theBOMisthebomb

Finally, on this past Saturday, I reached my goal of attending a Saints or Twins game without winter jacket, hat l, or gloves. I was 0 for 4 up until that 70+ degree day.

MLB has really stepped forward and promoted women/girls in the game at all levels. It is brilliant and good for the game all around. I saw a recent interview with Rachel Balkovec on MLB Network and she encouraged women to get into the industry and stated that their resumes would go to the top of the candidate pile. This is good for the future of the sport. My youngest daughter is the only child of six that will give baseball more than a moment's notice. She's 8 and I convinced her to play in the all girls baseball tournament in June sponsored by the Twins organization.

It's so interesting that in today's society, it's the established organizations that are expected to change and to adapt to today's world and the people and not the other way around. Organizations have always had to adapt to stay relevant, that has always been the case. I think it's great that young people are empowered and respected more than they used to be when I was younger. It seems that now everyone wants the world to cater to them. Baseball is a great team game that has stood the test of time. Now, we have players swinging from their heels only focused on individual stats and the home run. It's sickening to watch the strikeouts and the inability to put the ball in play on the right side to move over a runner, execute a hit and run, (heaven forbid) lay down a successful bunt, or any other number of baseball fundamentals. Today's athletes are extraordinary and so talented, highly skilled. It would be nice if that could translate to an even more entertaining product on the baseball field. I still love the game of baseball and think it will survive and possibly thrive in the future. They are doing a good job of reaching out to new markets - my daughter is participating in an all girls baseball tournament in June hosted by MLB and the Twins. As far as the church, they might have tougher obstacles than MLB to overcome.

One of my sayings is that Iove Jesus Christ, baseball, and rock 'n rock. Which makes me quite a dinosaur. And, that makes me sad. I'm assuming we aren't supposed to get into religion on TD, although this post leads us down that path. If the lockout would have been 30+ days, it might have killed baseball, so good on the players and owners for only delaying a week. I can understand why the youth of today are not interested in baseball or church. They've had an entertainment system in their hands their entire lives with unlimited entertainment options instantly available 24/7. My two brothers and I fought over one television. The attention span of humans has been cut significantly in recent years. Baseball and church require concentration and patience. Now, why the kids don't like rock 'n roll over the garbage they listen to today is beyond my comprehension.

In theory, I am not happy about a former cheating Astros and two Yankees on my favorite ball club this season. However, I have found all three guys to be likeable. I noticed that Gio Urshela's walk up music is "Where I Belong" by Christian band Building 429. I suffered through three of the four losses on the homestand. Suffered through the weather, poor play from the Twins, and Dave Roberts denying us a chance to witness history. Warmer days are ahead, hopefully.

No fees at Target Field box office when I bought $4 tickets to five different day games throughout the season on Tuesday while attending the Dodgers game. Will it reach the point where teams just give up the illusion of charging 'big bucks' for good seats? All of the home games so far this season you could have purchased the cheapest seat in the park and easily found a lower level expensive seat with no issues. The $4 deal makes me question whether I want to renew my 20 game flex package for 2023 at $25 pet seat. Heck, if they are just giving the farm away why be a loyal season ticket holder in the upper deck?

I agree that it's the exact opposite of a ghost runner. You are putting a human runner where previously only a ghost existed, not putting a ghost runner where a real person previously was. Anyway, it's a silly rule that looks like it might be here to stay.

Whenever I listen to KFAN, they are yammering on about the Vikings or something not related to sports.

Bring back La Tortuga!

My experience during the lockout from talking to friends, family, and coworkers in the listed diehard and casual fans categories is that people are not happy with what is happening. From diehards not renewing 20 or 40 game flex ticket packages to casual fans not putting the one trip a season to Target Field on their calendar to diehards for 40-50 years so frustrated that they are donating all their Twins/MLB items to charity. MLB might learn a difficult lesson that they won't be able to get people back in today's world. The fan revolt from this lockout could dwarf 1994.

The legend of Tommy Tanks is fun - MLB should be taking notes.

That's one heck of a swing. Impressive.

His swing reminds me of Albert Pujols. Now, if the results could also remind us of Pujols, then we have something.

Guzman made $37MM during his MLB career. If he has to swing a hammer to make ends meet, then I am speechless.

I remember him arguing pitches as a catcher during one of his few appearances in a Twins uniform and getting ejected. That, and the pain.

That's great. Thankfully those of us still in the frozen tundra have Gopher baseball in US Bank Stadium to look forward to. March 1 at 6 pm against St. Thomas is the first game. With the threat of losing MLB games, I plan to attend numerous Gopher games at the Bank if MLB is still locked out and in limbo at that time. Then, we have the St. Paul Saints if MLB really takes a break and misses regular season games.

There's a lot of pessimism here about starting spring training on time or possibly losing regular season games. If we believe Rob Manfred at a press conference he held today, he is optimistic and says, "I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular schedule." Don't stop believin'??...

I can't agree more. I joined a 50+ baseball league two summers ago (as a rules approved 48 year old whippersnapper) and have enjoyed it immensely. I played college baseball, then slow pitch softball in my twenties into my 40s. Now, the children are out of the house or older, so I have that time back to focus more on my interests. This summer, when I will be past the minimum age of 50, I am eligible to pitch and am looking forward to that challenge. The baseball league is old school with wood bats and I love it.

This flat out stinks. Boo baseball for putting yourself in this position. Get a deal done. There's plenty of blame to go around to both sides.

BBRef had him at 2.1 WAR in 2021, or slightly above the 2 WAR needed for a "starter" according to the chart. I hate the saying, but.... maybe Max "is what he is", which is an average starter on an MLB team. They can't all be All-stars or Hall of Famers. There's a place for players like Max on winning ball clubs.

Preach it. If MLB loses regular season games due to the lockout, it will be disasterous to the future popularity of the game. It's such a bad look right now. The delay of spring training seems inevitable.

Excellent insight. It's a combo platter of Torii being underrated and Ortiz overrated. No defensive WAR for Ortiz. At least Torii made $171MM over his career and Ortiz $159.5MM.

I've tried to take some time to post here to tone down my rhetoric. I am overjoyed that the writers did not honor Barry Bonds with the honor of election to the Hall of Fame. Bonds is a disgrace to the game. To send him to the HOF would damage the integrity of the game. If you send in Bonds, then Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson deserve induction as well. I can't believe people are willing to give Bonds a free pass to the HOF. PEDs were against the rules since 1971. Depending on how pedantic you want to be, since the 1971 memo didn’t specifically name steroids, they were explicitly banned by name in a 1991 memo. Just because there was no testing doesn’t mean they were legal or permitted. https://vault.si.com/.amp/vault/2009/02/16/the-rules-the-law-the-reality "Baseball’s first written drug policy was issued by commissioner Bowie Kuhn at the start of the ’71 season. The policy did not explicitly address anabolic steroids, but it did say that baseball personnel must "comply with federal and state drug laws." Federal law at the time mandated that an appropriate prescription be obtained for the use of anabolic steroids. What followed were memos from commissioners Fay Vincent in 1991 and Bud Selig in ’97 (excerpted below) that spelled out a broader drug policy and directly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription. However, there was still no mandatory drug testing, and the union maintained the right to challenge disciplinary decisions that resulted from a violation of the policy."

The dude can flat out hit. To take the Cruz comparison a step further - Nelson Cruz continued to stay productive on offense well into his late 30s. Why can't Donaldson keep mashing for the next two or three years? Some of the other negative talk directed at Donaldson is due to his large salary and people having unrealistic expectations attached to that salary.

You can take Carew. I will stay with Puckett and two World Series championships in my back pocket.