Bark's Lounge

I am very pleased with this hiring. I wonder how Teddy Higuera will do as the Twins new pitching coach? (just kidding) It will definitely be interesting to see who Molitor and Ryan choose to fill that role if they pass on Cuellar.

Silverman should have probably kept his mouth shut. I hope your appointment with the surgeon goes well. It sounds like it was an extremely awful injury.

Agreed - but the Cubs do seem like the likely destination. All of their nice new action figures that are about to hit the toy stores, the money to play around with and the combo of Epstein, Hoyer and Maddon probably give a warm and fuzzy feeling to all of the aforementioned individuals. No offense to Renteria, I am sure he is an excellent baseball guy, but he seems like a guy you could toss away to bring in Joe. Sure, the Dodgers could be a nice fit, but I believe Friedman when he says Mattingly is their guy.

Yeah, I read that also. If he indeed ends up in Wrigleyville it will be interesting to see how it plays out. It's weird that kind of tampering mumbo jumbo would be thrown out there so soon after his departure. GM Matt Silverman seemed pretty bummed out about the whole Maddon exodus. I guess you can't blame the guy. The Rays lost a whole lot this past week. On another note: how is your broken bone healing?

It has to suck to be Rick Renteria right now. Poor fella.

I really hope he is able to catch acceptably in 2015, but if not, would it be fair to say if he starts out poorly, but is able to make a breakthrough with his catching ability in MN or Rochester sometime during the season and gives the "evaluators" reasons to be optimistic about him handling it semi-full time in 2016, that would be okay? Personally, I hope he can be our back-up catcher next season and get 250PA (a few at DH) because his bat can help the 2015 team, but if he is relegated to mostly AAA time and he can show that he can rise to the challenge of being a passable backstop, I can wait until 2016 for him to be the primary catcher at the age of 27.

I've said something similar to this on other threads in the recent past. Jorge Posada did not become a starter until his age 26-27 season in 1998. That year he had 409PA, almost double his total from his first 2 seasons leading up to that point. Posada if my memory serves me correctly was not a good defensive catcher and never really was more than average at best. I'm not saying that Pinto will become Jorge Posada, but his hit tool is pretty damn good. I can see him being a 20HR, .800+ OPS type of hitter. Right now is not the time to throw in the towel on this still youngish player. I think is safe to say that when we were all 25 going on 26 we still had youthful vigor and a spring in our step. If Pinto doesn't work out, oh well, but if he does get better behind the dish and hits like I think he can, that would be astounding! I would be patient and give him 2 more years before I abandon ship. I'll take a poor man's Posada on my team any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

I'm with Willihammer on this one as I have been a steadfast Mauer supporter. But if 2015 roles around and he has another season like the one he just had. I would have no justification to argue any point defending Mauer against his critics. I really, really hope he gets after it this offseason and silences his critics next season (not to say that is even possible). I'm still pulling for you Joe!

Nice write up Stringer. I'd like to think Plouffe made a bit of statement this season with his play this season, and if Sano is going to take it from him next season or 2016, he will have to earn it. Sure Plouffe's stats don't blow you away, but he was one of our offensive spark plugs and played with a urgency/intensity that was impressive. It was great to see his defensive improvement, and offensively he did pretty well, especially considering the down turn in offensive statistics the last few years. I certainly do not hope the Twins trade Plouffe this offseason as I feel confident that would hurt this team a helping handful next season. But, if you can get something super substantial, I guess you have to listen, and maybe pull the trigger. As for the super utility role, I am very skeptical. Yes, he can play SS in a pinch and he must have played some 2B in the last 4 years at the MLB level. I think it fair to say if Plouffe can play a corner OF position, so can Mauer. That is not fair, although I wish it were the case for both players. Maybe Plouffe is a better 3B now than Sano will ever be, maybe he is not - who knows? I have to agree with Scotty B's above post - Sano might be best suited for the outfield - not that I am down on Sano or that I don't think he can improve at the hot corner, I just don't want to see the Twins screw with a piece of the puzzle that does not need to be screwed with right now. I do not think Sano will be a contributing factor next season.

You're out of the running then?

