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big dog

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Everything posted by big dog

  1. big dog
    You're right, that WAS fun. Very nice to see.
  2. big dog
    That's an interesting point. Rick Stelmazek certainly outlasted a few pitching coaches. I wonder how often a pitching coach has a say in the hiring process in other organizations? I can see how that would make sense, as long as you trusted your pitching coach. If you weren't sure, you might hedge your bets by picking your own guy.
  3. big dog
    I guess I have a less simple criterion for "inside guy". If you have a 30-year career, in several organizations, and you've spent the last 3 here, I would think of you as a guy who was familiar with the organization, but far from being a complete insider. I doubt if Glynn forgot everything he learned at all his other stops over the last 3 years. That hardly seems like an insider to me, but I guess everyone can pick their own definition.
  4. big dog
    To be fair, that's turning Knoblauch into Duensing, Oliveros, and 16 years of production from other people. The Yankees got 4 years of CB, much of it with negative fielding value, and let him go as a free agent.
  5. big dog
    True about Lee, but he also landed in the National League. That must be worth something, but I don't know how much. I like both of these candidates pretty well. I think of both of them as outsiders, personally. JS
  6. big dog
    I was never a fan of Rios when he played here with the White Sox- inconsistent is a generous term for his performance. He did have some tools, if any are left. Hunter creates too many distractions for my taste. Too many hey-don't-you-want-to-know-what-I-think interviews. I always thought he confused leadership with talking a lot (and throwing a punch).
  7. big dog
    The Rockies are to be congratulated for their acumen in extending the qualifying offer, that's for sure. Lucky or good, looks like it worked out well for a team considering a rebuild. I'll join the group hoping Cuddy has a great year with the Mets, especially if it means they beat the Yankees during Rivalry Week or whatever marketing strategy they use next year.
  8. big dog
    He and his fiancee changed the date on the wedding so he could play winter ball. Oops. Seems like a punk move by the team to me, but it isn't great news for Hicks either.
  9. big dog
    No doubt about it. And Phil Miller's big update is that Bruno was hired as the hitting coach. The Strib must have all its resources following Adrian Peterson events.
  10. big dog
    Report from Berardino, http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/ "Hicks, 25, had hoped to use the extra playing time to jump-start his flagging career. He posted a .381 on-base percentage in 16 games (50 at-bats) for Margarita, but his batting average (.220) and slugging percentage (.280) were disappointing." Meanwhile, Lavelle's most recent story is that Buxton was injured in the AFL.
  11. big dog
    Toward the end of Ripken's career people were calling him selfish for insisting he be in the lineup when he was clearly not helping the team. Tough,maybe, but that isn't always best.
  12. big dog
    I don't necessarily blame the team for players who play hurt. If I were in Cola's situation, I would feel like I was fighting for my career with every at-bat. If I say I'm hurt, it gives the team a reason to look elsewhere. My daughter is a college varsity soccer player who got relatively little playing time last year as a freshman. She was competing for a starting spot this fall, and was given a chance in the first game of the season. The day before she had taken a pretty bad fall due to a collision in practice and hurt her neck. She warmed up for the game, and didn't feel ready to play. The coach told her to talk to the trainer, the trainer told her she should sit out, and the coach has held it against her all fall, reminding her that when she did get a chance to start, she wasn't "mentally ready". Because I guess having an injury means you aren't mentally ready. This is of course one of 36 million similar stories from athletes. Why would I risk that with a major league career? I would do what I did in my college career- suck it up, rub a little dirt on it, get on the field, and let the coach tell me if I'm too injured to play. Dumb idea, but it's a natural way to do it.
  13. big dog
    Hey admins isn't there a ban for this kind antisocial behavior????
  14. big dog
    You're from out of town, right? Otherwise you'd know better than to bring up Herschel Walker.
  15. big dog
    Yeah, except all the guys in the first group have rings and the guys in the second group don't...
  16. big dog
    I don't have any strong feelings about Viola, but he would certainly count as outside personnel. He hasn't done anything with the Twins in what, 25 years? He's been with several other organizations. Plenty of outside perspective there. Pitching coaches are a mystery to me. A few always seem to have really good pitchers, a few have a mystique that doesn't seem deserved (Don Cooper, maybe), and I'm sure they are important but as with anything, different coaches seem to relate better or worse to different pitchers. I just hope whoever they get can offer suggestions to pitchers with different styles and not try to make everyone into the same mold.
  17. big dog
    The tampering issue isn't that Maddon opted out, then signed a contract with the Cubs. The Rays' issue is that Maddon might have opted out only after being asked by the Cubs about replacing Renteria. MLB doesn't allow teams to contact people under contract about new positions, unless the contract club gives permission. If the Cubs didn't talk with Maddon before he opted out, it's not tampering. Even if they did, it's only a problem for them if it can be proven.
  18. big dog
    Guillen would do everything possible to draw all the attention to himself. That's how it's worked so far. I think that's bad for a manager, but it's a lot worse than bad for a bench coach. No thanks.
  19. big dog
    I don't think it's collusion, which we usually think of as among owners/people with similar positions. This is more like tampering. I'll be surprised if the Rays don't file a complaint with the Ghost of Bud Selig.
  20. big dog
    Renteria is well-liked and respected in Chicago, unlike every other Cubs manager in the last decade or more. The feeling here, aside from the giddiness about Maddon, is that Renteria's a good manager and he got a raw deal. I'd certainly give him an interview.
  21. big dog
    When I was listening to the NL wild-card game I heard the announcer describe various successes that Pittsburgh has recently had with pitchers who struggled in other organizations. I think he mentioned three reclaimations without even getting to Worley. He thought that there must be some serious pitching coach mojo in the organization. I think he's probably right.
  22. big dog
    Agreed, my bad. Nice catch. Duensing, Swarzak, and Kepler then.
  23. big dog
    Not disagreeing at all, just saying that it doesn't mean anything. His agent saying they would welcome a call conveys exactly zero news about Maddon's interest in the Twins. That's all I meant. The sports talk here in Chicago is virtually all Maddon right now. One of the topics was "if the Cubs win the Series, will Maddon replace Ditka in the hearts of Chicagoans?" Not that they are jumping the gun or anything.
  24. big dog
    Let's get right to the TD point- who could we bundle with Duensing to get Bum? Kepler and Pinto? Giants should go for that...
  25. big dog
    That's exactly what I meant. If a reporter asks if Maddon would like to hear from the Twins, of course the agent is going to say they would welcome a call, whether he has any interest or not. Even, perhaps especially, if they already had a soft deal with the Cubs and didn't want to make it look as if it were prearranged.
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