No long blog today, but I need to put this on the record somewhere.


Gophers will beat Indiana tomorrow.  Lead by the Freshman guards. 


Now feel free to rip me a new one, for I base this on little more than a gut feeling

Twins signed Adam Everett recently... And I thought ONE great defender, who hits for an empty average, with a terrible OBP (Nick Punto) was bad enough... The Twins went out and invest 2.8 Million dollars in a player that should be really familiar with the bench... not a starting lineup

Bad move Twins... You'll regret this one... Maybe more than Rondell White's contract...


Good news for the Twins today... Haren Goes to the D-backs, meaning the options just got thinner for teams looking to upgrade their rotations. Also, the Haren trade set a good starting point for where Santana discussions should begin. (6 prospects were sent to the A's in the trade)

This could also make the Dodgers more willing to make a move, with an Ace pitcher being traded into their division.

I think the wait and see approach is starting to work for the Twins.

Dwight Smith got busted for marijuana today... brilliant Dwiight... seriously... you make millions of dollars... and you want to throw that away to get high?

Pat Williams was in the car with him, but was not cited. I highly doubt Pat wasn't smoking as well... but at least he stayed out of trouble for now.

Both should sit monday's game VS Chicago to send a message.


Another Twins Signing: Mike Lamb

2 years... 6.6 million with a 2010 club option

A little better than the Everett Signing... but at least it takes Punto out of the starting line-up (I think)

the Lineup should look something like this...

C - Mauer
1B - Morneau
2B - Brendan Harris
SS - Punto/Everett (whichever plays "better")
3B - Mike Lamb
LF - Delmon Young
CF - If no Free agent is signed, or trade made... Span and Pridie will battle for this spot
RF - Cuddyer
DH - Monroe/Kubel

I'll say this, I think it's a better line-up than the Twins had last year... but definitely not something that the Tigers or Indians are going to fear. The Twins are gonna have to get it done on defense and pitching again this year.

Justin Morneau, Juan Rincon, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Matt Guerrier, Craig Monroe and Jason Tyner are the Twins arbitration eligible players.  Nearly all of them are important members of the team.  Here's a brief overview of what I think will happen with this players. 


Justin Morneau:  The Twins will continue to work towards a long-term contract with Morneau.  He's by far the Twins best power hitter, and without him, the line-up is incredibly weak.  If no long-term deal is made, he'll be offered arbitration, I'd expect him to get quite a good contract in arbitration. 

Juan Rincon:  He's a solid reliever, and will definitely be offered arbitration.  I think the Twins will look to use Rincon as trade-bait for a 3rd basement (maybe an in-division deal with the Tigers for Inge?).  He should make 3-5 million in arbitration. 

Jason Kubel: Once touted as the next great prospect to come up from the farm clubs, sadly knee injuries have changed him from a near flawless defender, to a gimpy DH.  The Twins will offer him arbitration, and he'll serve as the primary back-up for Cuddyer and Young in the corner outfield, and likely DH.  He shouldn't cost the Twins much money

Matt Guerrier:  His break-out year this year really helped the Twins get through some tough bullpen times.  He's a failed starter who has turned into a great set-up guy.  He was trusted in more and more late game situations as the season went on.  I expect him to be offered arbitration, and he should be signed for a reasonable amount. 

Craig Monroe:  While I believe the Twins traded for him in an attempt to entice Torii Hunter to stay (Torii and Monroe are friends), I think the Twins will still offer Monroe a contract, but I'm not sure they'll offer arbitration, and risk paying him more money than he's worth.  Monroe had a bad year last year, but he may be given a chance to bounce back as a potential DH for the Twins this year. 

Jason Tyner:  If the Twins sign Monroe, I don't see room for Jason Tyner on the Twins roster, meaning his future is probably tied to Monroe's.  We'll just have to wait and see.  If the Twins choose to offer arbitration, he'll cost the Twins next to nothing, so there's little risk (but also little reward) in keeping Tyner. 

I say that with no sarcasm.  I'm very proud of the new Twins GM, showing that he will not be pushed around by the Yankees and Red Sox.  Everybody expected the Twins to bend over, and take what they could get for Johan, and take it with a smile.  But Bill Smith showed he has backbone in these winter meetings.  He ignored deadlines, and continued to push for what Johan is truly worth. 

What some people don't seem to understand, is the Twins can afford to keep Johan.  And that this team can win the AL central.  With a Rotation of Johan - Baker - Bonser - Liriano - (Several will be competing for the final spot).  The Twins can pitch with anyone in baseball.  If they can manage to fill some holes at 3rd base centerfield and short-stop, they will be a force to be reckoned with. 

The Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, M's, or Dodgers will come around.  Somebody will realize the opportunity they are missing by letting Johan stay on the Twins, and make the Twins an offer they can't refuse.  My personal prediction is that the Mets will cave on their Reyes stance, and the Twins will make a deal involving two superstars. 

I have a question for my fellow bloggers, Why is it unreasonable for the Twins to expect a superstar in return for the best pitcher in baseball?  (I'd love to see someone argue against Johan being the best)

In closing, #### You Hank, Minnesota doesn't bow down to the Yankees like you wish they would.  The Yankee might is much weaker than it used to be.  Have fun with that terrible rotation. 

