There are a few things that pique my curiosity regarding Twins fans. I don't get why they go to great lengths
to get a Dutch guy to circle them, and I think they're more likely to knit a sweater with a derogatory monogram than throw objects on the field.
What's most interesting, though, is that despite playing in one of sports' smallest major markets, they could very well have the greatest number of bloggers of any team, and not just per capita. They multiply like Mormon rabbits. And while Twins fans have their share of
bona fide whackjobs among them, a few Twins blogs are worthwhile reads, even for Sox fans.
Stick and Ball Guy is one of them, and when Stick and Ball Guy from
Stick and Ball Guy wanted to ask me 10 questions about the Sox, not only did I take him up on it, I asked him 10 questions of my own.
Below are his responses, and
SBG has posted my questionnaire on his site.
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No. 1: How do you view the rivalry that has grown between the Twins and White Sox? Do wins and losses in the Twins/White Sox series mean a little more or not? SBG: Hell yes, they mean more, at least to me. I'm not a big fan of the unbalanced schedule, but one great thing about it is playing the White Sox 19 times a year. Actually, as the AL Central has improved, more quality teams are showing up in Minnesota on a regular basis. Gone are the days when we got 9 or 10 games a year against Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City (almost half the home schedule) and the opposition was dreadful. But, no doubt the ChiSox are the target. For the most part, the Twins have done pretty well against the Sox over the past several years, which has made it even more fun. But, there was that one year, 2005, when the tables were turned.
The thing that really got to Twins fans was that certain players on the White Sox kept bad mouthing the Twins even after the Twins beat the White Sox. That was something that really confounded me -- how do you bad mouth the team that's beaten you in the standings four years in a row? Nevertheless, it was happening (Buehrle) and it fueled the hatred of a lot of fans. I think Ozzie Guillen did a lot to quell that kind of crap, which I think was good for the rivalry. Ulimately, I just want to see good baseball. I've written some pieces about Twins players of the past and have talked about the bitter rivalry with the Oakland A's in the late 80s and early nineties. It was fun to beat the A's when we did because they were a damned good team. The same goes for the ChiSox.
No. 2: Why does A.J. Pierzynski receive boos in the Metrodome? He didn't leave by his own choice, he brought a hell of a return, and he was replaced by a superior catcher. What gives? SBG: I'll admit that I can't figure this out. What you say is exactly correct. It's a stupid response. He did flip his bat at the end of the season last year, which I'm sure fans will remember, but I probably would have done a lot more than that, given the treatment he's received here. I think A.J. is a heckuva competitor, I liked him on our side, and I like him on your side. I'm not gonna boo the guy.
No. 3: How has Carl Pohlad not jaded Twins fans? Or do you guys just direct all your bitterness towards Chicago?SBG: Just win, baby. Seriously, I always thought that the whole move to North Carolina and contraction nonsense were never really serious and were just clumsy efforts to extract a stadium from a scared fan base. It never worked, of course, but Smilin' Carl finally got his stadium by, I think, doing what a team should do -- put a quality product on the field.
The Twins are located in Minneapolis -- the 17th largest metropolitan area in the country. We have fewer than 3 million people in the metro. We have the worst stadium in baseball. Furthermore, the Twins get $0 on the luxury boxes in the stadium -- that goes to the Vikings. They get nothing on parking. They get little or nothing on concessiosns -- I think that the Vikings get a chunk of that, too. So, not only do the Twins have a crappy stadium, they have terrible stadium deals (not negotiated by Pohlad, by the way) and still they've had a wining record for the last six seasons.
The Twins payroll is now at $70 million. While that's not huge these days, it's still pretty competitive, given the stuff I detailed above. The Twins don't sign quality free agents, but look at the young talent that has come through their system. Look at the guys that they've gotten through trades. Look how they've handled their pitching staff. Pohlad has hired a great baseball man and let him do his job.
Plus, ticket prices are still pretty low. I bought a lot of tickets to games last year out in the outfield (upper deck) for $6. So, I'm watching a 96 win team for $6. Bitter? Jaded?
I'm jaded about our NFL and NBA offerings and their ownership. The Twins are the best thing going, sportswise, in this town.
No. 4: Let's talk lefties. Are you wringing your hands yet about Johan Santana's possible departure, or does Francisco Liriano ease your pain? Are you fearing a Mark Prior/Kerry Wood situation with the latter?SBG: Santana's still under contract through 2008. The Twins will have to break the bank to keep him beyond that. Obviously, it's a concern. However, the Twins have done a great job keeping the best players on the team around. Santana's likely a $20 million per guy. So yeah, he might be going away. It's not time to panic just yet. I might be whistling past the proverbial graveyard on this, but I'm pretty encouraged by the quality of the arms in our farm system. We'll see how it goes. There's a lot of baseball to be played between now and when the Twins have to deal with Santana. There's been a little rumbling about a possible extension -- and if that gets done this spring, well, to paraphrase a certain former ChiSox announcer known for his tendency to drink Budweiser: "They'll be dancing in the strees of Minneapolis."
