the party in the post.

Once into the half court offense, Shaq must prove to opposing teams that he still commands a double team. If he does, then his passing skills can be brought to bear there as well. Shaq already has said one of his goals is to improve upon the Suns' three point shooting percentage, and if he can give the Suns adequate offense which forces opponents to bring a double team this should be almost a certainty.

Amare Stoudamire is the player most likely to be affected by Shaq's acquisition, as he will be sliding over to the power forward position. However, the numbers indicate that Stoudamire is not as effective a player in his preferred position.  Playing in the high post renders Stoudamire a mid-range jump shooter, not the aggressive low post force he has become. Stoudamire is also the beneficiary of great passes from Steve Nash that allow him to score on the move via screen/rolls and basket cuts. If Shaq remains in the low post, many of those plays will have to be thrown out or radically altered.

However, if coach Mike D'Antoni and Nash can orchestrate the offense in such a way that Shaq and Stoudamire somehow alternate occupying the high and low posts - one primarily set up to help set screens and move the ball, the other set in motion to dominate the low block and draw the double team to kick the ball out to open shooters - each marquee big man will be able to get in on the fun. Plus, it's high time Stoudamire starts working on his game facing the basket. The knee surgeries of his youth will eventually force him to learn how to play with his feet set as he ages. He might as well start early.

Court awareness would have to be paramount for both players as they operate in the high post, as this is an area where the little guys can have good opportunities to get steals if the big man doesn't keep the ball high.

Defense is the greater concern. Which big man will match up with Duncan, Nowitzki, Gasol, Boozer, etc., the top big men of the West?

This is the problem with the trade, if you ask me. I can make all kinds of arguments as to how this won't be as bad for the Suns offensively as everyone makes it out to be. But defense is the issue, and as the Giants proved yet again, defense wins championships.

The Suns routinely get beat on dribble penetration, since their perimeter players gamble for steals so frequently and Nash's defense has always been suspect at the point of attack. This leaves the big men down low with the task of sealing the lane off to keep dribblers from getting easy layups. The Suns already had issues in this respect, and may even have bigger issues with Shaq in the middle. While he can plug the middle due to his size, he must rotate fast enough to be able to bring his size to bear without picking up cheap fouls. This has always been an issue in his career and has a direct relationship to his age and size. As he has gotten older and bigger, it's gotten worse.

And, as queried before, how do you match Shaq and Stoudamire up with opposing big men? With either one on the floor at center with Diaw manning the power forward, the issues with big men who operate at the high post almost exclusively might be somewhat mitigated, but then you leave one of them on the bench. This might not be such a bad thing late in games, when you don't want Shaq's horrid free throw shooting on the floor.

The defensive liabilities in Shaq's game are what make this a suspect trade for the Suns in my opinion. For the above theories on offense to work, this means Shaq or Stoudamire are grabbing rebounds and tossing outlet passes to Nash. No defensive stops, no rebounds to get. The number of possessions the Suns get might not be as high, because they will be forced to play more half-court offense without those stops, and that might be what grinds their offense to a halt.

The Suns are betting on addition by subtraction. Remove Shawn Marion's poor locker room presence, and you have a happier ballclub. A happier ballclub is a better ballclub, the logic suggests. Regardless of Shaq's deficiencies at this stage of his career, his positive influence on the locker room, and what he brings in terms of championship experience and reputation will be the thing pushing them over the edge.

Maybe Mike D'Antoni put it best, "Well, first we can't win without a big man, and once we get a big man, now we can't win with a big man. That's a funny argument.'' Translation: we're damned if we do, damned if we don't. What we've tried hasn't gotten us over the hump, so maybe this will. That's quite a gamble, but with the Suns "Steve Nash" window rapidly closing, they'll go all in with the Big Cactus.