Much of what I say will mirror most posts on this thread. My first choice, although probably fool hardy is Mientkiewicz. It could be that he does not have the prerequisites of a Mike Matheny or Brad Ausmus, but I like the hiring of youngish Gen X former players. I like that he is a fiery guy and some might see that as a detriment. It appears that he has been great with the farm kids and that may be the ace up his sleeve with our fast approaching next wave of players and the few we have on our active roster now. I would hate to lose Doug, if not now, he feels like the right guy in the not so distant future. 2nd place is a tie between Dave Martinez and Molitor. Dave is super intriguing and he would kill 2 birds with one stone with him being bilingual in the spanish department. Dave is probably the most qualified based on his resume and his mentor. What I have a hard time with is the concept of losing Molitor. Maybe some will not share these views, but I really feel his tutelage to guys like Dozier, Santana, Escobar, Plouffe and others helped make the on field product way better this season in all phases of the game except for picthing. If you hire Martinez or some other outsider, my bet is that Molitor leaves or won't be chosen as a coach and the progress that was made this season is a wash for the most part. Although it is not the passion choice I would make for our manager choice, I hope Molitor gets the job if the Twins promote Mientkiewicz to the bigs as a coach to be Molly's understudy. Molitor is 58, chances are he will be in 4-5 years and done, if everything goes accordingly. That way I bet Brunansky is kept on as hitting coach (he deserves to be), Steinbach stays unless he is offered a nice position from the D-Backs and maybe, just maybe Mientkiewicz is our next manager (after Molitor). Also, a Spanish speaking, latino cultured coach is a must. Molitor, Brunansky and Steinbach are not Ullger, Anderson and Vavra, they are all new to this regime (2-years and under) and I guarantee everyone, Molitor will have different way he approaches things than Gardenhire, the team will operate differently under his guidance. In a nut shell I guess I want the Twins to hire Molitor as the manager with Mientkiewicz taking over in a few years. Sorry for my slop...

I feel like a prick replying to that post. It was meant as fun. The "S" is right above the "Z"... right?

Try again.

The two coaches that I thought had a noticeable positive impact on the club were Bruno and Molitor - they do not deserve to lose their jobs, but I understand the situation. My gut tells me Molitor gets the gig and Brunansky, Steinbach, and Cuellar return.

If the Twins are seriously considering going outside the organization for a manager, they better get Dave Martinez on the horn sooner than later. My gut tells me Molitor will get the job. I'm not sure if Mientkiewicz is the best candidate, but he certainly would be the most exciting hire in my opinion. PS - Good Luck Ronnie G. I'm sure you'll land on your feet just fine.

Maneuvering through the crowd of cynics and masochists - I am pleased that Perkins' injury is not too serious and shutting him down the rest of the season is the wise choice. His problem seems very fixable.

I dig the new look of the site. It's 100% professional and pleasing to the eye. When you are use to something for awhile it can often be a pain in the rear to deal with changes, but it is good to have to figure out the ins and outs of something new. Change is good. Great Job Brock and the rest of the team involved in the changes of the TD website.

I'll let you know once the "2013 Twins" motion picture is over.

