Tim's Sports Blog

Goodbye Tim's Sports Blog, Hello Rocky Mountain Jazz and Twinkie Baseball

2009-07-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

The inevitable has happened. This blog has been split in two. This should motivate me to post more, and each site will be easier to be focused. There aren't hundreds of Twins/Jazz fans out there you know. For Twins fans, they won't have to wade through Jazz analysis they don't want to read. And for Jazz fans, they won't have to look at my Twins thoughts they don't want to see. You can see my Utah Jazz blog at rockymtnjazz.blogspot.com and my Minnesota Twins blog at twinkiebaseball.blogspot.com. I'll see you there.

What can't Mauer do?

2009-07-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Joe Mauer has accepted the invitation to participate in the home run derby. Admit it, you'll be surprised if he doesn't win. Here is a Yahoo article about Mauer being great at everything he does. My favorite part is the bowling story.

Why Bringing Back Paul Millsap Doesn't Make Sense

2009-07-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

It seems like almost everyone is in love with Paul Millsap and can't stand Carlos Boozer. Sometimes it just boggles my mind how biased the fans can be. If Boozer misses a game, fans will get mad at him for being fragile and not toughing it out. If Millsap misses a game, the fans love him more for it, because he is a "hustle" player.

I can understand why fans would get mad at Boozer for his comments last December about "getting a raise." I was upset as well. But we all say dumb things. Sometimes I say really dumb things. Get over it, it is a part of life. It doesn't make him a worse basketball player.

Enough about off the court nonsense. I'd like to take a look at where it really matters: on the court.

First, I'd like to take a look at Millsap's last 37 games of last season. That is almost half a season. After January 25, Millsap had only 7 double-doubles in 37 games. He scored 2o+ points only once in those 37 games. He had 10+ rebounds in only 8 of those 37 games. He had 2+ blocks in 8 of those 37 games.

Boozer came back on the 3rd to last game in February. If you look at the minutes they got, they are both in the low to mid 30's a game. In Boozer's last 23 games (keep in mind he never really got back to full strength), he scored 20+ points in 7 of those 23 games, had 10+ rebounds in 13 of those 23 games, and had a double-double in 13 of those 23 games.

Millsap is the best backup power forward in the game, but he would be one of the worst starting power forwards in the game. People forget that he has usually played against other team's backups, not their starters. Plus there is also the issue that teams didn't scout and prepare for him much when he was a backup. As a starter people noticed his weaknesses and prepared for him, hence the not so impressive 2nd half numbers.

I saw a lot of things I really didn't like with Millsap in the 2nd half of the season. He looked tired and overmatched. I don't know if he is ready to play 40 minutes a night for 82 games + playoffs. He is very small for a power forward. He isn't the inside presence that Boozer is, and that has a lot of bad ramifications for the Jazz. Boozer makes it easier for Okur and Korver to spread the floor and also makes it easier for Brewer to play inside by the rim. Millsap also isn't the offensive player Boozer is, and I'm pretty sure that he never will be. Boozer is one of the top 3 offensive power forwards in the game. And the Jazz need Boozer's offense badly. He is someone you can rely on every night, and you can't say that about Okur or Kirilenko and probably not Millsap.

So sigining Millsap is a luxury, not a necessity, and while maybe, perhaps, there is a chance that someday he might be a starting power forward that makes you an elite championship contender he isn't that guy right now. Boozer is. Boozer makes you elite and puts you into championship contention right now. In fact with Boozer and Okur in the middle, you have perhaps the best PF/C combination in the game. I really can't think of any other PF/C of another team that is better than those two right now. Not Bynum and Gasol (Bynum needs to develop), not anybody. I know they aren't great on defense but that is where Kosta Koufus steps in along with the guy who should be the new backup power forward, Andrei Kirilenko. That is another topic for another day, but the irony is that the Jazz already have a guy on the team who makes a better extra power forward than Millsap the guy they are intent on bringing back.

2009 Utah Jazz Draft Review

2009-06-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Virginia Commonwealth University senior point guard Eric Maynor was the Utah Jazz first round draft pick last night. Utah also took 6-foot-10 Bosnian center Goran Suton of Michigan State at No. 50 in the second round.

Of course you always want to draft the best player available but going into the draft I wanted the Jazz to try and address one of three areas: A backup point guard, a backup power forward to replace Boozer or Millsap, and a backup small forward to replace Matt Harpring. Looks like they tried to address two of those areas.

I give the Jazz an A- grade in selecting Eric Maynor. There never seems to be much talent to choose from outside the lottery and that was especially the case this year. But this year there did seem to be an abundance of point guards. Hey I'm just glad that they picked Maynor before the Timberwolves snatched up all the point guards for themselves. Seriously when was the last time a team picked three point guards in the first round?

Anyways, about Maynor, he sounds like he is a true point guard. He's always been a point guard, he's not converted from a shooting guard, like a Ronnie Price. He is a winner. He is skinny and could put on some more weight. He is very lucky that he can learn from Deron Williams from the start of his career. The Jazz rarely have had a quality backup point guard, and they'd love to see Maynor be able to be the new Howard Eisley for the Jazz.

There are two revealing things I have heard the past couple days. One was Jerry Sloan talking about how Maynor will be a nice #3 point guard this year behind Williams and Ronnie Price. Price, may I remind you, is a free agent. Looks like the Jazz know who they want to backup Williams next year. I'm glad they will have Price and Maynor as backups, that means they won't be wasting lots of precious money on an expensive veteran backup point guard. Really if Price resigns, I think the Jazz have the best point guard situation in the league.

The other interesting thing that has come out is that Maynor's dad came very close to making it to the NBA. He was about to sign with the Chicago Bulls, but he was cut by the coach, who just happened to be named Jerry Sloan. Apparently Sloan doesn't remember that and nobody in the Jazz organization knew that Maynor's dad was cut by Sloan until after they had selected Maynor. I don't know how that plays into this. I hope it doesn't make anything awkward. Maybe it makes Maynor work harder to impress Sloan. If anything it just shows how old Sloan is getting.

As for Suton, I haven't heard much. He has a nice outside shot for a big guy. The Jazz have probably had better luck in the second round than the first so I should research more about him. Looks intriguing though.

All in all it was a bizarre day with Shaq and Vince getting traded and the whole draft being overshadowed by the death of Michael Jackson.

I give the Jazz an A- this year for the draft. They did what they could with their position. I don't know as much about these guys but I will cut they some slack because they have been one of the top 5 drafting teams since 2005. They've gotten Williams, Miles, Brewer, Millsap, and Koufos through the draft lately and who knows maybe even Fesenko will turn out to be good.

Joe Mauer on Sports Illustrated cover

2009-06-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

SI Article

Mauer makes his second Sports Illustrated cover. It is a good read.

Milton Bradley, entertainer

2009-06-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200906125009239&c_id=min Do yourself a favor and look at today's Twins/Cubs game highlights. With one, repeat one out, Mauer was at-bat with Harris and Punto on 1st and 3rd. He hit a fly ball to Bradley, who caught it, posed for a few seconds then threw the ball into the stands. Classic. One of the funniest baseball moments I've ever seen. To make things better in the inning before he lost Kubel's fly ball in the sun and missed the catch then two batters later he tried to make a diving catch of Cuddyer's sinking fly but missed it as well.

"I almost kind of laughed when I saw him throw the ball into the stands," Harris said.

"That's life," Milton Bradley said. "These people have high expectations. I have high expectations for myself. I never made a mistake like that in my life. Sue me.

Punto on DL, Casilla called up

2009-05-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

The words "Punto" and "DL" go good together. And I've always liked Alexi Casilla. So I'm glad to see that after tonight's game that Casilla was called up to replace Nick Punto who was placed on the DL.

I've always been extremely opposed to Nick Punto taking up a roster spot. The reason is that his bat belongs nowhere near the big leagues. In 2006 he received 472 at bats, and hit .210/.291/.271, good enough for one of the worst offensive seasons ever for a player with that many at-bats. So far this season he has been even worse in 123 at-bats. He is "hitting" .187/.290/.211. It's never good to see a batting average below .200, it's worse to see an on-base percentage below .300, and it's even worse when you have that low of an on-base percentage and have a slugging percentage nearly .80 lower than the on-base percentage. Oh, did I mention that he only has 3 extra base hits this season?

Ok I admit Alexi Casilla was terrible with the Twins earlier this year. But it seems like he has been getting back on track at AAA Rochester with a much better line of .316/.353/.392. He was a huge piece for the Twins last year and we need another boost from him again so that we actually get something from the middle infield.

It sounds like Casilla will take over second base and Brendan Harris will be the shortstop with Matt Tolbert the backup. It's about time Tolbert be forced into a backup position, it is where he belongs. If Casilla can turn things around and Harris can hold off Punto and Tolbert for the last starting infield spot (not likely with Gardenhire's sickening love for Punto and Tolbert) then the Twins lineup will be very solid:

LF Denard Span
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
RF Michael Cuddyer
DH Jason Kubel
3B Joe Crede
SS Brendan Harris
CF Carlos Gomez
2B Alexi Casilla

Danny Valencia, 3B of the future

2009-05-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today, we will be taking a look at Twins prospect Danny Valencia, a third baseman. The Twins are set at catcher, 1B, DH, and the outfield for the next few years. The Twins biggest area of need in the future is the infield, especially the left side. Their current 3B, Joe Crede, is signed only for this year. The Twins however have hope for 3B in the future, because of Danny Valencia.

Valencia is currently in AA with the New Britain Rock Cats. He is 24 years old. The Twins acquired him with their 19th round pick in the 2006 draft. He played in college at Miami. He has been great with the glove and the bat throughout his minor league career. Last year in A ball, he hit .336/.402/.518 (avg./OBP/slugg.) with 19 doubles, 5 homers, and 44 RBI in just 220 at-bats before getting called up to AA. There he had 18 doubles, 10 homers, and 32 RBI.

He is almost always listed as one of the Twins top 5 prospects, and is probably regarded as the top hitting prospect out of the Twins upper two minor league teams. This year he is still in AA, and he has 5 homers, 4 triples, and 9 doubles in 124 at-bats, while hitting .339/.432/.597. That is a 1.028 OPS, which is very very good. And he is great on defense as well.

I'd project he will move up to AAA Rochester by the all-star break. He might get a September callup with the Twins, and I'd expect Danny Valencia to be the Twins 3B starting in 2010. I don't know if he will be an all-star, but he should be a great bat and a great defensive 3B, and one of the better overall players on the Twins. I'd project him to hit 15-20 homers a year, with 30+ doubles, and a batting average around .295 in the majors. It seems as though the Twins have finally found a good long term solution at 3B, something they've been lacking since Corey Koskie left them in 2004.

Swarzaked

2009-05-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Anthony Swarzak pitched a great major league debut for the Twins. I'll take 7 innings and 0 runs anytime. Swarzak is the first Twin pitcher in history to pitch 7 shutout innings in their first major league start. That is very impressive. I'm sure he won't be in the rotation when Perkins returns, but he might be sent to the bullpen. It is nice knowing that there is another quality young starting pitcher available if needed. I wonder if the Twins would ever trade one of their young starting pitchers... I'd trade Perkins or Blackburn for a great young shortstop or second baseman, but not a third baseman. Even though Joe Crede is only signed for this year, I'm not worried about the future of third base for the Twins. Their top prospect in the upper levels of the minors is 3B Danny Valencia. He is killing the ball at AA right now, and I'm sure I'll do an article on him in the next few days...

The other story of the game was Joe Mauer, hitting his 9th home run of the year, matching his home run total from last year in just 21 games. No doubt, this guy has been the best hitter in baseball this month. It sure is fun to see him hitting .429, getting on-base .516% of the time and slugging .844. Those are just sick numbers! He's on pace for 60 homers and 185 RBI's. I know he's not likely to keep that pace up for the whole season, but if he did, he would have the greatest non-steroid offensive season of all-time. At his pace he could hit over .400, break Roger Maris pre-steroid HR mark of 61, and win the triple crown. I know that is extremely unlikely and premature, but it is fun to dream. And the kid is just 26.

It has been great to see Michael Cuddyer return to form. The guy is just locked in. Hits for the cycle last night, and now is second on the team with 30 RBI. Plus 7 homers. It has been great to have a right-handed power bat in the lineup, especially since Delmon Young isn't developing the power we'd hoped to have seen from him at this point.

At this point Mauer and Morneau have to be the best 1-2 punch in the majors. And Span, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, and Cuddyer form a nice little offensive juggernaut. And Crede is not a bad guy to have at #6 with his seven homers. Now if the bottom third of the lineup would just start hitting, the Twins would have an amazing lineup all the way through. But it needs to start with Delmon Young. He should return to the lineup today, and I hope he starts heating up now. He usually starts off the season slowly, so hopefully he is past that now.

Twins destroy White Sox 20-1

2009-05-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

I think the box score speaks for itself today. Joe Mauer has a ridiculous 1.319 OPS. Not to mention 8 home runs in 19 games. If he keeps this pace up, he will be the AL MVP. Also, Michael Cuddaver seems to have woken up and he is on track to have a season similar to his remarkable 2006 year.

The batting order seems like a silly thing to talk about while the pitching on this team has been so horrendous. But we'll do so anyways. The biggest problem with Gardy's batting order has been the #2 spot. Probably 90% or more of the at-bats there this season have been filled by the likes of Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert, who were both hitting under the Mendoza line. This is obviously not what you want from your #2 hitter. You want someone who gets on base at a 35 or 40 percent clip, so that the heart of your order has runs to drive in. A little speed/good baserunning skills is a good thing to have as well. This is probably the perfect spot to slot in Joe Mauer. (Although now that he is hammering homers every other day, he is a great #3 hitter as well.) Gardenhire might have figured that out today, and he plugged Mauer into the #2 spot, and just like magic the Twins go off for 20 runs. Now of course nobody scores 20 runs a game, but I think it would help the offense run a little better. Here is my preferred lineup to maximize run scoring potential:

CF Span
C Mauer
1B Morneau
DH Kubel
RF Cuddyer
3B Crede
LF Young
2B Tolbert
SS Harris

I chose Harris over Tolbert in the 9th spot because they both see roughly the same amount of at-bats, but I think it's preferrable to have your worst hitter in the 8th spot rather than the 9th. The reason is that the 9th guy isn't that far away from your power hitters, so why would you want an automatic out 2 batters before Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel come up?

Another decent reason to shift up Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel up one spot is that they will receive a slight increase of at-bats, being a little closer to the top of the order.

Anyways, batting orders are largely overrated, but there are a few things you can easily avoid that can plague your lineup. Perhaps Gardenhire has figured out that one of them is don't place an automatic out in the lineup right before your best hitters come to bat.

Breslow gone. Swarzak called up.

2009-05-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today the Twins announced that Craig Breslow has been claimed off waivers by Oakland. Anthony Swarzak has been called up to replace Breslow on the roster. Swarzak will be the Twins starting pitcher on Saturday against the Brewers. He should get a couple of starts while Perkins is on the DL. If he impresses, he might be put in the bullpen when Perkins comes back (which should be in 15 days.)

