SportsNation Blog Archives
Minnesota Twins
Opening Day -- well, Opening Night, really, and we technically already had one of those in Japan, but who's counting? -- is finally here, as the Cardinals will take on the Marlins tonight in the first stateside regular-season MLB game. It's bound to be an exciting season with so many players having changed teams, but has the power structure been altered significantly?
Vote: Pick each division and pennant, and the winner of the World Series
Rank: Baseball's best teams? | Top players in the game?
World Series repeat?
The Cardinals prevailed over the Rangers in the 2011 World Series, but St. Louis lost its biggest gun this past offseason ...
Best player?
... which is a pretty big loss, considering he might be one of the best players of all time.
Odd one out?
The Red Sox missed the playoffs last season after an epic September collapse. Will they be on the outside looking in once again?
AL's best?
Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols were probably the two biggest additions to teams in the American League, meaning the balance of power could shift.
NL's best?
Likewise, the addition of Jose Reyes to the Marlins could give the team a huge upgrade -- offensively with new third baseman Hanley Ramirez, and defensively at shortstop.
We can understand if you don't want to take the time to grade your tech-support help on the other end of the telephone, but when we're talking about the dollars and emotion you've invested in sports, we think it's worth the effort. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.
Take part in the 2011 MLB survey
2010 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 3)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 6)
3. Colorado Rockies (Overall: No. 13)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 14)
5. Atlanta Braves (Overall: No. 15)
Take part in the 2011 NFL survey
2010 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. New Orleans Saints (Overall: No. 1)
2. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 4)
3. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 9)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Overall: No. 19)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Overall: No. 20)
Take part in the 2011 NBA survey
2010 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 2)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 7)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 10)
4. Dallas Mavericks (Overall: No. 24)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Overall: No. 25)
Take part in the 2011 NHL survey
2010 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 5)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 8)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 11)
4. San Jose Sharks (Overall: No. 12)
5. Chicago Blackhawks (Overall: No. 16)
1. What kind of starter is Carl Pavano?
Isn't it nice when a player rebuilds his career? After several years struggling with the Yankees and Indians, Carl Pavano had his best season since 2004, going 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA for the Minnesota Twins. They've rewarded him with a two-year, $16.5 million contract. No doubt, as friend of SportsNation and head of the American Mustache Institute Aaron Perlut would say, it was all due to Pavano's 'stache. Is he for real as a starter?
- "Great move Twins. I've enjoyed having this guy on our team since he arrived. Definitely the guy to help solidify this pitching staff and the fans love him here." -- SN commenter mballard1983
1. Who would you rather have: Gardenhire or Black?
Neither of their teams advanced in the playoffs, but both Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black have been deemed Managers of the Year for their respective leagues. Gardenhire had to make do without Justin Morneau for much of the season, while Black had to contend with an offense that featured Adrian Gonzalez ... and that's pretty much it. Which manager would you rather have?
- "Bud Black took the Padres further then even the most hard core Padres fans thought possible. A well deserved honor for a job well done." -- SN commenter dbf320
ALDS: SportsNation's burning questions for Rangers vs. Rays
- Which closer do you trust in the ninth inning?
- Do Rays need Evan Longoria more than Rangers need Josh Hamilton?
- Vote on those and other questions about the Rangers and Rays!
Bobby (Texas)
While Tampa Bay stole the most bases in baseball, Rangers catchers were 26th in baseball at throwing out runners? How can Texas limit the Rays' running game?
ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett
That's one important storyline of this series. And we're actually working up a big blog post on that now. Manager Ron Washington said yesterday that keeping runners close is part of the pitcher's job, which of course it is. They'll be aware and make sure they do what they can to step off, throw over and mix things up to try to keep the runners from getting big leads. Full transcript
Game 2: SportsNation's burning questions for Twins vs. Yankees
- Which Derek Jeter will show up in the postseason?
- Is everyone outside of New York rooting for Twins?
- Vote on those and other questions about the Twins and Yankees!
