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knothole61

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Everything posted by knothole61

  1. knothole61
    44, credit where credit is due, big homer tonight and his average is now up to .200. I'll wait two or three weeks to declared him full of fire, however. Hey, maybe he could instruct the team in the art of running on the infield grass as they near the bag at first, that worked out quite well for him.
  2. knothole61
    Pshaw...
  3. knothole61
    "Bring Billy Back"?
  4. knothole61
    Larnach has no fire inside...I'm not sure he ever had much, but in 2025 he seems like a guy playing out the string. I've been wrong before (many times) and I hope that I am about Larnach--but man, does he seem flat, or what?
  5. knothole61
    I'd pitch around almost anyone to get to Vazquez!
  6. knothole61
    The player I'd "want at the plate in a big at bat today," is Luis Arraez. Oops!!
  7. knothole61
    Linus, I dig what you are saying, and I admit that 10 in a row seems far-fetched--but that 8 year-old boy inside of me who refuses to go away thinks that maybe we can win five of the next six and fly into Cleveland with a bit of an edge.
  8. knothole61
    The Twins' current predicament reminds me of that old adage about a missing nail in a horseshoe starting a chain of events that resulted in the loss of a battle and ultimately a war. Bear with me for a second: the Twins left for Atlanta to face the last place, 5-13 Braves with a bit of momentum having just taken a series from a very good, $323 million team. After a day off they came out charging and built a 4-1 lead going into the 8th. I believe that if the Twins had managed to win that game it's likely that they would have taken, if not swept, the series. The gut wrenching loss, however, lifted the spirits of the Braves and put a genuine damper on Minnesota's momentum, resulting at least to some extent, in the ugly sweep we've just witnessed. Analytics and matchups, etc. have their place, but as long as baseball is played by human beings, factors such as mood, motivation, and momentum will play a major role in determining outcomes. Without the Jax/Sands 8th inning meltdown the Twins might be 10-12 right now and heading home with a 5-game winning streak to face the Sox and a chance to move past .500 "For the want of a nail..." .
  9. knothole61
    JADBP, you may be the only person with fewer posts than I have, and I for one hope that you will offer many more. I've been trying for years now to put my finger on the most malignant aspect of Rocco's persona, and to no avail--but I think you've managed to hit it on the head. I've condemned him for seeming to be too mellow like a Grateful Dead zombie, (no, not all Dead fans are zombies, but some are!) or a micro-managing pinhead, or even a leader who is hesitant to fully utilize (let alone push to their limits) his charges due to an excess of caution and empathy...think of Gen. George B. McClellan here. But now, thanks to you, when I look at him staring placidly out from the dugout I will envision him loading kids into a mini-van, bound for an ice cream treat or a "Misty Slush" at Dairy Queen where everyone can admire their participation trophies and blow paper wrappers off of their straws. Brilliant! Look, I think he's probably a nice guy, and that he loves baseball, and that he was an excellent player in his day...I just can't imagine him taking the Twins to the Promised Land.
  10. knothole61
    JD, remember what Mike Zimmer famously said to a reporter who seemed naively mystified after an embarrassing loss "Did you watch the game?" Well, allow me to respectfully ask you: did you watch the game last night, or on Wednesday night, or most any time that this "shut down" reliever with such great stats and stuff has pitched this year? I know that Jax has had some success in the past, but what I'm saying is that he's hit a wall now; that I'm not surprised; and that he will probably never be what he once was, and what we all want him to be. Okay, you've got your stats and I have my intuition...let's let it play out and see who is correct. You with your facts and me with my thoughts is kind of like the battle between John Henry and the machine, but I still like my odds, although I am pulling for you.
  11. knothole61
    Ouch...even during his short-lived "he's the greatest set-up man in all of baseball" phase, there's been something about Jax that didn't sit well with me. This is not 20/20 hindsight--I've never really trusted his stuff. I'm not sure what this makes me, (a Boomer I guess!) but I base most of my MLB beliefs on observation and intuition rather than on today's endless and incredible array of stats. So...my eye test has always told me that there's some fragility in Jax that will keep him from ever achieving any long term success in MLB. Maybe he will right the ship and become of value to the Twins. Maybe his 11 runs in 8 innings and 11.25 ERA is aberrant, but I genuinely doubt it. Time will tell, and I hope that I'm wrong, but please Rocco use him sparingly for the time being and not as the vaunted set-up man. It's all so sad really...I mean, after all of the early season scuffling and ineptitude, the Twins were ready to turn a bit of a corner tonight. A win to start the Atlanta series, that included an impressive rookie debut and a strong performance from Paddack, could well have provided a springboard for this series and beyond. Instead, the much needed come-from-behind win for the struggling Braves has given them the momentum.
  12. knothole61
    RpR, that's absolutely true...there's nothing so common as a newbie (pitcher or position player) bursting onto the scene in dramatic fashion until the book is written on him. I think that Miranda and Julian, for example, debuted as world beaters but have settled back into something much less reliable. But...maybe we have caught lightening in a bottle with this guy. I remember listening on the trusty transistor radio to Rod Carew's fist game. He had a hit in his first at bat and ended up 2 for 4 against the Orioles in Baltimore. I had a feeling he was going to be something special--and that worked out! While I'm not saying that he will become another Rod Carew (that's impossible) but I do have the same feeling in Keaschall's case; that he's going to be something special. We'll see...
