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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    I, too, think most are in the middle. However, the parties have moved towards the extremes, with certainly the Republicans moving in that direction faster. The internet and multiple media outlets feed the extremes. We don't have to watch Walter Cronkite or check out a balanced piece by NPR. There is plenty of content from the far left and far right to pull people away from the middle. Further, there is gerrymandering. The two most liberal members of the Minnesota Congressional complement are in totally safe Democratic districts, while the most conservative is in the only safe Republican district. Gerrymandering creates safe districts, especially for the party that is gerrymandered against and we have people from the extremes of both parties as majorities of their Congressional contingent. Trump has committed "crimes and misdemeanors" which would get him impeached, but his party won't even try to investigate and since they are in the majority, there will be no action on the multiple scandals.
  2. stringer bell
    I find yesterday's news that the Republicans are shutting down their Russian inquiry as really disappointing. This indicates that the House Republicans have totally sold out to President Trump. It is not like the old days IMHO. Now, Republicans will quote right-wing sources to cover their actions. There is an alternate reality out there and nearly half of one party is buying it. I suppose if the Democrats take over the House next year they can reopen the investigation, or that the Senate or Mueller can ferret out the facts.
  3. stringer bell
    I dispute that managers are platooning now more than ever. It just isn’t feasible with 3 and 4-man benches. I remember Gene Mauch strictly platooning three or four positions. How many do the current Twins platoon now? Answer—whole number less than one. Ideally, teams want to have a bench with players both flexible enough to cover more than one position and who hit from the opposite side of the regular player. For the Twins that would be a righty hitter to back up Kepler/Rosario and another RH hitter behind Mauer and Morrison.
  4. stringer bell
    MPR is a great source. I don’t know if there’s much Trump has done that I could support, but it is better to hear both sides of an issue than reflexively blast Trump.
  5. stringer bell
    The most vulnerable team to LH pitching in the AL? That would be the biggest OPS disparity between OPS facing right handed pitching and left handed pitching. I’m guessing it will be the Twins in 2018.
  6. stringer bell
    Too many LH hitters. Probably keeps Grossman safe, since he seems a bit more proficient as a RH hitter.
  7. stringer bell
    Spring Training stats don't matter. The Twins have seen Grossman for most of two years and know what he bring to the table. Unless there's an injury or suspension the bench is Grossman, Arianza, Escobar and Garver.
  8. stringer bell
    Billy Graham, who prayed with several presidents, dead at 99.
  9. stringer bell
    Trump has neither been exonerated or indicted. His claims that Russian meddling didn’t affect the election are empty and unproven. Now he’s blaming Democrats for failing to pass laws for DACA and gun control and blaming Obama for his muted response to Russian meddling. I can’t believe this man and the people who echo his comments.
  10. stringer bell
    Mejia needs to be able to throw more innings. Part of that is trust from the manager and coaching staff and part of that is pitch count. I like having a lefty with above-average stuff and velocity. He can fool guys with his slider, but he needs to get ahead on counts.
  11. stringer bell
    Whether the Democrats win the House back or not, I think Pelosi needs to retire before 2020. She's been an easy target for Republicans. I don't like Hoyer much either. A new face who has some blue collar cred would be helpful.
  12. stringer bell
    The president and his party usually get a bump from SOTU. Trump is toxic and Congress remains very unpopular. I don’t think this is a permanent increase in popularity for the “in” party, but Democrats need to have a message of more than “we don’t like Trump”.
  13. stringer bell
    Vargas was downright bad vs. LH pitching last year. Can he be counted on to be acceptable against lefties, I don't think so.
  14. stringer bell
    There was plenty of Trump love at my workplace this morning. Four of the six people present thought he gave a great speech. Much criticism for the Democrats for their "lack of respect", not applauding etc. One comment was that when Trump boasted about accomplishments, he used the word "we", while Obama would always talk about "I". I'm probably not a fair barometer since I just can't stand the man. I will say I wasn't impressed, but I have already seen enough to believe he is a bully, a narcissist, and easily influenced by right wing talking points.