What a blatant example of tampering by Mr. Steinbrenner.  “How can I go any higher? What do they want — Hughes, Kennedy and Cabrera? I can’t do that kind of thing. It’s crazy. It’s suicidal. In the past 20 or 30 years, teams have always asked more from the Yankees than they have of anybody else, and that’s going to stop. I’ve made the best offer Minnesota is going to get, and the fact is, it’s an offer we can go away happy and they can go away happy.”

What a #### tool.  Forgive my anger here, but this is simply something Execs can't do.  Tampering rules exist to stop this kind of ####..


And seriously Yankees... do you really think anyone takes your "deadline" seriously?  Remember A-Rod... how you wouldn't enter the bidding war if he opted out... really stuck to your guns there. 

At the beginning of the season, had someone told me the Vikings would be 6-6 at this point, I would have laughed in their face.  But now the Vikings sit, in a 3 way tie for the final wild card slot, and the question must be raised, how good are the Vikings chances? 

First lets look at the schedule.  They have San Fran next week, arguably the conference's worst team, if the Vikings play half as good as they played this week vs the Lions they should have no trouble winning this game.  Next they host the Bears, in a division rivalry game that should be the toughest remaining on their schedule.  The home field advantage will seal it IMO, I give the Vikings a 65 percent chance to win that game.  Next they host the Redskins, another struggling team, and I believe another winable game, due to the level of play the Vikings have reached over the last three weeks.  Their final game will be at Mile High stadium, against a Broncos team that is likely out of playoff contention.  It will not be easy, but I think the Vikings have a good chance of winning this game as well. 

The Vikings have a legit shot at finishing the year 10-6.


now, let's look at the schedules of the other two contenders. 

They face the Cowboys (Loss),  Chargers (Loss)   Chiefs (they'll win IMO) then the Packers (they'll win due to GB resting starters)

So the lions IMO will finish at 8-8.  They definitely have a tough remaining schedule. 

The Cardinals, despite being the weakest of the three teams imo, will give the Vikings the most trouble.  Like the Vikings, they have a weak remaining schedule.  I believe they'll lose to the Seahawks next week, which would put the Vikings in the driver's seat, but I doubt they'll lose any more games, as they face New Orleans, Atlanta, and the Rams.  Finishing at 9-7.


While I may be accused of being a bit homeristic in my predictions, I think that this is a scenario that likely could play out.  I am still stunned that the Vikings are even mentioned in playoff talks, especially since they are not far removed from 3-6. 

With all of the trade speculation kicking around over Johan Santana, I feel the question needs to be raised as to what his value truly is. Before you all jump over this, I feel his value will be greater than what the Twins actually receive, simply because when a team trades a superstar, they rarely get true value.

Johan, has been without a doubt, the best pitcher in baseball over the time he's been a starter in this league. His dominance is only overshadowed by his consistency. He's never had any major injuries, and he rarely has games where he is knocked around the ball park. (in fact, none come to mind off the top of my head). He's a strikeout pitcher, again the best in the game since he began starting. He has an arsenal of pitches he can throw at any time for a strike.

So what's he really worth? I think to begin the trade, one established player needs to be in the deal. Star quality, in addition, there needs to be a prospect that is MLB ready , and at least one player at the AA (or lower level) with potential to be a star.

As a Twins fan, I view this trade with mixed emotions... He's been my favorite player since he joined the team, and it would nearly kill me to see him in Yankee pinstripes... But this is a trade that the Twins need to make. Their offense is weak, and no help in the minors is in sight. The Twins pitching heavy drafts have developed a great group of youngsters to fill out the rotation and bullpen, but it has left them very weak in the offensive positions. Trading Johan would instantly fill major deficiencies at CF, 3B, SS and DH.

Here are some trades that I think would work out well for the Twins, and their potential suitors. In order of which ones i'd like to see.

Twins get: Jose Reyes, 2 prospects (3b or CF preferably) (I can't say i'm familiar with the mets farm system)

Mets get: Johan, Juan Rincon



Twins - Yankees:

Twins get: Melky Cabrera, Joba Chamberlain, prospect

Yankees get: Johan


Twins - Red Sox:

Twins Get: Ellsbury, buckholtz, Lester

Red Sox get: Johan


IN SHORT:

Delmon Young will make Twins fans forget all about Torii's bat. He's a kid who needed some new scenery, and will flourish in a lineup where he's protected by Mauer and Morneau

Twins will regret packaging Morlan into the Delmon Young Deal. He's a great reliever with a cannon arm, and would be a much better future closer than Pat Neshek.

The Twins cannot go into this season with Nick Punto as the starting 3rd baseman. He's a solid guy to have on the bench for depth, but he's just not a starter, and it's ridiculous he's stayed in the lineup this long.

Vikings will beat the Lions. But AD will have little to do with it.

Brett Favre regressed thursday vs Dallas, and the Cowboys gave the rest of the league a blueprint to stop the Packers offense. Put Favre on his back, and he will go back to throwing picks in vintage fashion.

There are only 4 NFC teams not in the playoff picture.

Miami will get a win this weekend.