Doug (New Rochelle, NY)
Do the Yankees even need 4 starters in round 1, or does it depend on the schedule?
Rob Neyer
No, they don't need four starters in the Division Series if Sabathia goes once on short rest. We'll see what Girardi does. Full transcript
Game 3: SportsNation's burning questions for Braves vs. Giants
- Is Buster Posey a better rookie than Jason Heyward?
- Would you rather have Andres Torres' WAR or Omar Infante's average?
- Vote on those and other questions about the Braves at the Giants!
Jerry (Elk Grove, CA)
Jerry, Can you remember a time when it was best for a team to leave their two highest paid, healthy, players off of the playoff roster? This year, should the Giants make it, there's no way they should include Zito and Rowand, not with Sanchez and Bumgarner stepping it up and with all of the other outfield choices they have.
Jerry Crasnick
Jerry, Zito is a strange case, because it's hard to see him coming out of the bullpen. I'm not sure who Bruce Bochy will take as his fourth guy after Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez. Aaron Rowand is one of the all-time great guys and competitors, but he barely plays these days. The Giants have such a glut of outfielders, I can't see where he fits in October. Full transcript
Game 4: SportsNation's burning questions for Phillies vs. Reds
- Would you rather have the likely MVP or likely Cy Young?
- Do the Reds have Roy Oswalt's number?
- Vote on those and other questions about the Phillies and Reds!
Herbie (Cincinnati)
Joe. Is Brandon Phillips the best Reds 2nd Baseman since your tenure?
Joe Morgan
He's great. He makes unbelievable plays at second, and for a stretch there, he was the best Reds player I've seen in a long time. He got hit on the hand by a pitch and didn't get his offense back, but he says it's well now and he expects to play well. I would say yes, but there have been some good players there. Full transcript
- Vote: Did you know what team Jim Thome was on before Tuesday night?
- Vote: Are Thome and other members of the 500-HR club locks for Cooperstown?
- Chat wrap: ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick took your MLB questions.
Jim Thome has 17 home runs, 44 RBIs and a robust .984 OPS for a team that leads the AL Central by four games in the middle of August. He checks in with 581 career home runs, ranking him behind just nine players in baseball history and ahead of names like Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle. But until Thome provided the walk-off heroics in his team's 7-6 win in 10 innings against the White Sox on Tuesday night, how many people were even aware he was with the Twins?
As it turns out, only about half of SportsNation.
Thome's zeitgeist fate seems to sum up the Twins. Fantastic new stadium, more wins at the moment than all but four teams in the majors and about as much attention as hits allowed by Kevin Slowey. But is this a team that could actually win the World Series? And can we get some stock tips from ESPN Chicago's Nostradamus-like Bruce Levine?
Peter (Twin Cities)
Have you heard anything on a timeline for Justin M. coming back, Sox get pretty lucky to avoid him twice and even though it has worked out so far he is missed.
ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine (before Tuesday's game)
Right now the Twins seem to be the hottest team in baseball. Ironically, Jim Thome has had some of the biggest hits for them over the past two weeks. I think they can live without Morneau for a short time. Full transcript
- Vote: Will the Twins hold on in the AL Central?
- Rank 'Em: Where do the Twins fit in your MLB Power Rankings?
- Quiz: How many recent no-hitters can you name in 240 seconds?
Although it has felt at times this season as though no-hitters are popping up with the same frequency as, well, B.J. Upton popups (and involving the Rays almost as often), they are not everyday occurrences. One also wasn't a Sunday occurrence, perhaps thanks largely to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. But does Gardenhire deserve our scorn?
Twins starter Kevin Slowey had a no-hitter through seven innings against the Athletics, but the Twins had just a 1-0 lead through seven innings and a two-game lead through 117 games in the AL Central. With Slowey at 106 pitches and coming off elbow tendinitis, Gardenhire told him he was done after the seventh. Of course, the Twins then tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to make things a little more comfortable.
