Shane Wahl

I don't know how to respond to the first point. The actual record is pretty clear about certain people in the Bush Administration wanting war with Iraq immediately after Sept. 11. And they wanted it during the Clinton years. Project for the New American Century is very clear about that desire. The second point is more interesting, certainly. I agree that women are not equal, ultimately in the West. So? The status of women in the West is radically different than women in much of the rest of the world. The point is that the answer *takes time* and is not simply a matter of killing our way to solving the problem. But those powers that be know that war is no solution. BUT war certainly is the solution to their need to keep producing terrorists to further justify military spending and future wars in this "indefinite" period of warfare that Americans have somehow accepted as OK.

They have killed more by the thousands. And more women and children by the thousands. I am not sure what isn't barbaric about that. The Israeli government is also engaged in zealotry. Notice two nuances here. The focus on the Israeli government, and the word "also."

So we wage these wars to replace one brutal government with another. Sounds like an utter waste of time, money, and lives. What got the West out of the dark ages, and how does it happen again for these societies?

Israelis and Palestinians Killed since 9/29/2000 http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/BE07C80CDA4579468525734800500272 Not sure what is really that baffling.

Also: 1. Are we all aware, again, of the direct involvement of the overthrowing on a democratically elected Iranian leader and the subsequent radicalization of the Iranian population after the Shah was clearly a damned monster to the Iranians? 2. The "enemy of my enemy" is a bogus way to conduct a foreign policy. Are people really not aware, here, of the footage of Rumsfeld and Saddam shaking hands in 1983? 3. Supporting both sides in a war is not good policy, right? Yet, this is the history of U.S. involvement in Iran-Iraq. 4. The United States encouraged radical Islam when it deemed necessary in Afghanistan in the 1980s and Bosnia in the 1990s. 5. The United States props up an Israeli government that is wildly barbaric to Palestinians in the region. 6. The support of the Saudi regime only exacerbates the situation. And it is only because of oil that we blind-eye this monstrous regime.

Winning the war on terror *is not the objective* of the war on terror. Servicemen and servicewomen should begin to understand this. Exacerbate the problem of terrorism--that is the chief objective. Full stop. The answer to the problem is a slow answer. Killing people is the quick answer and it is no answer at all. The real answer involves an end goal . . . equality for women. Once that is had, they can develop a culture with much less repression of sexuality.

I am not going to say that such interference, occupation, and invasion/occupation is the primary problem. The primary problem involves a middle ages, pre-printing press level of knowledge about the world. People do not know what is going on in the very populations being massacred. But meddling does not solve any problems. Overthrow the democratically elected leader to institute a monster. And then that monster gained more power!? OBL said, clearly, that U.S. occupation of Saudi Arabia, and the support of American forces in the ensuing war against Saddam was enough to radicalize muslims around the world.

There is an absolute need to fix the world, including ourselves. There MUST be engagement and perhaps strong diplomacy to get barbaric regimes to give up. There is no clear answer, however, as to how to help. Waging war is clearly not a viable answer as has been demonstrated.

I want no business with this after the Hughes signing.

This is not like an ACL. Anyway, it does call for Deibinson Romero to be part of the picture initially in 2014.

Well that's a damn good response twinsnorth49. There's a lot to be said here. Can you imagine . . . I used to try to have these kinds of conversations on . . . Hannity.com???

Yeah, Florimon's defense is pretty elite. And that part of his game is likely to not regress. That said, I don't mind the idea of Dee Gordon if his talent can mean that if the Twins decide to start Hicks in AAA, Gordon actually replaces Alex Presley. I am WAY in favor of that. Dear god. I would not trust Gordon to lead off, so Dozier-Mauer is the top, but that is an interesting scenario. Gordon starting in CF and being a backup middle infielder/4OF after Hicks is back? Sounds good. It isn't like his talent has run its course and he can't improve. Gordon and perhaps Kendrys Morales would be the only real position player additions I can see as being worthwhile (without going big for Choo or Ellsbury, etc.).

I would certainly try again with DeVries, Guerra, Stuifbergen, Morales, and Soliman. The pitchers all have some potential value in rebound seasons, and three of them were legit prospects. Morales . . . well maybe a second year in AA and he gets his (old) groove back. I am not a fan of tossing away any more damn CFs up in here! Dinkelman's on-the-field value is in being a super utility guy (good for every minor league team to have one of those). If they have a younger version or can find one, he is replaceable.

A: Don't bother, hope Florimon doesn't regress and hope that Danny Santana emerges in AAA this year. B: Sign him, and see what you can get in a Danny Santana trade (quite similar players, Santana two years youngers and has had CF experience in the past).

A couple good posts that require more thought for a response at the moment . . .

