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Yes. My kids still get excited when he comes up.

Yeah, when it comes to pitching, less is more. Let's just start with the fastball. If you are going to miss with your fastball, you want to miss low. Missing high (like thigh high) tends to make the ball disappear over the fence. Speeding up tempo is different than speeding up delivery. Tempo is just the time between pitches - get the sign, throw the ball, don't think about it. My guess is that is what Neil Allen was trying to tell him. "You just got lesson number one: don't think; it can only hurt the ball club." - Crash Davis When you speed up delivery, the tendency is to leave the arm behind which screws up the release point and causes the ball to go higher than intended. So, if I were coaching him, just start with the fastball and let's work on getting that down in the zone where a mistake won't hurt you.

...and if I had his job, every other line out of my mouth would have the word "wood" in it.

Dunno when the rain will be over, but for those watching FSN, that dude on Swing Clinic has the best job in the world. Golf with knockout babes every week. I don't even know if that guy knows what he's talking about or if he's even talking. I just know he's got a great job even if he doesn't make a dime.

Good question. Ramos already has some injury concerns and we've already experienced what signing a catcher long term can lead to.

Sorry about that. No, I'd trade Dozier for pitching, but I need a quality MLB pitcher back, not a prospect, not a back end rotation guy. I get it that we aren't getting Strasburg or Kershaw back for him, but give me a solid 2....which actually equates to a 1 on this staff!

Right. It's not that I don't want to trade Dozier. I just don't want to trade Dozier for an AA pitcher that may or may not pan out. Not willing to pay 25-30 home runs for a roll of the dice.

Oh heck no. I said "a Wilson Ramos"...doesn't need to be Wilson Ramos. I'd love to sign Ramos back into the fold, but guessing that will cost big money. If we can trade Dozier for MLB ready pitching or MLB ready catching that will improve our defense significantly, I'd do it. Polanco can play 2nd and we will take an offensive hit at that position, but if we can pick up a catcher to replace most of that offensive pop AND improve our defense, I'd do it.

Offensively, Dozier's WAR is 4.3 - tied for 4th with Pedroia. The highest of any of the catchers that you've listed is 3.9. I know everyone beats up Suzuki and I'm not saying he's good, but his WAR is 1.1 while Perez is 2.2. Defensively, Suzuki's DWAR is .3 while Perez ranks the highest at 1.6. Dozier is .5 while Pedroia leads the league at 1.4. The point I'm not doing a good job of making is that replacing Dozier's defense is easy, replacing his bat is not going to be easy. Therefore, trading him has to yield back something more than prospects that may or may not pan out. You NEED to get back a Wilson Ramos...Damn that Matt Capps trade!...for Dozier or it isn't worth trading him. Remember your goal as GM is to improve the defense while maintaining the offense.

I'd do that if I'm getting back a catcher that is a defensive upgrade and will give me 20-25 home runs.

Whew! Glad that no-hitter is gone...now I can watch. I would have felt bad if I'd turned on the TV and blown the no-hitter.

Magic wand stuck on Fedex truck in Cleveland...fix what we can.

Whoa! Slow down there. Let's not get all crazy with this technology thing. Speaking of that, why are ball parks still built with a phone to the bull pen that looks like an old rotary phone? Gotta be a better way of getting the message out there to go warm up.

One of the problems is that Molitor is only signed thru next year. Tough to ask him to prepare for 2018 when it isn't a given that he will be there to enjoy it. Not saying that he should be extended or fired, just saying that the manager has to be on that same pager as the GM.

BTW, does baseball give a Wonderlic test or an equivalent? I'd start doing those too.

I'd agree with that. I would prefer a bigger arm which would allow him to play back and give an extra bit of range, but I'm thinking that Corriea types don't grow on trees.

Damn that JJ Hardy trade!

If I'm trading 25-30 home runs (Dozier), I want MLB ready pitching. AA type isn't going to cut it. Gosh, I feel like Billy Beane!

Agree on Grossman, agree on DanSan, I think Sano can rotate in at 3B some and maybe at 1B too. I think the Dozier idea at 3B is interesting to consider anyway as Polanco is better at 2B and Dozier offers the pop on offense that you want from a 3B. Wait for a SS to come up...that's the part I'm not good with. I want to fix the SS, not hope for a fix. Gimme someone next year!

