Fritzderkat

I think the simple fact the Twins now are in this position tells me all I'll ever need to know about the Twins, and I've been following them for 20 years. In essence, yes, they've only had two pitchers during the entire time who the informed fan might regard as aces--two!--and now they're back to mining prospects again. Explains a lot, doesn't it?

Interesting to find in the record of the Falvey-Levine leadership, they managed to tack together a powerful hitting team with sub-standard pitching. After scratching their way to division titles over two seasons, much optimism about this one, they crash (not in the least because of sub-standard pitching), and now here they are, back at the bottom but left with what we are told are all kinds of good prospects, none of them proven, btw, or with the strength and status of Jose Barrios. I'm trying to find in this a measure of progress.

The Cleveland baseball club of the Major League is changing its name from the Indians to the Guardians. One may speculate why, what it intends to represent, but done is done so why quibble? Personally I'll just scratch it off as an exceptionally lousy name for a ball club. Guardians of what? Their great baseball heritage? Tris Speaker? Bob Feller? The lake? Better had they gone back to the original, the Spiders. I could get behind a team called the Spiders. Think of the logos on the caps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Spiders

I recommend the Sports Illustrated profile on Joe Ryan. This fella is a different breed of cat.

Here's a plug for Josh Donaldson. Not too many others in the bigs who play so hard.

Here's mine to Hector, one of the classiest professional athletes I've ever had the good fortune to follow, that principally being his time here with the Twins, which provided the opportunity we'd otherwise seen from only afar. I've been following this team for 20 years, and few other Twins if any in that time have shown his commitment and effort. Best of luck tomorrow and beyond, Hector. You're a credit to the game.

Now, there is a voice of frustration.

Not really the way you expect your average would-be staff ace to finish up, not when in order to resign him it's going to cost a chunk of money.

Once upon a time if a team were not performing as well as expected and the hometown fans grew disgruntled, it was not uncommon to say the the players were bums. Nothing personal, really. You just look at the stats and the standings each day and see who's at the bottom and who's at the top. Nature of the game. Any game. And after a while, say halfway through a season, you measure what you've seen, what you've got, and make a reasoned appraisal. These guys are making good money, but in the fairest sense of the bargain, not earning it. Bums or not?

Stupid article. If Donaldson is most unlikable, who among them is dearly loved? I'd say La Tortuga has the inside track.

La Tortuga.

Cheating has always been an integral part of the great American game. Funny about that, but you can find it at almost any level.

This about sums it up: >“I’m tired of hearing people say that players only want to hit home runs,” says Rockies rightfielder Charlie Blackmon. “That’s not why people are striking out. They’re striking out because guys are throwing 97 mile-an-hour super sinkers, or balls that just go straight up with all this sticky stuff and the new-baseball spin rate. That’s why guys are striking out, because it’s really hard not to strike out."

Here I come lately with another link, from Sports Illustrated. Sticky Fingers, I'd call it. https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/06/04/sticky-stuff-is-the-new-steroids-daily-cover?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Don't know if they let you in or not but here's the link. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mlb-velocity-strike-zone-high-fastballs-spin-rate-launch-angle-11622725524