St. Paul Saints…Talking ‘bout my generation

Look beyond the obvious characteristic of the Saints (switch-hitters). This lineup is full of players from the owner’s youth. The Cocaine Era as some have come to call it. They can’t outrun the long-arm of the law.

What could work: ‘Tis good to regard the enemy. No one spends more time mulling over the upcoming games. The manager can tell you how his players will perform against upcoming foes because he has looked it up. Whenever possible he’ll tell you how your squad will fare against his pitchers…and vice verse. The hitting corps is strong and the manager doesn’t have to worry about the righty-lefty matchups. Pitching is strong with Blue, Guidry and Billy Wagner closing the door.

What could fail: In his first full year in the majors (1971) Vida Blue won the Cy Young and the MVP award, winning 24 games and striking out 301 batters. The following year (a World Series year for the A’s), Vida was just 6-10 and struck out only 111 batters. Knowing the manager’s luck Vida will probably perform at the latter level. The other pitchers are just as capable of having ordinary years. The manager will go ballistic when the computer doesn’t hold true to predicted outcomes. The bullpen is strong for this squad, so if the starters can hang on long enough…but that’s a big “if.”

Result: 78-84. Al Hrabosky, the “Mad Hungarian,” a member of the 2009 Saints, once brought a hand grenade into the clubhouse to motivate his teammates. “Look, you sons of bitches, if we don’t get our act together and start winning, they’re going to blame this on me, and I ain’t taking it alone.” Let’s hope the manger doesn’t need to bring out the Tazer on this squad.