The Audacity of Hope
by Jesse on Jul 22, 2009 6:55 PM EDT
in News
42 comments
I'm not talking national pride here. Just fan pride.
Something strange happens when you get emotionally tied to someone or something. Basically, you start to care what happens to them. Or it. Somewhere along the line you pick up a vested interest, and now this person, this object, this team has you wrapped around its little finger.
Don't be ashamed. We're not the first. We won't be the last.
There can be a dark twist to caring very deeply. This emotional investment can take hold of you and cause you to respond in ways that, logically, don't always make sense. You can second guess decisions and, at times, feel like you know better than they do the repurcussions of their choices.
With the Twins over the last eight seasons, there has been a lot of hope. It's paid off in ways, with division crowns and playoff appearances. But there's something that's dreadful and sickening about being a runner-up, coming in second place. Right now, as it has been for the last couple of seasons, the Twins are runners-up. They're close. They're competetive. You know what that does?
It turns us into obsessive, controlling, power-hungry parents. The kind that rush onto our 9-year old's basketball court and punch the volunteer high-school referee in the nose for letting our kid get fouled and not blowing the whistle. Our kid is the team. That referee is the front office.
What happened? Sure, it might feel good to punch a high-school chump in the nose, but he didn't deserve it. It's his show to run and he's using his best judgment, which we clearly weren't when we decided it was worth cold cocking the poor kid. In our belief that we knew what was best for the game, best for our kid on the court, we rushed to judgment. We wanted justice and vindication and validation, and we thought we deserved every bit of it.
Right now, what is it that we're expecting our front office to do exactly? We're not sure how long Joe Crede will be out for, which means there's suddenly another gaping hole in the lineup. It can be plugged with a Brian Buscher/Brendan Harris platoon, but for a team headed for October that's not an ideal solution. Add that to the lack of a quality bullpen arm, the lack of a stopper in the rotation and the obvious lack of depth at short and second, and suddenly I, at least, feel like we're trying to plug holes in a dike without enough Dutch kids.
The big situation here is that the Twins are competetive, but right now there are just a lot of problems with this team if we're talking about making a serious run at October this year. So what do we do? We expect that poor high school kid front office to go out and execute trades with other teams to bring in the kind of talent that makes us a legitimate contender not just for the division, but for the crowning achievement of the World Series itself.
It's the hope that's killing us right now, as fans. The organization has done a superb job of keeping the team just good enough to be competetive every season. Hope. Every year for the last eight years, when we get to this point of the season there's been at least a shred of light at the end of the tunnel, pulling us forward with the promise of maybe. That promise is still there this year, and it's calling out to us.
It makes us want to do something about it. It makes us want to jump into action. It's all so tantalizingly close that we can taste it, and yet that damn high school kid can't see the call?
Of course it's not about seeing a call. It's about being smart, all the time, and about taking advantage of certain opportunities when and if you can. There are no pipe dreams or obvious paths to follow, just the opportunity to, year after year, make the best decisions you can to put your team in the best possible position going forward. There's a lot that goes into that.
If Minnesota had Cleveland's record there wouldn't be calls for a major deal, because it'd be absurd. But the Twins are better than the Indians, and indeed the Twins are still in the running. That's the hope that blinds us, asks us to entertain notions and implores us to accept delusions of grandeur as the obvious.
So here's the reality check: the Twins won't be pulling off any major deals in the next week, or even in August, because at this point the costs would outweigh the realistic benefits. Minnesota would need to bring in four or five players to plug all the holes this team has right now, and that's unrealistic even when your farm system is stacked with top tier talent.
The problem is that a lot of fans would see this as throwing in the towel, when it's anything but. I've cried myself that this orgnanization needs to step up and make a play, but right now that isn't the best plan for this club. I can't let the fact that I've been unhappy with the lack of mid-season moves in recent history cloud my judgment for what's best for this team right now and for the future, which is for the moment to simply to let things lie.
Staying the course is a really hard decision to make, because as a general rule I happen to personally believe that standing still is as good doing harm. But sometimes standing still and weathering the storm is the best thing to do, and for this team in this situation, right now I believe that is the best course of action. I don't want this team tying up money in trades that could be used in next year's free agent market, or on our own guys who are due to receive contract extensions. And I don't want to trade for a Crede replacement when Danny Valencia is making strides in Rochester and could step into third base next summer.
Baseball, just like life, is all about balance and knowing when to make your big decisions. Maybe the Twins haven't always made the best choices on their big decisions in the past, but right now I believe that making no choice is still a choice, and right now that is in the best interest of the organization.