Delmon Young returns this weekend and I'm sure Jose Morales will be sent back down to AAA Rochester when Young returns. Besides that move, I'd expect the next move will be to get rid of Luis Ayala. I still can't understand why the Twins thought he'd be a good sign. He was in the horrid Mets bullpen last year and was cut and was then on the Nationals. I don't know about you but I don't really want to see a cast-off from the Nationals playing on my team. I'd imagine the next guy to be called up would be relief pitcher Bobby Keppel. He is the other pitcher in AAA Rochester's bullpen that has pitched great this year. Hopefully though the Twins will call up Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama, or at least promote them to AAA.

Projected HR Totals

2009-05-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

From ESPN statistics, here are what their projected home run totals are for the Twins:

52 - Joe Mauer
50 - Justin Morneau
27 - Joe Crede
22 - Jason Kubel
17 - Michael Cuddyer
11 - Brendan Harris
8 - Denard Span
8 - Brian Buscher
6 - Delmon Young
0 - Carlos Gomez
0 - Nick Punto
0 - Matt Tolbert
0 - Mike Redmond

And time to redo my predictions:
Justin Morneau - 38
Joe Mauer - 34
Jason Kubel - 26
Joe Crede - 22
Michael Cuddyer - 18
Delmon Young - 13
Carlos Gomez - 10
Brendan Harris - 9
Denard Span - 7
Brian Buscher - 6
Alexi Casilla - 4
Nick Punto - 1
Matt Tolbert - 1
Mike Redmond - 0

Perkins on DL. Henn called up. Who else might be coming up?

2009-05-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

Glen Perkins has been horrible over his past few starts, especially last night, and now we know why. Perkins told people after the game that he had been dealing with soreness in his elbow for a while. I still don't understand why players (mainly pitchers) try to play through pain, as they only end up hurting themselves and the team. No good ever comes from keeping an injury hidden, and trying to fight through it. Right Liriano and Neshek? They learned that lesson the hard way by getting Tommy John surgery, let's hope Perkins situation isn't as serious.

Lefty reliever Sean Henn was called up from AAA ball to take Perkins place on the roster. Henn is deserving, for in 15 games this year he has a 1.13 ERA with 6 saves. He has 17 hits and walked ten, but has struck out 32 in just 24 innings.

Calling Henn up should help bolster the bullpen, but it still forces the Twins to make a decision on who will take Perkins place in the rotation while he is injured. I see three options: R. A. Dickey, Anthony Swarzak, and Kevin Mulvey.

We know about Dickey, the knuckleballer, who is currently in the bullpen. He'd probably give you 5 to 7 innings while giving up 4 or 5 runs. Nothing spectacular, but he'd eat some innings. One problem is that if you use him as your starter, then you lose your long relief arm in the bullpen.

If I were the Twins GM, I would call up Anthony Swarzak. Swarzak was a 2nd round pick in 2004. He is pitching very well in AAA this year, and is probably the Twins best pitching prospect right now. He has made 7 starts so far this year. In 44 innings he has given up 11 walks, 40 hits, while striking out 32. He has a 2.25 ERA. For those of you who care about win-loss record (you shouldn't) he is 2-3. He also went 5-0 at AAA at the end of last season. I would love to see Swarzak in a Twins uniform this weekend. But if they don't choose Dickey or Swarzak, they might choose Kevin Mulvey.

Kevin Mulvey was a pitcher the Twins acquired in the Johan Santana trade. The Twins might like to bring him up to show that they did get some good value from the Santana trade (but if they really felt like doing that, they would be playing Carlos Gomez every day.) Mulvey has a 4.15 ERA in 34.2 innings so far. He has a better strikeout rate than Swarzak so far, he has 31 K's. But he has given up 19 walks and 34 hits. Clearly Swarzak has had the better year so far.

Who might be sent down or released? Catcher Jose Morales would be a top candidate. Other candidates would be Luis Ayala and Craig Breslow. I would release Luis Ayala, in my mind he has been the worst bullpen pitcher so far. Jesse Crain wouldn't be too far behind those guys, but I doubt the Twins would get rid of him so fast. Only Nathan, Mijares, and Guerrier are to be trusted at this point.

Who are the other top bullpen pitchers that the Twins could call up? They have two amazing relievers in AA, Anthony Slama and Rob Delaney. Slama has a 1.69 ERA, in 21.1 innings he he has a 33-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing just 13 hits. He hasn't given up a run in five straight appearances. Delaney has a 2.22 ERA in 28.1 innings with a 31-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also hasn't given up a run in five straight appearances. Sick of seeing relievers give up homers late in games? These two have given up just two in 49.2 innings.

The thing that drives many Twins fans crazy is that they are only in AA, despite dominating every level they've pitched at. They should be in AAA at least by now. Slama spent all of last season at A ball despite posting some of the most incredible pitching stats you will see. The Twins are moving these two along much too slowly and now it is hurting them. Hopefully with Henn going to the Twins, one of Slama or Delaney will be promoted to AAA. These two hopefully will be great bullpen options for the Twins in a month or two. And next year the bullpen should look much better with Nathan, Neshek, Mijares, Slama, and Delaney in it.

Mauer Pauer

2009-05-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

First off, if you haven't seen the replay of Joe Mauer's 9th inning play yesterday, do yourself a favor and go check it out. It's currently the primary video at minnesotatwins.com I'm pretty sure that Mauer is the only catcher who could have done that and it will go down as one of his best defensive plays.

Anyways about this Mauer guy. 6 home runs already?! He is already 2/3 of the way to his total last year (9) despite only having 56 at-bats, and is on pace to hit 56 home runs and 148 RBI for the season. Will he keep it up? Not likely. But I don't think he will regress to be just a 10-15 HR guy. I think he is evolving into a player that hits home runs somewhere in the 20's and 30's. It's tough to say at this point of course. But adding power to his game certainly isn't out of the question. Oh, did I mention that he is hitting .429, with an on-base percentage of .529 and slugging .804! Ridiculous! The guy would be leading the league in virtually every offensive category if he only had enough at-bats.

The Twins must lock this guy up. Everyone knows that his contract goes through 2010. I can't even imagine the market for him if he ever becomes a free-agent. It doesn't help that the Yankees and Red Sox catchers are old and beat up. He'd be able to sign one of, if not the biggest contracts ever. I'm sure the Twins will lock him up before then, and Mauer will want to stay in his hometown state. But I'd sign him to a 7 or 8 year deal asap. His price is already skyrocketing.

A look at the Jazz Offseason pt. 2

2009-04-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

At locker room cleanout yesterday, everyone made it clear that they wanted to stay with the Jazz next year. That might just be talk but it does make me wonder if this team will change a huge amount or not. Sloan said that they are just one good player away from the Finals. I really like this team and I'd rather see them try to make just a couple improvements instead of blowing up the whole team. Chemistry is important, and it's hard to just throw a bunch of new guys together and expect them to win.

What the Jazz really could use is someone just dumping a good player on them without having to give up anything of much value (like Pau Gasol going to the Lakers). That isn't likely but the Jazz have shown to be adept at trading unwanted pieces for valuable players (see Derek Fisher and Kyle Korver).

Luckily the Jazz do have some players that could be traded. Matt Harpring jumps to mind, as he has a $6.5 million expiring contract, and those will be all the rage this season as everyone will want to have money for the crazy 2010 free agent class. Andrei Kirilenko has a salary that nobody covets, but a few teams would like to have him(Golden State Warriors.) CJ Miles best years are ahead of him, you'll have him for 3 years at a rate that won't kill you, so some team might want to take a chance on him (Oklahoma City Thunder). And the Jazz have an interesting little draft pick that could end up being extremely valuable (New York Knicks 2010 1st round draft pick.)

Who might be the missing piece(s) of the Jazz puzzle? You'll have to wait for the answer.

A look at the Jazz Offseason pt. 1

2009-04-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Jazz players with a contract for 2009/2010 season (6): Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, Matt Harpring, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Miles, and Kosta Koufos.

Players who can opt out (3): Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Kyle Korver

Restricted free-agent (1): Paul Millsap

Team option (1) : Kyrylo Fesenko

Unrestricted free-agents (4): Brevin Knight, Jarron Collins, Ronnie Price, Morris Almond

Note: Jazz also have NY Knicks unprotected 2010 first round draft pick.

Areas where the Jazz need improvement:
Defense. PF/C with some great defense is very much needed.
Toughness. Who is tough besides Harpring? Maybe Millsap, Williams, and Price.
Points/outside shooting from the SF/SG positions.
Players who can win on the road, and who don't give up big leads.
Another player who can create his own shots besides Williams.
A solid backup point guard.

These are some of the things the Jazz brass has to think about this offseason. Maybe it was a good thing they lost in the first round so they have extra time to prepare?

The only thing the Jazz don't have to worry about is the starting point guard. I'm a little opposed to blowing this whole team up, because had they not had all those crazy injuries, I'm pretty sure they would have made it to the Western Conference Finals this year. But even if the current team was healthy and playing well together they still had some problems.

There is a lot to talk about, but for tonight we will just guess at who will be back for next year. Almond is definitely gone. I'm thinking Korver and Okur will not opt out. I think Knight will be gone, but Price will stay if he's willing to sign a small contract. Collins will probably be gone, and since Fesenko can't play in the D-League next year, I think the Jazz will stop their silly experiment with him. And now we come to the big question. Millsap, or Boozer. The only team with cap space that looks like a decent team to play for is Detroit, and so I think we will not lose both Boozer and Millsap, but I'd be shocked if we could afford both of them. But I really have no idea which of those two will be wearing a Jazz uniform next season.

So if the Jazz don't make a trade this offseason (Note: I am pretty sure they will), here are ten players who will be back with the Jazz: Deron Williams, Memo Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, Kyle Korver, Matt Harpring, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Miles, Kosta Koufos, Ronnie Price, and either Boozer or Millsap.

Stats

2009-04-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Twins ERA is not a pretty thing. If you don't count Jose Mijares (who has only pitched in one game), then only Glen Perkins and Joe Nathan have an ERA below 5.00. That includes all starters and bullpen pitchers. Sick. The total ERA for the team is 6.03.

Another disturbing stat: The Twins have the worst run differential in the majors. They have already been outscored by 31 runs. How are they 7-9!? With that kind of run difference, I'd expect only 2 or 3 wins so far.

We need Joe Mauer!

The value of Joe Mauer

2009-04-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sounds like Joe Mauer will return soon, May 1 would be a good bet. The Twins haven't been spectacular thus far, but they could have done a lot worse than 7-7 without Joe Mauer. Perhaps the absence of Joe Mauer has made people realize just how valuable he is to the Twins. He is the heart of the Twins offense and defense. Mauer is perhaps more valuable to his team than any other player in all of baseball. He is simply irreplaceable. Catchers who get on base 40% of the time and who have gold-glove defense and who throw base stealers out 40% of the time, don't grow on trees. I don't think Mike Redmond and Jose Morales have thrown out a single base stealer this year.

Justin Morneau has already won an MVP and finished second another time, so it's safe to say that many consider Morneau as the Twins MVP. But Joe Mauer should have won the MVP both those years. The problem is that he isn't a 30 HR hitter and his RBI numbers don't look pretty. But he is always in the top 3 in on-base percentage, he takes extremely good at-bats, and he's the only American League catcher to win a batting title (and he's done it twice!) . Honestly, Joe Mauer has a great shot of not only making it to the Hall of Fame, but as being the best catcher ever.

I'm not sure how much of an effect a catcher has on how a pitcher pitches, but it will be interesting to see if the pitching improves with Mauer back behind the plate.

Joe Mauer is signed through 2010, and I am hoping the Twins will give him a contract extension before he becomes a free-agent. I'm sure the Twins would pay him gobs of money (which they should have due to a new ballpark), because he is the face of the franchise and he is Minnesotan. He practically is Mr. Minnesota. But I'd hate to see what would happen if he did reach free agency and the Yankees or Red Sox offered him a 7 year contract which would pay him $25 million a year...

Jason Kubel - Twins Cleanup Hitter

2009-04-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Wow I just watched another incredible Twins victory! They might not have a lot of wins so far this season but they have already had 3 incredibly memorable ones.

Tonight Jason Kubel hit for the cycle and hit a grand slam HR to complete the cycle in the 8th and put the Twins up 11-9. That was exciting! Kubel was an extremely well-regarded prospect, some saying he was as great of a hitter as Mauer and Morneau, plus he played good outfield defense. But a knee injury a few years ago in the fall really hurt him and the next few years he regained strength but never really got back to his old level. People have been picking him to breakout for a few years now, and this might be the year it happens. I hope he is the everyday DH from here on out. Mauer and Morneau are the two best hitters and Kubel and Span are easily the next two best. I wonder how much longer people will pitch to Morneau to get to Kubel (which is what happened before the grand slam.) I think Morneau will start to see better pitches and he too will have better numbers. When Mauer gets back I'd love to see the top 4 of the batting order go Span/Mauer/Morneau/Kubel. I think batting orders are overrated but I do think it is important to get your best players more at-bats than anybody else and sticking them at the top of the order is the best way to do it. Plus Span and Mauer get on-base around 40% of the time, which creates excellent RBI opportunities for Kubel and Morneau.

10 reasons why to be more optimistic about the Jazz

2009-04-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Such negativity abounds in Utah! The woeful Jazz face the mighty Lakers in the first round and nobody thinks the series will last longer than 5 games. I would agree that it doesn't look too promising, but come on I always find things to be optimistic in for my teams. Here are some things that I find optimism in:

1. Deron Williams. When there's D-Will, there's a way. Does anybody doubt this guy is going to get 30+ points, 15+ assists every game? This guy loves the playoffs and elevates his game to a whole new level in the postseason.

2. Last years series was closer than people realize. We lost by 11 points in game 1, 10, in game 2, 7 in game 5, and 3 in game 6. Plus we beat these guys in the regular season already as well. I'm not predicting the series yet, but I'd be a little surprised if the Jazz were swept.

3. If the Jazz manage to steal game 1 (or game 2) the Lakers will be feeling extreme pressure and all the Jazz would have to do is win out at home, which is what they are best at.

4. I know they are not playing well together right now, but who says that couldn't change with

just one game?

5. Many of these guys might be wanting to get raises in the summer. Beating the Lakers would sure look nice on a resume.

6. If you ignore their recent slide, the Jazz are the best 8th seed I can remember.

7. No back-to-back games. The Jazz had one of the best records in the league when playing a game with a day of rest.

8. Matt Harpring will cause more frusteration for Kobe than he's used to.

9. Remember when Williams was hurt this year, and after he initially came back it took him a few weeks or months to get back to normal, but all of a sudden he clicked and was amazing? I present to you Carlos Boozer...

10. Hopefully the Jazz players remember Larry Miller and all he did for them and that alone helps to fuel their desire to win this year in the playoffs.