So what should Gardenhire have done?
“Pitch count, tendinitis, NO HITTER ar all fine BUT the TWINS just got back in control of FIRST PLACE and are in a hot pennant race with the ChiSox and THAT is what Gardenhire SHOULD'VE been focusing on and I think he was.
” -- jefftuttlesr
“This is an absolute joke. At least Kevin Slowey will have plenty more opportunites to pitch a no-hitter. Give me a break. If he's wearing down in the game, he'll give up a hit and then you can justify taking him out to the player, team, and fans. This guy was 6 outs away from a no-hitter, if he got lucky he could have gotten those 6 outs on 10-15 pitches.
” -- stems21
- Vote: Will Matt Garza's no-hitter help propel the Rays toward the playoffs?
- Rank 'Em: Is Joe Mauer already one of the greatest catchers in MLB history?
- Quiz: Can you name all 20 no-hitter hurlers since 2001?
- Chat: Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, 11 a.m. ET | SweetSpot blogger Rob Neyer, 12 p.m. ET
No-hitters are rare and nifty and come with great celebrations; we get all of that. But when you get down to it, they aren't as rare as hitters going 5 for 5 and driving in seven runs at the plate. In fact, as ESPN Research helpfully point out, Twins star Joe Mauer became the third catcher ever to do just that during Monday's 19-1 shellacking of the Royals.
This hasn't even been Mauer's best season to date (although jumping from a .295 batting average to a .305 average in one night -- especially a night halfway through the season -- will do a lot to disguise that), but with the possible exception of Brian McCann in Atlanta, he's still the biggest offensive threat at his position. And as Mauer closes in on completing his sixth full season with the Twins, it seems fair to start wondering about his place among the position's all-time greats.
It's just like the census, only this one is fun and doesn't come in the mail. And nobody from FOX News or MSNBC will yell at you about it. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.
Take part in the 2010 MLB survey
2009 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 1)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (Overall: No. 7)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 16)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 23)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (Overall: No. 24)
Take part in the 2010 NFL survey
2009 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Overall: No. 3)
2. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 14)
4. Tennessee Titans (Overall: No. 15)
5. New England Patriots (Overall: No. 19)
Take part in the 2010 NBA survey
2009 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 5)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 9)
3. New Orleans Hornets (Overall: No. 12)
4. Houston Rockets (Overall: No. 17)
5. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 18)
Take part in the 2010 NHL survey
2009 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Overall: No. 2)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 4)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 6)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 8)
5. St. Louis Blues (Overall: No. 10)
- Rank 'Em: What are the best and worst parks in baseball?
- More from ESPN.com: Jim Caple details the charms of Target Field | ESPN Travel
The Wild missed the playoffs yet again. The Timberwolves should be in position to draft yet another point guard in the lottery. The Golden Gophers aren't bad in hockey, but basketball and football aren't exactly wowing anyone. And Brett Favre? We'll tell you in August.
But you know what? None of it matters, not as long as baseball fans in the Twin Cities can spend a summer day basking in the sun and watching Joe Mauer earn your annual salary by the seventh-inning stretch. Or shivering in the shade in April. Whatever. The point is the Twins are finally playing their home games where the Good Lord intended -- outside on grass in a stadium partially financed by taxpayers -- and they opened Target Field with a win Monday.
An entire generation of kids don't remember the horrors of artificial turf and architectural blandness at places like Riverfront Stadium or Three Rivers Stadiums, but with the opening of another gem, what are the best of baseball's cathedrals? Rank all 30 parks.
“I can't wait to go and see a game at Target Field. Hopefully I'll catch one when I'm up in August. And I think it's a fad to toss out the weather concern, because sure MN has some harsh winters but 90% (totally made up stat) of the baseball season will be great outdoor weather there, same as many other northern ballparks.
” -- brandonmeleia
“I'm very glad for you Twins fans. It's always cool to have a new stadium and yours looks sweet.
” -- TheAntiMe
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