Platoon

The Twins are holding an asset that is valuable to them more so in a marketing, emotional and leadership role, than an on the field role. I say that why? Because he is not going to make this team a winner in the remainder of his likely tenure. This is not a comment on his talent, it's a comment on his timing. That said, he has been put out on the front lawn with a for sale sign all winter, and 29 teams have kicked the tires, and checked the oil and decided that whatever they had at second base was either better than he, or if it wasn't, the asking price was too high. No matter the product, if it doesn't sell at your asking price, it's priced too high. Baring a totally unforeseen stroke of luck, I think the Twins will end up finding this out in June. As to the point that the new FO needs to build trust with the support staff, and help Molitor keep his job, I would not agree. When you start making decisions to curry favor, and worry about what others perception is, you won't succeed , or be around very long. They need the long view. We done the short view thing for years!

I just KNEW you would weigh in on that post!

UGH! Yet more succintion!

Very nice first post. I would take issue with the offense comments is 4&5 though. IMHO, this team should have enough offense, even sans Dozier. Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Rosario, and Polanco should at a minimum provide an overall uptick. Not all will improve dramatically, but neither will they decline. The bottom line, is that all assets expended on this roster should be directed at defense at SS, and SP. I think the rest is available internally. If I am wrong, and if it is not, we can kiss any playoff hopes in '18 and beyond good bye! One last thought! Protecting Dozier. In the leadoff spot, you don't get protection from the 4 hole. You generally get a lot of get em over FB's. And he did. I, nor it appears Molitor, ever saw him as a middle of the order bat. They tried it a few times, and abandoned it quickly. Whether there was a rationale involved, or more evidence of Molitors dart board lineups is hard to determine. But if they intend to continue to have him lead off, protecting him with an aged stick is not necessary.

Ugh! I don't like the draft pick or the money expended. IMHO, the Twins don't need to add specific players to win this year, they need to add specific players to balance and construct an ongoing roster. If Bautista was going to be around for some years, and if they then could jettison Park and Vargas, mmmmm? But he won't be. This teams future rises or falls on their current youth and their approach to SS and SP. everything else is fluff!

I don't know how to add GIF's but this comment calls for that song? I got parts of it stuck in my brain..... Long beautiful hair? Flaxen waxen? Should be BD's walk up song! .

Maturity by Sano, Kepler, Buxton, Polanco, and yes I think even Roaario will go a long way to making this team semi competitive. But until they fill the black hole at SS and seriously upgrade the SP, they will never be printing playoff tickets as the second WC. If we keep Dozier, meaning Polanco plays SS, or EE, and we then spend the first half of the year trying to decide which 5 of our multitude of SP will be able to pitch into the 6th inning, the season will again be over in May!

Betting on Dozier to have the same value is like betting on an inside straight. Not only did he have a career statistical high, he had one that ranked pretty far up the list in MLB history. Meaning if he is to maintain value, he needs to maintain that level. Not likely. Btw, while your choice of the term "purgatory" was appropo, it could quickly turn into "hell". No I don't think the Twins will lose 103 again, that's the same statistical oddity of Dozier hitting 42 again. There could be more coming, but so far the lack of moves by the new FO greatly resemble the previous administration. But with nicer hair!

If I thought Dozier would be worth more at the deadline, I would keep him, and then move him. But I really do not. This team has the core to move forward. But obvious pieces are missing. And time, and reality are not on Doziers side. When and if this team matures, Dozier will either have declined, or walk in free agency, and his replacement, Polanco will likely be gone also. To this team Dozier and Polanco are like two things in your garage, that you only need one of. Neither will bring you what you really want in value, and will end up devaluing over the years. One has to go. Me? I turn the older, time limited one into something I need, and keep the long term one that fits into my planning. Keeping both, and having one sit there, deteriorating, is short sighted, and frankly stupid!

That number of PA for RG is simply troubling! The fact that he will likely end up in LF between them in unconscionable.

Given the preceding quotes on your early bedtimes, it would appear you GT computer is auto set to one word answers (yes/no), and bunt alerts (WTF)?

I saw him in Beloit. He dropped a foul pop fly, and kicked a two hop ground ball, I texted my son and said his high school third baseman would have easily made both plays. I still think it's mental. He is a little too full of himself. Physically he can play third, he comes in on rollers as good as anyone, and range really is not an issue. Concentration is. The Mauer situation is kind of odd. Between his contract, his status, and his middling performance, he holds his position for various reasons. If that doesn't change it leaves Park with one year as a 1B option. That is if you are a Park believer. I am not. Based on these points, I would hope for Sano to hang unto third for a couple years, but always keep looking to 2019 with him at 1B. Baring something unforeseen I think that would be a mandatory trial before he is labeled a life long DH.

Trying to wrap my head around the concept of "little Vanimals"? It's going to take more time.......