Utah Jazz 2010 Lottery Pick

2009-04-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

No I'm not talking about the Jazz own draft pick being in the lottery next season, although it feels like that's where they're headed. I'm talking about the Knicks pick that we get next year. We'll use this seasons records/standings to predict where the Knicks will end up. Currently, the Knicks have the 8th worst record in the NBA. I'd say their record wouldn't get better or much worse next season. Looking at the teams below them, I'd say the Wizards and the Thunder will be much better next season, I'd even put the Timberwolves in that group. Perhaps one (or two) of the Clippers or Grizzlies or Warriors perform better next season. Obviously some teams will be injured like the Wizards were this season and they might fall below the Knicks, but if that doesn't happen, I'd predict the Jazz will get no worse than a top seven draft pick, with a decent shot at #1, #2, or #3! And we all know what happened the last time the Jazz had a pick so high... Deron Williams, you might just be getting a superstar teammate in 2010.

Ranking the Twins position players

2009-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Note: These rankings take into account offense AND defense. These aren't necessarily based off numbers. This is how I'd rank their value for the next few months:

1. Mauer - Arguably more valuable to the Twins than any other player is to his team in the majors.
2. Morneau - I'd hate to imagine where the Twins would be without his bat.
3. Span - Gets on base at a great rate, has gold glove defense at all three outfield positions.
4. Kubel - Has great bat, but Span's defense is much better.
5. Cuddyer - The next five could be ranked in almost any order. Cuddyer is a nice right-handed bat with a great arm.
6. Crede - Superb defense, with some nice pop in the bat, although he could get on base at a better clip.
7. Casilla - Has developed into a superb #2 hitter, and I love his range at 2B, although he still makes silly mistakes.
8. Gomez - If his new plate approach develops him into a more patient hitter and he develops a bit more power, he easily cracks into the top five, as he is already the best defensive outfielder in the majors.
9. Young - Don't know where to stick this guy. I'd love to stick him at #3 on this list as that is where his potential is. Still is very young for the majors, we'll see how this season turns out.
10. Punto - He is better than I give him credit for, defense is great, although very over-rated.
11. Harris - Decent bat, can play all over the infield, although not very well.
12. Redmond - One of the best backup catchers in the majors hands-down.
13. Buscher - I really like his bat, his defense is likely why the Twins signed Crede.

MLB Power Rankings

2009-04-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

After one week of play:

1. Marlins
2. Braves
3. Cardinals
4. Blue Jays
5. Padres
6. Mariners
7. Cubs
8. Orioles
9. Dodgers
10. Tigers
11. Yankees
12. Mets
13. Angels
14. White Sox
15. Rays
16. Phillies
17. Royals
18. Rockies
19. Twins
20. Rangers
21. Reds
22. A's
23. Red Sox
24. Milwaukee
25. San Francisco
26. Pirates
27. Arizona
28. Indians
29. Astros
30. Nationals

And in other news, at their current paces, Denard Span will have 139 RBI at seasons end, Morneau will hit 46 HR and have 162 RBI, Francisco Liriano will be 0-46.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first week of baseball!

Predicting home run totals

2009-04-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last season the Twins only hit 111 home runs while their opponents hit 183 against them. Only two players on the Twins hit more than 20(Morneau and Kubel) and only one more hit in double digits (Young). That said, I believe the Twins will show much more power this year. Getting Cuddyer back is one reason, adding Joe Crede is another. A full season for players like Denard Span and Alexi Casilla should help their numbers. Getting better/older/wiser should mean improvements for Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young. Getting LASIK-eye surgery and talking to Harmon Killebrew should hopefully lead to improved totals for Justin Morneau(not to mention better protection for him in the lineup.)

Here is my predicted home run totals for the Twins:
Justin Morneau - 34
Jason Kubel - 30
Joe Crede - 24
Michael Cuddyer - 22
Delmon Young - 21
Carlos Gomez - 16
Denard Span - 13
Alexi Casilla - 12
Joe Mauer - 12 (If Mauer hit for 25-30 HR a year, he'd be the best catcher in history)
Brendan Harris - 6
Brian Buscher - 6
Nick Punto - 2
Mike Redmond - 0

Chances are at the end of the season, I'll look silly for those predictions. The Twins never hit for that much power. But this year just feels a little different...

Thoughts on Stockton, Sloan

2009-04-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have all heard by now that John Stockton and Jerry Sloan will be inducted to the Hall of Fame this year. A few quick thoughts:

-Jerry Sloan has to be the first coach inducted into the Hall of Fame without ever winning Coach of the Year. Seriously, how did this happen?? It just goes to show that some of the postseason awards are a little silly.

-I find it quite ironic that Stockton (and Sloan) won't be the highlight of this years Hall of Fame class. The shadow of the man they could never quite escape looms over them again this year: Jordan.

-Couldn't they just bump Malone up a year so he could enter with Stockton and Sloan this year? Or let Jordan be the only inductee this year out of respect to how untouchable and important he is to the NBA, and at the same time letting Malone go in with Stockton/Sloan next year? It just feels funny to have Stockton and Sloan separated from Malone.

-Two years ago it seemed weird that the Jazz had only one player in the Hall of Fame, Pete Maravich. But by next year they will have increased that number to five, with Dantley, Stockton, Sloan, and Malone joining Maravich.

-The Salt Lake Tribune has been ranking all the Jazz players in history from worst to first. They are down to their top 10, and here is how I'd rank the players that they haven't ranked yet:

Karl Malone
John Stockton
Pete Maravich
Adrian Dantley
Deron Williams
Jeff Hornacek
Carlos Boozer
Mark Eaton
Darrell Griffith
Rickey Green

Baseball 2009 Predictions

2009-04-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

Final standings:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

EAST
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles

CENTRAL
Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Indians
Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals

WEST
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland A’s
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners

ALDS: MIN over BOS
ALDS: TB over LAA
ALCS: MIN over TB

CY YOUNG: Francisco Liriano
MVP: Justin Morneau
ROY: Matt Wieters

NATIONAL LEAGUE

EAST
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals

CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres

MVP: Albert Pujols
CY YOUNG: Johan Santana
ROY: Cameron Maybin

NLDS: NYM over ARI
NLDS: CHC over LAD
NLCS: NYM over CHC

WORLD SERIES: MIN over NYM
WORLD SERIES MVP: Joe Mauer

And some Twins predictions:

HR: Morneau 34
BA: Mauer .319
RBI: Morneau 127
SB: Gomez 55

Worst BA: Punto .245

Wins: Liriano 18
SO: Liriano 234
ERA: Liriano 2.39
Saves: Nathan 40

Liriano will stay healthy
Mauer and Gomez will win gold gloves, while Crede, Span and Punto will receive consideration
Mauer, Morneau, Nathan, and Liriano will be all-stars
Crede will be one of the top five hitters on Twins
At least one of Crede, Young, and Cuddyer will hit over 20 HR
Twins will have one of the top 3 defensive teams in baseball
Slowey, Baker, and Liriano will all receive some Cy Young votes
Kubel will hit around 30 HR
Crain will be the 8th inning guy this season

Other NBA teams players I like and don't like

2009-03-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Some players I like to see succeed:
LeBron James
Dwight Howard
Dwayne Wade
Amare Stoudamire
Ray Allen
Kevin Durant
Mo Williams

Random sampling of some players I am indifferent about:
Shaq O'Neal
Danny Granger
Chris Bosh
Kevin Martin
David West
Vince Carter
Rashard Lewis
Devin Harris
Richard Jefferson
Richard Hamilton

Some of the players I can't stand:
Kobe Bryant
Tim Duncan
Chris Paul
Manu Ginobili
Pau Gasol
Stephen Jackson
Baron Davis
Josh Smith
Tony Parker
Lamar Odom
Yao Ming
Tracy McGrady
Carmelo Anthony
Derrick Rose
Chris Anderson
Luis Scola

11 game win streak

2009-03-08T12:34:00.002-07:00

The Jazz knocked off the Raptors today for their 11th straight win. Which reminds me, weren't the Raptors the 10th game in my 10 game prediction? Why yes they were. I don't want to pat myself on the back too much but I am guessing that anybody who read this post thought I was crazy. Maybe I was but holy smokes they won all 10 of them like I predicted and are riding an 11 game winning streak, sit atop the northwest division, and currently have the 4th seed. Go Jazz!

Yao thinks he's 6'9

2009-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

Best moment of the Jazz win over the Rockets:

Memo Okur was guarding Yao Ming and he tied up the ball so the officials called a jump ball. When the ref threw it up in the air, the 7 foot 6 Yao shoved the 6 foot 11 Memo with both hands and then jumped to knock the ball to his waiting teammate. The refs of course called a foul on Yao and awarded the Jazz possession of the basketball. Yao is 7 inches taller than Memo but it looks like he thinks that isn't enough of an advantage to win a jump ball!

Great article about Larry Miller by Phil Miller

2009-02-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Phil Miller used to cover the Jazz before moving to Minnesota to cover the Twins. I guess I'm not the only one who sees the similarities between the Jazz and Twins. Anyways it is another good perspective on the amazing life of LHM.

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2009/02/larry_miller_would_appreciate.html

Larry H. Miller

2009-02-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

I guess today's news wasn't a complete shock, since Larry had been undergoing severe health problems as of late. But I was under the impression that he was on the road back to good health after having his legs amputated. I don't know what to write, especially what to write that hasn't already been written by others in these past few hours. I'm happy he's free from the pain he surely must have been experiencing. I just feel a little empty inside. He has meant so much to the state of Utah. Few people have done as much as Mr. Miller did to improve Utah. He will be greatly missed. It really would be fantastic for the Jazz to win the title this year for Larry H. Miller. Make it happen Sloan!

More good luck for the Jazz

2009-02-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

Some more positives for the Jazz that have happened over the past couple of days:

1. Amare Stoudamire's eye injury will keep him out for 8 weeks. In my mind, this guarantees a playoff spot for the Jazz. The Suns looked like they were going to have a big second half of the season comeback after scoring 282 points in 2 games, but this is a huge crippling blow to the Suns.

2. As for teams ahead of the Jazz, Manu Ginobili will be out for 3 weeks. The Jazz are currently 5 games behind the Spurs. I think the Spurs will survive, but the Jazz could jump to be just a couple games back from them.

3. Did Houston waive a white flag yesterday in trading their starting point guard to the Magic? Rafer Alston is gone, and while their backup point guard is better than most, the Rockets just lost their starting backcourt this week. The Jazz are only a game and a half behind Houston. They should pull ahead of them when all is said and done.

4. New Orleans got back Tyson Chandler after the Thunder declined the trade because Chandler didn't pass a physical. Well maybe he is somewhat hurt, but it has to be awkward going back to the Hornets. "So, no hard feelings, right Tyson?" The Jazz are only a game and a half behing the Hornets and they play them at home on Saturday.

5. The Jazz were the biggest winners in the trade deadline. No western conference playoff contender gained a valuable piece through a trade. No team will improve like the Jazz will as they get back 2 Olympians/all-stars in Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko.

6. The Jazz just beat the Lakers and the Celtics, the two best teams in the league, in one week, even without Carlos Boozer. When healthy, and when they want to, the Jazz can beat anybody.

Finally some luck for the Jazz

2009-02-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things that have happened over the past couple of days that have been good for the Jazz:

1. The Hornets trade away Tyson Chandler to the Thunder. They might make the playoffs but surely the Jazz will finish ahead of them in the seeding and if by chance they meet in the playoffs, the Jazz would dominate them.

2. By taking on Chandler's contract, the Thunder now don't have a ridiculous amount of money to throw at Paul Millsap this summer.

3. The Heat trade for Jermaine O'Neal and are definitely not able to sign Carlos Boozer this offseason (or Millsap for that matter.)

4. Tracy McGrady is out for the season because he needs surgery. Well, maybe this one isn't as big, he hasn't been that effective and it's not like he ever led Houston out of the 1st round anyways.

5. Andrei Kirilenko returned to the Jazz last night and played very well in limited action. He returned much sooner than I expected, for a while I feared he'd be gone until the playoffs rolled around.

6. Carlos Boozer had a shoot-around practice before last night's game and looked fine. He didn't favor a leg and did most of his patented moves at 70% speed. I wouldn't be surprised if he returns for the next game vs Boston on national television.

Things are looking up for the Jazz!

Why the Twins should sign Crede

2009-02-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Twins have been mentioned in connection with 3B Joe Crede. I'm hoping the Twins sign Crede and here is why. Of course the Twins would survive without him and they have Buscher and Harris who can play 3B. But Crede would give the Twins better defense at 3B and he would allow Harris to back-up Casilla and Punto should one of them slump or get hurt. Crede would also add a nice right-handed bat with home run power. Crede was an all-star last year, and he also hit 30 HR in '06. Sure he's been hurt but he's willing to take a one year deal, and so even if he is a bust, he wouldn't hurt the Twins, who have cash to burn. It sounds like if the Twins want Crede, they can have him, as their main competetor, the San Francisco Giants, have dropped out of the running.
Check out the potential lineup with Crede in it:
CF Span
2B Casilla
C Mauer
1B Morneau
3B Crede
LF Cuddyer
DH Kubel
RF Young
SS Harris

Make it happen Bill Smith.

Jazz looking primed to go on a run

2009-02-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

The Jazz are going into the all-star break on a high note, after defeating the Lakers. Now, they will get some much needed rest. Millsap stands to benefit the most from the time off. Hopefully all will heal completely from their sores and bruises. Currently, it sounds like Kirilenko will be back for the next game, while Boozer hopes to be back soon after that. Here is my prediction for the next 10 games:

Feb 17 vs Memphis Win
Feb 19 vs Boston Win
Feb 21 vs New Orleans Win
Feb 23 vs Atlanta Win
Feb 25 @ Minnesota Win
Feb 28 vs Sacramento Win
Mar 1 @ Golden State Win
Mar 4 vs Houston Win
Mar 6 vs Denver Win
Mar 8 @ Toronto Win

Yes, I am predicting a 10 game win streak. The Jazz play 7 of those at home, and the three road games are against weak teams (which often spells doom for the Jazz). Maybe I should have learned from my last prediction to set the bar low and be happy when they do better than expected. But the Jazz need to make a run, and it's feeling like that time is coming now. But these predictions are only on the condition that Millsap comes back from the break at full strength, that AK comes back vs Memphis, and that Boozer comes back by the 2nd or 3rd game.

Here is how I'd rank those games in terms of difficulty for the Jazz:
1. vs Boston (if they beat LA, why not Boston?)
2. vs Denver (lots of pressure for the Jazz to win if they want to catch up)
3. @ Golden State (they already dominated us at their place this year)
4. vs Houston
5. vs Atlanta
6. @ Toronto
7. vs New Orleans (we always beat them at home)
8. @ Minnesota (would be higher if they hadn't lost Jefferson)
9. vs Sacramento
10. vs Memphis

I'm feeling confident for a lot of reasons. Williams is playing insanely good, probably as good as he ever has played. Millsap was playing amazing before his injuries, and he couldn't heal because he kept playing through them. A week of rest should revitalize him. Getting AK back is huge, he already says he has no pain.

And getting Boozer back will be just as big, it will boost the Jazz confidence, and return everyone to their normal roles. Everyone will benefit from Boozer getting back in the starting lineup. Miles won't have as much pressure on him, Williams and Okur won't have to carry the team every night, Korver should get more open looks, Millsap can dominate against other teams benches and can play with Boozer, Williams gets his favorite target back, Brewer can drive inside more, etc.

