Twins 34-34 on 6/18

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:46 am

I have remained a huge Twins fan over the years but because of expansion and all I dont know the players on other teams like I used to , especially guys in the NL. But still I watch ESPN Baseball Tonight and stuff

But I have never heard of Gil Meche and if my life depended on it, I wouldnt be able to tell you what team he is on.

55 mil for a guy I never heard of.

Neutron 14 · Post by **Neutron 14** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:33 pm

packerboy wrote: But I have never heard of Gil Meche and if my life depended on it, I wouldnt be able to tell you what team he is on.

55 mil for a guy I never heard of.

I read this and chuckled PB. I thought it was just me who was "out of the loop" with this guy. At these prices, the revenue stream created by a new stadium will be a faucet drip compared to New York and Boston.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:01 am

Career backup catcher Toby Hall (31) signs 2 year/$3.5 million deal. I've never heard of him. My understanding was that spending was going to slow down because of the new CBA, I guess not. If backup catchers are worth $1.75/year I hate to think what a suds will cost at the park now.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:35 am

Well, ChrisKs hero has, as expected, hung em up.

They say its his shoulder but packerboy has it on reliable sources that it was really his neck that did him in. Thats right, it was injured from all of the turnring early in the game to watch balls going in the gap or over the fence. (rim shot)

He will be missed.

For the first time in a while, the makeup of thier staff is shakey.

Santana, Bonser, Garza ,Silva, and Baker is what it looks like unless a free agent, trade or a surprise shows up.

How do we feel about that?

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:07 pm

Zito inks 7yr/$125 million with the Giants. If that's the going rate for a good lefty. What will Santana command in '09?

goldy313 · Post by **goldy313** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:40 pm

That's roughly 18 million per year, or in Terry Ryans terms, 25% of his entire payroll. The thing the Twins got going for them is the new stadium opening up in 2010 (?) should allow them to spend some money.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:01 am

How much more revenue can a new stadium generate?

I dont know if its enough to keep Mauer, Morneau, and Santana.

I thought this salary explosion would have leveled off by now but it keeps getting worse for small markets.

Zito gets 7 years? He has got to be close to 30yrs old.

Insanity.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:14 am

Barry Zito, born 5/13/78

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:26 am

Zito's Numbers
Age: 28
Career Record: 102-63
ERA: 3.55
Throws: Left
New Deal: 7yrs/$126 million

Santana in 2 years when current deal expires
Age: 30
Projected Career Record: 114-55
Projected ERA: 3.09
Throws: Left

Add two years of inflation, does the old man(you know he'll still be around) make sure he retires a Twin?

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:29 am

So he will be 29 when the season starts and his deal will end when he is 35.

I suppose he could pitch that long.

Still, its nuts.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Post by **EREmpireStrikesBack** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 2:28 pm

The Rocket's still pitching and he's like 42...

I really hope that we lock up Morneau, Mauer, Santana and eventually Liriano to retire as Twins.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:13 am

I was channel surfing last night during halftime and I ran into FSN replaying a Twins game from June 13.
It was an extra inning game vs Boston and the Twins won on a Kubel walk off grand salami. Santana started and gave up 1 run pitching 8.

What a great idea.

They should do one a week at the same time.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:08 am

I just found our discussion of that game.

It is in Twins Rotation, page 6.

Interesting what was being discussed at that time.

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:36 am

Pitchers and catchers report to camp in just over a month, the hot topic will once again be the Twins here at the cafe. Do we start a new thread, or continue this one, we could set some records with thread length.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:45 am

We should keep this one going.

Its fun to go back and see what we said.

We are all so full of crap its unbelieveable.

I predicted it would be the best Twins team ever not to make the playoffs, and they won the division.

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:52 am

I like that idea.

We've all made our fair share of shoddy predictions, but that's what makes it fun. When we're right, it's that much sweeter.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:47 pm

I don't see any reason to move the discussion, it makes it a lot easier to go back and be accountable for some of the stuff we are way off on.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Post by **EREmpireStrikesBack** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 4:47 pm

Does that include all the Bret Boone stuff?

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:47 am

No ER, that was in a thread that we had going in '05.

It was some funny stuff and Bret gave us some great material to work with.

ChrisK · Post by **ChrisK** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:56 am

That was funny, whatever happened to Hillhockey? Packerboy must have scared him off, making him stick to the Boonewatch. I'll admit to being wrong on that one.

The 9 million that Radke was getting doesn't look all that bad in today's insane market. If I remember right, Gile Meche pitched for Seattle last year with a .500 record and about 4.0-4.5 ERA. OK, I had to look it up, his ERA was 4.48, record was 11-7, pretty much exactly what Radke put up last year. Meche is only 27 so the Royals apparently feel he'll pick it up.

This has been a disappointing offseason for the Twins. The conundrum is that they have to overpay for any free agent talent but they don't improve themselves by doing nothing which is basically what they've done so far. They haven't signed any pitchers and much as I like the young arms I don't think we can make the playoffs with Johan and four fledgling pitchers.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:11 am

Don't look for the suits to be adding anyone of significance this year, next year, or beyond. They are already saving and stockpiling the cash in order to resign their three very expensive stars down the road. Santana, Morneau, and Mauer will all need to be resigned when their current paper expires. It is possible those three could consume 80% of their entire payroll in the event they all get a new deal.

Look forward to a steady diet of the Ken Harvey and Tony Batista types, Rondell most likely represents a very high end addition, if you can believe it.

Neutron 14 · Post by **Neutron 14** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:20 am

Irishmans Shanty wrote:I don't see any reason to move the discussion, it makes it a lot easier to go back and be accountable for some of the stuff we are way off on.

What happens after page 99? Does the world end?

If not, lets continue what IS started on umm... what was the date? Keep it going until the Twins win the World Series.

State Champ 97 · Post by **State Champ 97** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:25 am

The Twins aren't going to sign anybody new of real significance until they are in their new ball park and they can see what their revenues actually are.

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:39 pm

It's official, Sidney Ponson is a Twin. He was inked to a minor league contract today.

LINK

EREmpireStrikesBack · Post by **EREmpireStrikesBack** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:13 am

Can't hurt us.

Unless he sits on Joe Mauer.