Didn't say that. I said what to fix first (realistically). I'd love to fix pitching first, but I don't think that is realistic. So, what can we fix first? Moving Dozier to third is an interesting idea. I don't know if he has the arm for it, but certainly offers the pop on offense that you want from a 3rd baseman.

Who's his replacement? Wieters? Yeah, that would be nice, but he's gonna cost some big $$.

I know that a lot of talk has been about trading Susuki, trading Dozier, trading Plouffe, etc., but if you look at us by the numbers...not individually, as a team...it's no secret that pitching is an issue. We all assume that there is help on the way down on the farm, but let's say that things don't pan out quite as we all hope. Injuries and the jump up to the majors can all derail that promising prospect that is dominating in the minors and pitching costs money on the free agent market. So, pitching aside, you have to put the best defense on the field that you can. We are scoring runs. We are giving up a lot more runs and we are leading the AL in errors by quite a ways. Your job as the new GM is to take a look at the team and make the necessary improvements realizing that you don't have a magic wand to fix everything at once. Let's fix what we can fix first. Trade Plouffe, you say? Not so fast. Sano's arm issues may make it necessary to hang on to him for a year while Sano slots into the DL as his primary position. Plouffe is better than Sano on defense...when healthy. We need to get out under that horrible Mauer contract, you say? Not so fast. Joe's hitting has rebounded and he does play a good first base even if he isn't hitting for power. And besides, we are scoring runs, pitching and defense is our downfall. Joe is our best defensive first baseman hands down. Trade Suzuki for some pitching, you say? Really? Do you think he's going to bring back a prized pitcher? Think again. While his defense isn't good, consider the alternatives. Want to sign a big time free agent catcher this offseason? Get ready to open up that checkbook and spend less on pitching. You might be better off resigning him on the cheap and spending that money elsewhere. Trade Dozier for some pitching, you say? Sure...if you can find a team willing to do it AND you think that Polanco can play as good at 2nd. Keep in mind, you are giving up 25-30 home runs on offense and that isn't easy to replace. So, IF you are going to make that trade, you better be sure that the pitching you are getting back is MLB ready AND is dominant AND you have a solid option at 2B to take over. The more IF's, the less likely it is to work out. The challenge for the Twins FO is to put a better defense on the field (which also helps the pitching numbers) while maintaining a good offense. In order to do that, we need to improve the outfield defense in center and left, and improve the short stop position. An upgrade in catcher is probably a luxury that we can't afford. Buxton is the key. He is an elite defender and improves the corner positions as well because of his speed. An outfield of Rosario, Buxton, and Kepler will improve the outfield defense. As far as the infield, Polanco can hit, but does he improve the infield defense? Not at SS or 3rd. He might be a decent utility IF though. Esco? I see him as a fringe guy whose great in the clubhouse, but not an anchor in the infield. Danny Santana? Nope. We are trying to improve the defense! So, in my mind, the focus for the FO this off season boils down to CF, and SS....yeah, yeah, yeah, there's that pitching issue too, but the magic wand is still stuck on a Fedex truck somewhere in Cleveland. If Buxton is the key in CF, who is a good defensive SS that we can acquire without breaking the bank and without sacrificing on offense? Improve the defense while maintaining the offense. That's my advice to the new GM.

"1. Unless you want to work forty hours a week – Giving 100% at work is extremely easy to do. It equates to about 20% each day based on a 5 day work week. There is really no excuse… so give it a try." RB, the opening comments made me think of that old SNL bit - Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey....which made me want to look up some of them: If you're robbing a bank and your pants fall down, I think it's okay to laugh, and let your hostages laugh too, because come on - life is funny. If you ever accidentally drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let 'em go, because man, they're gone. Fear can sometimes be a useful emotion. For instance, let's say you're an astronaught on the moon and you fear that your partner has been turned into Dracula. The next time he goes out for the moon pieces, wham!, you just slam the door behind him and blast off. He might call you on the radio and say he's not Dracula, but you just say, "Think again, bat man."

Right you are...and the CBGB club stood for?...country, bluegrass, and blues...of which the Ramones and other famous bands that started there play very little or none.

Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki cleared revocable trade waivers and is free to be traded to any team, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press