Ultima Ratio

Swarzak making his case..... I think we know what we got there.

What is this team in blue scoring runs tonight? Every once in a while they dust us with opiates.

I don't see a desperate need to trade anyone yet, other than clearing up the roster on paper. If we stand pat, and I think we should until a good trade is offered, this means that we have one nice pinch hitter option every game, and we have 2-3 guys who need to be pinch hit for, namely the middle infield and Revere in a late 2-out home-run-requiring situation. If Revere is the full time LF with a platoon in RF with Parmelee and Willingham, and a DH platoon of Doumit and Willingham, and a de facto platoon at C with Mauer and Doumit -- you get a key player a day of rest who serves as that pinch hitter once a week. I'm not suggesting a strict LHP/RHP platoon, but there are obvious matchups to exploit given this situation: such as sitting Parmelee or Doumit most often when facing a LHP starter. In the 9th, when Carroll/Casilla/Dozier/Frorimon come to the plate, it would be nice to have Doumit/Parmelee to pinch hit then. Also, with the health problems that invariable plague this team, this one-day-a-week rest day/PH scenario resolves itself with one injury. Caveat: This does not give Gardy license to play Willingham and Parmelee in the OF at the same time. And never, ever should Doumit step on the OF grass outside of warming up before the game.

New Britain? Exactly.

Looks like another good outing for Deduno -- from the box (because I didn't catch the game) -- cut down the walks and pitch totals. Where is the offense though?

I think the best-case scenario given their limited options and payroll restrictions is that the Twins envision: 1) 4 current cheap options clearly rise to the top here in September and through Spring Training (some combination of Diamond, Deduno, DeVries, Hendriks, Hermsen, Walters, Hernandez and Vasquez) 2) 1 mid-priced FA signing of an innings-eating-type 3) prayer and hope that the additional healthy availability of Baker and Gibson (no later than June) bolsters the SP staff, which then cull the arms that get hurt or struggle So we're going after Joe Blanton?

Who finishes the season with the higher BA Parmelee (currently at .228) or Florimon (currently at .259)? This is obviously half glass full/empty perspective.

You said it! You were being sarcastic though, right?

The bunt by Doumit? Yeah, not a good effort. Well, maybe for Doumit at bunting, but that was pretty bad regardless. Really trying to stay out of the double play I guess.

What the heck was that?

Since DeVries has put up number close to Blackburn's when he signed his contract, we'd probably also ink DeVries to a four year deal, no?

How much time is the breaking point?

Ah, but will he earn another gold glove regardless?

A little levity from a libertarian website (Whether the author is or not I can't know. And even if I knew, that wouldn't entitle me to claim to know anything more *wink) "Looks like some racist judge loves him some poll taxes. Because he’s racist. And wants to disenfranchise the millions upon millions of people studies from “non-partisan” and “independent” leftwing groups have shown will lose their franchise if they are required to engage in the onerous, unfair, and frankly racisty, polltaxy indignation of having to show a photo ID proving that they are who they are should they wish to vote.After all, it is much easier for our own Justice Department to sue to allow anybody who wants to to vote — several times, in fact, or even while dead, or not a citizen, or not human — than it is to get photo ideas [sic] to people without them. Which is an insurmountable obstacle.Moreso, it is just and fair to sue on behalf of these poor photo-less wretches yearning to be free. And decidedly non-racist, too boot. And decidedly non-polltaxy. Which is how we know that this judge is a racist — having upheld this racist polltax that unfairly and in a very racist way requires people to show ID before voting for other people’s ****." http://beforeitsnews.com/libertarian/2012/08/voter-id-in-pa-survives-2447766.html Forgive the quoted swear word, but it seems this cite's guidelines/rules have already been bent/broken by one of their promulgators, wink*

Correct. And 70-75% of the country is not GOP or conservative. Thus, those continually insisting that this is a GOP only issue AND claim to know that the true GOP intentions are nefarious -- those folks are either political hacks and/or insufferable drones.

See, it didn't have the hypothesized impact you're dreaming up.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx This is from 2009, but shows that 2x identify as conservative than liberal.

Referring to the hack video you posted you have now said: This is probably the closest thing to an admission of clearly smearing this person we can expect from you. Again, let me suggest that you hear what you want to hear, appropriating this issue, the evidence and quotes to a preconceived narrative/meme.

From liberal Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens writing the 6-3 majority upholding the Indiana photo ID law: “That flagrant examples of [voter] fraud…have been documented throughout this Nation’s history by respected historians and journalists…demonstrate that not only is the risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election.” Go read the majority opinion. Of course, Justice Steven eats up the BS fed to him from Fox news. Don't you think it's ironic to attack one for using a Fox news story and then cite extreme and unapologetic left wing sources in TheNation and Talkingpointsmemo? Let me know if this is admissible evidence: http://www.rottenacorn.com/activityMap.html#pa Also, the right wing group (sarcasm) American University found that less than one half of 0.5% of votes don't currently have ID in states where laws have gone into effect. Last, "In Georgia, which enacted a photo ID law before the 2008 election, the number of African American voters increased after the new law went into effect. “According to Census Bureau surveys,” von Spakovsky writes, “65 percent of the black voting-age population voted in the 2008 election, compared with only 54.4 percent in 2004, an increase of more than ten percentage points.” http://www.askheritage.org/how-does-requiring-a-voter-id-prevent-election-fraud/ I know you want to keep pushing that this is a GOP issue, though this is impossible given the numbers and a Rasmussen poll in 2008 which found that only 22% oppose voter ID laws. So why don't you answer your own question put to those opposing the law: Why does the DNC oppose these laws? Could it be that most fraud is to their benefit? Conservatives have long wondered why so many elections are close and/or go to the democrat candidate since it is well know that the majority of voters self identify as conservative/republican. One would think that having that demographic majority would yield a majority of GOP winners. Since this is not the case, is it not reasonable to ask why the disparity?

Arrrrr!

Result?

I haven't been following that closely, but given he's had a slow year (getting better but still sub-par for him), could it be teams are pitching him more aggresively and challenging him more in the strike zone? I see them using his aggressive approach against him. As Parker pointed out a couple months ago, pitchers are throw lots of soft stuff away to get him out front and pull off the ball, then throw the high fastball to ring him up. I love that Morneau is aggressive, he just need to lay off more of those pitches. Easier said that done, but he can be an elite hitter again... I think.

When Morneau gets some patience back at the plate, I really hope we'll see him getting into better counts. Man, it seems like he's always down 1-2 and has to protect.

It will be interesting to see whether the Twins offer him arbitration in the off-season or let him walk. With Nishi back in the doghouse and Escobar not showing much yet they might choose to keep him, for depth. A month ago I'd have been sure he was history after this year. Don't put it past him, he has made a living being the odd man in, and then out, and then back in again. He's been a tease, no doubt. I really hope Carroll is the utility guy next year since his definitely on the 25 man barring trade. I like the current look up the middle, so long as both Florimon and Casilla keep up better than average defense, which they should.

Roughly 390-395 ft. dead center. Right at the beginning of the warning track.