CDog

It's good to see the level of discourse devolving toward that on the local papers. Oh wait...it's not good at all. I have to guess that if I were to accuse another poster of criminal activity without a shred of evidence, that the post would be removed and that I would have my account temporarily banned if not deleted permanantly. I'll wonder here why the same wouldn't be done simply because the accusations are being leveled at a non-poster.

I've been waiting for the Game 30 thread to go up so I could ask where to pay my if-that-were-legal wager!

Seems like they've taken a half or quarter step that way. But it feels like a "have to" move much more than anything you'd actually like to have happen. I know I certainly don't think it's a great full-time or long-term move, but might be what has to happen. Ugh again.

I really liked having Smalley in the booth for a few days there. He's obviously spent a lot of time devoted to hitting a pitched baseball and the mindset and physical act of it. Was really good to get some of that insight, I thought.

Only analyzing the Twins this thoroughly leaves out so much, though. Without comparing their success rate to that of other teams is risky business if a conclusion is to be reached. If it is true that the Twins have done worse than others (and even if they've done average or well), the next step would be to figure out why (were they bad because of bad luck with injuries or were there flags that should have or even could have been seen with the information available AT THE TIME decisions were made). Then the final step would be figuring out how to learn from or keep from repeating any mistakes and building on strengths. While this is a pretty interesting analysis, without that second step of having a relative baseline, it's hard to take those subsequent steps.

Agree with all of that and would add the small sample and extremely high BABIP to the mix of things that might have added to the appearance of being farther along than he is. Through spring training as Morneau started piling up consecutive starts at DH, I kept hoping to see him at 1B every day and was disappointed each time it didn't happen. Partly because it seemed to be a warning sign for his health (which eventually was addressed when they explained the reasons), but also because I could see the writing on the wall that Plan B was having Parmelee skip AAA. I've said it a lot of other places here, but the domino effect of Morneau's move to DH (and subsequently DL) has caused a lot more damage than it would seem like it should at first glance. The looking-ahead-question for me is: If Parmelee is indeed sent down to AAA, who becomes the everyday first baseman? I don't think I like any of the answers to that question, either, any better than I like the one they're already using. Ugh.

That belongs on my as-yet-nonexistant blog of the most common nonsense that somehow gets spoken as "fact" out here in the blogosphere. It's been coming up even more than usual lately and I keep meaning to play That Guy and dispute it, but I haven't been able to come up with a way to say it as succinctly and accurately as done in the quoted material above. So I'll just quote and give a +1. Is that how the kids are doin' it?

Honestly no idea what your point there is in the context of what my quote was about. Note: misunderstanding acknowledged and remedied in a separate conversation.

Yes, sir, it has. More than once.

To be balanced, we should also wonder who's going to be the first to annoint Dozier the best Twins shortstop since ____. Hard to say who's truly first on most stuff since both sides are essentially ongoing at all times! Haha.

Might be worth a peek at the payroll (and probably more importantly that relative to other teams) from the pre-Target field to the last three years.

Who did Vernon Wells think was up to bat there? That was kinda weird. Especially if Bremer was right that he was playing in the gap. Infielders playing to pull, outfielders playing the other way has been the norm against Mauer for a long time, no?

I'm sure refusing to answer the question wouldn't have caused any speculation or interpretation at all.

Shouldn't "Mediocre" by definition be in the middle of the scale? Especially when it's the overall average of the league (you know, cuz every game has one winner and one loser). Secondly, describing the Gardenhire years as 2 and 3 implies there's something missing in your list. They squeaked below .500 once in the first nine years and twice in the ten. Claiming 6 titles in a 5-team division over 10 years is "occasionally" is either deliberately misleading or unrealistic about what that means. It's three times the number that they are "supposed" to get. Did the first nine years where they won more games than 25 teams happen by accident while they were shooting for just .500? And finally, thinking that the "group of people running the Twins are complacent and set the bar at 2 and 3" as if that is their goal is simply ridiculous.

Dooooooooooms!

Unless you actually analyze the facts. In that case, they are only a tiny bit closer to their home run hitting in other parks than the Twins are.

Who is "we?" I don't know that, and I'd even make a pretty good-sized wager that he doesn't if that were legal.

If they signed a minor-leaguer with might be ready but with zero major league experience from another organization for 3 or 4 million...just to play for the next month...something tells me people would rightly be fairly upset about that.

Really? Which 1/2? And I'd say there are certain personality types that have that mindset a lot.

WHAT?!?! Chief disagrees with my rather wide-ranged description? And on the negative side? This is all brand new and unexpected information!!! One of the many things that amuses me in a rather absurd way is when people add "I was at the game" as if it's some sort of proof that they're right even when the subject is something that has nothing to do with the specifics of being at the game. Since I'm pretty big fan of the truth, I should mention that the SS nearly fielded the ball exactly where the dirt meets the grass. When he reversed course to go pick up the ball that he hadn't caught, he picked it up several feet into the outfield, which is where I was likely remembering that from. Smalley mentioned, and I agree, that it was a play he probably would make sometimes and was disappointed he didn't, but I don't see it as an error almost ever. And as long as we're on the truth, I don't really know how it matters, but since the five-hop description was given as evidence of how uncrisp the ball was hit, it hit the ground four times before the glove. When the ball was hit, the split second insta-reaction was "base hit up the middle" (that likely isn't the reaction of someone predisposed to the negative, or someone distracted by the hot dog vendor or someone focusing on mis-counting hops). Then in that next split second is when I realized "oh, infields play Mauer shifted to pull" and the SS was there to make the play. But it was hit "so weakly" that the pitcher really made no reaction until the ball was past him. Bremer referred to it as "hot," so factor down the proper amount from there and I'll stand by crispish. It wasn't blistered or scalded or ripped or tattooed or even no-doubt-crisp. It was a crispish groundball up the middle. Andohbytheway, if you're really interested, it's the 8th or so highlight on the videos on the Twins mlb official page if you'd like to watch it yourself.

Perhaps there are things that can be done at AA other than proving something.

Basically what was already said. Teams (not just the Twins) tend to use their best relievers to hold leads or tie games, their worst relievers to pitch when the margin is wide in either direction but mostly when behind, and the middle scenarios for the others. The Twins have been way behind a lot because of the aforementioned poor starting pitching (and the less-than-enough-to-make-up-for-that hitting). So the "worst" pitchers have pitched the most.

I don't get it, really. Carroll hasn't hit for average, but he's leading the team in walks so he's getting on base and he's been better than I'd say most/all expected in the field. Dozier's numbers are good-not-great a level below the big leagues, and that includes his blistering start. It seems like crowding an area of (relative) strength without addressing the areas of more weakness. With a little more thought, it seems even more gloomy because I'm sure they know the areas of strength and weakness and there is probably nothing better to be done. It all is really telling how valuable it would be to have Morneau at 1B. When he moved to full-time DH, it shuffled so many spots on the roster making RF the chaos it has been and really affected how to get Doumit in the lineup as much as planned. Now the move from DH to DL has amplified all of that. It's frustrating.

You know the season is a month old and a trip to the DL is 15 days, right?

And you've spent how much time in the clubhouse? And your definition of a good kind of leadership is the guy who bolts after one bad season? Huh.