Doubles

Baseball, in and of itself, is an inherently boring game. Couple that with the average time-of-game currently at an all-time high of 3:09- and these are not good things. So within that time, I need something to stimulate my brain (please don't take a rip at the hanging curve ball I've left here). Roy explains what is happening and what each side is trying to accomplish. It is that very 'game within the game' that I enjoy about baseball. And with Bert on the mic, we get next-to none of that.

I get what you're saying. But the initial Sano column is where this all started. Agree, the fat-shaming in the follow-up blog was out of bounds. So was Gleeman's Twitter tirade alleging Souhan blamed Sano for his injury and called him soft, when neither of those things happened. Just my opinion, but I lose a measure of respect for Aaron every time he mentions his kimono or Cinnabon. I don't blame him for feeling insulted, but it was at his own behest. He went after Souhan, questioned his professionalism & integrity. Jim took the bait with an inflammatory blog post that crossed the line. I'm not saying that makes it right. But now it looks like Gleeman is reveling in all the attention, and in my opinion, looks worse for doing so. As I said earlier, there are no winners here. Everyone looks bad.

This thing went so far off the rails, there are no winners here. But yes, I will agree the fat-shaming is also not a good look. And in the interest of being even-handed, I should have included that in my run-down on the whole fiasco.

Now, for the non-baseball side of this fiasco: I have forged relationships with people I respect & admire on both sides of this debate. In the interest of full disclosure, I was once a blogger for the MinnCentric team. I enjoy Twins Daily a great deal. I also co-host a show on Souhan's podcast network. Jim felt compelled to defend himself after his professionalism & integrity fell under attack for his August column on Sano. I get that. But I don't think there was much to gain by going after the bloggers. I think I know what he was driving at regarding the "People you should & shouldn't listen to" regarding Twins coverage. But it came across as self-righteous grandstanding. Again, I think I get where he was going here, but some different wording could have given more credence to his point. As for Gleeman's part, I think he's come across here as pretty sophomoric. In his blind rage, he's alleged Souhan has written things that he hasn't. I haven't seen Souhan call Sano "soft" or blame him for being injured fouling a pitch off his shin. If he has & I missed it, please feel free to point that out to me. If Aaron inferred those things from something Souhan wrote, I would put that back on him. If someone infers something that was not written, isn't that on the reader? Jim did speculate that Sano's weight may prolong his recovery. Not sure there's a definitive answer there, but the longer Sano is out, maybe lends that there may be something to that theory. Aaron also likes to post other people's questionable tweets on Twitter in an effort to tear them down or make them look foolish. Right or wrong, this comes across to me as rather petty, & just isn't a good look. John's article here references Souhan's "Sano is Too Fat" article. That may have been how John read it, but that's not how I did. More than likely, our pre-existing biases play a role in our perceptions. Maybe even a larger role than we realize, or are willing to acknowledge. Now this whole thing has (d)evolved into a pissing match. Pick a side, and then defend it vociferously. Logic & reason be damned. From my seat, this entire thing is as much, if not more, about who wrote it than what was written. For my part, I will choose what I read, what I listen to, and what I believe all on my own. I ingest a ton of Twins content, and I can form my own opinions on the legitimacy & credibility of all that I take in. I do believe access is helpful, but I have read plenty of great content that's proven it's not a necessity, and will continue to do so. As a friend of mine said- paraphrasing- 'This whole thing started when people took issue with the notion that a 300lb third baseman is sub-optimal...'

Maybe I should start here. Can we all agree on the following thoughts / assumptions / conjecture / speculation / or whatever you want to call it? *Miguel Sano is a pretty GD good third baseman, regardless of however much he weighs. Today, at 24 years of age. *Sano is infinitely more valuable as a third baseman. His value will decrease if he moves to a lesser-premium defensive position like first base, and will certainly decrease more if he is ever moved to full-time DH. *Sano may be able to play effectively at 285 or whatever, at age 24. Guess what? He ain't gonna be 24 forever. Most people are susceptible to gaining weight as they age. It would be extremely short-sighted, if not flat-out negligent, for the Twins to turn a blind eye to this. The sooner Sano addresses this, the easier it will be to remedy. It would take a lot of work & discipline for him to get down to 250 or 260. It will take a whole lot more effort than that for him to get down to 260 if he keeps putting on weight as he heads towards and passes the 300 mark. *At some point, the Twins are going to have to decide whether or not they will be willing to commit to Sano long-term. Anyone think they aren't extremely nervous about committing big money & term on a guy whose size is going to have a major impact on his future? And if you don't believe that, can you at least acknowledge the uncertainty about where Sano will play in the field (if he's in the field at all) a mere five years from now, before Sano even hits 30?

Observation: Kepler not the most dynamic interview.

Not to split hairs here, but Polanco's was way more 'jam shot' than 'rocket.'

oh my. Not exactly what i had in mind as far as a 'signature win' goes, but we'll take it. Wow.

Twins lucky to stay out of DP on that ball back to the mound.

Yuuuuuge hit, Rosey. Atta boy!

Would be pretty cool if the Twins could squeak out a couple of runs here. Haven't had one of those 'signature' wins in a while.

Really.

Terrible AB by Granite, whether you like the call to bunt or not. Bunting is the easiest thing to do in baseball.

Biggest sigh of relief in Twins Territory since Bill Smith was told to box up his belongings.

Not talking about injury cause. Speculating on injury recovery.

Remote or no, I don't think I could possibly disagree with a take more than I do this one. I will, however, submit that Buxton's defense is so absurdly good, that he was rushed to the big leagues with a bat that needed considerably more seasoning than his glove. At the same time, I don't blame anyone for wanting that glove in the lineup, even at the expense of the bat.

