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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    Baseball, as noted is a business. A franchise business, like Burger King.It has always been my contention that simple fact is often ignored. We, the fan, think that Jim Pohlad will spend his own money for the sake of winning a WS or two. Several owners have, for some, Yankees, it's worked. For some, Detroit, not as well. I seriously doubt JP falls into that category. He is most likely a spreadsheet guy. Ryan often expressed how willing JP would be to spend the money to land a big fish. And while Mauer could be considered one example, I think the new stadium and the home town boy made the numbers work versus the backlash. Remember less payroll, less deferred money, less high paid managerial talent = less operating costs. And with a lot of income from tv and radio fixed, and season ticket sales, I would not be surprised that the bottom line is almost or likely more attractive in Pohlads current business model than if he went chasing the ring full bore every year. And if one doesn't think JP is a bottom line guy, one hasn't paid attention to how that family operates.
  2. Platoon
    This may be hard to describe but here goes. Some of the most interesting discussions about baseball have often been caused by the opinions, even speculations of the beholder. Killebrew sucked! No he didn't! Etc, etc, etc. For example I made mention on another blog site, that I thought Dozier was the king of the short home run. The next day I was inundated with fly ball stats, distance stats, and balls caught v balls left the yard. Turns out Edwin Encarnacion is the short HR champ. Now I have nothing against facts whatsoever. Nor was I offended. But the discussion about baseball, or any other topic is much more lively when opinions are personal. Look at the old "the world is flat" argument. Columbus ruined that one. It's much more fun to argue whether Harmon actually sucked, than it is to argue about whether his OBP was more important than his slugging percentage, or vice versa. There is absolutely a place and a need for metrics. But there is no doubt that the efficiency and accuracy of those same metrics has diminished the intensity and entertainment value which have always been the heart and soul of sports discourse. The foregoing isn't an argument in favor of ignorance. Its simply a conjecture that one of the casualties of metrics just might be passion.
  3. Platoon
    The Twins are in a tough place. I cannot believe they will pay the price, plus the premium to get Darvish to come to the tundra. So that leaves trades. I thought they were of the right mindset trying to trade Dozier, and can't believe they could not get someone to give them enough to pull the pin. You can win a lot of games with a core of 2-3 level pitching and good defense. That is where the Twins need to concentrate. It's not flashy, but it can lead to legitimate competitiveness. Add to that draft, development, and flexibility and you can run a very nice orginisation within their budget "constraints". Hopefully the resulting playoff appearances will result in an occasional WS participation.
  4. Platoon
    I don't know much about the content of the blogs as I am more of a front page guy, if it looks interesting I read it. Meaning the headings are important. When I open TD the blogs are buried, maybe that's just my setting. But click bait is a fact of life. As to the less intense version of content in the last year (seemingly), I think some of is due to the lack of serious player movement. Signing Zack Duke may have some intrinsic value to Pau Molitor in the 7th inning, but it's hard to comment on a blog or forum while yawning. Same for game threads, the gallows humor displayed by many of the regulars for several years was inspiring and in some instances side splitting. TD is driven I am sure by Twins passion. The passion can be driven by different emotions, but it's got to exist. Currently it seems to me that the team may be stuck in a sort of neutral. Too good to be bad, but not good enough to be great. Controversy, pro or con drives interest. It's currently lacking.
  5. Platoon
    I had no idea that their was an opportunity to cash in writing on TD. Not that it would have made a difference. I have written a few forum pieces, none of which were memorable, and have done a few GT openers. To an extent I enjoy both. TD is somewhat of a safe haven in which to express ones opinion. Comments made are generally respectful, even in disagreement. It's one reason I would hope that negative forums or blogs dont start appearing. While I am not inclined to kiss the FO posterior, and have had issues with field management, it's a fine line between critiscim and abject negativity. I don't have a solution for the blog issue, but I would say that the biggest obstacle for me in the GT openers is the lineups. The window is small and I don't want to be tied to my electronics in some cases. Nevertheless, I check this site daily, have for several years, and hope to be able to for many more.
  6. Platoon
    Mildly being the operative word in this sentence!
  7. Platoon
    We just had this discussion before dinner on Xmas day. While the rumors are simply rumors, I have heard them floating around. Neither Sano's weight nor leg are heading in the right direction. While I don't know if it's true, there hasn't been any glowingly positive reports either. IF this is true, Sanos value is greatly diminished. But if someone is willing to take a flyer on his leg, physical condition discipline, and his ability to stay at third for several years, I would move him in a heartbeat. I was always a big fan of his, I could not wait to see him up, but I just cannot see a path forward where he remains consistently healthy.