How many terrorists have been "exterminated" in the War on Terror, and how many innocent people have been "exterminated"? Get those answers and see how you deal with them.

And when do you think Western meddling began!? How about the West (UK, in particular) drawing ridiculous borders after the fall of the Ottoman Empire? How about the U.S. overthrowing a democratically elected leader of Iran in 1954. Lord, even "Argo" gave a brief but informative history lesson about that. How about radicalizing fundies all over the region, but particularly in Afghanistan in the 80s? Meanwhile, we do nothing but support a truly savage Saudi government which is quite possibly on a par with the Taliban in terms of brutality. Now . . . I wonder why??

Weird about that continued U.S. support of the Taliban right up into 2001, then, huh. Al-Awlaki was sought out in American after 9/11 as a moderate voice!

Wow this is pretty helpful information.

Number 58 here, Pat Dean, is who I maybe have in mind for Rogers' future. Dean's K rate fell dramatically when he hit Fort Myers. Still pretty serviceable, especially if Dean moves to the bullpen, but I am just not going to get all gung-ho about these kinds of pitchers in the system until they develop further.

I find the dramatic K rate drop to be a sign of a problem for that low-90s fastball. I will be surprised if he remains a starting pitcher past 2014. As soon as the hits and homers come back, I would worry.

I would say that the Twins should Florimon-Dozier it up in the infield until Rosario forces a decision. Then, given the abominations-as-options, the Twins should realize that nothing is really lost with Rosario in left field for half (at most) of 2014. Meanwhile, if one of Santana, Beresford, and Polanco has a great season, you can figure out a Dozier trade. Or if two of those guys have good seasons, same thing. I definitely do not entrust the entire future to Pedro Florimon and yet am very unwilling for the Twins, who have been RIDICULOUSLY bad at developing middle infield talent for whatever reason to ever leave themselves with fewer than three solid-good players there, overall.

I couldn't agree more.

Even considering signing him seems wildly out of touch with the reality of the Twins in 2014 and beyond. He was good in 2008, 2009, and 2012. He was just above average as a hitter in 2010 and 2011, and he was terrible last year. Why waste any time and money here?

