1. 49ers Barking Up the Right (Crab) Tree

Finally, early on Wednesday morning, the 49ers and first round draft pick Michael Crabtree agreed to a deal that will get the WR on the field. The deal was worth $32 million over 6 years with $17 million guaranteed and up to $8 million in additional incentives.

If Crabtree makes the Pro Bowl in two of his first five years, the contract is void after 5 years.

I’ll Tell You This:

I’ve been begging the 49ers for weeks to just get this deal done, and now they have.

The team is already 3-1 without Crabtree and have been my NFC dark-horse since the beginning of the season. Now with Crabtree inked and Gore coming back to the line-up soon, this team moves officially into my “Contender” category.

2. Jets Acquire Braylon Edwards

How do you respond to a big loss against New Orleans, as well as mass media criticism of your rookie QB?

You go out and trade for a troubled, yet amazing WR.

The trade sent Edwards to the Jets in exchange for WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnik, a conditional 3^{rd pick in the 2010 draft, and a 5th round pick in the 2010 draft.}

I’ll Tell You This:

Edwards has been somewhat ineffective for the last year and a half in Cleveland.

After his assault on a friend of LeBron James, Browns’ coach Eric Mangini had to make a move.

This is a great move for both teams.

Mangini gets two more picks to build his team from, and gets rid of a “bad apple”.

The Jets get a very good player, who is excited about a fresh start, and may just turn things around with a new team, and a winning team. (See Randy Moss, New England Patriots)

3. The One Game Playoff Heard Round the World

It took twelve innings, and several ties and lead changes, but Minnesota would cap off what started as a seven game deficit to the Tigers with a  walk off single to win in the bottom of the 12^th inning.

I’ll Tell You This:

I have been down on baseball this year, partly because my Cubs have sucked, but mostly because I feel like this may have been the most boring season in baseball I can remember in a while.

That being said, this may have been one of the most exciting games I have seen in a while.

Congratulations to the Minnesota Twins, and good luck against the beast of the AL, the Yankees.

4. The Playoffs Begin

The MLB Playoffs started yesterday with matchups between The Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies, the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, and today the Angels will face off against the Boston Red Sox.

I’ll Tell You This:

Here are my predictions for the entire MLB Playoffs:

Division Series

Philly will beat Colorado in five games.

New York will sweep the tired Twins.

The Dodgers will upset the Cardinals in 5 games.

The Red Sox will beat the Angels in 4.

NLCS/ALCS

The Phillies will defeat the Dodgers in 6 games.

The Yankees will defeat the Red Sox in 7 games

World Series Predicion

The New York Yankees will defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games

5. You Tell Me This:

With future Hall of Fame QB’s in the league right now to the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Favre:

You Tell Me This:

1. Who do you think is the best quarterback in the NFL?
2. Who do you think is the best quarterback of all time?

Please leave your comment in the comments section I would love to hear what you have to say!

That’s all for this week kids!!! We’ll see you next week!

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.

The biggest night of baseball this year was a heavyweight fight. With critical moment after critical moment, match-point after match-point, and epic out after epic out; this game was everything everyone wanted out of a game 163. But where to begin? Simply a 20-year old rookie pitcher’s gutsy start, lasting well into the 6th inning, giving up a mere one ER, should suffice as a quality storyline. And if that’s not enough, maybe we can throw in a tiebreaking late inning homerun by a player acquired at the trade dealine, who simply wanted to get be a part of a winning team? And if that doesn’t quite do it, lets set a stage with runners on the corners, no outs, top of the ninth, and strike out a guy who K’s once every four games a second time in the evening – and then double up a guy who’s hit over .500 in his last 12 games on a line out.

And that’s the ballgame. Right? Is that not enough?

Is having a guy who has had 17 career hits and a lifetime .217 average step to the plate in extra innings and deliver a huge 10th inning hit for a team seeing their title hopes slip away believable? Is then following that up with having a guy, just as unlikely as the last, step up in the bottom of that same inning to send in the tying run on a single hit through a hole you couldn’t throw a ball through realistic?

That should do. Wait, it’s only 8:30 central time – we’re not ready to turn our television sets off yet.  Let’s keep this game going.

Lets have a relief pitcher who’s ERA approached 6.00…in the minor leagues…take the mound, with bases-loaded, full count, and strike out a guy who swung on a pitch that fell out of the zone. And then lets have an outfielder, exiled from his leadoff role and starting position at the same time last season, get on base with a leadoff single into left field. If that’s not enough, finally, we’ll close this game out with a promising guy who has had a terrible year by every barometer, who’s been destined to the bench indefinitely, who’s been up and down the farm system all year, come in and deliver a game winning single into right field, erupting a record crowd into euphoria.

That’s it.

You can shut your televisions off now. But I won’t blame you if you keep watching post-game in shock.

But it was much more than the game deciding plays. It was a storyline from the start. It was a patented ‘never-say-die” Twins team on a tear after losing their 2006 AL MVP, their starting third basemen, and their top pitcher during the season to injury: not to mention a complete collapse of their opening day starting rotation. It was a Tigers team, trying to rally a city attempting to recover from a collapse of their own, hoping desperately that they could avoid an epic fall from the top of the standings after holding onto it for the past five full months.

It was the small battles within the war that set the stage. It was Cuddyer’s triple that setup the bottom of the 10th due in great part to the failed effort of an outfielder trying to make a play on the ball. It was Nick Punto fouling off his 4th straight foul-ball en-route to a walk before Cabrera’s two run homerun. It Justin Morneau tirelessly cheering from the bench as he’s done all month and it was Orlando Cabrera showing us the reason he came to Minnesota was to win. It was Ron Gardenhire revealing his rare in-game emotion, it was Jesse Crain finding his stuff at the perfect time, and it was a record crowd erupting – refusing to let their temple of baseball go quietly into the night.

Many will say this was the best baseball game played this season, perhaps one of the best baseball games played ever. The test of time will tell as rarely do games even of this magnitude hold memory if a championship does not ensue, however, the comparisons are irrelevant. What the Twins and their fans did was something special, something that takes more than money, but character. Perhaps it will be a moment that may be forgotten in time by the public, but will be remembered in the hearts of the fans of Minnesota for ages. It was a great moment, a spectacular moment, and that as fans is all we can hope for.

Not really, but again, does any of this matter once the game begins?

