Jim Crikket

I've been twirling this issue in my head as a possible blog post, too, and I just can't seem to find the right angle. It does feel very deja vu-ish, though. Seems like only yesterday that Dougie was traded to make room for Justin. It may come down to whether the Twins feel Parmelee is truly a long term solution at 1B or whether he'd just be a stop-gap until a younger prospect (Sano or Vargas maybe?) takes over. Sure, the Twins could use Morneau's salary to fund some pitching, but if nobody is willing to take him in a trade without the Twins eating a big chunk of his 2013 salary, you don't get that money to spend, anyway.

You really DO want to see Mandelaro's head explode, don't you, John? I'd like to see those guys get a call up sooner rather than later, too. At the same time, maybe there's some value in letting them have the experience of a playoff push, even if it's at the AAA level. The Wings are still 3.5 games out of the wild card, so they're probably going to fall short and those players will be available to come up when the regular season ends 9/3 (or sooner if the Wings are mathematically eliminated a couple days earlier).

I think the Braves are still training at the Disney complex in Orlando, aren't they, Thry? I think your 10-12,000 per day estimate on visitors for the Twins alone is high, because I know a lot of "locals" attend those ST games, not just visitors. That said, your $100/day estimate is probably low. I go down there for about a week every year and easily spend a grand. I took my wife with me this past spring and although we obviously didn't double our hotel costs, we still managed to spend over $2,000, I'm sure. (I try not to keep track, but I know I'm poorer when I get home.) My family doesn't exactly go crazy with spending when we travel, either, so I'd like to think my experience is pretty close to "average". Regardless, I do think Ft. Myers would experience a significant economic effect if they lost the Twins at some point. In fact, it would probably lead to a similar situation that you see when large cities lose their major professional sports teams because they won't kick in for a stadium... only to have to cough up even more money a few years later to try to get a new team. If the Twins left Lee County, I'm sure the county would very quickly realize what fools they were and start trying to attract another team. The Twins may need to give up their desire for an on-site "dorm" for their minor leaguers, though. The local hotel community is not thrilled with losing all of the hotel nights that they currently book for all of the Twins' kids in the area, especially when a good chunk of the money for the planned remodel is coming from hotel/motel taxes. Have to admit, that would rub me the wrong way, too, if I were in their shoes. Maybe that's an issue that gets tabled for a few years or the Twins would have to build that on their own dime. If they decide to do it, I'd sure wait until the ink is dry on the new agreement before announcing it, though. From what I read, it sounds like there's nothing yet signed on the extension. They just agreed in principle on the basics of the extension and Bill Smith has been negotiating the exact terms since then. So now, the question is whether a lame duck Commission that made the agreement will rush to execute it before any new Commissioners take office next year.

I think Mandelaro has just been frustrated with having to follow a terrible team the last two years (which I'm sure the Twins beat writers can relate to at this point). His stance has softened as the Wings worked their way in to wild card contention this month. In the end, I think this is a wise move for both organizations. This relationship may not be terrific at this point, but there was no assurance either the Wings or Twins were going to end up with a better situation elsewhere and real risks for each that they could end up much worse off.

I see Jim Mandelaro, the Wings beat writer for the local Rochester paper, has Tweeted that the Twins and Red Wings will announce a 2 year extension this afternoon (Friday 8/17). I guess that puts an end to that issue and leaves only the Class A question to be resolved. EDIT: Oops... I see Seth beat me to the punch on this and started a new "On the Farm" thread. Just can't stay ahead of Stohs!

The only thing I know for sure is that I personally saw the rotation as the biggest problem in need of fixing in the off season. In my "blueprint" I argued for the Twins to go after two solid rotation pieces out of the group of four suggestions (Buehrle, Jackson, Harden, Maholm). Of course, we did those blueprints when we still thought the Twins would keep payroll level. Even after Ryan announced the payroll would be slashed, I continued to suggest the rotation needed a "major overhaul." Obviously, none of us saw the total implosion of the rotation that came to pass, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only blogger who felt the Twins needed serious help at the top of the rotation.

