spinowner

Roy, this isn't the disco era. Fasten another button.

Point well taken. So whom do you think we could have traded for and at what cost?

This is the bird I'm most interested in at the moment.

They are very close to it. And they will probably pick up a couple pieces before the trading deadline to put the hammer down. At least I would if I were running that team. This is the year for them to go all in. And for that reason they would make a better offer than the Twins would for either of these pitchers. Or pretty much anyone else who is available.

It's not so much what the FO was thinking. It's what the high-caliber relievers were thinking. And they were all thinking, "Twins? No thanks."

I'm not real sure, but I think it may be a Vermilion Flycatcher.

Those of us who actually live in Minnesota know it's the nickname for Minnesota United FC. (I haven't watched one bit of any of their games, even highlights.)

Another factor is spin on the ball. More backspin = longer distance traveled. My guess is that this does not vary significantly between the two groups. I would think elasticity is the parameter that has changed the most since last year. Regarding blisters, if the ball is smoother would it be more likely to slip slightly in the pitcher's hand and cause more blisters? I don't know that, I'm just positing a contrarian hypothesis.

Yes.

Great camera work. NOT.

Either listening to his idiot third base coach or ignoring his wise third base coach.

I'll also add this to the above comment: MLB is concerned enough about using uniform baseballs that any ball that hits dirt is removed from play. If it's important to take that step it should be just as important, or probably more important, to make sure the balls are as uniform as possible before being put in play.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate." -Steven Wright

Occam's Razor points to a change in the ball as being the reason for the increase in home runs. But whether that is the reason or not I think it's time for MLB to consider tighter standards for balls. A 49-foot variation in the distance traveled of different balls is way too much. There should be two parameters tested on every baseball approved for use in games: hardness and air resistance. These would be easy to test. For hardness, drop a ball from a standard height onto a standard surface and measure the height of the bounce. The height of the bounce must be within a specified range or it's rejected. For air resistance, create a device which consistently propels a ball at a target at a standard velocity with a standard spin rate. The landing point must be within a specified range or it's rejected. This may lead to a fairly large number of rejected balls but those would probably still be satisfactory for use in minor league play. Beyond that, all baseballs must be stored at a standard temperature and humidity for a standard amount of time before testing and before being used in a game. (Are the baseballs used at Coors Field still being stored in a humidor?) I'm sure it would take several years for this to be implemented but it seems to me that this is an attainable goal. Among other things, research would need to be done to set the standards that would be used and the tolerance allowed. The standards that would be set should be subject to change during the first five to ten years after they are put in place. There are several ways that the standards could affect the game. Harder balls with less air resistance would be expected to increase the rate of home runs hit. Balls with greater air resistance would be expected to improve the ability of pitchers to throw breaking pitches. Harder balls would be expected to increase the risk of injury from thrown or batted balls. I'm sure there are other changes that would occur that I can't think of off the top of my head. Care must be taken not to micromanage in this area. For example, a rise in home runs could be due simply to several players having very good years. More importantly, those in charge would have a responsibility to determine what the game should be like. Should there be lots of home runs? Should there be lots of strikeouts? It's very likely that the standards eventually put in place would lead to other rule changes. The size of the strike zone and the height of the pitcher's mound are two examples of things which could be changed without making any fundamental changes in the rules of the game.

Winner winner hot dogs and apple pie dinner!

Dangit!

I was hoping Gibson could finish the seventh but I think Molitor is right to pull him here.

BUCK!

Mauer didn't frame that grounder very well.

When in doubt run on Revere's arm. You'll succeed almost every time.

Maybin has his pants cuffed above his knees?

Adrianza

Most of us are probably aware that Vargas has been sent down again. Interesting factoid: He has two of the six longest HR's in the majors this year according to MLB.com.

Thought someone should post this. Angels: 1. Cameron Maybin ® CF 2. Kole Calhoun (L) RF 3. Albert Pujols ® DH 4. Yunel Escobar ® 3B 5. Luis Valbuena (L) 1B 6. Andrelton Simmons ® SS 7. Nick Franklin (S) 2B 8. Ben Revere (L) LF 9. Juan Graterol ® C Twins: 1. Robbie Grossman (S) DH 2. Joe Mauer (L) 1B 3. Miguel Sano ® 3B 4. Max Kepler (L) RF 5. Eduardo Escobar (S) 2B 6. Eddie Rosario (L) LF 7. Chris Gimenez ® C 8. Ehire Adrianza (S) SS 9. Byron Buxton ® CF

"What's another word for thesaurus?" -Steven Wright