Paul Pleiss

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-558x558+394+15_9669899.jpg If you're listening to this podcast, you probably have more than a passing interest in Twins baseball. You've probably read about all of their draft picks, even guys drafted after the first few rounds, like Minnesota native Pat Kelly, who was taken in the 10th round. Jay is driving the episode this week, so prepare your ears for a little different sound, but have no fear, other than lots of cat noises in the background, the show is pretty stellar. We start the episode by saying goodbye to one of the most handsome red beards to ever grace the outfield grass in Minnesota, Jason Kubel. Kubel is gone, but highlighting this last week was the acquisition of Kendrys Morales who along with the emergence of Eduardo Escobar and Danny Santana gives the Twins arguably one of the best line ups in the American League. We talk a little draft, but save most of the draft talk for our guests from the Twins Hangouts (@TwinsHangouts), Jeremy Nygaard (@jeremynygaard) and Seth Stohs (@SethTweets). With the help of those two we dive into the draft and discuss the Twins moves and what it could mean for this club in the near and long term.A lot of weird things have happened in the world of baseball this week, and we cover most of them when we go around the league, to include banana and mayo sandwiches, a Seminole Indian rain man and a fatty mass with tentacles. Yikes. Source

if Jared Burton is still pitching for the Twins the next time they see the Tigers, the bombs we'll be seeing will come from Tiger bats. Jared "just bombs" Burton and his 6+ ERA need to go.

I think Arcia is a must-see player already. If he's due up in the lineup I don't go get another beer, I wait for his AB. I love the passion and energy he displays. A lot of Twins fans want Joe Mauer to be the vocal leader, to be a firey veteran, but I'm not opposed to letting the young guys lead the way with their vigor and excitement.

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-208x208+6+0_9647196.jpeg This week on the podcast we talk about the resurgance of Josh Willingham since his return from the Disabled List (being healthy is pretty important, I guess), we ramble on a bit about Aaron Hicks and the failure of the front office to have any sort of reasonable back up plan (has this rant been beaten to death yet? Yes? Good, we'll keep bringing it up), and we talk about all of the students Down on the Pond pitching for the Rochester Red Wings (Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Logan Darnell, Kris Johnson, Yohan Pino and the still terrible Scott Diamond). We all drank excellent beers, answered a question from the internet, gave a shout out to our listener of the week, and talked all things baseball news going Around the League. 96 minutes of baseball joy. Thanks for playing along! Source

I hope that the Rock Cats bring out the HC hats at least one more time before they say good bye to NB. As a west-coaster who's never been to NB, I can only hope that maybe the Twins decide to head out West with a new PDC, but I don't think that happens. Hopefully wherever the Twins AA affiliate ends up, they're in a good situation for player development because after several years of high draft positions, there are a lot of good young players in the system.

Looking forward to some serious draft talk with the Twins Hangouts gentlemen all night long!

This is a fun idea. But not fun if you are Jason Kubel's knees. But I'm not. So it's fun to me.

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or click here you can download the new episode, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. This week's episode is highlighted by a lengthy interview with Jim Callis (@JimCallisMLB, MLBpipeline.com) who talks about the draft and a whole mess of Twins topics. The Baseball Pirate makes his return from defending the homeland and the whole gang is back together for the first time in a long time. The show starts out with a rousing discussion of which coach is the most important coach in baseball, and whether or not any of the players on the 25-man roster could be more important than the most important coach. Interesting things are happening. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3uaMqgFpc8/U4gTaWvzjbI/AAAAAAAAAMw/WvkeIrl6KMM/s1600/0.jpg Brian Dozier continues to impress, the Twins pitchers continue to distress (except for Punxsutawney Phil Hughes), and Eduardo Escobar continues to mash extra-base hits like it's his job (because it is). Is Eddie Escobar playing over his head? Probably some, but could this also be the natural maturation of a player who's been in the big leagues since his age-22 season? Eddie Rosario makes his return from his drug suspension, Ben Revere hits a real life, honest to god, over the wall home run and Carlos Gomez says "It's sexy batting clean-up!" All this and more on this week's episode of Talk to Contact. Enjoy the show. Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs, and you can find Jay Corn on twitter @Jay__Corn! __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com

Thanks, I like having fun with silly literature and baseball together.

