Monthly Archive for September, 2007

The rumors are rampant

Published
by
Jesse Menden
on September 26, 2007
in Enterprise Dispatch
. 0 Comments

Several reports have come out today that the Twins are already starting to shop Johan Santana to other teams. The latest have a pair of national league clubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, interested in talking with the Twins.

The chances of the Twins signing Santana to a new deal are very small, so we might as well start getting used to the idea that he will probably not be on the mound for the Twins in 2008. If a deal were to get done, it will most likely come in the two months following the end of the regular season.

All I hope is that the Twins get some good prospects (who they can build up and then trade to perpetuate the cycle), and a ready-made player or two that can play center field, left field, or third base and be successful.

I hate the idea of trading the best pitcher in baseball, but that is how the Twins need to do business.

VB and FB already at halfway point

Published
by
Jesse Menden
on September 25, 2007
in Enterprise Dispatch
. 0 Comments

It seems like the fall season just started, but we are almost already halfway through the season. I though it might be good to write about where the football and volleyball teams are at so far.

The football team got their first win of the season Friday against Delano. It was a close game, and the Tigers are not a good team, but there were some very encouraging things. First, the offense finally got Josh Aho involved, and was that fun to watch. He ran a lot of short routes where it was easy for Tyler Irvin to get him the ball, and those routes put Aho in great position to get a lot of yards after the catch.

The Irvin-Aho combination does not have the big-play capability that Raisanen-Aho had a year ago, but anytime you can get the ball into Aho’s hands, a big play is a big possibility.

The running game is also coming around nicely. For the second game in a row it was effective, which opened up the passing game even more. Much of that has to do with the offensive line, which has made some big holes for the powerful running backs. When I talked to Coach Weinandt after the GSL game, he said that line has been working hard with the coaches and that seems to be paying off.

The defense was also better. They did give up 110 yards rushing to the Delano quarterback, but they made some big plays including Eric Dahlman’s spectacular interception to seal Friday’s game. I think everybody would like to see a little more from them, and hopefully that will happen.

DC should win their next two games, but how they play at the end of the season will be much more important in my opinion than winning games over lesser opponents in Watertown-Mayer and Annandale (the Cardinal game won’t be easy, but DC should win it). Things seems to be coming around on both sides of the ball, and hopefully that progression will continue so they can compete when the playoffs roll around.

The volleyball team in also improving. Their three game sweep over Orono was nice to see because they kept pressure on the Spartans for the entire match. In previous matches this season, the team seems to get frustrated when a little adversity was thrown at them. However, Orono is below average when compared to other teams in the WCC.

The Chargers do have all of the pieces in place to be a good team. They are very deep when it comes to attacking. Liz Redman, Aimee Peterson, Maggie Zirk, and Abby Thomson are all solid in that regard, and there are several others who do well too. Defensively, Margaret Neutzling is spectacular. Some of the digs she makes are impressive. They also have Kelly Ylitalo back there, and she has been doing well.

I still want to see this team beat a good team, though. They have two important conference matches against GSL and Annandale, teams they should beat. Next week they take on Delano, and that will be a true test. The Tigers were ranked in the top 10 in Class 2A earlier this year.

Monday night at the Dome

Published
by
Jesse Menden
on September 18, 2007
in Enterprise Dispatch
. 0 Comments

I was a little tired yesterday, so I decided the best place to take a nap would be at the Metrodome, where the Twins were taking on the Rangers. Both teams have been out of the playoff chase for a while, so I was expecting a yawner of a game and that happened…at least through the first five innings.

The announced crowd was something like 14,000, there wasn’t even half of that. I was spread out in section 239 where there were six other people. I was thoroughly enjoying all of that space and silence, but then the game got a little crazy.

Joe Mauer gave the Twins a 2-1 lead with a home run in the sixth inning, so that got me a little into the game. But Juan Rincon (who has a 7.40 ERA since the All-Star break) gave up two in the seventh.

It was still a boring game in the eighth when Ron Gardenhire gave everyone in attendance a nice show. He stormed out of the dugout after he though Jason Bartlett should have been granted second base for interference on an infield single. When jawing with both the home and first base umpires didn’t get him ejected, he decided to use first base coach Jerry While as a dummy to reinact what happened. And that demonstration worked because Gardy then got tossed. But he wasn’t done. He proceeded follow the home plate umpire all the way back. It was a classic Gardy ejection.

When something called Metcalf, the No. 9 hitter in the Texas lineup, hit a home run to give the Rangers the lead in the ninth inning, I thought the game was over. But Michael Cuddyer, who has had a very bad season in my estimation, hit a bomb to tie the game. I have to stay I had some mixed emotions from that. I was happy the Twins tied the game, but a little dissappointed because I didn’t want to stay for extra inning because the meaningless game was already over three hours.

With two outs and Lew Ford (don’t get me started) on second, I got up and started heading for the exit when Bartlett hit that pop up to Ian Kinsler at second base. But it all worked out when he somehow dropped it.

Among all the negatives (poor baserunning, Nathan giving up a home run, Rincon is still horrible, Bartlett and Rincon errors, Morneau looking overmatched at the plate) there was one huge positive.

Torii Hunter is a stud, he is a complete competitor. He stole third base in the second inning and came around to score on an error. He tied the game in eighth with a clutch single. He then stole second base when nobody in the Ranger infield was paying attention. How can the Twins not bring him back?

