SkyBlueWaters

Amen. You can never have too much quality pitching.

If you could transfer Maeda's performance to that of an everyday player, maybe. But pitching excellence is notoriously prone to problems even with small injuries. Love Maeda, he was the highlight in a bleak season and arguably even bleaker year. Hope he hits all the performance bonuses through 2023! But I wouldn't talk re-signing him this off-season. Especially with all the present uncertainty.

LOL about Connie Mack! I've read that Mack figured out he didn't have to field a competitive team to make money, which explains how bad the A's were by the end of his tenure. Most interesting baseball story in bleak pandemic times for me is the hiring of LaRussa. I'll be rooting for the Twins to leave them in the dust, but with what LaRussa has said about it being easier to win now than it was in the past (presumably he meant the years he managed), seeing how this turns is much more intriguing than a lot of what has happened in baseball lately. I just hope he lasts through spring. Wouldn't mind seeing him bounced next summer. But baseball will be more interesting with LaRussa involved through the spring.

Oh, did a little more digging on the inter-web. His wikipedia page says he's pals with Bruce Hornsby and Bruce Springsteen, among others. And I did read that Glenn Beck charmed a bunch of Cardinals. From the StL Post-Dispatch in 2010: "Along with a number of staff members, coaches and players, La Russa met two months ago in the Cardinals clubhouse with Beck and fellow Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly. Pujols autographed a bat for Beck and the two struck a relationship that facilitated Saturday's appearance." LaRussa went to the "Restoring Honor" rally after Beck told him it wouldn't be political in nature. Maybe he's naïve for believing that?

I looked it up: Arizona has an extreme DUI law for 0.15+, and a super extreme for 0.20+. LaRussa this most recent time was .09, right? Not excusing drunk driving--far from it. But Arizona is rightfully pretty hard-core: "Arizona is a no-tolerance state for driving under the influence, or DUI, meaning you can be arrested with a blood-alcohol content of less than the legal limit of 0.08 percent." Just curious: What evidence do you have of his "long history of advocating" for far right causes? Outside of baseball activity, I've only heard of stuff like his being vegetarian and founding the animal rescue organization: https://www.arflife.org/ Other than that, he set up the A's players dancing the Nutcracker with the Oakland ballet for charity. This from the SF Chronicle: "Tony La Russa was just getting started as the A’s manager when he persuaded some of his players to dance in the Oakland Ballet’s “Nutcracker” holiday performance in 1986 to benefit the arts organization, and photos recently found in The Chronicle’s archive show ace Dave Stewart, slugger Mark McGwire and others getting into the Christmas spirit." https://www.sfchronicle.com/thetake/article/When-the-Oakland-A-s-of-the-Bash-Brothers-era-12431192.php I'm not saying he isn't a boogaloo bois or some such, I'd just never heard anything like it. I knew he was old school in his approach to baseball, and his pathetic comments on Kapernick (which he has backed off on). BTW, I never rooted for him. Quite the contrary, always rooted against his teams. But as baseball seems less colorful in recent years, I'd thought he'd add some spice now to the Twins/Chisox rivalry. But what do I know ...

Bringing fans back in attendance is a fascinating question. Ran a quick search, and found this: https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/sports-canceled-covid-nba-nhl-nfl-ncaa-nascar-soccer-league-season-tournament/ Decisions were made this spring and summer while leaders were still figuring out the virus. We all saw the (understandable) waffling and 2nd guessing. By spring training we'll have 12 months of information, not weeks (think back to March 2020, the uncertainty at the abrupt end of spring training). We'll have more info on outdoor attendance, and expert opinion on the virus, too. Still, it's like leaders trying to get kids back in schools. You can't blame parents who put safety first. Don't know what the answers are. Maybe prorated contracts, based on whatever the new normalcy becomes, will be the compromise.

