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one_eyed_jack

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Everything posted by one_eyed_jack

  1. one_eyed_jack
    ---I vaguely remember hearing something at the time about it having to do with the site - the dimensions of the site were such it could either not support a retractable roof at all, or it would have been unbelievably expensive. So if they wanted a retractable rood, they needed to pick a different site. No idea if there was actually anything to that, or if that was just posturing by people in support of that site and against paying for a retractable roof. I grew tired of the twists and turns of the stadium thing at some point, and I tuned out with a "call me when something is finalized" approach to it, so I may not be remembering this right.
  2. one_eyed_jack
    Great topic. I often round myself rooting for Cuddyer and Punto a little harder because of the silly amount of venom directed at them by fans. I enjoyed watching Gomez play, even though he did some jaw-droppingly stupid things on the field. At one point, I would have included Carlos Silva my list.
  3. one_eyed_jack
    Finally on the board. At this point I need a couple of high value picks to come through. How did I not pick Chavez? Had I realized she was still alive, I likely would have gone with Thatcher. For some reason I thought she had kicked the can a couple of years ago.
  4. one_eyed_jack
    Tonight is actually the first game I've gotten to sit down and watch from opening pitch on. Maybe I should have stayed away.
  5. one_eyed_jack
    Reds
  6. one_eyed_jack
    At this point I don't feel too strongly about this one way or the other. It's not a move that makes a lot of sense, but I'm not going to complain much of it happens. Best case scenario is that Thome shows enough that a contender takes an interest in him and he's dealt at the deadline. The Twins gets a lottery ticket prospect, and Gentle Jim gets one last shot at a storybook ending to a wonderful career.
  7. one_eyed_jack
    I think it's more likely than not this is Gardy's last season with the Twins. A winning record probably saves his job, but that's probably not going to happen, I'd bet on a new manager in 2014. There seems to be a sense that Molitor will and should be the guy. I've never quite understood that. Where is it written that being a popular local boy who had a great playing career means you have a God-given right to a job on the coaching staff with the hometown major league team upon request? I don't have any particular objection to Molitor, maybe he'd make a great manager, but I'm not seeing the kind of track record of success in that field to convince me that we should assume he will be. Is he such a clearly better candidate than anyone else out there that we should give him the job just because he wants it? Hiring Molitor would kinda feel like it were being done in the interest of making the fan base happy (or at least less angry) as opposed to giving the team the best chance to win.
  8. one_eyed_jack
    ---Good post. On the whole, I lean in favor of regime change also. I respect Ryan and Gardenhire as quality guys and good baseball people, and I've never understood the rabid anti-Gardy wing of the Twins fan base. To me, they are to baseball discussion what birthers are to political discussion. But while I appreciate what Ryan and Gardy have done for the Twins, I think it's time for some new blood. I sense a certain staleness in the organization. I'm normally not a big "fire the coach/manager/GM" guy - it happens too often in pro sports not because it's the best move, but it's the easiest move. But sometimes, you need to shake things up. Sometimes when the same voices have been speaking for too long, people stop listening. And then change for change's sake can be a good thing. I think that's where we are with the Twins, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
  9. one_eyed_jack
    This is all well and good, but we can't look at winning percentages in a vacuum. Obviously we must compare them to the winning percentages of the NFL head coaches of teams from the same home city whose tenure overlapped with these managers. Then, and only then, can we truly gauge their managerial performances. For example, Sparky Anderson's teams in Cincy fared much better than their NFL counterparts. However, during the last half of his Tigers tenure, he actually had a lower winning percentage than Wayne Fontes did with the Lions over that same span. When Sparky was elected to this hall of fame in 2000, I know this weighed heavily on the minds of the voters, and he's quite fortunate it did not doom his candidacy. That's sarcasm for those of you that missed it.
  10. one_eyed_jack
    I understand and agree with the goal of maintaining a respectful tone and keeping the overall level of discourse out of the gutter it's fallen into at times, but let's not overcorrect here. If the stuff in this thread is close to crossing the line and arguably even over it, then I think the line is a bit closer to Romper Room than it needs to be.
  11. one_eyed_jack
    I want Butera gone because I'm tired to the incessant griping about him. You'd think his lack of production in 122 PA's last year was the reason for another awful season. I'm not defending his value as a player, but with all of the other problems on this team, I just can't get that worked up about a guy who plays so infrequently. For what it's worth, I get the sense that he is pretty well liked and respected by coaches and teammates. And though he can't hit, he seems like a fairly sharp guy who has a good understanding of the game. It wouldn't surprise me to see him go the coaching/managerial route one day and do well at it. Hmmmm......, maybe we need to keep him in the organization just in case that happens. Picture a scenario a dozen years from now where a Son of Sal managed Tigers or White Sox team was coming in here and beating the snot out of the Twins on a regular basis? That would not be good for the collective sanity of the Twins fan base.
  12. one_eyed_jack
    ---Yes, this thread needs to be taken out and shot. It's getting dangerously close to being one of the most replied to threads in the site's history.
  13. one_eyed_jack
    The Royals? Maybe. Shields will help them, though I think they may come to regret that trade down the road. They've got a few other pieces. But just about every spring for the past decade or so we've heard that they were on the verge of having a breakout season, and it hasn't happened. So I'll believe it when I see it. I'd probably put the Royals third behind Cleveland. Toss-up between the Twins and Whiteys for 4th, I think both are in for long seasons.
