dcswede

There are many rumors going around about the Twins managerial search right now.  Will they go with a previous Twins coach like Shelton?  Will they go back to the Twin’s Way and look to Punto?  Will they go outside the org and get a fresh view with someone like Vázquez?  With all these options and more, one thing that should be on Falvey’s mind around this is that the Twins are in some fairly poor company regarding diversity in their Manager and General Managers. Here are some comps:
Current Year
In 2025, 8 of the MLB teams had a diverse hire at manager:
Boston Red Sox - Alex Cora
Chicago White Sox - Will Venable
Houston Astros - Joe Espada
Los Angeles Angels - Ron Washington
Los Angeles Dodgers - Dave Roberts
New York Mets - Carlos Mendoza
St. Louis Cardinals - Oliver Marmol
Washington Nationals - Dave Martinez
That isn’t that bad as they are in the 73% of teams that didn’t have a diverse hire in 2025.  Let’s look a little deeper and see how they do when compared to all time:
MLB History
In all of MLB history, there are only 5 teams that have never had a diverse hire at Manager:
Athletics
Diamondbacks
Phillies
Twins
Yankees
That makes us one of the 16.66% of teams that has never had a diverse hire at manager.  If you take those 5 teams and look at their General Manager as well, you come down to only 2 franchises that have never had a diverse hire in their Manager or General Manager Positions:
Athletics
Twins
It isn’t a great look to be one of only two teams that have never hired a diverse talent at Manager or General Manager as they are in the bottom 6.66% of teams in this regard.
Twins History
Another thing that makes this look especially bad for the Twins is that the previous owner of the Twins stated that the reason the team in in Minnesota is because of racism:

It isn’t a great look that a team that moved to it current location because of racism has never had a diverse hire in its leadership positions.
Conclusion
I don’t think the Pohlad family is racist and I don’t think that Falvey is racist but I am uncomfortable where the Twins are in regards to diversity in the Manager/GM positions.  This is an easy problem to solve.  If we are valuing having a coach from the Falvey admin come back, we can look at Rowson instead of Shelton.  If we value a former Twins coming back, we can look at Hunter or Suzuki instead of Punto.   If we value a voice outside the org then we can look at Vázquez or others.  Let’s not risk the Twins being an answer to the following trivia question, “Who is the last team to only hire white people for their Manager/GM positions?”
 

Joe Pohald recently stated that he and his family are “just trying to right-size our business.” when he was asked about the $120M payroll for 2024, which is ranked 20 out of the 30 teams.  When I think of the term “right-sizing”, I think of the promise that was made when we approved and funded the stadium for the Twins.  The promise that the Pohlad family made in an 08/13/2008 Star Tribune article called “TWIN CITIES SPORTS OWNERS: the pohlads, minnesota twins BAND OF BROTHERS EXTENDS A LEGACY”

In another 2008 article Dave St. Peter stated:

Are the Twins in the process of “right-sizing” their payroll of $120M to match revenue of $240M?  That is a laughable suggestion but let’s back that up with facts.  We know as a fact from the last collective bargaining agreement that all teams get $200 million in revenue sharing.  In addition, it is widely believed that the Twins are getting $40 million+ this year from BSN.  So, without lifting a finger, playing a game, or even having a second to lie to its fans the Twins are making enough revenue to make the 50% rule work for the current payroll.
What might a team make beyond the revenue sharing and TV deal?  We can estimate that by looking at the Braves and see they made $528 million in 2023 due to their public disclosures as part of Liberty Media.  We also know that the Braves TV Deal is for $68 million a year so if you subtract that and the $200 million in revenue sharing you get $260 million in stadium, licensing, merchandise, etc… revenue.  With the Twin Cities metro area roughly being 60% the size of the Braves let’s assume that the Twins can only generate 60% of the same baseball revenue ($260*60%=$156 million).  The Twins are looking at $396 million in revenue based on this model and are spending only 30% on payroll.  

There is no other way to look at this other than a broken promise made to taxpayers and a money grab by some Nepo-babies.
 

Revolutionizing Baseball: A Schedule and Playoff Format for Maximum Excitement
Baseball has always been a game of strategy, endurance, and tradition, but with evolving fan expectations, it’s time to rethink how the sport is structured. What if every game and every series carried significant weight? Imagine a league where injuries are minimized, travel is reduced, and engagement soars. With a reimagined schedule and playoff format, MLB can deliver a product that’s better for players, fans, and the future of the game.
⚾ Baseball Needs a Refresh
In its current state, MLB struggles with two major issues:
Diluted Engagement: A 162-game marathon can make games feel less urgent, particularly early in the season or during mismatched series. Player Fatigue and Injuries: Last season, fans missed seeing Shohei Ohtani pitch, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s electric play, and Mike Trout’s brilliance due to injuries exacerbated by relentless schedules. It’s clear: baseball deserves a format that prioritizes meaningful games while keeping stars on the field.
📅 A Cooler Schedule: Why Every Series Matters
Under the new schedule, teams play five-game series against every other team in the league, reducing travel and creating a playoff-like atmosphere for every matchup. Here’s what it looks like:
Sunday Doubleheaders: Weekly doubleheaders cap off the series, creating excitement-packed weekends. Two Halves, One Goal: The season is divided into two halves, with playoff spots awarded to the teams with the best series records in each league after 16 series. This format means:
Fewer travel days (down to ~30 trips/season from 45+). More recovery time with predictable off-days. Fans are rewarded with more meaningful games, especially on weekends. 📊 Old vs. New: Why This Format Wins
Here’s how the new schedule stacks up against the old one:
Metric Old Schedule New Schedule Travel Days/Season ~45 trips (~1 every 3.6 days) ~30 trips (~1 every 5.3 days) Games/Week 6-7 games, no scheduled rest 5 games, with built-in rest Doubleheaders Rare and unscheduled Weekly on Sundays Fan Engagement Peaks during marquee games Higher across every weekend Player Fatigue High due to constant travel Lower, with structured rest Visualize the Difference:
Below is a dynamic comparison chart highlighting how the new schedule improves on key metrics:
 