  15. stringer bell
    I absolutely think the House is in play and that Senate control is possible, if not likely. If the sheen comes off the economy, it could be very bad for Republicans, like 50 seats in the House and Senate control. If the economy continues to go well, it'll be touch and go for House control and the Republicans will probably gain a seat or two in the Senate.
  16. stringer bell
    I would say that finding a lefty killer who could play first base wouldn't be a bad thing. Not that Mauer is bad against LH pitching, but that I think he needs days off and finding an alternative who could spot him against lefties would be a good thing.
  17. stringer bell
    Right now, Brian Dozier is the Twins best player. As stated above, beyond the outstanding power stats, he is durable and could perhaps move to another less-demanding position. He's a good guy and a clubhouse leader. For the last three years, I have mused "is Dozier another Jeff Kent or is he another Dan Uggla?" Kent became a fine offensive player relatively late (as Dozier did) and continued as a 120+ OPS player into his late 30s. Uggla burst onto the scene as a slugger, but was basically done by 30 or 31. Dozier has adjusted through his career, becoming a home run hitter despite raw power that is less than off the charts. Last year, he used the whole field more, was more selective and had career highs in BA and OBP. This would indicate that he could be a fine offensive players for the next few years. I think Dozier has earned big bucks going forward and if I were the Twins I would not hesitate to give him big money for the rest of the decade, but they should try to limit the years, maybe 3? Perhaps three years of Cano money (3-$72M).
  18. stringer bell
    GLunn for Congress, or Senate, or President! Taking a swing at what ails this country from the left side is probably overdue.
  19. stringer bell
    I don't like that Democrats voted in a shutdown and relented in three days, but there is another deadline in three weeks and CHIP is now funded. Unless and until there is a real budget, Democrats can shut down the government if they want, so this weekend wasn't a "now or never" event. Personally, I think it is insane to continue like this, but I'm positive the current ruling party can't come up with any kind of compromise that could both pass the House and get 60 votes in the Senate.
  20. stringer bell
    Strengths and weaknesses are apparent in all the quarterbacks the Vikings had under contract this season. Bradford displayed historic accuracy last year and has a strong enough arm, but he has very limited mobility and is injury prone. Keenum has much better mobility and was the guy to rally around this year. Would it be the same next year? It wasn't for Joe Kapp (I know, a million years ago), but maybe he's the right fit, given his low turnover rate (until yesterday) and ability to handle the blitz. Pre-injury, Bridgewater looked pretty promising, but no one can say what the injury and two years of inactivity will have done to him. I'd hate to trust the QB position to him when the team has to think they are a Super Bowl contender next year.
  21. stringer bell
    Barring injury, I expect Boshers to pitch in the majors again. I actually hope he stays in the organization, but it’s really Boshers’ call.
  22. stringer bell
    To the earlier comments that the Twins have too many bullpen arms, remember there are always injuries. They tend to occur in bunches. Last year, it was minor league relievers (and Chargois) who looked like they would be up by midseason. We will see if all eight or nine or ten who would figure to have a good chance to make the team stay healthy.
  23. stringer bell
    I'm old school, but with a dash of respect for today's metrics. I think speed and baserunning are underrated, but stolen bases are overrated, especially if the caught stealing percentage is high. The ability to take the extra base is often huge, but also is unnoticed. Molitor was the absolute master of baserunning when he was a player, both taking extra bases and stealing them with a minimum of outs and maximum reward. I also think the numbers provided by Fangraphs might be arbitrary or not useful. BB Ref, for example made Dozier a negative base runner and had Adrianza at only a +1, both fared much better in Fangraphs. Buxton was +9 in BB Ref, so if you're really good it will show no matter what the metric.
  24. stringer bell
    Both Falvey and Levine go back a ways with Gimenez, correct? I presume they are giving the vet a chance to see if he can find a better deal than another minor league deal with Minnesota. The scenario I see is that the Twins sign Gimenez to a minor league deal with no opt-out. He would have the opportunity to compete with Garner for the backup role and if Garner prevails, Gimenez would go to Rochester a phone call away. If Gimenez got the opening day nod, Garner could catch regularly until needed by the Twins.
  25. stringer bell
    I saw and liked “Three Billboards” a lot. GF, not nearly as impressed. I intend to see the Churchill flick soon.
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