The sleeping (or better said, injured) giant has awoken. The Jazz are back. And you gotta love it baby!

Karl Malone as TNT Studio Analysist

2009-02-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

Some random thoughts after the Jazz trounced the Mavs at home, 115-87.

-Boozer is planning to return February 17 vs Memphis, the first game after the all-star break.

-Kirilenko is planning to return right after the all-star break as well.

-No matter what trades happen before the break, no rivals in the West will be getting 2 all-stars to join their team like the Jazz are in getting back Kirilenko and Boozer.

-If what Boozer says is true, then the Jazz only have 3 more games without him, tonight at Sacramento, Sunday at Golden State, and Wednesday against the Lakers.

-The Jazz could actually end up making a deep run into the playoffs. If other teams start suffering injuries like the Jazz have had, like if a Gasol, CP3, Duncan, Roy, etc. goes down while the Jazz stay healthy, I like our chances. That likely won't happen but apparently this season anything can happen.

-Williams is back. His crossover when he broke Terry's ankles was just sick. I'll take 34 points and 12 assists any night.

-I'd also like to see Korver start. He was fantastic tonight. I think he is less pressured to provide instant offense when he is with the starting 5 rather than the bench. He is also a great rebounder. CJ might be better coming off the bench. He wouldn't feel as scrutinized, or as easy of a target if the Jazz don't start off well. Make this change happen Jerry.

- Karl Malone wasn't too shabby in the TNT studio. I was hoping he woulnd't embarass himself and he didn't. Malone talked about Lamar Odom too much, but it was neat to see him speak of Stockton and Hornacek in reverent tones. He claimed he didn't play with a lot of great players. Ostertag didn't count? Anyways I wouldn't mind seeing Malone doing more of that stuff, or being more involved with the NBA.

- The Jazz played one of their best games of the season. Maybe they knew Malone was watching. Malone claims he helped bring Millsap to Utah. Millsap has much of Malones game, but his personality is more like Stockton's.

-Malone says the thing that impresses him about the Jazz this season is that they don't complain about the injuries they just keep on playing and trying their best. If the Jazz did somehow end up winning the title this season it would be a great story and example of not ever giving up and pressing forward no matter that happens.

Five year value of Jazz players

2009-01-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

This season has been painful to think about. I know all the current Jazz players won't be on the team for the next five years, but this is how I'd rank the value of their contributions to the Jazz if they were to stay with them for the next five years.

15. Jarron Collins - He is done after this season. Is of no value to any team in the future.
14. Matt Harpring -He has the skill, but not the health. Likely will retire after next season.
13. Morris Almond - He could be higher on this list, but needs to improve on overall game.
12. Ronnie Price - Price would be more valuable if he were a true PG. He is small for a SG, but he sure is athletic.
11. Brevin Knight - Knight is getting old. He is a good backup PG who doesn't turn the ball over but who can't shoot. You know what you are getting from him.
10. Kyrylo Fesenko - This guy has some potential, and a lot of size.
9. Kyle Korver - Is already declining, his value looks to be going way down unless he can start shooting lights-out again.
8. CJ Miles - This guy could be higher if he can consistently tap into all the potential he has. For the forseeable future, he just isn't consistent and he doesn't hustle.
7. Ronnie Brewer - If he can be consistent he will be a star for the Jazz. He has pretty much got a manhandle on the SG position, but that may change with the Jazz 2010 lottery pick that they get from the Knicks.
6. Kosta Koufos - This guy reminds me of Millsap his rookie season, only he plays center and some mean defense. He can score too.
5. Andrei Kirilenko - It will be interesting to see what teams are willing to pay this guy when his max-contract runs out.
4. Memo Okur - The money man has one of the most unique skill sets for a guy his size. Only rivaled by Dirk. He still has some great years left in him.
3. Paul Millsap - You could probably flip Boozer and Millsap in a few seasons if Millsap keeps improving the way he is.
2. Carlos Boozer - Fans may hate him, but the Jazz haven't been the same without him this season. He is the best ambidixterous guy I know, and he is a two-time Olympian/all-star.
1. Deron Williams - Who else were you expecting?

Why the Jazz are in trouble without Kirilenko

2009-01-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts on the state of the Jazz while AK goes under the knife today.

This is from David Locke, he of Locked on Sports. I did not do the following research.
"With AK the offense scores 105.6 points per game. Without him they only score 96.3 points per game.
With AK the defense allows 98.7 ppg. Without AK the defense allows 103.6 ppg.

Make sure you follow this. The average score of a Jazz game with AK this year has been 105.6 to 98.7. That is a differential of 7 that makes them the 5th best team in the NBA with AK.

In games when he has not played, the Jazz have been outscored 103.6 to 96.3 or a differential of -7.3. That makes the 4th worst team in the NBA, without AK. So without Kirilenko, they are a 21-22 win team level. That is a team that wins only 25% of their games."

That scares me. So Boozer is out 'till after the all-star break. Getting him back will be huge. AK should be back a week after him, it sounds like. So here is how I envision the Jazz games going until then:
1/30 Oklahoma City W
1/31 @Portland L
2/2 Charlotte W
2/5 Dallas L
2/6 @Sacramento L (The Jazz are only 1-10 on back-to-backs this year)
2/8 @Golden State L
2/11 LA Lakers L
==ALL-STAR BREAK== (hopefully Boozer will be back)
2/17 Memphis W
2/19 Boston L
2/21 New Orleans L
2/23 Atlanta L
2/25 @Minnesota L
2/28 Sacramento W
(Kirilenko back?)
23 games left.

That is only 4-9. I'd imagine that'd put the Jazz at least 5 games back from the 8th seed. So that leaves them 23 games to make up 5 games in the playoffs, and that only gives them the 8th seed, which means a first round exit to the Lakers.

It seems like the Jazz have been without at least 2 of their 5 best players practically every game this season. No team is going to be able to win missing 2 of your stars. You have to play practically perfect to win under such a situation. Missing one of your two best players is trying enough, and you will lose a lot of games just due to that. Now without Boozer and AK, if Memo is off, or Millsap is off, or Williams is having an off-night, then the team will not win. The Jazz still have a shot to make it into the playoffs if Boozer and Kirilenko heal fast, but they are sure cutting it close.

Why the Minnesota Twins will be the 2009 AL Central Champs

2009-01-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

I could write about how bad the Jazz will be while Boozer and Kirilenko are out, but I don't want to write it and you don't want to read it. All these injuries that the Jazz are having is making me look forward to baseball opening day even more.

You can bet that there will be much more Twins player-by-player analysis/projections/outlooks on this blog as opening day approaches. For now we will take a quick glance at why the Twins have as good a shot as anybody to win the AL Central this year.

1. They won't have any innings pitched by Livan Hernandez. Those innings will be taken over by a full season of a healthy, confident Francisco Liriano, who looks to win his first AL Cy Young. The rest of the young rotation stays the same, a rotation that was responsible for much of the 2008 success.

2. No at-bats from Craig Monroe, Mike Lamb, or Adam Everett. Those guys were black-holes last season. The Twins haven't signed a big bat, but Jason Kubel, Brian Buscher, and Brendan Harris will likely put up better numbers than those other three did last year.

3. The bullpen should be better this year. Again they haven't brought anybody new, but Jose Mijares should take over the 8th inning role nicely, setting up for one of the best closers in the game, Joe Nathan. Jesse Crain is one more year removed from that cuff surgery and he should be better, and Boof Bonser could be a force in the bullpen now that he is getting adjusted to not starting.

4. They will have a full season from Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span. Span was a key cog for the 2nd half of 2008. Cuddyer was the valuable cleanup hitter for the great 2006 year.

5. Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez will be one year older and wiser too. These guys were two of the youngest players in the majors last year. Young especially should be much better this year. They will only get better with time, and could turn into big-time stars.

6. Out of the other competetors only the Indians got better. The White Sox traded or didn't resign a lot of key guys from their team. The Tigers are old. The Indians won't have Sabathia this year, Cliff Lee won't repeat the success he had from last season, they did sign and trade for guys like DeRosa and Kerry Wood, but they lost others like Casey Blake.

7. They re-signed Nick Punto. Ok that one is a joke. But the Twins are so young, and most these guys will get better. Not too many of them have hit their prime yet. It should be an exciting season, as long as injuries don't ravage them. But a blow to Joe Mauer, or Justin Morneau, or a couple of staff members like Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker and all bets are off. I hope I didn't just jinx them.

Boozer gone, Millsap gone, Okur gone?

2009-01-27T10:27:00.001-08:00

This season has been worse than anybody could have realistically imagined. And the harmful effects of this season could end up hurting the Jazz even more after the final buzzer of the season has sounded. Lets face it, Carlos Boozer would be crazy to opt out of his contract after this season. Who is going to be able to pay him more than he is making right now? Portland can't now, Miami is saying they don't want to. No playoff team has the money to sign Boozer in the off-season. And even if they could, would they? I would be afraid to sign a guy who just had a bad knee injury.

This is how it could possibly hurt the Jazz this off-season: Memo opts out and signs with another team. Millsap signs a big contract with another team, too big for the Jazz to sign him for, because Boozer decided to not opt out, and the Jazz are still on the hook for his money. Then Boozer has a big year and he leaves the Jazz after his final contract year. For the 2010-2011 team the Jazz could end up without Memo, Boozer, AND Millsap. I know that might sound crazy and a little-farfetched but this season has been just as crazy and unpredictable. Of course the 2010 offseason will be loaded with top-notch free-agents, and teams are already slashing payroll so they can afford someone like LeBron James, or Amare. So if Boozer and Memo and Millsap were gone by then, sure the Jazz would have money, but we know how big free-agents like to come to play for Utah. Plus the Jazz have the Knicks first-round draft pick in 2010 so the Jazz could end up with a young top-3 pick and with a top-notch free-agent to play with Deron.

I'm sure the Jazz brass have considered this and other problems that will happen over the next couple of years and I'm sure they have a plan. They are one of the better front offices in the NBA. Let's just hope they don't let all our talent slip away.

The All-Mormon Basketball Team

2009-01-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

The list of Mormons who have done well in basketball is not as impressive as those who have done well in football or baseball, but there are a few who have done well at the professional level:

Danny Ainge - Remembered for the most famous play in BYU basketball history. He also played in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.

Thurl Bailey - He played for the Utah Jazz and several other NBA teams.

Tom Chambers - Was a key offensive part of the Phoenix Suns in the late '80s and early 90's. He played for the Jazz for a couple seasons as well.

Kresimir Cosic - He played for BYU and then returned to Yugoslavia where he was a four time olympian and he got a silver medal in 1968 and a gold in 1980. He was a national hero in Yugoslavia.

Shawn Bradley - Played for BYU. Drafted 2nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1993. Many thought he was soft and a bust, but he was a great shot blocker.

Owner - Larry H. Miller Saved the Jazz from leaving Utah and has owned a team that has been one of the winningest teams in the NBA since he took over, including two trips to the NBA finals.

General Manager - Danny Ainge. Ainge is the current Boston Celtics GM. He was thought of being a poor general manager until last season, when he brought in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and the Celtics ended up winning the NBA championship.

Jerry Sloan = Coach of the Year

2009-01-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

This is another year where Jerry Sloan deserves the coach of the year award. What he has done with the lineup and team is remarkable considering the injuries the Jazz have had so far. Williams, Boozer, Kirilenko, Harpring, Okur, Brewer, Millsap, Korver, Knight, Miles, and probably others that I can't remember have all missed games due to injury. Yet the Jazz are 25-18, they are 17-4 at home, 17-7 against Western Conference teams, and are just 4 games back from being in 2nd place. If the Jazz had everyone healthy for the whole season and had this record, then the season would have been a disaster. But Jerry has held down the fort and has used Utah's depth to its advantage. A healthy Boozer coming back in February makes me think that the Jazz will leapfrog all the way to #2 seed in the West, win the division, and join the ranks of the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, and Magic as the elite teams in the NBA. Most coaches in Jerry's position would have likely given up on the season and let his players do whatever but not Jerry. He refuses to quit and has everyone shaking their heads that the Jazz are still even in the playoff hunt. He should have received several COY awards and this season is the perfect chance for voters to repent.

Grading the Jazz at midseason

2009-01-19T12:02:00.001-08:00

Deron Williams >> B+. It is difficult to be too hard on Williams performance so far. Only recently has he appeared to be at full strength. The last four games he has averaged 26 points and 12 assists. He is the heart and soul of the Jazz and he will have a monster 2nd half.

Carlos Boozer >> Incomplete. Boozer put up good numbers but has only played 12 games so far this season. Unless he is a beast when he comes back, I don't think he will opt out of his contract after all.

Memo Okur >> B. He is scoring 3 more points a game and getting an extra rebound a game more from last season. He has really been good in the first half over the past few games.

Paul Millsap >> A. Millsap has been the MVP of the Jazz thus far. He has almost doubled his numbers from last year while only playing 10 more minutes a game. He will definitely be the top priority for the Jazz in the offseason. The Jazz want and need him to stay.

Andrei Kirilenko >> B+. He cooled off after a hot start to the season. I'd like to see him cut down on his 3-pointer attempts. He is only 11-46 from beyond the arc this season. Hornacek, what have you done to him??

Ronnie Brewer >> B-. His numbers are very similar to last seasons except his FG% is down from 56% to 48% this season. His biggest problem is his consistency.

CJ Miles >> B-. He can score, but not much else. He really needs more consistency, and needs to work on his overall game if he wants to keep his starting spot.

Kyle Korver >> C+. He has been struggling a bit this season due to his wrist injury. Hopefully he will be able to shoot a little better the rest of the season because for a 3 point specialist he hasn't been amazing (38%).

Brevin Knight >> B. He has been a solid backup for Deron. His minutes keep getting reduced as Williams gets to full strength so he will likely only play 10-15 minutes a game from here on out.

Matt Harpring >> C-. He has been recovering from a bad ankle infection. The Jazz have really missed his old production from the bench, but hopefully he will improve for the second half of the season.

Ronnie Price >> B. Nobody has been jerked around as much as Ronnie has this season. He has started a lot and not played in most the games he has appeared in. But he has admirably dealt with his uncertain role.

Morris Almond >> D. He hasn't done much this season, appearing in only 21 games, mainly in garbage time. He quickly lost his 2nd quarter minutes he was getting due to being unproductive. If his shot is not falling he is worthless on the floor. Maybe the Jazz were right in not picking up his option for next season.

Kosta Koufos >> A-. This guy has been better than anybody thought he would be this season. He's played 13 minutes a game and played in 35 games already. That is a rarity for a rookie in Jerry Sloan's system. The last rookie who got that much playing time and praise from Sloan as a rookie? Jerry Sloan. He could be the defensive center we have needed.

Jarron Collins >> D. He has only played in 7 games the whole season while recovering from a golf cart injury.

Kyrylo Fesenko >> C+. Hasn't earned much playing time but he did have a couple of very impressive games that showed flashes of his potential, especially his game fs Yao Ming and the Rockets.