Nice season for the ‘Crow’

Published
by
Aaron Schultz
on September 13, 2007
in Herald Journal
. 1 Comment

The Plato Blue Jays claimed the 2007 Class C state baseball championship Sept. 3 in Hamburg. The Blue Jays had an outstanding season. The other Crow River Valley League team in the Class C state tournament were the Winsted Wildcats. The Wildcats also had a very good tournament, finishing fourth in the tournament, winning their opening three games, before falling to Sauk Rapids, then St. Francis. This was the second consecutive season the Wildcats have advanced to the state, and with a very good, young core of players, should be back for many more years to come.

With the season now over, this is the time when the rumor mill begins as to which players will be back, which ones will be hanging up the cleats, and which ones might be playing for new teams in 2008.

As of this post, it looks as if all of the Wildcats will be back in 2008. Of course, there have been a few rumblings of a player or two that might hang it up, I believe they will all be back for another state run next year.

DC Football off to a slow start

Published
by
Jesse Menden
on September 11, 2007
in Enterprise Dispatch
. 0 Comments

With all of the losses at key positions heading into this season, perhaps some could see an 0-2 start for the Chargers coming. That record will more than likely fall to 0-3 after Friday’s game against top-ranked Glencoe-Silver Lake.

The shame in that 0-3 record is that season-opening loss to Foley. It was a game that had in their hands but they let it slip away. That loss has made the three games following the tilt with GSL almost must-wins if the Chargers want to survive in section play.

With nine teams in Section 3AAA, the ninth team will not make the playoffs. The Chargers won’t have to worry about that even if they win only one game this season. But DC will have to worry if they fall into that 7th or 8th seed. That would most likely put the Chargers against GSL or Litchfield in the first round, and most likely end their season after just one playoff game.

But if the Chargers can beat the same three teams they did last year, Delano (Sept. 21), Watertown-Mayer (Sept. 28), and Annandale (Oct. 5), DC would be in much better shape. If the Chargers win those games, I would definitely take my chances when they face Waconia and Litchfield to end the regular season.

Beating the three teams they did last year won’t be easy, though. While Delano has taken a step backwards from 2006, Annandale has leaped forward. They have a bunch of play makers on offense this season and have a solid team. And remember, they did take the Chargers deep into the fourth quarter last year.

To start winning, though, the Chargers must start cleaning some things up. The defense needs come up with a big stop. They have showed positive signs be forcing some key turnovers, but have been unable to stop the run at times, and the pass, too. The offense must become more consistent, too. The Chargers came right out and marched down the field in that spread offense Friday night, but Orono adjusted. Injuries have hit the running back position hard, so anything they can get from there would be a big help.

Overall, the Chargers have been hit by the injury bug pretty hard, so hopefully some of the key guys can get healthy soon. With those and others coming back, the team should be strong down the stretch, and hopefully they can position themselves well for the section playoffs.

Will the Twins sign Torii?

Published
by
Jesse Menden
on September 6, 2007
in Enterprise Dispatch
. 0 Comments

During the entire 2007 baseball season, I have been telling everybody that the Twins would resign Torii Hunter. But now I’m not so sure.

The reason I was so sure that they would bring him back is because he wanted to stay here, and the Twins really don’t have a replacement waiting for him in their minor league system.

How could they let go of the face of the organization and guy who will finish the season with a .290 average, 30 home runs, and over 100 runs batted in? There is no way the Twins are capable of replacing that. Their two options would be to bring up a prospect that is not ready, or overpay an Aaron Rowand-type free agent that might hit .300, but with only 20 home runs. And he won’t save the amount of runs with his defense like Hunter did. Those are the reasons why I thought there was a 90-percent chance he was coming back.

But then this cat-and-mouse game started between Hunter and the Twins. He kept publicly begging for the Twins to talk to his agent and make him an offer. When they finally did, Hunter said he wanted to wait. Then last week, the Twins made him another offer, a three-year $45 million deal.

When I think about that, I imagine Hunter rolling on the ground laughing at that contract. Everybody knows that Hunter will not sign a deal that has less than four years in it. I think an offer like that did more harm that it did good. It could have been Terry Ryan trying to start negotiations, but that contract was more of an insult that a starting point for a conversation.

Perhaps it is me being ignorant, but I still think the Twins will bring Hunter back. They can’t let all of that talent go. But they will have to step up and pay for it.

Back to the basement for Vikings

Published
by
Matt Kane
on September 4, 2007
in Delano HJ
. 1 Comment

The Minnesota Twins once had a promotion of “Get to know them.” This slogan could easily have been adopted by the Viking for the upcoming season. In the past few years, the Vikings have become more and more difficult to watch because you just knew they would give the game away. In past years, though, at least I knew the names of some of the players. As I was drafting for my fantasy league, I realized I don’t know much about this year’s Vikings team, and I have a feeling a lot of other fans are in the same boat. No, not a “love” boat. I’m excited about Adrian Peterson and even Chester Taylor, but I just don’t see Jackson or Holcomb leading the purple to the promise land. In fact I see them and the Vikings moving down to the cellar. I know fine wine is kept in the cellar, but unfortunately, I fear this season’s Purple grapes will leave a sour taste in our mouths. We can only hope a little aging will produce a vintage product.