4 recs |
42 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
I've said it before.....
and I’ll say it again. I would prefer a team that is competitive every year, but never dominates to a team that can dominate every few years, and is in the cellar in other years. This is precisely because hope is the fun part. I want my team to play as many “meaningful” games as possible, because those are the fun ones to get excited about. And, in watching those games, I will continue to hope that they do win the world series, which I can only do as long as they have a chance.
The front office has done an excellent job of staying competitive. I hope they continue to do so, and never mortgage the future to try to “get the ring”. Keep the talent coming, and get rid of talent as it gets expensive and has trade value.
one problem
We’re not about to spend any money on free agents this offseason, or give up our pool of prospects even a little. We’ll be lucky if we use the money we aren’t spending to even keep the talent we have. The Twins duped us into building them a new stadium and then they will go into their shells and continue with their “just not quite good enough yet” ways.
Hope is audacious for Twins fans. They need to lock up Mauer before I trust that they actually care about winning.
I just don't buy that...literally.
There are many ways to win a championship, only one of which requires huge amounts of money, and even then it is absolutely no guarantee. Look at how long the Red Sox toiled in futility with one of the most expensive teams in the majors. They finally got the right pieces in place to put them on top but also had a staggering payroll. The Yank’s payroll was even more staggering and it bought them very little more than the Twins these past half dozen years.
The New England Patriots have stars who want more money getting cut, wise signings of older veterans to plug key holes, superstars taking pay cuts, or re-signing for less because the team promised them they would spread the money around…and they did spread that money around. And a team philosophy with a committed and savvy ownership, management, and coaching staff who are all on the same page.
The Florida Marlins had the youngest World Series Championship team and one of the cheapest during their 1997 season. What did they do? Dismantle the team, shed the expensive pieces and start all over. Marlins fans were pissed. With that type of penny pinching attitude the Marlins’ ownership was dooming their team to failure and their fans to frustration, right? Yep, those Marlins just sucked ass for so long that…wait, they won it all again in 2003? Well certainly they would retain their most valuable pieces this time right?
NO. Once again, the Marlins refused to bow to sentimentality, hype, or peer pressure and in the "offseason after their second World Series title, the Marlins made a questionable cost-cutting move as Derrek Lee was traded to Chicago Cubs for Hee Seop Choi and pitcher Mike Nannini. The Marlins also lost key parts of their second championship team, Ugueth Urbina and Iván Rodríguez left via free agency (signed by the Detroit Tigers). " (Wikipedia). Oh, and BTW weren’t the Marlins competitive again last year and this even though Philly, Atlanta and the Mets have outspent them?
So while I understand that Mauer and Morneau, and Hunter, and Santana get frustrated at failing to spend more money, I think fans who strike that monotone complaint are selling themselves short.
by montanatwinsfan on Jul 22, 2009 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Well-said Cobra
I don’t know how old everyone is who posts, but let me just say that I have never seen any of the professional teams in this market win a championship. I am 18 and have seen plenty of our teams get close. I want to see one of my teams win a title. I am frustrated by the attitude that being competitive year after year without seriously being a contender is good enough. And you are absolutely right, Cobra, that the Twins are not going to change their ways even after they move into a new stadium.
Admittedly, part of my frustration stems from the fact that none of the other teams in this town have been as close as the Twins this past decade. I felt that the Twins gave us the best chance of a championship this year, and now I realize they aren’t even close. Oh well, maybe the Vikings will get Brett Favre . . .
"Youth Is Wasted On The Young" - Billy Corrigan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins
no doubt quoting some old asshole somewhere.
Nonetheless, do yourself a favor and get a grip by tracking down a 70 year old Cubs fan and interviewing him/her for a senior high school project.
by montanatwinsfan on Jul 22, 2009 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Guess what
70 year old Cubs fans have seen the Bulls win 6 championships in the 1990s and the Bears win in 1985. I understand your point, but at least the Cubs make trades and spend money to try to win. When was the last time the Twins made a meaningful trade or free agent acquisition to better the team?
Well....
Meaningful trade acquisitions attempting to better the team immediately:
Rick Reed, 2001
Shannon Stewart, 2003
Delmon Young, 2008
Not much for high-end free agents, since the Twins like to go through the bargain bin for those, but the only ones they’ve lost recently have been guys who were ridiculously overpaid by the team that signed them (Torii Hunter, Carlos Silva). They also signed Morneau, Cuddyer, and Nathan to lucrative contract extensions prior to last year.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Key word is attempting
I’m surprised you threw Young in there because even though it was a meaningful trade, it had the effect of making the Twins worse, not better. Also, did you notice that there was a 5 year span between the Stewart and Young trades, meaning that the Twins have just been standing pat for a long time during years where one or two significant moves may have allowed us to advance deep into the playoffs?
