Resurrecting the Ghosts of Twins Past: A Recap of Detroit at Minnesota – Game 163

As Orlando Cabrera doubled up Magglio Ordonez in the top of the 9th, one could swear seeing Jack Morris walk off the mound with an exhilirating fist pump, while those lucky enough to glance at first base would see shades of Kent Hrbek – arms raised in celebration.

And after his two run shot to take the lead in the 7th, one could have doubtlessly heard the crowd’s eruption after Kirby Puckett’s Game 6 homerun.

And as Alexi Casilla came to the plate in the bottom of the 12th, the phantom of Gene Larkin revisited the hallowed ground, as the ball reached the outfield and the winning runner sunk into a sea of white pinstripes.

The ghosts of Metrodome past came out for one last night. One spectacular night. And strutted their stuff one final time.

… Continue Reading

Casilla Rallies Twins Past Mariners | Mauer Eyes Late April Return

1-1 has never felt better.

After an abysmal start to the season and finding themselves down 5-3, two outs in the bottom of the ninth with no men on, those pesky ‘pirhanas’ found a wayspoiling Brandon Morrow’s first appearance in a closing role this season as the Twins defeated the Mariners 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Morrow easily navigated past the bats of Delmon Young and Joe Crede. Then, finding himself one out away from vicory, the strike zone seemed to shrink. Gomez got on board with a gutsy walk. Four pitches later Kubel was on board. Then Buscher in the same fashion. Then, Span knocked in Gomez with an infield hit you can only find in Minnesota. And finally, Alexi Casilla capped it off with a line drive to center field with yet another late inning clutch hit.

Hats off to the underappreciated play of the game: Carlos Gomez’s walk. For a guy who’s known best for his swing-and-hope plate approach seems to have worked on some plate discipline in the Winter and it paid off Tuesday night. Gomez’s walk sparked the ninth inning rally, though we were all looking for the Jason Kubel bomb, we finished off the Mariners in equally exciting fashion. (Side note – it was also Gomez who sparked our 5th inning rally leading off with a triple).

Who’s Hot? – Denard Span. Span’s been the ultimate lead-off hitter getting on base, making contact, and moving around the base paths with ease.

Who’s Not? – Jose Morales, Justin Morneau. Morales can’t get comfortable at the plate striking out several times last night. Its really a completely different lineup with Mauer out. Morneau needs to find his swing again, because zero production out of the 4-hole isn’t going to lead to many wins.

…..

In other news, Joe Mauer will be taking batting practices tonight with the Fort Myers Miracle. Mauer’s timetable for return seems to be around the late April / early May area.

AL Central Preview – Ranking the Outfield

Previewing the AL Central Outfielders

White Sox – Average 3.33

Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye could be the best 1-2 outfield tandem in terms of offensive production in baseball. Chicago will really be relying on either Anderson, Owens, or Wise to step up this year to fill out that 3rd spot.

Quentin (A) – MVP type season until the injury. Quentin was able to put up 36 dingers in 130 games. Can we expect that again this year? It’s tough to say – but he’d certainly find himself in the heart of the order in any major league lineup.

Dye (A) – Consistently the toughest out in the lineup, especially against the division rival Minnesota Twins. He’s put up huge numbers year in and year out and at 35 years of age, there’s still no reason to expect a decline in average.

B. Anderson (C-) – Unfortunately, rounding out this all star cast with Brian Anderson is kind of a shame. Has a little power to his bat, but a .238 average won’t last long in the majors. The White Sox may take a look at Owens sooner rather than later.

Bench Bonus .1 (Owens, Wise) – One of Minnesota’s ‘MVP’s’ last season was certainly Dwayne Wise, I don’t think I ever saw him make solid contact with the ball against the team. Expect Owens to get some looks at the leadoff position. Anything’s got to be more productive than Wise or Anderson, right?

Tigers – Average 3.13

Granderson is absolutely key to this Detroit Tigers ballclub. Another 2007 from Granderson would be a warm welcome to the city of Detroit, they’re going to need to find every once of production in order to compete with the White Sox, Twins, and Indians this year.

Ordonez (A-) – Refound his form in 2007 and hasn’t slowed down since. His age may start to become a factor, but is still one of the best outfielders in baseball

Granderson (B) – Had an off 2008 year as the bar was set very high for him. No reason he shouldn’t be better this season. Still, he put up 22 HR while batting .280, not too shabby at all.

Guillen (C+) – Production decreased last year after some on and off health problems. Should put up better totals than his .286BA – 10HR mark last season – the Tigers will need it.

Bench Bonus .1 (Thames, Raburn, Clevlen) – Thames is a solid power hitting plug whenever needed, however he just strained a muscle during a game last week. Clevlen and Raburn are some youthful options as well.

Twins – Average 3.10

A very young, talented, and defensively focused outfield. Young, Gomez, and Span have the city excited about the future as they all are in their early 20’s. Still fairly raw and undeveloped, there is still going to be a learning curve ahead, however, the talent is undeniable and I think the team is more than willing to go accept their on and off slumps.

Young (B) – Has just about as much potential as any player out there. The former #1 overall pick plays solid defense and is expected to put up double digit home runs and possibly a .300+ average, if not, he may be wearing another jersey next season. He’s started off extremely hot in spring training.