Here is the TV schedule and the pitching matchups for the Twins-Yankees ALDS series:

Twins-Yankees ALDS TV Schedule and Pitching Matchups

Sure, the Yankees could roll, since they’ll now avoid Twins ace Scott Baker until at least game three, probably drawing rookie left-hander Brian Duensing in game one. But it will be interesting to see how a poor playoff pitcher like CC Sabathia (note his terrible final start of the season in Tampa) performs, or an inexperienced playoff pitcher like AJ Burnett.  Andy Pettitte is Andy Pettitte, for better or worse, but if there’s a game four in this series or the next, Joba Chamberlain apparently cannot get through four innings, so there’s issues therein that will relegate him to the bullpen for at least the division series. Chris Singleton and John Kruk both said on Baseball Tonight last week that the Yanks cannot throw Joba as a starter, perhaps not even in the bullpen. Though that’s typical hyperbole from ESPN, that’s still not good for the Pinstripers. Calling Chad Gaudin?

There is a lot of pressure on the Yankees this October. And no, it’s not on Alex Rodriguez, for a change. Rather, the Yanks have not won the world title since 2000, and last won the AL pennant in 2003. Though they missed the postseason last year, New York fans I know are demanding and expecting a championship – so is their media – presuming they’ll at least quickly dispatch the Twins on their way. They probably also thought that in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Remember, the Yanks were supposed to rip a mediocre Detroit team in 2006. They lost in four. And while New York did beat Minnesota all seven times they met in 2009, four of them were by one run, and all were pre-All Star break, when Minnesota was buried in the standings.

There is zero pressure on the Twins. They’ve won 17 of their last 21, catching a Tiger team who had a seven game lead four weeks ago. Considering their miracles, if they win ONE game, people will applaud. Good luck, GI Joe; it’s David vs. Goliath, beginning in Gotham.

Yahoo’s Yankees synopsis here.

The Twins can be found here.

You may have noticed that we haven’t been paying as much attention to baseball here at MSF lately. My personal excuse for that is two-fold: first, I’m a White Sox fan and they fell out of the race early in September; second, football season started.

Site-wide, the excuse is simple: we need more baseball writers. (So contact us if you want to cover baseball! We’d love to have you.)

But that dearth of baseball coverage is about to change because October is here, which means it’s playoff time. And just like last season, the playoffs kick off with a one-game playoff tie-breaker to decide the AL Central.

Say what you will about the overall level play in the AL Central, but it routinely gives us the most hotly contested division race in all of Major League Baseball. 

Last year it was the White Sox and Twins duking it out for a 163rd game. This year, it’s the Tigers and Twins. Here is everything you need to know:

Twins-Tigers One-Game Playoff Preview

• Twins-Tigers Date: Tuesday, October 6th
• Twins-Tigers Time: 5:07 ET
• Twins-Tigers TV: TBS
• Twins-Tigers Location: The Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Twins-Tigers Odds: Twins -1.5
• Twins-Tigers Over-Under: 8.5
• Twins-Tigers Pitching Matchup: Rick Porcello (14-9) v Scott Baker (15-9)
• StubHub: Twins-Tigers One Game Playoff Tie-breaker Tickets as low as $56
• RazorGator: Twins-Tigers One Game Playoff Tie-breaker Tickets as low as $63
• TicketsNow: Twins-Tigers One Game Playoff Tie-breaker Tickets as low as $59

Rick Porcello v the Twins

Tigers rookie Rick Porcello won’t turn 22 until December of this year, yet the young phenom is taking the mound for the Tigers’ most important game of the season. It’s been an up-and-down rookie year for Porcello, who was terrible in April, fantastic in May, terrible again in June and July, and then very solid in 12 starts during August and September.

Overall for the season, Porcello is 14-9 with a 4.04 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 81 Ks, and 50 BBs over 30 starts and 165 innings. Detroit has done a very good job of not wearing Porcello down in his first big league season, part of the reason why he came down the stretch with a strong 5-2 record and an ERA right around 3.20 during the season’s final two months.

Porcello has pitched decently well overall against Minnesota. He is only 1-2 in four starts, but his ERA against the Twins is a very solid 3.09. The peripheral numbers, however, aren’t quite as good (1.41 WHIP, .299 BAA) and Porcello did not fare well in his two starts in the Metrodome: 0-2, 6.30 ERA.

The Twins that have given Porcello the most trouble are Jason Kubel (8-11) and Delmon Young (4-9). Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau both hit .250 or worse against Porcello, but both have homered. Joe Mauer went only 1-9 against Porcello this season. The Twins did not steal a base off Porcello this year.

Scott Baker v the Tigers

Scott Baker, always one of my personal favorites from a fantasy perspective because of his low WHIP and solid K/BB numbers, started off the season terribly. In three April starts, Baker had an ERA of 9.82 and went 0-3. Over the next five months, Baker alternated between 4.00+ and 3.00+ ERAs and finished the season with decent numbers: 15-9, 4.36 ERA, 1.19 WHIP. 

Baker’s Achilles’ heel is the longball: he gave up 27 on the year.

Unfortunately for Twins fans, Detroit is one of the teams that rocked Baker the hardest this year. In four starts against the Tigers, Baker went 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.70. On a positive note though, he only gave up two home runs to the Tigers in 20 innings of work.

And Baker was pretty solid at home, with his 4.55 ERA not really jiving with lower peripheral numbers across the board (1.07 WHIP, .240 BAA, fewer home runs allowed). It looks like Baker was the victim of some bad luck in his home park.

The Tigers hitters that hit Baker the hardest this year were: Miguel Cabrera (4-11, HR); Magglio Ordonez (6-11); Marcus Thames (3-8, HR). Baker did do a nice job of keeping Curtis Granderson off the basepaths (1-11) and holding Brandon Inge in check (1-8).

Twins-Tigers Prediction

I can’t go in any direction but with the Twins.

I’ve long said that if I was not a White Sox fan, and could choose any other MLB team to root for, I’d choose Minnesota. I admire how they play, their scrappiness, and the fact that regardless of the circumstances they always seem to end up in the thick of the AL Central race.

The Twins are the team that comes into tomorrow’s game with the momentum and without either team having a significant edge in terms of starting pitching, I’m going with the team that does the best job of shutting the door at the end.

For that important job, the Twins get to call on Joe Nathan, perhaps one of the most under appreciated players in Major League Baseball over the last decade.

Here is the most important stat I could dig up about this game: in 50 lifetime appearances against Detroit, Joe Nathan is 2-1 with 30 saves, a 1.60 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, .147 BAA…and he has never blown a save against the Tigers.

I’m convinced.

I don’t think the Twins win by more than a run, as the spread indicates, but who cares? Nathan shuts the door in the 9th and the Twins move onto the playoffs.

Twins-Tigers one-game playoff pick: Minnesota Twins 4 | Detroit Tigers 3

**********

* – Joe Nathan photo credit: Eric Miller, Reuters via MinnPost.com

Just made my morning jaunt over to Deadspin and caught a fascinating video that shows Joe Mauer blatantly tipping pitches to Jason Kubel during the Twins-Tigers series.

