Joey Self

It is, but (and I don't have to tell you this), it is a grind. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed NOT listening to people tell me how they have screwed up, or how much someone else had harmed them, until I got to stop doing it. I am 64, and would have gotten out of the representation game as soon as I thought I could; I may continue the ALJ gig until I die! :) JcS

And even if it isn't perfect, the pitchers and the batters will soon figure out where the ABS is CONSISTENTLY wrong. It's the umps that have a moving zone over the course of the game, get fooled by catchers yanking the ball into the zone or give the vets calls the rookies aren't getting that are the biggest problem. The computer won't care what the score is, who is at the plate or what the catcher does after the ball crosses the strike zone. I'm more than ready for it. JcS

And as a trial attorney for 38 years, I too compared judges to umpires or referees--I too wanted consistency on evidentiary rulings. I've even told more than one: "If it's a foul for the visitors, it's a foul for the home team. If it's a strike three inches off the plate for their pitcher, then it needs to be the same for mine. Give me consistency, and I'll adjust." Now that I'm a judge in workers' compensation matters, I try to apply the same standard for the claimants and the respondents. (I am not bound by the rules of evidence or civil procedure, but having practiced under both for so long, those are my guide in many rulings.) JcS

For me, the question isn't "Is the technology perfected yet?" but rather "Is it better than we have now?" I think that answer is "yes." JcS

I'm not sure why Gordon was listed as being "on the bubble" when below that, you told us he had no options. He's either on the 26 man roster or he's traded. No bubble involved when the team can't send him down. JcS

Maybe not. I thought one of the bigger attractions to interleague play was having those teams play each other. JcS

I've never cared for interleague play when the AL team couldn't use the DH in NL parks. Now, with uniform rules (or if there's differences in the leagues, it's so minor I can't think of them as I sit here), it's time to consider realignment. I did this about as fast as I could type it, and don't pretend it couldn't be improved: Northeast: Toronto Yankees Mets Phillies Boston Southeast Washington Baltimore Atlanta Tampa Miami North Twins Guardians Brewers Tigers Pirates Midwest Cardinals Royals White Sox Cubs Reds Southwest: Astros Rangers Colorado Angels Dodgers West: Seattle SF Oakland San Diego D'Backs The logic, or what little there was, intended to keep the NY, CHI and LA teams in the same division, so as to make it easier for fans of one team to travel to the other ballpark--same with WASH and BAL, SF and OAK. More ticket sales, better for the bottom line. Admittedly, AZ and COL presented a problem, as did dividing the two teams from Pennsylvania. But this is a framework of what could be. Now, if MLB expands to 32 teams, you'd have 8 divisions with 4 teams each, and many of the same problems in lining it all up. JcS

My wife and I have watched the first two episodes, and so far, we agree that the first two seasons were better. It's still worth watching. JcS

I just glanced through this thread, and didn't see the answer to this question (sorry if I missed it): Are the Red Sox now a likely bidder for Correa? JcS

I drove from Western Arkansas for it! That and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Cleveland Art Museum and some other goofing around for five days.

Agreed. I made the trip to Cleveland to see the Twins play 5 games in 4 days, and while I understand the fallacy of a small sample size, I got to see Varland, Ober, Winder and Ryan start the first four games. (Sonny Gray had the fifth and left after two innings.) With Mahle, Gray, Maeda and Ryan as the core, and those three other rookies plus Richardson, Sands and others, I think we have enough starters to resist trading one of the best hitters on the team. Now if it were Arraez for a catcher, I'd not be thrilled, but I'd understand it. JcS

Wait. What? "He [Sanchez] struggled so mightily in New York that some Yankees pitchers notoriously asked not to have him behind the plate in games they started." Plural? I saw that Cole asked to have a different catcher--which was what I remember Greg Maddux doing for years with the Braves--pitching to Perez instead of Lopez. Was there another not mentioned in this article, because if not, the line should read "a Yankee pitcher asked to have another catcher in games he started."

