Sam Morley

You can get to them from the Twins official site by selecting the pipeline/affiliate tab which brings you to the Twins milb site which has links for all the minor league affiliates' official team sites. If you click on the team icon it will take you to that site. On second review, I don't think these really are new sites, I just hadn't visited them in a while and couldn't remember all the video links or the gameday option from the last time I was there. I also included direct links in my previous post, if you can't find your way from the Twins' site.

click on the box score links in this article. Fort Myers http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t492 New Britain http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t538 Rochester http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t534 Cedar Rapids http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t492 There are multimedia tabs with daily video highlights.

My beef with Guerrier is 2008 when he had nine losses, mostly in the second half, as the setup man. Nine times he took the mound with a lead in the eighth, and nine times he gave up the lead. The Twins lost to the White Sox in the one game play in. Guerrier has been fine this year, though he did lose a late inning lead in his last appearance. I don't have a problem with him being a piece in the bullpen as long as he doesn't become Gardy's automatic go-to late. Nobody who doesn't have shut-down stuff should be granted that role. So while I'm glad Guerrier's stats have been solid so far, I'm concerned Gardy will start going to him with impunity regardless of match-ups, ala A-Rod 2010 ALDS- sorry to bring that up.

Gotta love a draft updated prospect list. No Engelb Vielma? Seems like a lot of peeps are high on him. I think if I ever meet Ricky Gervais, I'll be like, 'oh, it's Shane Wahl from TwinsDaily.'

I agree with Avon Barksdale's friend. One additional quibble- Gardy did use Matt Guerrier in a meaningful situation recently. It's bothersome enough that Guerrier is on the roster at all. It's going to be way too irresistible for Gardy not to being rolling Matty out there with the game on the line going forward.

I think even when Mauer is on it he profiles better in the two spot.

The new official sites for the affiliates are sweet. I had no idea that was in the works. It was a nice surprise when I clicked on the box score links.

My real name is actually Samson Samsonite. Morley is just a made-up name I use online.

Yeah, I think he's in all-time best draft pick name ever territory.

Speaking of serious draft analysis, Brad, of the Twins draft picks, who has the best name? Is it number 620 Onas Farfan or 890 Theo Theofanopolous?

Everything that I've read about Stewart this season indicates that he has been foregoing his slider, which is his strikeout pitch, to develop his change. Are there any good scouting videos on Gordon out there? The one on MLB.com just shows him hitting some grounders. It would be nice to see what he looks like in the field, and maybe taking some cuts in BP.

I think on both sides of this debate there is a frustrating lack of specific example. And even if a specific example is provided it can too easily be dismissed as an outlier or exception. It would be interesting to document and analyze incidents involving unwritten rules violations/retaliations throughout the remainder of the season. I would be primarily interested in the rate of resultant injury, but also in the impact of ejection and suspension. I hypothesize that the rate of resultant injury will not be significant, and will not justify MLB’s current liberal use of ejection and suspension, let alone further policement measures. I can at least appreciate arguments against the unwritten rules shenanigans if they are rooted in concerns for player safety. TheLeviathan, I’m not sure if this is the case with your point of view. I assume it is to a degree but it seems to me mostly that you just don’t like the unwritten rules on the grounds that they are somewhat silly or absurd. I think you make many sound points, but for me, in this case, tradition dictates. I think a lot of casual fans of the game probably agree with you, and sometimes it seems to me like the sports media agrees with you. I think, unfortunately, that these are influential voices, and I tend to worry that they will sound loud enough for MLB to take action. I think this happened with instant replay and home plate obstruction rules (whatever they are, exactly, now). I’m curious to hear what others on this site think regarding this notion in general, but also specific to the debate here. To what extent do the public voice and sports media affect these types of MLB decisions?

I’m not particularly interested in using analogies or outside-of-baseball comparisons to justify the presence of the unwritten rules, or even comparisons to other sports. A few commenters have picked on a Brandon McCarthy quote which attempted to do this. Analogies and comparison are messy and in McCarthy’s case actually distracted from a strong point he made- that the unwritten rules have precedence, tradition in a game that is around 150 years old. In my mind, baseball is a world unto itself, a world of intense physical/mental/emotional competition. The behavioral schemas that govern baseball are different and not analogous to those that govern ordinary social existence- mostly due to the physical and competitive elements of the game. TheLeviathan suggests that players involved in incidents involving unwritten rule violation or retaliation are behaving stupidly. Against the standards of normal society, yes; within the context of the game, no. The game is physical; actions are physical and consequences are physical. I think this is appropriate in moderation. The unwritten rules are one of the many poetic elements of the game that make it so exceptional. Balance is maintained in a way we will never enjoy in normal life. Justice is direct, proportionate, and swift. Revenge is fundamental to human nature and we will likely never know it in our day to day lives- for obvious prudent reasons- but can indulge in it from week to week on the diamond in its virtually ritualized form. I hope, here, that I am not sounding like a former NFL player turned TV analyst making excuses for the appalling behavior apparently present in football locker rooms via ‘culture difference’. In that case, the culture may very well be different, but it is also wrong, and should be confronted. I don’t think that the established, known behaviors of baseball players in unwritten rule situations is wrong. You could easily call it silly or absurd, but following those lines, you could say the same about grown men playing a game for millions of dollars. I accept and enjoy both absurdities alike.