Span (B) – Another one of Minnesota’s prototypical rangy defensive players that will do anything they can to get on base. Span only played 93 games last season, but certainly proved that he has earned his starting spot for the upcoming season. Expect a fairly solid year at the plate for the Twins’ lead off man.

Cuddyer (B-) – Coming off an injury riddled season where he never really found his form, Cuddyer hopes to show that he still deserves a spot in the Twins’ outfield. If he stays healthy he should be able to put up some decent numbers surrounded by a better cast. Still, his stats last year are still enough to scare me. Also boasts one of the best arms in baseball.

Bench Bonus .2 (Gomez, Pridie) – Expect the high octane Carlos Gomez to get plenty of playing time this season. The roof is unlimited for him as long as he can figure out where the strike zone is.

Indians – Average 3.00

Baby face Grady Sizemore is still one of the class acts of major league baseball but is going to have to improve his average if the team is going to compete in 2009. Couple Sizemore with Choo (who could have a big year) and this team has some pieces in place to attempt a run at the AL Central.

Sizemore (A) – I’d like to see a higher OBP or BA out of Sizemore if he’s going to continue to lead off – I’d love to see him make the move down the order. Sure he can steal bases, but it doesn’t help if you’re either putting the ball over the fence or popping out (solo home runs don’t win championships). Still, he’s a first tier major league outfielder.

Choo (B) – Put up great numbers for a guy who only played half a season. Still, it would be interesting to see what he could do while playing over 100 games in a season, although, reports indicate that he’s already having some minor health problems playing in the WBC.

Francisco (C-) – Never been able to steal bases like he once did in the minors at the major league level. Has some pop to his bat, but his poor average always hurts. Just an average to below average major league outfielder.

Bench Bonus .1 (Delluci, Barfield) – Delluci brings some experience and pop to the lineup but can’t hit for average at all. The Indians may give Barfield some more looks in ’09.

Royals – Average 2.9

DeJesus, Guillen, and Crisp provide nothing spectacular, but should put up acceptable major league numbers. These guys will play a key role if Kansas City truly believes it can get out of the cellar.

DeJesus (B) – Puts up decent numbers for a guy who consistenly flies under the radar. A great value player for the Royals.

J. Guillen (B-) – Inconsistent BA and HR totals over his long career (he’s really only 32?). Still has some pop to him and can certainly still play at the big league level.

Crisp (B-) – A rangy outfielder who could hit .300 this year. However, his tendancy to want to hit the long ball for a guy with minimal power will dip his average as his fly ball rate increases. Still, he can steal bases and play defense very well.

Bench Bonus .1 (Teahen, Maier, Gload) – Teahen showed some signs of life last year and can fill in very well whenever needed, beyond that Maier and Gload are fairly unproven.

AL Central Preview | Ranking the Starting Pitchers

In preview of the upcoming season, here are my rankings for this years AL Central starting pitchers. The Twins and White Sox are the class of the league with guys like Baker, Liriano, Buehrle, and Danks leading the way. The Indians and Royals have some solid pieces in place, while the Tigers have a lot of work to do.

Minnesota Twins – Average: 3.04 (B)

The Twins have quite a young and productive rotation headed up by Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano. The rotation is very well rounded, having decent contribution from the backend. The only question remaining for this staff is: Can they pull a repeat performance in 2009?

Baker (A-) – 3.45 ERA last season was enough to become the opening day starter. Young and healthy, there is no reason to expect a decline in production this season.

Liriano (B+) – Has the potential to be an ‘A’ type performer and returned very hot to the mound last year, but the Tommy John factor is always concern for worry.

Slowey (B) – 3.99 ERA last season and a very consistent contributor to the rotation.

Blackburn (B-) – Showed great poise in pressure situations late last season, could breakout this year.

Perkins (C+) – A solid left handed contributor to the rotation. Expect some level of inconsistency here, but certainly a fine fifth starter plug.

Chicago White Sox – Average 2.7 (B-)

A great rotation from 1-3, which is exactly what you want in place when your playoff bound. You just need to get their first. Buehrle, Danks, and Floyd are excellent pieces to build this squad around, you just need to fill it out better than Richard and Colon.

Buehrle (A-) – You simply cannot beat 8 straight seasons of 200+ innings pitched – especially when you’ve broken a Sub-4 ERA in 6 of those seasons. He’s getting up there in age, but I’m not ready to give up on Buehrle.

Danks (A-) – A 3.32 ERA last season is top notch: seems to be really trying to improve on his abilities, declining playing in the WBC. Add that he’s 23 years old and a lefty and the White Sox have something special on their hands

Floyd (B) – Started off strong but slightly fizzled at the end of the season. Gave up a number of home runs last season which potentially could turn into a higher ERA in ’09, though, has looked sharp in spring training thus far.

Richard (C-) – I really just don’t see him panning out. A 6.04 ERA last season over 8 starts was rocky.

Colon (D+) – A 3.92 ERA last season is deceiving. Colon underwent surgery over the winter to remove bone chips from his right elbow. It’s a gamble that few teams wanted a part of.