Mauer is on second base with Justin Verlander pitching. The cat and mouse game, exquisitely captioned by whoever created the video, is a rare glimpse into the game-within-the-game that can be so often overlooked when watching a baseball game.

For some reason, all I can think about right now is how much I would love to hear Hawk Harrelson announcing this sequence.

Video after the jump.

The video (hat tip to Deadspin) is taken from the game two nights ago on September 29th when the Tigers, led by a strong start from Verlander, beat the Twins 6-5. It shows how the Twins got their second run of the game, in the 6th inning, on a sacrifice fly from Kubel.

Mauer finished 1-5 for on the night with a double and an RBI, and as the video captions describe, he probably should have been credited with 1.5 RBIs for his work at second base.

Watch how the catcher keeps calling for new signs or calling time after Mauer motions towards his head with his head (tapping earhole for a curveball, the front of his face for a fastball). The frustration on the faces of Justin Verlander and Jim Leyland is obvious.

No wonder Ozzie Guillen loves the Twins so much.

Enjoy:

Video: Joe Mauer Tipping Pitching to Jason Kubel

**********

* – Joe Mauer photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images North America via Zimbio

Sportsbook fans were eagerly awaiting Monday night’s Tigers-Twins game, which was supposed to open a four-game series that will arguably determine the AL Central winner.

Rain knocked the game back to Tuesday afternoon, meaning there’s still time to reevaluate the final three games of the series.

Detroit appears to be in great shape for those online betting matchups.

Date & Time: Tuesday, Sept. 29 @ 7:05 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network

StubHub Tickets: Twins-Tigers tickets as low as $25.

Pitching Matchup: Brian Duensing (5-1, 3.33) vs. Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.41)

Verlander has rebounded from a poor 2008 campaign with a dominant performance. His 256 strikeouts dwarf his previous best of 183, and he’s coming off an 11K performance against Cleveland.

The Twins have been his kryptonite this year, however, as he’s 0-2 with a 5.49 ERA in three starts.

Duensing, a rookie, has been brilliant for Minnesota. He began the season as a reliever but, after becoming a starter, has been on fire. His 1.74 ERA in September is impressive. Even better? His 6.1 inning, four-hit shutout of Detroit a few weeks ago.

On paper this matchup seems to favor the rookie, but you’re still better off taking Verlander on your MLB picks—this is a pressure-packed game that makes youngsters crumble and vets excel.

———

Date & Time: Wednesday, Sept. 30 @ 7:05 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

StubHub Tickets: Twins-Tigers tickets as low as $6.

Pitching Matchup: Carl Pavano (13-11, 4.86) vs. Eddie Bonine (0-1, 4.60)

Part-time starter Bonine has been an adequate fill-in for Detroit. In his past two starts he’s allowed five runs (three earned) in 11.2 innings of work. He’s faced the Twins once is his brief career and it wasn’t pretty: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 6.75 ERA.

Pavano, on the other hand, must be licking his chops for this matchup. He’s eaten Detroit’s soul to the tune of four wins and a 1.69 ERA in five starts. It doesn’t take betting software to figure out veteran experience plus a proven track record against Detroit makes Pavano the right call.

———-

Date & Time: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ 1:05 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network

StubHub Tickets: Twins-Tigers tickets as low as $10.

Scott Baker (14-9, 4.48) vs. Nate Robertson (2-2, 5.56)

Robertson struggled in his last start, allowing four earned runs in 3.1 innings, though the Detroit lineup bailed him out. Besides that hiccup he’s had a fine month (3.86 ERA in four starts, five appearances), including a solid five-inning, two-run effort against the Twins a few weeks ago.

Twins starter Scott Baker can’t claim the same success. He’s been knocked around badly by the Tigers this season, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three starts. History says bet on Robertson and the Tigers.

THE PICK: Tigers sweep the final three games of this series

But it also means something else: it’s time to dole out some midseason awards.

Since our primary focus here at Midwest Sports Fans is, well, the Midwest, I am going to focus my award giving to just the Central divisions of the American and National League. Let’s get right to it.

NL Central 1st Half MVP: Albert Pujols, and I really don’t need to say anything else about it. His name itself is becoming hyperbole. I want to see a new version of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials featuring Pujols. They could be called “The Most Dominating Presence in Baseball” and include lines like “he once struck out, just to see what it felt like” and “he’s seen less pitches than the World Cup, yet his goatee alone has hit more home runs than Ryan Ludwick.” Albert Pujols is amazing and is not just the NL Central MVP, but the MLB MVP for the first half of 2009.

AL Central 1st Half MVP: This one is not so clear cut. Let’s take a look at a few of the candidates (stats as of July 9th):

• Joe Mauer, Twins: 60 G, 224 AB, .388 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, 48 R, 1.118 OPS
• Justin Morneau, Twins: 84 G, 319 AB, .317 BA, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 56 R, .984 OPS
• Jermaine Dye, White Sox: 77 G, 276 AB, .297 BA, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 51 R, .940 OPS
• Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 129 K, 29 BB

Obviously I really want to say JD, or even Scott Podsednik, and I think there is an argument to be made for them as their value has been highlighted by the injury to Carlos Quentin, but I have a hard time giving it to anyone other than Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer with the impressive stats both have racked up.

It certainly isn’t Zack Greinke, whose team becomes more irrelevant with each passing week. If his ERA was still 1.00, then maybe. But he hasn’t been as lights-out recently, which is to be expected since he isn’t the greatest pitcher in the history of mankind and all beings, as some have suggested.

While everyone is salivating over Mauer, and don’t get me wrong — he has been great since returning from injury, Morneau has been producing at a high level for 24 more games and over the span of almost 100 more ABs than Mauer. Plus, batting average is an overrated stat, so Mauer gets no bonus points from me because he’s making everyone dream about .400. Both are great candidates, and by the end of the year such a difference in games won’t be so magnified, but right now I have to go with Morneau, who has been the most consistent run producer in the division over the course of the entire first half.

NL Central 1st Half Cy Young: I see two primary contenders: Adam Wainwright of St. Louis and Yovani Gallardo of Milwaukee. Here are the stats:

• Yovani Gallardo, Brewers: 8-6, 109.2 innings, 2.95 ERA, 120 K, 51 BB
• Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: 9-5, 122.1 innings, 3.09 ERA, 110 K, 45 BB

Pretty damn close based on the numbers (and you could probably throw Ryan Franklin in the mix here too, who has been great as the Cardinals’ closer). My first instinct when comparing Gallardo and Wainwright is to go with the guy pitching for the team in first place, but it’s hard to use team record as a tie-breaker considering the Cardinals are only one game up on the Brewers in the standings. Or is it? With two pitchers this close, sometimes it comes right down to head-to-head battles.

