h2oface

If I was a manager, if I had starters like this...... I would start my best pitcher against the opposing teams number two or three, and start my 4 and/or 5 against 1 & 2, unless I want to line up my rotation for the home opener and series. Stagger my best starters. No need to have them go up against the other team's aces and hope for the best. I would also consider that Phil Hughes has only had one good opening month in his career (2010), and was not showing he was really ready all spring. Gibson looked the best and most ready to me, and he also is on the board for starting well last year. I would have started Milone on the road against Price, Hughes or Gibson today against Sanchez (either one, so they also line up to start the home opener Monday at Target), and the one I didn't start today to go against Greene Thursday. That also lets me avoid having Hughes go up against Sale on Sunday in Chicago, and puts him and Gibson in front of the Home Fans on Monday and Wednesday. If it rains, maybe Hughes is pushed to Monday, anyway. But the point is, no need to match up Hughes or Gibson against the opposing ace. I can maximize odds for my team better to not pitch Hughes, who starts slow, against the other Aces to start the season. Nolasco and Pelfrey I fill in after Hughes/Gibson or Gibson/Hughes. Starting the first game of the season on the road is over rated. When Nolasco, Pelfrey, and Milone pitch, it is a hope and dream for a win, anyway.

He starts the season off with a .400 batting average against and a .526 on base percentage against. Just like batting practice. If you need more positives.... Nolasco currently is tied (with 24 others) for the team lead in Rs, HRs, RBI, and SBs, and he hasn't even had an AB!

Ah...... that is absolutely what I am doing. Thanks.

I thought I had read that Alex Swim decided to retire at the end of spring training. Am I mis-remembering?

Well.... Pelfrey says he is healthy. I believe he said he was healthy last year at this time, too. Can he be trusted now? Once you start lying to your teammates, is it ever forgotten? I guess if he wins. Once you lie to The Dude, will he trust you?

I am sorry, I couldn't tell. That is why I was curious and asking you to clarify. The conversation with ChiTownTwinsFan started with him saying, other than Rincon, there was someone else......: ChiTownTwinsFan, on 03 Apr 2015 - 8:38 PM, said: There were others. But I don't recall who. Then he also added a little bit later....... ChiTownTwinsFan, on 03 April 2015 - 08:53 PM "There was someone else ... earlier ... who admitted to using well after, and took a roster spot from someone else. I can't remember who it was but it was a pitcher. Maybe in the 90s or earlier in the 2000s? It was before testing in the 'turn a blind eye' era. and then.... ChiTownTwinsFan, on 03 April 2015 - 09:15 PM This was before that, before testing. He wasn't caught, but he admitted to it after his career was done." Then you posted with the first post in quotes: Halsey Hall, on 04 Apr 2015 - 06:05 AM, said: ----------ChiTownTwinsFan, on 03 Apr 2015 - 8:38 PM, said: ----------There were others. But I don't recall who. Cuddy, Dustan Mohr for a couple. ....... and followed it with Halsey Hall, on 04 Apr 2015 - 06:16 AM, said: Dan Naulty was the player who admitted using years after he retired. spycake comfirmed, and added matt lawton was busted after leaving the Twins............. so........ I had never heard of Cuddyer or Mohr either having admitted to, or even been suspected of or included in any rumors of using PED's. I am am asking a legitimate question (two questions, actually). I am surely not trying to say what you said, but as the conversation included talk of "admitting to later", I was asking what you are saying so I don't misunderstand: h2oface, on 04 Apr 2015 - 01:10 PM, said: "?? Is this a declaration that you are claiming that Michael Cuddyer and Dustan Mohr admitted that they were taking PED's while they were with the Twins? Or that you are just claiming that they were?" which brings me to the answer that this post started with, which wasn't an answer to either question, but another question in answer to two questions: Halsey Hall, on 04 Apr 2015 - 1:51 PM, said: Did I say they admitted it? To give you an answer........ I guess not, from this question answer to one of my questions. But I am not trying to say you did...... I am just asking for a clarification, if you would like to offer one. As I have never heard of Cuddyer ever being implicated of using PED's, it is news to me, and I don't want to misunderstand. I would also love to know, if it is true, how and when Cuddyer was implicated. Thanks.

