Platoon

I remember Staying on So Padre Island and the woman at the motel told me how lucky I was to be there when I was. I asked why? She said cuz next week all the college kids were there, music, noise, drunk guys, girls taking off their shirts! I asked if my room could be extended a week!

We might need another meeting!

Dick just told us there was a players only meeting today! And there was the Molitor meeting, and the expletive fueled Hunter rant. Maybe they should take batting practice instead of all those meeting? Ok, that was snarky, and I apologize profusely!

He has an editor? So the stuff he writes isn't all his fault?

They used to allow passing on the yellow, it was accepted that the oncoming and the passed car would move over on some of their wider two lanes. Sadly they don't tell u that at the border. At first it was quite disconcerting. I think they outlawed that now.

NO! NO! NO! But they will sign him. Without a doubt. Dangling Torri Hunter in front of Ryan, is the equivalent of dangling a carrot in front of Hannah's horse. Plus, he won't sign and sit on the bench, he will be in RF, Arcia will be hitting HR's (and striking out), both at a phenomenal pace for someone else, and Kepler will be probably dawdling around in Rochester. It's the Twins Way!

Why?

John, in your second paragraph, during your attempt at amateur psychology, you point out that some people want the team to give up, so they in essence no longer invest themselves in a losing cause? Or is it possible that many of these same people see it differently. Either those who see this as another in a long line of decisions that almost invariably go towards a veteran presence over raw talent. Or, those of us who never thought Hunter should have been signed by this team, this year, and saw his signing as a sop to the casual fan base. The "Hey Torii's back" group! Frankly I am in both of the aforementioned camps!

If the Texas Rangers were named for the Texas Rangers, should they not be the Texas Rangers Jr.? If I get stopped for speeding in Texas, (which btw is almost impossible to do) how will I know which Ranger I am talking to?

"Thank God for Mike Pelfrey" I never thought I would see those 5 words consecutively in TD, or for that matter anywhere !

This is exactly why I was, have been, and will be against Hunters signing last year, and this coming year. First it made an uncomfortable and all ready defensive RF move to LF this spring, and now he is not only blocking Buxton, he will end up costing either Rosario, Arcia, Hicks, or more likely Kepler a ML job next year. It's decisions like this that have turned the term "Twins Way" into such a derisive term.

We are so loaded with talent, we have won exactly how many series since the AS break? We can't find playing time for the top prospect? The only part of that paragraph I agreed with is the part about Terry Ryan composing his resume. So if they are putting him in AAA for a couple weeks, what changes in a couple weeks? Sept call ups won't make anymore room for him. Torii Hunter should not be blocking a player of Buxtons pedigree. And Robinson should not be taking innings away either. Not on this team, in this situation. All I can say, is that if Buxton cannot move a declining 40 yr old out of the way, either he is not as good as advertised, or the people making the decisions aren't.

I agree with Jimmer. We are now basing our developmental decisions for next year on a 40 yr old OF vs an important cog in any chance of future team success? And for the record, what exactly does a top of the order hitter look like? Frankly we currently do not have one. And if someone can think of anyone on this team that would fill any batting order of a contending teams 1, 3, 4, or likely 5 spot please list them. Doziers power in the 2 hole might play, but he's is the only one.

He doesn't have to start the world on fire, he has to get some acclimation time in so next year he possibly can start that fire.