   
🏆 A Playoff Format That Engages Fans Year-Round
Borrowing inspiration from the NBA, this new system injects excitement into both halves of the season:
Midseason Wild Card Berth: After the first 16 five-game series, the team in each league with the best series record earns a Wild Card playoff spot. This keeps the first half of the season thrilling and competitive. Second-Half Wild Card Berth: The same process applies for the season’s second half, ensuring that even struggling teams have a chance to rebound. If a Wild Card winner finishes with a higher playoff seed through overall performance, the berth shifts to the next eligible team. This rewards consistency without compromising fairness.
Why It Works:
Fans stay engaged all season, as every game carries playoff implications. Teams can reset and refocus for the second half, ensuring excitement from start to finish. 📡 MLB Sunday Ticket: The Future of Fan Engagement
Weekends are when sports dominate the conversation. MLB could launch a subscription service, MLB Sunday Ticket, to make Sunday doubleheaders unmissable.
Features:
Live Commentary Across Games: A dedicated commentator highlights key moments from every game, including walk-offs, no-hitters, and playoff-clinching performances. Real-Time Alerts: Subscribers get notified of milestone moments, like home run chases or record-breaking plays. Exclusive Content: Behind-the-scenes footage and player interviews add depth to the fan experience. The Result: A service that increases ratings, revenue, and fan accessibility, making MLB Sundays as iconic as NFL Sundays.
🚀 Why This Is a Win for Everyone
For Players: Reduced travel and predictable rest days keep stars healthier and on the field. For Fans: Every game and series feels significant, with more opportunities to see stars in action. For the League: Higher engagement boosts attendance, ratings, and revenue, ensuring the sport thrives for generations. Conclusion: A New Era for Baseball
Baseball is built on tradition, but evolution is key to its future. By embracing this new schedule and playoff format, MLB can deliver a league where every game matters, every series is meaningful, and fans are more connected than ever. With healthier players, a competitive structure, and innovations like MLB Sunday Ticket, this vision offers something for everyone.
So, what do you think, Twins fans? Could this be the bold step baseball needs to become the most exciting sport in the world?
 

I've followed the Twins for as long as I can remember. I am not going to pretend I've seen it all, but that makes the following statement come with deep thought and reflections before saying it aloud:

I have never been more angry at the end of a season and feel as disconnected from the baseball team I love and support as I do at this particular moment.

Just 52 short weeks ago, the Twins did something they had not done in nearly two decades. They won a playoff game.

In fact, they won back-to-back playoff games, which constituted a playoff series victory. Another thing they had not done in two decades. 

After giving a good punch to the Astros in the divisional series, the Twins bowed out of the postseason with three playoff victories and renewed fan excitement. I had not felt this much excitement about the Twins moving forward since the end of 2009 when they were about to move into a new stadium and were going to field a pretty damn good team. 

The Twins took out a full-page ad in the local papers and spammed this letter across their social media channels, doubling down on our excitement for what was supposedly going to come next. 
 


"Imagine what next season could be."

That full sense of excitement never made it to the 2024 regular season. That imagination of what 2024 could be never got even off the ground. 

Right at the beginning of Spring Training, Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad had an interview with WCCO Radio, and said the team was not adding any big-time free agents. Pohlad also added that the team's payroll - which had been slashed by $30 million in the offseason - was going to remain where it was presently at. 

Sonny Gray, who was a key cog in the Twins 2023 pitching staff, had already left in free agency. The Twins could have used another front-line starter to compliment Pablo Lopez. They didn't, opting to go with Chris Paddack and a rotating cast of rookies. 

Carlos Santana was the marquee free agent signing, but, with all respect, he was not going to fix what ailed the Twins in the ALDS against Houston: clutch hitting. 

After all that excitement and the fact the Twins just needed a few upgrades, they slashed the payroll and went back to shopping in the bargain bin like the 2000s Twins in the Metrodome. Frustration sank in about the lack of moves during the spring, but hope - as it always does every spring training - sprung eternal and you never know what a regular season will bring. 

Just inside the start of May, as the Twins were surging after a slow start, myself and a large portion of the fanbase lost the simple ability to view the team on television. Diamond Sports Group and Comcast could not agree on a new contract and all Bally Regional Sports Networks - which included the Twins' television home, Bally Sports North - was pulled off the cable giant. 

The Twins had the opportunity to go a different route for their TV options following 2023, but they re-upped their contract with Ballys for one year, knowing full well that this could happen. The Twins opted for the largest deal available to them, the same deal that was their excuse for slashing payroll, and lost a large chunk of fans on TV for the summer.

