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Kwak

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Everything posted by Kwak

  1. Kwak
    Of course the players say "we want him back"! Loyalty is HUGE in MLB--especially to those of marginal/dubious ability. The difference of a MLB job ($500K/year) and a AAA job (at best) of maybe $50K/year is more than enough to command loyalty. Loyalty is the major reason Gardenhire would be/is retained. Consider he never really complained that he was handed a nearly useless Active Roster, or that he had to publicly support not only the FO but "key" players that were "deemed to be building blocks" despite player performance that clearly indicated otherwise.
  2. Kwak
    There will be many additions--but we should not expect quality additions. Baseball is chock-full of AAA/AAAA players who will sign for the minimum to get another crack "at the Show". It's not about winning [baseball games]. I can't give the full link to an article by Brian Costa in The Wall Street Journal Online, I wrote-down 31 characters--and there were more!--on my browser line. There were 5 bullet points, included are these: "Winning doesn't necessarily drive attendance--Winning isn't necessarily enough to overcome market and stadium issues." "Losing isn't always enough-- to drive away a loyal fan base." Roster changes? Maybe 15 new faces, maybe 10, whatever--these are only cosmetic changes with the purpose of: 1) slashing payroll; 2) give the appearance of change; 3) hope to "get lucky" and find someone who actually is useful. People buy lottery tickets, so do sports franchises. "Dollar and a dream" goes the slogan.
  3. Kwak
    +1000
  4. Kwak
    The Twins must make "a big splash" to change attitudes and restore competitiveness. September has shown what happens when a team "gives-up". Starting pitching is the primary need and must be the source of "the big splash". A second pitcher, at a typical Twins salary, would show that management is serious about addressing the problem. This "big splash player" will be expensive--but the bullet must be bitten (so to speak) or everyone including the players, will infer just another management song-and-dance for 2014. The entire team cannot be rebuild in a single year, therefore better talent must be added yearly. The Twins, as well as everyone else has identified starting pitching as the primary need. Therefore, "the big splash" can only come from a starting pitcher, not an Ellsbury.
  5. Kwak
    One has to be creative to assemble a major league (even a poor one) roster for ~$65MM when one guy gets $23MM. It can be done (witness Houston and Miami) but it takes total committment to payroll slashing. The Twins are headed in that direction--but, as in everything they try--they go slowly.
  6. Kwak
    Too many posts that need reply individually, so... 1) FO not presenting a plan to ticket buyers but rather to ticket sellers. 2) "...ticket sales a major concern..."--you are right it isn't a concern. The high-margin tickets are those between the bases and they always get sold. The rest are simply "sprinkles" on the whipped cream topping. 3) Resigning Pelfrey?--He pitches "TTW", doesn't "dis" management, and will work within the payroll "slot".
  7. Kwak
    Note: They are training Duensing to pitch ambdextrously so he will fix his problem with RHB.
  8. Kwak
    This subject was thrashed-out not long ago in a thread--and what has changed? Hendriks wasn't rushed--he was misdeveloped. Instead of learning how to get strikeouts he required to just "pound the strikezone" with the purpose of low pitch-counts per plate appearance--PtoC. Sadly, though this philosophy works very well in the minors it fails at the major league level. Hendriks is just another of Twins'-developed pitchers that looked very good in the minors--but ultimately failed at the major league level. There is nothing the Twins can do to "help" him.
  9. Kwak
    I can't disagree with you more! The game is about players not managers. If a player isn't functional against LHers (or RHers) then he really isn't much. Train players to compete against all-comers (RH and LH) and play the best. The game slows down with player changes--and Lord knows it's too slow as it is right now.
  10. Kwak
    This is simply another "idea" to try to assemble a team conforming to the Pohlad budget/plan. We should expect a payroll for 2014 to be about $65MM to start--and then reduced from there as Willingham, Doumit, and Burton are traded. Perkins might be included in that bunch too! The plan is to operate on half of Smith's budget and still finish no worse than dead last--and likely better than Houston. I also believe that they are trying to run Mauer off by making things as unpleasant for him as possible.