?? Is this a declaration the you are claiming that Michael Cuddyer and Dustan Mohr admitted that they were taking PED's while they were with the Twins? Or that you are just claiming that they were?

I believe the crux of the decision is that Hamilton did not violate his treatment. Part of that is that if you relapse for a night..... that you come clean and confess voluntarily and that is what he did. He never hid it. He wasn't trying to cheat the game. He self reported and turned himself in, and according the the agreements, that does not violate his continuing treatment, which calls for doing what he did. There are so many people that abuse alcohol with no consequence at all.... in baseball and probably on this site. It really isn't much different, and they aren't even getting help and are in denial.

That is a real conspiracy stretch. The Braves are retooling. They might have resigned him, but they are not crazy. One year at a time for Santana and his partially torn UCL.

A red flag, to me, is a partially torn UCL for any long term contract. Wainwright's lasted 8 years. Santana is on 6 1/2. Plus he wanted too much money - like 20 mil a year for 5 years - and would cost a draft pick. He had that good year in KC in 2013, but the year before (2012) he was horrible for the Angels. 5.19 ERA with a 5.39 FIP and gave up 39 homers horrible. He was delusional. He is a mediocre 4 to 5 ERA innings eater. Just a couple seasons back, he was horrible - Pelfry/Nolasco horrible! Why would anyone in their right mind give him a 4 year guaranteed contract?

Rin-coid was the only player since 2005 to be caught while on the Twins. The rest were minor leaguers, and I really don't count that. I guess you could include Vargas, because he actually made it to the show. But other than that, none of those on Bernadino's list were perpetrators while on the Twins except Ster-juan Rin-coid, as my boys and I used to call him.

Arizona Diamondbacks - 71.5 * over Atlanta Braves - 73.5 * over Baltimore Orioles - 82.5 * under Boston Red Sox - 86.5 * over Chicago Cubs - 82.5 * over Chicago White Sox - 81.5 * over Cincinnati Reds - 77.5 * under Cleveland Indians - 84.5 * under Colorado Rockies - 71.5 * over Detroit Tigers - 84.5 * under Houston Astros - 75.5 * over Kansas City Royals - 81.5 * over Los Angeles Angels - 88.5 * over Los Angeles Dodgers - 92.5 * over Miami Marlins - 81.5 * over Milwaukee Brewers - 78.5 * over Minnesota Twins - 71.5 * over New York Mets - 81.5 * over New York Yankees - 81.5 * over Oakland Athletics - 81.5 * over Philadelphia Phillies - 68.5 * under Pittsburgh Pirates - 84.5 * under San Diego Padres - 84.5 * over San Francisco Giants - 84.5 * over Seattle Mariners - 86.5 * over St. Louis Cardinals - 88.5 * over Tampa Bay Rays - 78.5 * under Texas Rangers - 78.5 * under Toronto Blue Jays - 83.5 * under Washington Nationals - 93.5 * over Tie breaker 1: The two AL WC teams will be: Seattle Mariners & Oakland Athletics Tie breaker 2: The two NL WC teams will be: Chicago Cubs & Miami Marlins

That is, if you disregard Juan Rin-coid......

Welcome to the dark side.

As Santana could return and have a great 82 games to finish the season....... I can't agree yet. Nolasco's first season was so horrible............ batting practice. He made every team a team of .320 hitters. Nothing can make Nolasco's season look even sort of acceptable, and especially not fantastic.

With Santana pitching with (and signed for 4 years with) a partially torn UCL for the last 6 plus years....... the PED might be why he has lasted this long.

I am totally in the camp that is totally disappointed the the one pitch starter, Pelfrey, is added to the rotation instead of May. Another missed opportunity.