I wonder how big his mansion is. One day, back in the drinking days, I mentioned to a business acquaintance that I thought the old Cat n the Fiddle would make a wonderful, and discreet place of adult entertainment. But that I would never have a public ownership, my mother would have disowned me. He must have agreed with the concept, because two days later he stopped in the office and said he had tried to buy the place. But the price was exorbitant. Sadly some of my best ideas never came to fruition.

You might as well, there's been a lot of confessing going on! And bubbles burst! The Seth/Buddy Holly one was for me the most traumatic.

Well it was an iron something, I know that. I think it was 745 miles. What was really stupid, we went out for pizza, and asked them to turn on the game. I thought the Twins were in MN. Turns out they were in Cleveland! It would have been fun to go to the game there that night, even if it was Clevleand.

We did Norwalk OH to So. Central MN in one day on the bike, including a noon ride through downtown Chicago. And you are right about I90. But ND and SD freeway driving does not have to take a back seat to the the scenery on I80 in OH and IN!

My dad drove like that, said he never had an accident. (Not true). We always told him to look in the rear view mirror at the carnage in his wake! I am grateful for large cities! It keeps the riff raff away! . Not to get over philosophical, but when I traveled I always found the following to be true. If I drove for a long period in trees, I yearned for corn fields, and vice versa. Same went for hills, curves and flat ground. Two days on the bike in the Black Hills make I90 look pretty good.

if I remember correctly in Cosmos they covered the windows with styrofoam panels? On another Cosmopolitan topic, they used to play a form of modified fast pitch up there. My oldest son went to the tourneys. I think it was anything you could throw by only bringing your arm back to a horizontal position, and then underhand.

There are soooooo many places to go with this, but first a question? Can you assign warning points to a response to your own double entendre? .

I was born in New Ulm, raised on a farm south of Searles MN, and now live on the muddy Minnesota River about 9 miles from there. I have 4 children, 2 of each variety, and a lovely and needless to say, long suffering spouse. I spent exactly four months living in Minneapolis after leaving home, and knew I wasn't destined for big city living. It's a nice place to visit........... So I moved home, and since have been everything from a Teamster to an Internet sporting goods site owner. And an awful lot in between. Between work and motorcycles, I have crisscrossed the US often, and have done extensive research in the category of small out of the way eating establishments! Now retired, I am appreciative of the Gen X'ers and Millennials who keep my retirement funds flowing! I won't thank each of you individually, you know who you are! I was Jim Hoey before Jim Hoey. A big arm, with absolutely no idea of where the ball would end up. A friend once asked me, "what would you do if you couldn't throw anything"? At the time I didn't know, but now realize what the answer was. Peruse TD. Since I have not been able to download Twitter on my flip phone, I know I didn't follow Seth here. So how I got here, will remain one of life's mysteries, even to me. Why I stay is the other one. Saying that Harmon is likely my favorite Twin, and that the absence of Tony Oliva delegitimizes the HOF, gives you another idea of my age. I grew up with 'CCO and the games on AM only car radios, and have sat on the bike at 10 PM in the Gillette WY Super 8 parking lot listening to the end of a game the year Liriano was his best. As for the most exciting moment in Twins history, it might be hearing the Spanish language version of the Puckett home run. And I don't speak Spanish. But the guys excitement was infectious in any language! I have coached, umpired, and watched an untold number of baseball games. I hardly miss a Twins game on tv, and despite numerous opportunities to go to TF on the cuff, I seldom do. After seeing so much baseball up close, I find the distance from the action to be annoying. As I am not exactly metrically inclined, I am likely somewhat of an outlier herein. I understand and appreciate the value that enhanced statistical analysis brings to bear, but also think that simply looking at someone's numbers leaves something on the table. How about Terry Ryan and Bill James doing the Vulcan mind meld? As an established curmudgeon, and ancient philosopher, I have come to several conclusions about the game. To wit: 1. The game is not as complicated as we make it. 2. Pitching, pitching, pitching! 3. Defense helps pitching. 4. Being competitive is all you can plan for. It allows for the chance of end of the year success. I enjoy the discussions and the witty repartee. Even the disagreements are entertaining, and normally civil. While I find it a pain to watch games in live time (thank you TiVo), I really enjoy the Game Threads. My biggest fear is that once we inevitably become competitive, GT's will become serious discussions on baseball. That would be a tragedy of epic proportions.

?......... or in it? Lol. I think the same owner had one in Nicollet. It was great, I love a good scandal!

Did you live on one of those intergalactic streets in Cosmos? .

For the MLB minimum, approx $550,000 I will learn to throw LH til I can hit the mid 80's, and provide veteran leadership till the cows come home! And since I still have my Class A license, I could even drive the team bus on occasion.

Proudly! LOOOL.