The Twins Geek has his very own cheat sheet for you to download and printout.
This morning we'll add some common sense and what to expect when the game starts as an addendum.
We'll stroll through the umpteen thousand experts and point out the factors from the fodder for you.
Every website has their two cents to chip in, even if you only have a penny for their thoughts.
THE SITES AND SOUNDS
MLB.com has a preview that is big on flash and low on actual, factual details. Their pitching analysis is decent, though we'd argue with the MPH on several of their reviews. Further, they do not preview the bullpens. Their position player review amounts to head-to-head match ups. We're not fond of many of them. The catchers, for instance, mention Ramon Hernandez is excellent at handling pitchers and weak with the bat. Ramon appeared in 136 games this year, most of those behind the plate. He also injured his wrist against the Yankees in the Division Series last year. He had a decent off-season in Winter League but tried to compensate for his ailing wrist too much as it healed. He hit a wall in the Spring and his swing was all jacked up. Ramon was brought up for his offense, which has suffered this season, but can you argue with the results he gets behind the plate with the pitching staff? Further, they listed the Twins have been the underdog historically in the playoffs. Oh, yah, very relevant since the Twins haven't been in the post season in eleven years. You might as well list that the A's have historically had very yellow jerseys and moustaches.
Yahoo! has a preview that is essentially an AP/Reuters type that doesn't make a lot of sense (ED NOTE: Link missing).
ESPN has several preview articles, this one from Tim Kurkjian. Is it us or does it sound like Tim is always mispronouncing his own name sometimes on TV? Tim basically runs down Five Question (ripping off former ESPN anchor Craig Kilbourn) that points out the Twins were a .500 team (40-40) on the road and that the Metrodome is loud (ED NOTE: Link missing).
Eric Neel is a California guy who writes for ESPN but is a Dodger fan. He gets the surface qualities in 10 Reasons to Root For the A's, but misses the mark.
ESPN.com's site for the Division Series.
ESPN's scouting reports are not good. The Twins Geeks likes them, but we think they stink. Again, we'll take the first listing, Scott Hatteberg. Scott isn't a spray hitter by any stretch of the imaginations. All together now, "SCOTT HATTEBERG OWNS RIGHT CENTERFIELD!". Repeat that as a mantra when Scott is in the batter's box a la "these pretzels are making me thirsty." Scott is a breaking ball/bad ball hitter. Anyone who can sit on a splitter and then drive it is a hell of a hitter. Who doesn't like to turn on a fastball in a hitter's count? Tom Candiotti was clearly just pulling vague generalities out of his over-sized ass...and he used to pitch for the A's. Come to think of it, the A's released Candiotti and ended his career.
The Sporting News' Ken Rosenthal stays close the the vest and doesn't really go out on a limb with anything (ED NOTE: Link missing).
CBS Sportsline actually has some decent scouting reports here (ED NOTE: Link missing).
Then they drop the ball and offer this garbage.
CNN/SI goes out of its way to prove why they are out of touch. Calling the A's defense adequate when they rank 3rd in the American league in Defensive Effeciency Rating, ahead of the Twins is asinine.
FOX clearly doesn't understand their core audience. Why they spend so much money on a bad website is a mystery to us all. For a network that houses baseball and football and doesn't cover either well, you would think they would try to hold the ardent fans with a decent website. Nope.
NBC might look like the precurser of FOX in a few years. At least MSNBC doesn't try to do too much.
We are very surprised USA Today didn't have color charts available.
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