I think there used to be a tv show, "That Was The Week That Was". The Twins version would be "This Was The Year That Wasn't" While we are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, mathematicians are not very good ball players. This begs the question? Now what? There are far more of those questions than answers, some don't have specific answers. Following are a few thoughts from watching this team. Starting at the top: Terry Ryan. While I doubt he will, and if he does I fear it will just end up being Rob Anthony, it might be a good time for him to retire. And it will have to be retire, as he has more job security than the Pope. Some of his decisions and player movements, and lack thereof this year have been head scratchers. Some guys are brought up, Tonkin, Fryer, Hermann, Fryer, Hermann, Duffey, Santana, et al and then sent back down when they did not perform. Others not performing just sit here, their under performance overlooked or ignored. My problem isn't moving players, my problem is that there is no rhyme or reason. TR seems very reactionary, unwilling to do anything until backed into a corner. He has had 4 years to prepare this team for an influx of younger players, and still hasn't got a discernible grip on the roster. I will only mention in passing, extending Suzuki, Pelfrey, and not letting several RP go during arbitration. And I really do not think that Torii Hunter was the fit for this team. It's not that he can't play some. We just did not need a 40 yr old OF. But I will give Ryan credit for having the cajones not to make an idiotic deadline trade. The holes in this team are to widespread to fix that way. Molitor? I like some of his out of the box thinking, his expanded shifts and his calm demeanor. I am not a huge fan of his love affair with the bunt, his use of the bench, and what appears to be a major dislike of pinch hitters. I am also disappointed he has not dealt with the Mauer in the top of the order problem. I was hoping some of the sacred cows would no longer be sacred. Plus the handling of May is and was very strange. The pitching staff? It's a mess. Loaded with expensive #4 pitchers, low strikeout rates, and no one that can pick you up and drag you back into the win column when all is seemingly lost. A bullpen who strikes out no one, and to whom inherited runners are people to be gotten off the bases as quickly as possible. Shortstops? None! Lots of guys playing there, but not one who excels at either the glove or the bat. The worst of two worlds. Dozier: Since they have started pitching him almost exclusively away and down, he has become a miniature version of Arcia. About the same amount of SO and home runs. The biggest difference is Waldo can hit almost any pitch over the fence, and admittedly swings at most of them. And he plays poor defense. BD basically will hit only one pitch over the fence, but tries desperately to pull the rest. And plays good defense. The corner IF: Much rides on this decision. Someone has to go. Sorry Trevor. Mauer is not going anywhere, and neither is Sano. Plouffe should be packaged up with some prospects, and dealt for a catcher. This does not mean I think Plouffe is a poor player, it's simply that he is the odd man out, and you can't hit Sano in the DH hole all next year. And please do not tell me they will bench Mauer. Please! As for a rotating scenario of the three, there's nothing like not knowing where you will be playing everyday to make you consistent. Catcher: If it's so hard to find a hitting catcher, and if yours isn't into doing either very well, then for heavens sake, put a defensive catcher behind the plate and bat him ninth. If your bench is constructed properly you can PH on occasion. Again, the worst of both worlds. As for Pinto, see below. OF: Get Buxton up here. If he can bat in Rochester, he can hit here. To the best of my knowledge the bats in Rochester are also made of wood. Correct me if I am wrong. He needs the reps in the majors. Same for Arcia. Let Arcia, Hicks, Buxton, and Rosario play there the rest of the year. Let Torii be a very limited fill in and PH for the rest of the year. He can still mentor, play the boom box, and lace the dugout with expletive loaded tirades. But the cynic in me seems to think that they are seldom useful, or it would be done daily. This winter thank him profusely and promise him good references. The BP: Sheesh. Nothing seems to work. I guess I would try to emulate some of the Cards theories and move in some minor league starters and relievers who throw hard. And I would let them settle in, not bounce them back to whence they came after a couple outings. This does not mean keeping the course of endless jogs out to the mound to remove the latest disaster. It's just a realization that RP have a day to day existence. Unfortunately we have taken that and made it a month to month,or more, existence. Bench? Clear the bench of Robinson and Nunez. IF Pinto passes his concussion tests, and gets some rehab time in, get him up here. There is no reason he can't be the backup catcher/DH/PH next year. In closing, this whole year should have been all about the future. While it's true that some youth appeared, there were still far too many non contributors left on the roster. Whether the crazy month of May caused the plan to change, or as I suspect there was no plan, it was not handled well. By this time of the year, we should have had a very solid idea of how next years roster will look. Instead, we really don't seem to know what's going to happen. This year is starting to look an awful lot like last year and the years before that. Someone has to take the lead, and make some inventive, tough, and costly decisions. Sadly I don't see that happening.

He has struggled at every level he moved to in the beginning. This was nothing new. I am not complaint about rehab in general, but I am wondering about the lack of consistency used in handling players. And about a seemingly endless effort to maintain the least amount of talent on the bench at any one time.

The Astros and Cubs are 9 and 14 games over .500 respectively. While I don't know all the specifics of how they got there, they were the two teams we were most associated with in terms of developmental status and potential. Maybe we should be a little behind them, but not to the point we are.

To the "you would just complain about something else crowd", yes we would! . But some of the decisions made lately are head scratching. Both on the field and off. The endless bunting, practically no bench, and when there is one, no PH. The use, or lack thereof of May. Arcia in Rochester and Robinson here. Throwing Tyelr Duffey to the wolves. In a normal situation, against a less offensive team at home, yes. But this was a spot for May, 3-4 innings or not. Then you could still use Duffey if it went to hell. The veteran Hunter sits comfortably on the bench, two on and no outs. Bottom of the order up. The season drifting in the same direction as the Edmund Fitzgerald, and never gets an AB. I always considered signing Hunter less than a good idea for this team. And the situation last night made it even more so.

What we needed more than anything was a productive out! In all seriousness, while I am not a fan of the Hunter signing, he needed to hit for Robinson. Sarcasm aside, he is the veteran leader, that is the spot he should have been signed for.

Here come day bunt

Dick said we have used 6 pitchers in this game. May must have pitched while I was in the bathroom?

Couldn't we have pinch........ Aww what the hell, just forget it!

They are in a way. I wonder if they would consider going the other way with a few pitches. I have heard that improves the offense. (RB might think this backwardly negative, but I for one am a huge fan of ground ball singles)