Unless you've been living under a rock in the Minnesota sports world over the past couple of days, you know that Joe Nathan's pitching future is in jeopardy.
He is a four-time All-Star and has been the closer for the Twins ever since getting traded here in the A.J. Pierzinski deal back in 2004. He has 246 saves since that year and is known for what closers do best, closing out baseball games in the ninth inning.
Nathan came out of a spring training game over the weekend after feeling some discomfort during his 20-pitch outing. He then flew from Fort Myers to Minnesota for a "precautionary" MRI. Of course, no one from the Twins was speculating until they knew the results of the scan. But I'm not sure anyone really thought they'd be looking Tommy John surgery in the face.
Nathan has a torn ligament in his right elbow. From what I've read, it's a recent injury and nothing that lingered after he had surgery in his elbow after last season. The plan now is for Nathan to rest for a couple weeks, then try pitching through the pain a bit. But there also isn't a lot of optimism out there among beat writers, bloggers and even the Twins clubhouse.
Worst-case-scenario injury
Tommy John surgery is probably one of the worst injuries in baseball. It officially knocks you out for a season, or maybe more. And then when you do finally return to action on the mound, you're often not the same pitcher you once were. Just ask Joe Mays, Pat Neshek and Francisco Liriano.
But the concern is much greater in Nathan's case, due to the fact that he's 35 years old. The thought has already been thrown out there that this injury and accompanying surgery could be career ending for the Twins closer. Right now, I'd say that's the case. Even if he comes back to pitch, it will not be the same Joe Nathan out there with his signature horse-like deep breath.
This is big and damaging news for a ball club that had one of the most positively-productive offseasons in a long time, and is trying to make a run deep into the postseason. So it just figures that they'd get hit with something like this.
There seems to be some panicking out there in the blogs and such. Everyone is scrambling to think of who should be Nathan's replacement. Of course, it's one step at a time, but you have to be prepared too. No one in the Twins organization has anywhere near the closer experience that Nathan holds, but this is a perfect time for someone to step up and earn it.
Joe's replacement
I'm not really sure who would be a good fit right now. I loved watching Neshek with his stuff and unique delivery before he had his surgery. He still hasn't pitched in a major-league game since then. It'd be great to see him pre-surgery as a closer, but I'm obviously dreaming. He needs to get back into the swing of the bullpen first.
Tattoo-man Jon Rauch is the Twin with the most save experience, and right now he's looking like the most logical candidate. I don't really have a problem with that at this point. Honestly, I don't think I've seen him pitch enough to get a good feel for him.
There's also Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijares. I'm not a fan of going with these options. Crain and Guerrier work fine as set-up men and it should stay that way. Mijares has already earned a strike or two with his team after getting involved in throwing at batters last fall, and then having Delmon Young blame him for a retaliation toss, plus he was late arriving to spring training due to a Visa issue.
Some have mentioned Liriano's name as an option for the ninth-inning man. I don't even want to hear it. This guy seems like he's in his head too much as it is. I don't know if he could handle the mental aspect of the closer role. Plus, he still has to prove his worth after a medicore showing last season, and then a stellar performance during Dominican winter ball.
There's also the idea being bounced around about trading for an arm outside the organization. I'm not really on board with this theory yet either. Especially when a certain contact for a certain Cretin-Derham Hall alum isn't getting done. Let's just see what Nathan can do, and/or what our bullpen can do, before we go looking for help.
All we can do as Twins fans is sit back, relax, wait for Target Field to open and not panic about the Nathan situation. Now the Mauer situation, that's a different story. No contract done by opening day and I'll be ready to hyperventilate.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Hitting it big
Now that the Olympics are officially over, it's about time to shift the focus to March Madness, MLB spring training and NHL playoff pushes. Plus, the dead of winter is slowly slipping away and spring is on the horizon. What could be better?
Last weekend was a good sports weekend for me. Friday night I visited my old stomping grounds at Andover High School and watched the female Huskies beat Anoka 66-28. Although the game was somewhat of a mismatch (the lady Tornadoes were only victorious once this season), it was still a fun game to watch.
I followed that up on Saturday by going down to watch a section semifinal boys hockey game at Braemar arena between Bloomington Jefferson and Burnsville. This was a special game for me because I was there officially as a member of the Star Tribune staff, all set to write a short summary for the roundup.
Along with the great turnout of fans in the rink, I was treated to a great hockey game. Jefferson seemed to have the upper hand in domination and pressure throughout the game, but Burnsville commanded the lead on the scoreboard for most of the contest.
It took overtime to decide who would move on to play at the Target Center for the section final, and Jefferson came away with a 4-3 win.
I interviewed a coach and the winning goal scorer, then headed back to the newsroom for my shift. I surprised myself with how quickly I was able to put together a couple hundred words about the game and get it sent off to the copy desk.
The result was my very first byline in the Star Tribune. Needless to say, I am very proud of that roundup box in the bottom right-hand corner of the Preps sports section from the Feb. 28 Sunday paper.
Last weekend was a good sports weekend for me. Friday night I visited my old stomping grounds at Andover High School and watched the female Huskies beat Anoka 66-28. Although the game was somewhat of a mismatch (the lady Tornadoes were only victorious once this season), it was still a fun game to watch.
I followed that up on Saturday by going down to watch a section semifinal boys hockey game at Braemar arena between Bloomington Jefferson and Burnsville. This was a special game for me because I was there officially as a member of the Star Tribune staff, all set to write a short summary for the roundup.