Turkish Delight

2009-01-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

Last night belonged to Memo. 43 points baby. It really looked like he was going to score 50 but he only scored two points in the 4th quarter. 43 points is a career high for Okur and the most for a Jazz player since Karl Malone had 44 in 1998. When Memo is on, he is our most deadly offensive force. There are not a lot of players his size with his skill set. Dirk comes to mind but not a whole lot of others. Anyways Memo has carried us the past few games, especially early on. And viola! the Jazz have a nice little win streak going.

Ronnie Price has played nicely the past few games. When CJ comes back I would be surprised to see him get much playing time. I think Price has stolen CJ's starting job for a while. The difference in the first quarter for the Jazz the past couple of games has been undeniable. Before, the Jazz were always down 10-15 points after the first quarter, and I think CJ and his lack of effort was a big part of it. Now that Price has been putting in his energy in the first quarter the difference has been undeniable. Here is my starting 5 hustle team for the Jazz: Kosta Koufos, Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Price, Deron Williams.

SLC Dunk: solid Jazz blog

2009-01-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

I read several sports blogs on a daily basis. And I'd like to talk about a few of them over the next few days. I'll start more with the Jazz blogs because the Twins blogs seem to be quiet as of late. First up: SLC Dunk. Here is their site: http://www.slcdunk.com/ This is probably the best independent Jazz blog. When I say independent I am excluding the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News Jazz blogs, (the ones with the inside sources.) SLC Dunk is definitely the most frequently updated Jazz blog. And it isn't just mundane posting, they don't post just for the sake of posting. Anyways if you want good thoughts on the Jazz, head on over. Plus today they linked to my blog, specifically the one about Millsap being a contender for the all-star game. That was a nice surprise. Here is the entry.

Jazz beat the Pistons (again)

2009-01-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time the Jazz lost to the Pistons. I think even in the year that the Pistons won the title the Jazz swept the season series with them. The only negative about the game is that Paul Millsap lost his double-double streak, although he would have gotten the necessary stats if he had gotten some playing time in the 4th quarter.

If the Jazz ever make it to the NBA Finals the team I would hope they would face is the Detroit Pistons. Here is the ideal playoff run for the Jazz: 1st round vs Houston Rockets, 2nd round vs Phoenix Suns, Western Finals vs New Orleans Hornets, NBA Finals vs Detroit Pistons. We would probably win the series 4-2, 4-2, 4-1, and 4-0 respectively. An easy road. But not the road we are likely to face.

Hey look who has the spot right below us in the Western Conference, it's the Minnesota Timberwolves!

To close I have to give some love to the Memphis Grizzlies for hurting the Blazers by signing Darius Miles, thus forcing the Blazers to pay the luxury tax this season and be on the hook $9 million more next season. No big free-agent signing in the offseason for the Blazers. Thank you Grizz!

Hot Rod

2009-01-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Which person has been affiliated with the Jazz longer than anybody else? Hot Rod Hundley. He's probably one of the better, definitely one of the most unique play-by-play announcers. I sometimes forget about him ever since the Jazz made the switch to having the radio broadcast be apart from the tv one. Here are some of my favorite Hod Rod-isms:

"With a gentle push, and a mild arc, the old cowhide globe hits home."

"Leapin' leaner."

"Calkorver."

"Hippity-hop."

"Frozen rope."

"Belt-high dribble."

"You gotta love it, baby!"

And my favorite: "The young rookie."

Millsap could be an all-star

2009-01-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

I think a new MVP of the Jazz season has emerged: Paul Millsap. And he is getting everybody's attention. He might even make the all-star game, despite not being on the ballot. I think he is averaging something like 19 points, 11 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks since being a starter. Williams was probably really mad at Boozer when he announced he would opt out of his contract after this season, but I think Williams is calming down after playing with Millsap for a while.

"He's doing all the right things," Williams said. "There's some big decisions this summer with him. We definitely want him back. He's playing so great for us right now at both ends of the floor. I like playing with him."

Now it is time to see what the Jazz would do of the offseason started today.

Right now I'd imagine the Jazz resign Millsap at whatever cost, they let Boozer go, Okur and Korver probably don't opt out of their contracts. They probably would like to keep Price and Knight if they aren't too expensive, they would definitely resign one of them so that they keep a backup point guard who knows the system. I think Almond is a goner after this season as is Collins. It is tough to say one way or the other about Fesenko. If they have any money left they go after a decent SF. The trump card here is the 2010 NY Knicks first round draft pick which could be very high and which could replace one season later a big hole if more than one of Boozer/Okur/Millsap left. This is how I envision the Jazz team next season:

PG Deron Williams Brevin Knight Ronnie Price
SG Ronnie Brewer Kyle Korver
SF Andrei Kirilenko CJ Miles Matt Harpring
PF Paul Millsap Free Agent
C Memo Okur Kosta Koufos Kyrylo Fesenko

Salaries (in millions)
AK - $16.5
Williams - $13.8
Millsap - $9
Memo - $9
Harpring - $6.5
Korver - $5
Miles - $3.7
Brewer - $2.7
Knight - $2
Price - $1.5
Koufos - $1.2
Fesenko - $0.9

Tomorrow

2009-01-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow the Jazz find out if they are going to be NBA Title contenders, or contenders for a lower seed in the playoffs. Why? Carlos Boozer is having surgery tomorrow. It is as simple as that. There is not much more that needs to be said.

Williams and the Jazz blow out Paul and the Hornets

2009-01-07T21:57:00.001-08:00

The Jazz with Williams now have 9 wins versus the Hornets 2 with Williams and Paul playing head to head. Sure people will argue that Paul is better than Williams but head to head there is no doubt who the better player is. Sure Paul had more points tonight (Williams was battling the flu) but the point guard isn't supposed to lead his team in scoring every night, he is supposed to get his teammates the ball and get them involved. Williams usually shuts down Paul, tonight Paul had his best stats vs Williams, but the Jazz still blew out the Hornets. I would love to see the Jazz play the Hornets in the playoffs. We play better against them than any other Western power. By the way Millsap just keeps getting better and better. 27 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal. Carlos who?

Hot Rod Hundley called his 3,000 game tonight and the stars really aligned for him. Not only did the Jazz play against New Orleans but DirectTV stopped showing KJZZ tonight so he probably had a lot more people than normal listening to him on the radio.

Jazz vs Warriors

2009-01-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

I always like it when the Jazz play the Warriors. Everyone always gets great stats. Millsap picked up his 18th straight double-double. Koufos scored 11 points. Williams had 25 pts. 15 assists. Williams looks like he is at full strength now. I am sure excited to see him school Chris Paul on Wednesday when the Hornets come to the Energy Solutions Arena. The Jazz seem to always beat the Warriors and they always play well against the Hornets. I think D-Will has only lost something like 2 games to Chris Paul and the Hornets. D-Will has to be upset about Chris Paul getting all the attention and we know how Williams plays when he is upset and how Williams destroys Paul when they play each other.

Twins owner Carl Pohlad died

2009-01-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

Carl Pohlad, the Twins owner died yesterday at age 93. I was not very pleased with him when he tried to get the Twins deleted from the league although he was likely very frustrated with the inability to get a new stadium built. People have labeled him cheap but he did sign Puckett to the biggest MLB contract ever at that point in time, and supposedly he never has told management that they couldn't spend money on someone. He was a deeply loyal man, and under his ownership the Twins won 2 World Series. It was frusterating watching the Twins have a low payroll and constantly lose players to free agency while Pohlad was one of the richest 25 men in America, but I don't know what goes on behind the scenes. It is interesting to see how people feel about Pohlad now that he is gone.

Projected 2009 value of Twins roster

2009-01-03T17:55:00.001-08:00

It looks like the Twins are content to go into 2009 with virtually the same team that they had in 2008. I can't necessarily disagree with the decision. Bill Smith has not shown to have much talent in signing free-agents or making good trades. In his first year at the helm he signed Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, and Livan Hernandez, and traded for Craig Monroe, Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Carlos Gomez, while giving up Johan Santana, Matt Garza, and Jason Bartlett. It is not crazy to think that the Twins would have made the World Series if he hadn't made those moves. The Twins clear strength is in drafting/developing players, especially pitching, and trading for other teams minor-leaguers such as Santana, Liriano, Bartlett, Casilla, etc.

Also it seems that the Twins would like to improve at 3B or SS or their bullpen but teams asking prices have been too high. Would you give up Denard Span and Kevin Slowey plus a good prospect just for Rockies 3B Garrett Atkins? I wouldn't. Would you give up Francisco Liriano and Delmon Young for one year of Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre? I wouldn't. It seems the Twins have been looking for help, but the other teams want a ridiculous amount of talent from the Twins. And remember the Twins have one of the youngest teams in the majors. Think about all the young stars that emerged last season. The future is bright and without further ado I'd like to rank from most valuable to least valuable I think each player will be to the Twins in 2009, the final year of the Metrodome.

Joe Mauer
Francisco Liriano
Justin Morneau
Scott Baker
Joe Nathan
Kevin Slowey
Denard Span
Delmon Young
Jason Kubel
Nick Blackburn
Michael Cuddyer
Glen Perkins
Jose Mijares
Carlos Gomez
Boof Bonser
Brendan Harris
Nick Punto
Brian Buscher
Craig Breslow
Jesse Crain
Mike Redmond
Matt Guerrier
Matt Tolbert
Jason Pridie
Phil Humber

Millsap to return

2009-01-01T20:50:00.001-08:00

Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Paul Millsap participated in practice and will be ready to go tomorrow night in the game at the Lakers. He will have to wear a brace but he doesn't think it will bother him too much. Jarron Collins will also be available for the game tomorrow. Needless to say if the Jazz beat the Lakers at the Staples Center it will be the biggest win of the season so far, and having Millsap back will be a huge help. Surely Boozer isn't milking his injury and he doesn't want to have surgery but perhaps he could get some tips from Millsap on staying healthy, playing through pain, and returning quickly from an injury.

One other note, Millsap actually extended his double-double streak to 16 games while he was injured. It stopped at 15 games but the NBA figured out that he actually got 10 rebounds in his last game, not 9 like had been recorded, so he is up to 16 games. John Stockton has the record for most consecutive double-doubles at 18 games. Millsap's streak is also the longest since Kevin Garnett's streak in 2006. Millsap is a huge part of this team, maybe even it's MVP so far. He has scored more points than anybody else for the Jazz this season.

Looking back at the 1999 NBA Draft

2009-01-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the 1999 NBA Draft. I've always liked to go back and look at old drafts and see who were the biggest busts, the biggest steals, and who were some of the first picks. Here was how the 1999 draft ended up.

Top 10:
1. Elton Brand - Chicago Bulls
2. Steve Francis - Vancouver Grizzlies
3. Baron Davis - Charlotte Hornets
4. Lamar Odom - LA Clippers
5. Jonathan Bender - Toronto Raptors
6. Wally Szczerbiak - Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Richard Hamilton - Washington Wizards
8. Andre Miller - Cleveland Cavaliers
9. Shawn Marion - Phoenix Suns
10. Jason Terry - Golden State Warriors

Other notable picks:
13. Corey Maggette - Seattle Supersonics
16. Ron Artest - Chicago Bulls
18. James Posey - Denver Nuggetts
24. Andrei Kirilenko - Utah Jazz
57. Manu Ginobili - San Antonio Spurs

Jazz picks:
19. Quincy Lewis
24. Andrei Kirilenko
28. Scott Padgett
58. Eddie Lucas

This is one of the better draft classes the NBA has had. 9 all-stars is not too shabby. The Jazz and the Spurs definitely got the two steals of the draft. The top 10 is rock solid, and Bender would have been a great player as well if not for injuries.

And here is how I think the draft would look like in a do-over:
Brand, Ginobili, Kirilenko, Davis, Marion, Artest, Hamilton, Terry, Francis, Odom, Miller, Maggette, Szczerbiak, Posey.

Comparing two Jazz Teams

2009-01-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

Well it is now over 10 years since John Stockton sent the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals. Many have compared the current team to the one back then. Here is ranking the 1998 players to the current players from most similar to least similar.

Jerry Sloan - Jerry Sloan
Jeff Hornacek - Kyle Korver
Adam Keefe - Matt Harpring
Bryon Russell - Andrei Kirilenko
William Cunningham - Jarron Collins
Troy Hudson - Ronnie Price
Antoine Carr - Paul Millsap
Chris Morris - CJ Miles
John Stockton - Deron Williams
Shandon Anderson - Ronnie Brewer
Howard Eisley - Brevin Knight
Karl Malone - Carlos Boozer
Greg Foster - Kosta Koufos
Jacque Vaughn - Morris Almond
Greg Ostertag - Memo Okur

Yes I'd have to say if you match the '98 players to their '08 counterparts, then Ostertag and Okur are definitely the most different. Imagine the '98 team with Ostertag shooting like Okur.

Injured Jazz = Dangerous Team

2008-12-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

There are two things that don't end for the Jazz: their injuries and their depth. With Boozer, Okur, Millsap, and Collins all unavailable to play due to injuries things were looking pretty grim for the Jazz. But it looks like the Jazz might have another Millsap-like rookie: Kosta Koufos. The guy shot 8-11 on the night to end up with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and a couple steals, assists, and blocks in 29 minutes. Remember, this guy is just 19. Perhaps he will end up being the best Ohio State center drafted in the past couple years (#1 overal pick Greg Oden being the other.) He looks great even as a 19 year old. And Kirilenko filled in admirably at power forward. D-Will even had 4 steals, which is a great number for him. Really, everyone came out to play and it was an extremely pleasing game to watch. The Jazz are a fun team to watch most nights, and it is especially fun to watch young players like Fesenko, Koufos, Miles, and Brewer play key roles in a victory. I am definitely ready to get Millsap, Boozer, and Okur back, but it is fun to watch some other players step up and to see the Jazz win despite being so thin.

The Beatles play at the Twins Metropolitan Stadium

2008-12-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

The day was August 21, 1965. The day the Beatles visited Minnesota. They played at Metropolitan Stadium, the Twins old ballpark. Now standing where that ballpark was is the Mall of America.

Ringo was very interested in the Twins. He sat in Harmon Killebrew's chair and he got out the Twins gear after asking if it was okay, but none of the other 3 Beatles wanted to play with him. Ringo and George each asked for a Twins hat and autographed baseballs by the Twins players. Ringo thought the Twins would do very well that year. They sat in the Twins clubhouse while waiting to perform. They ran out of the dugout onto the stage which was around the pitchers mound. The crowd went berserk but they were a little more subdued because of the announcement that if any people ran onto the field during the performance the Beatles would immediatly stop playing and leave the stadium. This was a short while after Shea Stadium where tons of fans were tackled as they tried to approach the Beatles. Tickets were $5 dollars. Not all the Beatles thought Minneapolis was that memorable. John Lennon admitted later that he was in the car and he forgot where they were so he was going to ask someone but decided not to, so they wouldn't hurt their feelings. I'm sure the Beatles wish they would have stayed a little longer. They flew out to the west coast after spending time in Minnesota, but they had to make an emergency landing because of an engine fire.

