If you couldn't guess by my title, I'm angry. And I'm angry on my birthday...which means I'm really angry. What possibly could make me THAT angry on Crishad Appreciation Day? The fact that the Minnesota Twins are 4-7.
OK, it's not just that the Twins are 4-7, because they had a really tough road trip to begin the season. They never play well at Toronto or New York. So I expected a losing record so far, but it's how they've looked.
It seems like the ALDS destruction of the Twins has carried over into the 2011 season. We've seen the Twins make mistakes in the field they normally don't make. And we've seen the hitters look like...you guessed it...the Minnesota school for the blind.
With the exception of Jim Thome, Denard Span, and Jason Kubel, the Twins haven't been able to hit water if they fell out of a boat. The whole team blows, but I need to point out one man in particular that is not living up to his expectations: Joe Mauer.
Oh my God, I'm going to criticize the Baby Jesus! Oh no, I can't do that. It's in writing, and it's going to happen folks.
Remember, Mauer signed an eight year, $184 million contract prior to last season, so I understand why we're using kid gloves when it comes to him playing everyday. However, it's gotten to an extreme.
On Wednesday, Mauer took a day off. No DH'ing either. He was a bench player. This was one day after catching a ten inning game against the Royals. It was also two days after a scheduled off day. The Twins won't have another off day until April 25. Maybe it makes sense, but why does Gardenhire do this when Mauer already has a scheduled day off when the man who leads the American League in "handling a pitching staff", Drew Butera catches Carl Pavano? Does he want to keep Joe's hair looking good for a Head and Shoulders commercial? Does Joe need his beauty sleep? Is Joe's wedding planning taking way too much out of him?
Probably more maddening is Mauer reverting back into a singles hitter. Mauer is supposed to be a high average, moderate power hitter. However, he only hit 7 bombs as he whined about Target Field as much as everyone else. (BTW, that batters eye in center looks incredibly ugly.) I don't expect Mauer to hit 28 bombs again, and if you do, you're nuts. Yet, 15 bombs is not reasonable with a .300-.320 average. That's all I"m asking for from a guy who makes 184 million.
Bottom line: toughen up and stop making excuses. And this goes for everyone. Why is it so difficult for the Twins to hit in their own ballpark, but guys like Josh Willingham, Corey Hart, Hideki Matsui, and the entire New York Yankees roster (including the pitchers) can hit bombs there with command?
What they're saying is that the Twins don't have the at bats they need because they missed so much of spring training. Huh? Then why are you benching Mauer every other day? When you sit half your players you become as uncredible as Kevin Millar's broadcasting career. (Who played for the Saints, unnamed person about to try out...)
This all needs to stop offensively, and they need to go back to basics. See ball, hit ball...hard.
Meanwhile, the starting staff seems to be as stable as a tight rope. It seems that all of this negative press is getting to the staff as they've been very errant throughout the first week of the season. Francisco Liriano can't throw a strike. Scott Baker has been the souvenir maker. It's frustrating to watch.
Simply put, there's plenty of time to turn all of this around. However, if this continues, it will be a long summer.
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