What are Twins' needs as they enter second half?
Following are opinions from Mille Lacs County Times editor-sports editor Gary Larson, reporter Luther Dorr and former Times intern Logan Marxhausen who’s now on the sports staff at the St. Cloud State University Chronicle. Note: This feature is written on Monday each week.
********
•Question: After leading the American League Central Division for most of the first half of the season, the Minnesota Twins find themselves in third place heading into play following the all-star break. What most needs to happen for the Twins to win another division title?
-Dorr: The pitchers have to pitch nearly as well on the road as they do at home and the hitters still have to get more hits with runners in scoring position. Early in the season when the Twins were doing well, when the team failed to sweep a series, sometimes against mediocre opposition, we constantly heard the manager and players say they “won the series.” I didn’t think that was good enough then and it has come back to haunt. Don’t settle for two out of three against Kansas City or Cleveland – sweep the series. Develop that killer instinct that the real good teams have. Simply because there are more than 70 games left the Twins still have a chance. But they need to make a statement against the red-hot White Sox in the series at home this week or it could be a disappointing season.
-Marxhausen: The Twins went from never losing a series in the first month of the season to July during which they have lost all three. They clearly are getting out-played. The lack of a solid bullpen has really hurt and the bullpen needs to get better for the Twins to contend. Justin Morneau has been known to go into a slump towards the end of the season and is needed now more than ever. He is already having a great season and is being asked to carry much of the offensive load. More production out of Michael Cuddyer, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young and Jim Thome is also needed. The starting pitching staff also needs to improve.
-Larson: Right now, the Twins’ biggest need is to get healthy and stay healthy. When is Justin Morneau going to return? Reports say that Joe Mauer is tired and hurting. Will this duo be close to 100 percent in September?
After that, it’s the starting pitching. The Twins’ starters need to avoid those early-inning slumps and pitch deeper into the game. The less stress put on the team’s very average bullpen, the better.
********
•Question: Do you think the AL Central will continue to be a three-team race? In what order do Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit finish?
-Dorr: It will be a three-team race for much of the season unless one team puts together a hot streak like the White Sox have had lately. Both Detroit and the White Sox have lost a key pitcher and that might help the Twins. If I knew what order the three teams were going to finish in, I’d cash in an IRA and take it to Las Vegas. I’d like to see it be Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago.
-Marxhausen: Minnesota is known for battling down the stretch. Can Detroit and Chicago continue to prosper? Miguel Cabrera has led the Tigers to the top of the division and ace Freddy Garcia and a hot pitching staff have led Chicago’s surge. I see the White Sox as the most complete team under and in good place to take control of the rest of the season. The Tigers and the Twins will be in tight competition.
-Larson: ESPN has tabbed Minnesota’s remaining schedule as the third easiest in baseball, behind only Cincinnati and St. Louis. Hopefully, that will silence the whining by the TV duo of Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven over how unfair the Twins’ inter-league schedule was. You play who’s on the schedule. Sometimes it’s fair, sometimes it’s not.
It’s possible the Central Division winner will be determined by a playoff game for the third year in a row. Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit are pretty equal, with each having major strengths and weaknesses. They play each other frequently from here on in and the battle of wits between Ron Gardenhire of the Twins, Jim Leyland of the Tigers and Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox should be interesting. Detroit, behind ace Justin Verlander and explosive Miguel Cabrera, prevails, with Chicago two games back and the Twins three games out.
********
•Question: Since 2003 the league that wins baseball’s All-Star Game has been awarded home-field advantage in the World Series. What’s the best way of determine home-field advantage?
1. The All-Star game is a good way. It provides incentive to the players to win.
2. Base home-field advantage on the results of inter-league play.
3. Award home-field advantage to the team that had the best regular-season record. In case of a tie, flip a coin.
4. Go back to alternating it year by year.
-Dorr: I wouldn’t mind if it alternated year to year as it did before. I also wouldn’t mind if the home-field advantage went to the team with the best record in the regular season. But don’t base it on what happens in the All-Star Game. Do you think a player from Baltimore or Pittsburgh, or Cleveland or Kansas City, for that matter, cares at the end of the game who wins and loses? Those teams have no chance of being in the World Series and therefore the players have little incentive other than pride in their individual performance.
-Marxhausen: The change to home-field advantage being based on the All-Star Game was a brilliant idea. Basing home-field advantage on regular-season records doesn’t allow for the strength of schedules. One team may have had weaker teams to compete against regardless of their talent. The game provides the best players in the league the chance to gain home-field advantage for potentially their own team, which gives much incentive for those players to actually care about the game’s outcome.