Thus far in 2009, Wainwright has absolutely dominated Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in two starts against the Brewers, going 15.1 innings and giving up just a single run while striking out 18. Gallardo, on the other hand, has struggled somewhat against his team’s primary competition for the division title. Despite having a better overall ERA and WHIP than Wainwright, Gallardo is 0-1 against St. Louis. Sure, he pitched 8 innings of shutout ball while only giving up 2 hits in the teams’ May 25th battle, so you can’t blame him for the no decision there, but that game was not head-to-head against Wainwright like the July 7th game was. In that battle, Gallardo lasted only five innings and gave up four runs in a 5-0 loss for the Brew Crew.

So maybe that one game difference for the Cardinals is the difference between Wainwright and Gallardo. I’m giving the 1st half Cy Young for the NL Central to Adam Wainwright.

AL Central 1st Half Cy Young: Lots of legit contenders here. Let’s list them out with stats:

• Mark Buehrle, White Sox: 9-2, 3.14 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 65 K, 25 BB
• Joe Nathan, Twins: 0-1, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 33.1 innings, 22 saves, 43 K, 7 BB
• Justin Verlander, Tigers: 9-4, 3.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 115.1 innings, 141 K, 35 BB
• Edwin Jackson, Tigers: 6-4, 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 93 K, 33 BB
• Zack Greinke, Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 127.1 innings, 129 K, 29 BB
• Fausto Carmona, Indians: 2-6, 7.42 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 60.2 innings, 36 K, 41 BB

If we were giving this out to the pitcher who has been the most generous to opposing hitters and teams, Fausto Carmona would win in a landslide. And yes, this is the same Fausto Carmona that went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 2007. But obviously I only listed Carmona here to throw more salt in the multitude of open wounds Cleveland’s start has given its fans. More on him later.

Back to the subject at hand. Zack Greinke obviously has the best numbers, but I just don’t believe in handing out awards to players whose teams are not in the playoff race. There is a different level of pressure when your team is expected to win and when games are meaningful. If the award were Most Outstanding Pitcher, it’s Greinke by a landslide. It’s not, and it clearly states in the fine print of my own personal Cy Young and MVP criteria that last place teams (Cleveland sucks so bad they don’t count anymore) cannot have Cy Young or MVP winners, so we’ll let Willy Wonka tell Zack Greinke what he’s won:

(By the way, credit goes to Hugging Harold Reynolds for tweeting that video yesterday. I hadn’t seen that in forever, but always loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie Bucket is a golden god.)

Honestly, I can’t find a whole lot to separate Buehrle, Verlander, and Jackson. All three have had excellent seasons. I’d give the edge to Buehrle because he owns the Tigers and Verlander sucks against the White Sox, and both have more wins than Jackson, but it’s really splitting hairs between those three.

My 1st half AL Central Cy Young goes to Joe Nathan, who has just be out-of-this-world awesome. The Twins’ pitchers (other than Nick Blackburn, who is having a very good yet under-the-radar season) have struggled this season. Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey have all dealt with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness. The one constant (throughout all the years Ray, has been baseball) has been Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen making sure that when the Twins do have a late lead, they do not surrender it.

I’m not a huge proponent of giving Cy Youngs to closers who typically pitch less than a third of the amount of innings a top-line starter does, but Joe Nathan has given up only 18 hits in 33.1 innings and is 22-24 in save opportunities. He has been beyond dominant and there is no way the Twins would be as close to first place as they are without him. It’s a competitive field, but Nathan is the choice.

NL Central Manager of the 1st Half: Tony LaRussa, and I don’t think it’s close. Ken Macha has done a nice job in Milwaukee keeping the Brewers in the race without C.C. Sabathia or Ben Sheets, but LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place with one legit hitter in his lineup. Yes, that hitter is the great Pujols, but look at the rest of the team’s offensive stats. Putrid. And it’s not like their pitching has been lights out. Ryan Franklin has been a revelation in the bullpen, and getting Chris Carpenter back has helped, but this is still a rotation that counts on guys like Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero, and Todd Wellemeyer. That LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place is a testament to his managerial genius (and to Pujols’ utter dominance, of course).

AL Central Manager of the 1st Half: I really want to say Ozzie Guillen, and I think that he’s done a great job, but my vote goes to Jimmy Leyland of Detroit. It’s not just that the Tigers are in first place, it’s that they’ve been able to rebound from last season’s disappointment with a far less potent offensive attack and without the benefit of an above-average bullpen. Leyland has navigated his way through the struggles of Dontrelle Willis and Armando Gallarraga, plus had to deal with Magglio Ordonez’s sharp decline. Leyland essentially has a lineup with only three hitters who have been consistent producers (Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson), yet there the Tigers sit, a couple games up and eight games over .500.

2009 has been an excellent rebound season for Detroit, and Leyland deserves credit as the man steering the ship. He also deserves credit for having one of the most hilarious old school baseball cards ever. The hat, the mustache, the sunburned face…I’m not sure if he’s at Spring Training, a train conductor, or working at a carnival.

And with that, let’s transition into a few “alternative” awards for the first half.

NL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Milton Bradley wins this one. Signed in the offseason after putting up terrific numbers in Texas, The Angry One has only gotten 203 ABs so far this season and hasn’t done much with them. He’s hitting .236 and, even worse, is slugging only .374. Ouch. Plus, he is being his usual distracting self and getting into public pissing matches with his manager when he’s not forgetting how many outs there are in an inning. Like most things having to do with the Cubs, you just get the feeling that this is not going to end well.

AL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Fausto Carmona of the Indians. We touched on his stats above, and they really say it all. This guy has just gone straight downhill since 2007 and the Indians have to be wondering if he’ll ever be able to recapture the ability that made him appear to be one of the bright young pitching stars in the big leagues. Despite a rough 2008, a lot was expected out of Carmona this year. Well, the Indians have gotten a lot out of him…it’s just all been bad.

AL/NL Central Worst Manager of the 1st Half: Hands down Eric Wedge. You need look no further than this site, where our very own AJ Kaufman calls for Wedge’s head in pretty much every article he writes. The Indians were expected to contend for the AL Central crown, yet they are 13.5 games out and 19 games under .500 already.

AL/NL Central Manager with the most potential to give his kids truly awful awesome names: Eric Wedge. If he had any sense of humor he would name his kids Orange, Potato, and Cheese. No such luck though. As it is, he and his wife named their kids Ava and Dalton Cash. Oh well.

Come to think of it though, Dalton Cash Wedge is a pretty sweet and unique name. The kid is either going be a scrappy middle infielder/#2 hitter in the majors or the lead actor in his generation’s version of Dawson’s Creek. Well done Eric. (See, we don’t always criticize you on Midwest Sports Fans.)