  8. Platoon
    I like Napoli, but not enough to sign him for this team. For one thing, Vargas or no Vargas, who I also like, we may end up with Sano as a full time DH for quite some time. I have heard some negative reports on his leg, and his training. That would have to be a consideration. Plus, in this day of a short bench, any non versatile PH type is almost a luxury which I doubt the Twins have room for.
  9. Platoon
    The good thing about Darvish is that he is likely better than Lynn and Cobb. The bad thing is there is only one of him. A question I have is IF you could sign Lynn and Cobb for the same amount of money, would that added real depth in the rotation be equal to one Darvish. The current and future Darvish, not the past one? Darvish is likely no longer a true league wide ace. I am not even sure of an answer to the above, but the thought lingers. As for Kintlzer. IF using the term closer means "your best reliever", then the question I always ask is "can you be considered a great team with Kintzler as your closer"? I don't think so. One could also say that question could apply to the Darvish issue. Who would have thought baseball could be so complicated.
  10. Platoon
    In the Mauer perfect storm analogy you missed maybe the biggest piece of that puzzle. The new Target Field. The promise of much needed new revenue which of course would be used to retain and obtain talent. Add that to the equation, and the Twins got off cheap. I could care less about JP money except for the fact he will only dole out so much. Rolling all your dice on Darvish might give you that one big game in Oct., if you get to Oct. signing two really solid 2-3 guys would with this teams offense and OF defense seem a safer bet. It's a tough call, Falvine is really going to earn his money on this one.
  11. Platoon
    They are betwixt the Rock and hard place. IF they could pull off the deal mentioned above, I would certainly pull the pin. It doesn't seem like Gordon has enough glove for SS, and the team remarkably has some options in the MI. And, while no one likes to operate from a point of weakness, and certainly would not admit it, I doubt anyone in MLB will read the following. Which is, this team is in a tough spot, a sold core of position players but with a non complimentary goroup of pitchers. They also don't have an endless inventory of replacement position players. Meaning they will be soon approaching now or never territory. Not only are they not dealing from a position of strength, they only have so many attractive assets to move. They better get it right the first time.
  12. Platoon
    A well deserved thanks to all the Mods. Also to TD for being a safe haven for civil discourse!
  13. Platoon
    I can understand both this, and that bird guys comments. And that's the trouble with this whole argument/analysis. There are so many "what ifs". So here's another one: What if Falvine not only took into consideration the teams likelihood of a WC spot, but also came to a conclusion that The players he gave up were not exactly going to be necessary to reach that relatively low bar. And if I remember correctly Kintzler is a FA. plus we received $500k in pool momey? Falvine is paid to come to these assumptions, way earlier and with much more at stake than I am. The bottom line, is taking the trades off the table, we still end up losing to NY (as usual) and we don't have Kintzler, the trade, and the money. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the discussion. I just cannot see any reasonable action that would have improved our status in the one and done, or our status as we sit here. But I can envision numerous ones that don't.
  14. Platoon
    One could say that critiscims about the FO moves at the deadline did suggest that. While one could argue the definition of "all in", the contention that the teams moves harmed their ultimate landing place would certainly mean the commentators considered the season an opportunity missed. Or as one might, a failure? The alternative analysis of those comments would be "success", and I doubt that could be construed as their intent.
  15. Platoon
    I have never understood th angst over the trade deadline decisions. Based on the Twins talent relative to their competitors, it was not just Falvines opinion that the Twins were not viable contenders, it was a widely held view. But the biggest issue here is the term "viable contenders". Ones interpretation of that term makes all the difference. but since hindsight is always best, let's move forward to early Oct. "17. Hindsight should show us that short of trading away the entire future, burning enormous amounts of cash, and somehow magically gettimg Verlander level FA and trades to come to MN as mostly rentals, nothing would have changed what was in reality a best case outcome to 2017. And since those fantasy baseball actions were not going to happen, I return to my original comment. Why the angst?
  16. Platoon
    I had sort of anticipated them blowing the whole lot of the pool money on a single pitching prospect, the best they could find. Maybe they tried that and could not find a suitable value? It just seems to me that the money had the most return in that manner, and admittedly the most risk. This isn't intended as a criticism, simply an uneducated observation.