Just to clarify, LSD is still rated (along with the most mis-rated substance ever, marijuana) by the DEA as schedule I....... which makes your statement even more true, however, other than the bit about LSD. http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/

Good for the arbitrator. I also think this was the right decision. Hamilton turned himself in, and made a mistake that is not related to baseball or performance. The process played out, and an independent arbitrator made the ruling after considering all the legal elements of the agreements.

....and Blaine Boyer, too!

Gotta hope for complete games this year. That is pretty scary, too. This pen worries me. If the pen is gonna fail, I hope they fail badly and quickly, so changes can be made sooner than later. I think Burdi is ready, too. And Reed is right behind him.

Boras represents thousands? Plural... thousands? Can you show me that list? I would be surprised to see if it was even more than one hundred. Maybe you mean in his lifetime, and not just who he represents now?

I just can't think of Duensing as a weapon. Inherited runners scoring seems to be his specialty.

I like Boyer a lot more after reading this. Here's to continued success.

As baseball fans, when our beloved team is disappointing us, or just because we have more love for the game than we know what to do with, many of us often have other teams that we follow and enjoy to root for, as long as they aren't playing the Twins, or competing with the Twins for a play-off spot. Who is that team, or teams, for you? For me, having secondary fandom for other teams has been somewhat peripatetic. Sometimes it has to do with where I live, and that changes. Sometimes it has to do with players being traded or moving to a different team as a free agent after the Twins were too cheap to retain them. As a child, it started by deciding to have a National League team to root for to compliment the American League Twins. That was OK, because the Twins would never play them unless they got to the World Series. I find it more interesting to spread the love than develop hate. Here are mine: 1. St Louis Cardinals - As a kid growing up in Rapid City, South Dakota, it was the closest National League Team, and I had read biographies of Stan Musial, Dizzy Dean, Red Schoendienst, and Rodgers Hornsby. I got to watch Bob Gibson, Ken Boyer, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, and Curt Flood play. As an adult, I love the way they put together teams, and how they always seem to have a great farm system. Still, during the 1987 World Series, they got no love from me. 2. Kansas City Royals - It started the first year in 1969 when Lou Pinella won ROY. The ‘80s were great for me, because not only did my beloved Twins finally win a World Series, but the Cards and Royals gave relief during down years as they always seemed to be in it, and brought home a couple championships in addition to the Twins. George Brett and Bret Saberhagen were in their prime. 1985 was a lot of fun, because I really didn’t care who won the World Series between the Royals and the Cards. I could like them both without the stress the Twins’ games give me. By then I was living in Lincoln, Nebraska, and KC was even closer. 3. Washington Nationals - When the Montreal came to DC and the Nats were born, I was living in Charlottesville, Virginia. Another case of proximity. 4. Los Angeles Dodgers - Living in the megalopolis of the Los Angeles area now, I go to Dodger games quite often. It kinda goes against my grain to like an organization that can have whatever they want, and there is still that childhood memory of the 1965 series and Sandy Koufax pitching a game 7, 3 hit 2-0 shutout with 10 strikeouts on only 2 days rest and crushing this 10 year old baseball fan’s world…… but I really enjoy the team and the games and the fans I have met and go to games with. 5. Oakland Athletics - I loved the white shoes and young Reggie Jackson and Vida Blue and Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers. I loved watching the Bash Brothers come up together. Now I admire Billy Beane, and the way Oakland always seems to be in the hunt. I like the Orioles from my trips to Camden Yards to see the Twins’ series as I lived in Charlottesville for 25 years, and for most of the time, it was the closest Professional team. And is it such a beautiful and wonderful ball park. I have a soft spot for the Mets from my childhood and that Miracle 1969 team. I always liked the Giants (except in the Barry Bonds years) and like seeing them be successful, their personalities not being vanilla, and have enjoyed seeing them win some championships after all these years. Brian Sabean can be GM of the Twins anytime in my fandom. How about you? (You can pick more than one. The order listed is random)