Sure, you could go find them on something called FUBO TV, but I had already cut cable before and had to go back to it after Diamond Sports group muscled my streaming service out of showing their games. I was not going down that road again. I'm sure I was not the only one in that boat either. 

For three months, I sat in the dark. If the game was big enough, I would find a less-than-ideal way to stream the game, but mostly I resorted to listening via radio or just following along with the beat writers via X if I was not attending the game. That was an incredibly frustrating and unideal way to follow your baseball team in 2024.
 
On August 1, the blackout on television lifted after the companies came to an agreement a few days prior. This also coincided with the trade deadline just passing. The Twins did nothing but add a reliever off the scrap heap who was released a month later. Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey would not commit to saying if payroll had anything to do with the lack of moves. Frustration sank in again as it appeared that ownership had prevented from the Twins baseball people doing anything meaningful to make this club better. 

Frustration also appeared to be prevalent in the Twins clubhouse after the deadline. Not ideal to see players speaking out about frustrations with lack of upgrades. Surely that will not show its head over the final months, right? RIGHT?

The back end of the rotation was lacking, the bullpen needed another quality arm or two, and hitting was problematic at times. But the Twins sat 59-48, six games back of Cleveland in the Central but well in a Wild Card spot in the AL. Mere hope for the best outcome was all we fans had for the final two months.

Hope did not carry long. 

Pitching fell apart, both in the rotation and bullpen, hitting went colder than a trip to the Arctic, and the Twins sank. Along with a late-season surge by Detroit, the Twins had a collapse for the ages. Nothing went right almost nightly, but at least we had them back on TV to watch uninspired baseball. 

The Twins were officially eliminated in the season's final week, but you might as well have called the coroner on the club on that final day of July when the trade deadline passed. 

Frustration for the season gave way to sheer anger. Anger that nothing more meaningful was done to improve the team leading up to the deadline. Nothing more meaningful was done to improve the team going back to the offseason. Anger that all the excitement we had for this baseball team one year ago has been so quickly washed away.

On the season's final day, as the entire state had its eyes gazed east to Wisconsin for an important football game, the Twins brass came out and spoke on the season's failures. 
 

Joe Pohlad spoke, putting his foot in his mouth again, reminding us fans that this is a business and he won't get into business decisions. 

(credit to Gleeman for putting Pohlad's feet to the fire here)


If I wanted to be spoonfed manure, my wife's uncle has a farm I can go visit anytime. I don't need to be given it from the local baseball team.

Pohlad mentions he has to "run this business for our team and our fans". Well, Joe, this season has been anything but "for the fans". So where can you tell me things were done for the fans? And if we fans voiced our displeasure in the ballpark, they were told to leave the ballpark and not return for a year. 

Good look, Joe. 

In a season in which one of our most prominent players in franchise history went into Cooperstown, and personally, I got to take my baby girl to baseball games, I am left feeling nothing but anger and distrust for what I, and the Twins fanbase, had to endure in 2024. I don't say these things lightly, but this is the reality of what has built up over the last year. 

The negatives horribly outweighed anything that was fun and good. That's what I'll remember about the 2024 season. 

And it will now take more than a couple of playoff wins to wash these feelings away. That's for damn sure. 

Bailey 7 IP  1 hit 0 walks 7K 83 pitches.
 
Hey here is an idea, lets pull him after retiring 15 straight batters, absolutely rolling (throwing a potential Maddux) and lets replace him with Duran who struggle sin the 8th.
Seriously?

Let’s Talk Salaries
The Padres traded their “once in a lifetime” superstar to the Yankees for payroll relief. This in spite of drawing over 3.2M fans in 2023 (2nd in NL). The Padres 2023 payroll was $259M (per sportrac.com) and they didn’t make the playoffs. In looking forward, the Padres are currently paying Manny Machado $17M per year until 2025 and then it becomes $25M in 2026 and then $39M for the next 7 years. Fernando Tatis will make $11.7M in 2024, $20.7M in 2025 and 2026, $25.7M in 2027 and 2028, then $36.7M until 2034. Xander Bogaerts will earn $25.45M from 2024 until 2033. It is interesting to add to this horror show the fact that both Tatis and Bogaerts were signed to play shortstop and at this moment they are playing right field and 2nd base respectively. This financial model can best be explained by the saying used by Whimpy in Popeye cartoons when he said, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today”.
In the same boat are the Dodgers who this year signed Shohei Ohtani for 10 years at a total contract price of $700M. He will receive $2M in payroll each year until 2032 and then will be paid $68M for the next 10 years. They then signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto for 12 years and $325M (an average of $27M), but paying him $9.2M in 2024. And of course they traded for Tyler Glasnow and his $25M salary and quickly signed him to a lucrative contract extension. At some point, 10 years from now the Dodgers may have an extremely serious payroll problem.
To the credit of the NY Mets, last year under Steve Cohen’s ownership they bought every toy they could find in the toy department. Half way through the year they figured out that buying the best players does not guarantee positive results. At the trade deadline they traded many of their big off season signings for prospects and this off season they decided to sit out the dance and work on improving their farm system. Sanity has visited the Mets.
All of this brings me to the Twins. This past week Joe Pohlad made comments on local radio that seemed to hit the hometown fans the wrong way. He basically declared that the Twins would not be spending money to bringing in one of the high priced Boras Band of Five (now four). He did, however, leave some wiggle room for signing one of the lesser unsigned players who may come at a bargain rate and a short contract because of spring training already being underway.
Being from southern New England and new to the Twins, I’m now reading many fans questioning the ownership’s commitment to putting together a team that can compete for a World Series ring. The term “Cheap Pohlad” is appearing often in comments on X (not going to say, formerly twitter), The Athletic and Twins Daily. The majority of fans believe that the team has a strong and youthful nucleus and that with the addition of a piece or two can compete for the championship. The inability of the front office to add the missing pieces is being blamed on team ownership and their frugal ways.
To fill in my gaps in Twins history I thought that I should take a look at the team’s recent payroll and attendance figures so I can formulate my own opinion.
The Correa Effect
 
