tarheeltwinsfan

For now I'll make a compromise and just agree not to read Souhan. I'm going camping in the North Carolina mountains this weekend and will have some time to think about whether my not reading Souhan is the answer or whether I should read his columns and continually find myself foaming at the mouth at the conclusion which sometimes results in my writing comments which are not kind and which make me feel mean. I need to chill out and relax more.

Will Rogers got it right when he said: "All I know I read in the papers, and that is an alibi for my ignorance".

Imagine for a moment, if you will, that you are a player for the Twins. I wonder how much "truth" you'd give to a sportswriter. If I were a dejected player sitting in the clubhouse after a tough loss, and were asked a tough question about my bonehead play that just lost a game for my teammates in a pennant race, or an injured 24 year old who is feeling that by being injured, he is letting his teammates and his family down, or an aging veteran who is fighting to keep from being embarrassed by being released, the last thing I would want to do is have a heart to heart talk with my "friend" the sportswriter. How many of us have been quoted incorrectly or out of context in a newspaper or read a newspaper account of something in which we participated, only to read an incorrect account of what really happened? When that happens to a player, and it will, the players become guarded. Misquote me once, shame on you. Misquote me twice, shame on me. Access does not = truth.

Let's just agree to disagree on this one. Peace brother.

Good article about a good man.

Seth, I like to think of myself as an educated person. I have 2 college degrees and 7 years of college. I have written most of my life. I enjoy reading. I have had 7 of my poems published. I won the Southern Prize for Literature in 1995 for my poem, "The Flak Jacket". Two of my closest friends are professors of creative writing...one at Appalachian State University (Pirates' fan) and one at Harvard (Red Sox fan). My son (Cardinals fan) is a minister, but he has a journalism degree from UNC and wrote sports for the university paper, The Daily Tar Heel. We all enjoy communicating about the writer's craft and we frequently share well written articles about baseball and life. Seth, I chose to read your writing daily. I appreciate your writing skills, but more than that, I like your personality, which is displayed in your writing. I quit reading Souhan several years ago because he always wrote with an ax to grind...his writing contained little happiness and joy. I believe Souhan feels it is his duty to criticize. For some reason, he feels he could better do the jobs of those whom he criticizes. Point of proof is his article criticizing sports writers who are not employed by Sports Illustrated or one of the soon to be extinct, daily newspapers. I guess if one watches baseball so he can criticize and be an arm chair quarterback, then one appreciates Souhan. That ain't me. I appreciate the timeless beauty of the game, the humanness of the players and the coming of spring when I read that the truck in snowy Minneapolis is being loaded with baseball bats, uniforms and catchers' masks, ready for its annual journey south to Ft. Myers. Seth, you understand that same type of beauty, the humanness of a minor leaguer struggling to keep playing, the "art" of writing. You write faithfully, beautifully and with feeling, while Souhan criticizes the manner in which the equipment was loaded onto the truck.

Two words: Ricky Nolasco. Case closed.

Sorry, but I did not like the blog format of the minor league games. I prefer the way you previously did the reports. You reporters are entertaining writers. The"reporting" format allows for more humor and an overall thoughtful evaluation the games and players. The snippet format of the blogs, takes that away. Thank you for this awesome website.

Garver or Giminez?

It wasn't all that long ago that many of these guys would have been drafted by a different draft - the US Army. I think the draft of 1942 was the greatest draft year ever, followed closely by the drafts of 1950 and 1967. I'm thankful we are not in a major killing war today and I'm thankful there are sufficient brave men and women who volunteer to defend our country. God bless all the draftees from the 40's, 50's and 60's and God bless our volunteers from all decades, including this decade.

Great stuff RB. Thanks.

Very interesting article. Thank you. Free Curtiss!

Great pick at #1. Keep drafting those SS's.

Free Curtiss.

That's cold...but I had to laugh.

"The Machine"...I like it. Sincerely, Bulldog

This list helps me feel better after the 4 game sweep by the Indians this past weekend. Thanks, I needed that.

Great post. Thanks!

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...." Theodore Roosevelt. Therefore I say "Thank you" to Derek Falvey and Thad Levine for being willing to suffer the slings and arrows of Twins Daily readers.

When were Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Berrios, Polanco, Gonsalves, Jay, Thorpe,Gordon, Garver, Stewart, Burdi, Reed, Granite, Shaggy and Duffy drafted? Where is each of them in their progress to becoming a productive Twin player? Add Hicks also. How long is it taking these guys?

I agree the Twins need pitching now, but you can't solve today's problem areas in a draft. In a draft, you try to prevent future problem areas, 4-8 years down the road.

Jeremy, This is one of the best, well thought out articles I have read on TD. Thanks.

I have 2 questions for all you naysayers: 1) Do you plan on being a Twins fan in 5 years? 2) Do you think shortstop will still be one of the most, if not the most, valuable defensive positions in 5 years?