I’ve been lurking for a couple of years and finally registered this season. I guess this is the thread that’s inspired me to post my first. The thread is up to about seven pages now, and I have to admit to not reading every post all the way through, so this might be redundant. But I think my response is general and relevant to sentiment and theme, so I’ll go ahead. Before I continue, I’d like to say that I love this site. The daily minor league reports are my favorite. I used to have to click around all over the place to find information that is presented here in one report. I really appreciate the metrics and mechanics analysis of the regular writers, which take serious time and real understanding. And while comment threads on most sports sites are full of revolting vitriol and varying degrees of illiteracy, here I rarely even find myself annoyed and often pleasantly entertained. And how lucky have we been with AJ Peterson posting regularly from MiLB- sad to see him hang it up. It seems to me like a lot of writers and posters here were serious ball players at one point in their lives, which really makes a positive difference in the reporting and conversation. So that being said, I have to say I’ve been a little bit surprised by some of the opinions regarding the “unwritten rules” of baseball- those opinions calling for doing away with them. This is very hard to even imagine; how the league could police an institutional elimination of the “unwritten rules”. It would be messy, yes? And as they say, bad for baseball. I don’t really care for the extent to which they have already done this with ejections and suspensions for players involved in intentional or perceived intentional HBP incidents. It doesn’t really even seem to have impacted the frequency of said occurrences (perhaps there are stats for this?). Getting hit with a fastball sucks. Seeing your teammate get hit with a fastball because of something you did sucks more. That’s good enough self-policement for me. I am always surprised when I hear or read of people being confused by the unwritten rules. I think they are obvious to anyone who played the game beyond middle school level. I think there is a general idea behind them, but it is difficult to effectively articulate, and so attempts at clarification always end up lengthy explanations of specific incidents. If you have seen or experienced enough of these incidents though, the interpretation of the specifically applicable unwritten rule is always clear. Tim Kurkjian of ESPN had a thorough, albeit somewhat naïve in presentation, article recently that included some clips of big leaguers (Adam Wainwright and Dan Uggla) explaining specific unwritten rules and how they applied in recent incidents (Carlos Gomez in Atlanta last year and against Pittsburgh this). I think, obviously, that while rule interpretation may always- or almost always- be clear in hindsight, the emotional/physical/mental intensity of the game in the moment makes clear, on-sight interpretation by players/managers/umps difficult, and that’s why brawls and bench clearings occur. There is much to enjoy in the game, as a fan and player- kicking back with a premium under the lights of the stadium awaiting first pitch, the purity of roping line-drives in bp, etc.- but it is the intensity of the game that really sets it apart- explosive athletic feats, the suspense of the full-count with runners on, the mental guessing game at the plate, etc. I think policing that occurs off the field or with use of technology is bad for the game because it reduces the intensity both for the player and the fan. The use of instant replay certainly falls under this condemnation- though it be a whole other can of worms. In the incident sparking this thread- between Oakland and Houston, this is what I think: Porter was peeved at being down seven in the first, and his response was to that- not the bunt attempt. The bunt attempt was just an excuse to blow off steam and yell at the opponent. These guys are professionals and colleagues and I think they have each others’ respect, but they’re lifelong athletes, not college professors. If Porter was really reacting to what he thinks is an unwritten rule violation, then he was/is wrong. It wasn’t a violation of an unwritten rule. As many have pointed out here already, Houston is certainly capable of scoring more than seven runs in a game, just ask the Twins yesterday. And that’s really enough to justify the play by Lowrie. I really like the point someone brought up about the effect the play had not only on that game but on future games and future shift considerations. In my opinion, shifts are kind of a ninny move. I get it, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and there is nothing more gratifying than seeing a hitter beat a shift, even if by bunt. I’m not a believer in bunting either, except maybe in this case and the occasional squeeze. The sac is a gift to the defense. I think the greatest misunderstanding of unwritten rules is when people have the idea that the players expect each other to follow them in the same way they expect each other to follow the written rules. They know there will be violations and retaliations and that’s part of it all. Mostly you’re respectful, but sometimes you want to stick it in the other guy’s eye a little. It’s baseball, not tea with the queen. In regards to pimping home runs: Until this season, I had never seen anyone pimp a triple off the wall, and we got to see it twice with GoGo and Oz. I have to say that Arcia’s was the better since in his previous plate appearance he pimped a long flyout to center in the exact same spot the triple landed- plus he was wearing the ski mask. I love Gomez and Arcia. I wish we still had Gomez, even pre breakout Gomez. Those two plus Rosario when he comes up in the OF and El Bocaton Miguel Angel, talk about swag. Anyway, pimping jacks is awesome. Pimping triples off the wall is even better. And fairly, retaliation is awesome too- not I wanna injure you retaliation, but send a message retaliation. Well, I know this has been a long post. Hopefully I haven’t violated any unwritten rules concerning rookies around here, haha. Now that I’ve got my feet wet, maybe I’ll become a regular. PS I feel I should identify myself as a fan of Mauer and would never disparage or boo him, though I do think he should try to get more dingers and RBIs. What you know about that?