Year
Payroll
Prior Yr Attendance
Attend. Yr
2023
$160M
1,801,000
2022
2022
$150M
1,310,000
2021
2021
$123M
0
2020
2020
$135M
2,303,000
2019
2019
$114M
1,959,000
2018
2018
$110M
2,051,000
2017
2017
$104M
1,964,000
2016
 
2017 to 2019 was largely status quo. The attendance fluctuated by no more than 100,000 each year and the payroll showed inflationary increases. No huge surprises to their overall payroll plans.
2020 showed an 18.4% increase based on a 17.6% increase in attendance. Unfortunately 2020 was the Covid season where spectators were not allowed in the ball park, but players still needed to be paid according to their contract terms. I don’t know if ownership was covered by business interruption insurance or if they were stuck with a year of normal expenses (less many game day expenses) with no attendance revenue.
2021 - Probably as a reaction to the Covid season the payroll dropped by $12M for the 2021 season.
2022 – I will call this the Correa Factor. The Twins had a unique opportunity to sign one of baseball’s elites to a 3 year/$105M contract. The contract contained opt outs after each year, so unless Correa was to experience a major injury (which should have been covered by insurance), it was a 1 year/$35M contract. This transaction was probably unforeseen, but the budget was increased by $27M to make it happen. Chances are that the payroll budget may have been reduced because the attendance for the 2021 season only reached 1,310,000, far lower than previous seasons.
2023 – I will call this the Correa Factor II. There was probably little likelihood of Correa having a 2nd season with the Twins, but a funny thing happened, he fell back into their laps when the Giants and Mets were spooked by his physical. The Twins had an opportunity to take him back at a slightly lower rate and a reasonable 6 year term (with team options after that). They couldn’t reduce the budget after this signing so they ended up increasing the payroll from $150M to $160M. Attendance increased by 491,000, but still fell below the 2017-2019 norm.
2024 – They have been operating with a payroll bloated by the Correa double signings, were losing $7-$8M in TV Revenue, attendance had not bounced back to earlier amounts, and they needed to “right size” the budget.
I’ve used the term “right size” frequently in my career as a CFO. The term simply means to have the right number of employees (or payroll) for the amount of sales you are realizing. If your sales decrease from one year to the next you are probably going to look at a layoff or not replacing employees who leave. You match your loss of revenue with a reduction in expenses to keep your bottom line stable.
After all of this background, the Twins are basically saying that after a payroll that has increased by opportunity, not additional revenues, that they need to bring it back to an amount that is consistent with the attendance (and TV revenue) they are generating. That largely brings them back to the 2017-2019 days.
I think that their approach is fiscally reasonable and responsible. Let’s admit it, we were warned early in the off-season that this was going to be a reality. Last week it became cast in stone. However, let’s look at the bright side. There is still wiggle room for a spring training signing to round out the roster, just not one of the big boys.
Cost Per Attendee
To further evaluate the Twins position I decided to compare Payroll to Attendance. I did an analysis of the 2023 attendance for each team compared to their 2023 payroll. The team with the highest payroll for 2023 was the NY Mets and they were ranked 14th in total attendance. They ended up paying their players $137 for each person who attended a game. Second was the White Sox who had the 15th highest payroll but the 24th highest attendance. They ended up paying $108 for each person. The rest of the top 10 were the Yankees at $85, the Angels at $80, the Phillies at $80, the Marlins at $79, the Twins at $78, the Rangers at $77, the Padres at $76 and the Tigers at $76. The Twins ended up in 7th place among the 30 teams. The overall average was $68 for each fan attending. The team that spend the least on payroll compared to attendance were the Orioles at $31.
Some teams can alleviate some of this high cost per attendee because of the ticket prices they charge. A cost to the Mets of $137 per person or the Yankees at $85 can be offset by having higher ticket prices than a team like the Twins or Marlins. It is possible that when this payroll cost per attendee is adjusted by average ticket price, that the Twins may climb up the ladder and be closer to the top ranking.
My Summary or Conclusion (Finally)
My hope for the Twins is that as the trade deadline approaches that we will be able to pickup a premium pitcher to round out our playoff roster. I have complete confidence in ownership that this will happen if the right player and the right deal comes along. They have already opened up for purse strings for Carlos Correa. Strong attendance will be very helpful.
As far as how they handle financial management, I believe paring back payroll and not taking on another $30M per year plunge is perfectly understandable. Their 2023 attendance of 1,974,000 puts them right back to the 2017-2019 years when the team payroll was around $110M. With a $126M payroll for 2024 and a loss of $7M in broadcast fees, it seems like a reasonable budget. Hopefully attendance will increase and there will be a willingness to spend at the trade deadline for any missing pieces.
I am not a Pohlad Family “fan boy”, but I feel that their approach is fiscally sound. While there are teams spending money like drunken sailors, the majority are still living within their means and looking at their front office to make personnel moves that will make a difference. Their standing as 7th when comparing payroll to attendance tells me that they are providing adequate funding to support the team. I can’t justify joining “Cheap Pohlad Club”.

