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brvama

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Everything posted by brvama

  1. brvama
    You are correct. My caution was a general statement, not for these specific incidents. Sorry about the confusion.
  2. brvama
    Good read Seth. As a retiree it is still hard to see the warts of those I admire. Despite the effort of trying to understand it is the performance that I admire, not the person. Too often our society emulates the "rich and famous" as idols, to be followed at any beck and call. They are no different than the rest of us, except they have been blessed with an extreme talent. Below that talent though exists a common person with the same humanity as the rest of us. However, being in the limelight, these people are generally used as props for companies coffers. Thus, they are presented to us as models of perfection. Make-up, virtual or real, can do wonders to hide reality. I have tried to instill in my kids that admiring someone because of what they do is fine. Just remember, it is the skill or talent with which you are enamored. Still it hurts when they fall. Just a note of caution - convicting our heroes as human is right, convicting them of crimes before the full story is known is wrong.
  3. brvama
    from Twinstalker: "...Polanco is going to hit and field well at 2B. ..." While I have a lot of high expectations about Polanco, I am not ready to announce that he is our next second baseman. To guarantee that at this time is a bit premature. If he was in the top ten of minor league prospects I might assume so but still would not say he "is." There are always concerns until prospects get to the ML and perform.
  4. brvama
    He gave the Twins a very good hometown discount when he signed that contract. I would tend to believe that most contracts have a good portion of it considered as a bonus for the production already provided by that player. Are the predictability of relievers that much different that other players? Or are you talking about the potential arm problems? If so, pitchers as a group are too unpredictable.
  5. brvama
    Agree with your analysis Nick. Dozier at worst appears to be an average 2B, likely a tick above. That gives that Twins a solid position on a team that is trying to improve. He is moving into his prime and the next few years one would expect some improvement, however slight. Now, I just don't get why some have this urge to trade him, or others, at their so-called peak. How do we know if this is the best? At worst, you have a decent bench bat and extra infielder. And doesn't he gives us a quantifiable product vs. the unknown production of the younger? When the Twins have other areas to improve it doesn't make sense to degrade one position to improve another; especially, when you replace that with unknown production. Maybe we should be packaging the younger guys for a trade instead. I think we should focus on changing our weakness before we begin to try to improve our solid positions.
  6. brvama
    Excellent article. I concur with most everything. Thanks. Have couple of thoughts. First, it seems human nature makes it difficult to make changes even when changes are obvious. We tend to think that it is easier to live with the "devil" we know than then the one we don't. In business, that is not wise, but while I applaud loyality there comes time to change. I believe we have reach that point. Secondly, Gardy has been at the helm for 13 years with past success and recent falilure. It certainly isn't his fault entirely for the failure because of the lack of talent provided. However, times often require a new and fresh approach. I have learned that as a board director. Our CEO retired and I thought that we would never be able to replace him with someone as accomplished. WRONG! His much younger replacement has brought a new vitality and energy that has made us more or less forget our "perfect" CEO of the past. Change for change sake shouldn't be the common approach, BUT when things are going nowhere, change is necessary. I like Gardy and respect his contributions, but it's time for change.
  7. brvama
    The Twins sent Pinto down to work on defense. What's wrong with doing the same with Arcia next year, at least to start the year? I also believe that extra off-season coaching is mandatory for him and the club. If the Twins don't want to invest in improving a talented hitter - trade him.
  8. brvama
    Perssonally, I don't think the Twins need to go outside. With Mauer, Mint, Close, etc there are plenty of good candidates available. Regarding Mauer not playing ML ball is a weak argument against him. He has experience in baseball and has shown a great ability to manage and handle his players. Also, didn't he playminor league ball? I think of him as the quiet/good side of Bobby Knight. He would be my preference, however I think that Close gets the first chance. BTW, I don't understand the man crush on Molitor either for manager. Just my 2 cents.
  9. brvama
    Have enjoyed this discussion extremely - one of the best in a while. So now for my small contribution. Call it a hunch or whatever, I believe the Twins are on the cusp of playoff baseball. Reminds me a great deal of the very early 2000's. No we're not there yet, but with the wealth of very talented minor leaguers knocking on the door, I expect competitive baseball starting in 2016 with dominance in the Central at least beyond that. Yes, holes will need to be filled, but the core is maturing to that timeframe, barring any repeat of the 2014 injury hex. To evaluate players strictly by metrics or current performance without context can certainly skew any projection. Young talented players should mature and grow in their performance. If not they are gone. Players moving into their prime years should be able to at least maintain their recent level of performance. While the older players will likely regress somewhat, but the real professionals usually know how to adjust with declining skills by adjusting roles. This is true for every club. What is some promising for the Twins is that we are moving into our youth movement, which no one should be able to deny its strength of talent. While I have grown weary of lousy years, this sunrise of the future Twins team is starting to look "gorgeous." Can't wait until it's High Noon!
  10. brvama
    Have to agree with B Richard. Strike outs used to infuriorate me. However, after seeing so many DP killing rallies, I've come to accept the K's a bit more. As others have posted, these young power hitters will likely develop a better approach as they mature in the majors. If they don't they're likely gone. I think it is better to promote their strengths and then, as they get more experience, teach them the small changes that can make them better hitters, such as, dailing it back a bit on 2 strikes. When I think that the good hitters are only successful 3 out of 10 AB's, having someone with the potential to hit HR's is okay especially if their OBP & OPS is not dismal.
  11. brvama

    Dumping the HR Derby

    brvama commented on brvama's blog entry in Blog brvama

    Thanks for the link. Talk about the 'quick pitch.' One thing the rapid fire does is make the batter work for those HR's, instead of just teeing off. I think that would be a good change to the format. However, I still like Kaplan's idea of adding competition for base-running (speed) and throwing from the OF (arm) to show off a couple of the tools of which the players are evaluated. IMO that would add interest and variety to the event that could expand both player involvement and fan interest. Certainly would for me.
  12. brvama

    Dumping the HR Derby

    brvama posted a blog entry in Blog brvama

    I did not watch the derby and haven't for a couple of years. To me, it is too long and boring - a glorified batting practice. After what, 20 years or so?, I think it's time to change it up a bit. I hadn't really thought much about it, because I really didn't have an alternative. But last week I ran across a posting by Gabe Kaplan on Fox Sports, where he presents a different scenario that sounds at least interesting. In addition, it expands participation. Dear new MLB commissioner: Dump Derby for these contests. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/open-letter-to-new-commissioner-time-to-dump-home-run-derby-for-better-skills-competitions-071314 I would thing that something in this vain would add interest to the ALL-STAR game activities. What do you think?
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