Is Joe Mauer the next Mickey Avalon?

The word in the Minnesota Twin’s clubhouse is that Joe Mauer loves rap. I mean REALLY loves rap music. Rumor has it Mauer actually has a studio in his home where he can be occasionally heard dropping silly beats.

Let me paint this picture for you by laying out what we know about Mauer:

*He is white.
*He is 6’5’’.
*He has sideburns.
*He is a nerd.
*He is a HELL of a ball player.

In an attempt to visualize what Mauer would sound like rapping, centerfielder Denard Span provided one of the best quotes I have heard in years:

“Looking at him right now, I’m guessing it’s a cross between Vanilla Ice and Cypress Hill”

His guess is quite different than mine, considering I had pegged Mauer’s rapping abilities (or should I say Lil Joe) as a crazy hybrid of William Hung and Howie Long. One can only imagine the site of Mauer standing in line at the Mall of America waiting for his shot at American Idol glory.

We have to remember that Mauer was very close to signing with Florida State out of high school, only to sign with his hometown team, the Twins. If he would have ended up a Seminole, he would have been surrounded by a much different Entourage, potentially becoming the next Slim Shady. Fortunately for Mauer and Twins fans in Minnesota, he opted to pursue baseball and saved himself the potential embarrassment, which was happily assumed by a few NFL players you may have heard of from the University of Miami (or the “U”).

I think Mauer chose the right profession. Only 26 years old, Mauer has already won 3 batting titles, 3 silver slugger awards, and MVP award and 2 Gold Gloves. He’s a career .328 hitter who had the best offensive season of any catcher in Major League history in 2009. He’s already off to a good start this year, hitting .344 and driving in 20. Mauer is positioned for a third gold glove and well in line for another batting title.

Who knows if Mauer would have reached prominence as a professional rapper, in fact, who CARES. The man is so talented that he probably would have been the next big thing and opened concerts at Target Field with Jay-z rapping “Minnesota State of Mind”.

Oh well Joe, just don’t let this stuff leak.

Wait, it already has…courtesy of Alright-Hamilton Blog:

Socializin' and speaking was never my forté

But I learned all I need from my dad's Hit Away

Ya know I could have gone and played football at Florida State

But hometown guy, playin for the Twins, yeah it was fate

Now I play in Minneapolis underneath a dome

I hit bombs, write rhymes and rock my sideburn comb

I put a studio in my house so I can work on my flow,

but when I'm stumblin on my words, I just say, 'ya know'

chorus:

A sweet swing in the spring, you know I'm Joe Mauer

Takin on all comers in the summers, and now I've got power

Still playin ball in the fall, hittin homers by the hour

If you didn't know then, by now ya know I'm Joe Mauer

Millions of marriage proposals every night is what I gets

and I'm not sure the occupation in which I'll have more hits

Ya know it hasn't always been money and fame

I had to go thru hell before garnering this acclaim

and my road to the top has never been told

I never got no movie like 8 mile road

Middle class S.T.P, and a private catholic school

You think that sounds easy but I think that you're a fool

[chorus]

Tons of natural talent won't get you to the top

unless you're workin' hard, you'll be a Delmon - flop

I wasn't built to withstand this kind of prominence

I've had to block it out to maintain that dominance

I'd strike out once and I was on the front page

Ya know that ain't too easy at such a susceptible age

And through all that I became a better man

Ya know I could hit .350 with just a frying pan

[chorus]

"The Pacific" wrapping up Sunday

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to view the HBO miniseries The Pacific, I encourage you to either find a friend with OnDemand or immediately purchase the series when it comes out on DVD. HBO had invested more money and resources into this TV series than any series in modern history. The series follows the lives of three marines (Eugene Sledge, John Basilone, and Robert Leckie) spread throughout the Pacific Theatre during different stages in the war.

I had been anticipating this series ever since I received the Band of Brothers DVD set for a Christmas gift my freshmen year of college. Now, I am a pretty big World War 2 fanatic, so obviously it was not hard for me to get into either of the series. The interesting thing has been the response of my friends who had not been huge fans of the war.

