IdahoPilgrim

I'm suggesting that the universe is composed of seemingly random events that often coalesce into a ordered whole. Who knows what role that particular pitch played. If a butterfly flaps its wings in China...

It worked, didn't it? They won.

I was thinking that myself. This is indeed a lineup designed to strike fear into people's hearts. My knees are already trembling.

I know this is nitpicking, but they don't have a lead in the wild card race as the article states. They are even with Norfolk, and Norfolk has the advantage based on winning pct%. Still, quite impressive for Rochester to even being neck-and-neck with a playoff place.

I just assumed they were congratulating each other because they both had been traded to a contender.

I will not be updating this thread further. If anybody else wants to take over and provide updates they are welcome to do so.

I suppose I should start by admitting that I have a split personality – by “day” I am an ardent Twins fan, rooting for my team even when they do something stupid (which is all too often these days, but that’s another topic). At “night,” however, another side of me surfaces and I become one who is passionate about English football – and by football, I mean real football. Not the thing that millions of fans follow in this country that involves a prolate spheroid of artificial animal hide, but a game where it is actually against the rules to use your hands. Yes, I am a devoted fan of the English Premier League and Football League. With a season that runs from August to May, they are just now getting into their “spring training” mode in preparation for the resumption of football next month. I am, of course, gearing up for the season (just as I do I February for the Twins), and it has me thinking about the two sports in comparison – particularly the business aspects of each league. Thus the topic of this blog entry – what if? What if MLB had the same business structure as English football? To think about what that would mean, you have to be familiar with how they do business in their sports leagues across the pond. First, there are no franchises awarded by and ultimately controlled by a central league office as we have here. Each football club is an independent business, and the only way you get to play in the top league is if you have worked your way up the ladder (like players moving through our minors) and have earned a spot by success on the pitch (field). There is also the reality of relegation – at the end of the year, the teams who have fared worst end up getting relegated (demoted) to a lower level league, to make room for those who are moving up. There is also a significant difference in how player contracts are handled. While trades are possible, they are rare. Usually player movement is done through a transfer system, where a purchasing club pays cash for a player on a selling club. Then, the purchasing club has to negotiate contracts terms with the player himself – no play can be forced to move against their wishes. And there is no farm system to demote a player to who is underperforming. If you make a bad call and sign a player who just can’t cut it, you are stuck with that contract until it expires. You can, of course, choose to not play the person, but you do have to pay them. So what if those elements existed in Major League Baseball? Yes, I know, that is not how our system works and never will be, and I am not even arguing that it should. I’m just having fun speculating, what if? First, it would turn the whole selling-club/buying-club thing that happens each July on its head, because no longer could you equate a poor record with being a selling club. In the EPL, even the clubs near the bottom of the table have an incentive to improve. First, there is no draft, so no jockeying for draft position. Second, no club wants to get relegated, so nobody wants to finish near the bottom of the table (standings). Would we actually be talking about trading Perkins, Morneau, etc. and giving valuable playing time to Hicks, Arcia, Parmelee, etc. if the possible consequences of doing that was we’d be in the International League next year? The European system forces every team to take every game seriously, as if their sporting lives depended on it, because in their system it just might. And fans would know that they would be seeing "meaningful" games, even if the meaning is to just stay up and not be relegated. It would also eliminate all the games that teams play with their rosters every year, trying to work within the 25-man and 40-man roster rules. No more worrying about who we have to expose to waivers, or how can we find room for a new and valuable addition. No roster limits in the EPL, only what you can afford to pay in salaries. Agents would actually love the new system – they seem to do quite well for their clients across the pond. There would of course be warts and flaws – I am by no means implying that their system is better than ours. One of the downsides of their business structure is that competitiveness is reduced. Realistically, there are only about 4-5 teams (out of 20) that compete for the title every year, and it is difficult (if not impossible) for smaller market clubs to ever crack into that group. There are many fans who can’t even assuage the pain of 2013 by dreaming about 2015, because they know 2015 will just be the same – a fight not to succeed but just to survive (that should be familiar to people in Houston and Kansas City). But there is also one benefit that might come from this – an outlet for fan frustration when ownership seems unresponsive. Don’t like what the Pohlad’s are doing? Then start a new ballclub, one owned by the fans. Enter into one of the lower leagues, work your way up through the system, and maybe one day you can take out your frustrations on them on the field. That’s something that does happen in England – think FC United of Manchester, AFC Liverpool, and AFC Wimbledon. All clubs started by fans in protest against ownership, and particularly in AFC Wimbledon’s case eventually meeting the other club on the field of play in a competitive match. Yes, this is fantasy – this is “speculative fiction.” But then, what’s so wrong with that? What is wrong with asking, “What if?”

