Give it time

In the aftermath of the Johan Santana trade, it seems as though the comment boards on articles and blogs have become a "bash Bill Smith" wall. Who are we to be so critical right off the bat? I know Johan is worth a lot, maybe and probably more than we got for him, but the Minnesota fans that are trying to analyze this trade and find the negatives need to lay off. As a Twins fan for life, I've seen them through the good and the (very) bad. But as a real Twins fan, I have as much faith in our scouting system as I do in anything. If you go back and look at previous trades, it just shows that Minnesota generally knows what they're doing. If you look at this trade realistically, Bill Smith would not just give away Johan for nothing. I've heard people say he was backed into a corner, or he waited too long or whatever, but I strongly believe Smith did the right thing. I follow Minor League Baseball, but I'm not going to pretend to know about these guys we got from the Mets. All I know about them is what I've read from reputable sources. Nobody really know whether these guys will pan out or not. What gives us the right to jump on Smiths back just because we don't know what will happen? If you are a true Twins fan, give it some time. Nobody thought the AJ Pierzynski for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser trade would work out, and now look at us. Have faith in our scouts and our General Manager. This upcoming season very well might not turn out the way we were hoping as Twins fans, but if we finish third or fourth in the division, that's not disappointing, it's just frustrating. Every team eventually has to start fresh at new positions with young players. I've heard the term "rebuilding" thrown around when referring to the Twins, but I don't see how anybody could tag the Twins as rebuilding next year when we just signed Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer and recently acquired Delmon Young to complement Joe Mauer in the lineup. The season might not be the best; We may finish below .500, we may miss the playoffs, we may make the playoffs and win the World Series, but until that time comes when these prospects that we got from the Mets either flop or help us win, everybody should back off of Bill Smith and just give him a chance for him to show us what he's made of.

Prospects acquired for Johan Santana:

1. Carlos Gomez (Outfield): Height-6'4"

Weight-195

Throws/Bats-R/R

Upside-Great defensively, very fast with decent power.

2. Deolis Guerra (Pitcher): Height-6'5"

Weight-200

Throws-R

Upside-Young (18 years old), above-average changeup.

3. Philip Humber (Pitcher): Height-6'4"

Weight-210

Throws-R

Upside-Good control

4. Kevin Mulvey (Pitcher): Height-6'1"

Weight-170

Throws-R

Upside-Good command, mixes pitches well

I'm speechless (Hence why I blog)

Before I say anything, I urge you to take a look at this link:

The Ringmaster Rolls On

That is today's (January 17th) E-Ticket on espn.com. E-Ticket is pretty much an article that is written for print for ESPN The Magazine, but they end up featuring on their website. They only do it every so often, but it usually is an article that evokes some sort of strong feeling, whether it be controversy, hate, love, or anything in between. I want people to read this article because when I read it for the first time today, it reminded me why I wanted to get into sports writing as part of my future career (hopefully). Discard the fact that the article is about Victor Conte, the mastermind of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Op (or BALCO as it's known in the sporting community), who almost single-handedly killed the game of Baseball. I want you to look at the article not only for the content, but also for the writing. The way that Patrick Hruby has captured the range of emotions from this man, the man who made Marion Jones the toast of her country at the Sydney Olympics and then ultimately lead her running into prison, is absolutely amazing. As previously mentioned, I desperately want to be involved in sports journalism once I get out of college and get on with life, and although Hruby may not be as recognized as other writers in the sports world, I can only hope that one day I can crank out an article that captivates someone as Hruby's did to me.

What made this article jump out at me was the way it was conveyed: It had the reporting aspect, the personal aspect, and the short quips that make a story worth reading. He did a great job of making it non-partial too; whether you love Conte or hate him, this article appealed to all. I've always had a split opinion on Conte. From a Baseball fans stand point, he is someone that I loathe and wish would have never gotten in the way of something that didn't need fixing. From a personal stand point, I think he's a genius. A college dropout who doesn't even have a degree started up a business that eventually gained the trust of athletes such as Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and Bill Romanowski. He is a quick thinker and knows how to say what he needs to, and that's a very admirable quality for a person. Any journalist could go in, speak with Conte, take down a few quotes from him, and fill in the rest later. But Hruby takes the quotes, organizes them perfectly, and parlays the words into pages of brilliant and entertaining reporting. Conte should be thanking Hruby for this article; I have to admit, when I read the article, it really made me think long and hard about what I think of Conte, and for reasons I can't explain, I'm starting forgive him for what he did to Americas game.

Patrick Hruby's article made me remember why I want to get into the business of sports journalism, and I thank him for that. I read sports stories every day, and some catch my eye, others I'll skim through and I won't think about them a second time. I can't help but think that if this story had come out even as recent as a year ago what my reaction would have been. I feel like I would have taken it the wrong way and been fuming at Hruby for putting Conte in somewhat of a "good light." But after reading and re-reading this article many times, it is obvious to me that this is what I want to do, and I can only hope that one day I can write a story as powerful as Hruby did.