Times a ticken' on Radke and Koskie

From the Seats, December 4, 2004

MINNEAPOLIS - We always want more of it, yet it goes so fast. It once again is the evil enemy. Time is not in the favorer of the Twins when it comes to keeping Brad Radke and Corey Koskie Twins for the 2005 season.

The Twins offered Radke 3 years worth $21 million. My Minnesota math tells me that is $7 million a year. Not bad, not bad at all especially for playing a boys game. Unfortunately he made about $2 million more last season than this contract would do for him. It also doesn't help that a mediocre pitcher, Kris Benson got way more than he ever should have from the Mets., why is it by the way they like to pay way to much for their players and be in last?

Mr. Radke, you will not get any sympathy from me on this one. If deep down he wants to finish his career with the Twins, a deal will get done and it wont have to break the bank for the Twins. With Ryan at the wheel I don't think we have to worry about the bank being broken, Radke will not be a Twin before that happens.

Koskie has been offered $8 million for 2 years. Koskie used a pilot example saying that he works for Northwest airlines and they tell him he is a great pilot, but just don't want to pay him. And Delta comes along and offers him more than what he is getting at Northwest, it is an easy deal. What Koskie forgot to mention is that Northwest was tired of Koskie missing 40% of his flights because he was out sick.

If Koskie was healthy, there is no doubt in my mind the Twins would be more excited about getting him back. Very few players compare to a healthy Koskie, but it has been a while since we have seen a healthy version.

A lot sits on what happens with these two players. With Koskie we have a power potential, gold glove type third baseman. With Radke we have who has been the face of the Twins for the past 9 years, the ace of the staff.

When Radke was signed in 1997 I questioned what the Twins were doing signing a single player for that much money. Why do it? It came clear that was the right move. If these two do not return to the Twins, the only reason will be money. If that happens, I will have to decide how I feel at that time, hope I don't have to do that.

Bonds didn't know he was taking steroids

SAN FRANCISCO - Yeah right. The San Francisco Chronicle has now exposed San Francisco's biggest star, Barry Bonds to admitting he took what turns out to be steroids but claims he did not know about that.

If what Bonds and Giambi are saying that they were told by Gery Anderson that these were not steroids, but close to it, what is wrong with these guys? There is way to much on the line for them, way too much at risk to not know what you are putting in your body. Either this Anderson is very good at what he does, or these athletes are looking the other way when they do this.

I think it will be up to the fans to decide what happens to these players. Bud Selig has said we need to have what he put in place in the minors in 2001 done to MLB. Ok commissioner, what are you waiting for? This is what YOU are supposed to do, not the owners and players association. It seems like for the past few season he has been getting ready to get big bad and mean about steroids, yet nothing.

We still have questions on what happens to these guys now. If Selig had something in place we would know what is going to happen to them.

Its like everyone walks around glass in this issue. No one wants to get to the point. When Bud Selig made comments after the Giambi story broke he never addressed Giambi.

This is baseball Achilles Heal, and taking a line from The American President, we have serious problems and we need serious people to solve them. Bud is not the least big interested in solving these problems. If he was, he would have addressed them by now.

What will happen this coming season when Bonds adds more home runs onto his tally? What happens when he is in second place and approaches 755?  Out of what Bonds has done, how much is him, how much is steroids? We don't know. Personally I don't think the steroids are what contribute to Bonds hitting home runs, that's talent. But what he has done as long as he has done it, what is that? That might be steroids. That I might have a problem with and it could be the reason he has hit the number of home runs. Barry Bonds is bound for the Hall of Fame, unless he is banned from the game, will Bonds have a nice big ? next to his name?

I do blame the players on this one, 10000% all their fault. Fans should never have to decide if they will cheer for a player or not. They should never have to make a decision about what happens because of player used steroids. Shame on you, players, and shame on MLB for letting things get to this point. Nip it in the bud NOW!