Kansas City Royals – Average 2.58 (C+/B-)

Meche has quietly become a very good starting pitcher, while Greinke is just waiting to breakout (could be a candidate for the Yankees in 6 years – just needs have some shoulder problems and they’ll be ready to sign). However, Davies and Hochevar have some work to do. But all in all, a decent staff.

Meche (B+) – A second straight sub-4 ERA season coupled with a lights out finish to last year makes him a great opening day candidate for the Royals.

Greinke (B+) – Very similar to Meche except a better ERA last season and more youth. Can’t really see the downside here.

Bannister (C-) – Has had a rough spring training thus far and a 5.77 ERA last season doesn’t help.

Davies (C+) – Had a decent 2008 campaign. If he gains control of his pitches, he’ll have another fine year.

Hochevar (C) – A former number 1 pick, but a 5.51 ERA hurts. I’ll give him some benefit of the doubt because of his upside but there’s a lot of questions here.

Cleveland Indians – Average 2.56 (C+/B-)

They do boast the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, but unfortunately thats about it. They have a lot of guys needing to refind themselves before we call this squad ‘good’. The potential’s there, just big odds against them coming around all at once.

Lee (A) – 2008 AL Cy Young Winner, no reason to expect a sharp decline in production.

Carmona (B-) – Had a rough 2008 season, but has played well in winter ball and is healthy, so there’s hope.

Sowers (C-) – The one time popular fantasy pick has sputtered. A 5.58 ERA with a low K/9 ratio hurts. Don’t expect much here.

Pavano (C-) – Hasn’t really played since 2004. I guess we can’t really gauge his performance on much, but that’s more than enough reason for worry.

Reyes (B-) – Reyes’s elbow problems seem to have been mitigated this spring. He could actually have a decent year.

Detroit Tigers – Average 2.36 (C+)

Probably the most underperforming staff in baseball last season as Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson completely fell off the map. Expect Verlander to regain some form as his talent is undeniable. Beyond that, the rotation doesn’t have much promise. Galarraga could suprise some people, but don’t expect much out of Jackson and Miner.

Verlander (B+) – Had a surprisingly poor 2008 campaign after being one of the top starters in baseball in ’07.

Bonderman (C) – Never had a season of sub 4.00 ERA over his six year career. Puts up big inning numbers, but that’s about it. Also has had some shoulder issues this offseason.

Jackson (R) (C) – Still young at 25, but not quite sure where the upside is, especially with a rough finish to 2008. ERA numbers pretty high over the last two seasons.

Galarraga (B) – 3.73 ERA last season is solid for a fourth starter in the Major Leagues. He won’t strikeout many and occasionally is prone to giving up the long ball, but the goal is to minimize runs and Galarraga seemed to be able to do that last season.

Miner (D+) – Gives up more than a hit an inning, though sports a mediocre ERA. Has had some decent seasons, but don’t expect much this year.

Twins Updates 5.9.09 | Scott Baker Signs Four Year Extension

Things have been a little slow around Twins camp this week, but here’s a quick update on a few happenings around Twins Nation:

1) Scott Baker signed a four year extension to remain a Twin last week. The deal is worth $15.25M over the course of the contract with a $9.25M dollar option the following year. This is a great move for Minnesota as they locked in their opening day starter for years to come at an excellent price. Baker, 27, posted a 3.45 ERA last season over 172 innings pitched.

Blogs on the signing:
Joe C
Twinkie Town
SethSpeaks

2) Some rumors are indicating that Minnesota is opening up talks about signing Joe Mauer long term.  Most fans actually expect Mauer to remain a Twin despite big dollar clubs seeking to ‘buy’ him as he is a native of Minnesota and loves playing for the team.  

3) The Twins are still eyeing  RP Chad Cordero and are wanting to see more progress before making an offer.  Several teams seem to have some level of interest.

4) Thank god we didn’t sign Eric Gagne - It’s reported that the Brewers will not take him back and that his shoulder problems are worse than originally thought. Apparently we had a $3M guarenteed offer posted for him a few weeks ago.

5) Minnesota officially signed 27 players this past week including Liriano, Perkins, Blackburn, and Slowey. 

6) Joe Nathan is apparently fine. He said his shoulder felt ‘great’ after reporting soreness in it earlier in the week.

7) Minnesota’s presence in the World Baseball Classic is really being felt as Nick Punto and Justin Moreneau have combined to go 1 for 9 in losing efforts. 

The Twins are still cruising through Spring Training and are eyeing a Grapefruit League title! Until then, expect things to be slow until the latter part of March. Here’s to staying healthy in March.

Spring Training Notes 5.4.09 | Minnesota Twins

Quick spring training update this morning. The Minnesota Twins beat an entire country yesterday as Puerto Rico was no match for the trio of Joe Crede, Jason Kubel, and Kevin Slowey as the Twins took the 3-2 win. Joe Crede had his first hit as a member of the Minnesota Twins with a 2 RBI double, while Jason Kubel continued his hot streak going 3-3. Kevin Slowey also turned in another great performance staying perfect through 3 innings.

This afternoon the Twins will throw Francisco Liriano at the Pirates.  You can catch the live audio from the game on MLB.com.  Lineups for today:

TWINS
SP Francisco Liriano (LHP)
1. Denard Span, RF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Delmon Young, LF
4. Michael Cuddyer, DH
5. Brian Buscher, 1B
6. Wilson Ramos, C
7. Carlos Gomez, CF
8. Matt Tolbert, SS
9. Matt Macri, 3B

RP: R.A. Dickey, Matt Guerrier, Craig Breslow, Jose Mijares, Bobby Keppel and Rob Delaney.

