darwin22

Seth: Just finished watching your entire interview with Wind Surge announcer, Tim Grubbs. Wanted to express my appreciation to you as well as Tim for such an informative and insightful piece. A few days late in seeing this as I just returned to the Kansas City area from a 2-day roadtrip in Branson, Mo. For those who haven't taken the time to watch this, I'd highly recommend taking the time to watch the entire 50+ minute interview as the dialogue between Seth and Grubbs was excellent! I found it very interesting the hear the broadcasting background of Grubbs as he matriculated from covering a variety of sports through his tenure with Tulane University sports and then to working in the Marlins organization for many years. As interesting as the first part of the interview was, I found it especially intriguing to understand from Grubbs the trials and tribulations he faced after the 2019 season ended. Grubbs shares with Seth how he he handled the difficult transition caused by Covid---thinking he'd be continuing as a AAA announcer for the Marlins-----to having to learn everything from scratch working for the Twins in their movement to their AA franchise beginning in Wichita. The last part of the interview was also highly informative as Seth gains perspective from Grubbs about what we can expect to see from a large number of players that spent time with the Wind Surge last season. Having attended 2 games in Wichita in the middle of June last season, I would strongly encourage Twins fans to invest the time to schedule a road trip there in 2022. The ballpark is AMAZING!! Not only are the tickets very affordable ($15 box seats), but this is a state of the art stadium that provides a great game day experience. Seth--hopefully your work schedule allows you to get to down to Wichita this season. You'll be quite pleased with the result. I'm planning on attending the Surge mid May homestand against Springfield so my wife can see her future Cardinals. Would be great to see you or other Twins fans there! Should anyone--who's debating making this trip next season--let me know if you have any questions.

From the reports I got------JB somehow had a relative living in the Twin Cities and ended up, I guess contacting them--from wherever he was "MIA" that night and took a bus back to our hometown of Spencer, IA the following day. Still no idea where he ended up after the game. U'd think he would've "camped out" in a visible area around the Dome as we circled around for at least 1 hour looking for him.

Have to add another Metrodome story. 100% true story, although those that I've told it to believe its embellished. I swear to you, its absolutely true. Setting summer 1994 when the Twins had another lackluster season going. Out of high school and made a summer road trip with my new spouse to see the Twins at the Dome for a weekend series against the White Sox. Attended Friday night with one of my high school buddies that was working in some capacity (I forget) for the Guthrie Theater. Twins won the game, but nothing eventful happened that night. Saturday was the "experience" I'll never forget. With it being a night game, my spouse, myself and my high school buddy(BW) had tickets for Game 2. Spent the afternoon at my friends house in south Minneapolis taking it easy. Well, at least my wife and I did. Can't say the same for BW and his theater buddy, Chip. They started imbibing on a local St. Paul beer, which I remember as "Pigs Eye." I drank one or two, but didn't like the taste. However, BW and Chip drank at least a case and a half of this beverage over the course of the afternoon. Needless to say, by the time we settled into our field level seats down the 1B line, both BW and Chip were feeling quite good. Being a Saturday night against the rival Sox, there was a good crowd---I'm guessing around 25K at the Dome. In our seating area it was quite crowded as the game began. That didn't last long. No later than the bottom of the 1st I noticed (as did my wife) the most awful smell eminating from BW and Chip. Yes, the dreaded Pigs Eye began to make its presence known---if you get my drift. This was not just a foul smell. It was the most disgusting odor you can ever imagine. My wife was beyond embarrassed. She moved to an open area as she couldn't stand the odors any longer. She was not the only person who "noticed" this. By the 4th inning-----a 30 foot circumference of seats near BW and Chip had been cleared out. Those sitting in the vicinity of "the Pigs Eye bombers" began to complain to the ushers in the area. That didn't stop the problem. Around the 5th inning------I noticed a Metrodome usher, who couldn't have been more than 20--a kid---ask BW and Chip to come with him-------as surrounding fans started cheering for the usher to remove my "friends". Seeing this, I followed in pursuit to try to keep BW from getting kicked out of the dome. As we reached the concourse area, I heard the usher politely attempt to explain that their behavior would not continue to be tolerated as their incessant passage of wind was making it impossible for fans to breathe. My HS buddy, BW, of course, in his inebriated condition, had little use for the ushers plea. Instead, he launched into a verbal disertation that "his rights" were being violated and that he had "the constitutional right( I don't remember that from the Bill of Rights) to pass gas." Yes, he actually used those words! Anyway, I got both back to their seats after promising the usher I would look after them and get them relocated if problems persisted. As you might imagine there were A LOT of displeased fans when I returned with BW and Chip. We left around the 8th inning---much to the delight of fans in the area. Of course, by the following morning-----neither of these guys had ANY recollection of their antics. True story.

