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bird

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Everything posted by bird

  1. bird
    here's what I have: ESPN, MLB, BA, BPRO, SICKLES, FANGRAPH, in order: Buxton # 1 in all 6 Sano: 8,3,6,14,3,10 Meyer: 62,36,45,32,51,36 Stewart: 76,66,52,54, NR, 36 Rosario: 49,68,NR,60,56,NR Berrios: NR,85,NR,75,127,NR Thorpe's only rating came from BPRO at 101 Pinto's only rating, also from BPRO at 56 Kepler is the only other prospect I've see rated by anyone.
  2. bird
    There are a half dozen ne shortstops with star ceilings just entering the league and replacing, in most cases guys who are an upgrade to Florimon. Trade opportunities are likely to improve, perhaps starting at this year's trade deadline.
  3. bird
    Describing drafts as weak to deflect blame would make sense if the people decribing the draft as weak or strong were employed by the teams. Instead, the opinions that matter are coming from fairly objective sources.
  4. bird
    I think we covered the topic, nick. You brought up spending, I didn't, and you pressed me twice to clarify why I beleive, unlike you, that your analogy doesn't fit. We don't agree, and I fully understand your point of view. Thanks for being civil, I appreciate and respect your opinions.
  5. bird
    I agree with you, diehard, that they didn't break the rules. I simply am holding them to a modest standard of ethics. I believe the prevalent view among people who study and teach ethics would be that the Cubs and Rangers intentionally bycheated and caused harm to other parties to the same agreement by circumventing the spirit and intent of the agreement.
  6. bird
    A critical difference, nick, is that the teams formally agreed to the international signing rules. You were not promised, by the Twins or anyone else, that they would spend "X" amount on payroll in "Y" timeframe. More importantly, you are not entitled to be a party to some agreement. Most importantly, there has been no unethical conduct that you can legitimately cite, unlike with the Cubs, who breached a formal agreement that they participated in formulating. Yes, Jim Pohlad said they'd spend more on payroll. Yes, Jim Pohlad and others have said they have a guideline (not a promise or agreement) to spend an average of about 52% of revenue. Apparently, many of you believe, because this hasn't happened (yet), that you have been betrayed. There is no agreement, nick. There is only an expectation, a false one, that the Twins should spend 52% on payroll, each and every year I guess, and some of you have convinced youeselves that not doing so is unethical, or some sort of violation against you. So, your analogy is bogus, nick. Bottom line? The Cubs were unethical. They have the prerogative to be unethical. The Twins, who by the way HAVE at least increased their spending in fits and starts, have not been unethical. If we think the Twins are not spending enough, we can vote with our pocketbook and whine about it on TD, but those are our only choices. And we are not entiltled to anything more.
  7. bird
    You lost track of your own argument, my friend. When I made the simple and true statement that a handful of teams have (Cubs) or would be (Yanks) cheating the system, you disagreed. You said that if this was true, there would be a slew of lawsuits. I have no clue where you wandered off to after that, but there were some terrific contributions from others in the thread, and the overwhelming consensus is that the league, in the face of this cheating, will certainly address the problem. So the majority concurs.
  8. bird
    You make sound points, Jim. I guess I still feel strongly that, when we witness cheating in our society, we should feel some measure of outrage about it. The message we're sending to our younger fans, in this instance, is that agreements don't have to be kept and cheating has its benefits, so don't be a chump, get in there and get yours. The international market has been notoriously filled with shady dealings, and MLB has been complicit. I don't know what the solution is, but would appreciate seeing much of the unsavoriness eliminated from the process. I won't hold my breath though.
  9. bird
    I was confident and pleased that the Twins would pick the BPA in their own opinion, and was like most of us desperately hoping that the BPA would be a pitcher. It appears there will be very few busts among the top 10 or so picks in 2011, and I think that might be a notable trend.
  10. bird
    nick, I didn't want to hijack the thread. But quickly, you agreed to the stadium through the political process. No one promised you anything that hasn't been delivered. It's your own mirage that your staring at about how much spending you are entitled to and on what timetable. You are not entitled to a thing, nick. Moreover, isn't it convenient to ignore the financial and intrinsic benefits we're enjoying because of Target Field. So, here's my analogy of why it's a bit hypocritical for us to blast the Twins on this and pretend we're being cheated. If I was one of those who bought a cheap chunk of pasture out north of Rogers and built my new house on it, the rest of you helped me make this dream work. You bought me roads, and a sewer, and the LRT. So, thanks. But if you think, for one minute, that you have the right to tell me what to do with my house, you're mistaken. It's not yours. Public subsidies are part of our deal. If you work for Best Buy, or Allina, or any other company that has built facilities, the taxpayers have a few nickels invested in your cubicle. So we expect you to work real hard to make your company profitable so we get paid back in tax revenues generated from your loyal efforts. That's how the system works.
