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JB_Iowa

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Everything posted by JB_Iowa

  1. JB_Iowa
    I'm not thrilled with the parameters you've established but within those parameters, I really don't care which one is fired FIRST. Beyond that, what Thrylos said.
  2. JB_Iowa
    At this point, what difference does it make? If by some miracle he continues his hot streak, it helps the team win and maybe makes him a tradeable asset. It's not like this team is sitting a bunch of .300 (or even .250 or .200) hitters so that Butera can play. The test will be if he cools off. Will Gardenhire sit him or will the team send him down? That's the only part of the scenario that is troublesome.
  3. JB_Iowa
    Interesting. Thanks.
  4. JB_Iowa
    While my first reaction would be that I hate umpire bias, my second thought is: "I love the game." Given that what John is describing is unintentional umpire bias (i.e. human nature), I have to think that it has ALWAYS been present in the way that games have been umped. Trying to rid the game of this unintentional bias could have a significant impact on the game -- and quite frankly, I'm not sure we'd be happy with the results. Educate umpires. Keep monitoring performance. Make gradual improvements. Just because we have technology to make changes doesn't necessarily mean that it would be an improvement. And, as pointed out above, it doesn't necessarily mean that the technology is totally accurate either.
  5. JB_Iowa
    So Gardenhire can comment on injuries if they are in (or affect) the game? But not if they are on the DL? Or is it only that he can't comment on Joe Mauer's health?
  6. JB_Iowa
    Thanks for the smile. I can actually picture this coming out of the spinning machine.
  7. JB_Iowa
    And the stench just gets worse and worse.
  8. JB_Iowa
    I've never understood the whole deification of Mauer. And in the same way, I don't really understand the villification of Mauer. I do think that BD57 nailed it. From day 1 of the new contract, I argued that about $16 million should be his "payroll slot" and that the other $8 million should be assigned to public relations. While I'm not sure he is currently worth the $16 million, it would make the whole situation with him a lot more palatable. There's just something about seeing him take up over 20% of the payroll that seems to irk. If he were taking up more like 15% with the other 5-10% buried in the PR budget, it wouldn't seem so bad for some reason. It's all just playing with numbers but even before the contract was signed, I felt like (and posted on the Strib) that the deal for Mauer needed to be considered differently because of his "hometown hero" status. His position at the time the contract was negotiated was unique -- and this all would seem to play out better if the Twins had structured it uniquely in the way they handle payroll.
  9. JB_Iowa
    Happy Birthday to Jozie .... may she continue to drive her father nuts for years to come. And Happy Birthday to Justin Morneau and Brian Dozier (although I'd like to hold back the years a little for both of them). And here's hoping that the Twins manage to add 1 in the W column tonight.
  10. JB_Iowa
    Honestly I wish I knew for sure what impact the catcher has on the pitcher. (I know there are some advanced metrics that give an idea but I'm not sure anything is totally accurate). When they show the centerfield camera angle, it is pretty clear that Butera presents a different target than Mauer and Doumit. Does that make a difference? Does his play calling make a difference? Has it just been that Diamond was used to him and is willing to trust his play calling and could spot his pitches? There just hasn't been a big enough sample size this year to make a judgment. And last year was such a mess I'm not sure you can draw any conclusions there either. Butera has been a little better at the plate -- how much of that can be credited to Brunansky? But you can't set Doumit down. Of course, I'm not convinced that Morneau will be back for a long period so we may end up with 3 catchers for a period yet.
  11. JB_Iowa
    I really like Duensing as a reliever -- where he earned the "Dirty Duensing" nickname. There have been reminders this year of why he acquired that label. But maybe last year was just a bad dream and he would be an effective starter this year. There's certainly no harm in finding out where he fits best in the long run. Given that the Twins only have Blackburn signed for next year, I'm content to see how Duensing, Swarzak, Walters, Diamond (and any others) can do as starters. The Twins are still going to have to go out and find additional starting pitching somewhere but it doesn't hurt to take a look at what's in the system -- as long as they don't put all their eggs in that basket.
  12. JB_Iowa
    Actually, he kind of makes the point. There is a lot for the FSN crew to be talking about .... instead of just drivelling on in positivity.
  13. JB_Iowa
    Do they have to move the same ones back or could they just use new ones, I wonder? At any rate, I agree that they need to break the curse of the pine trees (or spruces or whatever the were). So either replant or hire an exorcist.