PIRATES
SP Tom Gorzelanny (LHP)
1. Nyjer Morgan, LF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Nate McLouth, CF
4. Ryan Doumit, C
5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
6. Craig Monroe, RF
7. Brandon Moss, DH
8. Andy LaRoche, 3B
9. Jack Wilson, SS

…..

Links from around Twins Nation

Nick and Nick discussing if the Royals are for real.

Twinkie Town’s observations from Spring Training

Spring Training Notes 5.3.09 | Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins have started off hot in the Grapefruit League posting a 4-1 record thus far. We all know that the records and scores are irrelevent during Spring Training, but what we can take away from this is how our guys have looked at the plate.

Who’s Hot?
Delmon Young – 6/7, 2B
Delmon’s trying to play his way into the lineup after Ron Gardenhire’s offseason quotes leaving him off the opening day card. So far, he’s looked solid, crushing the ball all over the field.

Brian Buscher – 6/10, 2 2B, HR
Buscher has played out of his mind over the last few days. It’s just a matter of time before we start hearing the ‘Why did we sign Joe Crede’ chants. I imagine eventually he will regress to being Brian Buscher again, but until then, he’s playing his way into the opening day squad. Buscher’s solid performance puts pressure on Harris, Tolbert, and even relievers trying to make the opening day squad. If Buscher increased his defensive 1B ability, his stock would certainly increase.

Dustin Martin – 6/9, 2 2B
Martin’s reminding us all that we have quite the outfield beyond Span, Gomez, and Young waiting in the minors.

Jason Kubel – 2/4, 2B, HR
Kubel’s only had a few at bats – but he’s done quite a bit with them. You have to believe he’s going to live up to his extension this season.

Who’s Not?
Carlos Gomez – 2/9, HR – Is he trying to become a power hitter?
Denard Span – 1/9
Alexi Casilla – 1/6
Matt Tolbert – 2/12
Nick Punto – 1/10
Michael Cuddyer – 1/7
Joe Crede – 0/5 – Still waiting for that much anticipated first hit.

…..

Today the Twins take on Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, MLB.TV won’t be picking up either the video or audio for this game. Here’s our lineup for this afternoon:

TWINS – Scott Baker (SP)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Michael Cuddyer, RF
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Joe Crede, 3B
6. Brian Buscher, 1B
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Mike Redmond, C
9. Matt Tolbert, SS

PUERTO RICO – Ian Snell (SP)

1. Bernie Williams, CF
2. Ivan Rodriguez, C
3. Carlos Beltran, CF
4. Carlos Delgado, 1B
5. Alex Rios, RF
6. Hiram Bocachica, LF
7. Felipe Lopez, 2B
8. Mike Aviles, SS
9. Ramon Vazquez, 3B

So hopefully, we’ll get to read about Joe Crede’s 4 Home Run game in the papers tomorrow. Looks like we’re fielding a solid lineup realizing that Morneau (Canada) and Punto (Italy) have reported to their respective teams’ WBC camps.

…..

A few links from around the Twins Nation:
LaVelle Neal’s lasted entry discussing Delmon Young and some notes from around the minors.

Joe C’s lasted entry discussing today’s game against Puerto Rico

Twins Now discussing Jason Jones’ superb outing the other day.

Twinkie Town discussing Delmon Young and Jason Kubel’s recent performance

SethSpeaks discusses the Twins signing of Carmen Pignatiello – not quite Juan Cruz

Nick and Nick discuss the WBC

 

2009 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne | Preview and Start List

The Classic’s season is underway with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne set to kick off this Sunday, March 1st in Belgium! Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is the first major classics race of the season traditionally following the lesser known Ghent-Ghent.

‘Classics’ races are long one day races that test the metal of riders who can grit through tough conditions, relatively flat surfaces, and choppy, cobbled terrain.

Typically, one would see riders such as Tom Boonen or George Hincapie win one of these races rather than an Alberto Contador or Lance Armstrong who can out-climb or out-time trial the rest of the field. Expect to see Quick-Step make a huge effort for race favorites Tom Boonen and Steven de Jongh. You can catch all the live action on the premium edition of cycling.tv.

……..

Here’s the start list. The field is stacked with all the major pro tour teams including Quick-Step, Columbia, Astana, Garmin-Slipstream, Rabobank, and Saxo-Bank among others. Former winners of the race include Tom Boonen, George Hincapie, and most recently Steven de Jongh.

SILENCE – LOTTO
1. Roelandts Jurgen (kamp. Van België)
2. Hoste Leif
3. Dekker Thomas (NED)
4. Lang Sebastian (GER)
5. Ljungblad Jonas (SWE)
6. DHollander Glenn
7. Elijzen Michiel (NED)
8. Kaisen Olivier
Sportbest. : Dewolf Dirk.

QUICK STEP – INNERGETIC
11. Boonen Tom
12. Devolder Stijn
13. De Jongh Steven (NED)
14. De Weert Kevin
15. Hovelynck Kurt
16. Hulsmans Kevin
17. Van De Walle Jurgen
18. Wijnants Maarten
Sportbest. :.Peeters Wilfried.

