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Otto von Ballpark

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Everything posted by Otto von Ballpark

  1. Otto von Ballpark
    I could see them wanting to retire a number from the 2002-2010 era, but Mauer will cover more of that Twins period than Hunter.
  2. Otto von Ballpark
    Small sample so far, of course, but did you get the same vibe from Molitor's team this year when facing the Yankees, or facing the Royals in a de facto playoff series to end the season? The results on the field certainly matched many of Gardy's big Yankee/playoff series performances (although previously we did hang pretty tough with divisional opponents down the stretch in the regular season).
  3. Otto von Ballpark
    20 of 30 MLB stadiums have such "dog days", as well as the new Saints park, but not Target Field: http://www.twincities.com/stpaulsaints/ci_28271591/saints-pooch-promotion-is-hit-dont-expect-target I wonder if dogs aren't compatible with all of the bars... Twins official quoted as saying dog day "just hasn't been a shtick for our marketplace". Wonder if that's the rationale behind no kid's area too? I actually could see it, from a business perspective -- families with small kids, already budget conscious, might prefer the Saints park or other activities anyway. Hence, more investment is put towards capturing the warehouse district bar crowd....
  4. Otto von Ballpark
    Nathan was actually pretty good in 2004. A 1-2-3 inning for a 2-0 save in Game 1, followed by retiring 7 of his first 8 batters faced in a tie game the next night (absolutely should have been pulled once he walked the next 2, though), both of those in Yankee Stadium, and another 1.2 shutout innings in a tied Game 4 at the Dome, stranding multiple potential go-ahead runners in scoring position with less than 2 outs. And after he was mostly a non-factor in the 2006 playoffs, he definitely blew Game 2 in 2009 and let a couple inherited insurance runs score in Game 3 but we were already doomed by that point. Nathan isn't Rivera, but I really don't see that much wrong with his postseason record. For that matter, Gardy's postseason moves weren't that terrible either (aside from leaving Nathan in too long, and perhaps starting / sticking with rookie Kubel in that same game). There was just an air of defeat about those Twins clubs (and arguably the current Twins club) at most critical moments. I know like winning leads to a good clubhouse atmosphere, so can losing lead to that air of defeat, but I can't otherwise explain our atrocious recent playoff/Yankee record.
  5. Otto von Ballpark
    Parker, just for reference, when you quoted me saying "Great, you responded to a request absolutely no one made" (I do regret the sarcasm), my following sentence was "We don't want a place for our kids to play the whole game" which I hoped would have made clear exactly what I was referring to -- your statement that "I honestly don't see the point of paying the amount to bring kids to the game and then have them play games in the concourse the entire time." I would have thought it was abundantly clear that I wasn't denying a conversation about a kid's area was taking place at all, as I was one of the conversation's chief proponents and participants. Not sure if you made it that far into my post, though, or if you went straight to your source for Helen Lovejoy pics after the first sentence. In any case, I will endeavor to be even more clear and less sarcastic with future posts.
  6. Otto von Ballpark
    I doubt that 1500 RBI would be that important. First of all, there are plenty of recent non-HOF names above that threshold -- Sheffield, McGriff, Kent, Delgado -- plus a ton more just below it. Second, as much as baseball loves its round numbers, I don't think there's a strong frame of reference for career RBI totals, meaning their predictive power is a lot lower than, say, 300 wins, 600 HR, or 3000 hits. For example, I don't even know off hand the record for career RBI, or even the elite range for them unless I do some quick math in my head. (The threshold of 1500 also feels a lot less "round" than 3000 or 300 or 600.)
  7. Otto von Ballpark
    Is Sanchez expected to stick at catcher now? Or is he Jesus Montero Lite (no weight joke intended )?
