gil4

Would they give us back Parmelee for Buxton, or would we have throw in Duensing too?

I'm not sure if I was one of the ones that jumped on you at the time, but allow me to pile on now. I can't see a significant resurgence happening as long as the Twins are paying an aging 1B $23M/yr to hit .261/.324/.357./.681 (and dropping) in the three hole. It is vital to have Mauer stop being that guy and be more like his old self instead, unless we want to postpone the resurgence until 2018. At the time he got the contract, I recognized the importance of resigning him, but the dollar amount surprised and concerned me. They paid for 8 years of the 2009 Joe Mauer when even at the time that year looked like an aberration. That said, I would have been fine with 8 years/$150M, and that would have made very little difference in the current situation. Paying an aging 1B $18.75M/yr to hit .261/.324/.357./.681 doesn't really give more flexibility than paying him $23M.

The version I heard involved John Kerry after the 2004 election, but it definitely works for Celine Dion as well. Plus it doesn't get half (or more) the readership here mad by talking politics.

I didn't go back and check, but hasn't he had an adjustment period at previous levels? I know he did when he first signed and he did at AA. Was there any level that he tore up right off the bat? If he struggles at first, we need to be patient.

2-4, infield single, triple, 2 K' s.

I've been wondering if maybe the switch from catcher has affected him. As a catcher, you see and track far more live pitches than anyone else on the field, although obviously with a different intent.

I'm guessing the likes you get will be from a fairly narrow age range (45-55, maybe a little more on the low end)

So far Nunez has 5 votes. We are talking about the Twins' 25man roster, not Rochester's, right? I'd rather see the Rally Monkey, and I hate the Rally Monkey. For the record, I voted for Pelfrey because that was the closest option I could find to "none of the above."

Or, God forbid, the Rally Monkey?

I can't say I love him. I like him when he's killing the Yankees, hate him when he's killing the Twins. Other than that I can't say I care one way or another.

Yes, you are.

I'm not sure they could do worse.

DEATH TO THE RALLY MONKEY!!

Or maybe they were supposed to keep the pair of threes... http://stmedia.stimg.co/TWINS_WHITE_SOX_BASEBALL_342479091.JPG?w=525

I want to add that they need some cards to fall to them, too. They could play the cards right and still finish .500 or even below. I just don't want them to miss the playoffs by a game because they kept a pair of 3's instead of going for the straight flush.

It seems like I've heard that Shawn Greene comparison before. Hopefully it happens.

I know that's what is supposed to happen, but I'd rather focus on what could happen. The timeline has been 2016/2017, but there is possibly an opportunity to accelerate the timeline without sacrificing that bright future. If the core isn't good enough, fine. If they give it away on the margins (keeping 7 relievers instead of a DH who can hit, letting a marginal prospect learn to play SS on the job at the major league level...) that might be not-so-fine. I will say that our first choice for the rotation in AAA right now is better than what our #3/4 starters with the big club have been over the past few years. Kevin Correia, Cole Devries, P.J. Walters, Scott Diamond, and Andrew Albers, you are not missed. Liam Hendriks and Samuel Deduno, I thought you might be missed, but I was wrong. Things are looking up, and they could look way up if they play the cards right.

It wasn't that they weren't doing enough. It was that they were doing too many of the wrong things. The Garza/Bartlett for Young/Harris was pretty widely criticized at the time, and I would say hindsight has been kind to the critics. Ditto the Capps/Ramos trade and the subsequent resigning of Capps. Gleeman was running his "Free Johan Santana" (from long relief) campaign for close to a year before the Twins finally stuck him in the rotation and he became possibly the best starter the Twins have ever had. Critics have been wrong - the Shannon Stewart trade is one example that comes to mind. But they also have been right far too often. Not true! Let's see... there was 1987, 1991. Actually, I think we've been happy plenty of times, just not completely satisfied. Those were the years we were completely satisfied. I'd say 2002 as well, getting into the playoffs after years of losing. Baseball is a game of inches and of details. The nits are often the difference. (There have been some pretty big nits crawling around here, too.) After the last 4 years that would be OK, I guess. But I want more than that. I want them to be good and have a core in place so that if a couple of guys make the leap to greatness the whole team can be great. I am to, but I also want the Twins to make sound baseball decisions to maximize the possibility of it continuing. The 31-19 record is in the bank. If they just play .500 ball the rest of the way, they end up 87-75, which might sneak them into the playoffs. If a couple of guys start hitting like last year (Santana, the DH position) or previous years (Mauer) this team could win ... more than that.

89

Had. So about those pinstripes...

I must be spending too much time around my daughter's softball team. Every year they have to buy an even number of pairs of socks so that they can wear one of one color and one of the other. Last year it was one orange, one teal, both with black tiger stripes. This year it's one light pink, one navy blue, both in a pixelated camo pattern. Pinstripes with rainbow stripes are relatively tame, bordering on traditional. But enough of that. We have a ballgame here.

Very nice. Too bad it doesn't come in pinstripes.

I still hate Drew Pearson for pushing off on Nate Wright, so I guess that's a yes.

Rochester

So why isn't there a site here for the Lakers (or whatever our team is these days}?