There is an entire book on the Beatles trip to Minnesota and their performance in the Twins stadium.

http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-One-Night-Stand-Heartland/dp/1581825900

Twins in the World Baseball Classic

2008-12-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

With the 2nd World Baseball coming up in a few months it is time to wonder which Twins will participate. Last time I seem to remember both Liriano and Santana pitched for their countries and I don't remember anybody else going, maybe Dennys Reyes and Luis Castillo?

As for this year here are some possibilities:
Justin Morneau - Canada (Already confirmed)
Jesse Crain - Canada

USA:
Joe Mauer
Joe Nathan

Dominican Republic:
Francisco Liriano
Alexi Casilla
Carlos Gomez

Australia:
Luke Hughes (Twins AAA 3B)

Venezuela:
Jose Mijares

I'm probably missing some others but those are ones that come off the top of my head. It will be interesting to see what kind of participation the WBC gets from the MLB players and how the rosters turn out. Japan won last year and anything can happen since most of it just depends on a couple of games but I'm sure once again the four favorites will be the Americans, Dominicans, Cubans, and Japanese with Venezuela and Puerto Rico also making things interesting. Canada and Mexico could be spoilers but unlikely to win it all.

State of the Jazz

2008-12-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

It seems that the Jazz have been a three headed beast as of late with Okur, Millsap, and Williams leading the way. Nobody else has been a huge contributor game in and out like them. I am starting to wonder about this season. Most viewed it as our big shot to win the NBA title. I'm not sure how wide open that window is currently. Of course there is still plenty of time left in the season, and there are a lot of games to be played. But now word has it that Boozer might need surgery. I just don't see how he could opt out of his contract if that happens. You'd have to imagine that he would stay one more year to have a great year so that teams will be more willing to pay him. And as good as Millsap is this year and as good as he will become, as of right now we still could use Boozer's offense.

If this turns out to not be a title run year (which it easily could still end up being) it certainly isn't a rebuilding year either. Just a regrouping year. Besides Memo, the 4 other starters are young, very young. Millsap, Brewer, and Williams are all going to be key cogs of this team for a very long time. If the Jazz fail to make a deep run in the playoffs, I'm sure it won't be the last shot that Williams has at an NBA title with the Jazz. This team will only get better and Millsap has proven he can put up Boozer-esque numbers while playing much better defense and staying healthy. And remember the Jazz have the Knicks first-round draft pick in 2010, which could be a very high pick. And we all remember the caliber of player the Jazz were able to select the last time they had a top 5 pick.

Twins Time Machine: 2002

2008-12-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Let's take a look back at the 2002 season. The season where the Twins finally made the playoffs again. The 2001/2002 Twins teams were the ones that really started renewed interest in the Twins, after a decade long slump. Let's take a look at where they were playing in 2008, since all have left the Twins.

Here was the common lineup, along with how they did in 2008:
LF Jacque Jones With Tigers/Marlins. a little over 100 AB. 1 HR. 7 RBI. .108 BA.
SS Cristian Guzman With Nationals. 9 HR. 579 AB. 55 RBI.
1B Doug Mientkiewicz With Pirates. 285 at-bats. 2 HR. 30 RBI. .277 BA.
DH David Ortiz With Boston. 23 HR, 89 RBI, 416 AB.
CF Torii Hunter With Angels. 551 at-bats. 21 HR. 78 RBI.
3B Corey Koskie Not in MLB. Last team: 2006 Brewers.
RF Dustan Mohr Not in MLB. He had 16 at-bats with the 2007 Rays.
C AJ Pierzynski With White Sox. 13 HR. 534 at-bats. .281 BA.
2B Luis Rivas With Pirates. 3 HR. 206 at-bats. 20 RBI. .218 BA.

The pitching staff:
Brad Radke Retired after pitching for Twins in 2006.
Johan Santana With Mets. 16-7. 234 IP. 206 K. 2.53 ERA.
Eric Milton Not in MLB. Last team: Reds.
Kyle Lohse Pitched for Cardinals in 2008. 3.78 ERA. 200 IP.
Rick Reed Retired after pitching for Twins in 2003.
Joe Mays Not in MLB. Last team: Reds.

Juan Rincon Dropped by Twins picked up by Indians. 5.60 ERA, 27 IP.
JC Romero Pitched for Phillies. 59 innings. 2.75 ERA.
LaTroy Hawkins With Yankees/Astros. Pitched 62 innings.
Eddie Guardado Traded back to Twins mid-season. Only pitched 7 innings with Twins.

Well there are a decent number who just don't matter in baseball anymore: Jones, Koskie, Mohr, Radke, Milton, Reed, Mays, Rincon.
There are a few doing great: Hunter, Ortiz, Santana, Lohse, Romero, Pierzynski.
And there are some who will likely be done soon: Guardado, Hawkins, Rivas, Mientkiewicz.

That was a great team but it wasn't good enough to win a World Series. The 2002 team would lose to the Angels in the ALCS. Now they are all gone. I wouldn't mind having Ortiz, Hunter, and Santana back in Twins uniforms.

My Top Ten Favorite Twins Players of All-Time

2008-12-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

Same rules apply. Hence no Killebrew, Oliva, Kaat, Blyleven, or Carew.

1. Johan Santana
2. Kirby Puckett
3. Francisco Liriano
4. Justin Morneau
5. Joe Mauer
6. Chuck Knoblauch
7. Kent Hrbek
8. Torii Hunter
9. Brad Radke
10. Corey Koskie

My Top Ten Favorite Jazz players of all-time

2008-12-18T08:26:00.001-08:00

Note: I only put players I remember seeing play on the list. Hence Maravich, Dantley, Griffiths, etc. are disqualified.

1. Karl Malone
2. John Stockton
3. Deron Williams
4. Andrei Kirilenko
5. Jeff Hornacek
6. Memo Okur
7. Bryon Russell
8. Paul Millsap
9. Carlos Boozer
10. Donyell Marshall

BREAKING NEWS: Carlos Boo$er to opt out of contract

2008-12-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3777170&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines

So my last post was quite timely. Honestly I really don't expect Boo$er to stay with Utah for next season. Remember what he did with Cleveland? He could have stayed and played with LEBRON JAMES so what makes you think he will stay in Utah just to play with DERON WILLIAMS? Millsap will be the man here after this year. And I am excited about it. Boo$er won't get much better but the sky is the limit for Millsap. Yes Boozer is an incredible offensive player and rebounder. Millsap will get better though. And I for one am willing to let some other team pay Boozer max contract money while he spends at least 1/4 of the season on the bench. Millsap is more like Karl Malone than Boozer. Boozer is too weak on defense. Millsap has a more complete game like the Mailman. They even went to the same college. With Williams and Millsap we will have the true heirs to the Stockton to Malone leaders of the Jazz.

Boozer or Millsap?

2008-12-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

I guess one positive of Boozer being out is that the Jazz get to see what Millsap brings to the table getting starter's minutes. He has been solid, posting a double-double in the past 11 games. That is great. Against Boston he looked fantastic, showing off an amazing array of offensive moves. Millsap would definitely get the edge on defense, he picks up more blocks and steals than Boozer. They are both elite rebounders, although I think Millsap might have the slight edge. He did lead the NCAA 3 straight years in rebounding. But Boozer definitely has the edge on offense. It is Boozer's offense that we are missing right now. Millsap could obviously develop more and become a much better offensive player.

So both will likely be up for new contracts after the season and it is likely the Jazz will only be able to afford one of them. So which one do they choose? I really don't know. The Jazz aren't playing too well without Boozer right now. But that might also be attributed to Williams being slowed by his injury. But we would all hate to see Millsap become an all-star with a different team. He will likely be cheaper than Boozer, and he is much less injury prone than Boozer. After all, Millsap has not missed a game yet in the NBA. Boozer is about 3 inches taller than Millsap.

I think I'd lean towards keeping Millsap. It might be crazy to let go of an Olympian, but maybe Boozer doesn't want to re-sign here. It will be an interesting offseason.

Ty Wigginton for Twins 3B

2008-12-12T20:55:00.001-08:00

Breaking news: The Astros just non-tendered Ty Wigginton. Which basically means he is a free-agent. Go get him Bill Smith! He had 23 home runs last year to go along with .285 batting average .350 on-base percentage and .526 slugging percentage. He would be a great addition. He is just 31 years old. I really hope the Twins sign him. He would give the Twins some much needed power and a right-handed bat. I could be fine with an infield of Morneau, Casilla, Punto, and Wigginton. Looking at the other options and I am not as mad about resigning Punto. Maybe I will write about that later. But if it is the Punto of 2006/2008 and not of 2005/2007 then it will be a good signing by the Twins. Good, but not great. I would love to see the Twins get Wigginton.

Little Nick Punto re-signs with the Twins

2008-12-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

Well Nick Punto Just re-signed with the Twins. Something like 2 years for 8 million with an option for 2011. So that is the best the Twins can do at the Winter Meetings? I think I just threw up in my mouth.

Baseball Winter Meetings 2008

2008-12-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

This week is when all the baseball GM's meet for a week and discuss trades and such. This year it is being held in Las Vegas. This is perhaps the busiest week during the offseason and definitely the one that spawns the most rumors. Which means I am constantly refresing my RSS feeds to get the lastest updates.

Here is some rumors from the start of day 1:

-Add Miguel Tejada to the list of players the Twins might try to trade for.

-Add the Phillies to the growing list of teams who want Delmon Young. The Twins would want someone like top prospect Jason Donald in return.

-A Seattle writer thinks perhaps Beltre's price tag has gone down. Something more like Cuddyer plus a good pitching prospect or two. I wouldn't mind that deal.

A lot of things get tossed out there as possibilities but most of it will never actually happen. But I think this year the Twins are out to get something big done, so it will be interesting to follow the Twins rumors.

Ranking my preferences for the MLB teams

2008-12-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

From favorite to least favorite:
Teams I love to see do well:

1. Minnesota Twins
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Oakland Athletics
6. Florida Marlins
7. Toronto Blue Jays

Teams I am indifferent about:
8. Seattle Mariners
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
10. Los Angeles Angels
11. Philadelphia Phillies
12. New York Mets
13. Baltimore Orioles
14. Kansas City Royals
15. Texas Rangers
16. Washington Nationals
17. St. Louis Cardinals
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Milwaukee Brewers
20. Houston Astros
21. Pittsburgh Pirates
22. Los Angeles Dodgers
23. San Diego Padres
24. San Francisco Giants
Teams I really can't stand:
25. Chicago Cubs
26. Detroit Tigers
27. Cleveland Indians
28. Boston Red Sox
29. Chicago White Sox
30. New York Yankees

Twins break off talks with Casey Blake

2008-12-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

The latest reports about the Twins pursuit of free agent third baseman Casey Blake are that the Twins broke off talks with Blake yesterday after the Twins wouldn't guarantee a third year in their offer. With winter meetings next week there will be lots of players for the Twins to look at and they didn't want to waste all their time with Blake.

I'm a little sad that the Twins didn't sign Blake, but I am glad they didn't sign Blake to the terms he was demanding. During that third year, the Twins would have been paying a 38 year old 8 million a year to play 3B. Besides I'm not too sure he is a huge upgrade over a Buscher/Harris platoon at 3B.

Raptors at Jazz Game Recap

2008-12-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

Utah Jazz 114, Toronto Raptors 87

-Biggest news was the return of Andrei Kirilenko, Brevin Knight, and Matt Harpring from injuries.

-Harpring was outstanding posting 14 points and 7 rebounds in just 12 minutes of play. Perhaps he can be a big contributor this season.

-Williams is looking much more confident and some of the drive to the lane he took wouldn't have come if his ankle was bothering him a lot.

-Millsap's final line: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal. Carlos who?

-Koufos also came in and scored 10 points in 6 minutes of garbage time.

-And Memo Okur led the way with 21 points.

-The Jazz are getting closer to being at 100% full strength. They proved that with most their pieces effective, they can play extremely well despite not having one of their stars (Boozer). Which is good because he might not return next season.

-Nice win for the Jazz on national television. You get the feeling that momentum is starting to be on their side and that they are about to show us what they are possible of doing this season.

Ranking my preferences for the NBA teams

2008-12-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

From favorite to least favorite:

Teams I love to see do well:
1. Utah Jazz
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Phoenix Suns
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Boston Celtics
6. Miami Heat

Teams I am indifferent about:
7. Atlanta Hawks
8. Golden State Warriors
9. Indiana Pacers
10. Orlando Magic
11. Memphis Grizzlies
12. Washington Wizards
13. Toronto Raptors
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Charlotte Bobcats
16. Oklahoma City Thunder
17. Los Angeles Clippers
18. New Jersey Nets
19. Philadelphia 76ers
20. Milwaukee Bucks
21. Dallas Mavericks
22. New York Knicks

Teams I really can't stand:
23. Chicago Bulls
24. Portland Trail Blazers
25. Detroit Pistons
26. New Orleans Hornets
27. Houston Rockets
28. Denver Nuggets
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Los Angeles Lakers

Jazz on National Television tonight

2008-12-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Jazz host the Toronto Raptors tonight on ESPN at 8:30.

Kirilenko is planning to play. That is good news for the Jazz, they are 11-4 when Kirilenko plays.

Hopefully the Jazz will start to return to form with AK back. Now when they get Boozer back and Williams confidence is 100% along with his ankle fully healed then we will be able to see what the Jazz can do. But I feel that tonight is the beginning of the end (hopefully) of the Jazz being extremely limited due to injuries.

One other random note: Looks like former BYU QB Steve Sarkisian will be named the next head coach of the Washington Huskies football team. He is not going into a very good situation. Sarkisian was the QB of perhaps the best BYU football team in my lifetime (1996).

Boneheaded Gardy

2008-12-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

I can never decide if I like Ron Gardenhire or not. He seems to get a lot out of his players (see 2008) but some of his lineup choices are maddening. I don't know what a player does to do to get on his good or bad side. Matt Garza was on his bad side and the Twins shipped him off to the Rays, where he is starting to look mighty good. Nick Punto is perhaps his favorite player ever and Gardenhire gave him way too many at-bats in 2007 and Punto posted some of the worst offensive numbers of all-time. Now it appears Delmon Young is on Gardy's bad side as well.

On Wednesday in Fargo, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the team's three starting outfielders should be Denard Span, Carlos Gomez and Michael Cuddyer.

"Those three guys have to play every day," Gardenhire told the Fargo Forum after speaking at a farm trade show. "Delmon is in the mix. He's a heck of a player, a heck of a talent. But to me, those three guys should be your outfield and then you go from there."

The Twins have been reportadly trying to see what kind of value they could get for Delmon this offseason. Looks like Gardenhire might be the one pushing for him to be traded. I thought he had a great season last year for a 22 year old. Remember this guy has all the talent in the world. But if you are trying to trade him, saying he wouldn't start over Cuddyer or Gomez does not increase his trade value! If I were Bill Smith I would make Gardy be quiet for the rest of the offseason.

There might be 2 shortstops I would trade Young for: JJ Hardy and Yunel Escobar. And I would hesitate before pulling the trigger on that one.