As an "older" fan who grew up (mid to late 1970s)making road trips with my dad and brothers from northeast Iowa to Metropolitan Stadium, I welcomed the opening of the Dome in 1982, which was my senior year in high school. My favorite memories of the Dome were making road trips with a group of high school buddies from the Lakes area in northwest Iowa. The trip that sticks out---I can't remember who the Twins were playing, was one in the mid 80s when our group of 15 got separated after the game after imbibing a plethora of Schmidt "cold frosties" throughout the game. Anyway, I found my way back to our van after navigating the backroads/parking lots from the gates that entered that led to the seats in lower leftfield. The problem was, I was the first and only one that made it back to the van. After 20+ minutes the rest of our group minus 1 (JB) made it back. Being the "nice clean-cut" college boys we were, we weren't going to abandon our "buddy" and waited for him to arrive. We waited and then waited some more---all the time soaking up some more adult beverages from the keg we had stowed away. After an hour of waiting---we saddled up on a "rescue mission" to find JB. We thought it would be easy. Not true. The more we drove circling around the Dome----the more frequent the cat calls from the back of the van to "leave that idiot" so we could find a hotel to stay in. More to the story, but I'd have to venture into territory that would lead to a "R/N-17 rating" so I will end it here. I can state we never located JB. He ended up paying for a bus ticket to take him back to our hometown. We got up the following morning, navigating southward and enjoyed a great breakfast at the Happy Chef in Mankato. Sometime that morning as the fog of our memories started to clear-----we did wonder what happened to JB. Oh the fun of being a college kid in the 80s.

Uh.....great question! Especially after just seeing Rosario destroy an inside breaking pitch from Buehler with 2 strikes. OMG....do the almighty Dodgers ever read scouting reports??

Kepler's contemplative look suggests to me he's wondering if ANY of the "pile of logs" he's sitting on could be sprinkled with magic dust so he could find a way to rediscover how to be a productive hitter. Hitting .216 over the last 2 years (597 ABs) with a putrid OBP (sub .315) and even worse SLG % (low .400s) can no longer be considered a slump-------even by the biggest Kepler apologist.

Absolute "NO" on Velasquez and Wacha. Both might throw hard, but are brutal. Maybe on Gray if on a short term deal loaded with incentives as his injury history isn't good. Possible on Hudson. A lot of mileage on that arm. Mild "yes" on Knebel---could be decent at the right price.

Nice to see Alcala finish on a positive note without any "drama" in the 9th. We all know Colome would've given up at least 2 or runs if he had pitched. Time to cut bait.

uh....no

Seth: Thanks for this end of season write up/review of our minor league affiliates. You and your staff at TD did an outstanding job all season giving all fans daily reports! As a "new" fan to TD, your coverage gave me a very welcome respite from the train wreck of a season with the Twins. Being recently retired as an educator in the Kansas City area, I had the time and proximity to attend several games this summer. An early season (May) road trip to Springfield to see the Wind Surge was followed by a 2-game trip to Wichita in mid June. Followed that up to see the Kernels in Cedar Rapids in July. Planning to make several trips next summer and possibly a trip to see the Saints in Saint Paul. Looking forward to your offseason reports as the progression/advancement of Miranda, Martin, Winder, Balazovic and Winder (and others) will keep my interest.

Great to see Nick Gordon's continued strong bat. He's making a strong case to be a big piece of this team next year. Not going to complain about a Twins win, but saying that it wouldn't break my heart to see Jays rebound to win at least 2 in this series while the Red Sox beat the feathers out of the Yankees. In this train wreck of a season, I would take a lot of personal satisfaction see the Yanks sitting at home when the playoffs start.

Thanks for your spot on comments about Colome. He needs to be GONE soon into the offseason. Not withstanding the financial cost of bringing him back-----his performance in high leverage situations---has been nothing short of Ron Davis material. Cut bait and move on.

Agree with your comments 100%. Harrelson was and imo remains the MOST BLATANT HOMER of any announcer I've ever heard. His incessant cheerleading was almost as annoying as his daily bashing of any umpires call that he perceived as hurting the Sox chance of winning. Not a big Bremer fan as he always ignores poor play/execution by the hometown team.

Keep your complaints coming on Cave! He needs to be GONE. Way too many apologists for Cave, who seem to forget that his putrid performance with his bat the last 2 seasons do actually count. What he did in 2019 has proven to be a complete aberration.

Concur 100% with your assessment on Colome. He needs to be gone. Beyond the financial commitment ($5.5m), his "stuff" isnt there. Say what you want about his better 2nd half numbers, but there are better and younger RPs within the organization or that could be acquired in a trade. I think Larnach will be a vital cog in our lineup next season. His numbers may speak otherwise, but I believe this young man has the talent and grit to be an excellent player as our long term RFer.