I have scrapped my earlier project of going by YOB. Why? Well, it took long enough to do . . . for things to slightly change in my mind here and there, so that the numbers were going to be messed up. Making a prospect list always involves weighing a bunch of different factors: floor/ceiling, durability, progress through the system, starter vs. reliever, positional versatility, etc. So it had changed enough for me to just go back to the old-fashioned way of constructing such a list. One thing that I really like about this result is that the honorable mentions that I list are all intriguing players. Honorable mention: J.T. Chargois, Chih-Wei Hu, Dereck Rodriguez, Kuo Hua Lo, Brandon Peterson, Madison Boer, Hudson Boyd 65. Tyler Grimes, C/2B, RH, DOB: 7/3/90 2013 A-: .256/.377/.382 (.759, career .708), 11 doubles, 4 triples, 6 doubles, 45 strikeouts/87 walks, 3 stolen bases/1 time caught stealing. Grimes has now spent three season in low A. The move to catcher makes his potential offensive contribution more valuable. Obviously he will be starting in Fort Myers and provides nice backup middle infield potential as well. 64. Kyle Knudson, C, RH, DOB: 9-12-87 2013 A+/AA (combined stats): 200, .273/.355/.352 (.707, .660), 8-0-2, 18-31, 0-1 Knudson is a good catcher with decent offensive capabilities. If the Twins finally part with Danny Lehmann and also opt not to bring Eric Fryer back (both wise moves) next year, Knudson should join Danny Rohlfing in Rochester next year and be the next guy in line after Mauer, Doumit, Herrmann, and Pinto. Given that Mauer is likely going to see a steady decline at the plate, Doumit should be traded, and the latter two aren't established, Knudson might see some time in the big leagues in 2014 or 2015. 63. Taylor Rogers, LHS, DOB: 12/17/90 2013 A-/A+ (A+ stats): 130.2 IP, 2.55 ERA, 83/32 strikeouts/walks (career 7.4/2.3) 2013 was an impressive season for the lefty. His K rate fell dramatically but he really kept the ball in the ballpark, giving up only five homers in A+. It was a solid step forward for Rogers and some more time in Fort Myers could really help him develop further. 62. Angel Morales, OF, RH, DOB: 11/24/89 2013 A+/AA (combined stats): 418, .239/.304/.427 (.731, .761), 23-5-12, 32-127, 8-7 When Morales lost most of the 2011 season, one might have thought that it was just one lost season and that it was no big deal in the long run. But it wasn't until 2013 that Morales finally showed mastery of A+ ball. Once a part of a dynamic quartet of Twins OF prospects (with Revere, Benson, and Hicks . . . wow), Morales is now struggling to stay in the system. His AA performance was shockingly bad. That he was still able to ascend a level leads me to believe that the Twins should still not give up on him and hope that another year of AA baseball will help him, but he certainly cannot remain on the same timetable. 61. Stuart Turner, C, RH, DOB: 12/27/91 2013 ELZ: .264/.340/.380 (.729), 5-0-3, 12-22, 0-1 That he is likely soon a major league ready defensive catcher is going to keep him on this list for awhile, though I was disappointed with his selection by the Twins in the 2013 draft. He's a third-round pick who could turn out to be Danny Lehmann, most likely becomes Drew Butera, and hopefully turns into a better defensive catching version of Chris Herrmann. 2014 in Cedar Rapids is going to be indicative. 60. Steven Gruver, LHR, DOB: 6-30-89 2013 A-/A+ (combined stats): 79, 2.85, 76/29 (7.0/2.7) Gruver has moved to full-time relieving duties. He did not pitch very well in a small amount of A+ time in 2013, so he will be headed back there for 2014. He's one of a ton of left-handed middle relievers in the organization, so he is going to have to distinguish himself. 59. Matthew Koch, C, RH, DOB: 11/21/88 2013 A+: 393, .278/.346/.401 (.749) (.768), 20-1-7, 35/75, 1/1 Koch has a solid bat and I was surprised that the Twins didn't promote him in the second half of the season this year. If he starts the season well at New Britain next year, this could lead to a jump on this list. 58. Pat Dean, LHS, DOB: 5/25/89 2013 AA/AAA (combined stats),: 165, 4.04, 83/22 (5.5/1.6) It is hard for me to imagine Dean being a major league starter. He will start in Rochester in 2014 and hopefully the K rate improves. Otherwise he is a less effective version of Andrew Albers. Now it is possible that he could regain some velocity and be a serviceable lefty out of the bullpen down the road. 57. Tim Atherton, RHR, DOB: 12/7/89 2013 A-: 95.2, 2.54, 102/33 (10.3/3.9) Atherton turns 24 in two days so the time is now for him to move. I don't see any future as a starter, and that's fine. He could be a contender for the Twins bullpen by 2016. 56. Zach Larson: OF, RH, DOB: 10/8/93 2013 GCL/ELZ (combined stats): .300/.380/.433, (.813), 11-1-5, 19-39, 12-2 Larson put up intriguing numbers in 2013 and it was a bit out of nowhere. A full season in Cedar Rapids is going to be telling. If he stays at these kind of numbers, then he might be a real talent. 55. Mike Kvasnicka, RF, SH, DOB: 12/7/88 2013 A+: .282/.341/.460 (.800, .703), 13-2-9, 23-59, 4-4. Kvasnicka is a good story and perhaps a late bloomer. Drafted 33rd overall by the Astros in 2010 out of the University of Minnesota, Kvasnicka did very little until his first year in the Twins organization this past season. He should start in AA in 2014 and he will be one to watch. 54. Fernando Romero, RHS, DOB: 12/24/94 2013 GCL: 45, 1.60, 47/13 (8.9/3.2) Romero turns 19 on Christmas eve of this year. He has a very good fastball but there is still a lot of work for him to be regarded all that much higher on this list at the moment. Another solid season in 2014 (this time in E-Town) and Romero could be a fast-rising pitcher, however. 53. Edgar Ibarra, LHR, DOB: 5/31/89 2013 AA/AAA (combined stats): 60.2, 1.93 54/29 (7.8/3.9) Ibarra had split time as a reliever and starter up through 2011 and he was not very good. In 2012 he was not very good as a reliever, but in 2013 he emerged as quite effective, really limiting the number of hit off of him. But he continues to walk a lot of batters and his strikeout rate is declining. This coming season he could rise in the Rochester bullpen as the left-handed setup man. I put him one spot ahead of Dean because Dean could potentially be Edgar Ibarra 2.0 will a similar move to the bullpen. 52. Nelvin Fuentes, LHR, DOB: 4/7/89 2013 AA/A+ (combined stats): 51.1, 4.03, 58/17 (10.1/2.8) Fuentes can really strike guys out and in 2013 he started to limit hits given up at a more acceptable rate for A+ ball. He's a talented lefty who should get a second shot at starting in AA next season and hopefully he continues to progress. 51. Cole Johnson, RHR, DOB: 10/6/88 2013: A+/AA (combined stats): 59 IP, 3.20 ERA, 65/20 K/BB (career 9.7/2.6) Johnson could shoot up the list quickly if he can maintain this strikeout rate. I imagine he will start at AA next year, but could be quick to ascend if anyone at AAA or with the Twins falters (and someone likely will). This wraps up the first segment of my prospect countdown. 50 all the way through 11 will be down 10 prospects at a time, and the top 10 will be broken up in fives.