IT TOOK A NEAR NO HITTER TO MAKE ANYONE NOTICE THE TWINS AND RANGERS WERE PLAYING

Seriously, there is a lot at stake in the Twins/Rangers series… and not just to see if Rich Harden’s arm would fall off before his no hitter bid was over.

Not sure if you noticed this or not, but as of this writing, the Minnesota Twins would have home field advantage in the Division Series while the Rangers would start Cliff Lee on the road for Game 1 against either Tampa Bay or New York.

Home field advantage might be the only way for the Twins to advance past the Division Series for the first time since 2002 (after losing the Division Series in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009.)

They are one ahead in the loss column of Texas and including yesterday’s near no hitter, they have won 3 of 4 in the season series. They have 6 more games head to head and they can go a long way to determining who gets to host the first round.

The Rangers got some heartening news from the Harden start last night. Sure a combined no hitter would be sexy, but Harden’s entire career has been described as “He’d be an ace if he stayed healthy.”

They don’t need him healthy for a season. Just a few months.

Either way, it’s a big series… and for those of you who keep complaining that all the attention is put on the Yankees and Red Sox… START PAYING ATTENTION.

IT TOOK A NEAR NO HITTER TO MAKE ANYONE NOTICE THE TWINS AND RANGERS WERE PLAYING

Seriously, there is a lot at stake in the Twins/Rangers series… and not just to see if Rich Harden’s arm would fall off before his no hitter bid was over.

Not sure if you noticed this or not, but as of this writing, the Minnesota Twins would have home field advantage in the Division Series while the Rangers would start Cliff Lee on the road for Game 1 against either Tampa Bay or New York.

Home field advantage might be the only way for the Twins to advance past the Division Series for the first time since 2002 (after losing the Division Series in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009.)

They are one ahead in the loss column of Texas and including yesterday’s near no hitter, they have won 3 of 4 in the season series. They have 6 more games head to head and they can go a long way to determining who gets to host the first round.

The Rangers got some heartening news from the Harden start last night. Sure a combined no hitter would be sexy, but Harden’s entire career has been described as “He’d be an ace if he stayed healthy.”

They don’t need him healthy for a season. Just a few months.

Either way, it’s a big series… and for those of you who keep complaining that all the attention is put on the Yankees and Red Sox… START PAYING ATTENTION.

You are safe Gambler

It REALLY looked like the Rangers were going to have a combined no hitter tonight. But Joe Mauer got a 2 strike single in the ninth off of Neftali Perez.

No shame in letting up a hit to Joe Mauer.

But I had already written the piece in my head and was going to update the "Most Recent No Hitter" tally.

I don't take the blame myself. I think Joe Mauer's ability was more relevant than my writing a blog post.

So Kenny Rogers's perfect game is STILL the most recent Rangers no hitter.

Padres and Mets remain on the clock.

Kenny Rogers' Perfect Game: The Old School Edition from Luis Alicea on Vimeo.

You are safe Gambler

It REALLY looked like the Rangers were going to have a combined no hitter tonight. But Joe Mauer got a 2 strike single in the ninth off of Neftali Perez.

No shame in letting up a hit to Joe Mauer.

But I had already written the piece in my head and was going to update the "Most Recent No Hitter" tally.

I don't take the blame myself. I think Joe Mauer's ability was more relevant than my writing a blog post.

So Kenny Rogers's perfect game is STILL the most recent Rangers no hitter.

Padres and Mets remain on the clock.

Kenny Rogers' Perfect Game: The Old School Edition from Luis Alicea on Vimeo.

A heart Hardens

I understand the logic of taking Rich Harden out of the game today.
He threw 111 pitches today and it was his first day off the disabled list... maybe EVER.

In his career he has the durability of a sand castle at high tide.

So yeah, I understand why Ron Washington took him out. He needs his arm in the 1 in 382,112 chance that he can last 2 months without getting hurt again.

But man, I'm not sure I'd have the heart to take him out of his no hitter. If he had let up a little dribbler single in the third, this would be a no brainer.

6 2/3 shutout innings from Harden?
A Godsend.

But now he had to be the mean old man to ruin Rich's birthday party.

Let's see if O'Day can make it a combined no hitter.

(2 outs in the 8th... he could do it)

A heart Hardens

I understand the logic of taking Rich Harden out of the game today.
He threw 111 pitches today and it was his first day off the disabled list... maybe EVER.

In his career he has the durability of a sand castle at high tide.

So yeah, I understand why Ron Washington took him out. He needs his arm in the 1 in 382,112 chance that he can last 2 months without getting hurt again.

But man, I'm not sure I'd have the heart to take him out of his no hitter. If he had let up a little dribbler single in the third, this would be a no brainer.