Do you remember nearly 10 years ago the "Cueto, Cuetoooo" incident in the WC game between Cincinatti and Pittsburgh. Here it is to remind you. 
 
Why is this so memorable? It's because fans were so into this game (Pirates first playoff game in 30 years) that they mentally broke a pitcher that was seen as one of the best in the NL at that time. It's one of the best crowds to ever attend a baseball game that I've ever seen. You could tell how much Pittsburgh fans had been waiting for this moment to come, and even though they couldn't get past St. Louis that year, this was always the defining moment of the 2013 playoffs (besides the Victorino grand slam). I'm not asking Twins fans to be like this. Heck, I don't think this kind of crowd trolling will ever be replicated in the modern game again. But some people just can't seem to grasp how fans can have a factor in playoff games. Not the biggest factor, but it's quite literally the bare minimum. I don't care personally if the Twins are losing 6-2, 8-0, 11-4, anything. Analytics shouldn't factor into how you cheer for this team in the playoffs. Who gives a crap about "win probability" when a team legit came back from 9 runs down just a couple of days ago. Nothing will make me more excited from my college dorm room when Pablo Lopez gets a massive strikeout in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. 
And this is verbatim what I tweeted an hour ago as of this post but: If I ever attend a playoff game at Target field, I will be loud. No matter what. I attended game 2 of the 2019 ALDS and that game was pretty hopeless. I still cared no matter what. Still cheered every strike out, every base runner. Games never over until it’s over. You should probably be loud too. And It's encouraged. Be loud and proud. Show why you bought tickets. 

