I've got a soft spot for the Twins, and have for years; they're probably my favorite non-NY team. For one thing, the immortal Bat-Girl made them seem incredibly endearing. Besides that, as I've mentioned many times, I like Ron Gardenhire (a wise and twinkly-eyed baseball gnome), I loved watching Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, and Pat Neshak, and now I like Boof Bonser -- yes, just for the name, but what a name -- and Joe Mauer and, even though he is currently one of the worst-hitting starting outfielders in Major League Baseball, speedy bat-sniffing Carlos Gomez*. But right now I'm especially loving them, because they've got:
1. Longtime Eephus Pitch favorite Denard "No Relation" Span, who with every fleet-footed triple increases the odds that significant numbers of people will one day be walking around in "Span" t-shirts and Jerseys, and improves the reputation of a surname I've spent much of my life sullying. He's kicking ass right now if I do say so myself, albeit in a very non-power-y kind of way.
2. Craig Breslow, who was one year ahead of me at college, and by all accounts as well as my own very brief experience with him, is one very nice biochem major. His appearance against the Yankees tonight was... ah... well, hey, he did set a record. Let's just leave it at that. But he's having a really good year overall and hopefully I'll get to see him pitch again this series.
Anyway, the Yankees are back in the playoff race with a vengeance, but I'm still skeptical. Don't get me wrong -- this is a bit of a rebuilding year and if they can just keep things interesting into September, I won't complain. (Much). But it's hard to imagine that after playing mediocre baseball for nearly half the season, the Yankees will play significantly better after losing Chien-Ming Wang and Jorge Posada for the season. I mean, it's not as if they have top-notch studs on the bench, like Fernando Tatis and Argenis Reyes, ready to step into the void.
Wait... what?
Ladies and gentlemen, I present your first place New York Mets (and their Reyeses, or Reyesi). If I were Willie Randolph I would probably just unplug the TV, cancel my newspaper subscription, and take up either Zen meditation or heavy drinking.
---
Last but not least, congratulations to my friend Dan, one of the best Mets fans I know -- not because of first place, but because he got married yesterday, in an incredibly beautiful ceremony in Connecticut. (And I say that as someone who doesn't generally go sappy during weddings... seriously, it was beautiful).
And? He didn't check the score even once.
Showing posts with label Denard Span. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Denard Span. Show all posts
July 22, 2008
April 08, 2008
Baseball Player Name(s) of the Week
Well, I'm certainly not going to top David Pinto's discovery of the new Marlins call-up:
Burke Heinrich Badenhop.
Meanwhile, in excellent, long-awaited NotW news, Eephus Pitch favorite Denard Span -- who lost out on the starting center field job to once and former Met Carlos Gomez -- has been called up to the majors. It took a little longer than I thought it would last spring, but, with the weight of representing Spans everywhere on his light-hitting shoulders, he's making the most of it so far.
Of course, it may not last. When the CF job was decided at the end of spring training, Rob Neyer wrote:
Anyway, I'm off to Shea for the Mets' home opener. If you see a blonde girl in a Throneberry t-shirt, come say hi.
Burke Heinrich Badenhop.
Meanwhile, in excellent, long-awaited NotW news, Eephus Pitch favorite Denard Span -- who lost out on the starting center field job to once and former Met Carlos Gomez -- has been called up to the majors. It took a little longer than I thought it would last spring, but, with the weight of representing Spans everywhere on his light-hitting shoulders, he's making the most of it so far.
Of course, it may not last. When the CF job was decided at the end of spring training, Rob Neyer wrote:
"...Carlos Gomez is going to be their center fielder, taking the prize as the best of a bad lot. Well, not bad. Each of three candidates -- Gomez, plus Jason Pridie and Denard Span -- had something to offer. Well, not Span."Ah, if I only had a nickel for every time I’d heard words to that effect. But I'm sticking with my guy; I think Denard's going to do fine. I might even pick him up for my fantasy team... hell, I'm in last place as it is.
Anyway, I'm off to Shea for the Mets' home opener. If you see a blonde girl in a Throneberry t-shirt, come say hi.
February 25, 2008
Baseball Player Name of the Week
Cleveland Indians minor leaguer Cirilo Cumberbatch.
