Riverbrian

The one stadium I always felt was a pitchers park was Oakland. That foul territory has to be a pitchers advantage. The data doesn't necessarily support that thinking I guess.

CDog... I got the same impression that Jack has. Last year... Those little things failures piled up into big innings at times. More times than should happen at the professional level. That 4th out at times is the difference between no runs and 3 and errors are usually not attached to it.

Yeah... Your Right... What was I thinking... Put Casilla over at 3B. Just look at that GDP stat... 6 Double Plays with Men on Base and none with the Bases Empty. No Sacrifices at all with the bases empty either.

In Comparison with production around the league... His numbers are not worth 23 million a year. In Comparison... If Mike Trout is worth what he is making... Albert Pujols is worth less! He is being paid 23 million a year because he was worth probably more than 23 million a year when he signed the contract and that value was set by what the Market will pay him and the Market would have paid him! Comparing him to #3 hitters around the league should have nothing to do with anything! Comparing his numbers to 1st basemen or Catchers and saying his position determines his value and then trying to determine the value of his contract in retrospect has nothing to do with anything! The Twins paid him 23 million and once that is done. He bats where he bats in the context of his team and he plays whatever position he plays in the context of his team!

I thnk it's safe to say... Trevor has given himself a little bit of the benefit of the doubt and he will be penciled into the lineup at 3B for the Twins for a long period of time. He could go back to struggling and the Twins will give him some time to see if he can get back to what he is doing right now. I had my doubts... I still have some... But... Holy Cow... The Job belongs to him... Can anyone argue that? Congrats to Trevor!!!

But he was worth that type of Money at the time. The Twins didn't set the pay scale. The Yankees and the Red Sox and the teams that shop Free Agent's R Us set the pay scale. Mauer was Worth 23 Million at the time... Do you really expect Joe Mauer to settle for a lower figure to stay in Minnesota? That would be stupid? The only thing the Twins could have done differently is wait until the end of his contract to negotiate a contract and maybe his 2010 year would have brought the value down but that's a real big maybe. 2009 was a huge year and if he repeats it in 2010. That 23 Million becomes much larger and now you have to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox to retain him. I think it's possible that Bill Smith made some mistakes during his regime. Joe Mauer's Contract was pretty much a no brainer at the time. It only looks bad using that 20-20 hindsight thing. Don't hate Mauer... Hate the Yankees... That's what I do... and it feels much better to hate the Yankees BTW. The Yankees are perhaps the most obvious example of why salaries are where they are. They out bid teams for the services of players and that drives the prices up.

Bill Smith: Ron, Good to see you... I'm looking forward to getting a deal done right now. Our people have spent a lot of time looking at the situation and we love Joe and want to see him in a Twins Uniform for a long time. I have prepared a very generous offer for you to take a look at. (slides piece of paper across the desk) Ron Shapiro: This says... 8 Years at 10 million per? He's the American League MVP! This is the offer? Bill Smith: Well... I know our scouts and evaluators have always projected that Joe will someday become a power hitter capable of 20 plus homers a year and I know he hit 28 in the past year despite missing all of April. Ron Shapiro... Don't forget his OPS over one thousand. Bill Smith: I'm not sure what you mean by that Ron... It's impossible to bat over one thousand... Joe hit .365... So let's keep the discussion grounded in reality. (Ron Shapiro just stares... not sure what to say) Ron Shapiro: Bill... It's a combination of... (Bill Cuts him off) Bill Smith: Ron... I know our scouts have projected Joe to be a bigger power hitter and it looks like that is coming true... However, Michael J. Fox has come back from the future and presented us with an evaluation from Fan Graphs that says Joe is going to be worth 10 Million a year in 2012. Ron Shapiro: Fan Graphs? Bill Smith: Yeah... I don't know what Fan Graphs is either but Michael J. Fox was pretty excited about it. He's was shaking in excitement. Could barely get the words out. Ron Shapiro: I'll take this to Joe but I should say that we are under the impression that he will be paid a lot more by other clubs when his contract expires next year. I'm not sure that 10 million for that period of time makes sense. Bill Smith: You gotta consider the hometown discount thing-a-ma-job... Don't ya... Joe does want to stay in Minnesota. Ron Shapiro: He does... This is home... He wants to be a Twin for life... However, the Players Association will throw watermelons at him if he signs under value to this degree. Bill Smith: How far off are we? Ron Shapiro: Well the Yankees paid Teixeira 180 million for 8 years. Bill Smith: We are not the Yankees! Ron Shapiro: Yeah but the Yankees are the Yankees and they have my phone number.