  14. JB_Iowa
    Somebody actually figured out why Incmakowski is on these broadcasts? I find him to be basically useless during the game. I have always felt that the Twins have FAR too many personalities involved in their broadcasts. So many that I usually have to mute the sound. BUT as bad as this team is, the proliferation of personalities may be a good thing this year. At least they can try to find a variety of things to discuss during the game (and ignore the abysmal play). How many things can they think up for Dick Bremer to do during the season to try to keep fan interest? I'm inclined to think that things will get sillier and sillier. As for Incmakowski taking on bloggers, that's really bad judgment on his part. I thought it was Dustin Morse's job to tweet all those positive stats -- not Robbie's.
  15. JB_Iowa
    Back to the original question. I'm not astute enough to see a change in his swing but I did comment previously that it seemed like there was a hesitation (not quite a limp) as he was running to 1st Base. It appeared that he was favoring his left knee as he ran. Doesn't mean he's not slumping, too. And, yes, after last year, I'm sure that he and the organization are trying to prove something by having him in the line-up almost every day. And that will probably be detrimental to his health and performance.
  16. JB_Iowa
    WE should all be drinking. But maybe y'all are.
  17. JB_Iowa
    "Would you have believed me if I had told you that Jose Bautista would have a sub-700 OPS? Coming into the Twins series, Bautista is hitting just .187/.318/.355 (.673) with three doubles and five home runs. " Why do I have the feeling that facing Twins pitching will cure what ails him?
  18. JB_Iowa
    Well, I haven't voted yet. But I have always thought that Gardenhire's best quality was an ability to keep the club on a relatively even keel -- not let them get too high or too low. And I thought that he did better in an underdog role than in a favorites role. All personal impressions but I'm not sure there is any other way to judge a manager. I have also commented many times in the past that I thought the even keel mentality worked well over the course of a long season but was a detriment to the team over a short post-season series where there isn't time to take the long approach. If it turns out that the keel is now permanently stuck in a depressed mode, it seems to me that you have to look at a change.
  19. JB_Iowa
    You are correct in your assertion that they had a winning record against the A.L. East in 2007. However, I don't see how anyone can be unconcerned about the way the Twins are trending against the A.L. East: 2002 15-22 40.5% 2003 17-15 53.1% 2004 19-19 50% 2005 18-14 56.26% 2006 22-10 68.8% 2007 19-17 52.8% 2008 13-16 44.9% 2009 10-20 33.3% 2010 14-17 45.2% 2011 10-25 28.6% I understand that the East has gotten stronger overall and that there is generally more money available to those teams. But in the first half of that decade, the Twins beat up on the Rays and, to a lesser extent, the Blue Jays. They've never been good against the Yankees but held their own against Boston and Baltimore. In the 2nd half of that decade, they've had a winning record against only one team, Baltimore (19-15). I haven't had the heart to put in this year's totals yet. I find that cause for concern regardless of the unbalanced schedule.
  20. JB_Iowa
    Interesting post. Terry Ryan has indicated that Mike Radcliff will be deeply involved in this year's draft and the info above seems to bear out the wisdom of that decision.
  21. JB_Iowa
    Thanks for the laugh but 2nd in this division is a bit depressing.
  22. JB_Iowa
    LOL, I was just going to post on that. I about choked when I read that statement and to think that the owner would actually frame the current situation in that way is laughable.
  23. JB_Iowa
    I don't know if it is ALL about winning a world series but I do think it is about going into the post-season with a belief that you CAN win the world series and in performing respectably in the post-season.
  24. JB_Iowa
    While I like the idea of the Twins "family", I hate the idea that they seldom bring in anybody new into the management structure. Even in real families, the dynamic changes frequently as members marry, divorceor die and children are born and grow up. The Twins "family" has just seemed to stagnate to me. When I go back and look at the front office and management staffs, there just isn't much turnover. And I think that has been part of what led to the current debacle. No one has been brought in with fresh ideas and energy to challenge the everyday thinking. And, unfortunately, since the dynamics didn't change gradually over time, I think we are now in for a sea change and it won't be pretty but it is necessary.
  25. JB_Iowa
    Doesn't have to be a chicken. I'm okay with hiring an exorcist, too. Or, as many have suggested, putting the trees back.
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