DBAHO Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Here's all the motivation u need for the season ahead boys, Dissing by omission After several years of verbal jousting with the White Sox, the Twins seem to be pointedly ignoring their archrivals as AL Central contenders FT. MYERS, Fla. -- Terry Ryan delivers results, not provocative quotes. It wasn't surprising that he tried to duck away after being spotted behind a batting cage at the Minnesota Twins' camp Monday. But Ryan knew he couldn't escape "unscathed," to use his choice of words. Back-to-back division titles bring attention, like it or not. So it was that Ryan found himself forced to address the state of the American League Central. "We've taken a lot of criticism over our lack of moves, as we do every winter," said Ryan, the Twins' general manager. "I thought Kansas City had the best winter. Detroit added a lot, and Kansas City did a good job adding and retaining some of their guys. Cleveland's going through a transition period, and Chicago has been quiet." Outfielder Shannon Stewart, the one key free agent Minnesota retained, was asked his assessment of the division. "It's going to be tough, a lot tougher," Stewart said. "Detroit's looking good, real good. Kansas City is going to be tough. Cleveland's got some young players who will be good in a couple of years, if not this year. They're going to be all right. It's not going to be an easy division. It's not an easy division, especially not with Detroit, the way they look on paper." Detroit? What about the White Sox? In recent years, the Sox and Twins have traded verbal jabs. Billy Koch accused Minnesota of being lucky. Doug Mientkiewicz derided the Sox for a lack of togetherness. Now it appears the Twins are giving the White Sox the biggest insult of all—the silent treatment. In the months since the Sox faded down the stretch and then lost Bartolo Colon to free agency, Minnesota has turned its attention toward Kansas City. The Royals added Juan Gonzalez and Benito Santiago while re-signing Brian Anderson and Curtis Leskanic. Detroit, which lost 119 games a year ago, improved its lineup by adding Ivan Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen, Fernando Vina and Rondell White. It would be insane to pick the White Sox below Detroit or Cleveland. But it does appear that many will pick either the Twins or Royals as favorites in the Central, though nobody has had more wins than the White Sox over the last four years. Truth is, there might not be a strong team in the division. Like the Sox, the Twins appear weaker on paper this spring than they did at the end of 2003. It took a 46-23 second half, triggered by the addition of Stewart, for Minnesota to win 90 games last year. Rookie Joe Mauer, who has played 73 games above Class A, replaces All-Star A.J. Pierzynski at catcher. He's the guy the Twins selected with the first overall pick in the 2001 draft, ahead of Mark Prior. He'll be handling a pitching staff that has major questions in the rotation and the bullpen. "With Shannon Stewart re-signing, our lineup has a chance to be real good," Ryan said. "Our [Nos.] 1 through 9 have a chance to be pretty good, depending on whether Mauer is ready. … The biggest question mark facing us is our pitching staff. That's what has been carrying us the last few years." With 13-game winner Kenny Rogers gone and Joe Mays sidelined after elbow surgery, the Twins have only three certain starters—Brad Radke, Kyle Lohse and Johan Santana. They're counting on journeyman Rick Helling and converted reliever Carlos Silva to fill the vacancies. But the biggest issue is the back of the bullpen. The emergence of closer Eddie Guardado and setup man LaTroy Hawkins in 2002 turned a potential weakness into a major strength for the Twins. Both were lost to free agency over the winter—Hawkins signing a three-year, $11 million deal with the Cubs and Guardado going to Seattle for $13 million over three years. Given an abundance of outfield prospects, it's possible the Twins would have been better off keeping at least one of the relievers while letting Stewart walk. But Ryan didn't have enough money left in his budget to sign any of those free agents until Philadelphia took Eric Milton's $9.3 million salary off his hands. That trade was made on Dec. 3. Hawkins had signed with the Cubs earlier the same day. "We needed to free up some resources," Ryan said. "I never did make LaTroy an offer. He had signed with the Cubs before I had the flexibility to do anything. I did make an offer to Eddie, but we ended up signing Shannon. We got that contract done just before the deadline, actually. Unfortunately, LaTroy signed before we could make an offer. I don't blame him." Manager Ron Gardenhire expects 29-year-old right-hander Joe Nathan, who was acquired from San Francisco in the Pierzynski trade, to fill one of the two holes at the end of the bullpen. He compiled a 2.96 earned-run average over 78 appearances for the Giants a year ago but has only one career save. Left-hander J.C. Romero, who disappointed in 2003 after an excellent '02, and right-handed rookie Jesse Crain are the front-runners for the other job. That most likely will be as a setup man for Nathan. "It was pretty easy to manage when you could go to the eighth inning with Hawk and the ninth with Guardado," Gardenhire said. "Well, it's never easy to manage, but that was a pretty good feeling." Though Ryan says the 20-year-old Mauer must earn a job this spring, few expect the Twins to open the season with light-hitting veteran Henry Blanco as their catcher. That's not why they traded Pierzynski. Mauer is a skilled, strong-armed receiver with tremendous potential as a switch hitter. His .330 average as a pro has kept Minnesota fans from thinking too much about Prior, who didn't want to sign with the Twins anyway. But the Twins may be asking too much from this hometown hero from St. Paul. Since the beginning of divisional play, 176 teams have gone to the playoffs. Only 11 of those had primary catchers under the age of 25. Only two teams in the era of divisional play reached the postseason with rookies as their primary catcher—Atlanta, behind glove man Bob Didier in 1969, and Detroit, behind slugger Matt Nokes in 1987. Perhaps these Twins can make that a three-team list. But there are no sure things in the AL Central. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Whatever....... they talk, people b****. They don't talk, people b****. Who the hell cares! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Exactly Rex. Let the Twins forget about the Sox. It'll end up biting them in the ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bones Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 We don't need to be reading what the Twins have to say about things. Just get the s*** done on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I'd love to continue hearing about how good the other teams in the division are. How many games it will take for the cubs to win the series. It's March f***ing 1st. It don't mean s***. It's all fuel for the fire. in 2000, we weren't being talked about for anything. Most of the talk surrounded what was wrong with frank. (he had a disappointing 99, only 15 HR's 77 RBI) All the Sox did was put the division away before the all-star break, and Frank played hte whole season with a chip on his shoulder, and put up MVP numbers(I still don't know how he didn't win). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldmember Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 We don't need to be reading what the Twins have to say about things. Just get the s*** done on the field. yeah but hopefully the team does, gets pissed and does something about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Yeah, yeah ignore it fine, but is Shannon Stewart smoking crack? "Detroit's looking real good"? Did I read that right? Yeah so are the Brewer's and the Bukkos too, right Shannon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastime Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Whatever....... they talk, people b****. They don't talk, people b****. Who the hell cares! - Rex Exactly Rex. Let the Twins forget about the Sox. It'll end up biting them in the ass. -Yasny I had to quote you both because you both hit it on the head. I could care less what the Twins have to say about the Sox. They have enough of their own problems to deal with. And I hope the Twins ignore us and look past us. When they are looking up in the standings, I guarantee they'll think about us then and pay attention. Piss on 'em. The big difference this year is our manager and the team's attitude. Under Sleepy, the team would have read or heard that and just yawned and shrugged their shoulders with a "oh well" attitude. That won't happen this year. And remember this folks - talk is cheap. It's what you do on the field that speaks a helluva lot louder than any stupid quote/s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Whatever....... they talk, people b****. They don't talk, people b****. Who the hell cares! - Rex Exactly Rex. Let the Twins forget about the Sox. It'll end up biting them in the ass. -Yasny I had to quote you both because you both hit it on the head. I could care less what the Twins have to say about the Sox. They have enough of their own problems to deal with. And I hope the Twins ignore us and look past us. When they are looking up in the standings, I guarantee they'll think about us then and pay attention. Piss on 'em. The big difference this year is our manager and the team's attitude. Under Sleepy, the team would have read or heard that and just yawned and shrugged their shoulders with a "oh well" attitude. That won't happen this year. And remember this folks - talk is cheap. It's what you do on the field that speaks a helluva lot louder than any stupid quote/s. I hope this team cares that their biggest rival doesn't take them seriously. Any extra motivation they can get helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winninguglyin83 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 The Twins have earned the right to talk smack. They've won the division in back to back years. Much rather see the Sox keep their traps shut (are you listening Jose?) and just play the game on the field. Nobody has any reason to talk until October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Whatever....... they talk, people b****. They don't talk, people b****. Who the hell cares! I believe your the one b****ing Rex. I find it interesting how the Twins have overlooked the Sox in this division. Recently it appears you have this feeling of superiority residing over this board; like your opinion is above that of everbody else. Wasn't it possible that somebody does care (maybe the WHITE SOX) about being an underdog to the defending division champions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Any trouble I can cause in here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I believe your the one b****ing Rex. I find it interesting how the Twins have overlooked the Sox in this division. Recently it appears you have this feeling of superiority residing over this board; like your opinion is above that of everbody else. Wasn't it possible that somebody does care (maybe the WHITE SOX) about being an underdog to the defending division champions. Oh c'mon Flash.. everyone is entitled to their opinion. Rex can't help it.. he's got a big mouth I said something the other day in response to the venting posts about the negativity... Long time fans are just so used to getting our hopes up only to have them squashed so some are just being negative from the get go. Me.. I can't be ticked for more than a few hours. But I can understand how some can. It's their blood pressure.. right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Oh c'mon Flash.. everyone is entitled to their opinion. Rex can't help it.. he's got a big mouth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillieHarris2 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 everyone should just let there playing speak for themselves, its spring training give me a break Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I believe your the one b****ing Rex. I find it interesting how the Twins have overlooked the Sox in this division. Recently it appears you have this feeling of