It's reminiscent of ex-Oneonta Yankee Abdiel Cumberbatch -- WasWatching first noticed that gem -- which is what I plan on naming my first child one day, regardless of gender.
Meanwhile, previous NotW winner Cody Ransom continues to compete for an exceedingly unlikely spot on the Yankees' roster. And my guy Denard Span, of the Twins, is facing stiff competition for Minnesota's center field spot since the arrival of equally fast and similarly light-hitting former Met Carlos Gomez. But he's not going down without a fight, and clearly I have no choice but to root for him, because I totally want to buy an official "Span" t-shirt.
It's reminiscent of ex-Oneonta Yankee Abdiel Cumberbatch -- WasWatching first noticed that gem -- which is what I plan on naming my first child one day, regardless of gender.
Meanwhile, previous NotW winner Cody Ransom continues to compete for an exceedingly unlikely spot on the Yankees' roster. And my guy Denard Span, of the Twins, is facing stiff competition for Minnesota's center field spot since the arrival of equally fast and similarly light-hitting former Met Carlos Gomez. But he's not going down without a fight, and clearly I have no choice but to root for him, because I totally want to buy an official "Span" t-shirt.
April 18, 2007
Found the Wright Pun!
Poor Jake Westbrook. When Doug Mientkiewicz homers off you, it ain’t your night.
Looking back, the Indians should have heeded that warning sign, but they left him in, and it got too late fast. That’s like seeing rivers run red with blood and thinking, "eh, it's probably just kelp or something." Dougie Eyechart’s portent of doom was followed by hits from Damon and Abreu, another Alex Rodriguez homer (yawn!), a Giambi single, and a Posada home run.
Chase "God's Gift to Headline Writers" Wright, for his part, did as well as you can expect a barely-AA rookie in his first start to do. You can't hold a Travis Hafner home run against anyone. He had his rocky moments, but got through five and kept things under control. No doubt that seven-run lead helped out there. Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fervently hoping that Chien-Ming Wang skips his rehab start, and gets his ass back here in time for the Red Sox series. The Yanks are now 6-6, which doesn't sound very good until you remember that the New York rotation includes exactly one healthy pitcher you can expect a quality start from. His name is Andy Pettitte, and his elbow is, frankly, liable to explode at any time.
But hey, Paul O'Neill is back in the booth! Okay, I realize he's not necessarily a great announcer, and kind of tends to... well, not understand some of Michael Kay's more multisyllabic words, but I don't care, because I developed a crush on him when I was twelve. It's always good to see him.
Finally, in other pleasant news, my adopted player of the year Denard Span is getting some clutch hits for the Charlotte Knights and honoring Jackie Robinson. That's my guy... and yes, I did sign up for a Google News Alert. What's your point?
Looking back, the Indians should have heeded that warning sign, but they left him in, and it got too late fast. That’s like seeing rivers run red with blood and thinking, "eh, it's probably just kelp or something." Dougie Eyechart’s portent of doom was followed by hits from Damon and Abreu, another Alex Rodriguez homer (yawn!), a Giambi single, and a Posada home run.
Chase "God's Gift to Headline Writers" Wright, for his part, did as well as you can expect a barely-AA rookie in his first start to do. You can't hold a Travis Hafner home run against anyone. He had his rocky moments, but got through five and kept things under control. No doubt that seven-run lead helped out there. Anyway, I am cautiously optimistic, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fervently hoping that Chien-Ming Wang skips his rehab start, and gets his ass back here in time for the Red Sox series. The Yanks are now 6-6, which doesn't sound very good until you remember that the New York rotation includes exactly one healthy pitcher you can expect a quality start from. His name is Andy Pettitte, and his elbow is, frankly, liable to explode at any time.
But hey, Paul O'Neill is back in the booth! Okay, I realize he's not necessarily a great announcer, and kind of tends to... well, not understand some of Michael Kay's more multisyllabic words, but I don't care, because I developed a crush on him when I was twelve. It's always good to see him.
Finally, in other pleasant news, my adopted player of the year Denard Span is getting some clutch hits for the Charlotte Knights and honoring Jackie Robinson. That's my guy... and yes, I did sign up for a Google News Alert. What's your point?