There’s a great scene in the first season of Ted Lasso. Coach Lasso is sitting and mulling over end of season strategy with his assistant, Coach Beard. Lasso realizes that his approach with his players might not give the team the best shot at winning, but smiles and reassures Coach Beard that “winning ain’t how we measure success.”
Coach Beard turns red. He slams his fist on the table and hollers, “DAMN IT, IT IS!”
Winning matters. Which brings us, ironically enough, back to the Minnesota Twins. In the last 18 years of baseball, only two MLB teams have failed to win a postseason game. One of those teams, the Seattle Mariners, are a virtual lock to win a Wild Card spot. That may soon leave the Twins alone at the bottom of the postseason winning heap for this stretch. Last in success, out of all 30 major league teams.
“C’mon,” you’ll argue. “Stop blowing this out of proportion. Just look at those division pennants waving atop Target Field. One of them is even as recent as 2020. That’s success.” Sure, I know they’re there. I just can’t shake the feeling that they just don’t matter all that much. Sure, the Twins have had some success in a weak division - the children’s table of baseball - building up midseason leads and slipping ahead of marginal competition. But when the heat is on, when the top teams are in town, when the playoff bunting flies, the Twins aren’t much of a ballclub. They don’t win when it really counts, when it would generate excitement, when it would really bring the state together. They are a professional organization run and staffed by what seem to be genuinely decent and otherwise competent people. 
But they don’t win … and that matters.
In 1986, I fell head over heels for the Minnesota Twins. They were a bad ballclub, but I loved the game and I loved the team and I loved the Metrodome (yeah, I know). My dad took me to ten games or so that year, taking time from a very busy work schedule to indulge me. He even took me to Fan Appreciation Night, where Bert Blyleven apologized to the crowd for a disappointing season, adding that he saw the core of a talented club that could bring a World Series to Minnesota in 1987.
My father audibly groaned. “It’ll never happen,” he said. 
“What if it does,” I asked.
“Look, if the Twins go to the World Series next year, I’ll buy us both tickets. But it won’t happen, kid.”
You know the rest. Like magic, it did happen. And we were there. And my father, a serious man, hooted and cheered and waved like a kid. He loved the Twins more than I had realized, and he’d waited his life for this. When they won Game 7, he paraded me through the streets of Minneapolis on his shoulders. We hugged and high-fived strangers and police officers. We celebrated the success of our local team, a scrappy small market underdog. 
“Enjoy it” he told me. “Because it’ll never happen again.”
We did not buy tickets to the 1991 series. We watched all the drama from the comfort of home. But I grew up with an embarrassment of baseball riches. More than that, I have memories of my father - the stoic US Navy veteran and successful man of business - that are priceless. I got to see my father become a kid, just like me, bursting with joy over the game of baseball.
The years are wearing on him now, and it's hard to know how much time we have left together. We don’t talk Twins much anymore, my father and me. He never watches games and rarely reads the box scores. I tried to sit him down to watch the 2019 Twins take on the Marlins on TV. I hyped him up for the “Bomba Squad” and chose an opponent I was sure the Twins could beat. I wanted him back on the bandwagon with me. I thought a special season was coming together again.
Newly acquired Sam Dyson blew the lead. Buxton injured his shoulder. The Twins lost 5-4 in extras. But my dad didn’t see it end - he had gone to the garage to tinker with the lawn mower engine. Somehow, he knew that team wasn’t anything special. “Wake me up when they look like a winner again,” he told me.
So here we are, three years removed from the 2019 season which ended in another postseason whimper. The consolation at the time was that the Twins appeared on the cusp of a breakout - a potential string of AL Central dominance that might lead them deep into the playoffs. Instead, we’ve just witnessed an absolutely epic late-season collapse that will leave them in third place and likely below .500 for the second straight year. Worst to third in the AL Central, particularly after signing the #1 free agent in baseball in the offseason, hardly inspires much hope.
It’s not that these things don’t happen in baseball, or in all professional sports. It would be foolish to expect the Twins - a mid-market team - to win back-to-back championships every decade, or to be angered by occasional rough seasons or disappointing endings. It’s not so much that the Twins lose, but how they lose - and that they lose when it matters most and even when they seemingly have what they need to succeed - that is so hard to stomach. It’s a culture of losing that has essentially destroyed fan morale and widespread interest in the game here in Minnesota. 
Here’s what I’m trying to say: It’s not just that the Twins lose, it’s how losing no longer seems to be a problem for the organization. 
No one who represents the Twins really seems disappointed or upset by what's happened this season. There’s no visible sense of urgency or frustration. The club’s director of communication admonishes critics for any negativity and tells fans to “ride with us,” without acknowledging that the club’s trainwreck bullpen failures made getting back in the fandom car seem like a death wish. “We played our game, we played hard,” is Baldelli’s general mantra after bitter losses, as though professionals being paid hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars shouldn’t be expected to “play hard” as a basic condition of their employment. Instead of playoff wins, we’ve gotten endless strings of excuses: injuries, payroll limitations, called strikes that only seem to pinch our batters, and platitudes about being “almost there” and busy “reloading.”
What’s that old saying? Sound and fury, signifying nothing. Though scratch that - what I wouldn’t give for even a little well-placed fury from this club. They endlessly preach process, but seem to have no real interest in results.
Meanwhile, there is an entire generation of young people who have never once seen a Twins playoff victory. They’ve never seen their friends or family members turn giddy at the prospect of coming out on top, of beating the big boys of baseball in late autumn.They’ve never seen the way a playoff run can pull people together and shake up the routine of life. Winning inspires chatter and energy. It changes dull small talk about the weather into tales of late-inning heroics. The perfect throw to the plate to preserve a close lead. The seeing-eye single that brought in the tying run. The walk-off home run that electrifies a city.
Minnesota is a beautiful state. The Twin Cities represent two vibrant metropolitan centers within a short cross-river drive. Greater Minnesota features majestic beauty and kind-hearted communities. At times, we become two very different kinds of people living in the same state. We sometimes lose a common worldview and a common cause. On top of that, we’ve weathered a pandemic, civil unrest, extreme political division and economic instability. Any of the top professional teams in this state that actually commits to winning - and actually does win when it counts - will find that, beyond their own satisfaction, they’ve added a stitch or two to a sense of unity and pride in the state. 
Winning gives people relief and hope - even in small ways - and it gives them moments and stories with those they love. Yes, baseball is only a sport and maybe even a dying one, but winning is symbolic. Winning inspires.
I know I’m cranky. There will soon be any number of articles coming from people who are less cranky about how the Twins had some positive developments this year, and that the FO gave their trades and signings their best shot, and that some prospects took major steps forward, and that winning at the professional level isn’t the only thing that matters. I’m going to shake my head when I read those stories. I may even pound my fist on the table.
Because damn it, it is.
Winning is how you measure success in MLB. Winning is the only thing that matters at this level (and please don’t counter with “playing the game fairly is more important,” because that, too, is a basic professional expectation that should go without saying). And the Twins don’t win when it counts. And that matters. And anyone who does not make this the top priority for this team should no longer be involved with this organization. Find out why injuries keep derailing promising prospects. Find out why high-leverage situations at the plate and on the mound keep resulting in failure. Find out why the team looks like roadkill when the Yankees come to town. Find out why the team lacks fundamental skills on the bases and in the field. Focus less on mundane processes and more on getting situational results. Put the team through high-stress drills. Get the players ready for battle, rather than stocked with excuses when they fail.
Because Coach Beard is right. Winning matters. And it’s been far, far, far too long since the Twins have won anything when it counts.
 

The Twins have been a big question mark all year. Great 2019 performances from players never realized in 2020 except Cruz & arguably Rosario. Although I`m not normal superstitious but baseball is, I never understood why the Twins wanted to bring back the baby blue uniforms to reminisce the "Twinkie" era. the auguration of the baby blues began w/ the Griffin / Carew fiasco. Carew was content to play out his years in MN but this fiasco changed all this & Carew could not leave fast enough.
Following years were at best, mediocre.
The notable thing about the baby blue jersey of old is that the Twins won the 1987 World Series in their first year not wearing the jersey. Their overall record in the years they wore the uniform was 1040-1170, a winning percentage of . 471.
This is not what we want to replicate w/ our promising "Bomba Squad". Bringing back the baby blues started w/ covid19. I say we burn them & never bring them back

A friend of mine passed away over the holiday weekend.
 
We had attended high school together, were distant friends through college, and spent two years as roommates back in the cities after that.
 