6 2/3 shutout innings from Harden?
A Godsend.

But now he had to be the mean old man to ruin Rich's birthday party.

Let's see if O'Day can make it a combined no hitter.

(2 outs in the 8th... he could do it)

Can we stop the babying of pitchers?

Between Phil Hughes injuries, Ian Kennedy pitching as well as Teddy Kennedy and Clay Buccholz stinking up the joint, I am hoping it will be the end of this insane babying of pitchers.

All the Joba rules and treating the 2008 season as Joba's private spring training didn't prevent him from going on the DL when he was needed most.

Treating Kennedy like John Travolta in the Boy in the Plastic Bubble didn't prevent his year from stinking worse than Battlefield Earth. (That's two Travolta references in one sentence.)

And my Red Sox treated Buccholz like he was the egg in Risky Business... and look how that turned out. He's in AA Portland!

Here's a radical idea:

Have pitchers pitch.
If they are in the show, show that they have earned it.

I have seen a grand total of zero positives of treating pitchers like fabrege eggs. Go out there and pitch some f---ing innings!

Who would have thought that Carl Pavano would have only one fewer win than the combination of Hughes, Kennedy and Buccholz?

Can someone please show me the pitching staff that has had long term success by turning their drawers brown when a starting pitcher hits 6 innings?

This is why I was advocating Joba for the bullpen:
If your starters are only going 6 innings, you had better be sure talented pitchers are throwing the 7 and 8th innings... because if they blow the lead, you only have 2 or 3 chances to get it back.

Granted that point became moot when Wang got injured and Joba HAD to start.
But still, all the babying in the world for a big guy like Joba... and he's hurt when the Yankees need him

And the tyranny of the pitch count makes no sense.
Sure a pitch count works when you have a guy who tends to wear down (something that Grady Little had a hard time grasping.)

But not every pitcher is built the same and not every pitch has the same amount of stress on the body.

Which is more stressful? Pitching in a 9-0 game or a 2-1 game?
Oh that's right... games are played in vacuums. I forgot.

It's MASS INSANITY!
People are suscribing to a theory that has never worked and yet is being treated as gospel!

They are using the Rick Peterson method that has led to injuries for Mark Mulder, Zito stinking up the joint and Rich Harden needing to legally change his name to "Injury Prone Rich Harden."

Why not have pitchers pitch like Mazzone had the Braves pitch?

Mazzone had Glavine, Avery and Smoltz...
Maddux had his best years with him
As did Neagle, Mercker and Millwood.

And how many pitchers got their careers back on track with him?

My God he made a career of polishing turds and then having those turns sign big contracts with the Yankees

Think Chris Hammond, think Jaret Wright, think Kyle Farnsworth

But better not follow HIS example
Better follow Rick Peterson's whose teams have won fewer post season series than the 2007 Rockies.

Better keep babying pitchers and blowing their arms out because they are so fragile.

Albert Einstein once said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

But what the hell did HE know?

The Harden trade was right for both the Cubs and the A's

The Rich Harden to the Cubs trade is one of those rare moves where I think both teams made the right move and did what they had to do.

The Cubs need to do this.
This is their 2004. In 2004 Theo Epstein said enough is enough, pushed all the chips to the center of the table in a go for broke "we need to win RIGHT NOW" season and ate the lousy Thanksgiving dinner at the Schillings.

Cubs fans are getting a little less cuddly.
And the Thomas Paine level pain is getting worse.

And oh yeah, the Brewers... the f---ing Brewers got the biggest fish in the trade pond.

The Cubs fans have already sat through the disastrous 2003 series against Florida... then see their two companions in futility win the World Series with the Red Sox and crosstown White Sox... then saw their rivals win with the Cardinals in 2006 and then the Red Sox picked up another for good measure.

To then hear it from the Cheeseheads up north while their search goes into a second century would be too much.

They need a pitcher to win now, even if he flames out and is worthless in 2009.
(Ring a bell, Mark Prior?)

Which brings us to the A's.

You can't say, think or type the name Rich Harden without saying the words "when healthy."

- When healthy Rich Harden would be a Cy Young contender.
- When healthy Rich Harden would be the A's ace
- When healthy Rich Harden would enjoy a nice meal at Sizzler.

He should go to City Hall and legally change his name to "Injury Prone Rich Harden" just to make it official.

And there were times that Harden's trade value was so low that he'd probably have to settle for the sequel rights to The Love Guru and a flat can of Sprite for him.

So now he gets Boston native Sean Gallagher and 3 other guys for him knowing that his body could fall apart faster than the black knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

So good for Billy Beane for trading when he had value.
Watch the A's win the Division with Gallagher leading the way while Harden is due to go on the DL in 3.... 2.... 1