TEAM COLUMBIA – High Road.
21. Boasson Hagen Edvald (NOR)
22. Burghardt Marcus (GER)
23 Eisel Bernhard (AUT)
24. Grabsch Bert (GER)
25. Rabon Frantisek (CZE)
26. Dockx Gert
27. Sieberg Marcel (GER)
28. Reynes Mimo Vicente (ESP)
Sportbest. : Peiper Allan

TEAM MILRAM.
31. Ciolek Gerald (GER)
32. Wrolich Peter (AUT).
33. Eichler Markus (GER)
34. Fothen Thomas (GER)
35. Knaven Servais (NED)
36. Müller Martin (GER)
37. Terpstra Niki (NED)
38. Velits Martin (SLO)
Sportbest. : Henn Christian

RABOBANK.
41. Flecha Juan Antonio (ESP)
42. Tjallingii Maarten (NED)
43. Hayman Matthew (AUS)
44. Tankink Bram (NED)
45. Flens Rick (NED)
46. Langeveld Sebastien (NED)
47. Leezer Toml (NED)
48.Van Emden Jos (NED)
Sportbest. Dekker Eric

TEAM SAXO BANK;
51. Kroon Karsten (NED)
52. Breschel Matthew (AUS)
53. Goss Matthew (AUS)
54. Hoj Frank (DEN)
55. Ljungqvist Marcus (SWE)
56. Rasmussen Alex (DEN)
57. Klemme Dominic (GER)
58. Bak Lars (DEN)
Sportbest. : Andersen Kim.

FRANCAISE DES JEUX.
61. Meersman Gianni
62. Chavanel Sébastien (FRA)
63 Hutarovich Yayhenie (BLR)
64. Ladagnous Matthieu (FRA)
65. Guesdon Fréderic (FRA)
66. Salzberger Wesley (AUT)
67. Offredo Yoann (FRA)
68. Geslin Anthony (FRA)
Sportbest. : Marc Madiot

BBOX BOUYGUES TELEKOM
71. Bernaudeau Giovanni (FRA)
72. Bonnet William (FRA)
73. Claude Mathieu (FRA)
74. Gaudin Damien (FRA)
75. Gene Yohann (FRA)
76. Haddou Saïd (FRA)
77. Labbe Arnaud (FRA)
78. Le Floch Guillaume (FRA)
Sportbest. : Dominique Arnould

COFIDIS – LE CREDIT EN LIGNE
81. Blain Alexandre (FRA)
82. Blot Guillaume (FRA)
83 .Duclos-Lasalle Hervé (FRA)
84. Duque Leonardo (COL)
85. Minard Sébastien (FRA).
86. Sijmens Nico
87. Usov Alexandre (KAZ)
88. Villa Romain (FRA)
Sportbest. : Deloeuil Alain

KATUSHA.
91. Steegmans Gert
92. Mc Ewen Robbie (AUS)
93. Napolitano Danilo (ITA)
94. Mikhailov Guennadi (RUS)
95. Ivanov Sergey (RUS)
96. De Haes Kenny
97. Vandenbergh Stijn
98. Vantomme Maxime-
Sportbest.: Parsani Serge

ASTANA
101. Dmitriyev Valeriy (KAZ)
102. Kupeshov Berik (KAZ)
103. Muravyev Dmitriy (KAZ)
104. Raimbekov Boklat (KAZ)
105. Renev Sergey (KAZ)
106. Rast Gregory (SUI)
107. Schär Michael (SUI)
108. Vaitkus Tomas (LTU)
Sportbest. : Demol Dirk

AG2R – LA MONDIALE
111. Clerc Aurélien (SUI)
112. Hinault Sébastien (FRA)
113. Dion Renaud (FRA)
114. Mondory Lloyd (FRA)
115. Pineau Cédric (FRA)
116. Poulhies Stéphane (FRA)
117. Rousseau Nicolas (FRA
118. Smukulis Gatis (LET)
Sportbest. : Mas Gilles

VACANSOLEIL.
121. Bozic Borut (SLO)
122. Cooke Baden (AUS)
123. Pronk Matthé (NED)
124. Traksel Bobbie (NED)
125. Mol Wouter (NED)
126. Honig Reinier (NED)
127. Van Groen Arnoud (NED)
128.Hoogerland Johnny (NED)
Sportbest. : Hilaire Van Der Schueren

CERVELO Test Team
131. Hammond Roger (GBR)
132. Haussler Heinrich (GER)
133. Hunt Jeremy (GBR)
134. Klier Andreas (GER)
135. Lancaster Brett (AUS)
136. Rasch Gabriel (NOR)
137. Reimer Martin (GER)
138. Rollin Dominique (CAN)
Sportbest : Zemke Jens

GARMIN – SLIPSTREAM
141. Dekkers Hans (NED)
142. Duijn Huub (NED)
143. Farrar Tyler (USA)
144. Freidman Michael (USA)
145. Frischkorn Will (USA)
146. Maaskant Martijn (NED)
147. Patour Killian (FRA)
148. Sutton Chris (AUS)
Sportbest. : Weltz Johnny

