formerly33

I'm in complete agreement, but my point is that we have new guys like Torii Hunter who have not been losing 90+ games a year. Torii is our oldest man, but he is a great ball player. And we do have young guys coming up like Buxton and Sano. I think that it's wonderful that they have an experienced, not to mention cocky player like Hunter to mentor them.

This game is becoming humiliating.

So what's the big concern over age, anyway? Sure, young teams can be hot, but they can also give a depressing show of inexperience. We used to have a weak farm system, so in recent years our young guys weren't getting the job done. However, now that we have the hottest farm system out there, it shouldn't be long before we have a young, confident team again. I think that confident is the key word there. And Torii Hunter, an old man by common standards, can instill plenty of that in our team. And I think that's really important. Once lose the winning spirit, and you're out of the playoffs before the season starts. Keep up that spirit, and the impossible can happen. Finally, I just took a quick look at the Giant's roster and did some math. I didn't check my work, but the answer I came up with for their average age was 29.39. I wouldn't consider them a bad team by any standards, and they seem to think that they've become a dynasty.

Thanks guys! I appreciate it.

Can I volunteer later in the year? I won't be able to do games before the school year ends because my ability to go on the computer at consistent times is just too glitchy, but starting in June I should be able to go on any time allotted to me. If the books are filled before I have a chance to volunteer, I would love to do so next year!

Just wondering if anyone else has a favorite walk-up song (preferably from the Twins). I've always been obsessed with Brian Dozier's "Small Town USA." I never used to care much for country, but now I listen to that song all the time during the offseason to help get me through to Spring Training since it reminds me of Justin Moore's "Give me a Sunday morning that's full of grace" blaring from the loudspeakers across beautiful Target Field. Two others I found to be particularly catchy tunes were Willingham's "Your Love" (The Outfield) and Arcia's "La Gringa" (Silvestre Dangond). Unfortunately Willingham's gone and Arcia picked a new one. :'(

Why can't I listen to today's game on 96.3?

I'm jealous.

Either this person is trying to threaten or warn us, or else their like the southerners who think that Minnesotans icefish all year round.

Great play! :)

That looked like it hurt.

That's what I've always expected! :3

Last inning I casually remarked that Herrmann looked ready to go to the moon. Did anyone else see how moments later he started jumping up and down, trying to reach eight feet like an astronaut? Must have been reminiscing on the old days when that was his dream job.

I'm so excited that Berrios is starting! He's my favorite up-and-coming Twins pitcher.

I don't think that Hamilton should be suspended longer than 2 months. Other than that would be ridiculous. He undeniably made a bad choice, but it was not to help him be a better ball player. He was not cheating in the least. Also, he was the one who came forward with it, and he went into treatment himself. Give him a few months to come clean and then let him back. With respect. The guy is going through a lot more than most people can possibly understand, and I don't think he should be punished for trying to overcome it. Let him play ball. It's his therapy and passion. He fell back on drugs during the offseason, and though I won't make excuses for him, I believe that MLB shouldn't lengthen that offseason more than is absolutely necessary.

Good article. I enjoyed reading it. One thing, however, caught my eye: I remember when Parmelee, Arcia, and Fryer went back-to-back-to-back off of the White Sox last August. When Arcia smashed his ball out of the stadium, Tom Kelly said, "There are home runs, and then there are bombs. THAT was a bomb." If Arcia can hit 35 or 40 bombs this year, how many home runs will he hit? I'm looking forward to it!

Lester might not have an especial attachment to Epstein, but he probably wants to play with Joe Maddon. Who wouldn't? He seems like a jolly sort of generous chap: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/8b/4c/d58b4cd177072e9871d9a91816f09b31.jpg

Seriously, how did you ever guess?

I called it!! As you can see by my hopeful predictions of the AL standings, I drew this picture back in early September while the regular season was just wrapping up. I was off by a long shot concerning the standings (though I didn't really think they would work out that way), but I was right on when it came to Ervin Santana! I obviously drew the pinstripes on the uniform - more evidence that this was drawn before we got him. I'm gonna miss them so much!

