IdahoPilgrim

You shouldn't equivocate so much. Say what you really think.

Note: The following entry is not in any way meant to mock or make light of those with real addictions. I know all too well the struggles that are associated with addictions of all types, and the effect it can have on lives. Please read this in the humorous spirit in which it is meant. It is mid-September. The Twins are twenty-four games under .500, getting their clocks cleaned 9-1 by Kansas City last night. It is raining and dreary out. So what is the highlight of my day? The release of the 2013 Twins schedule! Almost immediately after it is posted I am marking my calendar, pouring over the pages, seeing who’s coming in when, and beginning to think ahead to what teams I’m going to want to see, and where I might want to sit. It is only after a couple of hours of this that the sad truth is driven home to me – I am addicted to Twins baseball. How do I know it is an addiction? Because it fits all the symptoms: Preoccupation with all things Twins-related (how many times a day do I visit this site?); Impaired control over behavior (I just can’t turn the game off no matter how bad it is); Continued use for short-term gratification regardless of long-term consequences (ulcers); Rationalization used to justify continued interest (there’s always tomorrow); Wasting of financial resources to enable behavior ($13 parking, overpriced concessions, yet still I go); Withdrawal (I’m already starting to get the shakes with the off-season approaching). Yes, I can now admit that I am powerless over the hold Twins baseball has on me. The question is, what happens next? Is there a power than can restore sanity to my life? Perhaps a small group can be formed, with regular meetings, to help me manage the effects of this addiction (“Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a Twins fan.”) Maybe I can get a Sponsor, someone I can call when I feel the urge to go to a ballgame. I could move somewhere where Twins baseball is not readily available, to remove the temptation (although given MLB.TV I’m not sure where that would be). Perhaps a less-damaging substitute, with fewer side effects (Minnesota Lynx?). Maybe even check into a clinic, isolate myself completely, no internet, no radio, no cable, no newspapers – anything necessary to help me go cold turkey and detox once and for all. The problem is, none of this will work, because when I am truly honest with myself I realize I lack the most important ingredient in any recovery: the desire to get better. No matter how many times I try to cure myself of this, recidivism is inevitable. I have to admit to myself that no matter how much hold the Minnesota Twins have over me, I crave only more. For me there is no rock-bottom (even after these past two seasons); I am happy in my addiction and in the hope that some day pain will turn to pleasure. So here I sit again, watching tonight’s game, storing up baseball to get me through the long winter months, and already dreaming of what will be next year. GO TWINS!!

Note: The following entry is not in any way meant to mock or make light of those with real addictions. I know all too well the struggles that are associated with addictions of all types, and the effect it can have on lives. Please read this in the humorous spirit in which it is meant. It is mid-September. The Twins are twenty-four games under .500, getting their clocks cleaned 9-1 by Kansas City last night. It is raining and dreary out. So what is the highlight of my day? The release of the 2013 Twins schedule! Almost immediately after it is posted I am marking my calendar, pouring over the pages, seeing who’s coming in when, and beginning to think ahead to what teams I’m going to want to see, and where I might want to sit. It is only after a couple of hours of this that the sad truth is driven home to me – I am addicted to Twins baseball. How do I know it is an addiction? Because it fits all the symptoms: Preoccupation with all things Twins-related (how many times a day do I visit this site?); Impaired control over behavior (I just can’t turn the game off no matter how bad it is); Continued use for short-term gratification regardless of long-term consequences (ulcers); Rationalization used to justify continued interest (there’s always tomorrow); Wasting of financial resources to enable behavior ($13 parking, overpriced concessions, yet still I go); Withdrawal (I’m already starting to get the shakes with the off-season approaching). Yes, I can now admit that I am powerless over the hold Twins baseball has on me. The question is, what happens next? Is there a power than can restore sanity to my life? Perhaps a small group can be formed, with regular meetings, to help me manage the effects of this addiction (“Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a Twins fan.”) Maybe I can get a Sponsor, someone I can call when I feel the urge to go to a ballgame. I could move somewhere where Twins baseball is not readily available, to remove the temptation (although given MLB.TV I’m not sure where that would be). Perhaps a less-damaging substitute, with fewer side effects (Minnesota Lynx?). Maybe even check into a clinic, isolate myself completely, no internet, no radio, no cable, no newspapers – anything necessary to help me go cold turkey and detox once and for all. The problem is, none of this will work, because when I am truly honest with myself I realize I lack the most important ingredient in any recovery: the desire to get better. No matter how many times I try to cure myself of this, recidivism is inevitable. I have to admit to myself that no matter how much hold the Minnesota Twins have over me, I crave only more. For me there is no rock-bottom (even after these past two seasons); I am happy in my addiction and in the hope that some day pain will turn to pleasure. So here I sit again, watching tonight’s game, storing up baseball to get me through the long winter months, and already dreaming of what will be next year. GO TWINS!!