Yes, from the small sample size of the lowlights, it appeared to me that Sanchez either hadn't been taught how to get his body in front of the ball, or decided not to do it and count on his bat to get him a good contract. The mechanics can be worked on IF he's willing to do it. JcS

The baseball card triple crown is interesting, but batting average is not as telling as on-base percentage and RBIs are one of the most overrated stats in baseball. So, I don't really care one way or the other. JcS

Ahhhh, that's different. Thanks! JcS

Right. So Trout should have been forced at second. Donaldson didn't catch the ball. I went to the Angels telecast this morning, and they also said an infield fly was called. The home plate ump looked like he made the hand gesture that the ball was dropped as it was being transferred, but that clearly didn't happen. JcS

My point is that it wasn't an "infield fly" by the definition of the rule. There was only one man on base. A runner on first can be forced at second; the batter has to hustle down the line to make sure it isn't a double play.

Anyone figured out yet why an infield fly was called in the 6th inning with only Trout on first? Donaldson made a great play in not catching the ball, and forcing Trout at 2nd. I looked up the rule at https://content.mlb.com/documents/2/2/4/305750224/2019_Official_Baseball_Rules_FINAL_.pdf on page 149, it says: "An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule." I've known since Little League that there had to be runners at 1st and 2nd or the bases loaded for a ball to be an infield fly. The ump that called it needs to be instructed on that--AGAIN. JcS

I'll be so glad when the electronic strike zone is implemented. Until then, having a catcher that can "steal strikes/fool the umpire" is important to a pitching staff. Any idea what the final numbers were for Twins' catchers? The tweet was August 22. JcS

I agree with this, especially having Kepler as a leadoff hitter. I don't remember exactly the number, but it's something like the leadoff hitter will get 18 more at bats every year than the #2 hitter, and so on down the line. I want a lineup where the guy that get on base the most hits first, the second most hits second, etc. I'd make some allowances for speed (i.e. if it were Cruz then Buxton, I'd flip them to keep Cruz from clogging the bases in front of Buxton), and to mix up the righty/lefty hitters to make it harder for relievers under the 3-batter rule, but by and large, I want the guy that reaches base the most frequently in the batter's box the most often. JcS

The save may be the most worthless stat in the major leagues, right up there with the RBI and the win. Pitchers should be used based on the situation, not the inning.

That is a wonderful analogy. Except I don't want him thrown out on the bases at the % that Henderson was. Still, speed with demonstrations of power often enough to make the outfield play back would be nice. JcS JcS

[i wrote this for another Twins site in 2016--different hitting coach than who the Twins have now, but otherwise, I still think there is merit to it.] "I start this by saying I know Tom Brunansky knows more about hitting in general than I do, and he knows more about the specifics of a given player than I ever will. There may be a good reason why what follows wouldn’t work for a particular Twins player. Look at this line: .231/.274/.299. This player was when he was 26 years old. That year, he had 351 plate appearances, with a BAbip of .248, striking out 28 times. At the conclusion of that season, he had over 1000 career PA. And then this one, the very next year by the same player: .342/.373/.421 with a new team. He had 578 PA. His BAbip was .368 with 44 strikeouts. Who made this amazing jump 50 years ago? Matty Alou. Leaving the Giants in 1965 to go the Pirates, his approach to hitting was changed by Harry Walker. (I note the rate of strikeouts was a bit higher the second year--maybe as a result of pitchers being a bit more careful with him, more breaking balls, etc. I readily admit, I don't know if the strikeouts were early in the season when he was learning the new approach to hitting.) I post this for thoughts from those of us that can remember Alou in his prime, and ask if Buxton might need to get a heavier bat and stop swinging so hard." In 2021, I think I'd prefer to see Buxton reach first twice in a game instead of touching all four bases with one swing every few days. JcS

That's the one I thought of immediately. And I understood it, because the Twins weren't in contention. First time I heard of it was with Kris Bryant, and I thought "short term gain, but long term pain for the Cubs--he'll leave as soon as he can."