Squirrel

As will I. Probably my favorite time in baseball season. A new beginning. However, I do hope for other things, too. I am only human, after all.

I mean, yeah, I sort of get this, but then what does any complaint on a website accomplish? Nothing, really. I doubt what is said here about any ‘focus’ is having any affect on needed change. I guess then there is nothing left to discuss.

My comment about being too young, as back in the 90s and early aughts is that this was pretty common knowledge in baseball discussion groups. Didn’t think I needed to provide much more because of that.

Google is your friend. Perhaps you are just too young to remember. There are plenty of articles out there about how the Braves didn’t sell out their games in the post season because winning in the season wasn’t enough to convince people to sell out the house in the post season. Winning wasn’t enough. This is just one of many. “Braves fans have a reputation for being apathetic, at least as far as NLDS attendance goes, given their “ho-hum” run of 14 consecutive division titles that ended in 2005. The Braves have sold out only five of their past 13 NLDS games at Turner Field.” https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/will-braves-fans-have-urgency-about-this-postseason/hQb49Sr0VEtGwizqpAbKNP/

🙄

Yes. The Braves fans in the 90s did.

I thought you were going to say, "After all the head scratching ... I'm now bald." But the other is good, too. No two people think alike, though. We agree on some things, think alike on some things, but not other things.

But were they a mirage for those of us who expected what we got? Of course I always hope for better, we should hope for better. But many of us still predicted average or just above. That's where they are right now.

Can statistics measure luck, good and bad? :)

I’ve said it often … you never know what the day will bring. On any given day the best can be the worst and the worst can be the best. Everyone and every team has moments. It’s why we tune in every night, because we really don’t know. As for the Twins, this is just about where I thought they’d be. Not that I’m a good predictor of anything, the off season just couldn’t inspire me that they would be anything more. I wasn’t deluded by anything and I don’t think most people on these boards were. But hope springs eternal. And when spring and spring training comes around, we are all at 0-0 and anything is possible. (Probable is a different discussion.) I may not like what all transpires throughout the year, my hopes for better get dashed and dashed again, but deluded? Nope. I think people on these boards confuse hoping and wishing vs those who just want to grumble. I’m not sure who are the deluded ones in this scenario.

Reminds me of the time I added an iffy weather report to one of your openers when we were played in a roofed stadium … 🙂

Amen.

Yep. And this is problem number one. And why I don’t believe much will change. Maybe we’ll get a new manager, maybe Falvey will go, maybe the entire coaching squad, but the culture will stay the same and the Twins will continue to field the teams they do.

Sure. And if we had won the games the players lost, we’d be leading the division. Team sport, it’s not on one alone.

Again, how many games really is that? As I’ve said, I don’t think it’s a many as you do, because much of the criticisms are in hindsight with lots of bias and emotions and not actual objective critique and analysis. Managers have always been scapegoats and will always be scapegoats. But I will concede on the Guardians. No one thought they would sustain that but good for them. Still,is the difference solely because of the manager? Managers are easy targets. The players play the game … how many missed opportunities with RISP? How many errors that led to winning runs? How many blown outings for a pitcher? While you lay fault on Baldelli for most of that saying it’s his decision making that cause most of that, I don’t. Some, yes, probably, but most? no. The players need to take the field and play the game, win or lose. A lot of that, even most of it, is on them. That’s my take on the game. What a manager has to work with is a big part of winning and losing. If we had won a small handful of games we lost due to managerial decisions, yes, we’d be in a better spot. But we’d be in a much better spot if players could/would actually hit the ball. But we’d be in a much better spot if we had better players. Would we be better with a better manager? No way to know. You are convinced yes, I’m not because we would still have this roster. A better manager might have eked out a few more wins, but enough of them? Better players probably would have eked out more. Even with the manager of your dreams leading this team, with the same injuries and same players, this team is not a WS team. That all said, still doesn’t answer the question about the clubhouse. Not for me. You and I are at an impasse, so let’s just agree to disagree.

Maybe they just weren’t that good.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! Sure, if honest conversation = an echo chamber. 🙄

That could be very much so. As I said, I just don’t know if he’s lost the clubhouse or not. If Rocco is dismissed after the season, I think we’ll have an answer. If he isn’t, I still don’t know. But as I just said above, managers are the scapegoats. It’s just too bad that the Pohlads can’t ever ante up when they should.

Look, he can’t. It’s up to the players to play the game. I’ve long said I’m sure Rocco has lost a game or two for the team, but I do think the players have lost way more for themselves. But as Craig said above … I won’t be surprised either if he’s dismissed, and I won’t be surprised if he isn’t. Managers have always been the scapegoats. This team from the beginning has been average, maybe slightly above. They have never been a great team. I do think Rocco got most of the most he could out of them considering the injuries and all. But the ones I blame most, are the Pohlads. They are the ones who pulled the rug out from under before the season even began. Problems, such as team culture, begins at the top, but it’s usually the coaches and/or manager that take the hits. Even if you think they should, it still won’t solve the top of the problem, and team culture still starts at the top, and as long as the Pohlads are at the top, mediocrity will thrive here. But go ahead and blame Rocco for the season and every loss they took. It’s a team sport. Winning and losing is done by more than one person. But the manager always has been and always will be the scapegoat. Just thought this site was better than falling into that easy answer.

Yes. I don’t think any of us knows what goes on behind closed doors. Winning or losing says nothing about the clubhouse, imo. And I don’t say that out of defense for Rocco. I say that as I don’t know. I don’t get local news so I have heard any rumblings from players. But it’s the players who have lost way more games than Rocco has. Rocco can’t hit the ball for them.

You think the Pohlad’s are going to increase payroll after cutting it? Thats should be problem #1 on everyone’s list. Nothing will change, nothing, because ownership will stay the same. That’s the outlook.

Agreed. Ownership took care of that by cutting payroll.

I actually think he is, mostly. And that isn't me defending anything because I've made my opinions clear on just how much I think the manager brings to the team in terms of wins and losses on any given day. This team is mediocre, maybe slightly above average. The pitching depth, both starting and BP are sparse, and with your best players spending big chunks of time on the IL, yes, he's managing with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string players. And a few of those some wondered why they were there to begin with. (Farmer anyone?) But, oh, payroll. So behind the few good players we did have, is mediocre. Because we 'can't afford' more. This has never been a great team. Potential maybe, if the cards fell right, but I guess I never expected them to be where they are now. Hoped for better, thought the potential could be there, but was also guarded.

You do have options if the team is simply not fun to watch ... don't watch. Seriously. I'm as much a fan as anyone here, but I am not giving the team my money or my viewership if I don't like it. doesn't mean I don't keep up with things, I do. But, my time is more valuable and I do have other things to do. For me, and I've said this before, when ownership cut payroll, that was the absolute worst travesty of the off-season, and set a tone of things to come ... which, imo, is far worse than any of yours or others' complaints about the manager.

I’m not sure any of us can know any of this. But from how players talk about him, I’d say, yes, he did. As of right now? I don’t know. I don’t think any of us can glean anything off of anything to know that. The Twins have always been pretty good about keeping that stuff in the clubhouse.