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shimrod

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Everything posted by shimrod

  1. shimrod
    The one excuse I haven't seen yet that might actually fly is the loss of the former bench coach. I don't know what that interaction looks like in practice, but if the manager typically receives opinions from other coaches (bench, bullpen, pitching, etc) and decides which opinion to implement I can see the sudden loss of that coach having a big impact on his performance. We had a traumatic disruption to the staff before the season and that could explain a lot. That said, it's still on Rocco to turn it around.
  2. shimrod
    "There is a massive difference between "Rocco is bad at his job" and "Those two plays weren't his fault". Massive." If two fielding plays were the only issues with this club we wouldn't be trailing in the ALC and there wouldn't be so much angst in the comments.
  3. shimrod
    "You only have to read a few posts up to see he gets little credit for the last two years....somehow. Really, all I see on this board is that the players won the last two years, despite Rocco, so I don't know what you are reading....." There are plenty of posters who say Rocco either was dealt a bad hand or isn't responsible. "MLB players need to hit and make plays - the manager doesn't hit or field" condenses the sentiment. Those are the folks I was responding to. If you manage people - not just baseball, but if you've ever supervised employees - you know you're responsible for the results. You can't point at the folks who work for you and pass the blame. You're getting paid to get them to do the job properly. It doesn't matter why they're failing - poor training, poor attitudes, poor working conditions - it's on you to make it work. Right now it's not working and it aggravates me when I read posts absolving Rocco of most or all of the blame. Yes, there are plenty of people criticizing the manager right now. I was addressing the others.
  4. shimrod
    "Baldelli is still the best manager for this ballclub..." I saw no justification for this statement. Why? Because he's the guy under contract? I want his job. He gets the credit for success and every failure is someone else's fault. Rocco was touted as a genius from the day he was hired. It's time to earn the accolades by turning this club around, pronto.
  5. shimrod
    When every aspect of the team is failing it's time to look at the manager. You can't manage people (or games) by reading a spreadsheet and trusting the numbers. The metrics are an imperfect measurement of reality that should be used as an input into decisions, not a deterministic guide to action. This team couldn't handle TK.
  6. shimrod
    It was interesting hearing the booth guys praising Rocco for his demeanor. Doesn't matter if they win by a walkoff or lose on a walkoff, Rocco's the same guy. Perhaps a manager who gives a damn whether they win or lose could get a little more focus out of the players. At least they didn't kick this one away; it was just lousy pitching. That plus another failure to produce hits (or even productive outs) when the game is on the line.
  7. shimrod
    "A couple brain farts and a mis-handled ball and 2 of those 3 loses likely don't happen." I agree with this, but I don't have confidence this team won't continue to lose with brain farts and mistakes. If there's any accountability for poor play it's way, way behind the scenes. What appears to be lack of focus in the field and poor situational awareness both in the field and at the plate are a constant with this team.
  8. shimrod
    1. The home team only gets that advantage if they stop the visiting team from plating the same runner in the top of the inning. So it's not a neutral advantage in that scenario. Well, yes. But your strategy for plating that runner changes when you may need more than one run to win the game. Are you going to bunt that player to third and give up an out if it's not a sure win? Maybe, maybe not. If you know that single run wins it's much easier to give up the out to put your runner on third.
  9. shimrod
    this should be one of the best defenses in baseball. I agree, it should be. They looked disinterested today. Even the best players have bad plays, or bad games. Multiple players looked like they thought they were still in spring training. I can't imagine Tom Kelly putting up with this for long.
  10. shimrod
    Starting an inning with a runner on 2nd - not baseball I think Morneau pointed out this benefits the home team much more than the visitors. Makes a huge difference if you know you only need to plate that one runner to win the game. That said, defense was horrible. Twins deserved to lose this one.
  11. shimrod
    I think we'd all prefer to see him sharpening pitches that are less hittable.
  12. shimrod
    "The vast majority of spring training happens outside a box score and that’s where the Twins are making their decisions." Agreed. And the fans here are not privy to any of that. All we can see is the box and occasional broadcasts. And, as I said earlier, he hasn't got a track record of upper level success that should outweigh his current performance and whatever else Rocco and the staff may be seeing. If he was blistering the ball and getting sent down I'd understand the consternation. As it is, I don't get it.
  13. shimrod
    "If the FO is making decisions on 31 spring training at bats, they probably aren't doing it right........" What else should they base it on? His stellar AAA track record? It's not like the other choices are chopped liver. Past Twins teams had a choice between the promising prospect and the AAAA never will be. This isn't that team. There are multiple productive options who can fill that spot until Alex is ready. In the long run Rooker may even have the better career. There's plenty of time to bring him up if the other options flame out. Let the kid find his footing in the alternate site or minors.
