5 Reasons to Keep Watching the Twins

[WilliesWorld24]

I enjoyed your article, Alex. Thank you. A few other reasons:

6. Athleticism and energy -  you missed the new /newish guys! Luke Keaschall, Alan Roden, Austin Martin, progress of the trade returns, the future with Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, Emma Rodriguez - dynamic talents. The last calendar year of Twins baseball was boring, sluggish, dysfunctional, abysmal - don’t slug, don’t get on base, don’t take extra bases, poor to mediocre fielders (excluding Buxton), poor execution. Something was wrong and perhaps the reset will bring a more exciting brand of baseball and a more stable foundation. I know that am ready for energy, speed, and athleticism (slug and on base with competent relievers would be nice too). 
 

7. You love baseball and the Twins. We have only so many seasons in us all. Enjoy baseball. Our beautiful outdoor stadium. Every day is an opportunity to see something new - amazing, crazy, silly, dumb, fortuitous, clutch, nightmarish plays from the best players in the world.

8. Renewal. Hey - as Twins fans, we lived through the cheapness of Cal Griffith, seeing Rod Carew, Johan Santana, Tom Brunansky, Frank Viola, Aggie, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, JJ Hardy, Carlos Gomez, our entire competent bullpen and Carlos Correa and lived to see new beginnings, wonderful/miserable returns, and we will get through this again. Interested to see how this plays out. With potential ownership changes, will the Twins keep Ryan, Pablo, Jeffers, and anyone else who does not fit the competitive window (2028?) or will the new owner extend Ryan and augment the team? We will see. 

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

They're playing, so i'll watch as i get a chance. I'm still a chickenhawk, and they're i chicken. Er... i mean a twins fan.

 

Also, David Letterman might have a few notes about presentation...

[Senior Softball Guy]

I've been watching baseball since the mid Fifties. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. So many stories being unfolding within the context of the game. Young guys getting an opportunity, fresh energy, baseball has it all. Those memories wash over you. Ted Williams hitting one in the upperdeck at Comiskey Park, Kirbyyyyy Puckett, and also the Terry Feltons. It's all good.

[Jkeady12]

Been a fan since 1964, when I saw my first game. Far and away the most disappointed in management in all those years was this one. Some was just outright stupidity. Giving up Varland who was under control until 2030 and pissing away Castro was just outright malpractice. Please don't tell me about potential of the trades. Castro is what everyone single team needs and Varland was gold 1. Because what he had become from where he was to PR gold as a local boy (ever heard of Joe Mauer). Save me the $ argument,  Twins will never be a serious MLB team ever. That sucks as a fan.

[Major League Ready]

I watch 80% of the games but I was losing interest in watching an unathletic, poor defending, and poor base running team.  It will be far more interesting to watch all the guys competing for a place on next year's team.  Keaschall makes it worthwhile almost by himself.  I also want to see if Lewis and Wallner are the guys we have seen the last couple weeks.  At some point late this year or next year it will be even more interesting as we start seeing Culpepper / Jenkins / Rodriguez / Gonzalez / Abel / etc being worked into the roster.  It might fail spectacularly, or it may be spectacular which makes it compelling to watch.

[DJL44]

30 minutes ago, Jkeady12 said:

pissing away Castro was just outright malpractice.

Not trading him would have been malpractice. He's a free agent this winter.

[Bodie]

16 minutes ago, Jkeady12 said:

Been a fan since 1964, when I saw my first game. Far and away the most disappointed in management in all those years was this one. Some was just outright stupidity. Giving up Varland who was under control until 2030 and pissing away Castro was just outright malpractice. Please don't tell me about potential of the trades. Castro is what everyone single team needs and Varland was gold 1. Because what he had become from where he was to PR gold as a local boy (ever heard of Joe Mauer). Save me the $ argument,  Twins will never be a serious MLB team ever. That sucks as a fan.

I disagree on Castro.   He is absolutely not a building block. He is a luxury on a well-constructed roster.  A guy who can step in and play about 7 of the 9 positions. Almost adequately.

None of them well.  And his flaws at any position become move noticeable with every game played.  A good utility guys based on his versatility. 

But the Twins played him as regularly as a "starter" without a position. The result was poor to adequate defense all over the field, which was nothing but proof of horrific roster construction. 

My old Ranger truck is is adequate. It always starts. Heat is fantastic in winter (better than my main vehicle).  It also leaks from the gas tank if over 1/3rd full, and on muggy days smells like a feedlot.  It is a serviceable work truck on a farm.  It doesn't make it good for anything beyond that!

Like most of our recently departed Twins, it wasn't that he was "the problem", but he surely wasn't "the answer".

[Riverbrian]

I ain't going nowhere. 

I've been through ups and downs in my life and I can go through ups and downs with my baseball team. I'll be  in Wichita on Saturday to watch our AA dudes. I'll be in New York to watch them on Tuesday and Wednesday during my two week road trip (I will have seen all 30 stadiums when complete).

I'll make my trips to Target Field and CHS. I'll continue to watch probably 150 out of 162 games on Television or my phone just like every year since 1919. I'll pay the 100 bucks so I can watch on my phone when needed.    