AL/NL Central Quote of the 1st Half: This one is easy and goes to (who else?) Ozzie Guillen. And there were a few of them, all of which were gloriously derogatory towards the team from the North Side.

“But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there. That’s just to be honest. And if Cub fans don’t like the way I talk about Wrigley Field, it’s just Wrigley Field. I don’t say anything about the fans or anything now. But Wrigley Field, they got to respect my opinion. That’s the way I feel…I don’t care if they hate me. They don’t feed my kids. If they hate me, that’s cool.”

That’s just a great quote, although the part about Ozzie not talking about Cubs fans may not be entirely true. Ozzie also had this gem:

“…our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans.”

AL/NL Central Home Run Call of the Year: Hawk Harrelson, two days ago. Hell yeah!

That’s all I’ve got. Sorry for not even mentioning your teams Reds, Astros, and Pirates fans…they’ve all been pretty uninteresting so far this year, at least as far as I’m concerned. But feel free to add your own midseason awards in the comments.

The White Sox bring out the brooms again tonight, and then play the Twins in a pivotal pre-All Star Break series. As Hawk might say, I loooove baseball.

* – Jim Leyland baseball card image credit: Vinewood Sports Cards

* – Albert Pujols photo credit: Urban Shocker

The Toronto Blue Jays will make the trip to New York this weekend for a four-game set. The Jays started off the season guns a blazing but have cooled off since. They find themselves in fourth place in the division with a minimal chance of winning it, and we just hit July.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have been the exact opposite. They are as strong as they’ve been in the win column this year and they’ll look to keep on building on it.

They’ll have a couple of hurdles this weekend as both Roy Halladay and Ricky Romero will pitch for the Jays.

MLB betting: Tigers, Twins Square Off Square Off At Metrodome

The Detroit Tigers hold a three-game lead in the American League Central but that lead could shrink to nothing by the end of the weekend.

The Tigers have slowed a little bit as the calendar has flipped to July. While Magglio Ordonez is trying to regain his power (went 150 at-bats in between home runs), the lineup seems to be in flux as manager Jim Leyland is moving batters up and down.

The Twins entire starting rotation is on fire right now from Kevin Slowey, to Nick Blackburn, to Scott Baker, which is more bad news for the Tigers bats. Look for the Twins to take advantage and gain some ground on the weekend. The sportsbook odds makers should have them favored throughout the weekend.

MLB Betting: Last-Place A’s Meet Last-Place Indians

A few years ago, sports picks on this series would handicapping a matchup of two playoff contenders. Not nowadays as both teams are a combined 64-93.

The A’s are usually a scrappy bunch but injuries have taken a big bite out of their production. They have put 12 players on the disabled list already this season and they simply don’t have the depth to compete when it gets that’s bad.

The season hasn’t been much brighter for the Indians who have lost five straight and are just 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Indians are having problems scoring runs, especially with Travis Hafner’s pop disappearing over the last two seasons.

The Indians are off a sweep at the hands of the White Sox and have been outscored 38-13 in their last five games. I’m betting management wasn’t expecting that with a lineup consisting of Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez and the aforementioned Hafner.

The White Sox only other sweep of the season came at the end of May when the Good Guys swept three on the road against the Kansas City Royals. And as KVB and I lament to eachother all of the time, the White Sox never seem to complete sweeps. It always seems like any time we take the first two or three games of a series there is a letdown in the final game. Either the regular lineup sleepwalks through the game, we get a terrible pitching performance, or Ozzie throws out one of his crazy lineups where Brian Anderson is hitting cleanup.

I’m exaggerating…but not by much.

Not yesterday though. Last night, the White Sox continued playing the solid brand of baseball that has propelled them to five straight wins and 12 wins in their last 17 games. Over that same time span, a fan base — and maybe even a team and an entire organization — has been reborn into one that expects, rather than hopes, to be playing baseball in October.

At least that’s how I feel. And hopefully the rest of the South Side is with me. (And if you’re not, I have a few words from Steve Perry I’d like to share with you. That’s right, I went there.)

Truthfully, what has transpired over the last couple of weeks has renewed my faith that the White Sox will ultimately come out on top in a very competitive AL Central. I have to admit that through the ups and downs of this season it has been hard to maintain that faith. Case in point: Ozzie saying that we are in trouble if we have to bring up Gordon Beckham…and then shortly thereafter Beckham gets brought up.

And yes, I realize that the majority of the recent success has come against the inferior National League (and then the even more inferior Indians), so I will grant you that the White Sox haven’t exactly been mowing down the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays; but, the Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, and Reds are all at least decent teams (especially LA, with our without Manny) so I don’t think you can simply chalk up the White Sox success to playing subpar competition.

No, there are many reasons why the White Sox are winning and the majority of them have to do with the players themselves and the better brand of baseball they are playing.

Will they make the playoffs? I’m not going to make any proclamations and jinx them. (Full disclosure: in preparation for this post I researched Jim Fassel’s infamous playoff guarantee when he was coaching the Giants and had planned on altering it for purposes of my own guarantee here. Then I thought the better of it.) But what seemed like a rather ridiculous conversation a few weeks ago is starting to look more and more realistic.

So in honor of the White Sox 40th victory of the season, and because it is my lucky number (in honor of my favorite basketball player of all-time), here are 40 reasons, in no particular order, why the White Sox have a great shot to win the AL Central and make a return trip to the playoffs in 2009.

1 — Ozzie Guillen. The SI players poll may suggest that other players don’t want to play for him, but his own players do. And they have proven it every year outside of that awful and anomalous 2007. As long as Ozzie is the skipper, I’ll always believe in the White Sox. Paws up.

2 — We actually have a productive 1-2 punch at the top of the order! Most White Sox fans had forgotten what that feels like. 2005 hero Scotty Pods and Sexy Alexei have reminded us over the last 50 or so games. If Podsednik can come close to maintaining his .368 OBP, and if Alexei can continue to put his early season woes behind him (and improve upon his .398 SLG), the White Sox will have the run production and speed they need at the top of the lineup.

3 — We get THE Carlos Quentin back around the All Star Break. Remember him? Mr. Porcelain, but also the best player in the American League through the end of August last year? The White Sox offense has fortuitously been able to find its footing over the last month without him, but no one has forgotten how important Quentin is to the overall makeup of our team. Assuming Quentin can even be 80% of his normal self throughout the rest of the season, he will provide a huge presence that has been sorely lacking.

4 — Jose F*****g Contreras. I love this guy. He’s like a phoenix. Every time you think he’s finished he rises again to prove why he was such a hot commodity upon defecting here from Cuba. And there are few guys that I trust more in big spots than Contreras. He was AWFUL to start the year, but since heading down to the minors he has found his touch again and has given up only 9 runs over five starts that have covered a little over 37 innings.