I suppose I should start by admitting that I have a split personality – by “day” I am an ardent Twins fan, rooting for my team even when they do something stupid (which is all too often these days, but that’s another topic). At “night,” however, another side of me surfaces and I become one who is passionate about English football – and by football, I mean real football. Not the thing that millions of fans follow in this country that involves a prolate spheroid of artificial animal hide, but a game where it is actually against the rules to use your hands. Yes, I am a devoted fan of the English Premier League and Football League. With a season that runs from August to May, they are just now getting into their “spring training” mode in preparation for the resumption of football next month. I am, of course, gearing up for the season (just as I do I February for the Twins), and it has me thinking about the two sports in comparison – particularly the business aspects of each league. Thus the topic of this blog entry – what if? What if MLB had the same business structure as English football? To think about what that would mean, you have to be familiar with how they do business in their sports leagues across the pond. First, there are no franchises awarded by and ultimately controlled by a central league office as we have here. Each football club is an independent business, and the only way you get to play in the top league is if you have worked your way up the ladder (like players moving through our minors) and have earned a spot by success on the pitch (field). There is also the reality of relegation – at the end of the year, the teams who have fared worst end up getting relegated (demoted) to a lower level league, to make room for those who are moving up. There is also a significant difference in how player contracts are handled. While trades are possible, they are rare. Usually player movement is done through a transfer system, where a purchasing club pays cash for a player on a selling club. Then, the purchasing club has to negotiate contracts terms with the player himself – no play can be forced to move against their wishes. And there is no farm system to demote a player to who is underperforming. If you make a bad call and sign a player who just can’t cut it, you are stuck with that contract until it expires. You can, of course, choose to not play the person, but you do have to pay them. So what if those elements existed in Major League Baseball? Yes, I know, that is not how our system works and never will be, and I am not even arguing that it should. I’m just having fun speculating, what if? First, it would turn the whole selling-club/buying-club thing that happens each July on its head, because no longer could you equate a poor record with being a selling club. In the EPL, even the clubs near the bottom of the table have an incentive to improve. First, there is no draft, so no jockeying for draft position. Second, no club wants to get relegated, so nobody wants to finish near the bottom of the table (standings). Would we actually be talking about trading Perkins, Morneau, etc. and giving valuable playing time to Hicks, Arcia, Parmelee, etc. if the possible consequences of doing that was we’d be in the International League next year? The European system forces every team to take every game seriously, as if their sporting lives depended on it, because in their system it just might. And fans would know that they would be seeing "meaningful" games, even if the meaning is to just stay up and not be relegated. It would also eliminate all the games that teams play with their rosters every year, trying to work within the 25-man and 40-man roster rules. No more worrying about who we have to expose to waivers, or how can we find room for a new and valuable addition. No roster limits in the EPL, only what you can afford to pay in salaries. Agents would actually love the new system – they seem to do quite well for their clients across the pond. There would of course be warts and flaws – I am by no means implying that their system is better than ours. One of the downsides of their business structure is that competitiveness is reduced. Realistically, there are only about 4-5 teams (out of 20) that compete for the title every year, and it is difficult (if not impossible) for smaller market clubs to ever crack into that group. There are many fans who can’t even assuage the pain of 2013 by dreaming about 2015, because they know 2015 will just be the same – a fight not to succeed but just to survive (that should be familiar to people in Houston and Kansas City). But there is also one benefit that might come from this – an outlet for fan frustration when ownership seems unresponsive. Don’t like what the Pohlad’s are doing? Then start a new ballclub, one owned by the fans. Enter into one of the lower leagues, work your way up through the system, and maybe one day you can take out your frustrations on them on the field. That’s something that does happen in England – think FC United of Manchester, AFC Liverpool, and AFC Wimbledon. All clubs started by fans in protest against ownership, and particularly in AFC Wimbledon’s case eventually meeting the other club on the field of play in a competitive match. Yes, this is fantasy – this is “speculative fiction.” But then, what’s so wrong with that? What is wrong with asking, “What if?”

Another tough week for Kyle, getting into only one game, on Sunday, and going 0-for-3. That pushed his Double-A numbers to .255/.345/.277 for a .622 OPS. After a sharp 10-for-27 start, Kyle has now gotten only 2 hits in his last 20 at-bats at New Britain and has struggled to get playing time. Not surprisingly, Kyle has been sent back to Fort Myers.

