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I wish that we could focus on issues that are in Jack's wheelhouse, such as the role of stats in making decisions and the role of other factors relative to stats. Many of the questions that are being asked seem to be questions that should be addressed to Terry Ryan, such as what was the game plan for 2013. It is exciting to have a key member of the FO posting here and I think that it's natural for us all to be enthusiastic to the point of giddiness, but let's try not to overwhelm Jack with broad questions about big picture items.

You are a celebrity to many of us, and anything that you care to contribute will be greatly appreciated. Also, if any of the hornets try to sting you, we will ban them.

This is an opportunity for us to possibly obtain insight from someone who knows a lot of things that some of us endlessly speculate about. We moderators are going to be watching this thread more than the average thread and people who cannot follow the rules will lose their posting privileges for an appropriate amount of time. C'mon people. Let's be nice. Jack was nice enough to become a TD member and post here. If we are respectful, maybe he will tell us about some things that we would love to hear about.

Attention fellow TD members. We have verified that this post is from the actual Jack Goin, not an impostor. Please join me in welcoming Jack to TD. I predict that if we respectfully invite Jack to have a friendly dialog, we may be rewarded with information that quenches our thirst. Obviously, Jack cannot give us any trade secrets, but maybe he could provide some tidbits that allay the concerns of those of us who feel that stats are not being used in an optimal manner.

From what I am hearing, most doctors who are general practitioners are not making very much money. On the other hand, hospitals and drug companies seem to be making more than ever. I believe that hospitals should be required to make their rates available on demand so that consumer groups can publish comparisons.

So the big lenders were like murderers at a time that murder was legal?

Who approved this post??? Just kidding. I am not aware of you being under any such restriction.

It seems to me that if I am running Coke and we are kicking Pepsi's ass, then I should be inclined to promote from within. But if Pepsi is kicking our ass, then we should hire some of their people to find out if they know things that we have not figured out.

I am not offended. The link was intended mainly for those who were talking about the tax issue.

We already know from Koskie and Morneau that concussions can destroy a career. The more concussions the greater the risk. And it is impossible to know how many "minor" concussions Mauer has suffered over the years -- maybe none, maybe twenty or maybe fifty -- we just don't know. I will be jubilant if Mauer recovers from his last concussion. I am worried that his career may already be over, but no one yet realizes it. I pray that this is not the case, but Koskie and Morneau both taught me that concussions can ruin players despite my most fervent prayers for them to recover. Sadly, no one seems to be developing a catcher's mask that uses modern materials and design to absorb more of the force of a foul tip. Unless that happens, Mauer's entire career could be ended by a single foul tip. I would love to see Mauer catch, and I completely agree with those who say that he is most valuable as a catcher. However, it seems to me that this is not worth risking his career or his long-term health. Since the Twins probably won't contend next year, why not let Mauer's brain have one year to heal, leaving open the possibility for him to go back to catching in 2015? Maybe by then someone will come out with a catcher's mask that is more protective. And if we have any engineers here who are capable in the field of modern materials and design, please PM me if you might be interested in a joint venture to create a better catcher's mask.

Moderator note -- this is a good debate, but a few posts have bordered on bickering. Disagree as much as you wish with other posters, but please be polite and respectful.

Very creative and fun.

There is a recent IRS Field Advisory Memorandum that states the IRS position -- here is a link to a discussion of the IRS position.

