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BigTrane

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Everything posted by BigTrane

  1. BigTrane
    Do you have MLB.tv? Please listen to Cards broadcasts, Bucs, Barves... horrible. Cards should have the best, yet they get the dreck. Shop around MLB a bit, and I think you'll appreciate Dick and Bert a bit more.
  2. BigTrane
    Yeah, well, I think when you hit and plate runs, you tend to win. Anybody can manage that. Surprise of the season so far is that we are hitting.
  3. BigTrane
    Yeah, but the trend this season is for locking up talent early... thereby getting long-term bargains, when you factor in inflation. (AND drying out the FA market, btw.) Case in point: The Barves (intentional foul). This is the new trend. Dozier at least seems to have figured this out, perked his ears up, and made his wishes clear. Think, for just a moment, about our history with developing middle infielders who have more than just a glove... How many players have we seen get ready with the Twins, just to move on and only the fully blossom? Hunter? Cuddyer? Garza? Hawkins? AJ? Jacque Jones? Ok, just kidding on JJ, but you know... When do the Twins commit to a player who has proved/is proving himself at the MLB level? The Hunter and Santana situations still just gut me...
  4. BigTrane
    Aha! Parker! crarko called it... Parker, I'd love to see a breakdown- what you say is informative, I just want to see more. More detail, please! The Baker/Hughes comparison is interesting, as is the constant voice of Bert in my head about "change the plane" and "go down in the zone". Sounds about right. Question is: does Hughes have an out pitch? Key point of the FG article was that he wastes so many pitches on 2nd-strikes that he racks up around a 100 PC by the fifth. Clearly not sustainable. And distinctly different from the HR concerns when he was signed. So... and all caveats on the table... small sample size, etc., I'd love your analysis on the situation. Temple himself was not conclusive.... but as time goes by, I'd really be interested to see your breakdown/analysis in an extended piece. My take? Just an impression: he's wearing himself out of games because of this. His curve seems to be more effective than his cutter, but he doesn't throw it much- confidence issue. No out-pitch? What next? Where does/should this go?
  5. BigTrane
    Then Matt's is your place. Not fancy. Just dribble-down-your-chin-but-spash-some-beer-on-good. Keep an eye out on the brew pubs tho, Mpls is low-key. Give that a shot, but don't look for good BBQ! Don't want to break your heart... Do check out Pho Quan on Nicollet.
  6. BigTrane
    Depends on when you are back, where you go, what you look for, how long you've been gone. Personally, I worked at Uptown, Buca, and opened the kitchen at Old Chicago- one of the (if not the) first brew pubs in Mpls thru my undergrad days at the U. From my perspective, so much has changed since then... breadth and depth is amazing. As a kid, there was 1 (one!) Chinese place in Mpls- Nanking. Then the Leann Chin... chain, ugh. (Full disclosure, I am in Hong Kong.) I dunno, start a thread: next time back where to go, what to eat? I'm certain that: a) you won't be bored with the beer selection available there is no way in h*** you will be able sample all that is good food-wise in a short trip back. MPLS is #1 for bike-friendly cities (we beat Seattle) and on foodie lists, we're way up there. Add music and art... summertime stuff... TD, back me up on this!
  7. BigTrane
    Sounds good... give yourself a little extra time. NE Mpls. is especially strong with brew pubs. For shows/happenings/whatever is going on at the moment, check City Pages: http://www.citypages.com/ If you go home bored, you did it wrong. Listen to the podcast- they're always going to different bars, trying different brews. There's a ton going on- have a field day. Jump in- I'm sure you'll make this an annual event.
  8. BigTrane
    The thing I caught from ST was that he was back to his curve. Cutter? In his case, possibly NYY Brainwash. The curve seemed to be effective in ST, though I have been more focused on that than his changeup. I'll trust FG on the numbers. Doesn't seem like he's thrown the curve much... not trusting it yet? Ballpark factor, HR/rate? We'll find out over the season. With the 2-strike fouloff rate, an out-pitch is the question. Another striking thing in the article was the comment about his hammy injury and how his curve was never the same after that. If Anderson is pushing him back to that pitch (which was once his out-pitch) and ditching the cutter (please) then he has to rely on his changeup for a 3rd pitch. HR rates may not be the issue here.
  9. BigTrane
    Nothing in there about the nature of the wrist injury... the lack of detail is frustrating. The Twins' medical staff is just as frustrating, for that matter. Who trusts this timeline?
  10. BigTrane
    Er... I think there's a couple of things going on here. 1) Dozier was a (the?) bright spot last half of '13, and is a (the?) bright spot now. Fine. On radar. 2) Dozier has been public in expressing his willingness for a long-term deal. Somewhat awkward, at this point. My theory: Dozier crossed paths with Cuddyer somewhere. I love Dozier, love watching him play in the field, and if he can make the adjustments (he's being tasked with a lot of stuff already) and pick OBP- I think he can do it- then what's not to love? I agree with the others here: he has to prove that 1/2 of '13 was not a fluke, and that he can make the necessary adjustments. I have faith here. Another question- just for fun- is what if he is transitioned back to his natural position at SS, and makes it work? No more P-Flo-Bartlett-Nunez headaches. Does that make life easier... and winning more probable? Just spitballin'. My bet: Dozier sticks it this year, and the contract discussions begin after game 162.