In viewing this series, one must be prepared to be challenged, as the majority of the action scenes are gruesome beyond belief. Whereas Band of Brothers had a tone of commonality and cohesion, The Pacific resonates with its portrayal of destruction and corruption of the human mind. What the Marines on Pelilu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa saw is beyond our understanding, even with a portrayal as true as the Pacific. Tom Hanks had described this war as one of "racism", which, to my displeasure, was an unneeded opinion for a series that just needed, well, to BE. What grabs the viewer's attention are not the words and stories told by the soldiers, but the actions and outcomes, which often cause you to question how far the soldiers have slipped mentally. I cannot even imagine what my actions would be in situations that dire and I hope I never have to.

The one character I do encourage careful judgement being passed upon is Eugene Sledge. He is quite the unlikeable character in the beginning, not for his actions, but for his LACK of action. Slowly and surely, Sledge gives in to the hardships and atrocities of battle, culminating in Episode 8 with a chilling portrayal of pure innocence becoming forever corrupted.

I won't give away much more, but I really do encourage all of you to give this a shot. While you wait, go grab Band of Brothers and you will get a light taste of what The Pacific has to offer. I must warn you, be willing to be moved, both mentally and in your stomach. It's important we all are willing to hear the story of those who made our lives possible today. We must never forget the sacrifice so many gave upon the alter of freedom.

The light of America burns brightly because of the men of the Pacific and the dream that was and still is the United States can live on because of their sacrifice.

Forget Stephen Strasburg, give me Kyle Gibson!

Sorry for the delay in posting, I was sorting out some Life issues this past week. Needless to say, there should be plenty of time for new posts in the weeks to come...

I was expecting a slight derailment on the Kyle Gibson express that rolled through Fort Myers on its way to New Britain, Connecticut, but to my surprise, the train kept chugging along. This time it was the Harrisburg Senators who were caught with their foot in the tracks.

Gibson tossed 7 1/3 brilliant innings on his way to a 6-0 route of Harrisburg in his Double-A debut Saturday night. He struck out 10, breaking his previous career record of 8 strikeouts while at High-A Fort Myers. Gibson had been promoted to New Britain after a sparkling stretch in the Florida State League, going a combined 4-1 with one shutout, a 1.87 ERA and 40 strikeouts. Between Fort Myers and New Britain, he's posted a 5-1 record with a 1.60 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

Normally I would have waited to see how Gibson responded after a real rough outing before singing my praises; however, he hasn't done anything but get people out. Although that rough outing is sure to happen in the future, it's more than exciting for Twins fans who haven't seen a true #1 in the rotation since Johan Santana (apologies to Franky Liriano, who may have a claim to this title if he hadn't had the TJ surgery). Gibson is still a decent ways away from the big league roster, but if this production continues, he may be looking at Target Field sometime in 2011.

Gibson had been overshadowed in the 2009 MLB draft by consensus #1 pick Stephen Strasburg out of San Diego State University. The talk in Washington was that Strasburg was so good that not only would he resurrect the struggling Nationals and their fan base, but also would fix the economy, run for President, and use his 101 MPH fastball to shoot down incoming missiles from Iran. Word on the street is the C.I.A. used Strasburg in what appeared to be a failed attempt at restoring balance in Cuba. Strasburg went #1 as expected, but an arm injury to Gibson left several teams afraid to invest in the 6'6'' 208 lb right-hander from Missouri. He fell into the Twins lap at #22 and they grabbed him without hesitation. Long story short, Gibson found out the injury that so many feared as a potential TJ surgery was just a stress fracture in his forearm. The Twins had lucked out.

The report on Gibson's stuff was that he brought a low 90's fastball with a nice sink and pinpoint control. His slider had alot of bite, clocking in around 81-84 MPH with an-above average sink. His changeup was right around the same speed, with great control and a nice delivery. The only real concern was that the breaking ball would take some time to become as consistent as the fastball and changeup.

So far, all the reports on Gibson have been stellar. While he's still a good full season or so away from the big leagues, he's providing a glimpse of the Twins future that is sure to involve Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, and hopefully Brian Duensing. While that certainly isn't a starting five that makes teams lose sleep, it has the makings of a well-balanced rotation that throws strikes and keeps the Twins in games late.