-Larson: Using the All-Star Game to decide home-field advantage seemed like a good idea. But now, with numerous players voted to the team unable to play or choosing not to play, determining what can be a big factor in the World Series based on the game is a bad idea. That World Series edge could be decided by one fluke play, an error or an umpire’s controversial call.
My choice would be to let the results of inter-league play be the deciding factor.
*******
•Question: LeBron James has made “The Decision” to leave Cleveland and join fellow stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. What did you think of last week’s proceedings?
-Dorr: I’m proud to report that I did not watch the TV program about that decision, nor have I read anything about it since. The NBA has turned into a league that is more about show than substance, and my interest in pro basketball has waned greatly. I have little desire to watch the league anymore and little desire to watch the Miami team on which James will play. You could argue that ESPN had to say yes to the programming but I lost some respect for that network when it fell under the spell of James and carried the program. It would be nice to see the Miami team fall on its collective face.
-Marxhausen: I thought that LeBron James made the best decision for LeBron James. I thought for the sake of playing with a “team,” James would have chosen to play with Chicago. With the addition of Carlos Boozer and the combination of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, I thought the King would have bit. The opportunity to play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh is too good to pass up. A lot of people are upset because the Akron Hammer decided to leave, especially the Cavaliers’ owner and the state of Ohio, but the best chance for winning and clear domination in the league is now at the fingertips of this trio. The talent in those players is great, but an injury could hurt Miami’s playoff hopes. I am excited to see those three play together this upcoming season.
-Larson: I am embarrassed to say that I was among the 9.8 million people who watched last Thursday’s train wreck. I’m even more embarrassed to admit I watched parts of the subsequent “party” in Miami the following night. I felt more than a little uneasy watching James announce his decision. The whole process was a bit sleazy. A standard press conference would’ve been better.
As a free agent, James was free to decide his future. It was his choice, one he earned by playing out his contract. He said “winning is the most important thing for me” and Miami was the best choice for that to happen. Nothing wrong with that.
He didn’t “owe” the Cavaliers or the city of Cleveland or state of Ohio anything. He played hard and well for the Cavaliers, raising the team from “also-ran” status to title contender. He listened to the Cavalier offer and chose to reject it. But, for James, Wade and Bosh to say they made “sacrifices” to join forces with the Heat is appalling – they already had tons of money and their new contracts added tons more.
Comparisons between James and Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers should now end. Bryant led LA to its second-straight playoff title just a few weeks ago and was “the man” in doing so. James won’t be able to do that in Miami. Whatever titles Miami wins will be the result of it hitting the jackpot in free agency, not because of James or Wade, individually.
James carried the load in Cleveland and he carried it well. Apparently, it became too heavy.
How will the Heat do? Many fans and media are already handing multiple titles to the team, starting right away next season.
An 18-2 Miami start to the 2010-2011 season isn’t far-fetched but a 10-10 start would make for better reading.
********
•Question: The World Soccer Cup is over, with Spain topping the Netherlands 1-0 in the title match. What are your final thoughts on the tournament?
-Dorr: Didn’t see any of the final game live and I guess that sums up, for me, the World Cup, or WC as some like to say. If it had been a rainy Sunday afternoon I might have watched, but it wasn’t and I didn’t. If the World Cup was being played in a nearby city and the U.S. was playing I would try to make it to a game.
-Marxhausen: The finals were a tremendous contest that no person would have put odds on coming into the World Cup. The tournament itself was a roller coaster ride that had all predictions questioned after an intense match-up such as Brazil losing to the Netherlands. I did have an issue with the officiating and the mistakes that had great costs for some big soccer countries. The United States and England cases were widely known, but mistakes were made further into in the tournament as well. Even the championship game had offside calls that brought some plays, not to mention goals, back. Instant replay is making its strongest argument at the moment.
-Larson: After the U.S. was eliminated my interest diminished and I kept up with the tournament by watching ESPN highlights and browsing over newspaper accounts. I did flick the channel from the Twins-Tigers game Sunday to the title game. Both Spain and the Netherlands appeared to be highly energized.
I don’t think the World Cup will provide the big boost for the sport in the U.S. enthusiasts were hoping for. Unlike many of the countries where soccer is No. 1, there are simply too many other things going on in the U.S. for soccer to grab national attention.
********
Do you have an opinion on any of this week’s questions? Do you agree or disagree with the sportswriters? Let us know by sending an e-mail to editor.millelacscotimes@ecm-inc.com or a note to Mille Lacs County Times, 225 S.W. 2nd St. Milaca, MN 56353. Or comment online.
