John Bonnes

And a note to the mods, or those of you that were critical of me in this thread and had their comments hidden by the mods: I've unhidden them. I didn't think any were over-the-top uncivil. I don't mean to reject the decision-making of the mods, who do outstanding work, but in this thread I don't want people to be afraid to be critical of my position (or me, for that matter).

I'm so sorry I didn't check this thread. I should've known it would get comments, but podcasts so rarely get comments on here that I kind of forgot to even look. Most of the questions surround two subjects: 1) Why I believe Ryan should've received another year and 2) How Aaron and I handled the disagreement. 1) I look at Ryan's GM career in his two stints with the Twins. I would grade the GM on overall results during their tenure. I would grade Terry Ryan's first stint with the Twins as an A-, maybe a B+. I would grade his second stint with the Twins as a D through June. HOWEVER, at the end of March I would've graded it as a B-; they had a winning season and looked strong for the future after an extensive 3-year rebuild process under Ryan. The overall grade for a GM can't change that much over 2-3 months. That discrepancy makes me want to step back and evaluate the team, the organization, etc. That's why I wouldn't have fired Ryan yet. I might have done it in October if things continued to be terrible. But I also might not have and given him one more offseason. I think he's earned that much. And yes, Aaron and I cover a lot of things the Twins do wrong. But we also cover a lot of things the Twins do right. Anyone who studies a team can list strengths and weaknesses. But how important each of those strengths and weaknesses are is shown in results. And I don't mean a simple won-loss record. (Bill Smith was 332-318 over his four years. I don't think that means we want him back.) I mean an evaluation of where the organization was when a GM took it over and where it is now. And this organization is in a vastly better place now than it was after the 2011 season. 2) It has always been our policy to not edit our podcasts at all, or even let the tape stop rolling (unless there is a technical problem). That makes it even harder than radio when spirited topics arise - at least in radio, you have a commercial break to gather yourselves. So we have had a few times where we have gotten into it like this. (FWIW, it takes a great deal of guts to have that policy and I respect the hell out of Aaron for agreeing to it. Hell, it takes a great deal of guts to create anything and put it out there in public, but to have something that is instantly recorded, without prep and saved for posterity is borderline insane. It's akin to writing a story that doesn't allow any corrections or edits, only it moves even faster.) It was clear to me that Aaron was frustrated with me and I was frustrated with him. Rather than stop the recording (just because we never had), I tried to move on a few times and was unsuccessful. In retrospect, I wonder why we wouldn't press "pause", cool off for a few minutes (like a commercial break) and then start again when maybe we're both a little more willing to listen and not as determined to talk. If you guys have any feedback on that strategy I'd love to hear it. On the one hand, it might make the podcast a little more interesting as we both regather and not try to make the same point. On the other, the impromptu and genuine passion is what some people appreciate. FWIW, we sat around after the show and had a beer together for 30 minutes. I think Aaron makes a special effort to reconnect with me as a friend after something like that and I appreciate it. And I do the same. It isn't always our first impulse, but I'd much rather put forth that effort than drive a wedge in a relationship or a community just so I can stubbornly reject a viewpoint about a baseball team.

Aaron and John have an emergency podcast at New Bohemia to discuss (and debate) the the Twins firing Terry Ryan. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/Ep_265_Replacing_Terry_Ryan.mp3 View full article

Or just click the Play button below.Aaron and John. thanks to Harrys.com, get their Human Resources' groove on at New Bohemia - Lake Street, giving each of the Twins their personal performance reviews, including who is Nagana, Nagana, Nagana-work-here-anymore. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/Episode_263_Performance_Review.mp3 View full article

Aaron and John talk about Max Kepler and the Twins' lineup doing big damage, Kennys Vargas making the most of his (last?) chance, Trevor Plouffe's broken rib and the Twins' medical staff, Eduardo Nunez making the All-Star team, Daniel Palka moves up to Triple-A, the power of Twitter, midseason prospect rankings, and Terry Ryan saying (again) the Twins are open for business. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/gatg_7_10_16_final.mp3 Image courtesy of Betsy Bissen View full article

