Jack C

Just the last couple of decisions? Rocco is Rocco and there is no way Twins will ever streak because it isn't in his DNA. Important baseball is all about understanding and motivating players. He's an analytics guy who is severely limited when it comes to getting guys to play up. I'm not saying we're dysfunctional like the Sox. I am saying you can tell a team that is champing at the bit to play. They have an edge to them. That either starts at the top down which is why great managers find success time after time (Billy Martin probably didn't understand analytics...) or they are built around a player or players who inspire and demand the best from those in the dugout. Which came first? Chicken or the egg? Do teams get animated when good things happen? Or do good things happen when somebody demands they do? I believe it's both. And the latter is largely absent in the Baldelli era. He's a product of a generation of baseball people enamored with numbers; we have a number of Twins Daily members who like to run that track as well. I believe understanding percentages is important but takes a backseat to motivating human beings. This Twins team had the potential with that surprising starting staff to win 95.