  8. Otto von Ballpark
    While I would have liked to see bigger signs of "going for it" smartly (getting a Cliff Lee deal done, getting Thome 4+ years earlier than we did), I think the Twins playoff/Yankee issues stem from a more troubling source. For the most part, our teams have just looked different in big games, as compared to the average playoff team. Not sure why, maybe a few years of Yankee whippings and playoff losses in 2002-2004 just snowballed, but I still got that vibe from the 2015 squad against NY and in the season ending series vs KC. Maybe an out-of-character "go for it" move would counteract that effect, I don't know, but there's no reason on paper why this team should have come up empty-handed so often in recent history. Hopefully in 2016 they put that behind them.
  9. Otto von Ballpark
    The full context of the tweet ("The game is gonna mis you big bro! Go home and enjoy your fam, I got it from here") makes it clear Span is talking about MLB/baseball as a whole, not any kind of Twins-specific torch-passing.
  10. Otto von Ballpark
    You don't get service time in the postseason. I haven't confirmed anywhere yet, but since Mondesi was signed before the end of the minor league season in August 2011, I think he would have been eligible for Rule 5 this year had he not been added to the 40-man. (I guess Royals blogs have more important things to discuss right now though ) Still not sure how he's more useful than Gore. Dude is about as close as you can get to an automatic steal.
  11. Otto von Ballpark
    I wonder if Mondesi had to be added this winter anyway, for Rule 5 protection? Still weird to drop Gore, he's a good pinch runner. Not sure what Mondesi brings to the table right now.
  12. Otto von Ballpark
    New tag line for Twins Daily? It's a little wordy, but I like it.
  13. Otto von Ballpark
    My kid is well behaved at games, just bored. I actually haven't had many issues with obnoxious kids at the stadium, but to those that have: wouldn't you rather there was a playground tucked away in a hidden corner of the stadium for such kids?
  14. Otto von Ballpark
    Parker, where did anyone ask to have their kids play games "the entire time"? That is the point you were responding to that no one made. It's a strawman argument, that is no one's stated purpose for a kid's area, and it does nothing to help the discussion to assume that is anyone's motivation for the request. Sorry, I should have just quoted your first sentence rather than first paragraph to make that clearer.
  15. Otto von Ballpark
    Hunter did use his profile to campaign on the issue, so I'm not quite sure it's the same as simply overlooking your grandma's opinion on it. If I were Torii's teammate, his campaign would probably compel me to make sure I spoke out on the issue myself, not to antagonize Torii but to be absolutely clear I didn't appear complicit in this attitude from my co-worker/workplace/industry. I think it's also fair to take that stance as a fan too.
  16. Otto von Ballpark
    True. I guess the "loyalty and affinity" seem a lot less "cool" when it's coming from the desperate rebuilding team rather than the fiery veteran player.
  17. Otto von Ballpark
    Some folks think that the Twins erred in trading Span for a single top ~75 prospect in A ball, and/or rushed the trade by over-rating our in-house replacements (and unlike Milwaukee at the catcher position now, we at least had potential in-house replacements). In general, one-for-one trades of MLB players with multiple years of control for a prospect seem pretty rare. So I am not sure if the Span trade is a good yardstick for comparison. As for positional value, the same winter we traded Span, the following 2012 CF were available in free agency: Hamilton, Bourn, Victorino, Pagan, Melky Cabrera, BJ Upton, Andres Torres, etc.. Free agent starting catchers available that same winter? Russell Martin coming off 4 seasons of a collective 90 OPS+, AJ Pierzynski... and that's about it. Catchers and CF are not usually equally scarce. I don't think Milwaukee would agree to a straight-up Lucroy for Kepler swap, if that's the kind of deal you are suggesting.
  18. Otto von Ballpark
    KC gave Rios $11 mil (plus a 2016 mutual option), so I don't think Torii's salary was beyond their consideration.
  19. Otto von Ballpark
    No problem. The expiration date on my Thompson 40-man roster spot rant has passed, yet I can't resist posting it again and again.
