Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

longstrangetrip

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    402

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by longstrangetrip

  1. longstrangetrip
    Funny, I was thinking the same thing on the walk back to my hotel last night. I live in LA, and I actively cheer against the Dodgers and Angels, but SF is different. The ballpark is superb, the fans have a great time there, and the team has some engaging personalities (Hunter Pence takes a scooter around town...no, not a motorized one...a "foot" scooter!). And orange is the new black, after all. I would definitely adopt them as my national league team if I lived here.
  2. longstrangetrip
    Very true. Think I'll take a little stroll down memory lane in haight ashbury tomorrow...
  3. longstrangetrip
    ChiTown, you'd be proud of me for singing the Journey song...loudly. I won't comment on the artistic quality.
  4. longstrangetrip
    You're right, chi. I got a little crabby after the Pablo dinger. Got the attitude adjusted now!
  5. longstrangetrip
    I'm only singin if we're winnin
  6. longstrangetrip
    Don't know for sure, but it looks like it. I'm here at ATT, and he looked really stiff in the bullpen pregame Edit: reply to question if he was at pebble beach with hicks
  7. longstrangetrip
    Gibson should not be allowed to golf the day before a start. This is looking like the last time he pitched after golfing in Tampa
  8. longstrangetrip
    I know...I'm feeling really fortunate this week. PETCO was beautiful, but relatively empty as usual. I don't know if you guys could tell on TV, but it was almost like a home game...seemed like more Twins jerseys and hats then Padres. Okay, we won the first one of my 5-gamer...let's see if I can bring home a 5-0!
  9. longstrangetrip
    Ready to leave my hotel for Petco...the first of FIVE Twins games in a row, here and at AT&T! I'm a happy boy...
  10. longstrangetrip
    Great topic about a wonderful feel-good story. I find Dozier a really easy guy to cheer for. He appears to be a hard-nosed throwback kind of player, and also just seems to really enjoy playing the game. His post-game interviews are always a joy, and reflect a relaxed guy treasuring every moment in the big leagues. He's also a guy who gives the impression that he is still learning, and continues to move his ceiling up in all facets of the game. Last year we watched him take a quantum leap defensively, and he continues to be one of the best defensive second baseman of the game. This year he has shown improvement in the offensive side of the game...patience, power, and base running. Right now he projects to have 42 HRs and 46 steals by year end, so he would really have to fall off to not hit 30-30 (did I just jinx him?). His temperament doesn't seem to be the type that leads to a huge drop off...he appears to be all about consistency, and not the kind of guy who beats himself up during a mini slump. It's also interesting to compare his numbers now to what he put up in the minors. His high totals for homers and steals were 9 and 24 in 2011. This tells me how the impact of big league coaching on a guy who desires to learn and improve like Dozier. Truly a terrific story to watch unfold.
  11. longstrangetrip
    You're probably right, stringer...either a precursor to sending him down or one final attempt to fire him up. Thanks for the birthday greetings! And by the way, even though I'm still playing ball, I had to put away my golf clubs 3 years ago. It was too tough on the lower back for me, and it hurt to swing a club...swinging a bat seems more natural to me. Oh well...I loved the game, but to be honest I was never a good golfer. I hope you're able to find a miracle cure for whatever is keeping you off the links.
  12. longstrangetrip
    Good discussion of a topic clearly worthy of discussion. The delta between his RHB and LHB numbers is too large to ignore. I'm much more troubled, though, by the comments this week about his lack of preparation. It is astounding to me that a big league ballplayer would show up not knowing who the opposition pitcher is...just astounding. To me it hints at a lack of passion for the game. I would venture to guess that well over 75 % of the participants on this board generally know in the morning who is going to be on the bump against the Twins that night. And that's because we have a passion for the game. Baseball is a cerebral game, and it's fun to think about strategy and matchups, and how you're going to beat a guy. I guess I always assumed major leaguers thrived on that kind of thinking too, but it's clear Aaron doesn't. I'm 63 years young tomorrow, and grateful that I can still play this game I love twice a week...don't want to even think about hanging up my spikes for the last time. My next game is Sunday morning, and I know who is pitching and am already thinking about his patterns and tendencies. Sometime tomorrow I will review notes I keep about at bats I have had against him in the past, and even put some thought into their key relievers. And I will show up Sunday morning with a plan. Shouldn't we expect the same from Hicksy?
  13. longstrangetrip
    I don't really know how to interpret this one...there's a little bit of good but probably more bad in this anomaly. Only one A.L. batter hitting over .260 has a higher OBP than slugging percentage, and it's Joe Mauer.
  14. longstrangetrip