5 — Mark Buehrle is Mark Buehrle. He’s not always pretty, and he’ll get knocked around every now and then, but the numbers are always there. This year he’s 7-2 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He’s an ace. You have to have one to win division titles, and I’ll just say it: you’re wrong if you don’t think Mark Buehrle is an ace.

6 – Gavid Floyd has become the good Gavin again. Gavin’s season has followed an arc similar to Contreras’. He struggled mightily out of the gate, but look at his game log since May 22. Floyd has not gone less that six innings or given up more than three runs in any start. That’s eight quality starts in a row. Even more exciting is the fact that he hasn’t walked more than three batters in any of those starts either. This guy was the #4 overall pick in 2001 by the Phillies for a reason. We’ve seen why over the past 6 weeks.

7 – John Danks has become the good Danks again. Danks is another pitcher who had an up and down first 6 weeks of the season, but has turned it around. And he’s saved his best outings of the season for his two most important starts thus far: his two outings against the Cubs. Danks gave up one run over 14 innings against the Cubs. Yes, their offense sucks, but Danks has pitched four straight quality starts, going at least seven innings in all four, and the guy proved last year that he’s clutch.

8 – Is the quartet of Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Jose Contreras reminding anyone over the last month or so of another White Sox pitching staff of recent vintage? Eating innings, throwing quality starts almost every time out, and stepping up big in key spots…sounds a lot like the 2005 staff to me. Buehrle and Contreras are the holdovers, but Floyd and Danks have been every bit as good as Garland and Garcia. And remember, neither El Duque or Brandon McCarthy was that great in the fifth spot during the regular season that year. If the pitching continues on its current trend, and we know they are capable, this is a World Series-quality staff.

9 – Gordon Beckham is here and he’s every bit as good as advertised. Yeah, the kid struggled out of the gate, but look at his last seven games: 12-21 with a HR and 6 RBI. We all love Josh Fields and wish he had taken ahold of the hot corner when he had his chance, but Beckham is the future. And he is proving that he just may be the present as well.

10 – Did I mention Carlos Quentin is coming back at the All Star Break?

11 – Aaron Poreda is with the big club now and has not given up a run in his first five innings of work out of the bullpen. He has six Ks and only one BB and has given up only four hits. The Rays received a jolt from their phemon pitcher David Price last year. Could Poreda fill a similar role for the White Sox? He’s certainly had an auspicious beginning.

12 – Bobby Jenks is still one of the best closers in the game, and is as battle tested as anyone not named Mariano Rivera or Jonathan Papelbon. The big man has 18 saves on the season and has 28 Ks in 28 innings this year, a drastic improvement upon his sharply declining K rate from last year. He may not have the same gas he had back in 2005, but he is a much better pitcher now. And he’s already proven his stones on the biggest stage.

13 – Still, there are rumors that the White Sox might trade Bobby Jenks before the trade deadline. I do not want to this happen, nor do I think it will now that we’ve reemerged as a legitimate contender. Closers with Bobby’s stuff, talent, moxie, and proven experience do not grow on trees; and it’s rare to see a team get far in October without one. Regardless, on the off chance that we do trade Jenks, we’ve got a great bullpen filled with guys I would have confidence in to take over the role. (But Kenny…if you’re listening…don’t trade Bobby!)

14 – Matt Thornton has had a few rougher outings of late, but is still holding opponents to a .214 average and has struck out 39 batters in 31.2 innings.

15 – Octavio Dotel is walking way too many guys (21 in 30.2 innings) but has 39 strikeouts of his own through 30.2 innings and has successful closing experience in his past.

16 – D.J. Carrasco has come into his own as a very valuable asset in the bullpen. He’s logged 48.2 innings in 26 games and has an ERA under 3.00. He has given up seven runs over his last six outings though, so he needs to get himself back on track. But, as a former starter, he has the arm strength to be a bullpen savior on days when we need one.

17 – Scott Linebrink has not been great this year, but still has an ERA of 2.17 and averages more than a K per inning. He is not closer material — Thornton or Dotel would pick up that slack if Jenks is moved — but he remains a solid option as a setup man.

18 – Regardless of whether or not Kenny trades Bobby (don’t do it!!!), each of those four guys plus Poreda gives the White Sox an outstanding bullpen that I’d put up against any in the league. Still, I think Kenny will hang onto a proven closing commodity like Jenks, so each of the bullpen guys will get to stay in the roles they have been successful in and form one of the most unsung units in all of baseball.

19 – Ken Williams. He has to be listed as a reason why the White Sox can (and will!) make the playoffs. As White Sox fans we may not agree with all of his moves, but we have to give him this: he never stops being proactive to improve our chances. And I think his gameplan entering this season was brilliant. He put together a vet-laden team with a few new additions that, if everything fell right, had a good chance to make the playoffs. But he also has been restocking the farm system to the point where we can all feel pretty secure that when the Buehrle-Konerko-Dye era ends, the White Sox will be okay.

20 – Let’s get back to the offense, because its resurgence is one of the main reasons why the White Sox have started playing better baseball. And the most important cog in the White Sox offensive machine is still Jermaine Dye. As usual, Jermaine is quietly putting up solid numbers (.294, 18 HR, 48 RBI) and providing a steadying and consistent presence in the middle of the lineup. This guy was a World Series MVP in 2005 and was damn close to being the league MVP in 2006. He’s not quite the same player now — age will do that to you — but he is still good enough to be the second best hitter on a team that makes a deep playoff run.

21 – Carlos Quentin, of course, will hopefully resume his role as the best hitter on the team when he returns. And did I mention that he’s coming back around the All Star Break? My apologies if I didn’t. Quentin is coming back around the All Star Break.

22 – Paul Konerko, like Jermaine Dye, is having a solid season in the heart of the order (.290, 13 HR, 49 RBI). Like Dye, Konerko is not as ferocious as he once was, but is still good enough. And like Dye, Konerko has proven himself in clutch situations. I know that the combo of Dye and Konerko may not be all that sexy or exciting, but there is something to be said for battle-tested veterans who are team leaders and the essence of the term “professional hitters.” Paulie is still getting the job done both at the plate and in the field, as is JD.

23 – Chris Getz sometimes gets lost in the shuffle with all of the hullabaloo about Gordon Beckham, but Getz is providing something that our lineup has sorely lacked over the last couple of years: speed. He, Scotty Pods, and Alexei all have 11 or more stolen bases. Finally the White Sox have some people who can put a little pressure on other teams with the running game.

24 – AJ Pierzynski will never wow you with his stats, and he’ll do things that make you scratch your head sometimes (like his putrid ground out on the first pitch with the bases loaded at the end of one of our games last week), but he’s scrappy and he’s a winner. AJ comes through in the clutch more than often than not, and is underrated behind the plate (except for his arm, which can’t really be rated low enough). You need a good catcher to win, and the White Sox have one in AJ.

