h2oface

So what! The umpire has to clean homeplate. He does it graciously all game, even after some batter just kicks dirt on it over and over to get his foot just right in the batters box. After the catcher kicks dirt on it gaurding the plate, or throwing to second. SO WHAT! A little dirt has to be swept off the plate. And the home plate umpire has to do the menial task of taking that little broom out of his pocket and bend over and he gets to get some attention with his own special performance rendition of the little sweep the plate off so he can better see the plate with his aging eyes and hope to guess balls and strikes better. Let's? Let US? Let you. I made my case, and prefer you make yours. I don't agree. Never have, and never will. In my opinion this is funny, creative, and good for baseball. Not a big deal. A tiny deal. And a player should not be ejected for it. Sweeping a little dirt off the plate. I am not one of your us in let's. I guess us don't care that there was no rule infraction that calls for an ejection. Unexpected? Not unexpected, knowing the personality's of umpires. Unjust? I made my case that it is unjust. Thank you for the permission to enjoy and endorse this particular Donaldson performance.

I have to offer a different perspective to the Donaldson behavior and ejection. First, there is absolutely no rule that states and player cannot kick dirt on the plate (In fact, it happens during the game all the time, as part of play). He didn't say anything to the umpire at the time (previous to being ejected), he didn't get in his face, he didn't spray saliva on him, he didn't make a big deal of it. He didn't even look at the guy, until he was already booted, and then he quickly exited the field after two more swift sweeps with his feet after he made sure he the plate was contacted. He didn't cause benches to clear, he didn't delay the game, he didn't threaten anyone, he didn't flip the umpire the bird, and he didn't break any baseball rule. He didn't even look at the umpire as he crossed the plate! The play was over, and other than returning to the plate to make sure he actually touched it, if the umpire hadn't of felt that he had to become the game instead of view the game and make sure no rules were broken and the ones there are are upheld....... Donaldson would have returned to the dugout, as he was doing anyway, and play would have continued uninterupted. Instead, the umpire disrupted play, caused a delay of game, and took a player who had broken no rule out of the game. What Donaldson did was effective, funny, and caused no delay and threatened no one. It didn't cause a teammate to actually break a rule and throw a ball at a player on the other team. It appears some that dislike what he did, and are disgusted with it, also have no admonishment for throwing at a batter in childish retribution for someone admiring their home run or clearing the benches and acting like they are fighting, and delaying the game. In fact, many times I read posts that encourage it and hope for it and suggest they should..... and all this behavior is an infraction. They support "unwritten" rules. This is the behavior that we should be concerned that the youth are affected by, in my opinion. I believe it is even an infraction to touch the base runner before he crosses home plate, and yet it happens all the time on home runs and the home run trot (and it happened on this home run trot at first base and third base). It happens at the plate when the bench all surround the player and contact him before he crosses the plate. I don't find anything wrong with that either. Debris and water and sticky gaterade can end up on the plate after the play is over. Donaldson was funny, creative, and got his point across effectively with nonverbal communication that could have, and should have, just been ignored by a secure, balanced umpire, that is doing his job and keeping the game moving and being as invisible as possible. That is his job. Not to become the game. (And not to make so many horrible ball and strike calls, either.)

This tool originally created to help make umpires better at what they do is a thorn in their side instead. Many umpires have said that they don't even review their work and look at the results and see what they have missed. Pig headed, arrogant and stubborn. They refuse to get better and use tools available to help them. Classic. No wonder they express that attitude on the field. The fact that they aren't accountable daily for what they have missed and are graded is tragic. They could have used it to improve, instead they have used it to make the disconnect larger.

Diaz sending Buxton home..... stunning ineptitude. Some may brag about this pen, and use some stats to back it up. But I know what I have seen. Today it was Romo and Clippard. But it has been others and more than once. This is a bullpen that looks to me like it will get decimated in the postseason. Too many games, important games like this, where they have totally lost the lead and the game. Pressure on. But hey, who thought the Nationals would gel and win the World Series? I gues it could still happen. I know I will be watching.

No. You could trade him for Yelich.

Aaaaaaannnnnd..... then sent down. 1-3 with a double and HBP, and see ya later. The quick end of the story chapter.

Seriously, Dobnak is toast. Burnt toast. The smoke and mirrors is over. I am glad they Twins took action. One game too, late, but pretty quick, all in all. Let the apologist's scream.... or flip .......... be thankful for what we got but don't be fooled that he is a starter to bank on. Middle of the game innings eater..... even perhaps close games.... but small doses for not too long if he is needed.

Usually not the case for Buxton, but he wasn't really loafing, either. In fact, one could be more upset about the fact that he slid at home, risking injury, when he could have easily crossed the plate standing up, still. But you are correct, that these guys still don't run out the play, or pay attention and take off immediately on a missed swinging third strike. I mean really. What else do they have to do? It really isn't that hard of a job, to run full speed to first base. Sano didn't even make it to first tonight - not even close - on and infield grounder. Didn't even get up to 1/3 speed.

Burnt toast!

NO!

If you don't understand the different mental pressure a batter faces with men on base and in scoring position, then you will always make this same argument to discount the value of RBI and the hitters that get them. But I assume you do understand the different mental pressure and context of that in the at bat, and just chose to ignore it in these cases. The run being scored has everything to do with the batter when the batter steps into the batter's box and is faced with the opportunity and added presure and intensity to knock a run in. No ball hit, no walk drawn in and bases loaded situation, and no run scored. But I am not trying to convince you. I just don't buy your angle. And you will make the same argument again. I love RBI guys, and that is why. Always have, always will. They have a history of knocking runs in, and under more mental pressure.

