TCBurgerGuy

Good points made by all on both sides of the argument. I think that there is one key factor missing from all of your points though; the Twins do not make non-player moves in-season. If Gardy is going to go, it will be at the end of the season. MWW brought up that this may be a good time to start fresh, and I agree, but it won't be before November.

My wife and I just did that drive at the end of Sept/end of Aug. We were amazed at how nice TN is so be ready with your camera. Also, see if you can spot a Waffle House along the way. It's the opposite of Where's Waldo. Drive safely!

Great article, JC. One of the things that always brings me joy in relation to baseball is the promise of a new season. We can all sit here and pontificate about how the Twins will do in 2013 based on names on paper, but the reality is that the game is played on the field and it is not out of the realm of possibility that this team could do well next (this?) season. No matter how it shakes out, each team starts the season with 0 wins. I am anxious to see how many numbers the Twins can add to that 0 in 2013.

Thanks for the link, Seth. The article is informative and the comments are entertaining to say the least.

So what should they have done instead? I think that the point of the article was that there are a plethora of variables that go into draft picks that lay people like you and I have no comprehension of, and we are going to have to wait patiently to see if these particular picks pan out, regardless of where we think that they should have been picked. Oh, and we don't have the Pirate scouts, or Matt Millen so your comparison of them to the Twins is irrelevant.

Yes, I can. It was mentioned during the broadcast last night that Gardy wanted to keep Willingham off of his feet for the night, but still wanted his bat in the lineup. Hence, a start at DH.

I'd have to think about it awhile, but I think that I would take Bryce Harper. I heard on MLB network last night that so far he has better stats than Griffey did at the same age. Not a bad guy to start a franchise around. Kershaw is pretty damn good as well.

Here's a question that I haven't really heard lately: At what point does the coaching staff go "on the hot seat?" I know that there are bigger issues with this team, but we've often seen a coaching staff get the blame and are relieved of their duties. If things continue the way they have been, do you see the front office of the Twins making a change?

Great article, Andy. But isn't complaining what Minnesotans do best? The weather, politics, baseball. It makes us feel like we have some sort of control, and it just gets exponentially worse when things get worse. Good points though on topics that fans just need to let go. Does it really accomplish anything when you complain about it? I equate it to being on any road in Minnesota - there are going to be horrible drivers and there's nothing you can do about it. Just move on with your day and don't be one of them. I also couldn't agree any more with one_eyed_jack. Your point about losing and retaining players with large contracts is spot-on. Can you imagine the message boards had Mauer signed elsewhere?

Levi Michael. Whoops - I needed to hit refresh. How about Marc Dolenc? How about Gene Glynn?

The Loop on Washington Ave. I have consumed burgers at no less than 8o establishments across the Twin Cities in the past year and The Loop Burger is the best.

I'd call myself a solid 8. As far as the front office and trades and such go, I understand that being a high-level executive in any profession is a tough gig, especially one as high profile as in the MLB. For the most part I trust that the people in charge of putting a team together know what they are doing. I believe that they want the team to win. I also think that they know deep down that it isn't going to happen this year or probably next. I have to say that I really agree with strum's post above. They need to replenish the minors. They will possibly be losing the majority of their pitching staff next season. They are rebuilding without stating it and losing three of their biggest names was a move that was going to happen eventually. I still love the team, but it may be hard to watch for a couple of seasons (like in the mid-late 90's). A true fan will remain a loyal fan through those hard times and will enjoy the good times even more when they return.

Nice article, John. I agree with your assessments. It's always nice to see some positivity, especially in regards to the 'pen. If I remember correctly, Burnett still has options left. Why not start him in Rochester and give some of the new acquisitions a shot? Sometimes shaking things up a bit works wonders. Look at the Rays last year, they had an almost all new bullpen and they ended up in great shape.

I think you missed my point, Dave. Or, you got my point and are being facetious in return. If you are being facetious, then you sort of proved my point that we shouldn't care about how many home runs former Twins players hit.

I say - somewhere around - I don't care. I don't want to be a buzzkill for your seemingly lighthearted thread, but any Twins fan should know by now that they DON'T DEVELOP POWER HITTERS and you should just ignore how many home runs someone hits when they are no longer a Twin. Does it really do any good for anyone to speculate on this? I didn't hear anyone complaining when they were winning pennants by playing small ball. Just give it up. And if you won't give it up, then I want a thread asking how many home runs we think that every former supposed power hitter that the Twins had will hit. Hardy. Ortiz. Cuddyer. Kubel. Thome. Heck, why not Garrett Jones? Here, I'll start it - How many home runs does everyone think Garrett Jones will hit this year - I think 19.