I did find the news story from last year where I read about that clause. The quote from the story is, "The lease also calls for the facility to be maintained at the same level as the five newest Florida spring-training facilities." http://springtrainingonline.com/201110041549/news/twins-lee-county-to-map-out-future-of-hammond-stadium.htm JB may be right if that's all the lease says, because it's how one judges "same level" is certainly subjective. Still, Hammond is nowhere close. If the Twins decided to play hardball and terminate their lease on that basis, I like their chances. They also have deeper pockets and can afford better lawyers.

Thry, I suspect your figures may be a bit inflated, but your point is valid nonetheless. There is NO doubt that the Twins are a huge draw during ST. I wouldn't be surprised if the Red Sox draw better than the Twins during ST, but you're right that they don't have their Class A+ affiliate there (and, unlike the Twins, I think the Red Sox may actually own their A+ affiliate). All of that said, never underestimate the ability of a politician to do the shortsighted, wrong thing when s/he believes votes are at stake. And when the issue can be boiled down to "spend tax $ to fund something for a big business or don't spend tax $ on a big business?" voters seldom even consider consequences. I think the Twins will stay in Ft Myers, but I would bet money that politics are going to make this issue get ugly over the winter.

A few weeks ago, the Twins and Lee County FL officials announced a long term extension of the Twins' lease for Hammond Stadium and the Lee County Sports Complex, contingent on agreement on something like $45 million in needed updates for the complex. While there have been some articles lately citing some differences over who might have naming rights to the stadium, it seemed like a deal was never really in doubt. But has that changed this week? The most senior, and arguably most ST-friendly, member of the Lee County Commission, has lost in his party's primary election and his support of stadium deals for MLB teams (the Red Sox got a new complex and the county is negotiating with the Nationals to move to the county, in addition to the Twins' deal) was apparently a major cause of his primary loss. http://www.news-press.com/article/20120816/NEWS0107/308160029/0/TEXTMESSAGING/Lee-County-s-baseball-future-line-after-commissioner-voted-out?odyssey=nav|head Suddenly, the certainty of the improvements to the complex is questionable. The article points out that the Twins' existing lease runs through 2020 anyway, even without the new extension. However, what the article fails to mention is that the original lease also requires Lee County to maintain the facility to a level that is comparable to the top X number (I forget the exact number) of ST facilities in Florida. By no measure is Hammond Stadium among the better facilities at this point. Just among those I've been to in the past 3 years, I'd say the Phillies (Clearwater), Yankees (Tampa), Red Sox (Ft Myers), Rays (Port Charlotte), Mets (Port St Lucie) and Orioles (Sarasota) have better facilities. The Pirates also have negotiated a remodeling of their stadium in Bradenton. I haven't been to the Tigers ballpark in Lakeland, but it was remodeled in 2003 and I hear it's very nice. That will leave only the Blue Jays (Dunedin) among teams on the Gulf side of FL as having a facility clearly below what the Twins call home in March. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds in Ft Myers and whether the Twins play hardball with Lee County.

Thanks for taking us along on your trip! Enjoyed each of the posts.

