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JB_Iowa

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Everything posted by JB_Iowa

  1. JB_Iowa
    Thanks for the link. It's an interesting article. I have a really mixed reaction to it especially the section on keeping the organization fresh by rotating people in their jobs. I think that moving people around in the organization does help in keeping it fresh but I also think that if you don't, from time to time, inject NEW, OUTSIDE talent into the organization at the highest levels, you still become stale. He says they aren't stagnant. But if one compares it to water, it is more like a recirculating pool -- and even that becomes stale when you don't add a regular influx of new water. As for his comments about statistical analysis, it reflects a lot of what I often feel when I read stats-based articles -- my head starts spinning. I may read them and I may try to digest them but I don't think I really appreciate all that they could tell me. And I still wonder if Mr. Ryan and most of the Twins higher-ups don't lack that same appreciation.
  2. JB_Iowa
    I, too, believe that this year's payroll is higher than the USA Today numbers indicate (I posted a thread on this a while back and we went through all the numbers). I don't know what will happen with payroll for 2013. I'm personally of the opinion that rebuilding needs to occur and that in the long run, the Twins need to somehow acquire a #1 and #2 starter. And I recognize that it might be necessary to "harbor" money from the next year or two to do that. And I'd be okay with that. I'm more interested in seeing whether this team has a plan to become competitive with the rest of the league (and not just with the Central). But then, I've been waiting for that for a long time. I'm also truly concerned about the growing gap in local TV revenues. The Twins may have TF but presumably their TV revenues are nothing like those in expanding markets.
  3. JB_Iowa
    Great column and posts. Waiting to see that photoshop creation!
  4. JB_Iowa
    Without going into the details of ownership (which NONE of us know unless there is a Pohlad posting here), I have one simple question: What is the Twins "profit margin"? We know that they earmark about 50%-52% for player's salaries. Then we know that there is the whole range of other costs: minor league operations, scouting, day to day operations of TF, executive compensation, etc., etc., etc. BUT somewhere in there, I'm sure that they also "plan" a profit margin. Presumably that margin was not big enough last year -- leading to this year's payroll cut. BUT at what point do you sacrifice current profits to acquire the on-field talent that will allow you to continue making a nice profit and to perhaps increase those profits? We all know that baseball is profitable -- even for losing teams -- but how much risk do you want to take of getting into a continually downward spiral? (For the record, I'm not one who says the team needs to spend, spend, spend -- because I believe that the team's current difficulties go beyond acquring a few good pitchers -- but I DO believe that management of this club needs to fish or cut bait: either be upfront about rebuilding so that fans know what to expect OR invest the resources necessary to avoid rebuilding and be truly competitive)
  5. JB_Iowa
    Enjoyed your post. Thanks. The Twins could have made it so much more enjoyable for you, though. Heartbreakers! I'm sure TV didn't do the lightning bolt justice but it was loud enough to make me look up from something else I was doing at the moment. And interesting to see the players scurry off the field.
  6. JB_Iowa
    Thanks for the report. The problem is that these ARE the 2 success stories so I would anticipate them having positive remarks about Anderson and Vavra. In fact, since most people aren't stupid enough to publicly diss their employer, i would expect most Twins to say good things about the managment and coaching staff. I'm just not sure how much that says about their overall job performance.
  7. JB_Iowa
    I don't think the remarks at SABR mean much of anything. BUT.... I do believe that this organization needs a big influx of new ideas, energy and talent. And I significantly doubt that will happen with TR at the helm. The Twins had a good system that worked for a number of years with a low payroll team in a weak division. BUT they also seem to have fallen into a rut. And, if you look at the management staff of this organization, there is very little change. Terry Ryan HAS to be invested (who wouldn't be?) in the "system" that he and TK developed in the early 2000's. But times change AND unless you bring in new energy and ideas, stagnation sets in. Not all of the Twins management (front office and field staff) has to go. But someone with a fresh persepctive needs to be at the helm and deciding what to keep, what to modify and what to toss -- and doing it with respect to all aspects of the baseball operations (from scouting through minor leagues through coaching and managing through medical and training and more). I don't think that person is TR.
  8. JB_Iowa
    Welcome to TD. I hate complaining about everything you do but I guess I'm just crabby by nature. Did you do something about 7:30 or so on Friday evening that caused all these scroll bars to appear? I appreciate shortening the pages but the scroll bars are annoying as h*ll. Especially because with the ads you get about 2 lines of each post and then have to scroll. Could you just eliminate them or at least allow more text before you have to scroll?
  9. JB_Iowa
    Maybe the Twins should just pray for rain every day.
  10. JB_Iowa
    Sigh. It would be so nice to see Blackburn hold a lead for more than an inning.
  11. JB_Iowa
    I just feel like Duensing has found his niche in the pen and I hate to see them mess with that. I also suspect that it wouldn't be just one start with the Doubleheader a week from tomorrow. But that's also probably a part of why they are going with him. It's slim-pickin's in the Twins pitching ranks (I know that is a revelation to everyone).