Along with the great turnout of fans in the rink, I was treated to a great hockey game. Jefferson seemed to have the upper hand in domination and pressure throughout the game, but Burnsville commanded the lead on the scoreboard for most of the contest.
It took overtime to decide who would move on to play at the Target Center for the section final, and Jefferson came away with a 4-3 win.
I interviewed a coach and the winning goal scorer, then headed back to the newsroom for my shift. I surprised myself with how quickly I was able to put together a couple hundred words about the game and get it sent off to the copy desk.
The result was my very first byline in the Star Tribune. Needless to say, I am very proud of that roundup box in the bottom right-hand corner of the Preps sports section from the Feb. 28 Sunday paper.
A golden finish
Last Sunday afternoon was a time to kick back and watch the much-hyped, much-anticipated gold medal men's Olympic hockey game between Team USA and Canada.
As Star Tribune Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo pointed out, it's not often that games of this magnitude live up to all the hype, but this one did. It was a great game to cap off the entire tournament in Vancouver which was host to some spectacular hockey.
Once Canada scored the first goal, the odds and statistics were stacked against USA. Canada was undefeated when scoring first, and it marked the first time that USA had trailed during the tournament. Plus, how likely was it that USA would be able to beat Canada twice in one week?
It was a good game, even though USA had to come from behind. The final minute of play in regulation ticked down under the 30-second mark, and I began to lose hope for the boys in blue. But lo and behold, they would not give up that easily. Minnesota boy Zach Parise, who had been a star throughout the Games, punched in a puck to tie the score at two apiece with 24.4 seconds remaining.
For me, it was the most exciting moment of the game. To send the game into overtime against an all-star caliber team like Canada, was pretty amazing. I think with the dramatic way in which it went into overtime like that, it lessened the blow when Canada's golden boy Sidney Crosby won the game with a shot through the five-hole on Ryan Miller.
Note: Miller got a well-deserved night off from his Buffalo Sabres goaltending duties in the first game after the Olympic break, but he received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh crowd - it was an even bigger welcome than they gave Sid the Kid. I was glad to hear that Miller was getting the recognition he deserved after such a magnificent performance during the Olympic games. He was named the MVP.
Hold your head high
That gold medal game was one for the books. It even received record ratings in the United States. I'm glad to see so many people tuned in to watch hockey, a game that can be listed as No. 4 in the list of "big four" professional sports (football, baseball, basketball).
Team USA accomplished a lot with its silver medal, even though at the time they would have given anything to wear gold. The young team came into the Games with some low expectations from critics. Some didn't even think USA would medal.
It is quite remarkable how far they came, especially beating Canada a week before the Olympic finale. If you compare lineups, there almost is no comparison. Canada is filled with heavy hitters like Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash and, of course, Sidney Crosby.
What's next?
This gold-medal game might have to hold us for awhile as far as the Olympic games are concerned. The 2014 Games are in Sochi, Russia. The NHL and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia do not have a good relationship. This means that NHL players and the Olympics may be just a memory in four years.
I really hope this doesn't happen. Nothing is for sure yet, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that all the great hockey from the Vancouver Olympics will carry over to 2014.
As Star Tribune Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo pointed out, it's not often that games of this magnitude live up to all the hype, but this one did. It was a great game to cap off the entire tournament in Vancouver which was host to some spectacular hockey.
Once Canada scored the first goal, the odds and statistics were stacked against USA. Canada was undefeated when scoring first, and it marked the first time that USA had trailed during the tournament. Plus, how likely was it that USA would be able to beat Canada twice in one week?
It was a good game, even though USA had to come from behind. The final minute of play in regulation ticked down under the 30-second mark, and I began to lose hope for the boys in blue. But lo and behold, they would not give up that easily. Minnesota boy Zach Parise, who had been a star throughout the Games, punched in a puck to tie the score at two apiece with 24.4 seconds remaining.
For me, it was the most exciting moment of the game. To send the game into overtime against an all-star caliber team like Canada, was pretty amazing. I think with the dramatic way in which it went into overtime like that, it lessened the blow when Canada's golden boy Sidney Crosby won the game with a shot through the five-hole on Ryan Miller.
Note: Miller got a well-deserved night off from his Buffalo Sabres goaltending duties in the first game after the Olympic break, but he received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh crowd - it was an even bigger welcome than they gave Sid the Kid. I was glad to hear that Miller was getting the recognition he deserved after such a magnificent performance during the Olympic games. He was named the MVP.
Hold your head high
That gold medal game was one for the books. It even received record ratings in the United States. I'm glad to see so many people tuned in to watch hockey, a game that can be listed as No. 4 in the list of "big four" professional sports (football, baseball, basketball).
Team USA accomplished a lot with its silver medal, even though at the time they would have given anything to wear gold. The young team came into the Games with some low expectations from critics. Some didn't even think USA would medal.
It is quite remarkable how far they came, especially beating Canada a week before the Olympic finale. If you compare lineups, there almost is no comparison. Canada is filled with heavy hitters like Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash and, of course, Sidney Crosby.
What's next?
This gold-medal game might have to hold us for awhile as far as the Olympic games are concerned. The 2014 Games are in Sochi, Russia. The NHL and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia do not have a good relationship. This means that NHL players and the Olympics may be just a memory in four years.
I really hope this doesn't happen. Nothing is for sure yet, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that all the great hockey from the Vancouver Olympics will carry over to 2014.
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