And I would have no problem with that. My only point was that you probably won't get much for him, and at some point you have to ask if the limited return even justifies a trade. It's not that they won't try to trade him, but they may not be able to.

I'm curious that you say Justin Morneau will likely be in a different uniform by the end of the month. I'm sure the Twins would like to receive offers, but most of the threads I've followed assume that not much will be offered for him. I would have guessed that there was a better chance he is still a Twin in August than he would not be. Next year, of course, is an entirely different matter...

Are you talking the fans? The batters? The pitchers? All of the above? Imagine how much fun baseball would be if everybody on the field was three sheets to the wind:)

While I wouldn't have predicted purchasing the contract of Bernier, in retrospect I see no reason not to experiment given that this year is all about experimentation. He is a shortstop - a position where we have been weak for years, even with Florimon's improvement this year. Yes, his historical stats are not stellar, but this year he is hitting well. This is his first year in the organization - we all know that sometimes a change of scenery can make a big difference. Let's kick the tires and see if we have anything in Bernier. We had the open 40-man spot. If he turns out to be a dud, we can jettison him later and not lost anything. And I don't know what his age has to do with anything.

That may be true for some. My suspicion, based on the the comparative volume of posts that are supportive of TR and posts that are critical of TR, is that there are just as many people (and I'm not targeting any particular individual so please don't think this is aimed at you:)) for whom being critical of Ryan has also become almost a matter of faith that dare not be questioned. If I had a complaint about some of the discussions that occur in these forums, it would be that sometimes threads go beyond a valid and helpful exchange of views and become attempts to convince others that someone is right and the other person is wrong, to feel the need to have the last word. As far as the topic at hand (Pohlad's/Terry Ryan/Spending) I am going to wait until 2015 to make an evaluation. I work in an environment itself where turning around an organization going the wrong direction can not be done quickly and often takes years. My own view is that the best way to rebuild is through smart drafting and development, which in baseball also takes years. I know others disagree and wish we were more active in the FA market and have made valid cases supporting that, but I still think the draft and development are the way to go. I think the standard should be do we have a team that can be above .500 AND compete for the division title by 2015. If so, I'm happy with the whole rebuild/spending plan. If not, then I think a change is in order.

Wouldn't you know - the best game the Twins have played in a couple of weeks (based on all of your comments) and I had to work the entire time. Just got back in.

I would, but that's still too painful to joke about, IMO.

[h=2]Why does Hawaii have interstate highways?[/h]Any highway built under the auspices of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 and funded by the federal governent is called an interstate highway, even if it doesn't cross state lines. In fact, there are many local routes that lie entirely within a single state funded by the Act.Hawaii has three interstates - H1, H2, and H3 - which connect important military facilities on the island of Oahu. - from geography.about.com

I agree that at this point trade value for Deduno is probably slight, given the relatively recent advent of his effectiveness. That said, and I think this is what the original question gets at, if somebody does offer something of value (and I do mean value, not spare parts) you'd have to consider it. Because it might be smoke and mirrors, and in any case the odds are greater that he is not a part of our future plans than that he is. Sometimes GMs do make mistakes and overpay, because they are chasing success this year or just because they sometimes make mistakes. At this point we should be listening about anybody.

Sorry!

I agree it was a bad throw, but if you're going to rely upon the umpire's judgment, you have to expect sometimes it will go against you. If he had been in the lane, it would have taken away the need for an umpire's judgment call.

I'm going to disagree with the outrage on the call against Thomas at first base. I watched the play, and he was in fair territory the whole time up the baseline. He was not in the "running lane" that is marked on the field. Rule 6.05(k) and attached comment make it pretty clear the umpire called it correctly. It sucks, but that's baseball. (k) In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line, and in the umpire’s judgment in so doing interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead; except that he may run outside (to the right of) the three-foot line or inside (to the left of) the foul line to avoid a fielder attempting to field a batted ball; Rule 6.05(k) Comment: The lines marking the three-foot lane are a part of that lane and a batter-runner is required to have both feet within the three-foot lane or on the lines marking the lane. The batter-runner is permitted to exit the three-foot lane by means of a step, stride, reach or slide in the immediate vicinity of first base for the sole purpose of touching first base.

So that's what it takes to light a fire under this team? A disputed call? Good shot, Pedro

Yes, but you really should clarify by which team...

Maybe if you made a financial commitment to the product you would see a better return. Or... is that trolling?

I'm starting to wonder if this is getting into his head. I'm sure he knows his 6th inning stats as well as anybody. Is this becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy?