Doubles

Switching positions, especially between infield and outfield, and especially at the highest level of the game- can be a very tricky adjustment. I salute Plouffe for putting in the time and work he has to improve so much. Hopefully this will play out and this level can be maintained for a long time. The Twins have had some very, very good defensive infielders at the corner positions over the years. Guys like Hrbek and Mientkiewicz were very naturally gifted fielders. Let's hope Plouffe joins guys like Gaetti, Koskie, and Morneau as guys who through hard work turned their labels as defensive liabilities into above-average defenders.

I'd like to see MLB flip-flop the rules for interleague play. In other words, I'd like to see American League rules in National League parks & vice versa. Give the hometown fans an experience they haven't been privy to yet.

I don’t think it was overrated at the time, but in the years since 1987 ALCS Laudner’s pickoff of Darrell Evans has certainly been overlooked and in a way, “lost in the shuffle.” The Twins won the first two games at home, and the Tigers had taken Game 3. Game 4 was pivotal. A Tiger win meant they had held serve and preserved home field advantage. A Twins win would put them one win away from their first World Series appearance since 1965. This was a critical game. The Twins were leading 4-3 in the bottom of the 6th inning and threatening. A sacrifice bunt moved Evans to third and Dave Bergman to second. Juan Berenguer, on in relief for Keith Atherton, was set to face Lou Whitaker. Berenguer’s first pitch to Whitaker was low and inside. Laudner back-handed the pitch, sprang from his crouch, and threw an absolute pill to third baseman Garry Gaetti, whose snap-tag nailed Evans for the second out. Two pitches later, Bergman would advance to third base on a wild pitch, which naturally leads to speculation that Evans would have scored to tie the game had he not been picked off. Berenguer eventually retired Jim Morrison on a fly ball to center to retire the side. Tigers threat, inning, game, and essentially season, over. Twins eventually went on to beat the Tigers 5-3 in the critical Game 4, before finishing them off the next day in Detroit with a 9-5 victory. The following quotes from the clubhouse that night are courtesy of the Chicago Tribune: ``I thought it was the turning point in the game,`` (Tigers Manager Sparky) Anderson said. ``Gary and I have a predetermined signal,`` Laudner said. ``If he feels he can get him out, he puts it on, and I`ll throw it down there. The ball was down and in, it kept me square to third base. ``It`s fun to do something when it works,`` Gaetti said. The play was embarrassing to the 40-year-old Evans. ``It was something I didn`t expect,`` said Evans, who was further embarrassed when he made two errors after being inserted at third base. ``The ball was in the dirt, and I went a half step too far. It was a big mistake, no question about it.``

I agree that Molitor's hit total in and of itself should not affect his ability to manage either way. But I do think it comes into play from a credibility standpoint. Managers need their players to respond to their cues and follow their lead. Being in the Top 10 in hits all time gives Molitor a certain level of status among those players who have an aspect of "baseball historian" in them. It may not mean anything to players who show up at the ballpark without even knowing which starting pitcher they will be facing that day. Those guys are another issue altogether. Take Joe Vavra, for example. One knock on him we heard about for years was, "What did he ever do in the major leagues as a player?" Answer: Nothing. He never made it above AAA. How are major league players supposed to buy-in to a guy that was never a major-leaguer himself? Not saying I necessarily agree with all of this, but I firmly believe these perceptions are out there.