ITS OFFICIAL= SEASON IS OVER

[zamboni]

7 hours to go see two teams who for decades are the biggest mismanaged, pathetic, disappointing baseball teams in the american league? Now that’s funny right there. And a preposterous statement.... I'd go for the ribs (most defintiely), certaninly not for cubs and royals baseball.

Read my statement above. The games a bonus.

[Born2Fish]

I agree. I myself just got to see a game at Target Field. We got some dugout box seats, right above the Twins dugout. And it was awesome. Just the whole atmosphere is amazing. Seeing them play somewhere else other than the dome was great. Plus there is just so much else you can do there if the game gets ugly. I would gladly pay good money to go there again just to take it all in.

[zamboni]

hey, your Royals could pick him up then! He's good for 4.5 RBIs a month!

I will bet you Cuddys here long after "Mr Pulls a Rib ironically at the all you can eat rib night" <------- worlds longest nickname. Glad you got to pat yourself on the back for the first half of last season, Chubs has been non existant since then.

[SledNeck]

It would be a smart move to keep cuddy around long after this season at 10mil +.

Where would we be without his 11 RBIs ???(one more than Young, we dont need to say how many games each played either)

Enjoy your vacation in Kansas City. Dont get a sunburn on the beach.

[genegodawa]

Wrigley is still a draw....no matter how many overpaid guys are on the team.

But I couldn't tell you how many are Corporate America tix.

The average Gene can't afford it anymore.

PS Besides, even with great seats, I would still have to peek my way around all those vendors and that really burns my britches---I'll take HD and a coupla cheap tall frostys just fine at home while I also root against the WSox.

Having said that, can't the Twins PLEASE pick it up a notch to finish ahead of Windy's loveaffair team?

PPS Windy, what the h e double toothpicks happened to our Bulls????

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

A dozen Depends and a box of baby wipes going out to our beloved Bulls as they continue to soil themselves in the series. Boyz, got to win one in South Beach no matter how you slice it. Stomp them in Chi Town, squeek by in South Beach and then Kattie Bar the Door, let the games begin!

Windy

[greebs]

Ok. I'm ready to give up on the season now. Didn't take as long as I thought it would.

Here's an interesting read on some possible unloading.

http://espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post/_/id/128/top-5-potential-sellers-at-trade-deadline

interesting that a national media guy thinks cuddyer has what sounds like significant trade value. I'd say if you got a team that thinks he's valuable, you jump all over that trade. I personally think Kubel has much higher trade value given his salary is 1/2 cud's but guess them being free agents at end of year plays into this.

I really like Thome and hope he can latch onto to a team that can contend for a title as long as it's not the yankees. Gotta think his career is about over so wouldn't mind seeing a guy like that going out on top.

have to think Pavano could be added to that list.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

interesting that a national media guy thinks cuddyer has what sounds like significant trade value. I personally think Kubel has much higher trade value given his salary is 1/2 cud's but guess them being free agents at end of year plays into this.

You answered your own question. Obviously based on the age and years in the league Kubel will command a higher salary so from a financial standpoint you would get a better bargain with Cuddy and better all around player of course.

I would agree although slightly Cuddy would have a higher trade value based on over-all play. Yes Kubels has a slightly higher career average than Cuddy .274 to .270 which is minimal at best. Throw in Mr Strike-outs "kubel" numbers and his career average against lefty's it adds up to Cuddy being worth more to just about ever team unless your looking for a left handed DH or pinch hitter with some pop that strikes out a lot.

Hence people who work and cover baseballs opinion that Cuddy has a higher trade value..

I know hindsight is 20-20 and I under stand why they didn't dump this player but we should have traded Delmon last year which is pretty evident at this point. We actually, maybe could have got something decent for him versus the sack of potatoes we'll get for Cuddy, Kubel or Delmon now..

[10,000 Casts]

Bye bye Cuddy, I'd like to see Delmoney go too but I guess he doesn't have as much value as Cuddy, even with his huge salary... Should have traded Delmon last year when he was hitting out of his shoes and was actually worth something... Well, that came and went pretty fast..

[DonBo]

Okay, so when you get rid of all these guys, who do you think is going to come in here, for less money and fill those spots? Geez, you all want someone for half price and twice the results. Ain't gonna happen guys, ain't gonna happen.

[jwmiller33]

you all want someone for half price and twice the results. Ain't gonna happen guys, ain't gonna happen.

+1

[Getanet]

We can just bring all the talent up from our farm system. Guys like....and um....well that's embarrassing.

[greebs]

I think the reality of it is that in baseball, when you are a team with a high payroll that flops, quite often you become sellers as trade deadline nears as teams that think they can contend become buyers. Sellers often trade players who are on the upper end of their payroll and are in contract years. In return they get prospects.

Our twins are now a higher payroll team so unless something drastic happens, they fit the mold of seller. There's always players out there to fill holes of the guys that are traded albeit they might not be that good. Unfortunately, our farm system is basically nearly the equivalent of a bare cupboard so we may be in for a bit of a rebuilding period.

[Bran32]

I do not know what's worse, the bullpen or Gardenhire's insistance on taking out someone who is pitching a good game because he hit that terrible 100 pitch mark!!!! Say what you want but Gardenhire has to GO!! This team needs new blood all around! Really sad to watch them! I know I'll get ripped for that comment but change can be good and it can't get any worse!

