Report: Santana Traded to the Mets

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the New York Mets have acquired two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for four minor-league prospects. On the surface, the deal seems OK for the Twins: the four players (pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey and outfielder Carlos Gomez) are four of the Mets' top seven prospects, according to Baseball America.

But here's the weird part - not part of the deal was Fernando Martinez, the Mets' No. 1 prospect in their farm system - he's listed by Baseball America as their leading prospect on the team at hitting for power and average. It's baffling to me that - when trading away arguably the best pitcher in baseball, that you wouldn't get the other team's No. 1 prospect as part of the package. Especially since it was rumored that adding Martinez to the trade was crucial for the Twins to make the deal with the Mets.

The Twins had earlier set today as the deadline for offers from interested teams. Unless you believe the rumors echoed by The Twins Geek, that Santana imposed the deadline himself. No matter what, it certainly didn't help the Twins get the best deal possible. Needless to say, the fans commenting at Twinkie Town have been less than unanimous in their support.

So, we'll see. Martinez could flame out (he struggled in his call up to Double-A last season, but he is very young) and Gomez could be a future Hall of Famer. But it's hard to look at that trade without thinking there is a lot more celebration in the Mets' offices today than in the Twins'

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 3:42 PM 1 comments  

Quick Hits

- In stunning news, the always-excellent Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that the 2008 Lingerie Bowl has been canceled (for the second consecutive year) because of bungling from the promoters. Sounds like these guys are about as with it as the marketing team behind the NHL All-Star Game (that was this weekend, in case you didn't know. Which you didn't.)
- Following up our story yesterday on Kevin Love being heckled mercilessly by Oregon fans, here's a fan sign that is creative, well-done and isn't too personal. Well done, kid. The Duke abides.
- The Seattle Times on-going investigation of the 2000 Washington Huskies shows a level of malfeasance, corruption and lack of morals that, even for a cynical sports fan like me, is pretty shocking. As Deadspin pointed out, everyone associated with the team seem like horrible people. You'll want to bathe after reading the stories, just to get the filth off. And the head coach of that 2000 Huskies' team? Rick Neuheisel. Should be some...interesting times...at Westwood the next few seasons.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 12:11 PM 3 comments  

Indianapolis Announces Super Bowl Bid Slogan

INDIANAPOLIS - Civic leaders today kicked off the city's bid for the 2012 Super Bowl by unveiling the slogan for the campaign in a ceremony outside of the RCA Dome. Leaders hope that "It Can't Be Worse Than Detroit" will drive across the key points they hope to impress upon NFL executives in their bid to host the Super Bowl.

"I mean, after they had the Super Bowl in Detroit in 2006, I guess they're letting any city with an NFL team and a domed stadium host it," said Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard. "This slogan serves as an opportunity to remind owners and NFL executives of where they've had past Super Bowls, and the type of precedent that has set. We might not be the biggest city in the world, but hey, we're not Detroit!"

Ballard pointed out the many attractive qualities of Indianapolis and fun activities visitors could take part in while visiting the city for a Super Bowl. They include:

• Using the cold Indiana winter weather as a chance to explore the high quality of the heaters in the city's many hotels.
• Take in a game featuring one of Indiana's star-studded winter sports teams, such as the Indiana Pacers and...the Indiana Pacers.
• Drive 30 minutes to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and see what an empty race track looks like.
• Visit the Indianapolis Zoo and see examples of local wildlife native to Indiana, including the pig, cow, horse, mule and farm dog.
• Go to the Connor Prairie Museum and experience life on a rural farm in the Pioneer days. Or, visit any farm 10 miles or more outside of Indianapolis and see basically the same thing.
• Explore all of the fine dining and nightlife options Indianapolis has to offer. After this, plan your second day in the city.
• Sit quietly in your hotel room, wondering if Fresno would be more exciting.

Ballard also promised a halftime show by Indiana-native and music legend John Mellencamp, including a special performance of "This is Our Country" that will be "just as fresh and hip" ion 2012 as it is today.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 10:43 AM 3 comments