AN POST TEAM SEAN KELLY.
151. Eeckhout Nico
152. De Schrooder Benny
153. Peeters Jef
154 .O’Loughlin David (IRL)
155. O’Brien Paidi (IRL)
156. Van Vooren Steven
157. Lisabeth Kenny
158. Cassidy Mark (IRL)
Sportbest. : Bogaerts Kurt

ISD Cycling Team.
161. Abakoumov Igor
162. Huzarshi Bartosz (UKR)
163. Kostyuk Denys (UKR)
164. Kvachuk Oleksandr (UKR)
165. Krivtsov Dmytro (UKR)
166 .Matveyev Sergi (UKR)
167. Kondrut Vitaliy (UKR)
168. Stannard Ian (GBR)
Sportbest.: Elli Alberto

TOPSPORT V LAAANDEREN
171. Maes Nikolas
172. Bakelants Jan
173. Joseph Stijn
174. Vanspeybrouck Pieter
175. Goddaert Kristof
176. Vandewalle Kristof
177. Lodewyckx Klaas
178. Neirynck Stijn
Sportbest. : Planckaert Walter

AGRITUBEL;
181 Berges Emilien (FRA)
182. Caethoven Steven
183. Lequatre Geoffroy (FRA)
184. Laurent Christophe (FRA
185. Ravard Anthony (ESP)
186. Feillu Roomain (FRA)
187. .Ista Kevin
188. Jalabert Nicolas (FRA)
Sportbest. : Denis Leproux

REVOR – JARTAZI Cycling Team.
191. De Decker Bjorn
192. Kaupas Vykautas (LTU)
193 Meeusen Tim
194. Pannekoek Jorg
195. Striska Midaugas (LTU)
196. Van Braeckel Kenny
197.Van Huffel Nic
198. Berden Ben
Sportbest. : Vanderspinnen Jean

SKIL – SKIL-SHIMANO
201. Docker Mitchell (AUS)
202. De Kort Koen (NED)
203. Deroo David (FRA)
204. Goesinnen Floris (NED)
205. Van Hummel Kenny (NED)
206. Corvers Roy² (NED)
207. Veelers Tom (NED)
208. De Backer Bert
Sportbest.:Kemna Rudi

LANDBOUWKREDIET – COLNAGO
211. Flahaut Denis
212. Boucher David (FRA)
213. Ricci Poggi Martial (FRA)
214. Delfosse Sébastien
215. Gourgue Benjamin
216. Barbe Koen
217. Amorison Frédéric
218. Neyrinck Kevin
Sportbest. : Van Coillie Claude

VERANDAS WILLEMS;
221. Van Dijk Stefan (NED)
222. Vanlandschoot James
223. Van Den Houte Sven
224. Pratte Philippe
225. Baiolet Nicolas
226. Criquielion Mathieu
227. Pardini Olivier
228. Van Melsen Kevin
Sportbest. :Van Impe Lucien

CC BOURGAS
231. Tombak Janek (EST)
232. Putsep Erki (EST)
233. Dempster Zak (AUS)
234. Ghyllebert Pieter
235. Hristov Stefan (BUL)
236. Lasis Normunds (LAT)
237. Cauquil Yohan (FRA)
238. Prazdnovski Martin (SVK)
Sportbest.: Van Haesebroucke Franky

PALMANS – COLLSTROP.
241. Cappelle Dieter
242. De Wilde Sjef
243. François Jurgen
244. Hoornaert Stijn
245. Omloop Geert
246. Vanbecelaere Tom
247. Vangheel Timothy
248. Zen Jean (FRA)
Sportbest. : Omloop Marcel.

Boof Bonser Injury: Out for the Season with Torn Labrum and Rotator Cuff

Apparently, Boof Bonser’s shoulder pain is worse than originally thought.

MLB.com reports that Boof has a torn labrum and rotator cuff and will miss the remainder of the 2009 season. Boof was to be a contender for the Twins 8th inning setup man role along with Jesse Crain and Luis Ayala.

This opens the door for Phil Humber to make the 25 man roster if Minnesota opts to go with 12 pitchers on the team. Ron Gardenhire already stated that he feels comfortable going with an 11 man staff, but after last season’s high inning counts among relievers, we may see a change of heart. Much of this will be determined by Brian Buscher’s performance (after going 2-2 last night in the Spring Training opener) as Gardenhire will have to decide about leaving another bat on the bench or adding a pitcher to the pen.

The 2008 campaign for Boof Bonser was an up and down ride. However, Boof was in the midst of refinding his form near the end of last season. Boof boasted a K/IN ratio of over 9 as a reliever, something that almost no other Twin could say. Boof’s injury will hurt, but it should open the door for Phil Humber, Jose Mijares, or R.A. Dickey to prove their worth at the MLB level.

The Twins also have ended talks with free agent reliever Juan Cruz. Don’t expect Boof Bonser’s injury to restart those discussions.

Spring Training Kicks Off Tonight | Twins v Red Sox 7p | Boof Opts For Shoulder Surgery

The Minnesota Twins Spring Training season kicks off tonight as they take on the Boston Red Sox in Ft. Myers at 7pm (Perkins v Wakefield). Carlos Gomez will be sitting out tonight’s game giving some other guys looks, while Joe Crede will make his Twins debut this Friday. Don’t expect to see much of Mauer this month as he is still recovering from kidney surgery, but after taking a light batting practice, he says he feels good and should be ready for opening day.

