ashbury

I should have waved to my computer screen.

Sano makes that unassisted DP, right?

I didn't see you. You should have waved.

BUXTON!!!!

It's the manager's job to pick a role each pitcher can succeed in. It's the pitching coach's job to help the pitcher succeed in the role he's been assigned. Even if the role isn't quite ideal, adjustments might be possible. It's the pitcher's job to succeed, obviously. I'm wondering if a different coach could have helped Tonkin adjust better, though. I'm willing to roll the dice with a different coach next season, as I've said probably too frequently by now.

He's not a number. He is a free man. "Who is number 1?"

Came here to do that, discovered it to be unnecessary.

How are the lines for the restroom?

"Hip" is just not in Hillary's wheelhouse. I went back and watched Obama's episode. "Seriously? What's it like, for this to be the last time you ever TALK to a President?" Now that's some gold. I have no doubt that both episodes were edited to their handlers' liking. And the situations were different, with Obama a bit more free. Hillary just didn't give the editors much to work with.

That is one heck of a tag by Iglesias.

We're currently sitting at 55 wins, not 70. I don't think it's smart business for a PBO/GM to flirt with consecutive 100 loss seasons, with a downside risk of 110. There seems to be an unstated assumption that once in the neighborhood of 100, it's all the same, or that it's impossible for a team ERA to get worse than the 5.11 we currently have; run enough Pat Deans out there for lack of anything better to try, and you can have ERA 6.00. Being the go-to laugh-getter for Jimmy Kimmel every night is not where you want to be. It takes a long time to re-fill the ballpark even after the team starts winning, once you let that happen. Houston, now an attractive team in a large enough market, still is drawing just above 2M attendance. It may already be too late for the Twins to avoid long term damage like that, but waving the white flag even before Opening Day would be a compounding mistake. I can envision offers where trading ESan makes sense, but it's far less likely we receive one than for Dozier because of the ready replacement at 2B.

Shhh! You'll wake the fan.

Yes, and more the point, we have someone to step in for Dozier if he is traded (Polanco, with Escobar returning to starter's duty at SS). Debatable dropoff, unless you believe Dozier is at a new permanent plateau in performance (in which case Polanco is the trade bait), in return for some appreciable help at a position of need. Who is the equivalent, ready to step in with minimal dropoff, if Santana is traded? That's the crux. A team would need to knock me over with an offer for Santana, and no GM is going to do that.

You can do that to fill four of the spots I named in my so-called plan. I applaud Ryan's ability to do that. It can't be plan A, for the three critical spots on the relief staff. And that's how it's worked out, too many years. We've had Perk, and then, uh, er, ummm... guys.

I opened this thread expecting a very lowest-common-denominator punch line from any of several likely culprits including myself (I sometimes sleepwalk).

With the added perspective that the Year 3000 brings, How-ward Co-sell seems to have gained the edge in Futurama. But Scully ain't chipped beef on toast. I have to admit to being slow to warm up to him - I found him stuffy and pretentious while others were extolling his virtues - but he's darn good.

An ideal pennant winning pitching staff these days needs three guys who can shut down the opposition in innings 7, 8, and 9. You then want a Loogy and a Roogy for tactical purposes - guys who might not be effective against all batters but have their uses, including mopup. And you need a couple of guys who can go for longer stints and hopefully keep it close - if your starter makes it through the fifth, you can use one in the sixth if need be. With 5 starters, that's a 12-man staff; sometimes teams dabble with 13 but I'm not going to plan on that. Based on that, I'd assign roles as follows Closer - (we don't have anybody) 8th - Chargois 7th - Duffey ROOGY - (I don't know) LOOGY - O'Rourke Long man 1 - Rogers (could be the LOOGY too, but he is a recent starter) Long man 2 - (I don't know) And that's it. The cupboard is pretty bare for the new PBO/GM, unless or until the new wave of prospects is ready. Notes: I have May in my starting rotation so that's why he's not here.I'm not counting one iota on Perk and Hughesie.Kintzler is just a guy - his ERA is good but his peripherals aren't, and for a righty he isn't that good against righties, so I have trouble saying what his role is on a good team.Pressly has the same issue against righties, and he's just basically so hittable, that at this point in his career he's becoming roster filler.Tonkin is a disappointment.I can't see a role for Milone either as a starter or a reliever.Boshers, Darnell, Dean, Albers, all are filler, or less.I'm assuming Light has minor league options, and I'd stash him at AAA. (Edit: ditto Wimmers, Melotakis - and Landa and Rosario somewhere below.) None of the guys currently not yet on the 40-man strike me as ready to kick the door in for entry, quite yet. Again, I'm talking about a staff for a good team. The 2017 Twins won't be good, so I don't basically care if any of these current pitchers I'm dismissing are retained for another year - and relievers are always capable of putting together a surprise season and looking good, so let them try, and we can reevaluate a year from now. I'm frustrated, borderline depressed on this topic, and like I said, the new PBO/GM really have their work cut out for them to make anything out of this shambles. Nobody but Chargois and maybe Duffey would be worth anything in trade, and for good reason, so it's not like a wheeler-dealer could make something happen from the existing pieces. Maaaaybe, a different pitching coach can make something out of a couple of the pieces I am dismissing, such as Pressly or Tonkin. If this is a classroom, I get an Incomplete. I realize this isn't a plan. It's a surrender.

I was undecided between that one and this: http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv6bvbfp6e1r1yutvo1_500.gif

My assumption when the trade was made was that we would benefit by non-tendering him in the off-season. Combine that money with other funds from other releases and non-signings. Now, I'm less sure. Where can the money be better deployed this off-season?

http://openwalls.com/image/7973/heavy_rain_1920x1200.jpg

Fellow users of the local roads must be worried about learning the answer to this obvious question: "how exactly would she KNOW?"

No more home runs for Dozier this season?

Cabrera's blast: "Gone, Without The Wind" http://365thingsaustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/GoneWiththeWind1.jpg

There's big money in your future writing headlines for RKO-Pathe newsreels.

Man. I like Tarantino's movies. It's just, I have a hard time watching them.