The quote was from 2003 which was the year the book came out. Gee... Could that be why the question was asked? Also in 2003... How many teams were immersed in Moneyball theories? I really think its stupid for any GM or Manager or Player to talk with any member of press because... Look what happens!!! Stay away from tweeting... Facebook... Random meetings with fans in supermarkets. Your words can and will be used against you. Your words can and will be twisted to support how others feel! Seriously... The Twins need to quadruple the size of the PR department. No one gets an interview until the PR department sterilizes the content in the form of one sentence press releases. Otherwise... Someone is going to over react.

I'll raise my hand. I do not see the same fundamental sharpness in the Twins. I also theorize that the lack of sharpness costs our pitching dearly in the ERA department and makes a bad staff look badder. 2011 was beyond brutal. 2012 has been better because of the addition of Carroll who came from outside the organization. Is it Gardy... I don't know. He sure used to attack Cuddyer for fundamentals. All I know is that with this pitching staff. You gotta have it cuz the margins of error are tight.

For Mauer to be loved again... All he has to do is Hit around .330 like he's doing and add about 22 more dingers each year. Oh yeah... Stay Healthy and if he does get hurt... make sure that everyone can see a big ace bandage wrapped around the injury for the duration. At least limp. Stop selling Shampoo and only endorse Grain Belt or other truly Minnesota companies. If Mauer does all of that. He will be loved again.

Would you trade Morneau for Garrett Gould?

Recognition of failure in something is the first step in correcting it. If a man steps up to the mic and takes responsibility for something that isn't working right. That's a Man. All in all, any comments he made have nothing to do with his ability to lead this organization. The product on the field will be what he is ultimately judged on... Not his methods. He took over a squad in a hole. Let's see if the squad gets out of the hole. I think it's reasonable to think that it will take longer than the end of June.

Paul... (Sheepishly) I ask... What is the concept of giving Diamonds to Ducks? I admit that I don't know the reference but it sounds like a good one. All in all, I rarely think about it when I post away... But there are times when I think it's completely plausible that Twins Players actually read this site. Why not... They can all afford Ipads and laptops... The Hotels that they stay in have internet connection. They have some down time. It's human nature to see what people are saying about them even if it isn't what they want to hear. I know they are compensated well and taking some abuse from fans comes with the territory but calling a player a piece of **** is just wrong and it also lacks imagination. Of course players can and will be critiqued and it's a major component of what makes this board tick. It's reasonable to say that someone doesn't belong at the MLB level if they are struggling but calling a player a piece of **** is beyond defense. Just making the major leagues is an accomplishment of epic scale regardless of the results. Goober calls Obama or Bush or Shelly Winters an idiot because he doesn't know what it took to get there nor the myriad of challenges that have to be addressed once there and he doesn't have the words or ability to understand it.

lol... they will be out of moves and will just say screw it and groove one.

I agree... Base stealing is a combination of guts, instinct, confidence, organizational philosophy and the battery combination they are facing. Speed helps greatly but doesn't mean you are a base stealer. Gardy may not like all the advanced metric stats but I'm willing to bet that he has a stop watch and the willingness to express disapointment over base runners getting thrown out. In my opinion, Span could become a base stealer over time if he was traded to a more aggressive organization such as the Brewers or Angels.

Extremely reasonable contract. Of Course that's easy for me to say... I've never spent $100,000 on anything. So for 2014... Currently -- Mauer, Willingham, Span and Doumit are under contract barring a trade or release.

If Plouffe adjusts to the adjustment of the adjustment... Check Mate. 3b will be one less thing to worry about.

A snap back was probably a given. I'm actually encouraged by the slash line you provide. It was so much worse prior to his hot streak. If that's what his cold streak now looks like... I can live with that. Much improved in my opinion.

Thanks Glunn... It's just a bunch of names thown together quickly but I appreciate it. You have a good soul.

