diehardtwinsfan

Honestly, if Buck's struggles stem from looking at the batting average and pressing, then bunt away... if anything, it will start drawing in the infield a bit more and give him a few more seeing eye grounds when he swings away. I have zero problems with that if his issues are confidence related.

It depends on who makes the cookies for the record. The Chinese buffet we occasionally eat at usually has fortunes.. Fun fact for the day. I worked at a fortune cookie factory in High School.

Sooooo.... is this game in the bag yet?

Given the nice start, this thread has been fun... until now.

As a below average golfer, I can testify that it doesn't help either.

I didn't know they ran track in the 1500s.

Breslow is the easy choice in my opinion. I wouldn't cry much if he got lost. I don't think it happens in the next week (baring injury) simply because of the reasons others have already stated... Now that said, I still have hope for Duffey as a starter, though time in the pen can work to his advantage, as a number of starters have really stepped up their games after spending a few months working out of the pen. I'm not against Duffey on that path, as I think he's a possible starter long term (now he may prefer to stay there, and if so I'd keep him there), but he's probably next... And Tonkin, I'd try him out in some meaningful roles, and if he fails, cut bait.

I'm disappointed in GameDay not being able to capture Breslow's new arm angle...

on the bright side, Duffey is doing well.

what are they challenging? Game day isn't saying anything.

It could be worse.

I believe he rolled his ankle.

that and convince him to swing a bit less.... lots of swings... constantly swinging. I've got to think he's getting a lot of garbage right now.

yeah, another good season by Blankenhorn and he's going to be getting national attention. He's what, 20?

well, in Twins history, I'm guessing mostly losses... those April games never counted as much and we were always digging ourselves out of a hole.

The work around is likely a lawsuit over anti-trust violations... that would be my guess. He could sue MLB... no idea on the legality of it and whether or not it would work, but if I was his agent, I'd be exploring that thoroughly.

Honestly, I'm not so sure. The problem with a signing like Otani is a competitive balance issue, which is something that all MLB has to deal with. Yes, it's a convenient way of saving the owners millions, but it is a real problem where teams like NY, LA, and CHI can simply print money and get that potential superstar at the expense of teams like KC and Pit. I'm not arguing that the rule doesn't suck for Otani, but I do think it's there for more than just saving the owners a few dollars.

I just hope Buxton starts taking pitches sooner than later, or he's going to Rochester... not sure how much more of that we can take.... I just want to know why it was that he had no problems taking pitches when they didn't matter, but as soon as the games count, he's flailing away as though he has no clue..

For the record, Gordon had an .800+ OPS into August last year before cooling down. He started hot last year. I suspect that more to do with wearing down, as a full season is tough on a 20 year old kid. Hoping this year he maintains the pace for a full season.

We welcome you back to your game thread fix with the 8th game from these two storied teams. Both teams enter into it with a 5-2 mark, though the Tigers managed to take game 1 on a 2 run home run that proved to be the only runs they needed. The good guys will be looking for revenge, hoping to continue the surprise run that leaves them 3 games over .500 this early in the season. The winner will get bragging rights for the day, as they will hold a 1 game lead on the AL Central. Things to think about: 1. Entrepreneurial spirits. Michigan was once storied for their ingenuity with the invention of the motorized carriage, which put our own USAChief's horse raising business out of business. Detroit managed to fill a need, and in so doing became a very affluent city. Unfortunately, it's latest attempts to fill a need have been disastrous, leading to hard times in the automotive industry along with it's most recent invention of unleaded water, which the people of Michigan didn't realize that the rest of the world already had. 2. University of Michigan. Not far from Detroit lies a putrid waste dump known as Ann Arbor, which was originally designed to be Ann's Harbor, until the city planners realized that it wasn't very close to Lake Erie. To compensate, the state decided to build a university there. 3. Grand. It's a word you hear from time to time, unless of course you've actually lived near Michigan. You suddenly realize that this word is a means for the entire state to justify their inferiority complex with their neighbors to the south. Most names throw this word in front of them, as if Grand Valley is some how greater than all other valleys, perhaps on par with the Grand Canyon. Perhaps maybe Grand Rapids is known for it's big rapids? 4. History. Today in history was a historic one. The Civil War started by the south firing on Fort Sumpter. Galileo was convicted of heresy; and a few hundred years later, the first human being was put into space. 5. Grand Lakes. We call them the great lakes, but they are some of the biggest lakes on the planet. The people of Michigan lobbied hard to name one after them, as a show of superiority... and in typical Minnesota passive aggressive fashion, we named our "Superior." Lineups TBD Kyle Gibson Matt Fulmer

I know it is stat lines, but this really does say a lot. If he has ML stuff, he should be destroying high schoolers better than he is. It tells me that even if he's successful, don't expect him up in 3 years. That would be said, it would be interesting to see more than a few guys here. I'd love to see HS stats of guys like Stewart, various big named failed pitching prospects, and a few under the radar guys that made it.... would be fine to look at.

baseball is a lot like trading stock or gambling in this aspect... lots of gut feels that get rewarded enough that you don't look at the numbers and make consistently intelligent decisions. Not sure if that was the purpose of a guy like Pickler, but if you combine Molitor's baseball IQ with a coach smart enough to harness it, I think the end combo can be very good... I still think that there will be a day when people recognize that managers are much like players in that they too can add WAR over a season. Consistently put your team in a place to win, and they will win more games.

funny, that's precisely what he did to get the last out in the 8th yesterday. I agree he's not a K machine, but I'd rather the K machine guys go out in the 7th or 8th with runners on and a small lead then save them to the 9th after the game is already won or lost.

well, I'd say he gets in pitchers counts often and uses those extra balls to entice some bad contact, but he's good enough to throw strikes when he needs to, keeping his walk rate low.

yeah, getting Buxton going at the plate will really help. Like what I've seen so far. Hope it continues.