It's an interesting question, JB. I believe, more than anything, teaching (and that's what coaching is, at its core) is about the ability to combine knowledge with communication skills. Some coaches relate better to young players than others. Some, because of their own MLB success, will have more credibility with players of almost any age. Does Brunansky know more about how to hit baseballs than Vavra or any other coach in the Twins organization? Maybe, maybe not. But he can put on a World Series Championship ring when he works with a hitter and maybe the guy will pay a little closer attention to what he says. Maybe he'll even seek out Bruno for help quicker than he would someone without Brunansky's background. I also think that kind of credibility carries over to the MLB roster. At that point, some guys feel like they already know it all and feel that no "hitting coach" who has never had much, if any, success as a player can possibly tell them anything they don't already know. But a coach with a "ring" he earned with a bat does have something that the MLB player wants and maybe it's not the message, but the messenger that finally gets the message across. I think the answer is that you need very good coaches at all levels. In low levels, it's mostly about teaching fundamentals and helping kids adjust to the grind of playing 140 games a summer. At AA and AAA it's about helping a prospect learn more about plate discipline, preparing mentally and using a player's abilities to execute appropriate strategies (hitting behind runners, when to pull and when to go the other way, developing a power stroke and learning when to use it, etc.). In other words, make him "Major League ready". In the Majors, it sounds like there's a lot more film work where you study tendencies of specific pitchers that you are seeing several times over the course of a hitter's career and work with players to recognize what pitchers are trying to do to them and how to turn that to the hitter's advantage.

Face it, it was just your day to get wet, one way or another. You may have done the Wings a favor by getting it out of the way at the Falls. Otherwise, it would have caught up with you at the game and the team might not have that W. Don't hold your breath while you wait for them to thank you, of course.

I see a couple of possibilities at work here. Certainly, this could be an indicator that Twins ownership is dipping their toes back in the waters of owning/controlling their own media distribution channel. It didn't work for them the first time with TV, but it certainly has worked for other teams since then. If they can make the radio thing work, maybe by the next time their TV rights are up for bid, they'll be in a position to at least partner with a distributor and give FSN some competition for those rights. Another... and perhaps, unfortunately, more likely... scenario is that after two consecutive very poor seasons, they realized the money they might be able to command from 1500 or anyone else for their radio rights was tanking along with the Twins' W-L record and now might be the time to see if they can use Twins programming to at least make the radio station profitable.

I bumped into Doogie at Target Field right after he got that interview. He gave the same sentiment. That audio is apparently on the web site so I'm looking forward to listening to it. I asked Doogie if it sounded like the Twins are hesitating with Beloit while Rochester is hesitating with the Twins. He wasn't sure. I just listened to the interview (the affiliate question is at the very end) and I don't think there's any doubt that it's Rochester hesitating with the Twins and the Twins with Beloit. Ryan alluded a couple of times to having to wait for September for answers. But if both parties want to renew, there's no reason to wait. They can extend and announce it any time. The fact that he says it will be September before these situations are resolved tells us that, in each case, at least one party is planning on finding out what other options they may have. Logically, the parties interested in exploring possible options are Rochester at AAA and the Twins at A ball.

I'm 100% with Bonnes on this one. I get tired of hearing fans/bloggers whine about the Pohlads not spending enough money. Their argument eventually comes down to feeling that ownership should not treat the Twins as a business, but because the family has enormous wealth, they should not hesitate to spend like the big-market teams do. That's an extreme view that I've pretty much learned to tune out because it serves no purpose in a reasonable discussion of the issues. But all Mackey did was take the exact opposite, yet equally extreme view. "Payroll -- or a perceived lack thereof -- has absolutely nothing to do with (emphasis added) why the Twins have lost more than 160 games since the beginning of last season." That is every bit as absurd a statement as saying ownership should spend whatever it takes to buy the best FAs on the market. Absolutely, there are damn good teams with $100 mil payrolls or less. Most, if not all, of them include a few minimum salary guys who are performing well above their pay grade. Few, if any, of them are paying 20-25% of their payrolls to a single player, which means they're able to pay more, on average, for each of their supporting cast of players. The Twins knew this (or should have known it anyway) when they gave Mauer his deal. So tell me payroll isn't the only factor. Tell me it isn't the primary factor. Tell me you think most people believe payroll is a bigger factor than it really is. Tell me it's possible to win with a low payroll and show me that teams have done so. Make your case for specific other factors being more important. Point out instances of poor decision making and flat out bad luck that arguably would have resulted in keeping the Twins from being contenders. Those are all legitimate points to make and I may even agree with you on most, if not all, of them. But anyone... whether professional reporter/media personality or not... who states a belief that payroll has "absolutely nothing" to do with losses on the field is risking his credibility as a journalist or even as a person with an opinion worth any level of consideration. I think Phil writes some good stuff, but in this case, at best he chose his words very poorly in an effort to make what otherwise could have been a valid set of points. It's ironic that, in the process of accusing those of us who believe the Twins could spend a bit more money of being lazy, his own laziness negated any value his article might otherwise have had on this issue.

