jokin

This is what I don't understand. Hammer has a bad hammy. Why push him the rest of the way. DH and rest. Give at bats to a guy/guys who really could help. Carson is a 4th/5th OF. What, showcasing him for a trade? (eyes rolling) Carson is being properly repaid for his recent string (it's only 5 years) of AAA successes after long years of patient service to the Twins, while steadily moving up in the organiza.... oh, wait....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2266[/ATTACH] Ah yes, as Houston joins the AL next year........ TR breathes multiple sighs of relief, comforted at only being the 2nd worst in the League.

OK, but while you're completely veering past the point while clumsily employing Argumentis Extremis, why don't you go first?, TR can go second- as he probably already knows the team that drafts him in the Rule 5...., and then, someone with "clearly" more "Baseball Intelligence" can give it a shot.

Adherence to their own self-imposed rules is strictly voluntary and it's impolite for you to notice.

As the Twins violated their own public promise, Walters clearly wasn't ready going in, and it wasn't like the Twins were in a bind, Hendriks could have pitched today on his normal work schedule. (With perhaps, maybe the same results, I know, I know...)

Smells like a quick violation of the very-recent public promise to field the most competitive teams possible against the remaining contenders. Did anyone else notice Walters most recent performance in Roc?

This isn't about Slama. This whole issue is simply a proxy to express long-simmering resentment about the front office. If it wasn't Slama, it would have crystallized around something else (Butera?). I'm in favor of whatever will end this debate once and for all. My guess - nobody takes him in the Rule V draft, he gets an invite to ST, and doesn't make the club on opening day. One man's Proxy is another man's Bill of Attainder. This is not about resentment, the club has been found repeatedly guilty- not just of failed promises, decrepit decision-making and moribund mismanagement, but also of blatant hypocrisy about it's own self-imposed standards for performance as determinants for reward and punishment.

Like night follows day, it seems the willing apologists (they know who they are) always appreciate the Twins FO faulty reasoning Or perhaps some of us actually look at every issue seperately and don't jump down the throat of the FO over every single move. Ryan has had his faults this year no doubt, but to try to make him out to be some incompetent GM is ridiculous, his track record/success on his first go around speaks for itself. Besides, its Anthony freaking Slama, not a guy like Parmelee. Oh wait, that's right, he screwed that one up, too. How? Parmelee is up now getting at bats and crushing it, is it really that big of a deal that he didn't get an additional 30-40 AB in August? Who exactly was he supposed to take those at bats from anyways? Morneau? I imagine they wanted him to get as many at bats as he could in order to showcase him for a potential off season deal. Span? Ditto Mauer/Willingham? You don't take your best two bats out of the lineup for a rookie. Kudos to your bravery (or your masochistic urges) for your shameless shilling for the Twins FO. Span, Mauer and Willingham have nothing to do with this point of contention. The Twins obviously went in to the season with an uncertain plan for their roster. Willingham in RF and then LF at the last minute, Revere 4th/5th OF and then demoted for Komatsu/Thomas, Doumit starts out as RF starter, Plouffe is "super-utility" OF-IF...... Parmelee soon ended up with a role on the Twins as the 3rd 1B/6th OF- which means he doesn't play, goes down to the IL, mashes at an elite level above anyone in the entire Leauge, gets called up again to the Twins- only to sit again and then be soon sent down again when it was definitively determined that the Twins would violate their promise of no scholarships and unnecessary bench spots held by 3rd Catchers. In the meantime it's clear now that Morneau could have been traded to the Blue Jays, possibly the Rays and then most definitely to the LA Dodgers. The obviously logical move for a team that should be in full-rebuild mode, but instead is in full-time clueless mode. So yeah, the Twins screwed this one up, too, royally.

On a team that spent large chunks of the year with an 8 man bullpen, and STILL managed to find reason to complain about the pen being "worn out" weekly--which team is now employing 6 starters--I think you can find some innings for a couple extra relievers. If nothing else, you save wear and tear on Burton, who they've been concerned about all year. This, like every other reason Ryan or anyone else has brought up, makes little sense if given even the slightest thought. Well, even with the 6 man rotation the Twins now have a 9 man bullpen without Slama, so I'm sure they are pretty much covered. Not sure there would be a ton of innings to be had even if they continue to protect Burton as much as they have the past couple of months. I don't want to argue too much because I agree that Slama should be up (instead of Perdomo). I just think a lack of available innings is a more logical explanation than cheapness. Plenty of available innings tonight for Swarzack and Perdomo to throw BP to the White Sox- who quickly proceeded to break their own team record for Doubles in a single game....