Nice write-up John. I have come to believe that it is all about the money with the Twins. You have convinced me more-so. I wish it wasn't so, but if the Twins do not do something to defuse this suspicion this off season - I will walk away, becoming an exclusive St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Okay, It may be going a bit far to compare Terry Ryan to Ed Wood. I must say, at least Ed Wood has eccentricities and a personality that makes him more interesting. Terry Ryan is not as bad as a GM as Ed Wood is a movie director, but I think M. Night Shyamalan is a very good comparable. M. Night Shyamalan’s movies from from 1999 to 2004 were great to acceptable – everything that he did afterward was a miserable train wreckage. From 2006-2013 he has served as a director/producer and his product went down the dog **** tunnel. Terry Ryan had very good success from 2001 to 2006, and that can be directly put on his plate. Post 2006 Terry has overseen a 2007 failure, after which he resigned, and as a high end consultant (producer), he has been deeply involved in the successes of the 2008-2010 seasons, including the playoff mishaps. All of the teams he has overseen, strike 2002 have been post season failures. 2012-2013 has been his Lil’ dogey to wrangle and it could not have gone any worse than it has. I will remember M. Night Shyamalan for the following: Sixth Sense Unbreakable Signs The Village I will remember Terry Ryan for the following: 2002 2003 2004 2006 M. Night Shyamalan had some extraordinary movies – “Unbreakable” being his World Series victory. Terry Ryan has had some extraordinary seasons he has overseen – but he never delivered us the ultimate victory. As a fan I often think back to 2006 and what could have been. It bums me out to this day Post 2006, neither Shyamalan or Ryan have delivered anything of serious worth. As a movie director and screenwriter, maybe M. Night can reclaim some of his old glory. It will take some work, but he is in his early 40’s. Time is on his side. As a General Manager of a Major League baseball team, Terry Ryan is running out of time, he is 60ish, and seemingly clinging to an obsolete value of baseball – Old School Scouting and Low Budget Rosters. Metric analysis and accepting that money needs to be spent are his only visible saviors. Time is running out. Is there an “Unbreakable” in Terry Ryan’s Future? Is Ryan even competent to do this anymore in the ever changing business of Major League baseball? Have the Pohlad Brothers, Inc. castrated Mr. Ryan from doing his duties in a modern way? Is it the thrill of the hunt for Ryan to work in these primitive ways? Your guess is as good as mine, but I am a baseball fan Tried and True. I have a baseball team down the river that clearly seems to do it the right way. My allegiance can be swayed and I figure after a plethora of failed attempts, anybody can be swayed. The time is now to get this right. The Twins need their “Unbreakable”.

Awesome article as usual PFH. I am also grossed out by the A-Rod-Kate Hudson Clip you included in your article. I am not a fan of either of them, but it added the necessary flavor to your article to make it a gourmet meal.

It sure seems like the MLB media and a portion of the Twins Community thinks Justin Morneau is on his way out of Minnesota VIA trade. I will have to see it to believe it, but I have resigned myself to this scenario becoming a definite possibility. I want to cut to the chase. Morneau certainly did not live up to his potential. 7 years ago I expected that his numbers and accomplishments would be much further along than they are now. I do not say this to be negative, I do not say this to pick a fight, I only say this because it is what I see to be true. From 2006 to 2010, Morneau was pretty damn good. Obviously 2006 will be his career year if the trend of his career continues. 2007-2009, we seen some very good years from Morneau… bordering on great. He seemed to run out of gas towards the end of the season in 2007 & 2008. In 2009, he seemed to run out of gas at the end, but he was hurt. 2010 was the career year in the making, but unfortunately, we all know how this story ends. I wish Justin had a bit more of a luck factor working his way. It appears that the concussion changed the caliber of player he is. In 2013, I do not know what to think of him as a player… will he have a power surge? Will he be a .280, 12 HR kind of guy? It makes me sad because Mr. Morneau could have been a lot better than what we see on his stat page. Justin was a great player in the making… it just never happened. If the Twins trade Justin for a Liriano-esque return. I will be insulted and so should everyone else. Morneau was once one of the predominant faces of this ball club. Even though it might not be justified – I still think he is. I don’t want to see the Twins trade JM for a poop scoop and a box full of kitty litter. I would rather see the Twins hold onto Morneau, give him his proper respects and let the next 2.5 months be a Justin Morneau farewell tour. Let fans salute him and let him know what he has meant to us the past 10 years. I am of the opinion that we may need to move on from Morneau after this season, but if the price is right and he has a decent second half of the season… maybe you hold onto him a little while longer if he concurs. In my lifetime, our best first basemen have been Kent Hrbek and Justin Morneau. If the Twins do trade Morneau and all we receive in return is a **** sandwich – it will show me what kind of franchise we have and what to expect in the future. Thanks for reading, Bark’s Lounge