  14. shimrod
    This might be the most absurd statement I have ever seen on TD. I think you should go back and read it again. Who are the lying idiots going to infect if everyone else in the stands is vaccinated? Once again...the park should be open to those who are vaccinated. If that's controversial god help us. My further point is that this shouldn't require people to provide proof of vaccination. The vast majority of people are honest, in my experience. The few folks who are dishonest enough to lie about it will not be a large enough fraction of the crowd to cause an issue, and if they do infect someone the victim will be another "lying idiot". If you're scared stay home and watch the game on TV. Millions are vaccinated every day. Positive tests are plummeting. The park doesn't open for another month. We don't need to set some arbitrary limit on attendance to protect the general public.
  15. shimrod
    There should be no limit on number of fans in the stands. The Twins should open the park to anyone and everyone who's been vaccinated with no limit on numbers. Attendance will naturally ramp up as the vaccines are rolled out. I expect there would be questions about how the Twins would verify people had actually been vaccinated. I don't see why the club should worry about it, certainly not from a liability standpoint. If the Twins make it very clear no one's allowed in unless they've been vaccinated there will be two groups in attendance: those who've been treated and are immune and those who lied about it. In the event someone claims they caught Covid at Target field they'd then have to explain why they falsely certified they had already been vaccinated. Do I expect this plan to be implemented? No, it makes too much sense and the powers that be are having way too much fun applying and enforcing the rules.
  16. shimrod
    Add me to the list of people surprised at the payroll. When Donaldson was signed I was shocked; in response I made a commitment to stop criticizing the Twins spending. I was expecting to spend this season biting my tongue, instead I find myself praising the team for staying the course. Where the spending is allocated is subject to debate, as always, but it's tough the denigrate the amount. I'm looking forward to a season of competitive baseball.
  17. shimrod
    It's amusing to me that many assume Twins coaching will automatically improve the new pitcher. A tweak here and there, voila! A reliable reliever or possibly even a productive starter. Wade, however, is what he is. SF has obtained a good OBP, no power, steady but limited defender. I wonder what SF thinks Wade can be with a tweak or two?
  18. shimrod
    Waiting for someone to offer him 7 million to go anywhere besides MN. (joking)
  19. shimrod
    "If Cruz falls off the cliff, you cut him and be fine with the loss of the money.The main question will be, how much that is, and will Cruz accept it?" If it was this easy I'd agree. The problem is, how long does he suck before you know he's toast and not just slumping? And if you start the season with him, what impact on the team when you cut him mid-season? There are too many ways for this to go wrong. Also, we do have other needs and other options at DH. It just looks to me like too much risk.
  20. shimrod
    I don't want Cruz at any price. As noted earlier, he slowed down considerably in the second half last year. Slump? Injury? Age? There's no way to be sure. Will Rocco have a quick hook? What impact does it have on the team if Cruz stops hitting? Do you let him try to hit out of a slump, hide him on the bench? What affect does benching your "heart & soul" have on the rest of the team? The worst case scenario may be mistaking age related decline for a temporary slump and continuing to bat Cruz in the heart of the order through an extended period of ineffectiveness. By the time it's clear Cruz is washed up we may have wasted another season. I'd rather use the money to sign a defensive upgrade or pitcher(s). We have enough boppers in the lineup to effectively rotate the DH position.
  21. shimrod
    I'm all in favor of keeping the "ageless slugger" in MN, if that were an option. Not interested in keeping the actual aging slugger. Things that cannot go on forever do not. I don't want to see DH become a black hole in the lineup as we try to distinguish between a slump and a decline. Age related decline in sports is on the same curve as bankruptcy. Cruz may well have another full season in him, but finding out if it's 2021 is not a gamble I'd take with a contending team.
  22. shimrod
    Molitor won manager of the year too. Front office couldn't wait to get rid of him. Rocco is young and inexperienced. If I'm the front office, I'm asking him what's going to change going forward. What have you learned? And if he doesn't have a good answer, he needs to be gone as well.
  23. shimrod
    Edit: today’s game was even free nationwide on ABC if you had an antenna Not according to the local broadcast schedule - I checked. Typically the game previews on sites like CBS sports provide broadcast information if available. I checked there as well and found nothing. Edit - looked back and sure enough, scheduled on ABC. Trouble is, schedule shows news from 5pm on (EST). I wasn't off work until near six my time. In short, game was available. Better prep on my part and we could have seen that inspirational finale. My bad.
  24. shimrod
    "arrived home to see Garver pinch ? ..." I expected to see the last couple innings after work and found the game blacked out (SE Virginia). MLB always happy to make a couple extra bucks selling someone the right to prevent fans seeing the game. Playoffs no less. My daughter was beginning to get into watching the team with me on MLBtv. She's the demographic MLB should be pursuing, instead they slap her in the face with a playoff blackout. Great job, MLB. EDIT: I've been informed game was available on broadcast ABC. I missed that. Blackout policies are still an abomination but in this case I was wrong.
  25. shimrod
    Max seems unconnected and emotionless to a degree. Maybe being called out as a racist by a vocal group of fans contributes to this. Wouldn't surprise me if his heart isn't in it.
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