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-330x330+40+7_9626439.jpg This week's episode is highlighted by a lengthy interview with Jim Callis (@JimCallisMLB, MLBpipeline.com) who talks about the draft and a whole mess of Twins topics. The Baseball Pirate makes his return from defending the homeland and the whole gang is back together for the first time in a long time. The show starts out with a rousing discussion of which coach is the most important coach in baseball, and whether or not any of the players on the 25-man roster could be more important than the most important coach. Interesting things are happening.Brian Dozier continues to impress, the Twins pitchers continue to distress (except for Punxsutawney Phil Hughes), and Eduardo Escobar continues to mash extra-base hits like it's his job (because it is). Is Eddie Escobar playing over his head? Probably some, but could this also be the natural maturation of a player who's been in the big leagues since his age-22 season?Eddie Rosario makes his return from his drug suspension, Ben Revere hits a real life, honest to god, over the wall home run and Carlos Gomez says "It's sexy batting clean-up!" All this and more on this week's episode of Talk to Contact. Source

What if, instead of cake balls, they were given frosting balls. seems it might be easier to make a ball out of frosting that aproximates a baseball. Or frosted balls, from a Minnesota Moose. Which would just be his regular balls, but they would have to have been nipped while it was still below freezing.

A Lament By Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792–1822 Retold by Paul Pleiss O world! O life! O time! On whose last steps Jarod Burton doth climb, Trembling at that where he had stood 66ft 6in before; When will return the glory of your prime? No more—Oh, never more! Out of the day and night A joy has taken flight; Fresh spring, and summer, and winter hoar, Move my faint heart with grief, but with delight No more—Oh, never more!

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_9601330.jpg This week we discuss the Twins shift to six-man rotations in Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, Dozier's chances of being a 40/40 guy (and a related tangent about Jose Canseco in 1988), what the Twins will do when Mike Pelfrey, Oswaldo Arcia, and Josh Willingham are healthy, and a change in the Twins' mentality. We pick a pitcher and hitter of the week, and talk about Minor Leaguer Zack Granite when we go down on the pond. This week we were lucky to be joined by Fox Sports One's Gabe Kapler. Kap, as he is affectionately known, is a 12 year MLB veteran, and hosts a couple of shows on FS1, including Fox Sports Live and MLB Whip Around. He talks about his path to the majors, and weighs in on batter perparation and making adjustments to pitchers, a couple of topics very close at hand for Twins Aaron Hicks and Chris Colabello. We ran long on Twins news this week, so we had to cut the Beer and Around the League segments, but do not fret, we will be back next week at full strength. Thanks for listening! Source

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-336x336+159+0_9577938.jpg The Twins Phil Hughes out dueled Justin Verlander in Detroit and the Twins stole the series from the Tigers. Did Phil Hughes do enough to garner this week's Pitcher of the Week?The Twins have been making roster moves left and right, call-ups, send-downs, concussion DL stints galore. We review what's been going on with the roster and what may be coming as Josh Willingham begins his rehab. Byron Buxton is back on the DL, is it time to be worried?Joe Mauer is set to overtake Kirby Puckett in career WAR, but are you ready to admit that he's a better player? We tackle that debate and more. This week's Down on the Pond profile is on Twins AAA LHP Kris Johnson. Hopefully he doesn't tear his UCL like Jose Fernandez and seemingly everyone else in baseball. Source

I think we've talked about this a couple times before, but I still think waiting to make a long-term deal with Dozier is the right move. Locking him up for 5 years might seem advantageous, but I don't know that you need to do that now, before he's even reached arbitration. As you noted, he's not going to hit the FA market until 31 and there is plenty of room for regression (or maybe even progression!) between now and then, and plenty of time to secure his services if he continues to play like a stud. It might cost the Twins an extra million or two (per season) by waiting, but giving him 35mill guaranteed seems much riskier than waiting it out at least for another 9 months.