  11. bird
    Agreed, but there are different degrees of ethical misconduct or rule-breaking. We may have varying opinions about how dishonest a behavior is. So, for me, taking an intentional penalty, or signing Lewin Diaz prior to July 2nd is not at all analogous to attempting to corner the international market to the dtriment of the fans of every other MLB team. One behavior is going 60MPH on Highway 100. The other is driving while crack-addled and drunk. Well, maybe not THAT bad...but you get the point. The violator in either case will rationalize his behavior to create a distorted truth. But the truth isn't altered. If the speed limit is 55MPH, I'm breaking the law. But when I go 60, it feels like I'm right and the law is wrong. Some things are worth getting pissy about, and personally I get pissy about what the Yankees are possibly about to do.
  12. bird
    This is a completely bogus analogy, nick. And if you didn't intend for it to be analogous, perhaps we could start a new thread on that topic, seeing as how it's such a fresh one. Geez.
  13. bird
    Not all problems are resolved through lawsuits, jokin. The league will certainly address the problem.
  14. bird
    Nick, this article was a pleasure to read, not only because of the subject matter but because it's so artfully written. Thank you.
  15. bird
    With all due respect, this is nonsensical to the core. First of all, MLB is a business. A very big business. Secondly, I'd be a millionaire if I had ten bucks for every time you and others have called out the Twins management on questions of ethos. So, if it is a game, you'll have to explain this to me. Thirdly, rules and law go hand in hand. Google the Rules of Civil Procedure and then get back to me, because the last time I checked, there isn't a trial lawyer in existence that would chuckle at the thought of rules as some sort of contraption. Let's be real about the topic. Everyone knew what was expected of them. A handful of organizations are cheating the rest. Period.
  16. bird
    They have roughly $300,000 unspent. Consider yourself educated, johnny.
  17. bird
    Choosing the ethical high ground is EXACTLY what teams like the Twins are doing. They use words like "sanction" for a reason. While open to interpretation, I'm betting that almost every professor that teaches ethics would consider what the Cubs did as unethical. They knew what they agreed to, the behavior that the rules intended to incent. In the ethical worls, the Cubs cheated the system, period.
  18. bird
    First, you're wrongfully insinuating that the Twins aren't spending to their cap. Check your facts, mike. They're almost at the cap and there's time left. It's unfair on your part to make this claim. Secondly, mike, it's a question of ethics. It is not alright to behave contrary to the very obvious spirit of the rules, even if the rules aren't technically broken. We should be happy when organizations play by the rules and honor the spirit upon which they were established.
  19. bird
    I wonder if, rather than sending a challenge message to Pinto, if they're simply trying to take the pressure off and fully expect him to come through and win the job. I know that's what I'd do.
  20. bird
    Well jokin, we agree on the Royals. But I have to rib you a bit for fun: the "experts", perhaps aside from you, appear to view Berrios as being in the same tier as Micah, er, Eric Johnson, right? A topic for another thread, but I'm more skeptical about Detroit's staying power. Rotations tend to suffer two or three losses to injury during a season, and my hunch is that Detroit doesn't have acceptable replacements on the way. I think they were one of the weaker spenders internationally too this year. If they suffer more than one or two injuries to their rotation, they may be much more vulnerable. They don't have nearly the financial flexibility of some other teams, so FA acquisitions may be tougher to come by too. Of course, I'm looking out two or three years here.
  21. bird
    Interesting take, JP, thanks.
  22. bird
    While I agree that they should pursue a sure thing when the right opportunity presents itself, I'd hardly call Dozier or any other successful prospect a product of luck and a gold strike. Some fail and some succeed, but it's hardly random luck at work. We don't know if Diaz or Santana are sure things, and Drew presents his own set of risks (unless one dismisses money as reason to pass someone up, which many do). All I'm saying is that if Drew and Diaz are determined by the Twins to be poor choices, it's not the worst thing in the world to live with Florimon for 2014, and it's not a given that someone doesn't emerge as a decent solution a la Dozier.
  23. bird
    I agree with this but with the caveat that a year ago the consensus was that we lacked a high upside prospect for second base, and we can recall that Dozier was probably less highly regarded than Santana is right now. That said, I have no idea whether Diaz would be a good idea and would be pleased if the Twins decided he was.
  24. bird
    The Royals have three pitching prospects that appear to be every bit the equal to our top 3. Chicago has one, #99 ranked Eric Johnson, that the experts have in the same class as our #93 ranked Berrios (are you reading this, jokin? ). Looking past 2014, given how difficult it is to field a rotation free from the devastation of injuries, I like the Twin's chances to become a contender certainly by 2016. The Royals look to me to be the real competitor during the next cycle. )
  25. bird
    more good news, especially comparing ourselves to the rest of the AL Central, the Royals excepted. Twins have 6 prospects while Cleveland (2), Chicago (2) and Detroit (1) combined for 5.
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