Baseball takes a break

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 7/12/2006
 

The Boys of Summer, Major League Baseball players, have reached the All-Star break; this year’s game is in Pittsburgh. Right now, the team to beat is the Detroit Tigers, leader of the American League Central.

 

The Tigers have been baseball’s best team with a league-best 59-29 record, leading the defending World Champion Chicago White Sox by two games and the Minnesota Twins by 11 games. The winner of Tuesday’s All-Star game between the American and National League stars will have the home-field advantage in the World Series.

 

The National League leads the series 41-33-2. The White Sox have a league-high seven players on the American League squad.

 

Somebody said a long time ago that Major League Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, when you play 162 games over six months. The Twins are 47-39 with much ground to make up in baseball’s toughest division. They won a season-high 11 straight games and 19 of 20 just to stay in contention over the last four weeks.

 

The last time a Twins team won 19 of 20 games in a season was 1991, and you remember what happened that year. They won the World Series when the late great Kirby Puckett carried them to it.

 

No matter what happens in the second half of the season, the Twins organization and fans know they are getting a new stadium outside on grass. The first half has been highlighted by great individual performances from several players. Two Twins players are in the All-Star game: catcher Joey Mauer, who leads the majors with a .378 batting average, and pitching ace Johan Santana, who is 9-5 and leading the majors in strikeouts with 138.

 

Francisco Liriano has been nothing short of sensational. Along with the red-hot hitting of Mauer, he has been one of the top stories in baseball. He’s another potential Santana with his 1.83 ERA, a 10-1 record, and 102 strikeouts in just 88 innings pitched. It’s a shame he’s not in the All-Star game; he reminds me of the great Vida Blue.

 

Closer Joe Nathan has also been outstanding — he’s 5-0 with 15 saves, and his ERA is 1.75. Nathan has 52 strikeouts in just 36 innings. He should also be in Pittsburgh.

 

First baseman Justen Morneau is also deserving of All-Star status. He’s been on fire, hitting .300 with 23 homeruns and 73 RBIs. Centerfielder Torii Hunter has 14 home runs with 49 RBIs, and Micheal Cuddyer has played well with 11 homeruns and 48 RBIs.

 

The Twins are great at home, 30-10, and not so good on the road, 17-29. If they are going to catch Detroit and Chicago, they will have to get better fast against American League teams and be more consistent.

 

The Twins were 16-2 in inter-league play against the National League. However, they are just 31-37 against American League teams. The Twins have 12 games left against Chicago and 11 games left with Detroit.

 

 

 

Fitz Notes & Quotes

 

 Former Vikings star quarterback Daunte Culpepper is being sued by his former agent, Mason Ashe. Before the Vikings traded Culpepper to Miami this year for a second-round pick, team owner Zygi Wilf agreed to pay Culpepper a $6 million roster bonus. 

 

Ashe was fired by Culpepper in January of this year. The NFLPA will be issuing a ruling following arbitration. Ashe is demanding three percent of the $6 million, which amounts to $180,000.

 

Former U of M multi-sports star David Winfield was selected number six on the Sports Illustrated Top 15 Greatest College Athletes list. Number one was Jim Brown, number two Jackie Robinson, number seven Marion Jones, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee was number eight.

 

Arizona Cardinals Defensive Backs Coach Richard Solomon was married Saturday, July 8, in Arizona to Shandrea P. Williams. Former Vikings Head Coach and current Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green was the best man.

 

 

 

Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio, 89.9 FM, at 8:20 am, and Monday evenings 6-7 pm. He welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.