The Lineups for tonight should look something like:
Boston
P Wakefield
1. Ellesbury CF
2. Pedroia 2B
3. Youkilis 3B
4. Bay LF
5. Wilkerson RF
6. Lowrie SS
7. Bailey DH
8. Bard C
9. Velazquez

Minnesota
P Perkins
1. Span CF
2. Casilla 2B
3. Cuddy RF
4. Morneau 1B
5. Young LF
6. Kubel DH
7. Buscher 3B
8. T.Gardenhire/M.Redmond C
9. Punto SS

In other news, Boof Bonser opted to undergo surgery next week on his ailing shoulder. Expect him to be placed on the 60 day disabled list shortly. This means that the Twins may make a harder push for Juan Cruz, or that Phil Humber’s odds of making the opening day squad drastically increased over the last 48 hours.

Also the Twins Starting Rotation was announced and the opening day starter will be…..Scott Baker!
1. Scott Baker RHP
2. Francisco Liriano LHP
3. Kevin Slowey RHP
4. Glen Perkins LHP
5. Nick Blackburn RHP

It’s interesting that Perkins got the nod for the 4th spot. Maybe they really like following Slowey up with a lefty?

Kick back and enjoy some baseball tonight! Spring is just around the corner!

Twins Blogs Weigh In | Thoughts on the Joe Crede Signing

Last Saturday Joe Crede signed with the Minnesota Twins. The contract is $2.5M guarenteed plus incentives that could push its value to $7M based on plate appearances. These are the thoughts from the blogs across Twins Nation:

Howard Sinker – “It’s a good move”
How does this look to you (Joe Crede addition edition)?

Twinkie Town – “If he’s healthy enough to log all those plate appearances, I’m optimistic he’s also healthy enough to provide some pretty good defense at the hot corner as well. If the worst happens and he’s unable to shake his injuries, then there’s nothing about this contract that will handcuff the organization.”
Crede Signs With Twins; Cruz In the Works?

SethSpeaks – “I am completely comfortable with the contract they have agreed to. The risk is eliminated”
Belief in Crede? Let’s See!

Twins Territory – “Unbelievable deal”
Crede’s a Twin

Midwest Sports Fans – “It’s a great evening to be a Twins fan”
Joe Crede to Sign With Minnesota | Juan Cruz Deal Looming

Twins Geek – “Not great, but [we're] quite a bit better than [we] looked 48 hours ago”
Big Rocks

Nick and Nick – Would much rather the Twins have gone after Mark DeRosa or Orlando Hudson
Another Ship Sails

Minnesota Twins Spring Training | Schedule, Preview, Tickets, and Projections

The Minnesota Twins kick off their 2009 Spring Training campaign this Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. The Twins will be playing a 35 game ‘preseason’ starting this February 25th with home games based out of Ft. Myers, Florida. If you are in the area and want to catch a game you can get tickets here. If you are like the rest of America freezing up north, you can catch some spring training games live on MLB.TV. The premium package starts at 109.95, while their regular package starts at 79.95. If you’re going to get MLB.TV, you might as well get it now and make that dollar stretch as the price likely won’t go down after Spring Training.

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SPRING TRAINING PREVIEW

Here’s a few things to keep your eye on this Spring Training:

1 – Don’t Expect to see much of Joe Mauer
Mauer is still recovering from minor kidney surgery and most likely won’t see much action early in the preseason. The team is optimistic he will return by Opening Day.

2 – Keep an eye on
Joe Crede. The Twins newest and biggest free agent addition this offseason arrived in Ft. Myers late last night after inking a one year $2.5M dollar deal with incentives pushing the contract up to $7M. The world will finally get to see how healthy he really looks and if it appears like the deal was money well spent. Nonetheless, it will be fun watching a fresh face in camp. We will also get to see if the rumors about Buscher ‘crushing’ the ball had any substance behind them, but again, has anyone ever read a report of a guy not crushing the ball in Spring Training?

Bullpen. The Twins finished last season with only one arm really clicking in Jose Mijares. It will be good to see some fresh arms getting some work. Also, keep an eye on guys like Luis Ayala, R.A. Dickey, and hopefully Juan Cruz (if he signs with the Twins this week), to see how our new guys stack up. Also, keep an eye on Boof Bonser’s ailing shoulder as well as Phil Humber’s progress. Both could be looking on the outside in come Opening Day.

3 – Key Battles
Outfield. Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, and Michael Cuddyer all lay legitimate claim to three outfield spots this Spring Training. Look for them get a lot of looks in the outfield this March. Last season, Cuddyer, a fan favorite, ran into health problems. This allowed the Twins’ three young stars to get serious face time in the Major Leagues, and they outperformed expectations. Denard Span should be a lock to play LF after last seasons success. As for CF and RF: expect Ron Gardenhire’s love affair with Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Gomez to land them spots on the opening day lineup. The organization doesn’t seem to be too high on former #1 overall pick Delmon Young. Ron Gardenhire publicly stated in the winter that he would be out of the Twins’ opening day lineup and trade rumors subsequently swirled. However, Young has more potential than anyone currently wearing a Twins uniform and should see plenty of action this year. If the raw Carlos Gomez doesn’t learn the strike zone early in the season or Michael Cuddyer can’t return to previous form, I would expect to see Delmon Young’s face in the everyday lineup. Scott Ullger, the Twins third base coach said yesterday: “Delmon is locked in. And he’s in great shape” providing even more reason why Delmon should be seeing loads of playing time this season.