http://www.etruth.com/article/20120316/SPORT/703169908/-1/sport I can see Kane County renewing with the Royals, it will be interesting to see which Sally teams end up moving to the MWL Thanks for the link. South Bend is still listed among the "expiring in 2012" MWL teams on the lists I've been checking in on so I wonder if they just haven't made the extension formal yet. Certainly appears South Bend intends to stay with the DBacks. You'd think the WhiteSox would be a candidate to move back to the MWL, but I've never heard anything about any interest on their part in doing so and I don't think their PDC expires for a couple more years anyway.

Interesting that you think the Cubs will go to Kane County. I know it's a fit geographically, but I was told last night (KC is playing in CR this weekend) that Kane County is really happy with their Royals affiliation and they're viewed as very likely to renew. Also surprised that the Padres would have put a bunch of money in to Ft Wayne's new (2009) stadium, since the MLB rules prohibit MLB and MiLB teams going beyond the terms of the PDC in terms of financial support. There's always a way around the rules, though, I suppose. Seems odd that they haven't renewed yet, though, if they're that closely tied. Rantz said he envisioned 8-9 MWL teams changing affiliations this fall. With 11 MWL PDCs still not renewed (I think South Bend's PDC with AZ should be added to your list), he may be right. It should be an interesting September when everyone starts looking around for a partner.

I think Ft Wayne is one of the better MWL organizations and I would assume many teams would like to affiliate with them. They have a large, modern stadium that draws well and their proximity to Chicago would make them especially attractive to the Cubs, perhaps. Peoria has been losing attendance (and thus losing money) and that can obviously strain a relationship between affiliates.

Rule 54 requires notice to the Commissioner, MiLB President and League president whenever a team considers entering a "regulated transaction" (transfer of equity interest, loans, stadium leases, broadcast rights, concession rights beyond 1 year, naming rights, or any other contract of 5+ yrs). The same rule severely restricts ownership of MiLB teams by anyone with much of a tie to legalized gambling at all. That wouldn't necessarily preclude a casino owner from funding a stadium out of the goodness of his/her heart, but they probably couldn't even get naming rights to the ballpark. Not sure why a casino owner would want to put money in to a business that would potentially provide alternative entertainment options to locals and tourists, anyway. They want people in the casinos, not at the ballpark. On the Class A front, Cedar Rapids' BOD has decided to enter the "pool" rather than sign an extension with the Angels at this time and will be notifying the Angels of that Sunday or Monday. They want to explore options with a midwest MLB team. The Cubs and Twins would be at the top of their list, but if the Cubs and Peoria divorce, the belief is that Ft Wayne would be the Cubs' preferred destination. There's a lot of support for partnering with Minnesota, though obviously no decisions would be made until the last half of September when teams looking for new affiliates would make presentations.

Good question. I was tempted not to even include the parenthetical "hint", but I figured if I did that, only the really old farts (like JB and me) would catch it.