The true test, as stated before, will be the rebound outing for Gibson. Some may argue that his debut at Fort Myers was his rough outing, but any season debut should be taken with a grain of salt. It'll be interesting to see his production at Double-A once teams get a second chance at him and he's forced to make adjustment. Regardless, Gibson is the guy to watch over the next 18 months, not Aaron Hicks. With Carl Pavano certainly gone after the season, Twins fans may want to circle their calendar for June 2011. Yeah, I'm throwing my guess out there, pending a healthy year for Gibson at New Britain.

I'm sure Strasburg will be shining in the nation's capital in a few weeks, but for the Twins, grabbing a guy with Gibson's talent at a reduced price is enough to make them salivate. I think we all look forward to welcoming Mr. Gibson at Target Field in 2011.

Putting the Hard(y) Days Behind Him

Two days after the New York Yankees won the World Series last year, J.J. Hardy was awaken from his sleep by Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who proceeded to inform him he was being traded to the Minnesota Twins. Hardy, fresh off a disappointing 2009 campaign that saw him toiling around during the Dog Days of August at Triple A, wasn’t surprised in the least bit:

“I expected to get traded, I knew I was getting traded, (but) I didn’t know where I was going. When I got the call and was told it was the Twins, I was pretty excited.”

For the average Minnesota Twins fan, it’s easy to understand his excitement. A new ballpark, competitive team, and all-around respected organization would be a few of the many reasons why. But for Hardy, the real reason was beyond anything most of us could ever understand.

“I swung out of my shoes. About halfway through, my shoulder pops out and swings around my body. I go down and I knew I needed surgery right then.”

It’s early in the 2004 season for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis. Hardy has just swung at a pitch so hard that he tore the front and back of the labrum in his left shoulder and suffered damage to the shoulder capsule. A promising start that was sure to include a trip to the Big Leagues ended with a ticket home; Hardy’s season was over.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Hardy said. “It was a shoulder injury that who knows if you’re going to come back from or not.”

Openly admitting he didn’t handle the injury well, Hardy was facing a long battle back – a battle that would include his best friend and older brother, Logan.

The Hardy boys grew up playing sports together; Logan was a star golf, tennis, and volleyball player who had a bright future on the links. But that future would never become reality, as Logan’s girlfriend got pregnant and he joined the Army. Ultimately, Logan would end up in Iraq, only to return to Arizona in 2004, right at the time brother JJ was handling his own personal issues.

Together, the Hardy boys dove into a deep and dark depression: JJ dealing with a potential shattered dream and Logan dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress in light of his experience overseas. Other than his occasional rehab for the shoulder, the two stayed put, moving in together and even ordering in food in favor of venturing out into Tempe.

Said Hardy, “We’d go out at night, sit in the hot tub for like 40 minutes and just talk. That’s where we would get everything off our chests. He talked about stuff he saw in Iraq, talked about stuff he had to do…how he felt he screwed up and had so many opportunities and got married to the wrong person”

Together, they reached a point where both were able to see the light they so desperately needed. For Hardy, that meant getting the shoulder back in shape and changing his attitude. Hardy eventually made it to the Show, becoming an All-Star in 2007 and smashing 26 home runs and driving in 80. He followed that up in 2008 with another solid season, hitting 24 home runs with 74 driven in. His stock had gone through the roof and much was expected in 2009.

“I was really hard on myself. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right. If I had a 2-for-4 day or a 1-for-3 day, which is pretty decent, it wasn’t good enough for me. I came to the ballpark in a bad mood the next day. I just kind of learned to not be so hard on myself.”

Hardy’s ’09 campaign was full of mental struggles and mechanical failures. Both being out of whack, Hardy batted .228 in June and July, followed by an anemic .190 in August. Hardy was shipped back to Triple-A until his call up in September, where he split time with prospect Alcides Escobar.

Hardy wasn’t sure where he would be next. That is, until the Twins came calling.

Now 28 games into the season, Hardy is the starting short-stop on arguably the best team in baseball, having committed zero errors in the field and hitting a respectable .250 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Just yesterday, Hardy single-handedly won the Twins a game that appeared to be slipping away.