When we lived together, he was attending culinary school and the roommates would have the benefit of eating food that is normally not accessible to broke post-college kids trying to repay student loans. He would concoct four course meals and we were more than happy to be test subjects.
 
We’d declare it the best thing we’ve ever eaten and he, being his own worst critic, would inform us that it was garbage and would vow to make it better next time.
 
He modeled himself a bit after Anthony Bourdain. He had a beat up copy of Kitchen Confidential that he constantly implored me to read. I never did.
 
Eventually the house split up. We went separate ways and saw each other less. Everyone my age or older likely has friendships like that. I had a growing family and he was launching a culinary career that took him to Central America and Alaska for work.
 
The relationship became just a bi-yearly message to each other on Facebook, randomly sharing a couple inside jokes and stupid obscure pop culture references. We exchanged one just the previous week.
 
He sent a one-liner: What are we going to do about this hand twin thing?
 
It came from a Friends episode we watched years ago. He had an ability to bring groups of people together and our house used to host viewing parties during the final seasons. The line, delivered by Joey Tribbiani in the bathroom of a casino, always cracked us up. Sharing innocuous lines like that over the years just let each other know you were thinking about them.
 
I spent most of Sunday night reflecting on our time. I spoke with another roommate of ours who had moved out of state as well. We shared memories of the years we all lived together.
 
I realized how much baseball fandom can imprint on our lives.
 
He once hosted a weekend-long party at his college house in Duluth. It was epic, as the kids would say. Thinking back to the revelry, I also remember slipping away to see Matt Lawton hit two home runs in Cleveland.
 
Another time he went to visit a girl in New York City. He returned with a small panoramic of the old Yankee Stadium that he got at a secondhand shop because he knew how much I despised the Yankees. I still have that picture and I still hate the Yankees.
 
His family would host gatherings at their cabin in northern Minnesota. They were amazingly hospitable people. His mom legitimately made the best sloppy joes. When my daughter wasn’t even a year old, he invited us for a low-key weekend of boating and bonfires. On the drive home, as my little girl slept in the back, I listened to Johan Santana’s 17-strikeout performance on the radio.
 
When the Twins had a weekend series at Wrigley Field, we ran into each other at the Cubby Bear, the bar across the street from the stadium. We took time to share a Cubby Blue Bomb together, update each other on our current lives, and then went back to the separate group of friends we came with into Chicago.
 
The last time we saw each other in person I was handing off tickets to him before a Twins game.
 
We met at The Depot Tavern and played catch up. His seats were on one side of the ballpark and ours were on the other. We vowed to meet on the concourse or somewhere after the game but neither of us followed through.
 
You are not supposed to live with regrets yet we do. I regret not reaching out more, not making an effort to stay connected. I regret not checking in more frequently to hear about his family, fiancee, and other adventures.
 
Thirty-nine is way too young. You feel like you always have more time: There will be some other opportunity to catch up, there will be some other chance to reconnect, or some other time to say those were amazing memories.
 
Looking back, I admired how he followed his passion. We were just becoming functioning adults and he already knew that he wanted to run kitchens and make people happy through food. Someone shared a video of him teaching a culinary class in a Facebook remembrance, making the room laugh in doing so. In a way he did become a version of Bourdain, traveling the world and experiencing cuisine in parts unknown.
 
Maybe now I’ll listen to him and read that book.

There are many things in Nick's article that are incorrect, and some that I agree with. This isn't meant to attack but to show a different viewpoint that he might not see.
 
"Our community is broken. Our country is broken."
We live in the greatest country on earth. Our community/country is not broken. You are stating your opinion as fact. A tragic death lead to a protest which lead to planned riots and anarchists coming to Mpls and many large cities throughout the nation. There are problems with bad police. There are problems with bad media that spreads divide. There are problems with bad plumbers, electricians, bankers, etc... that believe the divide and buy into the hate and anger. Go to most communities and you'll see blacks, whites, brown, you name the color, all get along.People that live in the same community or neighborhood will defend those they associate with regardless of color because of their shared interests or shared sense of community.
"To shy away from this conversation is to contribute to the widespread apathy and complacency that has brought us to this tragic state." "Unaware of what the mask meant."
Why does he need to get involved in the conversation? There isn't one person I've seen in social media whether they be on the left or right that has condoned the former cops horrible actions. He's been condemned in every corner. Believe it or not he doesn't have to post his every thought on social issues. He already got harassed by wearing a blue lives matter face mask. (To those people that shamed him, shame on you. Those officers protect your freedoms and risk their lives every day. A cop in Waseca is learning to walk again because he was shot by meth dealer/addict). There's nothing wrong with supporting the police because 99% of them are good and want to uphold the law. What does the mask mean? It means that police lives matter, too. By saying that police lives don't matter you create the divide that was mentioned earlier.
 
"Racism has no place in our world and I do not in any way support the actions that we all witnessed that led to George Floyd’s passing.”
Max denounced racism. He denounced the murder. He doesn't need to part of a demonstration to make a change. He can do that by backing his friends in his own private way. Because you don't see him out on the streets carrying a sign or screaming at the police doesn't make his statements any less important.
"Not into politics [peace sign]." This is the attitude that has gotten our society to this point: comfortable white people choosing to excuse themselves from the conversation, because it doesn't affect them personally."
Do you actually believe we have a more civil society with the combination of social media and politics? He doesn't need to be into politics...at least no publicly. He can have Walter Mondale buttons or Barry Goldwater signs in his garage for all we know. This murder is not political and murder never should be. "comfortable white" people? Seriously??? If a person isn't interested in politics it doesn't make them a comfortable white person. Would you say the same about someone that's black and not involved in political discourse? You are making a group think statement that everyone must think and act as you.
 
