mnjon

Thanks, Parker. Great analysis as usual. The thought of another Blackburn scares the crap out of me but I agree with YourHouse that Worley's secondary numbers look noticeably better than Blackburn's so that gives me a bit more hope. It's a weird feeling but this is the first starter the Twins have acquired that I'm excited to watch since Target Field opened. Don't get me wrong, Diamond was fantastic last year, but he wasn't expected to come in and slot right into the rotation (not to mention that he was a Rule 5 pick). The sad part is that Worley doesn't stand out in any way. He's just a pitcher with a decent track record.

I'm not gonna lie and say that I believe Cabrera should have a strong chance to win the MVP, but your argument doesn't really stand up. As Cody said, Considering Willie Mays won his final MVP in '65, it's been even longer since a center fielder has been this good, according to WAR. Cabrera's statistics should definitely be praised and he does deserve the triple crown, but Trout has been a much better all-around player than Cabrera, which I'm guessing most teams would rather have than an offensive machine who plays mediocre defense at third with average speed at best. And if you think it would be a travesty to not give the triple crown winner MVP, then you may be shocked to find out that not all TC winners have automatically won the MVP, even if it wasn't such a large span of time between the TC winners. Maybe even back then they understood that the TC doesn't automatically make you the best player in the game.

DPJ - You're clearly very good at conveying your thoughts and you are very understanding of others opinions. Good job not being negative. You can't say that luck is a one-time event that can only happen under specific circumstances and then apply that same logic to 140+ games on a team with 25+ players. It's not just luck. Say what you want to convince yourself otherwise but not everyone on the Orioles is having a career year and winning all games by the slimmest of margins.

That makes literally no sense.

So you're saying that basically every team will

What in the helll does that have to do with what I just said? Nick laid out this post that the O's have given bad teams hope for a quick turnaround and that's not true. The O's are winning games with pixie dust and a horseshoe up Showalter's ass. Hell the ****ing Red Sox have a better run differential then the mighty O's. If the O's win the World Series this season, well god bless em and good for them. But what the O's have going right now isn't a formula for succees over the longterm, it's nothing but smoke and mirrors. Just like you so eloquently put, "They have a horseshoe up their ass that has little to no chance of continuing into 2013 and beyond." Nick's isn't saying they have a blueprint for success for years to come. He never says this is sustainable. He's merely saying that you don't need to have the Dodgers or Angels money and statistical talent to have a great season. The Orioles may be so good/lucky that they can win the World Series. He doesn't say one way or another if they will continue to thrive. He's just saying they have a chance, and although they have the negative run differential, I'd say a decent chance at getting to the World Series. I'd gladly take that. Based on your argument, I'm guessing that you're more content with the decade of playoffs without even one AL Pennant. That's fine if that's what you are content with, but a large portion of the fan base would probably rather have another Championship than years of nothing more than playoff contention. They may not care if it's sustainable. I'm happy with the way the Twins performed between '02 and '10 but I wouldn't want that to be our peak long term. It's not like I want the Twins to end up like the Cubs or anything. :-P

I'm pretty sure a lot of people would have said the same thing about the '87 and even the '91 Twins. Not saying that the Orioles are going to win the World Series, but if they do, it doesn't take away any of the meaning just because they aren't contending the next year.

Too many great moments in such a short amount of time. Not sure if this is my actual favorite but it's a result of Jim Thome being Jim Thome - I don't think I'll ever stop laughing at the reaction on Delmon Young's face when Thome hit his 596th homerun.

Good read. Thanks, Nick. Not sure why people read this looking for your opinion yet get upset when you write your opinion. It's not as if he tricked you guys and titled this "Jeff Gray challenges Scott Baker for roster spot" or "Mauer requests trade after Butera demotion". You knew what it was about. Don't like it, don't click on it.

I hate to do this because too much of this great site is already littered with posts on this topic, but I am so sick of all the negative comments from the readers! No one is forcing you to read this. If you feel Nick is being negative, don't read his posts. Why is he expected to fill you with optimism? He's being realistic. A player well beyond his prime (especially SS) regressing is not exactly unheard of, and given the Twins inability to provide a competent SS over the past 5+ years (not including J.J. Hardy) makes me believe his prediction could be very true. I just don't understand this mentality of attacking the bloggers by telling them they are not giving you enough hope. What would be the point of this site if all it ever said was "The Twins will win the division this year! See you in the postseason everyone!"