Twins get no respect!

[NBA Junkie]

It's funny how this team never gets talked about despite being one of the elite teams in the American League. The Yankees and Tigers are the ones who get all of the attention in the national media outlets.

After a 25-33 start, and once trailing the Tigers by 10.5 games in early August, the Twins have rallied and forged a tie for the AL Central lead. Granted, the Tigers own the tiebreaker and will probably win the division due to having KC on the final weekend, the Twins comeback, in itself, has been quite amazing.

After their #2 and #3 starters, Francisco Liriano and Brad Radke were sidelined to injury, everyone expected the Twins to fold lke a tent with Chicago and Detroit taking the division and Wild card spots. Instead, the Twins kept fighting back as they got surprising pitching from the likes of Boof Bonser and Matt Garza to keep them in the race and wrest the final playoff spot away from the ChiSox.

Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer have put together MVP caliber seasons and Johan Santana should be a lock to win the AL Cy Young award. Our bullpen may be the most underrated strength this team has.

If nobody else can show the Twins respect, I figured I would. Somebody's gotta do it.

[T Park]

Thank the Cards and Astros for that.

If the Cardinals had clinched, youd be hearing non stop about the Twins and their unreal comeback.

[FromWayDowntown]

Ahem . . . .

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1205417&postcount=9


Unless something happens to shut down the bats of guys like Morneau, Mauer, Hunter and Cuddyer in Minnesota and as long as Santana gets two starts, I think there's some magic with the Twins and wouldn't be surprised at all if they represent the AL in the World Series. With the weakness of the NL clubs and the prohibitive advantage of playing 4 of 7 WS games in the HomerDome, I'd think the Twins would be in good shape to earn another crown if they get there.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

They have been #2 In ESPN's Power Poll for the last two weeks. The Tigers are 8th.

Who doesn't get respect?

[FromWayDowntown]

I honestly don't think there's anyone who knows anything about baseball who doesn't recognize that the Twins are a serious threat to win a championship this year. I think they'd probably be prohibitive favorites if Liriano was healthy. They might be the most complete team in the post-season as it is: they have a dominant (dom-i-nant) #1 starter, they have a solid rotation, they are fantastic in middle relief, and Nathan is a seriously underrated and playoff-tested closer. They are solid from top-to-bottom with a nice variety of ways to score runs. They catch the ball pretty well up the middle. They've been around the playoff block, too; they've played well enough to take playoff games at Yankee stadium in 2003 and 2004, and I still think that if Gardenhire had hit for Jason Kubel with 2nd and 3rd and 1 out with the game tied at 5 in the 8th inning of Game 2 in 2004, the Twins would have beaten the Yankees.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

I wouldn't exactly call Bonser, Garza and Silva solid. They have Johan and no one else. Their bullpen is nails(Neshek, Reyes) and IMO Nathan>Rivera(he just has to prove it in the postseason).

[T Park]

Very true.

Could've been a rematch of the 87 series.


Or if luck has it, there could be a rematch THIS YEAR of the 87 series.

But that would just be tempting too many luck gods.

[NBA Junkie]

Ahem . . . .

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1205417&postcount=9

It's good to know that you think highly of the Twins even if that thread you posted that in was all about the A's.

#2 in the ESPN polls eh, DLF? Is that why everyone continues to write them off despite the adversity they've faced?

This team could be just as surprising as those Marlins of 2003.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Who's writing them off? From reading various websites, the consensus seems to be:

1) NYY

2) Twins

3) A's

4) Tigers

The team that really isn't getting any love is the A's.

The Tigers seem to be an afterthought at this point, even after leading the league for 4 months.

[NBA Junkie]

They have been #2 In ESPN's Power Poll for the last two weeks. The Tigers are 8th.

Who doesn't get respect?

Do you really expect me to take this poll seriously when they have the friggin Astros ranked ahead of both the Tigers and the Mets? I won't even get into detail about how much of a joke ESPN has become in terms of sports information.

That poll is strictly ranked on what's transpired in the last week. It doesn't look at the big picture. And, the Twins haven't been gettng respect when analysts look at MLB from a much broader range.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Well, FoxSports has them at 4 and Baseball Prospectus has them facing the Mets in the WS. Happy?

[T Park]

The Astros have been playing the best ball in baseball PERIOD.

Hence the reason.


Its just a weekly rankings.

Hell Im sure the Cardinals cracked the top 5 at one time.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Here's another writer giving the Twins no respect:


Who would you rather have on the mound, Mariano Rivera or Joe Nathan?
Nathan has been baseball's best closer this year: 7-0, 36 for 38 in saves, a lights-out .157 opponents' batting average and 93 K's in 67 innings. Rivera still is great, but he's not as dominant as Nathan, plus he's got a sore elbow.

Nathan is the reason the Twins will beat the Yankees (my man Joe Mauer beats Rivera with a ninth-inning double in Game 4), win the American League and then beat the Astros in the World Series (my man Joe Mauer goes 3-for-4 with a home run off Clemens in Game 7, as Santana outduels the Rocket for eight innings, Nathan fans Berkman to end it, and the Twins win 1-0).

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/060929

[NBA Junkie]

Here's another writer giving the Twins no respect:



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/060929

Is that an ESPN writer or a Twins homer?

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Is that an ESPN writer or a Twins homer?

From earlier in the year:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/060606

[NBA Junkie]

From earlier in the year:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/060606

Can't access that one since I don't subscribe to the insider.

Perhaps the Twins get some credit from the media, but I don't exactly see anyone on this forum (except FWD) giving the Twins any props for their recent insurgence. Everyone is too busy making excuses for the Tigers poor play that the Twins are getting overlooked despite the fact that they've gotten back into the race by handling their head-to-head match-ups with the Tigers and Sox as of late (5-2 vs each since August).

It's also a given that nobody here or in the media is giving the Twins much of a chance due to their questionable starting pitching. If Radke or Bonser can be that man, that is all they'll really need, as historically, you can win a seven game series with two solid starters. It's happened before and it can happen again. The 1987 Twins are proof positive of that.

That said, it will be an upward climb. With the make-up of this team, they won't go down without a fight.

[T Park]

Perhaps the Twins get some credit from the media, but I don't exactly see anyone on this forum (except FWD) giving the Twins any props for their recent insurgence

Why do you care?

As long as your confident n em, nothing else should matter.

[Extra Stout]

the Twins haven't been gettng respect when analysts look at MLB from a much broader range.
Twins = small market team. Small market team = no respect from big media.

[FromWayDowntown]

Twins = small market team. Small market team = no respect from big media.

True, but in the last 20 years, only 1 franchise -- the Yankees -- has more world championships than the Twins. Two others, the Blue Jays and the Marlins, have as many.

[Extra Stout]

True, but in the last 20 years, only 1 franchise -- the Yankees -- has more world championships than the Twins. Two others, the Blue Jays and the Marlins, have as many.
In the past 20 years, only the Lakers and Bulls have more championships than the Spurs. My point carries.

[FromWayDowntown]

Why do you care?

As long as your confident n em, nothing else should matter.

In retrospect, I find this post to be really funny . . . . or highly ironic.