Sellers market... Nearly everyone is in contention.... It'll be a good year to be out of contention. Sellers: CF type or lead off potential. Houston... Altuve... Not going anywhere. Schaefer... Span is clearly better at this point. Cubs... DeJesus Not a leadoff guy... Nor a CF... Even though he is holding down both. Rockies... Fowler... Span has been more consistent over his career. Fowler has always been a big potential guy but Contending teams want Production now... Not the hope of production. Fowler has been coming around but Span is the better of the two... right? Now if the Rockies decide to move Cargo... Look out but he still not a leadoff guy. Padres... Maybin or Denorfia or Venable. None are in Spans neighborhood. Oakland... Crisp... Leadoff CF... Do you like Crisp over Span? Seattle... Ichiro... Could be a leadoff but he's old and well compensated. Stats on the decline. Might be locked into Seattle forever. Everyone else is around buyer territory. Looks like a great supply and demand market.

I just spit out my Grape Soda laughing. Plus One for you

Seth, There is no way that someone would take a sentence or two from multiple sentences... Condense those words and surround them with their own words and use them to make their own point. That's just crazy talk!!! The Words are directly from Terry Ryan himself!!! Do you have a lynch mob on standby that can be notified!!!

Now was that so hard. I agree completely. Very well said. BTW... It's close to dinner time... I'm hungry and a Butter-Knife steak and Grape Soda sounds fantastic!!!

Uncle... You are right!!! Brunansky obviously fixed him and his one month in AAA hitting nothing but singles like he had done consistently before... year after year set him on the path to glory. That month in AAA was obviously the tonic needed to save him from the terrible slump of hitting .278 in 18 at bats in April. Now his stats are perfectly aligned with the stats he always produced... Thank God... There is clear Sid Hartman defined reason and now everyone can sleep at night knowing that Ben Revere didn't just sneak up on some of you. Without that trip to AAA... He would have been lost forever. No doubt about it... Thank God, Sid was there to ask that important question of "What did you work on in Rochester with Tom Brunansky that has made you such a great hitter in your return?" and "What do you think of my old friend Tom Brunansky?" and Here's a certificate to Murray's... Go have a butterknife Steak". I'm gonna have to start reading this Sid Hartman guy more often!!! It's clearly my fault.

No I'd say that not recognizing the slant of an article is on you. Lord knows that Sid Hartman is never slanted in his approach to his work. Again, what is a kid supposed to say when posed with a question. You can follow the gospel of Sid's framing but that is on you. Sid makes it sound like his .278 in 18 at bats in April is testiment to the struggling youngster and his .314 is testiment to a player that has arrived. Does anyone remember April. We had 4 guys hitting, Willingham, Span, Mauer and Casilla. .278 is pretty damn good... It was 18 at bats... Everyone else was pretty much in the tank. Look at Ben's minor league stats... How Consistent do you want him to be before realizing what he is and it looks like you can count on it... Rookie, A, A+, AA, AAA... It's says the same thing every year... Putting the ball in play and hitting over .300 without fail. Last year... It was .267... Against the best of the best for the first time and he still put the ball in play... The Kid gets pitches to hit because no pitcher worth his salt wants to walk him... And he hits them. Hands Low... Hands High... Hands wherever... His contract rate is consistent. He isn't going to walk much because pitchers don't want to walk him and he isn't going to turn into Adam Dunn. This kid did not need to be sent down and a minor hand adjustment is just run of the mill stuff that can be made at any level... No matter how Sid Hartman tries to sell his article with his Eureka point. I wouldn't say that Ben Revere is a touchy subject... A year long crusade is a better way to describe it because it completely eludes me why others can't see it. The Kid is gifted and a gift. Bruno didn't fix him... Vavra didn't fix him... He's always been here. As for Dozier... I agree with you and I don't... How's that for wishy washy... He's inconsistent... There are times when he looks great and times when he doesn't... I think the jury is still sequestered on the future of Brian Dozier. I just don't know who you replace him with. Carroll is clearly a better baseball player right now but he is 38 years old and would be a better fit on a team that is contending and not building for the future. If the Twins are building for the Future... Why not give a 25 year old SS that you like a shot. Now if he's having confidence issues... Perhaps then you send him down so he doesn't get demoralized. I would think that Gardy would be in tune with that and would send him down at the slightest hint of it. So if he's competing and his head is on straight... Let's see what you got... It may turn out that he isn't a major league guy... Let's find out sooner if we can so we can get ready for the next young guy.