Dakota Native

You can blame Poland's poor management of the team's finances, which led to too much debt and forced them to sell off players to raise enough money to bring in minority owners to help pay off the rest. I don't think Falvey was a saint either. What did he get for dumping Duran, Jax, and Varland? Jax has 19 starts this season- we could sure use him in our rotation. Duran has 29 saves and a 1.61 ERA, and Varland at 31 and 1.18 is even better. With these guys in our mediocre and injury-prone pitching staff, together with the patchwork lineup Shelton has worked with, we would be leading the Central by 10 games. Boy, did the Pohlands screw the pooch.

I am utterly amazed at the debt load the Twins are carrying. I am also wondering how in the world they got here. While I do not plan to analyze the situation, it would appear they tried to buy top-notch talent (for them) but did not drive marketing to support the financial burden of this talent. Now they are reverting to their roots before the effort to contract the team. That is, being incredibly cheap. In all fairness, they have dug a hole and now have no choice but to enjoy living in it. So we are now back into the good old days of Calvin Griffith. He was cheap and no doubt a good role model for the Polads. So, like good ole Cal, the Polands should emulate him and pull a 1981/82 and jettison the expensive veterans and go with the kids from the farm. While we endured some horrible seasons, we did end up with a couple of World Series titles. Is there a future Puckett, Hrbek, or Viola in the minors? If so, bring them up and have them learn on the job. Twins fans have been here before, so level with us and allow us to get behind the program.

In my life, the best single-season shortstop is Zoilo Versailles. He was dynamic and energized a WS team. I thought Christian Guzman would be his successor, but it was not to be. However, his 2001 season is not to be sneezed at. The smartest shortstop is no doubt Carlos Correa. Some of the smart, jaw-dropping plays he made were something to behold. Then again, there was his failure to deliver in the clutch and his ability to ground out into double plays. That said, give me the players who were consistent at the position. Danny Thompson was good for one season (1972). I loved watching him play. Greg Gagne was a joy to watch. Often, we are too hung up on metrics and miss the ability to play the game. What the Giants just did in hiring a college coach as manager should drive the league back to developing players who can play the game and screw the stats. Since I am on a roll, bring in Buck Showalter as the next manager. He knows what he is doing and can tell management to take a hike.

I am deeply disappointed that Johan Santana is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. For nine years, he was the best pitcher in baseball and a joy to watch.

I’m in the process of finalizing a $6 billion investment in a project in Kansas. During a recent conversation with the investment group, they mentioned they were also close—“at the 10-yard line”—to completing the sale of an American League baseball club. They declined to reveal which team, so I suggested the Minnesota Twins. They immediately responded that the Twins were a poor investment. They laid out several reasons: too much debt, declining attendance, no meaningful TV deal, and Major League Baseball’s tendency to schedule early-season home games in April—often in cold weather—which depresses ticket sales. The only positive they mentioned was the outstanding ballpark. That response hit home for me. I’m originally from Minot, North Dakota, and grew up a passionate Twins fan. I still remember the excitement of the 1965 World Series when our school principal played the games over the intercom. Owning the Twins has always been a dream of mine, but based on this feedback, I’d have difficulty assembling the right investment group if the team is seen as financially unsound. The Pohlad family would likely need to reduce the asking price and absorb some of the debt. It seems Justin Ishbia was wise to walk away. I now live about 50 miles west of Washington, D.C., and make the trip to Baltimore whenever the Twins visit the Orioles. Interestingly, the Twins’ average attendance over the past five years has been comparable to the Orioles’. Camden Yards is a beautiful stadium, but in my view, Target Field is even better. This raises the question: how did the Orioles manage to sell 70% of the team for $1.725 billion while the Twins are considered a poor investment? There is much more to say, but let me know your opinion.

It has been well over a year since I have responded or commented on a topic. I love my Twins and it is a grievous sin not to have participated in such a long time. That said, my past comments have been centered around the current wave of talent that is descending on the major league team. Having experienced past rebuilding efforts (can anyone say Scott Stahoviac(sp?) or Brad Havens), rejoiced at the two World Series Championships the 1980's rebuilding effort produced, it is my opinion that we are seeing the finest wave of talent since the 1960s group that moved to the Twin Cities. Of course times were different then. I have longed to see a lineup card with the names of Buxton, Sano, Polanco, Kepler, Rosario, Gibson, Berrios, etc. in it and a bullpen full of throwers like the Nasty Boys of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. Well, that vision or dream is upon us with Burdi, ​Reed, Melotakis, Rogers, Jones, etc. soon to be cutting their teeth on major league competition. I long to see the days when the Twins treat the Yankees like yesterday's news and throw them out with the trash. Time has come to dominate the American League. Maybe we are a year or two away, but we can see it coming. Let's hope it is not like the George Thorogood line from "I Drink Alone": The other night I lay sleeping And I woke from a terrible dream So I called up my pal Jack Daniel's And his partner Jimmy Beam And we drank alone, yeah With nobody else Yeah, you know when I drink alone I prefer to be by myself I am getting too old to live through another rebuilding cycle. Let this be the one that all Twins fans can rejoice in. So I am Bullish on the team and bullpen.

There is way too much angst in regard to the Twins bullpen, especially given it is early in spring training. I have coached high school and travel teams for over 20 years and trust me the kids perform way better after a few weeks of training than at the beginning of it. I would start to sweat bullets in two weeks it the trend is not towards a solid bullpen. Historically, the easiest thing to fix is a bullpen. There are plenty of failed starters out there with two good pitches that can be culled from the ash heap of major league and minor league pitchers. Terry has assembled a nice collection of what were once promising prospects or former decent major league performers hoping to prove their doubters wrong. He has a nice collection of minor league pitchers he can bring in (if he is willing to speed up the development process) to fill in holes. I just think Billy Smith had no eye for talent and made a plethora of bad personnel decisions last year. The see that lack of any stud starting pitchers as a larger problem. We have too many soft throwers who consider it a good day if they go five innings. Failure to go 7-8 consistently ruins even the best bullpens and in our case produces a disaster. What we need is some of the Nolan Ryan attitude in Minnesota and start to challenge our starters to grow a pair. We also need a bullpen with a pair as well. The courage to throw inside and to make hitters nervous to step in the box.