  12. JB_Iowa
    Nothing against Hatcher but I'd like to see them hire a Spanish-speaking coach at the major league level. (Of course I also think that they generally need an infusion of some new personnel in the coaching staff).
  13. JB_Iowa
    Good read. I wouldn't have a problem if the Twins signed Frankie to an extension but I wonder whether a different pitching coach could get more consistency from him. This actually isn't a criticism of Rick Anderson. It is a recognition that we're all human and that we connect better with some people than with others. Maybe Anderson can get Liriano back to the Frankie of 2010. But maybe someone else would have more success with him. I'll be interested to see whether there is enough "good" from him to intrigue another team into taking a flier (and giving up something decent in return).
  14. JB_Iowa
    Hadn't read this thread until now because I get tired of Mauer threads (most people love him or hate him -- I'm just pretty much disinterested) but I'm glad I did because jokin's recount of the Fisk-Munson story is one of the best things I've read for a while. Gave me a real smile.
  15. JB_Iowa
    Or you can be even more depressed thinking about the fact that the 2012 team has a worse record (27-41) than the 2011 team (32-39) with less injury excuses. Admittedly the loss of Baker was tough -- along with Pavano's current (pretty much predicted 1 1/2 years ago) woes but overall this team has been pretty healthy. In addition, the offensive performance tends to be lacking when the other team's pitcher is mediocre or better. I'm not saying that everything about what has happened this year is bad. I'm just saying that, even with the positives, this team is pitiful.
  16. JB_Iowa
    I will probably always wonder about this as well. Was it a failure of the scouting department? Did marketing concerns override scouting reservations? Did Dave St. Peter as team Pres (and marketing strategist) play a role in the baseball side of the operations in this instance? I'm sure we'll never know. Personally I'm convinced that it was a complete organizational failure (and that, for that reason, no one will ever have to take responsibility). I suspect that the scouting reports were "just good enough" that the final decision-makers allowed marketing considerations to overcome any reservations that may have been in those reports (in a way that they wouldn't have done if they player had been from the U.S.) This was also done at the time when they were riding high on new TF revenues -- allowing them to take a risk that they wouldn't have taken earlier. But I doubt we'll ever know for sure.
  17. JB_Iowa
    Can you explain how limiting the pitcher to 75 pitches improves his first 3 innings? Just glancing through box scores it looks to me like Twins pitchers are often getting in trouble early in the game. How does this change that? We already have Capps who seems to come in and give up a run or 2 before he "settles down" for the save. Are the starting pitchers going to be that much different knowing that they only have 75 pitches instead of 100 or so? I'm all for trying something different and I suppose in a lost season, experimenting makes sense but I'm not really sure what this accomplishes unless you really think it is an alternative for long-term success not just a filler for the season. Unless you think it may work long-term, I think SpiritOVD has a good point above - the Twins are going to need starters next year --might as well see what they have. (Unfortunately I think the answer to that question is "not much".)
  18. JB_Iowa
    I've been enjoying your trip so far .... looking forward to reading about your Cincinnati experience.
  19. JB_Iowa
    It is classic big steel, defiantly proud of its heritage, jutting its chin out at our expectations. One of the best sentences I've ever read on this site (or many others). Great story.
  20. JB_Iowa
    Really makes me appreciate Frankie's effort last night. Burton & Perk, too.
  21. JB_Iowa
    Thanks for your replies. And although i understand the philosophy behind this, i still don't like it. The site was not hard to navigate -- it was just a question of whether you wanted to navigate it. now it is just being all dumped upon us. i especially don't like that Twins Talk now mirrors all of the articles on the front page. it is duplicative and unnecessary.
  22. JB_Iowa
    Drew must have called Bruno between innings.
  23. JB_Iowa
    But the Bruno pill only lasts a little while. Butera needs to go back for more.
  24. JB_Iowa
    Apparently Willingham didn't realize it had bounced off him and they couldn't see it from the dugout.
  25. JB_Iowa
    Here's the thing. It wouldn't have to be a wholesale change in the Twins management staff. But what was so disappointing in the return of Ryan and the hiring of Krivsky is that they both had so many ties to the staff already in place. And, Ryan almost has to be invested in the success or failure of the system that he and Tom Kelly developed. It is often hard to take an unbiased look at your co-workers. You know their strengths and weaknesses but you also try to compensate for them (or you often overlook problems). At some point, it is helpful to have an objective eye in a position of authority reviewing things -- whether it be the on-field staff; the medical/training procedures; the minor league staff or other aspects. If they were determined to bring Ryan back, I wish that he had brought in a "Special Assistant" that could bring an fresh viewpoint to the baseball operations. Until they do so, I fear that they will keep repeating the practices and procedures (and employing the same information) that led to the current situation. And that, I fear, will doom them to mediocrity. I've enjoyed watching this last month of games where the Twins have played better ball but there hasn't been anything about their improvements that indicate to me that they are on an upward curve or that they have made adjustments from what they were doing that landed them in this mess.
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