  20. Otto von Ballpark
    "Almost solely"? I am almost certain Torii came back to the Twins in part for the platitudes and tributes, although I can't really blame him for that. It was a unique opportunity. He was a good player, a respected veteran, but retiring for these Royals and overshadowed by their pennant aspirations, I am not sure there would have even been a good opportunity for polite applause upon his farewell. He certainly wouldn't have gotten standing ovations, curtain calls, career retrospectives on the jumbotron (which started on opening day, IIRC), carrying out the lineup card on the last day of the season, etc. for any other club. And of course the full power to claim a 2016 roster spot again if he wanted it. Again, not that I blame him, but I'm not seeing his return to Minnesota as "solely" altruistic. Even him claiming the title of undisputed clubhouse leader, while beneficial for his Twins teammates, was probably a nice ego stroke for Hunter too after often playing under a group leadership dynamic in LA, Detroit, and even his first go-around with the Twins.
  21. Otto von Ballpark
    Interesting results. I only see 14 votes in the AL, and 13 in the NL, so 3 weren't polled or had their votes cast aside (perhaps after being fired?). "Voting was conducted before the postseason began" -- not sure how early that could be. Judging by the results, I wouldn't be surprised if Molitor got unanimous support from his AL Central counterparts, while Hinch and Bannister split the West vote. They already divide the managers by AL/NL, it seems natural that they might self-divide a bit by division too.
  22. Otto von Ballpark
    Perhaps you missed the point of my post. Thompson's 40-man spot could have clearly been used earlier on some bullpen reinforcements, especially in September. Still not sure what the Twins were thinking on that one, except that they repeatedly over-rated the health and effectiveness of their other 40-man pen options, and/or over-rated the usefulness of keeping Thompson around as an emergency arm.
  23. Otto von Ballpark
    Now that I've completely taken over the thread, I might as well add: I generally don't drag kids to the game when they don't want to go. But I've had my friends and extended family arrange gatherings at the game where I really had no choice but to bring along the kids. I've since started discouraging my friends and family from gathering in this manner at Target Field.
  24. Otto von Ballpark
    I don't know of anyone demanding that the ballpark be a babysitter. That would effectively be a drop-off daycare. Folks here are requesting a brief, parent shared/supervised activity other than "walking the concourse" that could help keep their kids interested in staying at the ballpark for 3+ hours. And at my local movie theater, tickets are $6-10, general admission, and the whole show is under 2 hours. Last I checked, the cheapest discounted child ticket to Kid's Appreciation Day at Target Field was $12 (limit 2) and that required a $17 adult ticket, reserved seating in the left field upper deck. (Want to go on a different day than Sunday, or sit in a different section? Kids tickets are full price, averaging $32.) All of those prices don't include fees, which I believe are around $3.50 per ticket and another $3.50 per order if you want them in advance (and remember, they are all reserved seats, so buying in advance is advantageous). Time of game was 3 hours, 11 minutes. The kid's giveaway that day was also not guaranteed ("first 10,000"), requiring fans to arrive early to ensure they got a TC Bear stocking cap. I don't really care about the costs, other to illustrate that major league baseball fans have a right to request a special "kid's area" hidden from the main seating bowl at the ballpark, as opposed to such a request at a movie theater.
  25. Otto von Ballpark
    Yeah, let's blame the parents for pointing out that having equally poor kid's activities at Target Field as they had at the Dome is kind of an abuse of the public subsidy and increased fan costs. I work damn hard to make it as kid-friendly as I can, bringing (and helping play with) many toys, books, snacks, and activities. There's just often a natural limit on how long you can keep a small kid content sitting in a chair and walking around a concourse, and it's well less than the 3 hour average game time. My kid has enjoyed a few games here too, usually when other kids of similar age are involved (I notice you used the plural forms, so perhaps that is the case also with your nieces and nephews). We're just going to far fewer games than we could if the Twins even just roped off a small area designated for kids of similar age to congregate.
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