  17. Platoon
    From the somewhat limited view in my recliner, I have no idea if he makes it back to the level of even an expensive long reliever. The surprise I am looking for is whether the new FO makes the decision based more on his usefulness to the roster, than his usefulness to the accounting department!
  18. Platoon
    I agree some of the comments have been purely racist. I never felt that my concerns were based on race. My concerns were based on level of play and in the two Twins, specifics. For Nishiokia, there really weren't any. I didn't see much video of him, plus I thought his position and skill set were more easily transferred to the level of MLB. Park was different. His video highlights showed him hitting bombs off of an endless variety of hanging spinners. Simple stats and math would tell us that there were going to be less of those at the MLB level than the KPL level. Such math applies to more than one Twin prospect who did the same in MiLB. As did the end, the same results. I go back to my long held belief that the Twins previous regime weighed publicity and marketing into the decision to sign Nishiokia and Park at a level that exceeded the players actual chance to succeed. It's either that, or at least in the case of Park they did not use the same criteria in evaluating his talents that they did whilst evaluating their own MiLB rosters.
  19. Platoon

    Radio matters

    Platoon commented on mikelink45's blog entry in mikelink45's Blog

    I really don't think with HD and the improvement in radios that the "static" is that harsh. And yes, XM does alleviate the issue for those who wish to subscribe. I did during the time I traveled the country. I loved it. But I also loved sitting on the bike in the parking lot of the Super 8 in Gillette Wyoming finishing a close game on 'CCO. And since it's the MINNESOTA Twins, not the Twin City Twins, statewide coverage is nice, for two reasons. It's not always easy to find the game when away from your local area. And in my area one of the stations that would take me west, skips a lot of games or innings for news and recipe shows. Lol
  20. Platoon
    Watching the Vikings is sort of like buying a lottery ticket. You know you won't win, but you buy one anyway, just in case you do. . While I don't think Kai F. could kick my dog, I think it will still be the QB who does them in. And it will be painful as usual. I cannot see Darvish coming to MN, regardless of whether JP opens his rusted vault doors, but I would not mind seeing the team "trade" some signing cash for some ready to use high end MiLB talent, that fits the teams timeline. The Twins are sitting in a good spot. One way or the other they should cash in on Ohtani. As for the football Rodents, I assume its safe to say you ain't in the boat "rowin"? I have no idea if Flexk can recruit the Gophers out of their 50 years of wandering in the desert? Even if he does, I cannot stand his coaching style. Less shouting and jumping up and down, and more thinking might help!
  21. Platoon
    I didn't mean that the chance wasn't worth taking per se. I meant that when the Twins win a bidding war it's time to look under the hood. There has to be something wrong. I don't intend that observation to be snarky at all, it's based on a long and easily verified history of their being well out of the running when making a run at quality talent.
  22. Platoon
    I will always wonder how much of this was marketing, both in Korea and in MN. The Twins had numerous bashers with long swings, who had trouble with both velocity and spin, and the inability to make contact. They put up good numbers in AAA and hardly ever set foot in MN. Yet we "outbid" all of baseball for Park, and were to believe his flaws were a mirage? I tend to be a skeptical pragmatic, and when the MN Twins, at least the previous administration, win a bidding contest at anything bigger than an estate auction, something is amiss.
  23. Platoon
    I think the number of Twins bunts is indicative of the managers seeming disregard for the inning, his starting pitcher, the opponent and at times the name of the bunter. Molitor often used small ball early in games, while wielding a fairly power laden team, with a very very average pitching staff. I know if I am the opposition, and you want to bunt away crooked number innings early in the game, just show me where you want that pitch layed in there. I will gladly give up that one run in the third inning.
  24. Platoon
    The obvious is that Sano is a large man, who isn't getting any smaller. Add to that some suspicion as to his work habits and his discipline. Everyone wants and hopes he stays at third, healthy and productive. And if he doesn't? What is plan B? That he will likely have an elite bat is not in question. But what will his mindset be if moved to 1B? Or worse, full time DH. While it may be totally acceptable to him, he didnt exactly embrace RF. Falvine and Molitor have far more insight than we do. But for me, any hint of recalcitrance over a position change,and I am looking for a nice return in the pitching market. His utmost value is as a third baseman, and I am not sure that's sustainable.
  25. Platoon
    If nothing else the last two years have confirmed what we all knew about Molitor. He is either a very very poor manager, or a very very good manager.
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