The Bleacher Bums: July 26, 2005 Archive

Get it Dunn

Posted at 10:01 AM on July 26, 2005 by David Zingler (1 Comments)

Despite possessing the deepest pitching staff in the league, the Twins have been relegated to Wild Card contender. While we all love to love our “Little Team that Could”, it is impossible overlook the organization's inability to produce a major league caliber power hitter.

We’ve all heard the speculation surrounding Joe Randa (too late), Bill Mueller (yawn) and Kevin Millar (double yawn), but none of them would solidify the Twins glaring weakness. Adam Dunn however, would. I’m still standing by Justin Morneau, but he’s in his first full major league season and desperately needs help. Dunn would provide that and much more.

The 25-year-old has hit 25, 27, 46 and 28 (so far in this year) homeruns the past four seasons and reached base at a .384 clip in his career ( 2,053 career at bats). While Terry Ryan would rather join the “Hair Club for Men” than deal his top prospects, this would appear like the ideal time for a fresh look. And Dunn is no toupee.

Dunn is the (hold your breath) legit cleanup hitter the Twins haven’t had since well before Kent Hrbek started doing outdoor shows. Give up Kyle Lohse, Joe Mays, J.C. Romero, Jacque Jones, Scott Baker, J.D. Durbin, Boof Bonser or any reasonable combination thereof, to get him. If they’ll throw in a bag of sunflower seeds and some batting practice balls, give 'em Bret Boone too.

I know you are going to say that the Twins can't afford Dunn, who could command a $10 million salary in 2006. Remember however, Jones' $5 million dollar salary will be off the books next year and Lohse ($2.4 million) and/or Mays ($7.25 million -- yikes!!) would likely be included in any deal for the slugger. There's also always the option of dealing Brad Radke in the offseason. The so-called ace turns 33 in October and makes $9 million annually.

The writing is on the wall, this opportunity is too good to pass up -- get Dunn, pay him and watch the baseballs fly over the baggie.

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Dumb and dumber

Posted at 10:08 AM on July 26, 2005 by Ben Tesch (4 Comments)

Previously we talked about instant replay and other rules we might like to see added to the game, but what about the dumb rules that exist already? Patrick Hruby lays out the dumb rules for every sport, which includes the following specific to baseball:

• Intentional Walks in Baseball
  Let's see: Spend $60 on a ticket to watch someone not pitch to David Ortiz? No thanks. Better to grant each team a single intentional walk per game, the way the NFL doles out limited coaches' challenges. And when the pitcher decides to chicken out? Give the batter two free bases.

  Really, why should a meatball artist get a near-mulligan because he can't get the likes of Barry Bonds out?

• No Protesting a Called Strike in Baseball
  If a batter can step away from the batter's box to chew, scratch or spit, why can't he step away from the batter's box, look the other away and express his deepest feelings about an umpire's genealogy? Instead, the rule states that you can't protest balls and strikes … again, this is bull!

• Baseball Dugout Warnings
  Warning both dugouts means somebody gets the last word in brushbacks. That ain't fair. If a pitcher knows the next brushback will produce a warning, he has little choice but to throw one -- because if he doesn't, the other team's hurler will. And as soon as someone does, the other guy can't. Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah.

  As for umpires interpreting and defining the intent of a pitch? Yeah, right. Umps have a hard enough time calling a consistent strike zone. Now they're supposed to read minds?

  Beanball wars might amount to frontier justice. But at least they're just.

• Baseball's On-Deck Circle
  Use it or lose it.

• Baseball Managers Wearing Uniforms
  An unwritten rule, to be sure -- but no less unforgivable. Imagine Stan Van Gundy in a jersey and shorts, Bill Belichick in shoulder pads and a helmet, Scotty Bowman in a sweater and skates. Silly, right? So how is Jack McKeon in a uniform any different?

• No Contact on the Basepaths in Baseball
  Forget the home run. The most exciting play in baseball is a full-on collision at home plate. Why not allow big hits at every other base, and all parts in between?

  Just think: Alex Rodriguez's first-base purse slap would have been legal. Better yet, Bronson Arroyo could have slapped him back. Or worse. Everyone wins!

I agree with pretty much all of these, except maybe the intentional walk. The on-deck circle thing is very funny to me, considering the Metrodome's little split-level addition batting warming house on the side of the dugout. (Might as well build a nice open air breezeway to the bullpen!) Sorry, getting off-topic. What's your take on these various "dumb rules"?

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