  14. one_eyed_jack
    The Tigers have too much history of not living up to the hype for me to view them as an unstoppable force. They were the talk of the offseason in '08 after the Cabrera and Renteria trades, and fell flat on their faces, finishing in last place. Last year, with the amount of talent they had playing in the weakest division in baseball, they should have had a playoff spot wrapped up in August. Instead they needed a late-season collapse from the White Sox. They finished with the 7th-best record in the AL, even though they had much more opportunity to feast on bottom-feeders than the 6 teams ahead of them. Like RB said, on paper, they are the most talented team in the division, and the smart money is on them to win it. Their starting rotation and lineup (at least 1-6 anyway) are several notches above the competition. However, their defense and bullpen, both of which cost them some games last year, don't figure to be much better. And they are a pretty top heavy, stars-and-scrubs team. A couple of key injuries could derail their season. I see them having a similar kind of season to last year. They'll win the division, but it won't be the cakewalk that a lot of people are predicting.
  15. one_eyed_jack
    Going from godawful to mediocre is more than a marginal upgrade. Now in the case of Correia, you're talking about going from godawful to just plain awful. That's a marginal upgrade.
  16. one_eyed_jack
    Here's an idea: whoever can go the longest without getting sucked into a flame war over insignificant trivialities gets to be the opening day starter. (How's your arm feeling these days, glunn?)
  17. one_eyed_jack
    ---Saunders or Marcum would have been more than marginal upgrades to the rotation. Let's not forget how truly godawful our starting pitching was. An average starter is a lot better than most of what we saw last year. And an average shortstop would probably give us a lot more than Florimon will. I don't know about "happy as clams", but a little more help would have made me a lot happier than I am now.
  18. one_eyed_jack
    All right, who slipped the Twins Kool Aid into Souhan's morning coffee. Fess up. I do not understand the whole "Yeah we suck now, but that's OK, because we've got these great prospects who will be able to help us in a year. Or two. Or maybe three." Souhan can point to the '99-00 Twins, I can point to the Royals and Pirates of the last 20 years. Howard Sinker had it right. Building for 2015 is great. Refusing to build a bridge to 2015 is unacceptable. Why would we as fans tolerate the Twins' refusal to put a quality team on the field? What other business says to its customers "Yeah, we know our product sucks. We've got some great improvements planned, but they won't really make it to production for another 2-3 years. Still we expect you to keep buying from us until then." It's ludicrous. Especially in this division. A couple of other decent, reliable players could really have made a difference in the outlook this year. But instead, we're going in with question marks all over the place, and it's not likely the answers will all be in our favor.
  19. one_eyed_jack
    ---Yeah that is a bit of a head-scratcher. Bourn is a nice player who will help them, but he doesn't address their biggest need.
  20. one_eyed_jack
    You can tell that people are ready for baseball when a transaction this insignificant ignites this much angst and argument. Fear not, lads, we'll have real, substantive things to discuss soon enough.
  21. one_eyed_jack
    I see 2013 Indians being somewhat similar to the 2012 White Sox. The Whities had grown tired of Ozzie's act, so I think their attitude changed when Ventura came in, and it showed on the field. I don't get the sense that the Indians even respected Acta, much less liked him. So they'll respond positively to Francona. And like the Whities last year, some new talent and some guys returning to form should get them some better results. And they might be able to hang in the race for a weak division for a while by beating up on bottom feeders. But ultimately, the fact that they just aren't a very good baseball team will catch up with them, just as it did for the Whities last year. (And while that's not exactly a season to brag about, it's a lot better than I'm expecting for the Twins, sadly.)
  22. one_eyed_jack
    I don't think we can necessarily infer that just because they tried to change his swing, they were wrong. I mean if the best thing to do is just leave guys alone to rely on their "natural talent", then everyone should just fire their hitting coaches. However, here's a piece from a couple of years ago where Denard basically accuses the Twins of trying to turn him from a guy who drove the ball into a slap hitter, something he had never been before: Twins' Span recalls Class A days - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
  23. one_eyed_jack
    I can't disagree with anything you've said here. Yes, if a bunch of things break our way, we could win 81 games. However, I share the frustration that Howard and others have expressed - a little bit more help could have made a big difference i - and the fact that the team either wouldn't or couldn't get that help leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the fans who were assured that new revenues from Target Field would be put back into the product. I think that's where a lot of the negativity is coming from. I mean if your absolute sunniest day, highest ceiling, best-case scenario is .a 500 finish in the weakest division in baseball, how can you expect fans to get all that excited about forking over their hard earned money to watch this team? Winning organizations demand success, they do not tolerate mediocrity. I really hope I'm wrong about this team. Sure wouldn't be the first time. Maybe it's still too cold and I'm still bitter over the Timberwolves and the avalanche of bad breaks they've endured in what began as a season with so much promise. But right now, I'm just not feeling it.
  24. one_eyed_jack
    Well Nick, as someone who spends his winters following the Timberwolves, I'd sure as hell like to see some good breaks for the Twins in 2013. Because this T-Wolves season, so filled with early promise, has been one bad break after another. It's been maddening to watch. I don't think you're wrong about being able to hang around .500. But I feel like another decent arm and a solid middle infielder would have increased our ceiling from '.500 team' to 'outside division threat', and it's frustrating that the team couldn't or wouldn't figure out a way to make that happen. Yes, the rotation is better and you've got a couple of studs in the lineup, but there's too many question marks entering the season for me to be too optimistic. At least at this point. It's still to early and too damn cold. I'll be more in the hope-springs-enternal mode as the ice starts to melt and opening days is in sight.
  25. one_eyed_jack
    ---Yeah when you're starting pitching is that bad, it makes everything more difficult. It burns out your bullpen. It keeps your defense on the field for long stretches. (God I remember some innings that just seemed interminable last year.) And the offense feels like they've got to put up 8 runs every night. So hopefully better starting pitching will ease things up on everyone. I'm still not terribly optimistic about this team, but like you said, it could at least mean more competitive games. I think we'll probably come out on the wrong side of a lot of those, but it's better than the game being over by the 5th inning.
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