And I will continue to constructively criticize when I feel appropriate (which is a lot) but I ain't going nowhere and I don't need reasons to keep watching. I'll keep watching.  

 

[USAFChief]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I'll be in New York to watch them on Tuesday and Wednesday during my two week road trip (I will have seen all 30 stadiums when complete).

Jealous. 

You beat me.

[Riverbrian]

4 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Jealous. 

You beat me.

And it was you I was trying to beat.  😉

[USAFChief]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

And it was you I was trying to beat.  😉

Enjoy your trip!

[Riverbrian]

8 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Enjoy your trip!

I sure hope to. Lots of music cranked to keep me going. I'll probably have enough to time in the car to go far enough down my spotify collection to include Mungo Jerry. 

I leave tomorrow at noon. 

Council Bluffs IA

Wichita

Kansas City

St. Louis

Owensboro

Cincinnati

New York City

The Easternmost point of the Lower 48 in Maine

Waterbury Vermont (Ben and Jerry's)

Lake Placid

Rochester NY

Woodstock

Asbury Park

Cape May

Washington DC

Amish Country PA (For the Buffets)

Gettysburg

Philadelphia

Hershey

Happy Valley

Punxatawney (Gonna Meet that Stupid Meteoroligist)

Pittsburgh

Grand Rapids Michigan

Milwaukee

Wrigley Field

Maple Grove MN and back home. 

That'll do it

[Linus]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I sure hope to. Lots of music cranked to keep me going. I'll probably have enough to time in the car to go far enough down the my spotify list to include Mungo Jerry. 

I leave tomorrow at noon. 

Council Bluffs IA

Wichita

Kansas City

St. Louis

Owensboro

Cincinnati

New York City

The Easternmost point of the Lower 48 in Maine

Waterbury Vermont (Ben and Jerry's)

Lake Placid

Rochester NY

Woodstock

Asbury Park

Cape May

Washington DC

Amish Country PA (For the Buffets)

Gettysburg

Philadelphia

Hershey

Happy Valley

Punxatawney (Gonna Meet that Stupid Meteoroligist)

Pittsburgh

Grand Rapids Michigan

Milwaukee

Wrigley Field

Maple Grove MN and back home. 

That'll do it

Wow. That’s quite a trip. That’s enough windshield time to figure out the meaning of life. 

[Riverbrian]

7 minutes ago, Linus said:

Wow. That’s quite a trip. That’s enough windshield time to figure out the meaning of life. 

Been on a few of these. I haven't figured out the meaning of life yet but it's probably in a song lyric from the tunes I'll be listening to. 

Who knows... it might be Mungo Jerry who figured it out back in 1970.   

[Otaknam]

Yes, back to the old rebuilding process AGAIN! The only saving grace is that the starters are all still on the team. Ryan, Lopez and Ober are still there, and I like what I see from Zebby, who looks like he has some bulldog in him. I’m not as  high on SWR, who looks like a four or five inning pitcher. And Festa is too erratic so far and has been shut down for now. My main interest will be piqued if both Abel and Bradley are pitching in the big leagues this season, not AAA. Maybe a six man rotation going forward to get a look at Abel and Bradley. 

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

I sure hope to. Lots of music cranked to keep me going. I'll probably have enough to time in the car to go far enough down my spotify collection to include Mungo Jerry. 

I leave tomorrow at noon. 

Council Bluffs IA

Wichita

Kansas City

St. Louis

Owensboro

Cincinnati

New York City

The Easternmost point of the Lower 48 in Maine

Waterbury Vermont (Ben and Jerry's)

Lake Placid

Rochester NY

Woodstock

Asbury Park

Cape May

Washington DC

Amish Country PA (For the Buffets)

Gettysburg

Philadelphia

Hershey

Happy Valley

Punxatawney (Gonna Meet that Stupid Meteoroligist)

Pittsburgh

Grand Rapids Michigan

Milwaukee

Wrigley Field

Maple Grove MN and back home. 

That'll do it

Taking the ferry across Lake Michigan?

 

[Riverbrian]

44 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Taking the ferry across Lake Michigan?

 

Nope... Been there done that. I'd rather listen to Ferry Across the Mersey while driving through Chicago. 

The Ferry has a novelty to it that last about 10 minutes. You park your car on the boat and you go up and sit next to other folks in the where folks sit area. You can go up top and take in the lake as you watch the shore fade in the distance but once you are in middle of Lake Michigan. Up top doesn't have a lot of appeal anymore because all you see is a bunch of water and you just go back down to the where folks sit area and wait for the shores of Wisconsin. It's about 250 bucks for just you and a car. Bring family members and it costs about 7 million dollars. 

(Won't be listening to Gerry and the Pacemakers on my trip... not in my Spotify account). 

[USNMCPO]

Well, we are Twins fans. If not, we would not be commenting on this article or even bothering to read it. I am pissed at a couple of the trades but let's face it. This team has been underperforming for a year at least. Changes had to be made. I continue to watch and will use my tickets to see games. I will root for the Twins at every opportunity. I am too old to stay angry over entertainment.

[Doctor Wu]

If you are a fan, you remain a fan through thick and thin. Frankly, I am enjoying this "new look" team already. There will be some ugly moments and some beautiful moments, but it's still baseball. I need it.