If Sano is out of the lineup for significantly longer than first thought, will that give credence to the notion that Sano needs to drop some poundcake? And, if Buxton is injured and misses any significant time, I would really have to wonder why the Baseball Gods hate us so much.

The 1987 season was a magical ride for the Minnesota Twins and their fans. The 162 game baseball season is often referred to as a “Marathon, not a sprint.” Thirty years later, one game on a Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee still stands out in my mind above all the rest. The Twins entered play on Sunday, August 30th, 1987 in a virtual tie with the Oakland Athletics atop the American League West Division, with a record of 68-63. (Coincidentally, the 2017 Twins also enter play on August 30th at 68-63.) Twins manager Tom Kelly sent pitcher Frank Viola to the mound, facing the Brewers Juan Nieves. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Minnesota. Dad & I had gone fishing that afternoon, and we had the ballgame on in the boat. Just a wonderful day. A first inning RBI single by Kirby Puckett, followed by a solo Puckett homer in the 3rd staked Viola and the Twins to an early 2-0 lead. The Brewers answered with three runs in their half of the 4th, taking a 3-2 lead. The Twins responded with a three run inning of their own in the fifth, reclaiming the lead 5-3. A one-out single by future Twin player, Manager, and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, brought another future Hall of Famer- Robin Yount- to the plate with the bases loaded. Yount sent a towering fly ball to center field. It looked like a sure grand slam. Enter center fielder Kirby Puckett: https://youtu.be/o-YeunaFKyA The Brewers still managed to score three runs in the inning, taking a 6-5 lead after six. But Puckett’s clutch catch kept the inning from getting out of hand and also kept the Twins within striking distance until they could muster up another rally in the top of the eighth inning. Greg Gagne lead off with a single, followed by Puckett’s second double of the game. Gary Gaetti was intentionally walked to load the bases. The Twins went on to scratch out three runs on a Kent Hrbek sacrifice fly and a two-run single from Gene Larkin to take an 8-6 lead. Relievers Keith Atherton and Jeff Reardon combined to shut the Brewers down in the eighth inning. The Twins looked to tack on some insurance in the top of the ninth. With two outs and nobody on, Brewers All-Star Closer Dan Plesac got Gagne to swing and miss and strike three. However, the inning was extended when Brewers catcher Bill Schroeder was charged with a passed ball, allowing Gagne to reach first base. That set the stage for Puckett’s final at-bat. Puckett was cleary in “The Zone” during this series in Milwaukee. The day before, on August 29, 1987- Puckett went 4 for 5 with two home runs in a 12-3 drubbing of the Brew Crew. During that sixth at-bat on Sunday- the one that shouldn’t have even happened in the first place- Puck put an exclamation point on one of the best two-day stretchers a player has had in Major League history. Kirby jumped on an outside fastball from Plesac. Twins fans knew his patented bat-flip was a sure sign that Puckett had gotten ahold of one, and indeed he had. The ball rocketed into the right field bleachers at County Stadium. Six for six. A perfect day. https://youtu.be/bu-9xO0nMZk All told, Puckett finished the game with two singles, two doubles, two dingers, four runs scored, and four runs batted it. And don’t forget about Puck’s outstanding catch to rob Yount of a grand slam and to set the stage for the Twins eighth inning rally. This was, without a doubt- the single most dominant performance I have ever seen in baseball by a position player. The win enabled the Twins to take sole possession of first place in the AL West over Oakland, a lead they would not relinquish. This was the game that really started hooking Twins fans on this team. This was the very moment that Minnesotans started doing something very dangerous: wondering if their team was on the verge of something very, very special. In one of the rarest of all seasons, the home team delivered the goods, as the Twins capped the 1987 season as World Series Champions. If anyone wonders why baseball is important to me, there are plenty of reasons for that. But days like August 30th, 1987 certainly come to the front of my mind: Fishing with Dad, listening to the Twins on the radio, and the greatest performance by a position player kick-starting the Minnesota Twins to a division title and ultimately a World Championship. A perfect day, indeed.

Good discussion here- lotta really valid points brought up, even if we are not in unanimous agreement.

You make many good points above, and you worded it way better than I would have been able to. Avi is The One, The Only, The Crusher!

Errrr, I didn't say anything about not spending money. They absolutely have to spend. But they have to spend wisely. Jumping into another big-money contract, and having that contract go sideways, would set the franchise back several years.

Consider this: the Twins are approaching one calendar year away from being out from under a $23MM salary that some have blamed everything from the Twins struggles, to global warming, to whatever other stupid thing I could insert here. Does anyone really want the Twins to jump right back in to an even bigger contact, on an ever older player, who very likely is headed for a decline, through the 2020 season? I myself do not.

Polanco also made a very heads-up play by keeping the tag on whichever White Sox player hit the double & over-slid the bag. Good stuff.

If there was any sort of guarantee that JV could perform at a high, injury-free level for the duration of his contract, I'd be all in. But the reality is he'll be 35 years old before the 2018 Opening Day. Bringing him in would be a huge risk. In fairness, bringing him in would be a huge risk/reward. When long-term contracts are signed, it's pretty much accepted by the team that the front-end of the contract will be the player's most productive years, and the hope is that the player will be productive enough to off-set the inevitable decline that is expected over the final years of the contract. Taking on that contract, not to mention losing the assets it would take to bring Verlander in, is just not worth the gamble to my way of thinking. I think the FO is taking a long-term view, and gambling so much on ONE player- doesn't seem to prudent to me.

Got my phonetic pronunciation from that bastion of Canadian culture, Kingston ON's own Don Cherry.