March 23, 2007
Gooooooooooooooooood Afternooooon, Everybody
Well, I've healed the only way I know how: drinking heavily by night, and, during the day, sitting around in my pajamas with my dog, listening to depressing indie music, and watching "Mike and the Mad Dog" all afternoon. (Oddly, the shriller Dog gets, the more soothing I find the show).
So, back to baseball. I'm getting so sick of saying, thinking, hearing, and writing "it's only spring training" that you can tell this last week is going to be a long one, but the monotony was broken up today when Carl Pavano pitched solidly... and narrowly avoided being attacked by a swarm of bees. No, really.
Meanwhile, Aaron Sele had a solid outing for the Mets. I'm rooting for him to make the team because he seems like an awfully nice guy, but I can't honestly say I think he'd be better than Mike Pelfrey. Solid long reliever though, maybe? And Billy Wagner got seriously lit up, but hey, don't worry, Mets fans: Armando Benitez may be available on the trade market! If Steve Phillips were still around, he'd know what to do about it...
Finally, as of last week, when I first discovered his existence, I've got a new favorite player: Denard Span, of the Twins. No relation, as far as I know; but I've never met or even heard of another Span outside of my immediate family, so I'm adopting him. This is all I've been able to find out so far: he's from Tampa, 23 years old and incredibly fast, apparently a very good fielder but without much of an arm, and... well, maybe hitting isn't his strong suite, but did I mention how fast he is? He'll be starting at AAA, but I was stung to find BP's PECOTA system projecting him Denard to hit .281/.330/.382 this season, with a VORP of -.7. I'm taking this as a personal affront. Mark my words: he's gonna prove everybody wrong! I'm so sure of this that if he doesn't end up with a positive Value Over Replacement Player by the end of the season, I'll change my name to Denard.*
You know, I really like the Twins in general: I adore Torii Hunter even though intellectually I realize he's been overrated much of his career, I'm pretty sure that Johan Santana is a god, the name Boof Bonser makes me smile... I could go on. So it pains me to see that they still seem to be seriously considering Sidney Ponson for a starting job. I know pitching is scare these days, but for pity's sake... do you have no one at AAA? Can't we all try to at least maintain a little dignity?
*Probably not really.
So, back to baseball. I'm getting so sick of saying, thinking, hearing, and writing "it's only spring training" that you can tell this last week is going to be a long one, but the monotony was broken up today when Carl Pavano pitched solidly... and narrowly avoided being attacked by a swarm of bees. No, really.
Meanwhile, Aaron Sele had a solid outing for the Mets. I'm rooting for him to make the team because he seems like an awfully nice guy, but I can't honestly say I think he'd be better than Mike Pelfrey. Solid long reliever though, maybe? And Billy Wagner got seriously lit up, but hey, don't worry, Mets fans: Armando Benitez may be available on the trade market! If Steve Phillips were still around, he'd know what to do about it...
Finally, as of last week, when I first discovered his existence, I've got a new favorite player: Denard Span, of the Twins. No relation, as far as I know; but I've never met or even heard of another Span outside of my immediate family, so I'm adopting him. This is all I've been able to find out so far: he's from Tampa, 23 years old and incredibly fast, apparently a very good fielder but without much of an arm, and... well, maybe hitting isn't his strong suite, but did I mention how fast he is? He'll be starting at AAA, but I was stung to find BP's PECOTA system projecting him Denard to hit .281/.330/.382 this season, with a VORP of -.7. I'm taking this as a personal affront. Mark my words: he's gonna prove everybody wrong! I'm so sure of this that if he doesn't end up with a positive Value Over Replacement Player by the end of the season, I'll change my name to Denard.*
You know, I really like the Twins in general: I adore Torii Hunter even though intellectually I realize he's been overrated much of his career, I'm pretty sure that Johan Santana is a god, the name Boof Bonser makes me smile... I could go on. So it pains me to see that they still seem to be seriously considering Sidney Ponson for a starting job. I know pitching is scare these days, but for pity's sake... do you have no one at AAA? Can't we all try to at least maintain a little dignity?
*Probably not really.
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