Bad Times In Toronto...
The only thing you need to know about the Toronto Raptors' season is that they've had 13 guys miss time with injury this year. NBA active rosters only go 12 deep. Now, incredibly, they are seeing people laugh at their trade offers involving Vince Carter. The Cavaliers laughed at them. When the Cavs are laughing at you, you have a problem. How do you blow up a team when you can't move your only marquee player?
Hot, Not...
Quick, name the two hottest teams in the NBA! The Jazz and Lakers have both won 8 of 10, and the Jazz have ripped off four in a row. Don't look now, but if the playoffs started today, the Jazz would have home court in the first round. I honestly can remember having conversations with a devoted Rockets fan in 1996 regarding how the Jazz were an aging unit, and their time was going to run out. That was seven years ago.
Not hot? There are a lot of teams that are tanking, like Atlanta or Toronto or Cleveland, but we all know that's going to happen. The real news in the Not Hot world continues to be Philadelphia. They have won just twice in their last 10 games. I can hear a time bomb ticking, and it's Larry Brown and Allen Iverson's relationship. Something is going to blow up there very soon. You just know it. Besides, Brown has to be getting itchy, having been in Philly for a number of years now. He's a rolling stone that's starting to gather some moss.
This Will Be The First Of Many...
Twins notes in this space. The Twins signed 1B Doug Mientkiewicz to a one year, $1.75 million deal today. Mientkiewicz is a topic of much discussion amongst Twins fans. While he is a marvel to watch in the field, his offensive output is substantially less than the ideal for a first baseman in this era. Many fans argue that his defense saves as many runs as a better hitter would put up on the board, which I think is just completely inaccurate. The difference in games between a great first baseman and a poor one is maybe 3. Maybe 5. Maybe. Those are very generous estimates. A good hitter would be worth more.
Having said all of that, Mientkiewicz is popular, and he's cheap, and there is at least some chance he can improve his power numbers; he can hit, just not for much power. Most importantly, they didn't commit to him for a long-term contract. Baseball economics is complicated, but the number one overall mistake that many teams make is to commit large amounts of money to players to pay for past performance, as opposed to investing in players who have a reasonable chance to improve. The Twins have a young 1B in their system named Justin Morneau, who may be ready next season. This contract allows the Twins to make a judgement at the end of this season about what Mientkiewicz's value is going to be next year, and also assess Morneau's readiness. If Mientkiewicz still has value, or Morneau isn't ready, they can strike a new deal.
11:41:45 AM 
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