wsnydes

This game is driving me to plead the 21st amendment.

Is the fifth like the center space on bingo card?

Good thing Buxton makes that bionic sound when he runs.

Yes please.

Yeah, he's not calling the knee high strike at all.

Jobbed by the umps again.

Punto is one of those guys that goes underappreciated by many. He was a player that wasn't overly gifted, but worked hard and was a pretty good role player for some pretty good teams. Winning teams need guys like that and there's usually a place for them on those types of teams. There's a reason that he was in the league as long as he was.

Lots of positivity in today's thread. I like it!

There certainly are pros and cons. If we are going somewhere for a show or something, it's usually less than half an hour drive so it's not a huge issue. Both of us grew up in northern MN, so we enjoy our space enough that it offsets any minor inconveniences that may exist. We're far enough out that its suburban, yet no so far out that it's too much of a hassle to get to something in either downtown.

Exactly. I like some hard physical work now and then too. It's nice to have a visual representation of what I've accomplished since my office life doesn't have that. I find that much more satisfying.

My wife's uncle was trying to convince me once of the virtues of living in a more urban environment in lieu of the suburbs. You don't have yard work. (I don't mind yard work) You don't have a driveway to shovel. (I really don't mind that either - snowblower) You don't have to pay servicepeople when something breaks. (I'm pretty handy and can do it myself) You can stop by the neighborhood market and get fresh food EVERY DAY! (The last thing I want to do every day after work is to go to the grocery store) Needless to say, his arguments didn't convince me of anything other than the fact that I'm living where I should be.

Hire a babysitter and let them worry about it while you watch the game in peace!

I'm in the boat that thinks that this team wins despite Molitor's in-game management. I think he's pretty good with the off the field stuff that we can see. His teams are motivated and bounce back nicely after rough games. I think most of the player development is due to his assistants, but I've always thought that he was a pretty good instructor. He's got so much experience and knowledge of this game that can be passed along to current players. I think he's gotten better at this, but I don't feel that he allows younger guys to learn by playing as much as he could. I do think that he's gotten better overall over the course of his tenure, but with where this team is at I'm not crazy about a guy learning on the job at the helm.

Seems like the appropriate prize in a box of Cracker Jack.

Unfortunately, not bringing in Gee right away was the turning point if the game. I agree that it's been good since.

Strategery

Sweet! I can listen to the last few innings at work in the morning!

Adrianza in LF and platooning are two different things, in the context of my point anyway. I realize that I may not have been clear about it. I don't want Adrianza in LF at all. I get what Molitor is doing, I simply don't agree with it because I'll take the defense either a Kepler or Granite supply over watching Adrianza watch balls drop behind the SS because he isn't familiar with LF. I will concede that at times during the season, roster construction has hampered his ability to platoon players. September is not one of those times however. If Molitor is to get much of the credit for letting his coaches coach this season, does he get much of the blame for not overriding and/or doing a better job with his coaches last season when what they were trying to do wasn't working? Perhaps he was the one that wanted the offseason changes to begin with, I don't know. For what it's worth, I do think he's a good instructor and has a wealth of knowledge of the game. I'll never say otherwise. My quarrels with him are all game management issues, which is what I look for in a field manager. I don't think Molitor is opposed to analytics or change, nor have I said that I thought he was. I simply don't believe that he's as up to speed on them as the new FO is. I do think he's got some old school thinking, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In my initial post, I mentioned that the decision will likely hinge on how much the FO thinks Molitor accepts the analytics. I'm not sure why the FO would comment on the bunting publicly. That isn't their place, especially publicly.

Fair point. There have been large chunks of the season where the roster construction hasn't really given Molitor the possibility of spelling Mauer as much as he may have wanted as well. The number of switch hitters on the roster plays into that as well.

I think you make good and valid points. However, I wonder how much analytics plays into this decision. My guess is quite a bit. The new FO is far more analytical than what we've seen in these parts previously. There are areas where Molitor has improved, but I don't know that he embraces the analytics as much as the FO may want him too. That's speculation on my part, but the amount of bunting that he does call for at any point in a game point in that direction in my opinion. Molitor's incessant bunting (I agree, not a fireable offense on its own), refusal to platoon players based on their splits and a tendency to use bullpen pitchers against their splits (Boshers and Breslow come to mind). I don't see those as fan complaints. Just because you don't have talent in the bullpen, it doesn't mean that you can't put the players that you do have in a situation to succeed. Generally speaking, I think he's done a decent job of overall management by using his best arms in games when they're up and the less talented arms in blowout situations. That is not my issue I also think that he's gotten a bit better in the second half, but that's also because Busenitz and Hildenberger have emerged. However, the in-game management is still suspect (see relievers against their splits comment above). I don't think that he was a great feel for the flow of the game in that regard. Given the usage of the pen, I think that he's been lucky this year that there hasn't been any significant injuries to the horses in the bullpen. Playing Adrianza in LF despite having Granite on the bench drives me insane. Adrianza's bat isn't that much of a difference maker. There's no question that some of the FO moves or lack thereof has handcuffed Molitor. He can't be blamed for the players he's given. He can be blamed for how he uses them though. I also tend to credit the assistant coaches with most of the improvement of individual players. They're the ones that work with the players the most. That's not to say that Molitor doesn't get any credit for it since I do feel that he's a good instructor. However, a manager's job also has an in-game component to it. I do not feel that it's a coincidence that a number of assistant coaches were added a to shore up the defense and improve the bats and that's exactly what happened. I'll finish by saying that I'm in the camp that feels that managers/head coaches get too much credit for winning and too much blame for losing. I don't envy the FO in having to make this decision.

Wasn't Joe Girardi in the same situation in Miami? I'm not a Molitor fan at all. Bullpen management, odd lineups, refusal to platoon players; I think this team wins despite him. I think what Platoon said a few posts above makes sense. If they were serious about extending him, you'd think there would be at least a whiff of conversation about it.

I already wonder what he's thinking. I don't get it at all.

Pretty tired of seeing him in LF with Granite on the bench. Adriana's offense isn't that much better. This staff needs the defense.

Happy Unbirthday, RB! I hope that you got an extra cheddar bay biscuit yesterday.

I think the chase in general this September is very good for the young core of this team. It gives them a taste even if they don't get to the playoffs. In April, I never imagined this team would be in this position. I still don't really care what happens in the end, I'm just enjoying the ride.