Do the players get paid for this time, or is it like spring training and they are on their own nickel? For that matter, do players get paid for EST in the spring?

And what was known about Liriano before the trade was that his pitching ability tended to be unstable, never being able to maintain his brief moments of success more than a couple of months.

I feel like when I was a kid and my parents took me to watch the circus.

They have the 3rd best team average in the AL, and are 2nd in 2B and 3B. Last in homers, though, and mid-pack in OPS.

Keep in mind that Sioux Falls probably has a better team than Beloit - the quality of play in the AmAssn is somewhere between A+ and AA.

The inherent flaw in this type of comparative study, of course, is the idea that all the sports are ranked equally when it comes to viewing preference. Personally, I am much more interested in baseball and hockey than I am in basketball and football. I don't care how "reasonable" a deal the T-Wolves are - I'd much rather see a Twins game.

I would think the opposite would be true. It means an additional year an interested team would have to commit to, which would make it less likely someone making a pennant run and looking for short-term help would bite. Keep him around the next year or two (for the work ethic and depth argument you make, as well as he is playing well right now), but hold off on extending and see how things play out next year.

I agree. If a player can't succeed against those who are not good enough to be on the MLB roster, than what makes us think they'll succeed against a higher calibre of opposition?

See... I thought it looked like one of those deals where farmers claim aliens came down and made designs in their cornfields. Wouldn't it be great if it turned out there WAS life out there somewhere... AND they liked baseball!? Would you have to rename the World Series then?

I don't know that anybody should be surprised at this. Liriano has always started slow, peaked in June and July, and tapered off in the last part of the season. That's why I'm glad we moved him when we did, even if it was for a pittance. Better something than nothing.

Nice entry. I was kind of torn on the decision to expand the playoffs. On the one hand, I never liked the wild card in the first place, and adding a second seemed to me to go in the wrong direction. On the other, though, it does increase the incentive to win the division and not settle for second, so in that respect it actually moves us in the right direction. One of those weird cases when two wrongs actually might make a right.

It hasn't always been pretty, but right now he's as effective a starter we have, including Diamond. I'm not convinced it's sustainable, but then I'm not totally convinced Diamond is sustainable either.

OK, triple, nobody out - odds of the runner coming home? I'd say about 50%.

Too sweet. Just heard on the broadcast that Lirianio is being moved to the bullpen for Chicago. How many still think we got robbed on the trade?

Agreed. I believe the only reason he didn't sign was because he fell to #6. If he were #1, he would have signed. He's not going to hold out again. He's a senior this year, so if he doesn't sign, the only thing he could really do is go play independent ball somewhere for the year until he could enter the draft again, or sign as a free agent. Either way, that delays his entry into affiliated ball by another year. Deciding not to sign looks like he's taking the gamble that he will be drafter higher next year. In that case, we should pick him and then, since he has less leverage, we should pay him under slot and use the money for other picks. My guess is it has less to do with falling so low and more with he didn't want to play for Pittsburgh. Also, this could be an attempt by Boras et al to spike the wheel of a new draft system they hate. Either way, I wouldn't take the chance that he doesn't sign with the Twins even if he is picked by us and we offer him money comparable to a #1 pick overall.

What he said.

Is this really going to be an issue? What are the odds he gets beyond 180 innings even without a limit?

Having studied statistics in school (I was a math major) I know that statistics can be made to say just about anything you want. They can be a helpful tool, but I would never trust them completely in making decisions. They are an aid to the decision-making process, but not the sole (or even the most important) aid. About the article, well written and cogently argued. That said, how many more "Free Slama" articles are we going to have? At what point does this become dead-horse-beating?

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. This kind of makes my case for me. I like the alliteration, though.

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.

Interesting news. I had the chance to visit the place in the mid 1990s, shortly after the film came out. I'm a little surprised (but glad) that it survived to the present day. I kind of assumed that, after the movie became less well known, that people would lose interest and it would fade away. I was a seminary student at the time at the University of Dubuque, where some of the film was also shot. It's still kind of neat to watch the film and see some of the buildings I used to frequent during those years.

Just got back from a trip. Did I miss anything tonight?