superiority residing over this board; like your opinion is above that of everbody else. Wasn't it possible that somebody does care (maybe the WHITE SOX) about being an underdog to the defending division champions. It is okay that you care about being the underdog. In fact, I think it is something Sox fans should embrace. But to assume the Twins are "dissing" the Sox because they don't mention them screams of somebody trying to find something that is not there. The point is that the prevailing atmosphere on here is to b****. People want to b**** no matter what. Personally, I prefer substance rather than whining about what other people think. Sox fans on this and other message boards love to b**** about their team, their owner, their GM and even their players, yet as soon as someone in the media echoes those sentiments, they are attacked. If someone in the media echoes what Sox fans think, they should not be vilified for it. Looking at it as unbiased as possible, that attitude is a joke. It just shows that certain fans don't have a clue about reality and would have no idea what they are seeing if they looked themselves in the mirror. If you want to root for you team, great, go for it. But why waste your time and enery complaining about what everyone else says or even doesn't say? What good can be accomplished by doing so? Hopefully I have made my point. I will do you a favor and try not to comment on such things in the future. Go ahead, post away about things as pointless as what other teams are not saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 It is okay that you care about being the underdog. In fact, I think it is something Sox fans should embrace. But to assume the Twins are "dissing" the Sox because they don't mention them screams of somebody trying to find something that is not there. The point is that the prevailing atmosphere on here is to b****. People want to b**** no matter what. Personally, I prefer substance rather than whining about what other people think. Sox fans on this and other message boards love to b**** about their team, their owner, their GM and even their players, yet as soon as someone in the media echoes those sentiments, they are attacked. If someone in the media echoes what Sox fans think, they should not be vilified for it. Looking at it as unbiased as possible, that attitude is a joke. It just shows that certain fans don't have a clue about reality and would have no idea what they are seeing if they looked themselves in the mirror. If you want to root for you team, great, go for it. But why waste your time and enery complaining about what everyone else says or even doesn't say? What good can be accomplished by doing so? Hopefully I have made my point. I will do you a favor and try not to comment on such things in the future. Go ahead, post away about things as pointless as what other teams are not saying. Despite the blatent sarcastic tone I understand your point. I wasn't regarding the particular article Dbaho listed as "fire" to be lit under the sox. Nothing was said in the article to suggest the Twins are dissing the sox (Situation is similar to that of Frank Thomas: whom recieved bad press despite not saying ONE word over the off season). When you said "Who cares" (in the first post) and I replied "the White Sox to being underdogs", it was not intended to suggest the aritcle is bulliten board material. I "found it interesting" that Phil Rogers believes were underdogs in this weak division. :fthecubs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Please people don't get mad at each other. We should all hum together to bring the stars, the moon and the planets back into alignment. I thought my leaving would make you happier. Jarry Manual Actually I like the fact the Sox aren't doing the smack trash talking. They seem to just be going about their business and getting ready to kick some butt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Please people don't get mad at each other. We should all hum together to bring the stars, the moon and the planets back into alignment. I thought my leaving would make you happier. Jarry Manual I can admit I started this "argument", so I'm willing to end it. Just something about Rex comment irritated me and I had to vent. I know some of you can relate to the feeling on this board when your stressed and your overract to the most trivial remark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 all he said was the sox were quiet this off season...is he wrong??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I can admit I started this "argument", so I'm willing to end it. Just something about Rex comment irritated me and I had to vent. I know some of you can relate to the feeling on this board when your stressed and your overract to the most trivial remark. We all do get edgy at times. You guys just had a little give and take going on. No harm done and as I say about myself and my opinions... They are just like elbows. Everybody's got two of 'em. We are al friends here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 We are al friends here. Well at least now that PA has quit hanging out here we are... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I know some of you can relate to the feeling on this board when your stressed and your overract to the most trivial remark. No way.. what is this you speak of..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elrockinMT Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Well at least now that PA has quit hanging out here we are... OK, you got me on that one. By the way, I was wpondering about some of the posters from last season. How about that kid, OldRoman. Is he still with us? It seems most of us are still hanging in there with more signing up, which is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 OK, you got me on that one. By the way, I was wpondering about some of the posters from last season. How about that kid, OldRoman. Is he still with us? It seems most of us are still hanging in there with more signing up, which is a good thing. Roman was banned a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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