One could almost infer there's a, um...financial implication to the skimpy number of callups, no? But to believe that might be a factor, one would have to conclude the Twins are more interested in making good money than in making good baseball decisions. I think this accounts for the failure to make any waiver deals when there were plenty of pick-ups available at little cost- except the cost of absorbing the contract. This is yet more suggestive evidence that the decision was made internally sometime after the Marquis/Capps/Pavano/Baker fiascos became realities and followed by Liriano's dump-off trade, that absolutely no more money was to be added to the 2012 payroll. Why would a team that is not contending want to take on additional salary at the waiver deadline? I still think the bigger issue is playing time. I would call up Slama instead of Perdomo, but there really are only so many innings to go around. Makes little sense to call people up to sit on the bench for a month. In case you haven't noticed, the team is utterly bereft of proven MLB SP talent. It's hard to envision they can have any semblance of one in 2013 with only the offseason to get it done. There were guys available in July and especially August for practically only the contract that could eat 200 innings next year standing on their head. Really? There were guys available for only their contracts that will easily pitch 200 innings next year? Please, please enlighten me on who these pitchers might be. I didn't say "only", you did, the "practically" I used considers the small time left in the season on outright claims or trades for prospects at depth or trades based on salary relief or mutual salary-cancellation deals, which were potentially available all over the place, up to, and apparently including potential deals with the Dodgers and Red Sox. A guy like Lucas Harrell was available for nothing in late August 2011 and FAs on short-term deals like Edwin Jackson, Paul Maholm and Eric Bedard were doable in the off-season if the Twins were intrepid enough to take some intiative. Players available in all price ranges that could potentially fulfill the criteria I describe this season (and possibly could have been included in even a bigger trade) include: 1) Jason Vargas 2) Jon Lester 3) Randy Wolf 4) Ricky Romero (Blue Jays apparently eager to package him in trade w/ prospects for Morneau) 5) Joe Saunders 6) Justin Masterson 7) Ricky Nolasco 8) Jeremy Guthrie (Traded for J Sanchez, why not a deal involving Liriano?) 9) Chris Schwinden (Big MiL innings eater, could be had for nothing) 10) Ted Lilly 11) Travis Blackley (A's got him for nothing, big MiL innings eater) 12) Felix Doubront (Red Sox waiver wire, part of Morneau/Mauer deal w/ Lester?) 13) Elinson Volquez 14) Allen Webster (Big MiL innings eater, part of LA Morneau deal?) 15) Josh Beckett

When his reasoning is based on fallacies, I think its more shocking that anyone WOULD appreciate his reasoning Like night follows day, it seems the willing apologists (they know who they are) always appreciate the Twins FO faulty reasoning Or perhaps some of us actually look at every issue seperately and don't jump down the throat of the FO over every single move. Ryan has had his faults this year no doubt, but to try to make him out to be some incompetent GM is ridiculous, his track record/success on his first go around speaks for itself. Besides, its Anthony freaking Slama, not a guy like Parmelee. Oh wait, that's right, he screwed that one up, too.

One could almost infer there's a, um...financial implication to the skimpy number of callups, no? But to believe that might be a factor, one would have to conclude the Twins are more interested in making good money than in making good baseball decisions. I think this accounts for the failure to make any waiver deals when there were plenty of pick-ups available at little cost- except the cost of absorbing the contract. This is yet more suggestive evidence that the decision was made internally sometime after the Marquis/Capps/Pavano/Baker fiascos became realities and followed by Liriano's dump-off trade, that absolutely no more money was to be added to the 2012 payroll. Why would a team that is not contending want to take on additional salary at the waiver deadline? I still think the bigger issue is playing time. I would call up Slama instead of Perdomo, but there really are only so many innings to go around. Makes little sense to call people up to sit on the bench for a month. In case you haven't noticed, the team is utterly bereft of proven MLB SP talent. It's hard to envision they can have any semblance of one in 2013 with only the offseason to get it done. There were guys available in July and especially August for practically only the contract that could eat 200 innings next year standing on their head.

When his reasoning is based on fallacies, I think its more shocking that anyone WOULD appreciate his reasoning Like night follows day, it seems the willing apologists (they know who they are) always appreciate the Twins FO faulty reasoning

One could almost infer there's a, um...financial implication to the skimpy number of callups, no? But to believe that might be a factor, one would have to conclude the Twins are more interested in making good money than in making good baseball decisions. I think this accounts for the failure to make any waiver deals when there were plenty of pick-ups available at little cost- except the cost of absorbing the contract. This is yet more suggestive evidence that the decision was made internally sometime after the Marquis/Capps/Pavano/Baker fiascos became realities and followed by Liriano's dump-off trade, that absolutely no more money was to be added to the 2012 payroll.