Excellent post Doc! In this colossal failure of a season, its absolutely the correct decision for management to reward such a driven professional. Maggi, despite what others may say EARNED this promotion with the solid season he's put together at Saint Paul. I've been calling for his promotion for the last 2 months. Seth--thanks for the excellent article. Knowing the work ethic that Maggi has put into his craft for over 11 seasons and 4000 minor league ABs------he will not take any minute he puts on a MLB uniform for granted. Wish I could say that about every player that has had the PRIVILEGE of donning a Twins uniform.

Say what you want about Refsnyder, but Cave is completely horrible---which he's proved over the last 2 seasons. No way he should be on this team in any capacity next year.

I may be in the minority, but strongly believe Larnach will get things figured out and be not only our opening day LFer (or RFer if mgmt can find a trade partner for Kepler) but a mainstay in our lineup for many years to come. I'm high on Martin, but until his "position" is figured out...SS/CF or other.......he's too valuable to be a 4th OFer Rooker: Hate to say it, but unless Sano totally craters next season as everyday DH (which is possible), I dont see a future for Rooker. AAAA player. Garlick--Age/ injury and inability to play CF in a backup role means he'll "at best" end up in SP or more likely with another organization next year.

Ok.......here you go: #6 Trey Cabbage- Age 24 .257/.340/.869 this season between High A CR and AA Wichita Has shown excellent pop with bat with 26 HRs and 79 RBI. Probably needs more seasoning at AAA before a promotion to MLB roster #5 Aaron Whitefield- Age 25 .252/.321/.670 at AA Wichita this season Not the pop with his bat as others( 6 HRs with 54 RBI), but would add a HUGE element missing from this team--SPEED-------has 30 SBs this season. Also, had a brief callup, I think last season #4 Jimmy Kerrigan- Age 27 .251/.328/.810 this year at AAA- St. Paul Solid numbers with Saints this year with 19 HRs and 53 RBI #3 Mark Contreras- Age 26 Like Kerrigan has been at SP all season. Has produced a line of .262/.345/.843 Solid production numbers with 17 HRs, 67 RBI and 15 SBs #2 Gilberto Celestino- Age 22 After proving he wasn't ready to hit MLB pitching when pressed into service with injuries to Buxton & Cave (8-59/ .136 avg), Celestino has produced a .288/.379/.836 line at Saint Paul since demotion. Power numbers aren't as strong as others, but has hit 7 HRs with 31 RBI #1 Rob Refsnyder- Age 30 I know his production has slipped over the last 2 months, but I attribute that to recovery from injury. His position versatility------playing CF and either corner OF slots, imo, is his top asset heading into 2022. He is a veteran who can handle getting sporadic ABs. He also adds a RH bat to a team that has multiple LH hitters--Kepler, Larnach, Arraez--that struggle against southpaws. Don't see Refsnyder as a long term 4th OFer solution as I see others previously listed being more suited to that role.

Didn't see any of the game as I was on the golf course, but, as others have noted this franchise regardless of the score---5-0, 8-0, 12-0 against the Yankees WILL find a way to poop their pants. Saying that-------can we FINALLY put to rest the talk of bringing Colome back next year AND paying him $5.5 million?

Whoever in management that believes that-----should be fired. Time to cut bait. Many other worthwhile options for 4th OFer next season.

Lucas: Excellent report on our affiliates in action. 1. Outstanding to see the Saints bats demolish Omaha tonight. As likely the only Twins fans living in the KC area---its always a good day to put a beat down on the Royals. 2. Disappointing to see the Wind Surge playing so poorly lately....losing 7 of their last 10, which has shrunk their 6-game division lead to only 2 games over Arkansas. Appreciate the help the SF Cardinals gave Wichita tonight beating the Travelers 14-7. Vallimont had a horrible outing and our bats have seemed to disappear the last two weeks. Need Cole Sands to come up big in his start tomorrow! Need a win to maintain at least a 2-game lead going into our final home stand next week vs. the Travelers. Hopefully the bats of DJ Burt, Steer, Cabbage, Whitefield, Bechtold and others will produce to lead the Surge to winning the North division title. 3. Good win for the Kernels and nice to see Rozek have a strong game. His age (26) makes it doubtful he'll ever make to 'the Show' but his 70 K's against only 6 walks is as impressive a pitching line as I've seen in a long time at any level. Also nice to see another good game offensively from Edouard Julien. Not sure what he's done recently, but his strong OBP all season could be a predictor of him advancing up to Wichita next year. and finally Tempered.....very tempered enthusiasm with report on Chase Petty's professional debut. Stay humble young man and keep grinding.

Excellent analysis that I totally agree with! I know the game has changed immensely, but I seem to remember a certain young SP that got lit up for a couple of seasons then became the WS MVP in 87.

Agreed.......doubt he'd accept that deal without a series of escalators/incentives-------Games Started/IP---that would increase a 1 year deal between $5-$7m. Others thoughts?

Forgot about him, but considering his .229/.266..354 line over 2 years (2006-07) he's certainly qualifies.