That is completely fine with me! I don't care for it when other teams purposefully break up flow. I am well aware of this rule, which is why I said that I would rather have the umpires crack down on it than adding a clock. My point is that baseball is a timeless game and should remain so. Umpires have discretion and should use it more often. But don't put them on a clock, please. And by the way, there are other "clocks", such as the rule about setting up for at least one second, bringing the hands together and holding them at least one second, etc. before throwing the pitch. Did I mention that if they do bring in a clock, fans will shout "three, two, one" when it's really "seven, six, five" to confuse the pitcher and break up momentum? That is one of my greatest fears since no one will be able to stop them. And pitchers can't keep their eyes on the clock 100% of the time.

Thanks! I may not be happy with every new rule, but as long as they keep the clock out:/

Another thought - would Rick Anderson be a great pitching coach again if the game sped up?

Thanks for the link. I think it's good that they brought up the issue of instant replay. That has a lot of pros and cons. For instance, today I watched game 5 of the 2002 ALDS, and there were a few plays that would have gone differently if there had been instant replay then. That is the positive aspect of it. On the other hand, it delays the game and destroys momentum. I wonder if they will make a rule that if a manager comes out he has to challenge rather than waiting to be told whether it's worth it. But that would also have pros and cons. It's hard to say what's better. I do believe that there are delays that should be stopped, but I would much rather have the umpires crack down on it than adding a clock. I do enjoy long games, though, and went to a game this year that had a 66 minute rain delay (a non-preventable delay in an outdoor stadium), and I enjoyed every minute of it. However, even though I enjoy "long and boring" (in the words of Anthony Rendon), I shouldn't "label" people who think differently than me. Maybe I should just go watch the History Channel.

I'm sorry for making a seemingly offensive comment. Maybe not ADHD, but definitely ADD. You may not have it, but my guess is that most people who can't pay attention during 3 hours of excitement must have ADD.

Baseball, America's national pastime, has always been a timeless sport. However, it is now experimenting with quickening the games by putting itself on the clock (or more than one clock, as the case seems to be). This has proved to be an extremely controversial subject among baseball fans, and I will briefly share my thoughts on it by covering a few of the basic rules that immediately come to mind: preventing batters from adjusting their batting gloves more than once per at-bat, adding a pitching clock, and limiting the amount of trips to the mound in a single game to three. First of all, I personally don’t have a problem with batters adjusting their batting gloves more than once while they’re in the box. They might as well make the pitchers stop using rosin more than once in an inning. I think most people, especially young children, have experienced the discomfort of tying their shoes and a few moments later discovering that it doesn't feel right. Lots of kids have melt-downs unless they can adjust the laces. Batting gloves are no different; though adult baseball players won't have melt-downs on the field because they can't adjust them, they will still be frustrated and uncomfortable. When it comes to the pitching clock, I can make quite a few points about its complete redundancy. According to the Official Baseball Rules, a balk can be called when the pitcher unnecessarily delays the game, so adding a clock is really completely unnecessary. Also, a balk can be called when the pitcher delivers a quick return, which is likely what will happen now. I especially hate the way a ball or strike is called if the pitcher/batter takes too long (over a mere twenty seconds, to be exact), because then the pitcher will have supposedly thrown more pitches than he really has, and he might walk a batter and have to face another when he could have gotten the strikeout to end the inning. Also, I’ve watched several Arizona Fall League games using this new rule, and I’ve noticed that after a pitch the catchers will frequently throw down to first to give the pitcher more time to get ready for the next pitch, and when the pitcher is running out of time, he’ll do a quick pick-off throw (whether it’s necessary or not), and that delays the game, too. The very worst rule of all, though, is the one stating that there can only be three trips to the mound in one game (with the exception of pulling pitchers). Sometimes when games are getting out of control, all a pitcher needs is a trip to the mound to relax and get his act together. Now teams will be forced to change pitchers instead, which will in turn take longer than a quick trip to the mound would have. Trips to the mound don't take very long, and umpires can break them up at liberty. Since this rule will result in more pitchers used per game, teams should definitely be allowed to place more pitchers on their rosters. Obviously, then, speeding up the sport will only cause disorder because it will create problems for baseball players that they never had to deal with before. Not being able to adjust their batting gloves more than once in an at-bat will cause discomfort and distract from the game; pitching with a time clock will create a rushed atmosphere and bring up complications that will lengthen the game; finally, limiting the amount of trips to the mound will make it necessary to have more players on the roster, which results in higher payrolls. I can’t even begin to understand why they don’t let the players vote on these new rules (and it should only be able to pass if it leads by 67%); it’s the players who will be affected the most by it. However, I have come to the conclusion that baseball is being catered to the United States of ADHD.