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I don't think that the government is good at running hospitals and I am sorry for your family's experiences with the VA. On the other hand, I look at the Israeli system and like the idea of spending about 50% of what we spend now, and getting better results. I would also note that prior to the ACA, some bozo who abused his freedom by not buying insurance then drunkenly wrecked his car would get emergency room treatment anywhere in the U.S., and those of us who had insurance ended up paying for that. I cannot imagine us going to a system where emergency rooms require proof of ability to pay, and I see the ACA as affirming a conservative principle that people should pay their own way when they can afford to do so, i.e. less freeloading. I don't mind being required to buy car insurance and am glad that if some maniac hits me in L.A. traffic, he will probably have some insurance. It also seems to me that maybe we can agree that capitalism can provide the optimum solution. Under the ACA, insurance companies can compete, as in Massachusetts and Israel. In contrast, Medicare has no competition, but gets better rates than insurance companies because of its size and bargaining power. Maybe if Medicare could become a public option for everyone and users could instead opt for private insurance, this would create an even more robust market. I think that ot would also help if hospitals were required to post their billing rates, success rates and other relevant data so that consumers could make more informed choices. Competition is a powerful tool to reduce costs. Here is the part where I need help -- the passages in the New Testament where the rich guy asks Jesus how to get to heaven and Jesus tells him to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor. Then Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven. Maybe I am dense, but it seems to me that Jesus was saying that helping poor people is pretty important. I think that means that letting poor children die from cancer and other curable ailments would be a lot worse sin than the sins that the Republicans seem obsessed with, such as premarital sex, abortion, same-sex marriage, drug addiction and welfare fraud. I would be grateful if you would explain to me (in as much detail as you are willing to provide) why this does not mean that we should be doing whatever we can to at least provide health care to all children whose parents cannot afford it on their own. It's not as though this is not working in lots of other countries (some better than others). What are we going to say to St. Peter if he asks us about this? My solution is straightforward -- get rid of all of the poor people -- every last one. Give them an opportunity to be productive and reduce benefits to exactly the poverty level for those who refuse to work. Reward those who work hard -- a family where both parents are working full time (or more) should make enough to be comfortable. It seems to me that if we can create a system where almost everyone works, then the extra productivity would benefit everyone and St. Peter would smile when we tell him how we got rid of poverty so that we could all go to heaven (or at least most of us, excluding, of course, Yankees and White Sox fans). Maybe I need to go see a priest or a minister, but I just don't understand how we can get out of helping poor people, especially children, until there are no more people (or at least children) who are poor.

If only we moderators had the power to enforce the TD rules in Congress, there would be a lot less gridlock and a lot more respectful discussion. Yes, we might have to issue some bans, but it would be worth it.

I am hoping that you are correct about an independent movement evolving to make the world a better place. I also am encouraged by this new pope. It seems to me that of all the popes during my lifetime, this one comes closest to saying things that Jesus would say if he were around today. It seems to me that Jesus was trying to teach people about love, empathy and generosity, not hate, prejudice and saving taxes.

Because of the Supreme Court's rulings about campaign finance reform, it is going to take a constitutional amendment or some changes in the court to reduce the influence of billionaires and corporations. A constitutional amendment would require a huge grassroots movement, because most politicians nowadays don't seem to want to cut the flow of cash and perks. And a change in the court that favors this could take decades. Did you see 60 Minutes last night? They did a segment about how politicians can legally use campaign funds to take luxury vacations and pay family members to work on their campaigns. I think that this system as a whole comes pretty close to outright bribery in cases where the politician plans to use a lot of the money to line his or her own pockets.

The final 4 teams all seemed to have great pitching. Watching some of the games has confirmed in my mind the importance of pitching and defense. I would love to see the Twins build a team that can score lots of runs against great pitching and great defense, but after seeing the Tigers flounder, I wonder about the relative importance of having star hitters.

Interesting first post rookie. Lots to think about.

So you hit a home run in your first and only at bat, then you retire? Teaser! I understand your dislike for the negativity and the bickering. The moderators are working hard to reduce the bickering. The negativity is another matter. We have some members who are generally negative and critical, and other members who are generally positive and supportive of the FO. We are trying to foster intelligent, respectful debate that includes the extremists from both ends of the spectrum, and that means that there will continue to be some posts that are annoyingly negative. There will also be posts that some people find annoyingly positive. I am grateful for your post. Even our senior moderators have been doing this for less than a year. We are all rookies and we are learning as we go. Your input and AshburyJohn's response have crystallized some ideas in my mind and I hope that you will let us know if you find a better bar -- we are open to learning from the success of others.

This post is beyond excellent, and I hope that you consider converting it to a blog that might even be posted on the main page as an article. If you have any more stories like this, or even 10% as good as this, please post them. One good feature of TD is that anyone can create blog posts, and sometimes these get added to the main page as articles.

Great posts, rookies! Now we need some lurkers to join in. Please don't be shy.

I am opening this thread for the people who visit Twins Daily but have not yet posted on any of the forums. If you have not yet registered, then you will need to do so. You should also read the TD Comment Policy sticky thread at the top of the Questions About MinnCentric forum. Even if you're a little shy, gather your courage and take a chance and post something here. I believe that you will find that most of us don't bite, and those who do bite better not do it here.

Agreed, and next time that happens an infraction will be awarded.

I enjoyed the article and have also enjoyed the responses. I am not optimistic about getting anything better than a #3 starter through FA. On the other hand, a #3 starter would have made 2013 a lot more bearable.