  13. knothole61
    Great win--I'm proud of the boys, as beaten up as they are, for winning the series against the $323,099,999 Mets! And now the next 9 games (I think) are with teams averaging a .350 winning percentage. The Twins can, if they put the pedal down, creep close to .500 soon...fingers crossed. On the negative side: I do not trust Jax. Moreau (bless his heart) called him absolutely one of the best relievers in the game. Well I think it's fair to say that Jax is an unreliable reliever who is prone to meltdowns but who, when he's at his best, is what Moreau said. I know it's early, but he's cruising along now with a 7.04 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. At this point he's no longer my set-up guy; I'd rather see Sands or Varland in the 8th. Also, Larnach's funk is troubling. It's not the low average so much as the sloppy, non-competitive at bats he's been taking. He's looking like a deer in the headlights. By the way, if he'd been out in left on Wednesday instead of Bader, the Twins would have lost. Finally: Gasper, why?
  14. knothole61
    Finn, you scooped me on that one!
  15. knothole61
    Yeah, they were edging closer and closer to setting up a heartbreaking Soto Slam...but not this time! Also, nice Buddy Holly reference
  16. knothole61
    Dick was like a favorite pair of slippers and I appreciated his true love of baseball, while Bert was several shades more caustic--but they both left the booth rather unceremoniously. As I recall, there was very little warning when Circle-Me-Bert left...I mean, he seemed to have developed a bit of an attitude at times during his last couple of seasons and it's possible he just quit in a fit of pique. Dick, on the other hand, would have died at the mic if they'd let him, but they didn't. The best thing about Bert was his curveball, and the worst was the way that he'd read laconically from the press guide when giving us background on a new pitcher or hitter. The best thing about Dick was his almost childlike optimism and devotion, while the worst were the odd things he'd say between pitches at times, such as: "Hey Bert, who was your favorite grade school teacher...did you have a favorite?" "Yester-me yester-you yesterday..."
  17. knothole61
    Got the point they needed with 40 seconds left!
  18. knothole61
    Pardon this glimmer of optimism (it's not my nature vis-a-vis the Twins), but I'm pretty happy with the starting pitching at this point. Even SW-R is a bit of a gamer and Ryan, despite the high pitch count, looked solid tonight. When Lopez comes back, (and I really don't think he will be gone a long time), and we get extended "prime time" looks at Festa and Matthews, we may find that we have a very formidable rotation going forward. That's just one piece of the puzzle, but a major piece for any team.
  19. knothole61
    T.O., yes, it's like he's coming at us from some alternate reality one might have seen on the original tv Star Trek.
  20. knothole61
    Upstate, thanks for the link, I love the rankings and am happy to see that the Twins gained a point due to the Prince Night planned for sometime in June, I think the Brewers are ranked too high for what should end up to be a mediocre team and season, but time will tell. There's no doubt about the support of their long suffering fans whose unflagging loyalty, almost childlike in its innocence, led to a 40th anniversary celebration of the Brewers' 1982 World Series loss! They invited players back and showered them with praise and, I can't be sure, but I think there might even have been a parade with elderly guys sitting in convertibles and waving to admiring fans. It occurs to me that, in order to brighten up what seems to be a dismal 2025 season Twins' fans might organize a gala celebration of our World Series loss to the Dodgers. The 60th anniversary of our game #7 loss to Koufax (who pitched a complete game, 3-hitter!) is coming up this October 14th. Just a thought...
  21. knothole61
    JD, of the three Mendoza Line players you've mentioned, I'm most concerned about Larnach. Buxton doesn't have to hit for average to give the Twins a boost; his occasional blasts, genuine speed on the bases, and fielding ability make him worthy of his keep. As for Correa: he will catch fire with the bat for a couple of stretches this year. He is, by all accounts, an inspirational team leader, and, of course, much is always forgiven a good-fielding shortstop. But Larnach...I'm not sure how valuable he's going to be for the rest of his career. Although 2024 was his best year thus far, (and it wasn't anything spectacular) I can't forget his rather pedestrian 2023 campaign when he struck out at nearly a 35% rate, or about 10% over league average. He's 28, has neither a great glove, strong arm, nor speed on the base paths, and Rocco and others when interviewed often claim that he's about ready to break out and realize his full potential. I hope that they are correct, although I fear that we have seen his full potential already. He kind of looks lost at the plate right now-yes? Oh, by the way, nice win today!
  22. knothole61
    Wow...well then, are any of us highly-paid athletes? Is it all just the same Seth?
  23. knothole61
    And...if your 2 NFL losses were to the tune of 35-6 and 31-0 you might be a bit more concerned.
  24. knothole61
    Okay, Morneau is not a spellbinder, but he's so damn sincere it's hard for me to hate him. He was such an incredible player until he took one too many shots to his head, and that's really so sad. I think that he had Hall of Fame potential. Provus is actually quite good, I think, a real professional. The cloying deference to the team kind of comes with the territory as a big time broadcaster--yes? It's akin to the coverage of the Masters golf tournament where the hidebound traditionalists who run Augusta insist upon decorum in the broadcast team (Jim Nance is the prototype here) and heaven forbid that anyone call members of the gallery either fans, or the crowd, or even the gallery, it's always patrons...always patrons! Slip up on that one and you'll never be back there again behind the mic. I love the tourney but always get the feeling that those in charge would like to turn the clock back to 1928, or so.
  25. knothole61
    Great stat...interestingly enough, 1904 was the first season I can remember in my long Senators/Twins fandom. Casey Patten, a strong lefty, was my favorite player during a dismal 38-113 season (.252) when the boys finished a cool 55.5 games out of first. How close will the 2025 Twins come to equalling that ignominy?
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