....and can anyone conceive of a better time to find out how it translates- than the last 27 games of the MLB season- especially considering there's an open spot available on the 40-man?

That's either the early-afternoon Smirnoff talking or someone who embarrasses quite easily

I know, right? I know little about the kind of person Slama is, but I can imagine him saying . . . "trade me for that damn box of rocks, then." It defies all rationality to do this to him unless they don't want to look like idiots OR have some master plan to just start the season next year with him . . . It is weird, but it is this situation and what it exemplifies that pushes me towards the "new blood" crowd and the pipe dream wish of firing TR, Gardy, and company (only new ownership would ever bring that about). Welcome to the Darkside, Shane.:fenforcer:

Maybe the Twins have their next class of gamers down in Rookie Ball. Down 4 in the bottom of the 9th, the E-Towners claw back to tie and go on to win the Appy League title in 12, on a walk-off grand slam by DJ Hicks.

Uh Ohhhh... This could get to be better than waiting for the next weekly installment of Breaking Bad. I've got a feeling that Highabove's Vince Gilligan-like sense of timing while breaking out a "quote a day" from disgruntled ex-Twins is going to break really real bad for the "pro-medical-ignorance-overblown-outrage-accusing-frustrated-casual-observers-of-being-quacks-camp."

I'm struggling with the opening language as I'm not anything close to "somewhat perplexed" about this absurd situation. I'm baffled. I think specifics might be included about why TR continues his love affairs with the 2 Jeffs- Manship and Gray, when they predictably and demonstrably have yielded inferior results to Slama at every level. Casey Fien (despite being a nice surprise for the Twins) actually had less justifiable reasons for a call-up over Slama (not sure on the timing with Slama's injury) as Slama is 3 months younger, bigger in stature and has better stats over both his MiLB career and this season at Roc, as well (for example- K/9 of 12.4 vs. Fien's K/9 of 8.9). Regardless, I heartily endorse the petition.

Can anybody tell me with any certainty that there hasn't already been changes made and these things are still happening? Does anybody know if their has or hasn't been any changes to their medical staff in the last three years? I am not talking about team doctors, but the techs and specialists that are helping to make these decisions? 3) It seems to me that, as usual, too many people are blasting the situation without any clear knowledge of what is going on. "1) Face it, the success of Twins Daily is, at least to a degree, the direct result of overblown outrage on the part of Twins fans these days about one issue or another." I sense a staff meeting is in order, the topic: "How to avoid the 'Phil Mackey Disaffecting His Readers Effect' when writing articles" "2) Similarly, I don't know whether successive 90+ loss seasons are due to bad managing, coaching, scouting, general managing, overly frugal ownership or just poor player performances. " Let's see that's 6 possible answers, A/B/C/D/F/G....I'll vote for Box H- All of the Above. "3) It seems to me that, as usual, too many people are blasting the situation......" Despite a strong declarative opening statement from the new GM that the training/medical issues were a top priority, it seems demonstrably obvious to me by their repeated identical blunderings that the people in position to know and do something about the situation are first and foremost the prime suspects who don't, as of yet, have "any clear knowledge of what is going on." And yet, to question the situation at this level of knowledge by the common layman is deemed "overblown outrage". Particularly after two seasons of: a peculiar happening, followed by an incidental instance, right after an odd occurence, after multiple players are physically unready to perform at a major league level on opening day, one seemingly innocuous injury after another, from the ridiculous- "bilateral leg weakness" (how was this 2011 epic catastrophe not even casually mentioned in the article?)- to the sublime- the repeatedly aggravating- Will he? Won't he? DL-Dance. Silly and absurd characterization from the author about legitimate concerns that have yet to be properly addressed. This doesn't mean "fire everybody", but it sure as heck means complete evaluation and overhaul of procedures and the institution of accountability standards for everyone in the organization-, from the superstar on the field, to the top surgeon, to the masseuse on down to the towel boy.

I'd gladly take putting up with Steven Strasburg-type-debate: "Should-we-shut-him-down-or-not?"- in 2015 if this kid pans out anywhere close to Strasburg's numbers.

That much? Seriously, most impressive tonight was the 7 hitless relief innings by Duffey, Merck and Chargois- with 12 Ks- and Max Kepler goes 3-5 with a HR. Nice gutty performance by all the youngsters. I wonder if there were a dozen fans left in the park when the winning run finally scored well past midnight.

No. But they do all have something in common- something which has contributed to the last-place embarrassments of the past two seasons- they are just 4 of many seemingly endless examples of pedestrian-bad-to-execrably-horrible management decisions concerning proper evaluation (and $valuation$) of talent level and proper usage of personnel.