Author: David Shama

A recent Sports Illustrated article quoted a baseball executive as saying there are only four major league owners who really want to win, the owners of the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Angels. The suggestion was these four separate themselves from the other owners because they have a willingness to spend money. 

Twins president Dave St. Peter said owner Carl Pohlad wants to win, too, and has the record to prove it.  “I don’t think there’s any question that Carl Pohlad wants to win,” St. Peter said.  “When you look what his track record is as a middle market owner, a team that has played with small market revenues (producing) two world championships, six division titles.  I think the track record speaks for itself.  When push comes to shove, the dollars have been there for us to improve our baseball team. …”   

St. Peter said the recent signing of Seattle center fielder Ichiro Suzuki to a five year contract that will pay him $90 million and talk that it may cost the Twins $20 million per season to keep pitcher Johan Santana has certainly caught the franchise’s attention.  “Clearly the economics of the game are always concerning for any team whether you’re (in) a big market, or a medium market, or a small market,” St. Peter said.  “We look at those contracts and they certainly set the pace for the coming off-season.  At the same time we try not to get distracted by those things.  Every situation is a little bit different.  Every player is a little bit different and every organization is a little bit different. So historically we believe we’ve been able to keep the guys that…were critical for us to keep, and we’ll make those decisions as we go forward.” 

Center fielder Torii Hunter is a free agent after this season and Santana has the same status after next.  St. Peter doesn’t expect Pohlad to be out front retaining the players.   “I would not expect ownership to take the lead role,” he said.  “That has not been their style. That really certainly hasn’t happened of late.  There’s some precedent for that, I guess, back with the (Kirby) Puckett contract back in 1992.  I certainly expect (general manager) Terry Ryan to play the lead on behalf of the Pohlads. …” 

Sooner or later the Twins have expiring contracts to deal with for several players, including Hunter, Santana, first baseman Justin Morneau and relief pitcher Joe Nathan.   How large a piece of the monetary pie will the Twins slice for them? “We’ll see,” St. Peter said.  “Obviously, as I’ve said before, there are going to be difficult choices to be made. This franchise has a proven track record of being able to make good baseball decisions and I am confident that we’ll make the right decisions.  It will take two to make these deals work. Even if the team wants to do it, obviously we’re going to need the player and their agent to come to the table and make these things go.  I think there is an appropriate time for those discussions and I don’t know that it is now.  I think it’s in the off season. …That’s been our policy and it’s served us well and I think it will continue to serve us well.” 

If the Minnesota Twins have good fortune left in their season it will surely be heavily influenced by Johan Alexander Santana.  A recovery in the playoff race that has the Twins chasing a wild card spot will be led by the Twins left hander who is arguably baseball’s best pitcher and without dispute the best second half of the season pitcher in the majors. 

Saturday night in Cleveland, Santana had a no hitter with two out in the sixth inning pitching for the desperate Twins who had lost five straight and eight of their last 10.   Santana made it through seven innings, then left the game with the score 2-2. The Twins went on to win 3-2, briefly ending their miseries.  The victory was followed by yesterday’s 4-1 win, giving the Twins two of three in the three game series against the Indians and leaving Minnesota seven games back of Detroit in the Central Division. 

Earlier this month Twins pitcher Scott Baker was asked what he admires about Santana.  He mentioned the two time Cy Young Award winner’s consistency game after game to deliver six or so solid innings.  “I would say that’s the most amazing thing,” Baker said. “Just the fact that he’s able to do that.” 

Since the All-Star game on July 10, Santana has a 1-2 record, allowing just 11 earned runs in four starts.  Although he was 10-6 before the All-Star game, typically he’s shown some of his best pitching during the post-All-Star game period.  During his major league career through 2006, Santana’s pre-All-Star game record was 33-21, with a 3.76 ERA.  His post-All-Star game record: 45-10 with a 2.55 ERA.  Last season he was 10-1 with a 2.54 ERA after the All-Star game. 

Santana rolls out the monster pitching in August, September and October.  To date in his career he is 15-9 in July, 21-4 in August and 14-4 in September/October.  A Sports Illustrated feature earlier this month said Santana bests all major league pitchers from 2004-2006 in post-All-Star Game wins, winning percentage, opponents’ batting average and ERA. 

“You know it’s unbelievable,” Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said recently. He has been Santana’s coach since 2002 and said Santana should have been voted the Cy Young winner in 2005 by the Baseball Writers Association of America.  In 2004 and 2006 Santana won the award receiving all 28 first place votes each year. 

Anderson said when Santana is most extraordinary he has “command” of his fast ball. The combo offering of that fast ball with a “great change up” and “good slider” makes the 28-year-old Venezuelan special.  

Baseball’s best pitcher? “Absolutely,” Anderson said.  “What he’s done over the years, he actually should be having three Cy Youngs in a row.  I mean that’s unheard of. That’s for your hall of famers, your Roger Clemenses, your great ones, and he’s right up there with them.”

The best aspect of Gopher football in the new millennium has been the team’s running game.  Twice during the last few years the Gophers have ranked No. 3 in the country in rushing yards per game among Division I-A teams, according to espn.com.  Another season they were No. 5. 

Coach Tim Brewster and his staff gave the Gophers a new offense, the spread, last winter.  While some may think the spread is pass dominant, that won’t happen here this season.  Brewster told Sports Headliners he expects the Gophers to mix the pass and run equally. 

The decision to run is based on the team’s strengths: a good offensive line accustomed to the running game, and a senior tailback, Amir Pinnix who is one of the Big Ten Conference’s better runners.  Brewster wants Pinnix to rush for about 1,500 yards this fall for the Gophers who start practice next week and open their season at home against Bowling Green on September 1. 

In a look that may surprise those expecting a wide open formation, Brewster said the Gophers may frequently be in a two-running back, one tight end alignment.  No doubt part of that strategy is to take pressure off the Gopher quarterback, whoever that will be as an inexperienced threesome of junior Tony Mortensen, redshirt freshman Adam Weber and true freshman Clint Brewster compete for the job. 

Brewster made the point that another spread team, West Virginia, was second in the country in rushing last season.  The Mountaineers ran for over 300 yards per game. “Fear not Golden Gopher fans, we will run the football,” Brewster said.

In addition to Pinnix, the Gophers are likely to receive running help from long runs specialist Jay Thomas, fullback Justin Valentine and true freshman Duane Bennett who has already impressed Brewster. Bennett is one of several players the Gophers have recruited in recent seasons from the St. Louis area including Laurence Maroney.