  11. Kwak
    You are assuming (incorrectly IMO) that the Twins' plan is to build a World Series winner. No, it is to put an inexpensive team that is just interesting enough for people to follow. Ticket sales revenue isn't the driver of MLB teams. Its media and shared revenues that drive MLB. The Twins can make a healthy profit by keeping payroll low and losing to the "big" clubs. There is no need to be a champion. Sadly, it is almost a negative because when a team wins, everybody has both hands out demanding more money.
  12. Kwak
    Jumping on the Cubs as a way to deflect criticism is way off base. The discussion should be about are the Twins managed in a way consistent with the prime directive of building Target Field? Are the fans treated as mindless cretins?--who really don't matter that much because the other than ticket sales sources of revenue are so large that fans can be ignored? Ok Houston and Miami are taking that tack--but are the Twins next?
  13. Kwak
    I love it when the defenders (and the FO) give their spiel dismissing Free Agents. They speak as if free agents are the only players to be added to a roster to improve results. Everyone else is talking about adding less than a handful of them.
  14. Kwak
    "...and the answer is?" Apparently give up and pray. Change requires a new way--and that won't come from the same bunch that has been there for decades. I agree 1000% that the Twins want Mauer to leave--and no they won't open-up the checkbook if that happens--they will just become Houston North.
  15. Kwak
    Hendriks fits the mold of too many Twins-developed starting pitchers--no "finish-em-off" pitch. These guys are trained with a regimen of pitch-count management, "pound the strike-zone" mentality that often succeeds in the minor leagues. But every team is fully aware of "The Twins Way" of pitching and simply cherry-picks the pitches. In yesterday's game one of the A's stated that guys were jumping to the bat rack! We have been fed a lot of happy stories of young pitchers in the low minors and how well they have performed. How do we know they won't be the next wave of Slama/Hendriks or for that matter Blackburn, et al ?
  16. Kwak
    I believe there isn't any disagreement. Pohlad states a willingness to spend--as long as its according to conditions that wouldn't be agreeable. The real plan (by management) is slash payroll, feed the public the same old "ya never know" BS, and hope that somehow they can draft, develop, and "luck-out in the dumpster" before the public completely tires of their song-and-dance. It would be a real pity to build a winner years after the public has lost interest and find that TF will have crowds like Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Cleveland have today.
  17. Kwak
    Hoping for the CUBS to win?--they finish the season with Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
  18. Kwak
    Bremer had already mentioned Luke Hochevar as a possible target! That should clear-up any misunderstanding of "The Plan" and what results we should expect.
  19. Kwak
    Which is likely the plan. The "company" replacement will have much less status to challenge authority than Gardenhire. I think, they'll game Gardy with a 1-yr deal, but all of his "buddies" on his staff get replaced. That scenario will cause Gardy to decline their generous offer.
  20. Kwak
    Absolutely! There is no justification for claiming an OF with Arcia, (Buxton in 12 months at the earliest), Hicks, Presly, and (maybe) Willingham will be anything but below average next year. The Twins need someone who can hit and play satisfactory defense. Delmon II in the OF doesn't work! Presley is a back-up, Hicks is a -up, and Willingham can't play defense and (hopefully) will be gone by August '14.
  21. Kwak
    "Pitch-to-Contact, we have contact." Just love those prescient comments from DickBert: "Pedro needs to pitch more inside", "Pedro needs to pitch into the 7th inning"; "None of the team took batting practice before the game, the A's are taking it now." Wow.
  22. Kwak
    And he mentions Luke Hochevar. Considering these guys are mouthpieces for the FO, this means Ryan's looking at the barrel-scraping method of pitcher locating.
  23. Kwak
    PRAVDA had another article on him today--mostly rehashed what they reported earlier. I'm guessing that there is a tug-of-war in the FO between keeping/sacking him. I think if Ryan yields it signifies that a real change is needed in the Twins. One domino fell last season, a second (Gardenhire and his buddies), and things could "get out of hand".
  24. Kwak
    I noticed Gatewood too (in another write-up). HS Jr, 6'5" and 190#--I see 230# very soon. If Gatewood's (high) value to the Twins was as a SS, I am convinced he will grow out of that position. Sano was "signed" as a SS--and is about 240#. Sano will need some serious weight control just to stay at 3B. However, if Gatewood is a true ++ power-hitter, then that's different. Another position can be found for a real slugger.
  25. Kwak
    "Brian Dozier...--playing the wall properly and taking good routes..." What wall? Routes?
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