Kepner (NY Times): Ryan Looks to recapture past success

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/sp...orts&seid=auto

A terrific article on Terry Ryan from Tyler Kepner of the NY Times.

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“You’d read throughout the various markets: ‘We want to be like the Twins,’ ” Ryan said. “I used to take a lot of pride in that statement. That’s good to hear. Right now we don’t have anybody saying that. That’s not good — and we don’t deserve to have that said about us.”

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“I know he’s doing anything and everything he can to get us back to where we need to get to,” said catcher Joe Mauer, whose eight-year, $180 million contract runs through 2018. “That’s enough for me. He’s a guy that’s been there and done it before, and I signed here because I believe that we can win here. That hasn’t changed.”

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Here's a great comment that verifies the definition of Pitch to Contact...

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Anderson said he stopped using the phrase “pitch to contact,” because too many people — in uniform and out — misunderstood it. All he really emphasizes, he said, is getting ahead in the count and attacking the strike zone.

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Yeah, Ryan has to re-capture the success of his multiple World Series winners.

Sad to hear those quotes from Mauer:

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back to where we need to get to,” said catcher Joe Mauer, whose eight-year, $180 million contract runs through 2018. “That’s enough for me. He’s a guy that’s been there and done it before,

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Unless you strive to win it all, you will never win it. If you strive for the mediocrity that the Twins were this Millennium (which, yes is better than the previous horrid Ryan years) you will never win.

I wonder how many New Yorkers (since that article was published there) would love it, if their Yankees had the same results as the Twins this Millennium.

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Originally Posted by thrylos98

Yeah, Ryan has to re-capture the success of his multiple World Series winners.

Sad to hear those quotes from Mauer:
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Unless you strive to win it all, you will never win it. If you strive for the mediocrity that the Twins were this Millennium (which, yes is better than the previous horrid Ryan years) you will never win.

I wonder how many New Yorkers (since that article was published there) would love it, if their Yankees had the same results as the Twins this Millennium.

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Everyone strives to win it all, first you need to strive to be able to put yourself in that position on a consistant basis. Ryan and Gardy did just that and when their teams did, only an outright fool would believe they weren't striving to win it all.

His teams quit on him? That's a grand, agenda driven assumption with no basis in fact or common sense. I have no issue with you wanting these guys fired but stop just making s**t up.

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Originally Posted by twinsnorth49

His teams quit on him? That's a grand, agenda driven assumption with no basis in fact or common sense. I have no issue with you wanting these guys fired but stop just making s**t up.

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Look at the Mauer quotes. He said that he wanted to get "back" (like win a weak division and then one and out) instead of saying that he wanted to bring a World Series trophy again to the Twin Cities. Are you not bothered by that? I am. And unless Twins' fans are bothered by the attitutes of managers/GMs/Owners/Presidents/Stars that mediocrity is ok, the Twins will never win (a World Series) again. And that is that. I'd love to hear someone associated with the Twins to say that: Yes we are striving to win the World Series. (again. Last person who said it out loud was Andy McPhail)

Find me a single reference of Gardy and/or Terry saying that their goal is to win the World Series and I will shut up.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by thrylos98

Look at the Mauer quotes. He said that he wanted to get "back" (like win a weak division and then one and out) instead of saying that he wanted to bring a World Series trophy again to the Twin Cities. Are you not bothered by that? I am. And unless Twins' fans are bothered by the attitutes of managers/GMs/Owners/Presidents/Stars that mediocrity is ok, the Twins will never win (a World Series) again. And that is that. I'd love to hear someone associated with the Twins to say that: Yes we are striving to win the World Series. (again. Last person who said it out loud was Andy McPhail)

Find me a single reference of Gardy and/or Terry saying that their goal is to win the World Series and I will shut up.

Good luck.

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http://www.startribune.com/sports/tw...6.html?refer=y
joe mauer as told to Sid

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I will probably write about this soon. I think before we pass judgment on Gardy's handling of the 2002-2010 Twins playoffs teams, or laud Jr for putting together the cores that made those playoff appearances possible, it would help to understand just how good those teams really were. And then figure out if we really do want to try to get "back" to that, or not.

John wrote earlier in the offseason how history says that playoffs are almost totally random. Success in any given series is similar to a binary probability (50/50). In other words, regular season success (or lack thereof) shouldn't translate into playoff success, and vice versa.

Yet, the Twins made 6 playoff appearances in a 10 year span, and won 1 series in 7. That's like saying the Twins flipped a coin 7 times, and got heads once. There's worse than a 1/18 chance that you'll get just one heads in a 7-flip trial.

They played 27 playoff games in the 00s. They were outscored 140-82. They won 6 games, Pythagoras says they should have won 7.

So I suspect there's more to the Twins playoff failures. I suspect that, after you adjust for difficulty of schedule, you find a team that wasn't really a 50/50 coin flip to win a given playoff division.

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Originally Posted by old nurse

http://www.startribune.com/sports/tw...6.html?refer=y
joe mauer as told to Sid

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Good find Nurse, this quote is pretty much exactly what I was saying before, put yourself in position and then strive for the pinnacle.

"It's tough. We've had a lot of success here, and we really haven't played that well the last couple seasons. It's frustrating, and we're trying to get back to what we're used to and that's going to the playoffs and trying to get to our ultimate goal of winning a World Series. We haven't been playing very well, but hopefully we can turn that around."