In other Twins news, it looks like it is down to the Twins and Dodgers in the running for 3B Casey Blake. If either team offers one more year or more money to their current offers, Blake will sign with them. I will not complain about signing Blake, especially if it is just a 2 year deal. He is 35, but could be our best 3B since Koskie. Plus we wouldn't give anything up for Blake, since he is a free-agent. That way we could have all our trade bait still available to fill the much larger SS hole with something besides Gardy's favorite player ever, Nick Punto.

Jazz play the blues

2008-12-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

Nobody could have predicted what has happened to the Jazz this season. Nobody thought they would have this bad of a record and be in 3rd place in their division at the end of November.

But looking past all the negatives I think there are quite a few silver linings so far despite all the depressing injuries that have occurred thus far.

1. Younger players develop - Out of everyone, I would say CJ Miles has developed the most out of the young players. He is starting to make the Jazz look good for signing him to a four year deal.

2. We are only 1 game out of 2nd place. I don't know if we can catch the Lakers but once everyone is healthy and if we can stay even with the others, then we should be able to lock up the 2nd seed, thus giving us home-court advantage until the Conference Finals, and we wouldn't face the Lakers until then.

3. Andrei Kirilenko's resurgence.

4. The bench/younger players are getting valuable experience, especially in crunch time. Even though Williams/Boozer/Kirilenko played in the Olympics, their time being out should get them some much needed rest. Come playoff time, I imagine Okur/Boozer/Kirilenko/Williams/Korver/Harpring/Knight will not be quite as worn down as the opposition. Really if you are going to be injured, I'd much rather be injured at the beginning of the season than the end and not be 100% for the playoffs.

To conclude, in April when we are looking back at this unprecedented injury problem we have had we might just look at it as a blessing in disguise. The only thing that is negative about it is that we likely can't get the top seed in the west. Other than that, nothing too devastating has happened, that is if we don't fall behind the rest of the competition.

2 players to be thankful for

2008-11-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Baseball America's Top Ten Minnesota Twins Prospects

2008-11-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Baseball America released their top 10 Minnesota Twins prospect list today:

1. Aaron Hicks, of
2. Ben Revere, of
3. Wilson Ramos, c
4. Jose Mijares, lhp
5. Danny Valencia, 3b
6. Anthony Swarzak, rhp
7. Shooter Hunt, rhp
8. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
9. Carlos Gutierrez, rhp
10. Angel Morales, of

I can't say I disagree with it much. I'm not as high on Gutierrez as they are. I like that they rated Mijares that high, he will be a huge help to the bullpen next year. My view on the Twins farm system is that it is very deep, much deeper than in years past, but that it isn't very top heavy, in other words they don't have a top prospect like a Mauer, or a Liriano or Garza or a Young or Morneau sitting there. These guys are probably more like a Kubel, a Slowey, a Casilla, a Bartlett, potential to be good, but maybe not all-stars. But then again, I do have high hopes, especially Hicks should be an all-star, maybe Revere, Ramos, or Morales. I don't know. Nobody does. Nobody knew Span would all of a sudden break out. I guess most these guys won't be helping the team within the next 2 years so we will be able to better judge them as time goes on. But it sure is fun, even though every fan overvalues their team prospects.

Here is Baseball America's former top 10 picks for Twins top prospect:

1999	Michael Cuddyer, 3b	Twins
2000	Michael Cuddyer, 3b	Twins
2001	Adam Johnson, rhp	So. Maryland (Atlantic)
2002	Joe Mauer, c	Twins
2003	Joe Mauer, c	Twins
2004	Joe Mauer, c	Twins
2005	Joe Mauer, c	Twins
2006	Francisco Liriano, lhp	Twins
2007	Matt Garza, rhp	Rays
2008	Nick Blackburn, rhp	Twins

Blackburn was a weird choice, but he was solid last year. Ouch, Adam Johnson was a big bust.

And here is what they think our lineup will look like in 2012:

Catcher	Joe Mauer
First Base	Justin Morneau
Second Base	Alexi Casilla
Third Base	Danny Valencia
Shortstop	Trevor Plouffe
Left Field	Ben Revere
Center Field	Aaron Hicks
Right Field	Delmon Young
Designated Hitter	Jason Kubel
No. 1 Starter	Francisco Liriano
No. 2 Starter	Scott Baker
No. 3 Starter	Kevin Slowey
No. 4 Starter	Nick Blackburn
No. 5 Starter	Glen Perkins
Closer	Joe Nathan

I like it. Plouffe is the worst guy on that list. I'd sure like the Twins to trade for a shortstop like Yunel Escobar or JJ Hardy this winter. But the Twins immediate and long-term future looks very bright.

What others are saying about Tim's Sports Blog

2008-11-21T22:47:00.001-08:00

Some folks have been doing some in-depth research of my blog. I gave them permission. Here are the results:

genderanalyzer.com believes "We think http://timsederberg.blogspot.com is written by a man (87%)."

typealyzer.com believes I am a...

Performer

The entertaining and friendly type. You are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill your surroundings with bright colors and sweet smells. You live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - you are always in risk of exhausting yourself.

You enjoy work that makes you able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. You tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for you in management positions.

Season at a Glance

2008-11-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

AK-- Has been the MVP of the Jazz this season. It would be a shame if he didn't make the all-star team and win 6th man of the year award if he keeps this up. Moving AK to 6th man duties was pure genius. I wish Williams knew how to play with Kirilenko better. But anytime Williams is not on the floor, Kirilenko better be there. His shooting is improved as well. This is the old AK that we grew to love so much and I love watching him again. When he is on like this, he is one of the most exciting players to watch and perhaps one of the top 5 overall, best well-rounded players in the league.

Boozer-- The guy has been great on offense and rebounding. He still can be abused on defense but he is trying more this year. He would have even better numbers if D-Will was playing. He feeds off Williams more than anybody. Hopefully Boozer won't miss time from his injury last night.

Brewer-- Still inconsistent although he is improving. Has some amazing hands, he can rack up the steals fast! His outside shot is much better and can hit the 3 now. His defense and now his more improved offense game is taking playing time away from Korver.

Millsap-- Defense, rebounds, and scoring is great. I really don't see how they could afford to not resign him this offseason.

Brevin-- The Jazz have to be thankful that he is on the team. He is a great defender and a much better point guard than Price.

CJ Miles-- At the beginning of the season it looked like he wasn't going to start for much longer. But the last few games he has exploded, leading the Jazz in scoring 2 games in a row. He will take away Korver's and Harpring's minutes. I am glad we resigned him, and it will be fun to see his improvement in the next 4 years.

Price-- He would be better if his FG% was better. He was great last night, playing the whole 2nd half.

Korver-- One of the most disappointing players this season. His wrist is hurt and isn't shooting as well. His defense leaves much to be desired and he is losing playing time fast to Brewer and Miles.

K2 (Kousta Koufos)-- This guy looks like he was a steal. He plays the best inside defense on the whole team already. He has a good shot as well. Look for him to get a few minutes a night and he should be one of the top 3 Jazz centers of all-time when it is all said and done.

D-Will-- He came back too early, but I can't blame him. The one problem with Deron is that he can't co-exist with Kirilenko on the floor. With Williams gone, it is clear that Kirilenko is easily the Jazz 2nd best player and best player when Deron is out.

Memo-- He hasn't played much due to a bad back and his dad's illness. We need him to be back to full strength soon.

Collins-- Hasn't played much, I don't know why he is on the team.

Harpring-- I really don't think he will get much playing time this season. He is too banged up. When he is healthy he is an excellent player but CJ and Brewer are starting to play really good and his minutes are being eaten up.

Almond-- I am confused. Sloan all of a sudden likes the guy and praises him and starts giving him a few minutes a night. Why did they decide to not exercise their option for him on next season?

Fess-- Likely headed to the D-League.

Morneau 2nd, Mauer 4th in AL MVP

2008-11-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

I am disappointed but not shocked. Today Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox won the AL MVP. Morneau finished 2nd and Mauer finished 4th. Had Morneau not batted .146 over the last 16 games, he likely would have won it. Or had the Twins made the playoffs he likely would have won it. Really just a few things change and Morneau wins it. However, Joe Mauer would be my pick for the MVP. Sadly I doubt he will ever win it because of his low home run totals. I would go into deep statistical analysis to prove my pick but I dont have time. But here is one stat to chew on: Mauer led the league in Win Probability Added… which means he was the most clutch hitter in the league when the game counted. Rob Neyer agrees with my pick for the MVP: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3710934&name=Neyer_Rob

Morneau had 257 points and Mauer received 188. Pedroia won with 317. Morneau had 7 first place votes, while Mauer received 2. Honestly I think the awards are overrated and the people who vote for them don't put much thought into it, or who only vote based on their opinion and don't back it up with important stats and information. I mean, how did one voter leave Pedroia off the vote completely?? How did Jason Bartlett get a 5th place vote??? How did Francisco Rodriguez, who wasn't even the best AL closer, get a first place vote?? How did Torii Hunter win another gold glove award? And worst of all, how did some voters vote for Edison Volquez for NL Rookie if the Year when he wasn't even a rookie!?!?

Postseason awards are starting to become something that don't really matter, they are becoming a joke.

Jazz vs Suns notes

2008-11-17T21:29:00.001-08:00

-The Jazz remain unbeaten at home despite not having Memo Okur and Deron Williams.
-The Jazz are 31-1 at home in 2008. That is just unbelievable. Does anybody question that the Jazz #1 priority is to obtain the #1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs?
-CJ Miles was a beast, scoring 15 in the 1st and 21 overall.
-Millsap and AK combined to block Shaq on three straight plays.
-The Jazz played hard and with a lot of energy tonight.
-Jarron Collins got his first start of the year.
-AK, Korver, Millsap, and Knight were huge off the bench.
-Koufos only played 5 minutes but had some nice defensive moves.
-Jazz were +19 with Knight on the floor.
-Will Okur and Williams finally be on the floor on Wednesday? Okur has a strained back and Williams still hasn't recovered from a preseason ankle sprain.
-It was a good knight for the Jazz and they picked up a much needed victory.

Silver Sluggers for Mauer, Morneau

2008-11-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer both won their second career Silver Slugger awards. This is an award given to the best hitters in each league at each position. The winners are determined by a vote from coaches and managers. Both won the award in 2006 also.

Mauer now has a Gold Glove, 2 AL Batting Titles, 2 Silver Sluggers, and a couple of All-Star appearances.

Morneau has 2 Silver Sluggers, a Home Run Derby crown, 2 All-Star appearances, and an MVP award, and is in the running for AL MVP this year as well.

The winners in the American League were:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher:Joe Mauer, Twins
First base:Justin Morneau, Twins
Second base:Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
Third base: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Shortstop:Derek Jeter, Yankees
Outfield: Josh Hamilton, Rangers
Outfield:Carlos Quentin, White Sox
Outfield:Grady Sizemore, Indians
Designated hitter: Aubrey Huff, Orioles

Trade Targets: Yunel Escobar and JJ Hardy

2008-11-13T14:23:00.001-08:00

One rule I have learned over the years observing the Twins is that they are much better traders than free-agent signers. Yes there are some good names out there that would help the Twins,and the Twins have the money to spend, but the Twins have shown the inability to make a good, big free-agent signing. We have already discussed trading for 3B Adrian Beltre of the Mariners and 3B Garrett Atkins of the Rockies, perhaps the Twins top two trading targets for that position. But the Twins, believe it or not, the 3B position for the Twins had 91 RBI last year, and that was with Mike Lamb getting 186 or the 576 at-bats. A Buscher/Harris platoon would be almost as good as many of the 3B free agent options out there. Plus their top two position prospects in the higher levels of the minors are probably two third basemen, Luke Hughes and Danny Valencia, who should be ready by 2010.

Third base is somewhat of a problem but the Twins should try to plug their shortstop hole instead. I hope that they won't resign Nick Punto because we all know Ron Gardenhire loves him like his own son and Punto would start every day at SS. We all know about his putrid 2007 season when he was handed a starting job right from the get-go. He is a utility player.

Two names that I would really like the Twins to pursue via trade are Yunel Escobar of the Braves and J.J. Hardy of the Brewers. Both teams are great trading partners for the Twins because the Braves really need outfielders and starting pitching, and they have an excess of infielders, and the Brewers need starting pitching and they are looking to trade some of their infield depth.

Escobar is 26 years old, and a Cuban. He has been with the Braves for 2 years. Last year he had a .366 OBP and .401 SLG and he hit 10 HR while playing good defense at SS. He is young and projects to hit 20-25 HR. He probably projects as an All-Star SS. Solid all-around.

Hardy is also 26. He is ok with the glove. But his bat is amazing. Over the past two seasons he has combined to hit 50 home runs. Last year he had a .343 OBP and .478 SLG.

They both are right-handed hitters, something the Twins need as well.

I have no idea what it would take to get them. Here are trades I would make:

Cuddyer and Blackburn for Escobar.
Cuddyer and Pridie for Hardy.
Bonser, Humber, and Perkins for Hardy.
Slowey for Escobar and a good infield prospect.
Slowey for Hardy and a good prospect.
Young for Escobar.
Span for Escobar.

untradeable players:
Liriano, Baker, Mauer, Morneau, Nathan.

With free-agents free to sign starting tomorrow I am sure we will see more and more Twins rumors.

Let's just hope they don't sign another Livan Hernandez, Tony Bautista, Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz, etc.

The Return of Williams

2008-11-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

-The biggest story of the night was the unexpected early return of Williams. He helped the team while not reinjuring himself. Williams clearly isn't at 100% but he didn't embarrass himself. He had 9 assists to go with 7 points.

-Brewer is starting to receive tons of playing time. He scored 16 points in the 4th quarter, a quarter that used to be exclusively Korver's. Brewer is going to be a guy who gets 38 minutes a night in this league. He has 10 steals in the past 2 games, not to mention his 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

-Koufus looked good tonight. I think he will be in Utah for a long time. He even had 2 blocks. Maybe the Jazz let Memo go and keep Boozer and Millsap and Koufus. It is way too early to tell.

-Kirilenko and Millsap are wrecking havoc on other team's 2nd units. NBA.com rates the Jazz bench as the best in the league and I agree. They score more points than any other team's bench.

-Good victory, especially after Sunday's tough loss at the Knicks. The Jazz regain their winning road record and put their current road trip at .500.

-I wonder if Williams felt obligated to play since Okur left the Jazz very shorthanded. The guy is just a winner.

About that game tonight...

2008-11-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

Memo Okur had to leave to Turkey for a family emergency. He might be gone the whole road trip. Jarron Collins is still injured, and Kyrylo Fesenko had to go to Canada to resolve visa issues (although I heard he might try to come back so he won't miss this opportunity to play.) That leaves the Jazz very thin in the middle. They have Koufus, Boozer, Millsap, and Kirilenko to try and fill the 2 big spots. Harpring is also probably still out.

But here is the good news: Deron Williams is a game-time decision. But this time the game-time decision means it is 90% likely that he will start and play tonight. That would be huge! I hope he isn't coming back too early but I'm guessing the Jazz won't let him do that. So I was thinking that without Williams, Okur, Collins, Fesenko, and Harpring, the Jazz would be lucky to win a game on this road trip. But if Williams comes back, even at 85%, I like our chances better. The best center we face on this trip is the Cavs' Z Illgaskus. Go Jazz!

