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NONE! NO WAY
They played a bunch of lousy and down on their luck teams. When the White Sox went on a huge win streak (including a 4 game sweep of these bozos), they was no article. Why? Because Scott loves the Twins, they're a cute team. Are they for real? No way. The White Sox proved they were better when they had the four game sweep. Writers get all buttery when a team trades superstars and then has some minor achievements. The Twins pitching will NEVER hold up. The writers liked to brag about Boof Bosner; how's that working out? Can Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker and Glen Perkins keep this up? NO WAY, never, not a chance. And remember last year when MVP Justin complained about being tired? Can Joe Mauer stay healthy? No! Get ready to trade Joe Nathan. Oh yeah, the Tigers stink too!
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Even though I'm a New York Yankees fan and could really care less about these 2 teams, I feel compelled to agree with most of what you say.
- I agree with you that Miller is a huge Twins lover. He constantly gushes about them whenever he gets an opportunity. It's sickening, and not because he's not writing about the Yanks, but because I don't believe there is a "correct" way to win in baseball. If you can outslug your opponent, why not do it? If you can outpitch and out-defense, why not do it? A win is a win, no matter how ugly. I think Miller likes that the Twins play NL-style ball in the AL.
- I also agree that Mauer and Morneau are 2 of the most overrated players in baseball. Mauer gets a high average but doesn't do anything else in the run-producing department. He's injury prone and not nearly good enough to be considered elite in my book. Perhaps he should have gone to Florida State and played football for Bobby Bowden instead. I was told he would be a 40 HR type, but he's lucky to reach 15 dingers. Morneau is a classic first half player. Come August, he's nowhere to be found. September? Don't even bring that month up. He's not even in the country by then, let alone batting well enough.
- They are a "cute" team with some nice pieces, but a lineup that has Alexi Casilla, Brian Buscher, and Brandon Harris doesn't scare me, and it sure as heck won't scare quality pitchers like Josh Beckett, Joba Chamberlain, C.C. Sabathia, or Scott Kazmir.
For all their "great" offseason additions, has anyone noticed that Delmon Young has weaker power numbers than Ichiro Suzuki? Mauer, Carlos Gomez, and Young combined have fewer HR's than approximately 96 other hitters? The likes of which include feared sluggers like Marcus Thames, Jorge Cantu, Scott Hairston, and Kevin Millar. Young's impact has been negligible compared to what Matt Garza has done in Tampa Bay with the Rays. (Anyone else notice he had 1-hitter?)
I know a powerful offense doesn't guarantee wins, but what happens when your average to okay pitching sputters? Why is it that most playoff teams have good offenses? Oh yeah, because HR's and doubles are more valuable than bunt singles and stolen bases. Don't even get me started on the importance of defense. It's important and oftentimes fun to watch web-gems, but it doesn't always correlate in the wins department.
All that being said, congratulations, Minnesota, but don't be surprised if you return to a near-.500 team when interleague play is over and you have to play AL games again.
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