As far as Liriano goes, again, we'll just wait and see. He's out for the season. A lot of guys come back from this injury stronger than ever. And, last I checked, Dusty Baker isn't managing the Twins. I've had my frustrations with Gardenhire, but it's pretty hard to criticize his management and protection of young Twins pitchers.
No. 5: Last year, Justin Morneau said "I'll do anything to not let Chicago get into the playoffs." He accomplished that much, but then the Twins exited early again. Is there a tipping point where Twins fans say, "Sure, that's nice, but..."SBG: Well, we're not there yet. I'm a regular season guy, myself. With the expanded playoffs, the postseason is, at least in my opinion, become somewhat of a crapshoot. Were the Cardinals really the best team in baseball last year? I think not. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to watch the Twins get to the World Series again. But, man, that 2006 season left most Twins fans with goose bumps. It was just as good as it gets in terms of drama and excitement. The playoffs were a huge disappointment, but man, what a season. Think of it. The Twins didn't get into even a share of first place until the 159th game of the season (a record). They didn't win the division until after their season was over. Their old ace Radke was pitching with a broken shoulder. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm totally thrilled with the 2006 season, even though it ended with a thud.
No. 6: Speaking of Brad Radke, he was a Twin I couldn't help but like. Who's your favorite Sox player (and by "favorite," not "who I dislike the least." We're talking genuine admiration.)?SBG: Jim Thome. I wanted him in a Twins uniform in the worst way. It turns out that we have a guy now who can play first base, but man, I love Jim Thome. And he has absolutely killed the Twins. And, I like Jermaine Dye and A.J.
No. 7: I thought Justin Morneau was the third most valuable Twin last year behind Mauer and Santana, so I was shocked/horrified/appalled when he won the league MVP. How do you rate the three?SBG: Let's see. The MVP is voted on by sports writers, right? In that case, my attitude is such: I'm glad when a Twins player wins, but I'm not going to put much stock in the awards. Personally, I think that Johan Santana was the MVP of the AL last season. But, one of the charms of the award is that for some reason, starting pitchers are almost excluded from consideration. I think that's ludicrous. Mauer was more valuable than Morneau, too.
Morneau had a great breakout season. I agree he shouldn't have won the AL MVP. But, then again, Ted Williams twice won the triple crown (1942 and 1947) and didn't win the MVP. So, sportswriters have a long tradition of making silly decisions. They can't help themselves.
No. 8: Terry Ryan is almost the polar opposite of Kenny Williams in that he's ultra-conservative when it comes to trading prospects. Do you wish he'd go for the kill more often when the postseason's in sight? SBG: Interesting question. In 2001, the Twins had a shot and Ryan went out and traded Matt Lawton for Rick Reed. Disaster. In 2003, he went out at the All-Star Break and got Shannon Stewart and it seemed to propel the Twins to a title (although inserting Santana into the starting lineup might have had something to do with it). Last year, they were still a ton of games out at the deadline and didn't make a move. We probably could have used another pitcher or a left fielder. In 2005, I was hoping like hell that they'd unload Torii Hunter, but he got hurt right before the deadline. I'm not all that much of a believer in deadline deals and I think being a seller can be a great position.
Now that I look at the question, I'm wondering if you mean in the off-season. Well, there are still budget constraints. But yes, I have been frustrated that they haven't done some different things in the off-season. Last year was atrocious -- Tony Batista? This year, Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson? Ooo, I'm tingling with excitement! Heh.
Ryan's been pretty successful with his approach. If you believe that the post-season is somewhat of a crapshoot, breaking the bank to rent a player at the deadline may help, but does it really make our lineup better than the Yankees?
No. 9: I'm convinced that there's a secret labratory in, I dunno, Duluth, that pumps out effective, interchangeable and ostensibly white ballplayers. Five years ago, it was outfielders (Bobby Kielty, Dustan Mohr, Chad Allen). Now it's relievers (Pat Neshek, Glen Perkins). Is there any truth to this? SBG: Well, Neshek and Perkins are actually from Minnesota. :) The secret, though, is our laboratory in Venezuela.
No. 10: Does anybody actually like the Metrodome? SBG: It's great for monster truck shows in January.
And, as far as I'm concerned, the Vikings deserve it.
I was once in there for a 14 inning game between the Twins and the Braves in their first appearance in Minnesota since the 1991 Series. We got about 2 inches of rain that night and the wind was blowing so hard that the light banks were shaking and the foul pole would sag when the roof moved in response to that wind. I'm not sure I liked that or not, but the game was played.
But, as a baseball stadium, it's terrible. Worse than it appears on TV. Although recently, one of my readers maintained that Miller Park was worse. I won't miss it, even though I've had a lot of fun in there.