It is looking like there will be a bubble, and no home field, just home team for the game.

I respect your opinion, and I respect those you are disparaging. This is not a normal season. You can't have a 100 win pace in a 60 game season. Not apples to apples. I would bet Rocco is even doubting some of his decisions, regardless of what he says. I hope so. Smart people don't think they are perfect, but always willing to learn.

Which makes it even worse.....

It is clear the number one focus is to be as healthy as possible when the playoffs start. While it may not include winning the central and a better seed (and it still might), it is a smart thing to do in this shortened season. That is why I wish we see no more bullpen games. With starters only going 5 mostly..... the bullpen gets plenty of work. The Twins have probably blown the division title by their performance against KC and Detroit. For this lineup tonight to be competitive was impressive. The folks that let us down were the highest paid on the team.... Donaldson and Cruz. The table was constantly set for them. Hopefully they can step up in October. I will never understand how an umpire missing close pitches, the ones the pitchers or batters earn the most and deserve the most, and missing them for both sides makes it OK. To me, it just means he guessed more wrong, and that is even worse, and certainly always affects the at bat and the game. RBI always are important, and always will be. One can spout that one can't control the opportunities they get for RBI, and therefore it is not a good judge of the hitter, but today is a grand example of just how important those guys that can drive the runners in are. And walks rarely drive in runs, just ask Donaldson today. I always am amazed that a batter will not guard the plate better, and watch a called third strike to end the game. Just stand there and watch it, especially since the swung at so many that were way out of the zone, and this pitch is right on the edge. You just can't stand there. You just can't.

Yup. Looks like the ulna to me, too. I'm betting as an armchair doctor that has had a complete break of the right ulna mid shaft plated, and then a second non-union surgery a year and a half later with allograft and electrical stimulation that created alternating reverse magnetic polarites that I wore as a cuff.... and subsequent removal of plate a year ago after 28 years (many never have it removed, but it was starting to bother soft tissue and doesn't need to be there anymore)..... that it will need immobilized, but will not need a plate embedded, and will heal pretty well with no future problems, especially with his age - still younger than 26.

Now can we get to Chicago? The pitching staff better not be giving up 13 hits in 9 innings to Chicago. This is exciting! While I hope Eddie is OK, it could be an opening, finally, for another spark from the farm.... like Kirilloff (one r, two L's, and two f's)! This type of collision in the outfield now is really frustrating. I mean, it's not like there is too much noise to hear someone calling for the ball, and if they aren't calling for it...... WHY NOT!

Not much info about the injury yet. Whether it is the Ulna or Radius is a big difference. While the Ulna is the non weight bearing of the pair, it can be slower to heal. Heezy? This looks like a minor fracture impact to me. Certainly not a total separation, so no plate needed.

Lindor needs a smack in the face? I doubt it. Baseball players can be the biggest posers there are. They charge out of the dugouts over nothing. They act like they want to fight like a jr high school kid, but they really don't. And then fans act like they are tough, and talk tough, like they should be in a silly school yard fight. Nothing is going to happen if the two just jaw at each other, and no one is going to protect or "have their back" by coming out of the dugout and pushing each other away from some place they don't even need to be. Always the dumbest and silliest thing that happens in baseball.

Bieber crushed us on July 30 and pitched 8 innings of 3 hit shutout ball with 13 Ks, and beat Berrios, who pitched 5 and only gave up a 2 run homer (and Littell andThorpe actually pitched 2 innings each and didn't give up a single run! amazing!) We had Bieber beat that last game on August 25. He was behind 2-1 when he pitched his last pitch of the game and left the mound after the top of the 6th. Alcala came in and wasted Hill's perhaps best outing and gave up a single, homer, walk and a double, and gives Bieber the 4-2 victory and snatches it away from Hill. Poppen even pitched 2 innings of shutout ball to close the game. 4 hits and 10 Ks.... If Maeda is sharp, and someone in the bullpen doesn't flail, we could take this game. A DH and pitcher square off in the MVP sprint, and so far.... Cruz is 0-6 with 2 ground outs and a fly out the first game, and 3 swinging strikeouts the second game.

I don't know why they let these two make up double headers happen, and so close to each other. And then 2 days off. Goofy. I don't care if there was a day less rest for Dobnak. That never stopped the pitchers in the 60s and 70s from performing, and all season in a 4 man rotation. Sandy Koufax pitched game 7 against us in the 1965 Series on 2 - at the end of a 162 game season! Right. Dobnak, and nobody, is Koufax. That's not the point, Captains Obvious. There is never an excuse for the HBP walk HBP walk sequence (right, Baldelli!). 2 of the last 3 outings signal the beginning of the end of the smoke and mirrors around Dobnak. I sure hope the Maeda, Berrios, Pineda trio is backed by an improving Hill, and not Dobnak, in the playoffs. I don't even know if Odorizzi will be around. Pretty bummed he is absent virtually all season.

"Triston McKenzie has come up and been very impressive. The supplemental first-round pick in 2015 is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings over his three MLB starts this year. He has 19 walks strikeouts and four strikeouts walks." FTFY

More interesting to me, and I can't tell from the video or watching the game, did Diaz signal Eddie to advance from second, or did he signal to stop. If Eddie blew through another signal for a second consecutive day......... but if it was Diaz's decision..... maybe Diaz was too busy to get to Eddie? any help here?

4-4 against Detriot (so far) and 5-5 against KC. I just can't get thrilled about it. We really needed to sweep them to take this division back. I doubt we can win it going .500 for 20 games (1/3) of this short season, against the two worst teams in the division.

They really won't when/if the Twins let him go, and he torments us and wins games against us with the same style for the opposing team.