With two outs and the go-ahead run at second, Hardy ranged to his right on a ground ball in the hole, fully extending to cut a ball that surely would have scored a run. Having the awareness to stay with the play, he threw behind the over-anxious Tiger runner at third, who round the bag with his head down. A Nick Punto tag-out brought JJ Hardy to the plate with one out and no one on. A long, deep fly ball to left put Hardy on third and the win only 90 feet away. A wild pitch with Wilson Ramos at the plate scored Hardy, the game-winning run, and brought mayhem from the Twin’s dugout.

For Hardy and the Twins, 2010 has gotten off to a better start than either could have dreamed of.

“It’s a great organization, a great team. (They) have a lot of fun, play the game right, it’s good; I am off to a good start.” said Hardy.

Hardy has come a long way since those dark days shacked up in his Tempe apartment. He learned from his mistakes and persevered, relaxing and learning to start over.

It’s exactly what he needed. And exactly what the Twins needed. They finally have the shortstop they’ve been looking for.

Hardy finally has a place to call home.

Time to Slam(a) the door on Crain

I hate to do this.

Really, I hate to make comparisons for players who compete at different levels, ESPECIALLY players who face Triple-A competition as opposed to the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira on a daily basis.

But in the case of a certain Twins middle reliever, it's time to draw the line. Yeah, I'm talking about #28. You know, the guy who spent the majority of his relief appearance against Detroit last week facing the fence?

My Dad has decided to constantly remind me about an afternoon in August of 2004, the day Jesse Crain made his major league debut. I had proudly proclaimed Crain to be the second coming of Bob Gibson, strapped with a mid-high 90's fastball and sharp breaking ball that caused opponent's to have their lunch rearranged. Crain appeared in 22 games that year, posting a 2.00 ERA. Take that Dad. Over the course of the next 2 seasons, he continued to be successful, posting consecutive sub-4.00 ERA's. Really, take THAT Dad!

I'm not sure what happened next (possibly a little too much fan love), but Crain just lost it. After 2007, Crain couldn't get anyone out. Fast forward through a demotion to the minors and two terrible years and we come to 2010. Crain still can't get anyone out. He's becoming unusable.

A quick hop, skip, and a jump to the East and you'll arrive in Rochester, NY, home to the world's first voting-machine and a fellow by the name of Anthony Slama. A 26-year old righthanded reliever, Slama has torn through the Twins minor league system like a bat out of hell. Before the 2010 season, Slama saved 54 games while compiling a minor league career 1.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 13.3 K/9. Pretty much domination at every level possible, except the Show.

How do Slama's numbers compare to Crain's when looking at 2008 through today?





Now here's a look at Slama compared to Crain THIS year:





Now Crain has been facing major league pitching for those two years, minus a stint in triple A last year. Slama has been dominating at all three levels in the minor leagues. His strikeout totals are BEYOND impressive and overall he's managed to keep from blowing up. I'm not saying that Slama's numbers would be the same if he had faced major league pitching that whole time, but it's quite alarming.

Both of these guys are in the same age range and when one (Crain) is declining heavily, the other is starting to take off. Crain's problem is and always will be a lack of movement on his mid-90's fastball. What hurts even more is the fact that his off-speed stuff has nosedived as well.

Now I know the season is early and to draw from such a small sample can be misleading. But take those stats out a little further, regardless of competition level, and you notice one guy (Slama) continuously dominating while the other is continuously weakening.

It's time the Twin's put aside their love affair for Jesse Crain. I did a long time ago. For a bullpen that is clearly hurting, it may not be a bad idea to bring in some fresh blood. If anything, let Alex Burnett, a kid with tons of potential, go pitch his way into a bullpen spot the same way Slama has. It's time to give this kid a chance.

A sub 1.00 WHIP for Slama over the last two years is a pretty clear indication of where his production level has been and where he may end up. Sure, he will struggle and hit his bumps in the road, but after Crain's disastrous performance in Detroit, it's time to let Crain go.

I hate to admit it, but in the end, Dad was right. Again.