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LastOnePicked

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Everything posted by LastOnePicked

  1. LastOnePicked
    It's insane. The wrath of those centerfield trees is intense.
  2. LastOnePicked
    I cannot figure out the culture that surrounds this team. Many fans seem to think that a Twins managerial position is a lifetime appointment, and that firing Rocco is some kind of injustice. It's not. It is actually okay to fire a manager for a team's underperformance. It happens all across baseball and it has for years. It can shake players out of complacency, offer a team a new set of eyes and ears, and potentially change the tone and the play on the field. I cannot think of a team that needs this more than the MN Twins. Don't cry for Baldelli. He's been well compensated for his services. He will likely land another spot in MLB, probably like Tingler did. He has to know that this kind of pressure comes with the territory. The buck for abject on-the-field failure has to stop somewhere, folks. The FO has it's own problems, but there have been some okay trades and decent drafts. Ownership is awful, but they have funded a top AL Central payroll for awhile now. I'd be happy to replace either of these, too, but right now, the glaring issue remains a poorly managed, sluggish, sloppy baseball team. Baldelli is not in any way a fall guy. He hasn't earned the security he's receiving. It's long past time for a change if this organization has given any priority to winning during this window of contention.
  3. LastOnePicked
    We're already so far, so far, past indefensible at this point. I don't care if they go 6-0, it's looooong past time for a change in the dugout.
  4. LastOnePicked
    I have nothing whatsoever against the good people of New York ... but I love beating a New York team. Love it. The Twins may be an also-ran this year, but please, please, beat those elite payroll teams.
  5. LastOnePicked
    Yup, poor Rocco. He was only given a roster predicted to contend for the AL Central title, a team with a farm system that people reliably reassured me is top 5 in baseball. But sure, he has no levers to pull. At what point is Rocco ever, ever part of the problem in your and Gleeman's equation? I mean, even if the poor man is routinely left "lever-less," then why doesn't he advocate for a better offseason? Why does he keep re-signing with an organization that supposedly sets him up for failure? Sorry. I'm not buying this. Every team outside of the NY/LA elites has gaps to fill. You have to inspire the best play from the talent you have. No one can convince me that Rocco is achieving this.
  6. LastOnePicked
    Poor Aprils. Poor Septembers. If a manager is going to have an influence on preparedness, tone and feel for the game, it's probably in the way a team starts and ends a season. But if managers don't matter much, as some here suggest, then what could possibly be the harm in replacing him? I don't get the Rocco defense at this point. I think it's played out, and I don't think it holds water anymore. We've seen the results. The outcomes are clear. Yup, he's a good guy. He'd be a great neighbor. He's not a great manager. Let's go try and get one.
  7. LastOnePicked
    That's true. They're just-sub-.500 not good. They're playing like sub-.300 not good. That's the problem. Hovering around .500 keeps you in the hunt until prospects arrive or trades are made. Playing 4-11 baseball in April puts you in a hole that's awfully hard to dig out from. No one here seems to think this is a great team, but remember that they were predicted to win the Central by several sources, so the talent on paper was certainly seen as better than what's materialized. This isn't a poor start. This is a historic disaster to start 2025, after a historic disaster to finish 2024. That kind of thing will usually get a manager fired. At least, in organizations that have some semblance of standards for achievement.
  8. LastOnePicked
    Correa was on his way to being a first ballot Hall of Famer before being coached by Baldelli. It's not a great roster, but it's not a 4-11 roster. This is about the manager. It's long past time to shake up a complacent squad.
  9. LastOnePicked
    You give this exact same roster to another manager, and they would not be 4-11. It's not just the minute decisions that lead to losses. It's the tone being set, the lack of confidence, the lack of a feel for the game. Stats can't define it, but play on the field reveals it over time. This is a Baldelli team. If they're not hitting home runs, they are totally lost. I cannot believe they kept him after last year. I can't believe he's still here to crater the team's chances again.
  10. LastOnePicked
    Absolutely. And I've had my Phil of Collins for Rocco's dismissal.
  11. LastOnePicked
    It's always the same. It's just a shame. That's all.
  12. LastOnePicked
    Are we 100% sure Popkins isn't still the hitting coach? Or, maybe it's something else with this organization. Too much analysis. Not the right tone. Our highly-touted prospects bats are just awful. And the highly-touted, highly-paid veteran bats aren't any better.