Former Sonics vs Jazz

2008-11-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

-Jerry Sloan becomes the first NBA coach to have 1,000 wins with one team. That, my friends, is impressive.

-I had to laugh when Sloan was asked in the postgame interview if any wins over the 1,000 stood out to him. He said no, the games that I remember are the ones we lose. Classic Sloan.

-Easy victory for the Jazz tonight. They fell behind 8-0 early but they cruised most the game.

-The Jazz are ridiculously talented and athletic. They seemed to be toying with the Thunder most the game.

-The Thunder probably have the worst team in the NBA, the worst nickname, and the worst logo. Their unis are okay.

-Towards the end of the game you could hear the crowd chant Jerry Sloan. No big celebration though.

-It is off for a 5 game road trip that will be the first real test this season for the Jazz. Unfortunately it sounds like they might have to do it without Deron Williams.

-Knight had 11 assists in 26 minutes. I think he should be starting soon.

-After a Korver dunk, Williams teased him by clapping with a sarcastic oh wow face. D-Will likes to have fun.

-Looking around the league the Suns and Hornets lost, putting them at 4-2 and 3-2. The Spurs also lost while losing Parker to injury, their record is 1-4. Good to see the Jazz getting early ground on everyone while remaining tied with the Lakers while D-Will is out.

Cuddyer/Atkins rumors

2008-11-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

-The Twins are being pretty quiet at the GM meetings. But on MLBTradeRumors.com they are reporting that the Twins are in discussions with the Rockies about 3B Garrett Atkins.

From Denver via http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/rockies/archives/2008/11/twins_cuddyer_c.html

"An intriguing name to watch in any Rockies talks about sending third baseman Garrett Atkins to Minnesota is outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who missed 2 1/2 months last season with a strained tendon in his left index finger and has fallen into a backup role because of the emergence of young Twins outfielders."

"The Rockies are looking to add a quality starter in the offseason, and the Twins could offer the likes of Nick Blackburn or Kevin Slowey. But the Rockies would also like to add a right-handed, run-producing hitter in a multiple-player package, which is where Cuddyer, a strong clubhouse presence, would fit."

"The Twins have rebuilt their outfield with Delmon Young in left, Carlos Gomez in center and Denard Span in right."

If they would take Cuddyer for Atkins straight up, I would say do it. It would solve the 5 outfielders for 4 positions problem and the 3B hole/lacking a right-handed power bat with just one trade. I didn't think Cuddyer's trade value was that high. I'd much rather lose Cuddyer than Young or even Span and Gomez. But if the Rockies are asking for Blackburn or Slowey I would say thanks but no thanks.

Atkins plays in the most hitter-friendly park in all of baseball, Coors Field. The thing that scares me about him is his OPS has gone down each of the last seasons.
2006 OPS: .965, 2007: .853, 2008: .780.
HR 2006: 29, 2007:25, 2008:21.
RBI 2006: 120, 2007:111, 2008:99
On Base Percentage: 2006: .409, 2007: .367, 2008: .328

He is only 28 years old and his salary is in the $4 million range. I don't know everything about him, but I know he is a good hitting third-baseman, although the downward slope he is on scares me. Still he is a better option than Brian Buscher or Brendan Harris.

Joe Mauer wins first Gold Glove

2008-11-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

Joe Mauer won his first Gold Glove Award today. He is the first Twins catcher to receive a gold glove since 1962 (Earl Battey).

Mauer had a .997 fielding percentage. He only committed three errors and he threw out 18 base runners.

He also helped guide an extremely young pitching staff.

Mauer also won his second batting title this season.

He is the best hitting catcher and the best defensive catcher arguably in the game, and now he has the hardware to back it up. Mauer is only 25 years old and one of, if not the most valuable player in the American League. Being able to provide from both sides of the plate at such a hard position is extremely rare, and Mauer has a chance to go down as the best catcher in history.

Congrats Joe!

Jazz still perfect

2008-11-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

-The Jazz moved to 3-0 at home and 4-0 overall.

-Only the Jazz and Lakers remain undefeated in the West.

-Sloan should get victory 1,000 on Friday vs OKC. Big moment.

-AK, Deron, and Boozer were honored before the game for their participation in the 2008 Olympics.

-Williams was supposed to return tonight, but did not play.

-Good win for the Jazz because only the Blazers and Lakers had winning records vs the Jazz last season, and the Blazers handed us one of our 4 losses at home last year.

-Okur ended up with 22, and Boozer had 20.

-Kirilenko: 17 pts, 4 reb, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block. He always has the most interesting box score line.

-Brewer had the play of the game with an awesome reverse dunk. He is so ridiculously athletic. He had a nice game with 16 points and is starting to steal a little of Korver's playing time.

-Knight ended up playing more than Price. Knight had 6 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Price's shot just isn't falling this season and Knight looks like a much more pure point guard and can calm the team down.

-Next up: Oklahoma City Thunder (ex-Seattle Sonics) 7PM EnergySolutions Arena

-And Tim's Sports Blog would like to congratulate President-Elect Obama.

3-0 Without Deron

2008-11-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

-Denver probably just regained the title of 2nd best team in the Northwest Division with the Iverson-Billups trade. I was not impressed with Iverson at all when the Jazz played Denver this year. Good trade for the Nuggets.

-Deron joined Boler and Booner for the 3rd quarter tonight, and he didn't sound like he will be ready for Wednesday's game like he had originally hoped.

-AK does it again – 15 pts 11 rebs 2 assists and 4 steals.

-Jerry Sloan got win 998 as Jazz head coach. When he reaches 1,000 victories with just one team (Utah Jazz) it will join Stockton's assist record as unbreakable records.

-Millsap was an animal with 24 points and 9 rebounds. It will be interesting to see who the Jazz don't sign out of Boozer/Okur/Millsap.

- Jazz were -3 with Price on the floor compared with +19 with Knight on the floor. I doubt that the Jazz would be 3-0 right now if they hadn't swapped Hart for Knight.

-The defense is looking better, only giving up 86.5 ppg so far this season. The Jazz are also 2nd in the league in point differential (13.0).

Good Knight

2008-11-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Observations from game 2:

-Williams shouldn't push himself to play Monday night at the Clippers. The Jazz can fend for themselves
against LA (especially sans Baron Davis and Marcus Camby) without Deron.

-Perhaps the only positive about Deron's injury is being able to listen to him for parts of the game with Bolerjack and Boone. Williams provides good insights and I just like listening to him. He is my favorite athlete in sports right now.

-Kirilenko will make the all-star team if he keeps this up. 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.

-Boozer is playing great so far during his contract year and is carrying the team without Williams.

-Brevin Knight was excellent tonight and gives the Jazz a more pure point guard than Price. The Knight for Hart trade was just amazing by Kevin O'Conner. That along with the Korver for Giricek have been absolute steals for the Jazz.

-Jazz set franchise record for fewest turnovers in a game with 4. Only 1 through 3 quarters.

-The West will be good but the Jazz, Lakers, Hornets, and Rockets should have much better records than the rest this year. It won't be as tight 1-8 this year as it was last year.

No More Mo

2008-10-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

Morris Almond said today that the Jazz won't pick up his option for next season. It would have paid him $1.16 million. Not only that, but the Jazz are currently trying to trade Almond. The leading candidates are the Spurs and the Pistons. I have no idea what the Jazz would get in return. That would be awesome if they could somehow trade him for a big PF/C defender, but that isn't likely.

If I'm not mistaken he is older than Brewer and Miles, despite being drafted more recently than them. But he would have been a nice backup option if the Jazz don't resign Korver next year. When the Jazz resigned Miles that likely sealed Almond's fate. He is a big time scorer but can't do much else at this point. The Jazz just have too much young talent at SG. I'm sad that Almond didn't get much more of a chance in Utah and I think he could be a great NBA player. But at the same time, I don't see how he would get much playing time here. I'm guessing that the Jazz plan on trying to retain Korver next season.

Thoughts on Opening Night

2008-10-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Jazz managed to get by the Nuggets in their season opener despite playing without Deron Williams.

The "Lights Out" beginning was fantastic. I had chills the whole time. I might have to go to a couple more Jazz games this year because of the new intros and sound system. Deseret News was kind enough to have a video of it: http://deseretnews.com/video/1,5563,600,00.html

Boozer was huge and that is what you have to do when Deron is out.

Price was good enough despite his shooting. I thought it was fitting that the last 2 free throws came down to him.

C.J.'s dunk in the first quarter was amazing.

AK was amazing off the bench.

Boozer and Okur had double doubles.

Not the prettiest win but a win is a win and the Jazz were able to do it without Williams.

The Twins are due

2008-10-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Phillies. I'm okay with them winning it all.

Now that Philadelphia has itself a championship, it no longer is the city with the longest championship drought out of the 4-sport cities.

The current longest 4-sport championship drought? Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

The Twins are the closest thing Minnesota has to a title contender. Lets see if the Twins can capture their first championship since 1991.

Ranking the Jazz Players 1-15 and a couple random notes

2008-10-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

1. Deron Williams
2. Carlos Boozer
3. Andrei Kirilenko
4. Memo Okur
5. Kyle Korver
6. Ronnie Brewer
7. Paul Millsap
8. Matt Harpring
9. Ronnie Price
10. Brevin Knight
11. CJ Miles
12. Kosta Koufus
13. Morris Almond
14. Jarron Collins
15. Kyrylo Fesenko

Yet to come:
16. Ante Tomic
17. Tadija Dragicevic

Note on depth/Bench: The depth of this team is ridiculous. I'm trying to be totally fair to all NBA teams when I say I can't think of another team with that kind of depth. Look at the bench players: Andrei Kirilenko, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, Matt Harpring, and even Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight. That 2nd team definitely wouldn't be the worst starting 5 in the league. If the starters can keep the games close, then the 2nd unit of the Jazz will crush opponents leading to several Jazz blowout victories.

Note on CJ: CJ Miles is arguably the worst player on the Jazz, yet he will start at SF. My guess is that the Jazz are trying to get Miles to have the same kind of season that Brewer had last year. Brewer was a seldom used, young player with loads of talent, who never did much when he played. But when he was stuck with Williams, Boozer, and Okur he exploded and became a marvelous player. Hopefully Miles will improve likewise by getting the bulk of his playing time with Williams, Boozer, and Okur. He should get lots of open looks if teams double-team the Jazz. Hey, if it worked for Brewer, then why not for Miles, who is just as (if not more) young and athletic.

Injury Note: Jazz announced that Williams will not play in the season opener tomorrow night.

Williams on ESPN Magazine Cover

2008-10-24T10:54:00.001-07:00

2008 NBA Predictions

2008-10-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

Final Standings

Eastern Conference
Atlantic
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia Sixers
Toronto Raptors
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks

Central
Cleveland Cavs
Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls
Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Pacers

Southeast
Orlando Magic
Washington Wizards
Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats

Western Conference
Pacific
Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Sacramento Kings

Southwest
New Orleans Hornets
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies

Northwest
Utah Jazz
Portland Trail Blazers
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder

West Playoffs
(1) Jazz over (8) Blazers
(4)Rockets over (5) Spurs
(3)Hornets over (6)Mavs
(2)Lakers over (7) Suns
Semi-Finals
Jazz over Rockets
Hornets over Lakers
Western Finals
Jazz over Hornets
NBA Finals
Jazz over Cavs

Awards:
MVP: LeBron James
Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan
PPG: LeBron James
APG: Deron Williams
ROY: Greg Oden
Most Improved: Ronnie Brewer
Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett
Most Declined: Steve Nash
Most Improved Team: Timberwolves

The Beatles learn to play Jazz

2008-10-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Andrei Kirilenko - Baby You're a Rich Man - Has any NBA player been payed so much to be the 6th man?

Morris Almond - Any Time at All - He'd be happy to get any NBA minutes after leading the D-League in scoring last year.

Kyrylo Fesenko - Back in the U.S.S.R. - Will he go to play in Ukraine again if he can't improve?

Jerry Sloan - In My Life - Will he ever win Coach of the Year in my lifetime?

Carlos Boozer - Can't Buy Me Love - Will he spurn the Jazz like he did the Cavs next offseason?

Ronnie Brewer - Carry that Weight - He put on 15 lbs. of muscle but will that slow him down?

Matt Harpring - Dr. Robert - Harpring's health could cause this to be his last season.

Jarron Collins - The End - Hopefully has come to his last season as mediocre backup center.

Kyle Korver - Fixing a Hole - Fixes a huge hole of 3 point specialist the Jazz have had.

Deron Williams - Getting Better - How much better can this guy get?

Memo Okur - I'm So Tired - Memo won't be saying this anymore after getting in the best shape of his career.

Paul Millsap - Here, There, and Everywhere - Millsap seems to be everywhere the ball is.

Ronnie Price - With a Little Help From My Friends - Hopefully he can lead the Jazz to victory with some help in Deron Williams absence.

Brevin Knight - Hello, Goodbye - This guy only has one year on a contract, could be a short stay with the Jazz.

CJ Miles - Twist and Shout - He's got to be happy he's in the starting lineup.

Kousta Koufos - Please Mr. Postman - This guy supposedly has extremely good manners, something Jerry Sloan likes.

D-Will

2008-10-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

So the latest word on D-Will is that his ankle injury will keep him out for at least 2 weeks - thus missing the first 3 games of the regular season. Korver spoke with D-Will yesterday, and Williams is trying to recover in time for the first game. I hope that if he does miss any games, that they won't be many and that the Jazz will win them. Remember last year in the wild west, just a couple of losses instead of wins made all the difference.

Garza for Young revisited

2008-10-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Matt Garza pitched a gem last night, putting the Rays in the World Series for the first time ever.
Twins fans will remember that Matt Garza was drafted, developed, and brought to the major leagues by the Minnesota Twins. In the offseason he was part of a trade that sent him to Tampa in exchange for Delmon Young and others. Delmon Young was rated the top prospect in all of baseball in 2006 and he was the #1 overall pick in the draft as well. He disappointed some with his 2008 campaign. I say to his critics: he was only 22, and those are pretty good numbers for a 22 year old. They were better numbers than Kirby Puckett's at his age.

And usually #1 prospects in all of baseball turn out to be star players. A look at some of the past Basball American top prospects:
2007: Dice K Matsuzaka
2006: Delmon Young
2005:Joe Mauer
2004:Joe Mauer
2003:Mark Teixiera
2002:Josh Beckett
2001:Josh Hamilton
and the list goes on. Come on, Dice K is the worst name on that list and lots of teams would love to have him. Garza is a great talent but if Young lives up to his potential, which he still will have lots of time to do, than the Twins will end up getting the better end of the deal. I remember lots of people complained about Mauer and Morneau's early major league careers. Morneau didn't have amazing numbers until mid-2006, even though he had been in the majors since around 2004.

Repeat: Delmon Young is a special talent and the Twins would be stupid to give up on him so early by trading him away.