Punto – Harris. This is a new battle that arises as a result of the Joe Crede signing. Harris has the ability to play anywhere in the infield and had shown flashes of potential last season. The Twins seem to be looking to crowd their roster with infielders (Casilla, Punto, Crede, Buscher, Harris, and Tolbert) this season. This will put pressure on the recently extended defensive ace Nick Punto.

Relief Pitching. The battle for the 8th inning set-up job will be between Jesse Crain, Luis Ayala, and Juan Cruz (assuming he somehow signs in the coming weeks). If Cruz is in camp, he should be looking to have the job. He’s a bit wild, but had an unbelievable 2008 season. It will be interesting to see how Ayala performs after regaining his health in the offseason. He performed well late in 2007, but ran into trouble last year. If all else fails, Jesse Crain would be a fine plug to fill the void.

4 – Projected 25 Man Roster
Lineup
LF – Span
2B – Casilla
C – Mauer
1B – Morneau
3B – Crede
RF – Cuddyer
DH – Kubel
SS – Punto
CF – Gomez

Bench
OF – Young
IF – Harris
IF – Buscher
IF – Tolbert
C – Redmond

Starting
SP – Liriano
SP – Baker
SP – Slowey
SP – Blackburn
SP – Perkins

Relief
CL – Nathan
SET – Crain
RP – Ayala
RP – Breslow
RP – Guerrier
RP – Humber

On the Outside Looking In
RP – Bonser (Out For Season)
RP – Mijares
RP – Mulvey
RP – Dickey
OF – Pridie

Joe Crede To Sign With Minnesota | Juan Cruz Deal Looming

The Minnesota Twins have done it.

Reports indicate that the Minnesota Twins have inked a deal with All-Star third basemen Joe Crede. Given that he can stay healthy, Crede provides stability at a position that has been an anomaly for the Twins since the days of Corey Koskie. There have been plenty of debates about whether the Twins should sign the former White Sox third basemen to a deal given his health problems, but no one has doubted the upgrade that he provides when healthy.

LaVelle Neal also reports that Minnesota is preparing to do a sign and trade with Arizona for reliever Juan Cruz, speculating that it could happen within the next 24 hours. Maybe Boof Bonser’s shoulder is worse than management thought. It’ll be interesting to see what names get tossed on the table to get Cruz.

I don’t know what you guys did with the Minnesota Twins front office, but I’m loving it.

…

Quick preview of the new batting order with the addition of Crede:

Order:
Span
Casilla
Mauer
Morneau
Crede
Kubel
Cuddyer
Punto
Gomez

Bench:
Young/Harris/Buscher/Redmond…

Rotation
Liriano/Baker/Slowey/Blackburn/Perkins

Relief:
Nathan/Cruz/Crain/Ayala/Breslow/Guerrier/Mijares/Bonser/Humber

Of course, the Twins are going to have to make some decisions on their 40-man shortly, but I think that Twins Nation will be more than willing to have to make those choices given the circumstance.

It’s a great evening to be a Twins fan!

2009 Tour de France Route, Schedule, Dates, and Television Coverage

The 2009 Tour de France will mark the return of 7-Time Tour Champion Lance Armstrong. Armstrong will be riding alongside Alberto Contador, who has won the Giro, Vuelta, and Tour de France and is undoubtedly the best stage race cyclist on the planet. Other notable riders will include Carlos Sastre, Cadel Evans, Christian Vande Velde, Danilo Di Luca, Ivan Basso, Mark Cavendish, Tom Boonen, and Thor Hushovd.

Note: The television schedule has not yet been released, however Versus will be picking up every stage live and have highlights following the stages. Cycling.tv will have highlights after the stages completion. The TV Start column will be updated once the schedules are released.

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2009 Tour de France Schedule, Route, and Dates

2009 Giro d’Italia Route, Schedule, and Television Coverage – Lance Armstrong’s Return to the Grand Tours

The 2009 Giro d’Italia will mark Lance Armstrong’s return to grand tour stage racing and it will mark his first appearance at Italy’s premier cycling stage race. Armstrong will have to fight the likes of Ivan Basso, Carlos Sastre, Gilberto Simoni, Danilo Di Luca, and Denis Menchov to earn the right to wear the Maglia Rosa (The Giro’s version of the Yellow Jersey). Below is a schedule of the race along with elevation profiles for each stage:

Unfortunately, no television schedule has officially been released. Cycling.tv will cover all of the stages live for a fee, while Versus will be picking up coverage of the race sporadically.

Update 4/30: Sorry for the lack of info below. The profile links Tyler used have since been removed, and cycling.tv still hasn’t announced the TV schedule yet. We’ll update this post when there is more information, or hop over to cycling.tv to see if they have it update.

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2009 Giro d’Italia Route, Schedule and Dates