Anyone who has been paying attention to what Tony LaRussa has been saying after he signed on with the Chisox has heard a version of this. A bit surprising to hear a manager say, “It’s actually easier to win now than ever if you’re allowed to use your powers of observation and experience. It really is.” He claims this because of the recent changes in the game that started with what was once called SABRmetrics. (I know, outmoded.) LaRussa says he is not against analytics, he is all for getting as much pertinent information as he can. But after that he makes the point that if your opponent is giving you so much open field, use it. He is all for advancing runners rather than relying on the long ball, when the situation dictates. I've never rooted for any of his teams (to the contrary), but 2021 could be a very interesting season, particularly in the ALC. How many days to spring training? Wait, what? It's only November ... which?

I can't recall ever seeing a worse kicking game by a pro or college football team. I get that it was covid-caused, but still. I suppose I should be grateful they made the extra points and a 29 yard field goal. They had kickoffs and punts that didn't go that far. Michigan played a good game. we'll see if they don't rise in the rankings over the course of the season--at least until they get to Ohio State. If we get our players back, the Gophs may do better in their next couple of games, and maybe they'll be ready for Iowa.

OMG. I can't get the image of Buxton swinging at those Astros curveballs in the dirt out my mind's eye. Did it just get colder all of a sudden?

Good question. I was stunned recently to read of the number of people, since 2008, who have moved from California to Texas. I'd have thought 100K to 200K a lot but believable. The article stated that it's 700,000! I won't stray off topic too far except to include its speculation that Texas might be shading from red to purple. Back to the point, that's a lot of people in Texas who might still follow the Dodgers. Further, my understanding is that part of the success of the BigTen channel was the number of alums who enjoy watching their alma mater now living far away, in other cities or states. A lot of Americans now have connections to more than one place. MLB probably realizes a pretty penny on those tickets, during this weird * of a year.

every time I hear the fans in Texas doing their tomahawk chop chant for the Braves, or the LA fans cheering let’s go Dodgers, I recall this string. Given how the pandemic has played out, it wasn’t that far fetched to see MLB letting fans back in the stands.

Last year was the most fun I've had as a Gophers football fan in ... years. Right now, I'm hoping the Gophs can wash the bad taste of the baseball playoffs out of my mouth. Be sweet to start off the weird season by bringing the Little Brown Jug home. Did anyone notice how the national telecasters last year kept referring to the 2019 Gophers as the winningest Minnesota team since 1904? Mildly annoying. How about the Gophers' teams that won three national championships in the mid 1930s, and from 1933 through the first four games of 1936 they went 24-0-4? That's right, 28 games without a defeat. How does that stretch stack up against the 1904 squad, which played high school teams in compiling those 13 wins? I get that they were going for the prior team with the most wins in a single season. But as often as the national sportscasters spoke of 1904, you'd think one of them might have done the research and noticed the last team to win three consecutive national titles.

Agreed. Odorizzi is a savvy vet. And with our depth in the rotation, if a starter gets in trouble in the middle innings, I could see Jake coming in to settle things down for a few. Dobnak's pitching to contact, against a top-tier offense, in a playoff game, scares me.

Not weird at all. Baseball has a number of analysts now who can articulate complex thoughts. John Smoltz is great. I hear Mike Krukow frequently, and enjoy the way he breaks down the game, even to the point of analyzing different umpires' strike zones. Harrelson, conversely, repeated the same stupid phrases throughout games over and over. After a strikeout, "he gone." For any pop-up to the OF, "can of corn." Middle school children are capable of more thoughtful analysis. Armed with crayons, providing more color, too.

From https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/09/mlb-postseason-bubble-playoffs.html " ... It also appears that there’s been some discussion of allowing fans in a limited capacity, as commissioner Rob Manfred suggested last night in an online event with Hofstra University’s business school (link via Evan Drellich of The Athletic). Whether that possibility is woven into the agreement is not yet clear." That some people would pay good money to fly to Texas or California to see their team in the playoffs in such a peculiar time, and be part of a select few allowed in, socially distanced, wouldn't surprise me. I mean, I have little interest in a motorcycle rally in Sturgis SD. But to see the Twins in the ALCS or World Series?