25 – The White Sox also seem to have found a backup catcher. Ramon Castro has blasted two home runs in 21 ABs since joining the team a couple weeks ago and is a guy who has always had monstrous power. Playing half of his games at The Cell with the weather warming up may be just the opportunity he needs to show that he can be a 25-30 HR guy someday. We’ll gladly take production anywhere close to that from our backup.

(BTW…all stats for the last six or seven of these have been taken from the White Sox hompage.)

26 – A couple of curses ended last year and we don’t have to worry about them anymore. The Jim Thome Curse and The Curse of the Douche Bag.

27 – Detroit has only three starters worth a crap (Verlander, E. Jackson, Porcello) and one of them is a 20-year old rookie (Porcello). Yes, Porcello has been very good this year, but how is his arm going to be holding up in September? He supposedly has a great makeup, but he’s never been through the pressure of a pennant race. If the Tigers cannot some more starting pitching, they are going to fall back even further to the pack.

28 – Curtis Granderson (.339 OBP, 18 HR, 13 SB) and Miguel Cabrera (.331 BA, 16 HR, 47 RBI) are really good, and Brandon Inge has certainly rebounded this year (18 HR, 52 RBI) from his subpar 2008, but what do the Tigers have after that? Magglio is on the sharp downside of his career and just is not supplying power anymore. Look at the other names that have chewed up the most ABs for Detroit this season: Placido Polanco, Gerald Laird, Adam Everett, Josh Anderson. Call me crazy, but I’ll take our offense for the rest of the season…especially once Quentin gets back.

29 – By the way, Quentin is coming back at The All Star Break.

30 – Minnesota is the Chicago’s other main competitor in the AL Central, and they have as many holes as Detroit. I do think that Minnesota’s pitching is better than what the numbers show (i.e. Baker’s 4.99 ERA and Slowey’s 4.41 ERA despite better peripherals) but this is a team that needed Francisco Liriano to be be an ace. Detroit has its ace in Justin Verlander and we have ours in Mark Buehrle. Who is it for the Twins? Baker and Slowey and very good #2-#3 starters, but the Twins do not have a guy who has proven he can take the ball and throw a gem in a big spot when the team needs it. Argue if you wish Twinkie fans, but that’s how I see it.

31 – Offensively, Minnesota has been surprisingly balanced this season. Look at the their team stats and tell me you aren’t surprised to see five guys with double-digit homers on the 2nd of July. In addition to the usual suspects (Mauer and Morneau), Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and (*sob*) Joe Crede all have 11 or more dingers. Add in the speed of Denard Span and Carlos Gomez and the Twins have a more dynamic offense than usual that has been able to somewhat compensate for its struggling pitching. However, this is still a team that goes how Mauer and Morneau go, and you may be surprised to learn that both hit below their career averages against the White Sox. In 331 career ABs against Chicago, Morneau (a .284 lifetime hitter) hits only .275. He has a career OPS of .858 that drops to .840 when playing against Chicago. (For the record, his HR rate is almost identical.) As for Mauer, Mr. .400 blah blah blah, he is a .324 career hitter with an OPS of .881. Against the White Sox that drops to .313 and .858. Are Mauer and Morneau terrible against Chicago? No. Have they come up big at certain points against the White Sox in the past? Yes. But they sure as hell didn’t against John Danks in last year’s one-game playoff, and anytime you make those two hit worse than normal you have a great chance to beat Minnesota.

32 – Detroit and Chicago are big-market teams that will make moves at the deadline to improve their chances this year. Minnesota does not have the same luxury. That knocks the Twins down at least a peg in comparison to the Tigers and White Sox.

33 – Take a look at a quick comparison between the aces of the White Sox and the Tigers. In 15 career starts against Chicago, Justin Verlander is 3-9 with a 5.44 ERA. In 27 career starts against Detroit, Mark Buehrle is 14-8 with a 2.99 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. And, for the record, Buehrle is 23-13 lifetime against the Twins. So Peter Gammons and all of the other baseball analysts can go into the bathroom with a moist towelette and a mental image of Verlander’s incredible “stuff”, but the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t get the job done against his division rival. The underrated Buehrle, of course, does. So, in review: Minnesota has no ace, the Tigers do but he sucks against Chicago, and the White Sox ace (who many people erroneously don’t consider to be an ace) dominates the two best teams in his division. HUGE advantage White Sox.

34 – The White Sox schedule in the second half of September sets up beautifully for a late charge to pull away from the pack. From September 21-27 the White Sox play the Twins and Tigers three times each, all of which are in Chicago. These six games are sandwiched between three at home against Kansas City and then three on the road at Cleveland to end the season. And there is actually a good chance Cleveland will have just called off the season by then, giving the White Sox a three-game sweep by forfeit.

35 – Since the White Sox have no more games against the Rangers, I most likely will not be able to see them play live for the rest of the regular season. This is good because I think the White Sox have a .200 winning percentage in games I’ve attended over the years. When KVB and I go together it’s even worse than that. (Be thankful that we never moved to Chicago and got season tickets.) If the Sox make the playoffs, however, and especially if they go deep, I may not be able to stay away. My apologies in advance.

36 – I know, I know…I’ve left someone out who deserves mention: Jim Thome. Now that the White Sox are back playing in AL parks, Thome has returned to the lineup. He is by no means the masher he was in Cleveland or Philly, but the guy is still a productive hitter (.402 OBP, 13 HR, 42 RBI) and a tremendous leader in the clubhouse. It took me a while, but I’ve fully embraced him as a true Good Guy and he is another one of our battle-tested veterans who heats up with the weather.

37 – Time to address the elephant in the room: defense. This is the White Sox biggest weakness. Currently, there are only five teams in baseball with more fielding errors than the White Sox. And no one has had worse defense at the hot corner than Chicago (17 errors, .922 fielding percentage). With Joe Crede gone and the combo of Josh Fields-Gordon Beckham over there, that is to be expected. But on the bright side, this has no place to go but up. And considering that Gordon Beckham has only been playing third base for about a month, his struggles were anticipated. Most seem to think that he is a good enough athlete to become very good defensively at third. As the season goes along, I think we’ll see his production in the field improve.

38 – Another area on defense where the White Sox have struggled is at shortstop, where Alexei Ramirez recently drew the ire of Ozzie Guillen for lackluster and unfocused play. I definitely see this improving. Alexei has all of the tools to be not just a good shortstop, but a great one. And there is no way Ozzie will allow that position to be a consistent weakness.

