jimbo92107

I wonder if getting over the yipps involves doing something that gives you perspective, like skydiving or bungee jumping. Or snorkeling around great white sharks. Or being chased through the jungle by cannibals. Or riding a bicycle down the Eiger. Something like that, for perspective.

Go get 'em, Tony. Control and accuracy are more important than a mid-90's heater. Ask Carl Pavano. Ask Greg Maddox. You be the guy in charge. You control the action. Learn to slow down time and create the moment.

I think the team should build through their minor league system, for better or for worse. If you're looking at 80 wins at best, what's the point of bringing in a bunch of re-treads from all over the league? Better to show the guys in the minors that they really have a shot. To me, this cattle call from all over the league must be pretty demoralizing to the players in the Twins system trying to work their way up.

More interesting than Mauer's actual home run total is what factors people think will affect his total. The one year that he actually hit a serious load of taters was when he was relatively healthy and still in the Metrodome, where his opposite field power put a bunch over the left field fence. Today's Joe Mauer is a couple years older, has had problems with his back, his knee, and his shoulder. He's playing at a park where the left field fence is too far to reach with his opposite field swing, which means he would have to turn on inside pitches. We've seen in the past that pitchers are loathe to give Mauer anything inside, which means his opportunities to turn on inside stuff will be very limited. That means Mauer will probably again be relegated to hitting most of his long balls to the opposite field. That said, Mauer has the ability to control the strike zone. If he punishes pitchers with enough of his patented down-the-line doubles, maybe they'll get desperate and pitch him inside. If that happens, we could see the joyful cranking of some very hard-hit dingers to right field. Playing into that scenario is Mauer's history of being a line drive hitter, which means most pitchers don't expect him to elevate the ball. They pitch him inside expecting at worst a line drive single to right. Joe is going to have to be ready to do more than that. Can he load up for inside pitches? Will he recognize the hitting situation and take advantage? I think Mauer is a smart enough hitter to start turning on inside pitches. I'm going high with my estimate. 22 homers in 2012, if he's reasonably healthy. Half of them to right field.

Maybe Zumaya needs to warm up slower. Give that healing elbow more time to get used to the work load. Makes me wonder how a little guy like Tim Lincecum throws mid-90's. Could a big guy like Zumaya get more power from his legs and body?

Bates is a good singles hitter, and maybe that's the best the team can do this year, if they also want a steady first baseman. Maybe it would be better to have a guy like Bates setting the table for other hitters. It doesn't always work out in a conventional way. Can Gardenhire make a winning team out of this year's misfits?

If I'm reading the two charts correctly, and if the two photos are representative, then the higher release point was giving Liriano a tighter snap and a better look-down angle, a phenomenon I recognize from tennis. A lot of people think that a good flat serve requires leaning as far as possible into the shot, thus theoretically giving you more forward thrust via body lean. Instead, the best serves are met higher in the air, with relatively modest body lean. The idea is to drive the heel of your hitting hand upwards and forwards, like a shot putter, then relax the hand at apex and let the racket head snap over naturally, like a mouse trap. If you do it right, you create an effortless wave of power that starts from your feet and moves up your body, ending in a loud bang as the ball explodes off your racket. A pitcher like Tim Lincecum does the same thing by executing what amounts to a low aerial cartwheel, using his entire body to create the power wave. That's why he's able to generate the fantastic power - he's using his gymnastic training to throw a baseball. Liriano isn't going to throw himself through the air like Lincecum, but he is able to generate a lot of pop at the top if he gets upward thrust. That's why the higher release point works so well for him.

Let's hope he's smart enough not to over-think.