Melissa

Roundtable is interesting. Do they constitute a "bubble," so not needing masks?

First of all, I need to eat some crow about a comment I made a few days ago worrying about Marwin Gonzalez at first base. He was really solid last night in all respects: going to his right and feeding the pitcher; heading back blind to catch a tricky low pop fly to right field; snaring throws form the other infielders. Secondly, I'm as much a fan of Dobnak as the next person here. What I hope is that he and Wes Johnson can figure out a way to find some sort of out pitch to cut down on all those lengthy at-bats with so many offerings being fouled off.

Thanks for such an informative article!

Thanks, Tom!!

Thanks for this useful information! Here's a quote that stands out to me: "The National Football League (NFL) achieved a B for racial hiring practices and a C+ for gender hiring practices in the 2019 NFL Racial and Gender Report Card, released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida (UCF). This gave the NFL a combined B- grade. Their overall score of 79.3 percent is the lowest the League has recorded in the last 15 years. The B for racial hiring practices broke a streak of nine consecutive years of earning an A- or higher."

I'm so glad the Twins organized this panel discussion. I think the lack of diversity in front (and back) office positions is the most glaring discrepancy, as Epstein of the Cubs said. Appeal to the prominence of Black payers in other pro sports doesn't really address the issue. In the NFL, where a large number of players are Black, front and back office personnel are overwhelmingly not. Was the panel discussion recorded so that it's available to be watched by those of us who couldn't follow it live?

Personally, I don't much doubt the external stats about the Twins' infield defense last year, though I understand why Diaz would disagree to some extent. Just the eyeball test saw Polanco with somewhat limited range and at times an erratic arm, Arraez clearly with limited range, Sano unpredictable. Cron was pretty decent at snaring off-target throws, but nothing as good as Herbie, Dougie M., or the M & M boys. Marwin is a decent substitute but also lacks elite mobility and at times looked out of position at first base. Of course all of the four regular infielders (counting Arraez) more than made up for their less than average defense with elite batting, and often with power.

Hmm.... What am I missing here? No tickets available for *any* MLB games, amirite?

It's purely anecdotal, but to my eye Marwin Gonzalez rarely looked right at first base last year. Something about his footwork and/or positioning often put him in awkward situations to receive throws from an often erratic infield. With Donaldson at third, maybe this is less of an issue. But I think Gonzalez is best at corner OF or 3b.

I loved this story, thanks, Ted! Chelsea seems so open and real and committed. I adopted a rescue dog this spring, in part to offer companionship (for him and for me) during this virus. I just wrote her on her site asking to subscribe - didn't see a way to do that otherwise.

This is great to see. Sadly I have an unavoidable conflict form 7:00-9:30 that evening.

She is a true pro. "I don’t want people to see me as a girl in baseball. I want people to know me for my work, and nothing more." Also, this: "Focusing on mental health is such an important factor. I know firsthand what that battle with anxiety can feel like, and my hope is that while I’m trying to inspire others through baseball, if you struggle with anxiety or depression I want to listen and encourage there as well. Knowing that you’re never alone is a big thing, other people can always relate." Following her on the Athletic from now on!

I should have known better than to read this article while eating lunch .... :-) But actually, I kind of enjoyed it.

I wonder about Balazovic, too. Thanks for reminding us, Doc.

I enjoyed the story, thanks!

Thanks for this story and series, Ted, I appreciate it. But also, I will say that I resonate most with this line of Britt's from the interview: "I’d love to get to a point where I do an entire interview and my gender never comes up."

I hope that all of MLB will adopt the DH for the future. Or else they should eliminate it for both leagues.

So well deserved!

So fun to watch. The joy!!

Man, that 1999 show. I can't believe all those Twins greats came up as rookies that same season: Dougie M., Christian Guzman, Corey Koskie, Jacque Jones, Torii Hunter, Joe Mays ... Fun how these household names are interspersed with players and pitchers I don't even remember (after 21 years, to be fair).

Thanks, Lucas! Do have any comment on what you see in Thorpe's motion?

Sorry to see that, Mike. I'm working remotely myself, a couple of days a week, but I was already only a part-timer anyway. I agree with your take on how we really won't know much until the season schedule is released (if we have a season).

At least Burt got to stick his tongue out at National League batters for two seasons ...

I have a passion for outdoor baseball, and never felt comfortable in the Dome (even for the few football games I attended there). I grew up in Milwaukee and have very fond memories from my childhood of games at County Stadium and the Braves (Henry Aaron, Warren Spahn, Eddie Matthews, Joe Alcock ...) until the team was carpet-bagged away to Atlanta when I was 12. Lost my team. My one trip to Wrigley field with my Grampa was when I was four years old, so the memory is quite vague. I lived in Boston from 1975-1984, arriving just in time for the '75 World Series, and for this girl without a team it was so easy to fall in love with the Red Sox. Fenway Park. Carleton Fisk, Jim Ed Rice, Fred Lynn, George 'Boomer' Scott, Carl Yaztzremski, Dwight 'Dewey' Evans. I got to see the rookie Roger Clemons pitch a couple of times just before I moved to Minnesota. Other outdoor parks where I've attended games include Oakland Coliseum (yech), Candlestick Park ('interesting,' in that Minnesota meaning). and Coors Field (can't get a decent beer there, at least not for a Milwaukee native). But starting in 1985 I became a die-hard Twins fan. I was SO pleased when the team was freed from the Dome to play on God's green grass. :-) Yes, I've shivered my way through some games, gotten burnt to a crisp sitting in the upper deck on sunny afternoons, but I wouldn't trade it for indoor baseball for the world. Yes, I'm a grumpy Boomer. So it goes ...

From this gal, the rankings would be (1) Max (2) Eddie (3) Sergio (4) Nellie