39 – Getting back to pitching because I forgot someone: Clayton Richard. On the season he is 3-1 with a 4.48 ERA in 22 games (10 starts). Immediately after stepping into the rotation when Bartolo Colon went on the DL, Clayton strung together three straight excellent starts. I then picked him up on my fantasy team and he hasn’t thrown a quality start since. White Sox fans will be happy to know that I’ve dropped him again, which means that he will likely turn things back around. All kidding aside, Richard is nothing more than a 5th starter right now, but he is adequate. And when Colon comes back to the rotation (if he even does), he gives the White Sox a veteran presence who is still capable of putting up halfway decent numbers. The point is that while the White Sox don’t have a world beater in the 5th slot of the rotation, the guys they are throwing out there aren’t horrible. And with the offense picking things up, we can win with Richard or Colon on the bump. And who knows, maybe Poreda steps in there at some point and provides Porcello-like production. Either way, this slot will not keep up from winning the Central.

40 – And finally, reason #40 why the White Sox can, should, and I think will win the AL Central: the return of Carlos Quentin. Am I putting a lot on his shoulders? Yes. Is there a chance he comes back and gets injured again? Yes. But is his presence in the lineup necessary for this team long-term in 2009? I believe it absolutely is. The White Sox are proving they can without TCQ, but when you get one of the best players in the AL back after an extended absence it cannot be anything but a boon to your chances. And Carlos will have the entire second half of the season to get his timing back. Perhaps this year will be a reverse of last year in that Quentin will save his best for September in 2009. We missed him in September last year, but still found a way to claw our way to a playoff berth. With Quentin in September this year, I think the White Sox have a good chance of heading into the playoffs with momentum and their best all-around player hitting on all cylinders.

Say what you will about the 40 reasons listed above, but one thing is certain: those who stuck a fork in the White Sox a few weeks back did so prematurely. For some reason, people always seem to underestimate the managerial and leadership ability of Ozzie Guillen and the heart, character, and talent in the White Sox clubhouse. The good thing is that the only people who matter (Kenny, Ozzie, and the team) never doubted. Over the last three weeks we have seen why, and White Sox fans have every reason to believe that a return trip to the playoffs is not only possible but, at least in my opinion, very probable.

So sit back, relax, and strap it down, and let’s all enjoy what should be a great three-team race for the 2009 AL Central crown…one that will be made all the more exciting when the White Sox end up repeating as champions.

* – Scott Podsednik photo credit: MouthPieceSports.com

Sounds like the perfect time to give a little love back, so we’ll roll out a Thursday edition of LOTD.

Our highlight link today goes to a first-timer at MSF: Fantasy Pros 911. Earlier today FP911 writer Sooze posted about the “imminent return” of Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who has been doing nothing for one of my fantasy teams while stuck on the DL to start the season.

LOTD: The Imminent Return of ‘Man Muscles’ — (Fantasy Pros 911)

Currently on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his lower back, Joe has been in a constant state of rehab down at the Twins training facility in Fort Myers, Florida. The first time he’ll see some baseball-related action will come in a simulated intrasquad game on Monday before he joins the Gulf Coast League Twins for a few extended Spring Training games.

This is good news, considering it was painful for him to do things like bend over and tie his shoelaces ever since having offseason kidney surgery back in December.

If all goes well on the GCL front, the plan is to have Man Muscles join the Class A Fort Myers Miracle by the end of the week. He’ll participate in six games (catching in three or so) and hopefully return to the Twins lineup by May 1st after recording around 50 at bats in all.

In his Joe Mauer injury update, Sooze also relays the story of how she came to refer to Mauer as “Man Muscles”. I’d tell you, but I’d rather you use the link above to hop over to FP911 to find out.

Now some other great links for your procrastinating pleasure on this lovely Tuesday:

Who is Ricky Thurman? SI Letter Fraud Update — (Cleveland Frowns)

The Big House Taking a Big Hit — (Sparty and Friends)

Some Wonder Whether Positive Combine Drug Test Results Were Expunged — (PFT)

Little Leaguers Come to the Defense of Elijah Dukes — (The Big Lead)

Joe Smith has a Rap MixTape Out…Yes, That Joe Smith — (Black Sports Online)

Blame Vinny for Bulls Game 2 Loss — (Not Qualified to Comment)

Ravens willing to give up first rounder to acquire Boldin – (The Scores Report)

Kokinis and Mangini’s Draft Mystery — (Waiting for Next Year)

High School Baseball Player Throws 4 No-Hitters in a Row — (Deadspin)

Young Stars Generate NBA Playoff Suspense — (WSJ Daily Fix)

Have a great day everyone.

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.

MLB odds have the Tigers at +125, and Detroit had no problems scoring runs last year, finishing fifth in the majors with an attack powered by Miguel Cabrera’s 37 HR and 127 RBI.

However, Detroit allowed 857 runs, fourth-worst in all of baseball, and Justin Verlander must return to his 2007 form for the Tigers to have a chance. Jeremy Bonderman missed most of last season with a blood clot, and he has to show he’s healthy if the Tigers are to get out of the Central basement.

Cleveland is next with MLB odds of +175 to win the Central, and the Indians were inconsistent all season before ending with a .500 mark.

Cliff Lee proved a fine replacement for the traded C.C. Sabathia, winning the AL Cy Young award, but it’s also essential for Fausto Carmona, who suffered through a hip ailment in 2008, to emerge as the No.2 pitcher. Grady Sizemore is back to spearhead a potent attack that was seventh in the majors in runs scored, while Jhonny Peralta is one of the best hitting shortstops in the league.

Minnesota was on the losing end of the playoff loss to the White Sox in 2008, and the Twins have MLB odds of +240 this season.

Minnesota quietly built one of the strongest offenses in the majors, as Justin Morneau led the way with 23 HR and 129 RBI. The Twins’ pitching soldiered on without Johan Santana, coming in 16th in runs allowed, and after an 11-4 record, 27-year-old Scott Baker could be the next pitching star in the American League.

The defending champions have MLB odds of +600, and they’ll have to replace Javier Vazquez in the starting rotation. The White Sox finished right behind the Tigers in runs scored, and Carlos Quentin will be eager to come back from a freak broken wrist after being a favorite for the AL MVP for a good part of the season.

Kansas City brings up the rear with MLB odds of +800, and the Royals acquired Coco Crisp from Boston in the offseason for their outfield. The Royals were sixth-worst in runs scored and ninth-worst in runs allowed, but they should be better this year, based on a better performance in the second half.

14.5 games separated first from last in the AL Central last year, and it should be another closely contested season. On paper, Detroit should run away with it, but their pitching is a huge question mark. Minnesota is probably the most consistent, but if Lee has another Cy Young season, the Indians will be right there as well. If you’re looking for a good value pick, take Minnesota and their MLB odds.

What do you think?

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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.

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.

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.