"Kepler's comments come as a slap in the face to a grieving and enraged community where he's supposed to be a leader."
I've spent a lot of time on social media lately and I haven't seen one person clamoring to hear Max Keplers take on the protests/riots. As a matter of fact I haven't seen anyone wondering what any of the MN Twins, Vikings, or any other professional organization is saying. It's not a slap in the face to the community at all. The community doesn't need Max Kepler to say anything. Who appointed him as a leader and what is he a leader of? Most people that I know don't look to baseball players as leaders. They look to him to make plays on the field.
I personally don't care what Chris Cuomo says. I had to get that in only because your news source quote pegs you as left of center. If you had quoted people on both sides of the aisle it adds credibility. That's more of a journalism critique than anything else.
"precisely what perpetuates a lack of change that is destroying us."
Kepler on the sidelines isn't the problem. What's the underlying problem? Is it the people in the city or the people running it. If it's the people in the city then the problem was there long before Max got here. If it's the people running the city you have to look at who has been running the city for decades. The problem isn't new so you're going to have to go back. If people won't vote for a change then the problem will continue.
 
"Kepler and the Twins aren't playing baseball due to a global health crisis that has sadly been framed as "political" by some".
It is sad that a health crisis is political. 80% of the deaths in MN have been in Long term care facilities. A new study out of Max's home country shows that a majority of the people would have eventually died this year regardless. When all the info doesn't come out and people are left in the dark it's going to become political.
"our site's audience is predominately white, and relatively affluent. We are the voices needed most in this fight."
Soft bigotry at it's finest. Our voices our no more important than the poorest minority in the poorest area of Minneapolis/St Paul. I can't speak to their plight, any injustice (real or perceived), or relate to what it's like to get pulled over because of color. I can only advocate for justice for every human being that walks the earth.
 
"a meaningless platitude, copping out with a "not into politics" comment is not an option...."We need to confront these issues seriously,"
It's meaningless to you if you view it that way. To me it means he wants peace and you see, not into politics is an option. I believe what bothers you is he's not into your politics and you want him to be. Politics is a touchy issue. The blue lives matter mask proved it. He plays for 100% of Minnesotans, not just the ones who want him to be politically active.
Everyone - at least caring, logical people, want injustice to end. What really needs to happen right now is justice for George Floyd.

Max Kepler used to be relatively vocal about his decision to avoid an increased launch angle. He wasn’t looking solely to hit home runs, and while his goal was to enter the zone on a level swing path, he was just fine with ground balls. Former Twins beat writer Mike Berardino talked to the outfielder back in the spring of 2018 and Kepler said as much there. Now he’s become one of the best outfielders in baseball, and it’s because he’s changed his approach.
 

 
Baseball has transitioned to a sport where getting lift on the baseball provides the optimal route for success. As the game invokes shifts and the ball is now juicier than ever, lifting the pill over defenders is the most direct path to generating extra-base hits. Although this may not be a direct focus for Kepler, it’s a principle that James Rowson has impressed upon Twins hitters and it’s one Max is putting to use.
 
In 2019 Kepler owns an 18.5 degrees average launch angle. Last year that mark was 16.2 degree and in 2017 it sat at just 12.6 degrees of lift. Launch angle on its own isn’t conducive production, but Max has paired it with an enhanced exit velocity as well. The 90.9 mph mark this season improves upon an 89 mph mark last year and an 88 mph tally the season before. Summarizing it easily, harder and higher is producing the best results of his career.
 
The percentages reflect what we are seeing in the raw data as well. Kepler owns a career low 35.7% ground ball rate and a career best 18.3% HR/FB number. His 42.6% hard hit rate is nearly seven percent higher than his career average and over a five percent improvement from 2018. Despite chasing and whiffing a bit more often, the contact rate is right on par with career norms and contact within the zone is a career best 93.9%.
 

 
Through just 70 games played Kepler has the 7th best fWAR total among outfielders. He’s the second best in the American League trailing only a guy named Mike Trout. Minnesota saw the value in their German native this offseason and extended him for $35 million over five years. Fangraphs estimates his worth as already being over half of that mark ($21.8MM).
 
When you hear launch angle from a place of scrutiny it generally is assumptive of the idea that players are simply swinging up through the zone attempting to get lift. The practice is built around creating hard contact on the bottom portion of the baseball. A level swing can still be utilized with the point of contact being honed in. Combining lift with an enhanced exit velocity is where the power stroke comes from. As balls are being thrown harder than ever, they’re also being put in play at a similarly increasing velocity.
 
Minnesota’s instruction may not have transformed Kepler’s swing plane through the zone, but it’s certainly worked to adjust the contact point and process when putting the ball in play. Regardless of if the baseball leaves the yard, Kepler is hitting the ball harder and longer than ever before. It’s because of that fact he’s experiencing a jump in performance and the Twins look to be the benefactor of belief over the next five years.
 
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