One additional possibility: I'm not sure MLB has yet given up on the possibility of some fans in attendance. Local laws apply. Texas, I've heard, is so far a bit more lax in terms of permitting attendance. Not saying it's a good reason, just saying it's a possibility. About the elimination of off days during the ALDS and ALCS, teams deep in starters should also benefit from this. If a rotation is top heavy with two or three dominant pitchers (as Washington was last year), they can use those off days to rest their horses. I'd like to say Berrios or Maeda have dominant track records, but if you look at their whole careers, they haven't put up the numbers of a Verlander or a Cole (Houston, '17). But with no off days, our collection of very, very good no. 2 - 3 starters gives us depth. I'd still like to see someone like MadBum in his prime pitching for us, but this has a chance to help us, should we get past the first round.

So much is still up in the air, with regard to the seeding. I completely agree that NYY with Judge and Stanton back would be formidable, and with Cole guaranteed to pitch in a 2 or 3 game first round showdown, I'd rather not face them. But with a little over two weeks remaining, a lot still has to settle out before we can guess much about the seeding. For instance, check out the Blue Jays' schedule after finishing with the Mets today. They get 7 with NYY, and 4 with the Phillies, before finishing with the Orioles. If the Yankees rebound against the Jays, a lot could change fast. I had hoped Detroit (& Gardy) might sneak into the hunt--they have 6 games left with KC. But I think they are fading fast--couldn't get past the Chisox. Although the Astros are fading, they'd have to fall behind Seattle to drop out of the playoffs. As they are in (distant) 2nd place in the AL West, they still qualify as the 2nd place team, even if some 3rd place East or Central team finishes with a better record. Whatever else, it's a fun playoff race--do people still call it a pennant chase when referring to the regular season? Seems old-fashioned.

I agreed with most of what you said, particularly being nervous about Dobnak. When good hitters figure out his sinker, they can hit it hard. You mention not worrying about Yankee Stadium, but you don't take the Yankees themselves lightly, do you? Our playoff record against them this century is abysmal. Sure, I want the Twins to go all the way, but if they could just beat NYY in a playoff series it would make winter a lot easier, for me at least.

"Seven of the eight teams in the AL playoff spots are basically guaranteed to make it. Keep an eye of the Yankees/Orioles series to determine who will have a shot to make it." Probably true, but note that Toronto has 7 games with the Yankees, 3 with the Mets and 4 with the Phillies, before finishing with the surprising Orioles. Unlikely for the Orioles or Tigers to get hot and take that 8th spot--but this year has been nothing but strange. (I am kind of pulling for Gardy in Detroit.)

Baseball has been so incredibly welcome. Something sane in the world. Liking the runner on 2nd more than expected. Good tension, which is what extra innings should have. Agreed about the umps' bad calls, would like to have seen MLB try robo-umps. The expanded playoffs is awful; really prefer a regular season with tense races, but so little has been regular in baseball or life this season. Still worry about a bad C-19 outbreak. Want to see these guys make it to the playoff bubbles. Mostly: I am so glad to have baseball.

As 9of12 astutely points out, with those records, both teams would go. (I fumbled with the multi-quote thing, but couldn't get it to work? I clearly need a FAQ page for this platform.) So let's re-cast the question, as the Cardinals are in the NL and as of today only six NL teams have winning records. StL is 5-5, Milw is 10-10, and SDP is 12-12. For the sake of argument, pretend the Phillies get hot and blow on by these three, so that seven teams have better records. What if, vying for the 8th spot, St. Louis ends at 26-27, Milwaukee at 28-29, and San Diego at 29-30? The Padres would have the best winning percentage, by a minuscule margin. Switching back to the pragmatic, my guess is that MLB would bust a gut trying to get everyone to 60 games--or maybe just the same number, if under 60. But let's pretend 2020's penchant for the catastrophic has continued--we needn't speculate on derechos, firenados, or New Madrid fault earthquakes and Lake Michigan tsunamais. Yes, yes, I know. That would be messy. But let's pretend the current administration is cleaning it up just fine. The important question is this: Does anyone know how MLB would handle teams that close at the end of the season? * * * Sorry, twinbythebay, I just now noticed that you saw something about winning percentage being the determining factor for playoff qualification. Where did you find that? The closest I could find was this quote from ESPN in July: "Tiebreaker games will be eliminated, with ties broken by head-to-head record, followed by better record within a team's division and record in the last 20 games within the division. If there is still a tie, the standard would be last 21 games within a division, then 22, etc. "Teams could finish the regular season with differing numbers of games played; regular-season postponements will be made up at Manfred's discretion." The tiebreaker stuff only seemed to address ties between two teams in a division. Otherwise, the note on "differing numbers of games" would lead you to believe they'd use winning %.