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Originally Posted by Willihammer

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I will probably write about this soon. I think before we pass judgment on Gardy's handling of the 2002-2010 Twins playoffs teams, or laud Jr for putting together the cores that made those playoff appearances possible, it would help to understand just how good those teams really were. And then figure out if we really do want to try to get "back" to that, or not.

John wrote earlier in the offseason how history says that playoffs are almost totally random. Success in any given series is similar to a binary probability (50/50). In other words, regular season success (or lack thereof) shouldn't translate into playoff success, and vice versa.

Yet, the Twins made 6 playoff appearances in a 10 year span, and won 1 series in 7. That's like saying the Twins flipped a coin 7 times, and got heads once. There's worse than a 1/18 chance that you'll get just one heads in a 7-flip trial.

They played 27 playoff games in the 00s. They were outscored 140-82. They won 6 games, Pythagoras says they should have won 7.

So I suspect there's more to the Twins playoff failures. I suspect that, after you adjust for difficulty of schedule, you find a team that wasn't really a 50/50 coin flip to win a given playoff division.

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The people say it is random when their second favorite team behind the Twins loses a close series. However, I thought youwere enough of a stats guy to know that a coin flip will even out over time but 7 is a small sample size. Also from year to year the cast of players changes on every team so it is not equivalent to a coin flip.

You don't end up with those kind of numbers through simply underachieving and poor managing, you get them by not being talented enough. I'd like to get back to where we were but not what we were, we need deeper talent next time around. Having said that, the next time may just be one of those "lightning in a bottle" times that characterize the playoffs.

I'm 100% comfortable with Mauer's comments... he doesn't like losing. he wants to win. He wants to get back to the playoffs because you can't win a World Series title without going to the playoffs. Anyone who reads any more into those quotes is definitely over-thinking and simply has an agenda... And, thank you to "old nurse" for finding that other quote because it resulted in positive things!

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Originally Posted by old nurse

http://www.startribune.com/sports/tw...6.html?refer=y
joe mauer as told to Sid

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Wow, that took literally several minutes. Guess it means no one on the Twins cares.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Gardy-bashing.

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Originally Posted by thrylos98

Unless you strive to win it all, you will never win it. If you strive for the mediocrity that the Twins were this Millennium (which, yes is better than the previous horrid Ryan years) you will never win.

I wonder how many New Yorkers (since that article was published there) would love it, if their Yankees had the same results as the Twins this Millennium.

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Good lord, are you going to take every single quote posted on this board and spin it as proof that the Twins don't want to win a World Series?

There is not a single player or coach in all of baseball that does not desperately want to win the World Series -- I can pretty much guarantee you that. It's time to put your bizarre obsession with this absurd notion to rest, or at least keep it to yourself.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thrylos98

Look at the Mauer quotes. He said that he wanted to get "back" (like win a weak division and then one and out) instead of saying that he wanted to bring a World Series trophy again to the Twin Cities. Are you not bothered by that? I am. And unless Twins' fans are bothered by the attitutes of managers/GMs/Owners/Presidents/Stars that mediocrity is ok, the Twins will never win (a World Series) again. And that is that. I'd love to hear someone associated with the Twins to say that: Yes we are striving to win the World Series. (again. Last person who said it out loud was Andy McPhail)

Find me a single reference of Gardy and/or Terry saying that their goal is to win the World Series and I will shut up.

Good luck.

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Just curious.....Are you the same guy that had the inside info that Scott Baker was signing here? I really believe every person in baseball wants to win the World Series. To say that Gardy or TR don't is just being ignorant!

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Originally Posted by Nick Nelson

Good lord, are you going to take every single quote posted on this board and spin it as proof that the Twins don't want to win a World Series?

There is not a single player or coach in all of baseball that does not desperately want to win the World Series -- I can pretty much guarantee you that. It's time to put your bizarre obsession with this absurd notion to rest, or at least keep it to yourself.

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Thank you.

I hate Joe Mauer.

I hate raw onions.

We can all tell how much Joe Mauer wants to win! Look at all the passion he plays with. Look at all the emotion he shows. Look at the high level of accountability he brings to the clubhouse. Look at the way Joe rises in key moments and gets game winning hits. Oh wait he doesn't do any of those things that Mr. Puckett did. 23 million dollar leader who's scared of his own shadow.

I gotta say, picking those quotes apart is unrealistic. There is nothing there about accepting mediocrity. As for Mauer's leadership ability, we really have no idea at all.....

IMO, it is all about just getting to the playoffs. Once you're there, you might get hot and make a run. I'd argue that a look at the recent world series winners shows you just have to get there.

2012 - Giants - tied for 3rd best record in NL.
2011 - Cardinals - 4th best record in NL
2010 - Giants - 2nd best record in NL, 92 wins
2009 - NYY - best record in AL
2008 - Phillies - 2nd best record in NL
2007 - Red Sox - 2nd best record in AL
2006 - Cardinals - 4th best record in NL
2005 - White Sox - best record in AL
2004 - Red Sox - 2nd best record in AL
2003 - Florida - 3rd best record in NL

So over the last 10 years, the "worst" team to make the playoffs (from the league that won) has won the world series as often as the best team. Baseball playoffs are a crap shoot. Any team can beat any other team in a 7 games series, even more so in a 5 game series. Just because the twins didn't win it all during their recent run of success doesn't mean they were doing anything wrong, it just means that it didn't happen.