Shooter Now: Twins will be in two-team Central race, analyst sa...

Even though the Detroit Tigers are in first place, it will come down to the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox to determine the American League's Central Division title, White Sox broadcast analyst Ken Harrelson said today.

[Conservative observations]

Well, the Hawk may well be proven to be correct as long as the White Sox hover around .500 till season's end. The Twins are only a .500 club (+ or - 5-7 games either way) as they have been for many years. The season will continue to feature lots of almosts and just-abouts (can Cuddyer ever get a hit when needed in a clutch situation?), a few winning and/or losing streaks of 3-4 games here and there and so on, just as it has been for many years, nothing more and nothing less. The Twins have a couple of supers in the M boys and probably have to throw Nathan in there as well. The Hawk is right but only right if the White Sox continue to play at or about .500 ball as the Twins surely will all season and the Tigers fall back to historical reality. The Twins are a very average team in a very ordinary division and very representative of the type and quality of a team that the owners want to field, nothing more and nothing less.

[DD Austin]

Why comment on the former Gophers players who play elsewhere? How does that effect Minnesota Sports teams? How about writing about what these local guys are doing here. We want to read about what's going on here, not timbucktoo!

[TC Florida]

Let's hope that Harrellson is right about the Twins. On paper the chi-sox look better. The Twins are two players short of being champions: A dominating starting pitcher and a good 2nd basemen. The team can absorb Punto's poor ba due to his amazing glove but Tolbert, Buscher, Gomez and even Young are not contributing enough. Blackburn is the only reliable starter we've had over the course of the season thus far.

It's a good thing the new ball park wasn't built any smaller. The Twins can draw 40,000 fans to some games. Many mid-small market teams think of building stadiums that seat only 35,000 or so, but that's a bit too small.

[Hack Jah]

DD Austin wrote:

Why comment on the former Gophers players who play elsewhere? How does that effect Minnesota Sports teams? How about writing about what these local guys are doing here. We want to read about what's going on here, not timbucktoo!

Turn on your "Minnesota Sports Team" filter yourself. Here is the path:

Start/Settings/Apps/Filters/Im -a-Dillweed.flt

[Nick Puntos biggest fan]

The Twins should seriously consider using the DH for Punto. For Charlie Walters to say he's struggling is not really fair - he simply isn't capable of putting up decent numbers. Great defensively, but taking an extra hit away every 5 games or so doesn't nearly compensate for what they are giving up at the plate. You can't pay $4M/yr for that.

[MaRK]

I have been a Twins fan virtually from birth and I sincerely hope we don't make the playoffs because we play the big teams (New York and Boston# like heartless bastards. As a confirmed Yankee-hater, I would rather see a team with some guts #say Detroit) represent the AL Central

[bye bye gardy]

Dream on, the Twins are dead. Gardy needs to go now

[Arrogant American]

Nick Puntos biggest fan wrote:

The Twins should seriously consider using the DH for Punto. For Charlie Walters to say he's struggling is not really fair - he simply isn't capable of putting up decent numbers. Great defensively, but taking an extra hit away every 5 games or so doesn't nearly compensate for what they are giving up at the plate. You can't pay $4M/yr for that.

Punto hit .284 last year, while playing gold-glove-quality defense. Since Punto has returned from the DL, his on-base percentage is .406. It should be obvious, to anyone that is paying attention, that Punto has turned things around. He is well worth four million a year.

[Nora]

White Sox were playing against the Royals and Indians. Not taking too much from that.

[Nora]

Mark you are not much of a fan based on what you posted. Fans don't say that kind of thing.

[PitchorCatch]

How can Johnny Bench's wife be having a kid when Johnny is gay? Did I miss something?

[Paul Stinson]

The Pioneer Press does itself a grave injustice interviewing the likes of Harrelson, possibly one of the worst broadcasters in the game. His games are the homiest of homers and his cable guy rapport of announcing strikeouts as "he gone", or pronouncing our beloved outfielder as CUDDyer lowers the IQ of anyone within a 500-ft radius of a television or laptop watching MLB. Sure, I can turn the sound down, granted, but it's difficult to take anyone seriously with a verbs-optional approach to broadcasting. He bad.

[hammer]

Arrogant American wrote:

<quoted text>
Punto hit .284 last year, while playing gold-glove-quality defense. Since Punto has returned from the DL, his on-base percentage is .406. It should be obvious, to anyone that is paying attention, that Punto has turned things around. He is well worth four million a year.

little Nicky had every bleeder ,blooper chopper and hopper roll and fall his way last year .... and what was his batting avg the year before last year ... i figured that would shut you up , you FOOL.....one of the worst free agent signings possible , and to give the worthless piece of crap 4 million or so a year ..... it pays to be Gardy's lover boy i guess....as stated before, not worth it when he saves a hit once every five games .... all the other games when he (and most of the other twinkies) always falls and dives on routine plays does not impress anyone who knows the game but it may make a baseball novice like yourself wet your pants .... CUT THE WORTHLESS BUM !!!!

[hammer]

Nora wrote:

White Sox were playing against the Royals and Indians. Not taking too much from that.

and the Twinkies played the Royals and Indians also ... so what is your point

[Elvis Presley]

who cares what he says? who is in the lead now pea shooter DETROIT!

[lox]

NO way they win as long as Mr. Never Change a Thing is manager. Bring in someone who will light a fire under the playersnot just on his red nosed face.

[Paul]

Leopold and Ballard weren't line mates at the U. Is there any fact checking going on here?

[Gypsy Cab]

I wouldn't count out Detroit. It will only take a little better than .500 baseball to win the Central. At this point I would only count out KC and Cleveland.