  13. LastOnePicked
    There are just so many ingredients coming together for a rebuild. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the team tries to unload Correa and Lopez near the deadline, and then sits back and puts out a league-minimum salary squad for 5-6 years. The Pohlads will collect the revenue sharing cash, pay off their debts, and then consider selling again when the next wave of prospects emerges.
  14. LastOnePicked
    Agreed, though I would appreciate some new things to complain about. Seems like we've been complaining about lethargic, fundamentally weak baseball for a long time.
  15. LastOnePicked
    Well, they could. Get underperforming veterans out of the way, like Detroit did last year, and have some good coaching, and a youth movement might surprise us. But there's no way this current coaching staff could foster that development.
  16. LastOnePicked
    Odd coincidence. There's a loud sucking sound running through the postgame press conference video.
  17. LastOnePicked
    "Sure, there are 155 more games to play. But under Rocco Baldelli, slow starts have often led to disappointing finishes." I'm confused. I've been a Gleeman and the Geek listener for years, and I've been reliably reassured that a manager is never, ever the cause of a team's struggles. It doesn't matter if that team faces nearly a total roster turnover over the years and yet still exhibits the same faults - it's NEVER the manager's fault. Is that gospel somehow changing?
  18. LastOnePicked
    Everything you wrote is great and well thought out. I'd just counter with this: tenacity and will includes - and often coincides with - good decision-making. It was Baldelli who decided that France would be an everyday player. It was Baldelli who put Wallner in the leadoff spot. Many of the decisions from the dugout create barriers to success in close moments. Look, I agree this is not a well-constructed team. But just the constant mental lapses and a general lack of readiness to play are certainly a sign of a deeper organizational problem, too. To me, at least.
  19. LastOnePicked
    For a smaller stretch in a long season, I think you're right. Baseball has it's ups and downs, and players have to adjust. But we're talking about long term patterns here. Baldelli has had multiple seasons and multiple roster turnovers, and yet we see the same thing. If the longball is working, the Twins are okay. If the game is tight and smart play is the deciding factor, the Twins fall flat. Managers matter. The best ones have a feel for the game, set their players up for success and get better play out of their players over time. There's nothing imaginary about that. That's why Francona is, as you mention, bound for the HOF.
  20. LastOnePicked
    The worst thing about this club is that they just aren't tenacious or sharp. They can't seem to will themselves to a victory. If things fall into place and the opposition makes plenty of mistakes, sure, they'll win a few games, but if it's close, they can't seem to get the big hit or make the big play or get the big strikeout. They don't seem ready for primetime. Again, that's a signal that the coaching approach isn't working. Ryan's crucial balk, moving up the baserunners who scored on what otherwise would have been an inning-ending DP, was just another sign of a team whose players just aren't 100% in the game. Its early, but it's also just tiring to watch/listen to this team.
  21. LastOnePicked
    1) The team may not be sold this year, or for a long time yet. How long do you want this style of play to continue? 2) The Twins have young players who need proper development and coaching right now. 3) It is never pointless to fire an underperforming leader. Not doing so sends a message that higher levels of achievement simply aren't expected.
  22. LastOnePicked
    No shame on you. You're a good fan. The shame is 100% on the Twins. They are a lost organization, and a total system teardown is overdue.
  23. LastOnePicked
    Replacing Rocco was an absolute imperative after last season's collapse. Not doing so signaled that the team wasn't serious about improving and turning the page. And so here we are, right back on the same page. It's one series, yes, but tone and momentum and clubhouse culture can make a difference over a 162-game season. The stink from 2024 will still linger until they clean house. Rocco is a fine human being, but he has no feel for the game. His decision-making instincts are poor. Keeping Ober in the rotation with the flu is a prime example.
  24. LastOnePicked
    Must be contagious. After the first series most Twins fans are feeling sick to their stomachs too.
  25. LastOnePicked
    There are a lot of fans here who deserve a great season. Let's hope the Twins give it to them, and they can all gloat over us pessimists in October. That'd be great. If the pitching's good, that's half the battle. If the new hitting coach is better, that's possibly the other half. It's not impossible. It's just improbable. 4th in the Central. But hoping to be wrong.
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