It sure seems like the MLB media and a portion of the Twins Community thinks Justin Morneau is on his way out of Minnesota VIA trade. I will have to see it to believe it, but I have resigned myself to this scenario becoming a definite possibility. I want to cut to the chase. Morneau certainly did not live up to his potential. 7 years ago I expected that his numbers and accomplishments would be much further along than they are now. I do not say this to be negative, I do not say this to pick a fight, I only say this because it is what I see to be true. From 2006 to 2010, Morneau was pretty damn good. Obviously 2006 will be his career year if the trend of his career continues. 2007-2009, we seen some very good years from Morneau… bordering on great. He seemed to run out of gas towards the end of the season in 2007 & 2008. In 2009, he seemed to run out of gas at the end, but he was hurt. 2010 was the career year in the making, but unfortunately, we all know how this story ends. I wish Justin had a bit more of a luck factor working his way. It appears that the concussion changed the caliber of player he is. In 2013, I do not know what to think of him as a player… will he have a power surge? Will he be a .280, 12 HR kind of guy? It makes me sad because Mr. Morneau could have been a lot better than what we see on his stat page. Justin was a great player in the making… it just never happened. If the Twins trade Justin for a Liriano-esque return. I will be insulted and so should everyone else. Morneau was once one of the predominant faces of this ball club. Even though it might not be justified – I still think he is. I don’t want to see the Twins trade JM for a poop scoop and a box full of kitty litter. I would rather see the Twins hold onto Morneau, give him his proper respects and let the next 2.5 months be a Justin Morneau farewell tour. Let fans salute him and let him know what he has meant to us the past 10 years. I am of the opinion that we may need to move on from Morneau after this season, but if the price is right and he has a decent second half of the season… maybe you hold onto him a little while longer if he concurs. In my lifetime, our best first basemen have been Kent Hrbek and Justin Morneau. If the Twins do trade Morneau and all we receive in return is a **** sandwich – it will show me what kind of franchise we have and what to expect in the future. Thanks for reading, Bark’s Lounge

Most of the time I do not question what moves the Twins make. Long ago I learned that it would be a waste of my time to get upset about such things as they are 90% upsetting to me. I like baseball and I like the Twins, but fortunately I do not have to throw in the towel anymore - for me the towel does not exist. I just observe from the sidelines, nod my head, grin and bare it, and forge ahead. I guess I somewhat want to be positive and wish Doug Bernier a heart felt congratulations. I am not quite sure how he made it to the big leagues in 2008 with the Colorado Rockies and I am not quite sure how he was just called up to the Bigs by the Minnesota Twins. Maybe hard work pays off. Maybe he is the best human being to have walked the face of the Earth. Maybe in a previous life he was a garden slug. Whatever it may be – Doug Bernier is living his dream and reaping the rewards of his labor. Kudos to you Mr. Bernier. My closing on Doug Bernier: A lifetime MiLB BA of .241 A lifetime MiLB Slg. Pct. of .319 A Lifetime MiLB OPS of .666 (No, I do not think he is the Anti-Christ) Doug’s OBP is not too horrible at a .347 clip, but he strikes out a ton. I am guessing he is something special with his glove at Shortstop. I have come to the conclusion that Doug Bernier’s Dreams have Come True. Which leads me to this: I have a good friend, in his upper 30’s, who is definitely a free spirit. He owns a house in the country, but is transient in nature 50% of the time, and in all so many words certifiably insane or something to that affect. Up until a few weeks ago, I had not seen him in over a year. I had a party over the 4th of July weekend and by chance he called the day before, thus attending our party. He has the ability to dance in and out of your life and at that time when he dances out, you feel pretty good with the outcome, but when you see him, you realize you miss him, and love him like family. 5 days after the party, he stopped by my place of residence to pick up some old fence pieces that another friend of mine gave to him at the party, which were being stored in my backyard behind the garage. My friend came up to visit briefly as I had some other things going on and could not entertain any guests for more than an hour. Our Conversation: Bark: Hey “John Doe”, what’s been new? John Doe: A lot of things… I have been very busy. Bark: Busy? Busy with what? John Doe: I have a new plan of action and new purpose. Bark: What is this new plan of yours? John Doe: I have decided to become a professional baseball Third Baseman. Bark: What? (With all my strength and all my mite, I held in my laughter as I did not want to offend him.) John Doe: I am going to become a Professional Third Baseman and I will make it to the Big Leagues. First I will train and practice for the next year, go to a big league tryout, sign on with the club, and my goal is to make it to the majors 3 years after I start my new career. Bark: You do know that almost all players’ careers are finished by the time they are your age… right? John Doe: That does not pertain to me. I am physically fit. I work on a farm most of the time. I am strong. I get my hands dirty, I feel like I am in my early twenties. Bark: Okay? John Doe: The reason I am doing this, is that I want to make the Big Leagues, become a fan favorite, get into a knock out, drag out argument with the manager on the field of play and then retire right away. With the cult following I have accumulated and the lasting impression I left – this will be the perfect tool to jump start my political career and my eventual rise to governor! Bark: Nuff Said. After Thought: To be honest, I was very disappointed the Twins called up a player of Doug Bernier’s caliber. Put aside the year he is having at AAA and his age, one would think he does not even belong at that level. After the Twins made this move – it started to get my mind spinning and I came to this conclusion: My lack of vision holds me back. I must remove these shackles. If Doug Bernier can make it to the Majors 2 times in a 6 season stretch, who is to say my friend “John Doe” can’t do it once? I now believe in my heart that my friend will make it to the Majors and execute his plan. Dreams do Come True.

