ashbury

ModCon 2014: Dumb and Dumber And Dumberer (Not pictured: Dumbererest) PS. I thought the video had a familiar ring to it: http://twinsdaily.com/topic/15520-some-pretty-amazing-found-footage-of-the-1924-world-series/?hl=1924 (Complete with Chief Is Old jokes.)

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Ricky Nolasco's no-trade list was updated for the coming off-season. According to the source, he can pick 3 and they are all AL "large market" teams; NY and Boston were named. Anyone have insight into the third team? Angels would fit my idea of large market, but Ricky was born in Corona so would he be averse to playing there? According to Forbe's Magazine's often-cited article, Texas would rank as the third highest AL franchise value, while Detroit would be third in the AL in revenue. I can't decide on an obvious third team. Is there any clear information out there? Or lacking that, what's your speculation?

I figured he was referring to some subset he wants the team to go after, yes.

Take a look at Sickels's top-20 Twins prospects and see if you still think they ignore the international markets. The vaunted farm system would be a lot weaker without those signings. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/10/15/4838866/minnesota-twins-top-20-prospects-for-2014

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/11/13/twinsights-aaron-hicks-released-venezuelan-winter-team/ Berardino concurs.

I'm delighted for Glynn, who has paid his dues, and I believe he'll be an asset to the coaching staff.

Your five-and-dime cheated you, son. Should be a nickel.

"As he told me before I left the clubhouse just now, 'I am a catcher, no matter what you say,'" Gardenhire said in his Saturday morning news conference. Wait, what? Gardy always liked to slip the needle now and then.

I find it completely believable. ... that a columnist said such a thing.

The story on Radke, maybe embellished at the time, was that he had decided to retire after that season anyway, and in consultation with doctors decided to just go ahead and pitch through it toward the playoffs.

It's Sharon's thread.

For whatever little it's worth, I notice that in the video of Gordon, one of his feet inadvertently collides with the defender's planted foot, looking like a risk of a sprain. While the wrist is exposed and vulnerable in the headfirst slide, it's under a little more control. Beautiful choices of video.

Yes, to me it's about the balance in the game. I wouldn't want extreme measures taken so that it's like a pitch-and-catch game between the, well, pitcher and catcher. And I have little sympathy for people who don't have the patience to watch a 3-1 count develop without the bat being taken off the shoulder. But for me, the unzip-and-zip of the velcro on the batting glove after each pitch could be done without; if it's a mechanism to remind the batter to focus on each pitch, find a different mechanism please.

According to my Dad's side of the family, that's exactly how the word frugal is spelled.

A choice (if that's how it plays out) to not do things as you say is not by definition a "failure", and what it would affirm will be considerably more nuanced than this. My guess is that two or three new faces, perhaps more, will be in the coaching staff. Rick Anderson by all accounts will not be back, and he's the only one whose return I would look askance at.

I had missed this. I see it on his Wikipedia page referring to a year ago; he's going again, and it's become news?

Interesting and intriguing comp. At age 19, Buxton was arguably ahead of the pace Davis was on; the lost season at 20 makes it an incomplete comparison. One thing that jumps out for me is that Davis is listed at 6'2" and 165 lbs. Even assuming this to be an age-18 thing, not updated when he filled out, he is 25 lbs lower than Buxton. You could imagine the beanpole frame being more susceptible to injury when going all-out.

Approves: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/coot_veal_autograph.jpg

Gagne was a very underrated part of those championship teams, so it's flattering to most players to even be mentioned in the same breath, and it appeals to me, no doubt. A point in favor of Escobar, one that I don't think I ever heard with regard to the Flori-monster. (A nickname that was applied hopefully at one point, but now is just emblematic of a sad era.) I think Esco's 102 was built on an abnormally high BABIP, and he also hasn't yet been thrown into the fire as an everyday player, where I worry that he will both wear down and no longer benefit from any possible cherry-picking of opportunity by his manager.1 As for his defense, I'll admit to a certain bit of sample bias, because in one of the few games I've ever watched him in person, he had a terrible night and messed up I think it was 4 plays (not all charged as errors, obviously) where an out wasn't registered that should have. I'm not on-board with him being a Steady Eddie type, quite yet. If he gets the chance to be a regular, and reaches a truly Gagne-esque level of production, it would be a great thing. It's possible he has that ceiling, though I still doubt it. And he might not get that chance, if TPTB decide he doesn't have the capability to do it, which will have some circularity and be unfair to the young man - but that's baseball. 1 Maybe there's none of that picking-of-his-spots happening. I'd have to go back and see whether in his part-time play he was the guy held out against the tough pitchers or if he was the guy thrown to the wolves, or just luck of the draw. That's one problem with assessing part-timers, it's just not quite the same as going out there every day, and of course you don't know until you try it with him.

We're pretty close. I like him. I was on the bandwagon to give him PA over Florimon a year ago. I just see him a half-grade lower. (C instead of C+, or whatever.)

The Wrath Of Binks

Buy him a dinner now just to be safe. If you're still alive in 20 years, he can pay you back.

More like this: Maddon: "Hey Terry. You hired anyone yet for me to replace? No? Well, get back to me after you do."

Here's a reason to believe it. "So once we got Paul in the manager's chair there, we sat down and started discussing staff and we both agreed that we'd like to have Tom back." Unless Cuellar or Steinbach gets their invitation soon, it'll be a left-handed compliment to eventually get one. Steiny in particular should have options elsewhere if he chooses, and IMO he may soon take one.

I always chewed the duplicate cards and collected the gum. Who knew?