Tarheel takes a bet becasue at 1000:1, why not? I'm in for 10 cents, I found a dime while taking out the garbage last night and I'm willing to lose it for the chance at $100. Santana almost assuridly goes back down as soon as Arcia and the rest of the depleted OF corps is ready for regular playing time. I sure do love watching Santana play ball, he's so damn fast. Hopefully he can find consistency at SS down in Rochester and become a regular in the lineup for the Twins for the next couple years until an elite SS shows he's face in the Twins lineup... assuming that actually happens.

Yes, yes it would. I know the draft is a bit of a lottery, and that not everyone works out, but it feels like the Twins either missed badly or allowed their first round picks to leave the organization. But I think there is also something more on the topic of letting "stars" get out of the organization, because the team was unwilling to pony up for a large contract, or trading them away to "try to get something." There seems to me to be a large number of former Twins being very successful for other teams in MLB. Have the Twins just given up on some players too soon? Should the Twins should have paid guys to keep them? Clearly letting Johan go worked out in the long run for the Twins as the Mets have largely paid him to rehab from injury. There does though, seem to be a lot of successful former Twins out there, especially starters who found success after leaving MN (and no, this is not my attempt to get a rant going on Rick Anderson, which is someething else I enjoy). Also, Torii Hunter, I miss that guy.

As a fan of some of the more basic advanced statistics, I'd like to see more of them in the pop up graphics when a batter comes up to bat. More than BA, I think OBP is important, and when I can see SLG and OBP then I can quickly calculate ISO and OPS in my head. I like the numbers. Even BABIP is a number that I think most fans are familiar with. The announcers don't need to talk about them all, but putting them on screen is something I'd appreciate. Yes, I can quickly check FANGRAPHS, B-Ref, etc to get those numbers, but sometimes it's nice to just sit back and watch the game on the tube without digging for info on my cell or laptop.

Gardy needs to keep giving Pinto playing time and AB's. There is no more Chris Herrmann as 3rd C, so I don't know that Gardy will want to risk losing the DH for a couple ABs should Suzuki go down. I can't explain why he's so afraid of that, probably becasue he carries a 13 man pitching staff. i think Pinto needs more playing time than just a game or two a week behind the plate. If he continues to sit with Herrmann gone I'm going to start calling for heads to roll unless the team can stay right around the .500 mark.

Had a nice debate with Seth while he was manning the TD twitter during today's game. He sees Nunez as a utility guy, but I dont think he has enough offense or defense to be a MLB caliber player, even in a bench roll. As far as Gardy trying to get bats into the lineup, I'm not so sure. He's got Pinto on the bench now that the emergency 3rd catcher is gone. I don't understand why he is so afraid of losing the DH if Suzuki goes down while Pinto is DHing. Eduardo Escobar or even Joe Mauer (gasp!) could catch a couple innings in an emergency, or the Twins could pinch hit for the pitcher/DH spot a couple times if need be (assuming they start having bench bats, and not a 13+ man pitching staff.). This is a bit of a rant, I appologize, but the roster construction since opening day and the Jason Bartlett fiasco just has be all riled up.

Tunes and MLB, tyrants of industry, don’t cha know! You cannot download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes but if you click here you can download the new episode. And if you want to add the show to your podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. http://puckettspond.com/files/2014/05/bud-selig-mlb-world-series-boston-red-sox-st.-louis-cardinals-300x600.jpgPhoto Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports In our little part of the internet, the big news this week was MLB asking iTunes to remove several baseball themed podcasts because of what they believe was copyright infringement. We were one of the podcasts removed, we were fired up, and spent the first ten or so minutes discussing this entire situation. We also had the opportunity to purchase some free tickets through ScoreBig.com, an online ticket auction site. We detailed the purchase process and the pros and cons of using this ticket provider. Then we finally circled back around to Twins news. We talked about the phantom DL and Mike Pelfrey, Aaron Hicks’ concussion, and the current Twins roster construction. Jay took a strong stand on Joe Mauer’s toughness, and Eric strongly disagreed. Darren Wolfson joined us for almost thirty minutes to give us the scoops on the upcoming MLB draft, and all thing Twins. We closed out the podcast with our regular segments selecting hitters and pitchers of the week, talking beer, baseball and the news. 101 minutes of fun. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and tell iTunes and MLB that we think what they did on Wednesday really stinks. Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs, and you can find Jay Corn on twitter @Jay__Corn! __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com