Most of the time I do not question what moves the Twins make. Long ago I learned that it would be a waste of my time to get upset about such things as they are 90% upsetting to me. I like baseball and I like the Twins, but fortunately I do not have to throw in the towel anymore - for me the towel does not exist. I just observe from the sidelines, nod my head, grin and bare it, and forge ahead. I guess I somewhat want to be positive and wish Doug Bernier a heart felt congratulations. I am not quite sure how he made it to the big leagues in 2008 with the Colorado Rockies and I am not quite sure how he was just called up to the Bigs by the Minnesota Twins. Maybe hard work pays off. Maybe he is the best human being to have walked the face of the Earth. Maybe in a previous life he was a garden slug. Whatever it may be – Doug Bernier is living his dream and reaping the rewards of his labor. Kudos to you Mr. Bernier. My closing on Doug Bernier: A lifetime MiLB BA of .241 A lifetime MiLB Slg. Pct. of .319 A Lifetime MiLB OPS of .666 (No, I do not think he is the Anti-Christ) Doug’s OBP is not too horrible at a .347 clip, but he strikes out a ton. I am guessing he is something special with his glove at Shortstop. I have come to the conclusion that Doug Bernier’s Dreams have Come True. Which leads me to this: I have a good friend, in his upper 30’s, who is definitely a free spirit. He owns a house in the country, but is transient in nature 50% of the time, and in all so many words certifiably insane or something to that affect. Up until a few weeks ago, I had not seen him in over a year. I had a party over the 4th of July weekend and by chance he called the day before, thus attending our party. He has the ability to dance in and out of your life and at that time when he dances out, you feel pretty good with the outcome, but when you see him, you realize you miss him, and love him like family. 5 days after the party, he stopped by my place of residence to pick up some old fence pieces that another friend of mine gave to him at the party, which were being stored in my backyard behind the garage. My friend came up to visit briefly as I had some other things going on and could not entertain any guests for more than an hour. Our Conversation: Bark: Hey “John Doe”, what’s been new? John Doe: A lot of things… I have been very busy. Bark: Busy? Busy with what? John Doe: I have a new plan of action and new purpose. Bark: What is this new plan of yours? John Doe: I have decided to become a professional baseball Third Baseman. Bark: What? (With all my strength and all my mite, I held in my laughter as I did not want to offend him.) John Doe: I am going to become a Professional Third Baseman and I will make it to the Big Leagues. First I will train and practice for the next year, go to a big league tryout, sign on with the club, and my goal is to make it to the majors 3 years after I start my new career. Bark: You do know that almost all players’ careers are finished by the time they are your age… right? John Doe: That does not pertain to me. I am physically fit. I work on a farm most of the time. I am strong. I get my hands dirty, I feel like I am in my early twenties. Bark: Okay? John Doe: The reason I am doing this, is that I want to make the Big Leagues, become a fan favorite, get into a knock out, drag out argument with the manager on the field of play and then retire right away. With the cult following I have accumulated and the lasting impression I left – this will be the perfect tool to jump start my political career and my eventual rise to governor! Bark: Nuff Said. After Thought: To be honest, I was very disappointed the Twins called up a player of Doug Bernier’s caliber. Put aside the year he is having at AAA and his age, one would think he does not even belong at that level. After the Twins made this move – it started to get my mind spinning and I came to this conclusion: My lack of vision holds me back. I must remove these shackles. If Doug Bernier can make it to the Majors 2 times in a 6 season stretch, who is to say my friend “John Doe” can’t do it once? I now believe in my heart that my friend will make it to the Majors and execute his plan. Dreams do Come True.