I agree with many of the comments above, especially re the peculiarities of this season and wanting more of a sustained track record of excellence before we deal away emerging talent--at a time when MLB places a premium on prospects. That said, I don't think many of us are content with the Twins simply making the playoffs. From 1968 to 1980 the Vikings won 11 division titles yet lost their final game each season. Everyone who is happy with that record raise their hands. Me neither. Further, as much fun as the Twins have been in '19 and so far '20, I have one key metric in mind: Yankee Stadium in October. We don't have to win the pennant there, but if we lose it there ... our record this century with NYY begins to feel like the Bud Grant Vikings. Some HOF players to celebrate, but that last game ... I believe in Berrios (we have to), he's better than his start. Odorizzi, past his back issues, could be part of a trio of aces. I like Maeda. Maybe not the top playoffs gun, but quality rotation depth. Dobnak's reliance on the sinker concerns me in the playoffs, against MLB's best lineups. Trying to be upbeat, maybe he's a quality 4th starter or invaluable relief strength. Maybe Hill, Pineda, or Bailey will emerge as consistent quality. But it's four series, possibly as many as 22 games to go the distance, and only one team is going to win 13 playoff games and get to go snorkeling in champagne at the end. If the Twins could add a real horse, hopefully under team control for a few years as we look to contending now, someone who slots in at the top of the rotation, ready to go deep into games against baseball's best, I could see making a deal. Classic recent example: Houston adding Verlander. We have pitching depth, to deal away a back of the rotation starter to fill in for some innings the trade partner loses. We have prospects. As it might take more than one, we have once high prospects who've had issues (maybe Gordon?) who might sweeten a deal. I get that teams might be reluctant to deal this year. So maybe no dice. But I've also been to Yankee stadium. An unpleasant place, with spoiled fans bragging about buying away other teams' talent. I don't like watching their players snorkeling in champagne at the end of a season, either.

Rosario was signed as an outfielder in 2010. When the Twins asked him to switch to 2B in 2012 he tried it, and played 2B in A and AA ball, up through New Britain in 2014. I've always given him a little extra credit for taking on the switch from outfield to second base. I think a lot of guys would want to stay in their comfort zone, because hitting is hard enough. I really like Rosario in a Twins uniform. We don't know what the future has in store for him, but for me he is always going to be one of those guys I root for, wherever he ends up. Like rooting for Carew, after he left, or Eisenreich (even though he killed us sometimes, as a Royal).

The Cardinals are trying to play 21 games in the last 17 days of the month, 55 games by the end of September. This is unprecedented in our lifetimes, and I find it fascinating. Anyone who likes Ernie "let's play two" Banks should be all over this. So much divisiveness and bad news in the world; thank god for baseball. I'm loving the experimentation going on! Hate to see what has brought baseball to this point, but glad to see the resiliency.

I read yesterday that MLB is considering going the "bubble" route for the playoffs. IF they make it to the playoffs. They should have done it from the start. St. Louis has played 5 games. They are about two weeks behind. That's a lotta doubleheaders. The Cards will need the spirit of an old Cubbie, Ernie "Let's play two!" Banks, to get close to 60 games. What happens if, come the end of the season, they are closer to 50? MLB just uses winning percentage? What a mess.