Thread: Article: What Kind of Fan are You?

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.ph...of-Fan-are-You

Good post, Seth. I'm about a 7.5 on the fan scale. Certain moves (like the Capps for Ramos example) confuse or annoy me right off the bat, but I know enough to know that, despite what we all complain about concerning Bill Smith and Terry Ryan, the people working in MLB front offices generally have good baseball minds. And I also know that it's an exercise in futility to complain about that trade 150 times on the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press amd TwinsDaily sites.

And there's only so much negativity I can take. If the Twins stink this year, I'm sure I'll write about that on my blog to an extent, but I'll also focus more attention on the Rock Cats and the other teams that might post winning seasons.

Honestly, I can go between 1 and 10 in a single day, maybe even during a single game. Maybe even during one at bat. I guess "mercurial" would be the best word. I prefer highly emotional.

When I watch any game, the Twins are simultaneously the greatest team to ever play baseball and lousy bums. My objectivity is shot.

For me, their can be no greater testament of love than this chaotic insanity. Go Twins!

I get it, we shouldnt overreact this early. Yet I am amazed that the credit level you and others give to this team in terms of moves made. We lost three all -stars and replaced them with a 38 year old short stop, and oft injured left fielder with half the range of Cuddyer (shocking, but true!) and Doumit. We never addressed the horrific pitching situation we still have (see, i do realize they have pitched well so far.....) and people who think we upgraded our defense please explain to me how other then carroll? The credit Terry Ryan gets need to be put into the context that every move we make is dollar wise, thats it! Remember all our big free agent pick up?......How about those huge moves when we were contending...Bret Boone, Pat Borders, Jesse Orosco, Phil Nevin, etc....

I am probably about a 7 or so, though with Gardenhire specifically it is more of a 5. I am hoping that TD doesn't turn into the mess of comments that was the Star Tribune Twins section (I never go there anymore). Four games into the season . . . there are 158 more games . . .

Originally Posted by coddlenomore

I get it, we shouldnt overreact this early. Yet I am amazed that the credit level you and others give to this team in terms of moves made. We lost three all -stars and replaced them with a 38 year old short stop, and oft injured left fielder with half the range of Cuddyer (shocking, but true!) and Doumit. We never addressed the horrific pitching situation we still have (see, i do realize they have pitched well so far.....) and people who think we upgraded our defense please explain to me how other then carroll? The credit Terry Ryan gets need to be put into the context that every move we make is dollar wise, thats it! Remember all our big free agent pick up?......How about those huge moves when we were contending...Bret Boone, Pat Borders, Jesse Orosco, Phil Nevin, etc....

All those things you listed annoy and upset me probably just as much as any fan. I think I almost was reduced to tears when I found out that we were resting our hopes on Jason Marquis this season. But I also realized that there's nothing -- aside from complaining for a day or two on my blog -- that I can do about it, besides not going to games. And I like baseball too much to make that kind of a protest.

I want to Twins to win. Also when they don't I want them to look and analyse the reasons why they didn't win and make changes that will allow them to win. If they do not do that (or if they have low expectations/complacency i.e. it is ok to win the division every other year or so and be blown out at the post-season) I criticize. I just want them to win.

The front office was brilliant in letting Nathan, Cuddyer and Kubel go. With a depleted minor league system, the Twins needed the compensatory draft picks to beef up for the future. This year and next year could be tough to watch if you were expecting a division championship. However, the three guys we let go were not going to be the difference to put this team in the playoffs. This is Detroit's time to shine, and the Twins are smart to use it to start building for the future. Read Reusse's column today.

strumdatjag - I agree that was the smartest thing they did this winter, to replace players with equivalent players that were slightly cheaper plus draft picks.

I am a Twins fan - 10 all the way! However:

I reserve the right to question, disagree, be stunned with, agree with and talk about - all decisions made by the GM, the Manager (especially the Manager!!!), and the entire Front Office.

I also reserve the right to:

Be a "Homer", enthusiastically and irrationally cheer for and wildly support the Minnesota Twins!

I am the biggest twins fan there is but I also have a firm grasp on REALITY. I never expected this team to be better than bottom 3 in the whole MLB this year but that doesnt make me any less of a fan.

I wish more of the media had a better sense of reality instead of cheerleading and giving uneducated fans false hope.

Probably about a 7. I hated the J.J. Hardy trade. Wait hate isn't strong enough of a word. It really pissed me off. Sometimes we don't give people enough of a chance, and sometimes we give people too many chances (Casilla, Punto). I'll be a Twins fan no matter what happens though.

I'd have to say I'm always in the middle. I wholeheartedly believe some moves were 100% correct (Signing Willingham/Doumit to replace Kubel/Cuddyer/Butera). But I wholeheartedly also go WTF?! to some moves (Jason Marquis, Capps). Since they should be rebuilding, but haven't yet actually embraced that philosophy, I'll probably settle in at a 4 right now.

I'm a 10 win, lose, or draw. However, I will cancel my season tickets after 2012 if manager Ron Gardenhire keeps his job. Name another market in MLB where Gardenhire would keep his job? Jim Leyland nearly won a World Series in 2007 and was on the hot seat until last year. Ozzie won it all in 2005 and was very good friends with the owner (Jerry Reinsdorf) and they did not retain him when his contract was up. Gardenhire can't beat any teams in the AL East or West, has lost 12 straight playoff games, and refuses to even make a coaching change. He also continues to make excuses for the team. Injuries last year and now great pitching. Give me a break! I ask you Seth, at what point does losing become acceptable???? Why is ok in Minnesota but not New York, Boston, Chicago, and St. Louis?

We were promised more as fans when we helped Pohlad build his fortress of solitude called Target Field.

Those might be the two greatest posts ever from an irony standpoint.

I'd call myself a solid 8. As far as the front office and trades and such go, I understand that being a high-level executive in any profession is a tough gig, especially one as high profile as in the MLB. For the most part I trust that the people in charge of putting a team together know what they are doing. I believe that they want the team to win. I also think that they know deep down that it isn't going to happen this year or probably next. I have to say that I really agree with strum's post above. They need to replenish the minors. They will possibly be losing the majority of their pitching staff next season. They are rebuilding without stating it and losing three of their biggest names was a move that was going to happen eventually. I still love the team, but it may be hard to watch for a couple of seasons (like in the mid-late 90's). A true fan will remain a loyal fan through those hard times and will enjoy the good times even more when they return.

I'd also say 8ish. There are occasional head-scratchers, but I'm smart enough to know what I don't know. I don't question everything my doctor says even though I've seen a few episodes of "Scrubs," either. But there would be cases where I might look for a second opinion, too.

I would have said a 9 until last year. Last year was really, really bad, and it wasn't all injuries and bad luck as the Twins claim. By August any time I heard the phrase "The Twins Way" I revisited my breakfast. I'm of the belief that baseball has passed the Twins (re - Gardy) by. The Twins are in need of a paradigm shift if they want to be relevant again, and although 4 games is a very small sample size, it sure looks to me like they're picking up right where they left off.

Jack, I would suggest taking a look at the definitions of the 1 to 10 range... the point isn't that 10 is better than 1. It's just a range of the type of fan that people are.

I would say I'm probably an 8 or so. Most of the time, I can understand what the thought process is even if I don't always agree with it.