USAFChief

Look at the feet in the second half of 2024. Specifically his back foot sliding out. He was losing his base and off balance on everything, not just fastballs.

RIP. Great ballplayer. It's not a big deal, but I don't think he deserves to ever have a plaque in the HOF.

For one thing, I don't think "framing" equals "catcher defense."

So then the manager DOES matter, and changing managers likely will result in different decisions. He has a philosophy to guide him, but he makes decisions. He, alone. Every. Single. Game.

And zero people have said fire Rocco based on one decision. BTW, it's a shame you and Arko are forced to come into this cleverly disguised thread and discuss the manager against your will.

Hi HBD. How's things? I made up my mind on Rocco last year. Doubt that's going to change. For better or worse, I suspect the conversation isn't going to end with the announcement he's coming back.

I watched him make decisions that lost ballgames. Go back and read the OP.

Wanted to add my thanks for the weekly recaps, Nick. Hope to see them again next year.

More proof this organization doesn't prioritize winning.

Yeah, ownership sucks. But pray tell, what is it you expect to accomplish with this "focus?" Are they firing themselves?

What, the actual, ****?

Yes, I love the Twins. My fandom dates from 1963, when my father spent money he didn't have to take me to my first game at the Met. I've followed the team closely ever since, through thick and thin. Lots of thin, BTW. Had my little portable radio under my pillow at night for west coast games as a kid, naively thinking mom and dad didnt know. Followed through 11.5 years stationed overseas, when there wasn't internet or TV or radio and my mother-in-law used to record games off WCCO on cassettes and mail them to me where I'd listen to each one half a dozen times, simply to have Herb Carneal take me back home. I spend money to watch them, and to go to games. Quite a bit of money, in fact. Half my freeking wardrobe is t-shirts with a Twins logo of some type. I infected my kids with this love, and now they follow the team as I do. Hell, I volunteered for the better part of a decade as a moderator on TD, and it's maybe the worst GD job I ever had. So yeah, I love the Twins. And BTW, I have every right to question the organization as I see fit.

An innings eater would have been a godsend. We got a 5.71 ERA from Matthews and 4.90 from Festa, and that's withOUT eating innings. I gotta believe an innings eater could have matched that production while actually eating innings. Part of the 2nd half pen collapse was needing 12 outs minimum from 3/5ths of the rotation every time out. See above: not preparing pitchers

Falvey always speaks "corporate-ese" but that seems fairly straight forward. And, as I said, they took on the remainder of Richards' $2.1m salary.

And I certainly might have missed something, but I don't remember Falvey being a candidate for any other jobs.

Indeed. "Rocco can't be blamed for blowing that lead. There was no chance to remove Alcala. Happened too fast" "Well that's not true. 7 hitters. 5 runs. 2 HRs. A delay looking for Wallner's glove. " "Yes it is true. Because I said so. And furthermore, you're a Neanderthal worthy of being mocked." "Here's an example of a manager activating his pen and making a change IN TWO PITCHES." "It wasn't Rocco’s fault and furthermore you're an ******* for pointing this out." . Now ban me. It's what you do.

Well, Falvey could be covering his boss's ***, but he specifically denied that finances played a role in the 2024 deadline. They also added Trevor Richards, who has a higher salary than, say...AJ Puk. So there was at least SOME salary space available. They just wasted it. Worse than wasted it, because Richards actually made the team worse, and was soon gone.

Yes.

Try the local food. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me on this.

They can put it in a closet and let it age for 2025.

That was NOT the original point. No sir, it was not. And furthermore, you know it.

121st loss for the White Sox. Inconceivable.

Ridiculous. 1 step. Clank. "Base hit."

Cowser, 151 games, 552 PAs coming into tonight. Baltimore must never play teams with LH pitching.

D. "Development" This is where I have some major issues with organizational philosophy, which I'd say falls under the PBO. I hate that players arrive in the big leagues not ready to contribute. Position players haven't learned a position. "Anybody can play anywhere" starts in the minors. Royce Lewis is a former number 1 overall pick, has been looked at as a franchise cornerstone for years now, has spent parts of muktiple seasons in the show...and to this day neither us or the Twins know where he'll be playing next year. Jeebus. This is exactly how you get a team that plays shoddy baseball. Not just errors, but shoddy baseball. A world in which fundamentals don't matter, and your new kids don't know how to play the game. I hate that pitchers arrive in the big leagues unready for a big league workload. Festa hadn't thrown 100 pitches in a game in 2024 prior to being asked to do so in the Twins rotation. He'd rarely been asked to go longer than 5 innings. Never more than 6. Not even once. Then suddenly three rookies are in your rotation, pitching important games, and they can't actually pitch. I also hate the attempts to substitute platooning for acquisition and/or development, as an organizational philosophy. Particularly when they're so godawful at pitching the players to implement this idea (hello Manny, hi Joey), and so pigheaded about admitting mistakes. I loath the inattention to bullpen construction. "Just throw warm bodies at it. Who cares?" isn't my idea of how to go about this critical task. I'll hold off on roster construction since I'm guessing that falls under the GM.