[zepman]

Can't stand the pitch count...really, really can't stand it. Thought the same thing tonight when Gardy took him out.

We have nothing to turn to in the pen.

[Bran32]

After seeing him pull Baker with 106 pitches last night, that was my final straw! Especially knowing that you have the worst bullpen in the big leagues!! Ridiculous

[mrklean]

good win tonight

[Jim Almquist]

It was a present to DonBo for his birthday

Thought we might get a chance to see a No-No

[zamboni]

My question is, is Bill Smith really this horrible, or are the Pohlads handcuffing him? When I lived in KC, one season it was made a big deal that David Glass lifted spending restrictions on Allard Baird when he was GM, but in reality he was a really poor GM.

If a guy owned a racecar and finished second or third week after week, he would try to do something different. We are like that, one and done in the playoffs, yet not trying to sign talent in the offseason. We obviously do not have a World Champion caliber roster, sign someone!! I never even hear of them meeting with FA's during the off season.

[zepman]

Get ready for a whole lot more of the same Zamboni...with Mauer's contract, the Twins are now handcuffed just as the T-Wolves were with Garnett.

BIG difference is...Garnett brought it EVERY night.

[Harmonica Bear]

Interseting stuff today on SI.com's Inside Baseball

"

The Twins are toast and the baseball season in Chicago is virtually over. Harsh as that may sound before summer has even arrived, history tells us nothing short of historic comebacks can save the seasons of the Twins, Cubs and White Sox.

People like to talk about the integrity of 162 games in determining the quality of teams. Folks, you don't need nearly that many games to separate the good teams from the bad ones. The late Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson said it took about two months to identify the contenders and the pretenders. Anderson came to such an observation without benefit of research and before the six-division format and wild cards. Well, guess what: Sparky knew what he was talking about. Sparky's Law still works.

Even with wild cards, and despite the life ring of rare outliers such as the 2005 Astros to cling to, teams that are bad for the first two months of the season almost never make the playoffs. So with June arriving tomorrow, now is the perfect time to cast aside all the blather about waiting for a trade or guys coming back from injuries or the weather warming up and stick to the facts about the near impossibility of bad teams mounting some historically great charge to the postseason.

I looked at where every team stood in the standings through May 31 in the 15 full seasons with the wild card format (1996-2010). I checked the closest they were to any playoff spot, whether it was the division title or the wild card. Here are the facts:

• Of the 143 teams that began June at least five games under .500, 136 didn't make the playoffs -- a 95.1 percent failure rate.

• Of the 184 teams at least five games out of any playoff spot, 174 didn't make the playoffs -- a 94.6 percent failure rate.

• Of the 126 teams both at least five games under and five games out, 121 didn't make the playoffs, a 96.0 failure rate.

• Coming back from two bad months in the AL in particular -- where the Yankees and Red Sox set high wild-card bars - is virtually impossible. Only one AL team in the wild card era began June more than five games under .500 and wound up in the playoffs: the 2007 Yankees (22-29 on May 31).

Now you understand why the Twins are done. At 17-35, they are 18 games under .500 and 12 games out of a playoff spot. They are an abysmal offensive team -- worse than the 1962 Mets at this point and a challenge to the 2010 Mariners as one of the most inept hitting teams ever with use of the DH. They have the worst bullpen ERA in the league. Any personnel move Minnesota makes this summer should be done to improve the 2012 team, not this one. With huge advance ticket sales, Minnesota will have a hard time selling this reality to its fans."

[thatoneguy]

The Twins may as well just continue to suck and draft Andrew Luck with the #1 pick. Oh, wait - wrong moribund MN sports franchise.

[B. Amish]

• Of the 143 teams that began June at least five games under .500, 136 didn't make the playoffs -- a 95.1 percent failure rate.

• Of the 184 teams at least five games out of any playoff spot, 174 didn't make the playoffs -- a 94.6 percent failure rate.

• Of the 126 teams both at least five games under and five games out, 121 didn't make the playoffs, a 96.0 failure rate.

...so you're saying there's a chance!

[greebs]

doesn't look good, especially considering that we are way beyond 5 games under .500.

[mrklean]

at 15 games back i think we all know there is no chance they are making the playoffs

[greebs]

yep. it's over and last night was flat out embarrassing as a twins fan. the catcher gets fooled by a fan yelling "I got it" and lets the ball drop. got a guy trying to bunt with 2 strikes in the 9th. a left fielder not hustling to make a play. and to top it off the opposing team intentionally puts the potential tying run on base in the 9th just so they can pitch to our cleanup batter who every knew would not come through. who in their right mind intentionally puts the potential tying run on base with two outs in the 9th unless the mgr is so sure the next guy is going to get out. sounds like leyland knows more about twins players abilities than gardy does. uggghhhh

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

I think I hear "Dandy" Don Merridith singing in Minnesota as well as the windy city.....Turn out the lights, the party's over........

Windy

[sticknstring]

Somewhere there's a heavy-set gal singing her humungous heart out for the Twin's. And it's not the national anthem.

[PierBridge]

Don't worry donbo and Jw will be here to tell us that were're all panicking to early and the season is not over!.... J/K

Where's sledNeck been?

[Jackpine Rob]

C'mon guys! They are on a winning streak now - and the Baby Jesus will soon return. Pennant race!