    http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/12/paul-molitor-is-working-his-magic-in-minnesota/ I found this short interview with Dozier quite interesting. He credits the presence in the dugout of Molitor for his greatly improved baserunning. He says he meets with Molly for 5-10 minutes before every game to discuss pitcher's tendencies. It made me wonder if Molly is perhaps having conversations about hitting approach with various players also, because many of us have noticed that the at bats seem much more professional this year (and more productive too). I have been crediting Bruno for the improvement in the Twins' bats this year, but I was always skeptical of this for 2 reasons: 1) Bruno isn't new this year. He was the batting coach in 2013 also, and the Twins set a club record for strikeouts. 2) Bruno wasn't exactly a professional hitter himself. Strong, to be sure, but actually quite undisciplined at the plate. More likely is that Molly is getting into the heads of some our hitters who have shown improvement this year. I don't know for sure, of course, but it seems more plausible to me, and Dozier's comments support this hypothesis. It seems logical that there would be time for analyzing a pitcher's pitching tendencies during that pre-game chat also. Anyway, it's great to have Molly in the dugout.
  15. longstrangetrip
    I've been in this position twice before...with the Lakers and the North Stars. So I don't have to speculate as to what my attitude would be. I would actively cheer against them. I might retain some allegiance to players I liked for awhile, but I would want the team to fail. Yes, I am a vengeful creature...need to work on that someday.
  16. longstrangetrip
    I really like both of these pitchers, and can't find anything about what they are doing currently. It's mid-May and neither has pitched in a game this year, and I don't know what level either is at. Anybody know what either of these prospects is up to?
  17. longstrangetrip
    I agree that it's not always the best solution to send someone down, but this is an unusual situation. Plouffe has been slumping at the plate too, but he still appears confident and is having good at bats. Colabello, on the other hand, is a train wreck, and looks like he isn't having any fun out there. I just don't seem him as a viable option right now offensively or defensively, and would rather have a confident player pinch hitting. I still think he may be for real, and I think this is a critical time for him. Send him down and let him rediscover his passion for the game. Let him rake at AAA and them bring him back in a month.
  18. longstrangetrip
    The feel good story of the first month is turning into a tragedy, as Colabello looks nothing like the guy we enjoyed watching earlier in the year. Yesterday was especially telling, with an 0 for 4 at the plate (with another 2 K's) and an embarrassingly misplayed popup in the 9th. Often a drop off in performance by an inexperienced player can be explained by pitchers "figuring him out", but I'm not seeing a different approach in pitching to Chris. What's going on with him seems to be entirely between his ears, as he appears to have lost all confidence at the plate. While he showed a remarkable eye at the plate in the first month of the season, recently he is waving at sliders far out of the zone and letting fastballs go by him for strikes. Frankly, it's painful to watch. I am not giving up on Chris. I just think he needs to get his head straightened out, and continuing to run him out there in the cleanup spot is doing him a disservice. The Twins need to send him down to Rochester to regain his confidence. And the timing is perfect with the pending return of Arcia and Willingham.
  19. longstrangetrip
    I'm usually skeptical about these injuries too, but I'm buying this one. Even though he has been wild this year, before yesterday he at least had good movement and velocity. Yesterday he couldn't hit 90 and had no movement. That doesn't happen so quickly without some physical ailment. I just wish he had told Anderson in the first when it happened.
  20. longstrangetrip
    Colabello's tough luck continues...hitting the ball hard, but can't buy a hit.
  21. longstrangetrip
    Thanks for the stat, Brock...I had a feeling he was experiencing a lot of bad luck. I was especially impressed with his at bat against a tough closer last night. He fought off some tough pitches, and finally hit a rocket...unfortunately right at AGon.
  22. longstrangetrip
    I'm not on board with the Colabello negativity. Yes, his average has dropped sharply in the past 10 days, but I think he is hitting with bad luck. I'm still seeing a lot of good at bats...heck, two feet either way on his liner last night and he has a 2-run game-winning base hit.
  23. longstrangetrip
    I like Sound of Music...I hope they do "How do you Solve a Problem like Arcia".
  24. longstrangetrip
    I have a burning desire to make a brash, probably overstated comment. With the addition of Pinto, Colabello and Suzuki to the lineup, I have never seen a Twins team so disciplined at not biting on the breaking ball out of the zone. It's been a Twins tradition to swing it those. Even some of our better hitters (Puckett, Hunter, Cuddyer) had that as a weakness. Hope they can keep it up.
  25. longstrangetrip
    "Honey, I couldn't believe how badly she has aged...I felt like I was at dinner with my mother! I can't believe how lucky I was to find you."
×
×
  • Create New...