Actually, Trout was 18 when he played in Cedar Rapids. That said, having had the pleasure of watching Trout quite a bit when he played here in CR, there is absolutely no comparison between Trout and any of the Twins current prospects in Beloit. Sano has more raw power and Rosario certainly has athleticsm, but Trout had everything. I had honestly never seen a true "five tool player" in the Midwest League until I saw Trout. He clearly had to be moved up at mid-season and I believe any organization, including the Twins, would have pushed him through their system just as quickly. I've also seen enough of Sano this season to believe the Twins are doing the right thing by keeping him in Beloit. He can hit a baseball a long way and he's got surprising speed, but he's not a complete player yet, even at the MWL level.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?909-Just-Because-It’s-a-Cliché-Doesn’t-Mean-It’s-Not-True

This was originally posed at Knuckleballsblog.com. I’m not sure any sport has spawned more clichés than baseball. Right now, though, even clichés that are applicable to multiple sports seem to make me think of the Twins. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cliche.jpg As I’ve been following the the team lately, I keep hearing various clichés in my mind (“look the ball in to your glove, Nishi.” “Make sure of one, Nishi.”). A lot of them come to mind, however, as I reflect on the entirety of the Twins’ season. Plenty of discussion in Twinsville recently has revolved around the fact that the Twins’ record since mid-May has been respectable… even slightly above .500 perhaps, depending upon when you start to measure those games in your cherry-picking exercise. I tend to think that kind of exercise is best reserved for the lonely off-season when you're trying to find hope for the future. However, I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome I took some comfort there. (Pardon that obscure Simon & Garfunkel reference. I've been thinking I could probably write an entire post equating being a Twins player to "The Boxer". Another time, perhaps.) The problem with this cherry-picking, of course, is that Major League Baseball has determined that the schedule shall begin in early April and that games played in April and May count toward each team’s overall record. All the games count the same. Which brings me back to clichés and just a few that seem to be appropriate to mention at this time, if for no other reason than to serve as a reminder to us… and the Twins… that the games played next April should perhaps be treated with more respect. It’s a long season. *Sigh* Yeah… there’s still a lot of season left. Especially when the only suspense left by mid August is whether your team is going to end up losing 100 games. Every team will win 54 games and every team will lose 54 games. It’s what you do with the other 54 games that matters. I was tempted to leave this one out. First of all, I don't believe clichés should involve doing math. More than that, though, I’m kind of afraid that someone in the Twins organization might take the “every team will win 54 games” part as a challenge and try to disprove it. You can’t win a Championship in April, but you can lose one. Yeah. This one we’re certainly familiar with, aren’t we? It’s not how you start a season that matters; it’s how you finish it. I call “bull****”. You need to take the first two months of the season to figure out which adjustments need to be made. Isn't this what Spring Training is for? Regardless, it really shouldn’t take you two months to figure out that your starting pitching absolutely sucks and try someone else. There’s plenty of time left, no need to panic. If the Opening Day starting pitcher next year gets pounded and can’t survive 4 innings, I think it will be perfectly acceptable for Twins fans to commence to panic. In fact, if the Opening Day starting pitcher is ANY pitcher already part of the Twins organization today, I don’t think we should even be required to wait until the first pitch of the season is thrown before starting to panic. You can’t rush to judgment. It’s been two years of absolute failure. Unless significant changes are made, concluding that the 2013 Twins are a bad team on or before Opening Day would not be considered "rushing" to anything. You have to take it one game at a time. This is true… but God, that’s often SO painful. Pitching and defense win championships. Maybe this is true, maybe it isn’t. But I think the Twins have adequately demonstrated that bad pitching and bad defense does mean no championships, so maybe Terry Ryan should at least give this cliché a little credence. They’re a better team than their record indicates. I do think the Twins, right now, are a better team than their record indicates, so maybe this cliché is true at times. I don’t think it matters, though, because what IS absolutely true is that a team’s record determines where they fall in the standings. So if you give me a choice between a team that’s better than their record indicates or not as good as their record indicates (see: Orioles... or even perhaps the Twins most of the past decade) I’ll take the latter every time. After all, you play to win the game! (how’s that for a cliché?) They’re still missing a few pieces to the puzzle. Funny thing about puzzles. If you’re missing corner pieces, it’s sometimes tough to even get to the point where you can figure out which other pieces you’re missing. The Twins are missing some corner pieces. There’s a lot of season left. *Sigh* Yeah… it’s a long season. - JC