Dwight Freeney is going to the Chargers.

Somehow, Caleb TerBush signed an NFL contract.

So now, apparently, the Charlotte Bobcats are becoming the Hornets again. That’s fun. Bring back Muggsy Bogues.

SCOREBOARD
MLB
Boston 3, Minnesota 2 – Vance Worley allowed 0 earned runs, which proves everything I said in yesterday’s post.
Chicago 3, Los Angeles 0 – For as much attention as the teams from LA received over the past two offseasons, they sure aren’t doing much.

I have seen or heard two different media segments in which Twins starters Vance Worley and Mike Pelfrey were compared and fretted over. The Common Man on KFAN in the Twin Cities was trying to figure out which pitcher was the most worrisome. Bloguin’s Outside Corner wondered as to why either still has a job. Both came to the conclusion that Worley’s issues were most bothersome, and that Pelfrey was showing signs of hope.

The thing is, though, part of Worley’s issue thus far continues to be terrible luck. His BABIP is still over .400 which seems nigh on impossible, his strand rate, as a result is terribly low and his HR/FB rate is higher than his career average. While his strike out rate is much lower than his career normals, his walk rate is also half of what he usually spits out in a career. What I am driving at, is that his luck is bound to change.

The Outside Corner, in their support of Pelfrey as being less of an issue than Worley says “there is a glimmer of hope since [Pelfrey] has a 4.30 FIP.” Well, Worley’s is 4.79, and thanks in part to the unusually high HR/FB rate, his xFIP, which is park corrected, is actually lower than Pelfrey’s. Again, so much of Worley’s difficult first two months is attributable to bad luck. His velocity is down a bit on off speed pitches, but other than that, there isn’t much to do but be patient.

Instead, I would worry about Pelfrey, who is coming off of a significant surgery this off-season and is in the process of redefining himself as a pitcher. He used to be a traditional, pitch mixing type of pitcher, but this season (and admittedly, last season before he got hurt) he is trying to become a sinkerballer. Like, an extreme sinkerballer. 60.6% of his pitches, according to PitchF/X are sinkers, while only 10% are fastballs. Velocity is down across the board, which is usually an indicator of structural damage, which makes sense given the injury.

Pelfrey is only on a one year contract as he tries to come back from injury and re-style his delivery. The most optimistic thing I can point to is Carlos Silva, who always came on strong late in the season. But if they wanted a sinkerballer who struggled to get people out and had a tough time finding the strike zone, wouldn’t the Twins just be better off with Nick Blackburn back in the rotation? Maybe the Twins are comfortable waiting for Pelfrey to get the arm fatigue necessary to a quality sinker, but I think it’s more likely that Vance Worley gets the ball down a couple more inches in the zone and his fortunes change. Worley is going to be here long term, as well. It should be easier to cut ties with Pelfrey if and when the Twins decide to upgrade the rotation.

The Twins have a heck of a prospect in Byron Buxton. Two monster players are going to be playing in Minnesota in a few years in Buxton and Miguel Sano.

This pitch was a bit low and inside.

Speaking of amusing animations involving bad baseball, here are the Astros!

SCOREBOARD
Tippeligaen
Rosenborg 4, Sarpsborg 2 – This was a see-saw affair. RBK was up 2-0 but Sarpsborg 08 tied it. Rosenborg scored 2 more in the final 10. Nikki Bille had a hat trick!
MLB
Chicago 5, Los Angeles 4 – The Angels aren’t as good as it seems like they should be.

Today, the Big Ten football schedule for 2014 was announced today. This is obviously big news for um… someone. Sure, we haven’t worked our way through the 2013 schedule yet, and we aren’t quite sure even, of the make up of the rosters of any of the teams, but hey, there was a press release! Naturally, the link was to the actual schedule, because there is enough BS in this post.

Essentially, there are two things worth looking at, and those things are only relevant to Minnesota and Purdue. Essentially, the questions are “When do they play the new teams, Maryland and Rutgers” and “Who do they play in their cross conference games”

Answer 1) They don’t. But this will be the second time Purdue plays Nebraska, so that’s cool.

Answer 2) Minnesota plays at Michigan and home against Ohio State, which might be a cruel joke (of course, that is an apt description of the program). Purdue always will have a game against Indiana, but will also face Michigan State.

So there you go. That’s all that is worth caring about on the 2014 Big Ten schedule. Well, that’s all I care about, anyway.

Something about an offensive lineman kicking is mesmerizing.

Grades for the new college football uniforms for the new season.

Tom Brunansky needs more dingers. 

SCOREBOARD
MLB
Chicago 9, Minnesota 4 – The Twins are now a game below .500 which… hey not too bad!

Looks awesome, gang! Take a look at the full gallery here.

I would like this shirt. Christmas is only 7 months away.

Here’s a hat for all those Clevesota Twindian fans out there.

Players and their performance on bobblehead night.

SCOREBOARD
MLB
Chicago 4, Minnesota 2 – The White Sox had too much Peavey.

Clarity – Zedd
This is a techno dynamo. It gets your heart pumping, and the lyrics are thoughtful. I am intrigued by the clashing opposites portrayed by the music and the video.

Tornado – Little Big Town
This is another country song about the classic topic of getting wronged by a man. Little Big Town is one of the country bands that is embracing new country beats, and they’re a bit underrated. The lyrics are slightly comical, but are sung in a hard-core manner that fits perfectly with the beat of the music.

Stay – Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko
Stay is a stripped down song for Rihanna. The words are romantic. However the way she sings it, they sound heartbreaking and like she’s tortured in love. It’s the kind of haunting song that you can listen to on repeat for hours.

Heart Attack – Demi Lovato
On the other hand if you want to jam to a classic rock-pop tune, Heart Attack is for you! Demi has had multiple hits since getting out of rehab. She’s on the top of her game with her writing and singing.

Don’t Worry Child – Swedish House Mafia
This song has been around for a while, but I still can’t get enough of it! This is one you can definitely belt out and feel good about it.

Lover of the Light – Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons is my favorite band currently, so I’d be remiss in not including one of their recent singles. It has some great banjo. As always, their lyrics are perfection. I always wonder what inspires them.

Microsoft Bringing Music to the forefront
In an effort to compete with Apple, Microsoft has begun showcasing their technology in innovative commercials with great tunes! Their latest commercials have spawned the following relatively unknown songs and made them instant hits!
Too Close – Alex Clare – I was loving this song when it was playing on Cities97 (in Minneapolis). Cities97 plays up-and-coming music. But once this song was featured in the new ad campaign, it was an instant hit on all stations!
Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore — This song is pure entertainment. The rhymes come spewing out, and the chorus is extremely fun and catchy! Every time I hear it, I have a mini dance party. The speed of the music intensifies the commercial; they really compliment each other.

Aaron Hicks had a night last night.

I don’t know what Sacramento ever did to the Maloofs, but my goodness are they bitter about it.

Notre Dame is a bunch of chickens. It’s true!

SCOREBOARD
Tippeligaen
Rosenborg 2, Honefoss 1 – I like watching Rosenborg highlights because of the Nikki Bille Nielsen crazy eye that is a near constant.
MLB
Minnesota 10, Chicago 3 – As noted, Aaron Hicks did OK for himself.