On Tuesday the Twins announced that Phil Hughes will undergo surgery to combat thoracic outlet syndrome. “This isn’t career threatening,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “It’s an injury that I think explains maybe a little bit of his issue. If that is the case, that’s a relief.” But an objective view of pitchers who have undergone the surgery provides less optimism. Thoracic outlet syndrome syndrome isn’t an injury to bones or muscles. It’s an injury to nerves, in which they become compressed which can cause pain and a lack of velocity. The treatment is to remove that which is compressing the nerves, which is presumably why Phil Hughes' surgery involves losing a rib. But nerve injuries are tricky to diagnose and tricky to fix. Looking at high profile pitchers that have undergone the surgery shows some successes, but also some failures. The failures could be due to the surgery not fixing the problem, or to the problem being misdiagnosed. For instance: Cardinals ace pitcher Chris Carpenter underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) in 2012 in July, and tried to recover in time to pitch for St. Louis in the postseason. He had a little success, but never pitched again as the symptoms returned the next year. Of course, he would also have been 38 years old in 2013, so was the problem the TOS, or just the game catching up to him? Josh Beckett is a somewhat more optimistic story. He had the surgery in 2013 and bounced back early in 2014 in a big way, posting a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts. But he was then diagnosed with a hip injury and never pitched again. But he was also older – 34 years old – and nearing the end of his career. Similarly pessimistic is Sean Marcum’s story. He had the surgery in July of 2013, but still had shoulder issues after it. He was never an effective pitcher after. More encouraging is current Royals pitcher Chris Young. After years of battling injuries, Young was finally diagnosed with TOS and underwent surgery in 2013. He finally stayed healthy in 2014 and 2015 and posted a 3.40 ERA in those two seasons, albeit with only a 6 K/9 strikeout rate. He’s also hurt this year, but he’s also 37 years old. There are plenty more examples, some good and some bad, but this is by no means a trivial diagnosis. Its built-in nebulous nature, which makes it difficult to diagnose in the first place, also means there is risk in the diagnosis and risk in the cure. Ryan is right – if this explains a little bit of Hughes issue, then this would be a relief. The Twins might still see Hughes return to the form he displayed in 2014 if he regains his velocity, strikeout rate and cuts down on the home runs. But there is no guarantee then can count on him to be his old self next year, or the next three years he is under contract. Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports View full article

Aaron and John feast at Iron Door Pub's 1st Anniversary Party and talk about Phil Hughes surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome, Dozier's hot streak and late All-Star game bid, the simplicity for Harry's razors, and answer listener's mailbag questions. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/Thoracic_Mailbag.mp3 View full article

Aaron and John talk about Tyler Duffey's gem vs. the Yankees, Brian Dozier's hot stretch, Oswaldo Arcia finding a new home in Tampa Bay, Terry Ryan's promise to be active at the trade deadline, voting for Jesse Ventura, Miguel Sano's rehab stint, thanking the Minnesota Corn Growers, Glen Perkins' surgery, and House Shopping 101. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/gatg_6_26_16_final.mp3 Image courtesy of Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports View full article

Aaron and John talk about time running out on Oswaldo Arcia, Max Kepler stepping up, Glen Perkins' season-ending shoulder injuries, Byron Buxton's ongoing struggles, trying to find the point of Kevin Jepsen, swapping out Pat Dean for Tommy Milone, Danny Santana's return, the Minnesota Corn Growers, and Miguel Sano's timetable. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/gatg_6_19_16_final.mp3 View full article

I don't get it. Its not that there aren't goo reasons to want to keep Buxton/Kepler up here. And it not like Arcia was getting much time. But losing talent like that organizationally is just wasteful and there wer so many other options. One option not mentioned: send Park to AAA. He's on his way there anyway.

Aaron and John gather at Insight Brewing, debate each others' levels of being antisocial and answer a whole lot of mailbag questions. Sponsored by Harrys.com. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/Episode_257_Introverted_Mailbag_64k.mp3 Image courtesy of Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports View full article

Aaron and John talk about injuries to Phil Hughes and Trevor May, first-round draft pick Alex Kirilloff, Glen Perkins' setback, J.T. Chargois' short stay, waiver claim Neil Ramirez, Byron Buxton's bad follow-up week, Tommy Milone slicing up Triple-A hitters, clicking around the Minnesota Corn Growers' website, and Justin Morneau sleeping with the enemy. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Aaron and John talk about injuries to Phil Hughes and Trevor May, first-round draft pick Alex Kirilloff, Glen Perkins' setback, J.T. Chargois' short stay, waiver claim Neil Ramirez, Byron Buxton's bad follow-up week, Tommy Milone slicing up Triple-A hitters, clicking around the Minnesota Corn Growers' website, and Justin Morneau sleeping with the enemy. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/gatg_6_12_16_final.mp3 View full article

Jeremy Nygaard joined John Bonnes on KFAN on Friday night to discuss the Twins first 14 selections in the 2016 MLB Draft. Besides diving into the Twins surprising change in strategy, they also interviewed Alex Kirilloff, the Twins 1st round pick. You can listen here. http://kfan.iheart.com/media/play/27069123/ View full article

He should be getting MLB service time, IMHO. I"m really worried for this kid. This shoulder thing has just been weird. It's a little scary.

Oh, and I don't think there is any indication that he was trying to bunt for a hit, other than the play was so stupid, it's tempting to give him the benefit of the doubt. But that sure looked like a straight sac bunt.