  11. BigTrane
    Over the years, me and a group of buddies has made a summer road trip to KC to soak up Kaufmann and to pig out on good KC BBQ. As it's an 8-hour drive, I figure 3-day weekend is the way to go. Tickets should not be an issue, and there's tons of good suggestions here. As you mentioned beer on the wishlist/things to do, I have to say, the Twin Cities are becoming something of a beer Disneyland at present. The beer selection on offer right now is hard to absorb at times, and so is the depth and breadth of food options. Brew pubs all over, local/organic/gastro insanity- we've got it all. Beer is a matter of taste, and there are so many options, it's silly. What you MUST do is make a pilgrimage to Matt's over on 35th & Cedar for a Juicy Lucy. If that does it for you, next go to the Blue Door in St. P for 'Bluecy'. http://www.mattsbar.com/ http://www.thebluedoorpubmn.com/ In picking a local brew, Summit will never do you wrong. Hope you have a great trip- give yourself extra time to eat, drink, and explore. I'm sure you'll love it, and make it annual thing, as we do. Finally- if time permits- check out a St. Paul Saints game. This is indy ball done right. http://saintsbaseball.com/ Not sure when I'll make it to KC this year, but I *should* be in town when you are- send a PM, I'll show you around. Otherwise, maybe TD group activity...?
  12. BigTrane
    Been waiting to see something on this here... guess I'll go first. Pretty thorough- though somewhat inconclusive piece on Hughes. Their conclusion, in a nutshell: his change-up isn't dropping. Everything in the same plane- I think we've seen plenty of that. The point that caught my eye is the foul-ball rate with 2 strikes. That seems to be outweighing the change of scenery/HR factor, at least to this point. Anyway, curious to know what others think about Hughes, and the analysis. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/phil-hughes-is-back-to-his-old-ways/
  13. BigTrane
    Great article- but then I am biased in his favor... anyway, thanks for pushing the issue! Stuff-wise, I think there can be little doubt that Deduno has the best on the staff. The $64,000 question is: control. Can he ever find it? If so, how? To throw some red meat out there- can Rick Anderson give him the tutelage he needs? I haven't seen his heat maps or situational analysis... maybe a future piece? Keep up the good work.
  14. BigTrane
    In all I've seen and heard, it's happening on the national level as well, hence it's being called "The Buster Posey Rule". If TLaR or national media ever mentions Mauer with regard to the collision rule, I'll eat my hat.
  15. BigTrane
    Here's another one for you. He makes all that money, but he's so cheap he won't spring for a babysitter, so now he's bringing his kids to the office. http://wapc.mlb.com/cutfour/2014/04/10/71634918/photo-cute-joe-mauer-minnesota-twins-babies-mascot JK, but I wouldn't be surprised by very much at this point... you heard it here first, folks!
  16. BigTrane
    "Mason-Dixie" line? Is that the line north of which you can't find a Winn-Dixie? Maybe you mean Mason-Dixon line... Anyway, great article, and fingers crossed on Kube.
  17. BigTrane
    Powers is pretty brutal, but right on target. The Twins' rotation cannot treat the month of April as extended Spring Training... MLB doesn't hand out mulligans. The new ballpark smell is gone, the excuses are already tired, and the national media glare is coming in July. Hopefully this adds up to a brutal reassessment in-house. The Twins are at a crossroads, and if they don't make fundamental changes ASAP, they're going to turn Target Field into a ghost town, lose a generation of fans, and kill the goose that's been laying golden eggs for the last few years. Time for crisis management. Plan A seems to be going off the rails... is there a Plan B? Not sure I want to see it...
  18. BigTrane
    Just guesstimating, but at this point I'd say Deduno gets his shot by May. Anderson? He goes when Molly becomes manager.
  19. BigTrane
    Where's crarko when we need him?
  20. BigTrane
    True, true- but notice: this was '86. Dave was ahead of the curve, and not on a Twins WS bandwagon. He later had Hrbek on and did "Top 10 Ways to Mispronounce Kirb Puckett"- but that was after the fact.
  21. BigTrane
    Just superb writing, Parker- and congratulations- you've been picked up by MLBTR! http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/04/al-notes-adenhart-nunez-colabello-athletics.html More power to you, Twins Daily, and Chris Colabello!
  22. BigTrane
    Yeah, I totally agree... he was really out of control there in his NBC heyday. Do you remember he started out in the *daytime*? First time I became aware of REM was seeing them play 'Radio Free Europe' while home sick from school- blew me away. Then he moved to late night, and things like 'Dropping Things From A Five-Story Building' and 'The Guy Under The Seats' blew me away... good stuff. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it~ must-see for any Twins fan!
  23. BigTrane
    'Trane' produces Transy. Could have been much, much worse...
  24. BigTrane
    Yep, but really liking your signature...
  25. BigTrane
    Grrr... I remember the Rally Monkey, can't vote for that! If you'd had a 'Why not' button, I woulda gone for it. Might still... Anyway, central to the beauty of the game is that it's 162, and who gets hot at the right time. Don't forget injuries... I have a Barves fan crying in my beer right now. Even have an El Birdo buddy who put $5 on the Twins to win it all this year. Over the course of a long season, crazy stuff happens- even good stuff. Witness the 2012/2013 BoSox. Or, the 86/87 Twins...
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