By the way, you forgot to mention Santana. The reason he left is that we weren’t going to pay him.
Well...
You said “meaningful” – I thought it would be disingenuous to leave out an example of one of those trades that failed.
The Twins didn’t stand pat from 2003-2008 – there was a ton of roster turnover. The Twins happened to have a stacked farm system at the time, and the more notable trades that come to mind were not to acquire established players but to clear room for replacements from the minors (e.g. the Pierzynski and Mienkiewicz trades).
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Easy there...
I felt that the Twins gave us the best chance of a championship this year, and now I realize they aren’t even close.
Not even close? They’re two and a half games out of first place! I know, the stock response is, “Yeah, but they’ll just get smoked in the playoffs”, to which I will point you to the 2006 Cardinals and Tigers, one of whom was barely over .500 while the other lost virtually every game the last week of the season to blow a division title, and yet they met in the World Series. Count me along with snolls that I’d rather see the team competitive every year than throw out the future for a title shot that’s not remotely guaranteed (although I guess I probably have a bit more perspective on that, since I remember ’87 and ’91).
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Maybe I'm too easy
And hope has me deep in its snare, but I don’t think it takes four moves to win the division. I still think it takes 1-2 and some luck in this division. It’s a little trite, but, really, anything can happen in the playoffs, particularly with some pop in your lineup like we have this year. And even if we don’t end up putting together a playoff winning team, we may not have to give up that much to get the one piece that gets us TO the playoffs. And, if making a semi-splashy trade and getting to the playoffs makes Joe more inclined to stay with us, all the better. I don’t think this is the year we win it all, but with the division just begging to be won, I can’t see what it hurts to try. Don’t sell the farm, but see what deals are out there to be made and give us some baseball in October.
I'm pretty much in agreement
And hope has me deep in its snare, but I don’t think it takes four moves to win the division. I still think it takes 1-2 and some luck in this division. It’s a little trite, but, really, anything can happen in the playoffs, particularly with some pop in your lineup like we have this year.
About the only thing I don’t fully agree with you on is that it takes 1-2 moves to win the division. Unless the Tigers and/or White Sox seriously upgrade, I feel that the Twins are the best team in the division right now, and I expect them to win the division title. I don’t see it as a lock by any means, and I certainly am not going to complain if they trade some prospects for Freddy Sanchez, but I’m not sold on an upgrade being essential.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
You work for the Twins PR department too ...
along with Jesse and Han Joelo.
Rats, you found me out
That totally explains why I posted at various times that I didn’t like the Delmon trade, that I thought the Twins should’ve held onto Santana and settled for draft compensation, and that the Twins should’ve signed Barry Bonds last year (before the Delmon trade), not to mention going along with the blogosphere’s complaints about the motley crew of horrible free agents from the last three years.
Seriously, I’m not a stooge for the Twins’ front office; I’m just someone who’s more comfortable with their conservative philosophy than you are. Hell, I was even okay with them going into the season with the Harris/Buscher platoon at third base. Certainly, it’s not the right course of action all the time, but it has worked well for the franchise for the last decade, so I’m not going to be too hard on them if they overdo it every once in a while.
Your opinion is certainly as valid as mine, of course; I just don’t care for being labeled some sort of Kool-Aid drinker just because I don’t think staying with the current roster is a sign of pure evil.
"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
As negative as I've been today . . .
I still say getting Roy Halladay or another top-flight starting pitcher would solve a lot of this team’s problems. You move Liriano to the bullpen, the bullpen gets more rest by having a starter on the staff who can consistently go deep into games, and all of a sudden we can win low-scoring ballgames.
The Twins cannot get Halladay
whether they want to or not. They just don’t have the pieces it’s going to take.
by DK on Jul 23, 2009 1:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm not sure
I think it’s hard to say this with such certainty. I think it’s PROBABLY true, if other teams are as serious as it appears, but you never really know what offers are out there. No one thought the Mets had a chance to get Santana and look how that turned out. It seems too easy to just outright dismiss the possibility of Halladay on the basis of prospects. We all know we’re not going to get him, but I think that has more to do with the fact that we aren’t pursuing him than what hypothetical package we could put together for him.
Hope tempered with Humility
I say “humility” because, IMO, that’s what’s required to step outside the cocoon we like to make for ourselves & our teams.
Given the current financial structure, the Twins win championships by developing players & adding a piece here or there that works out well.
The Twins don’t practice the “Boston/New York” financial model (free agency supplemented by farm system) because they could never sustain it.
That leaves them one choice – develop players, add mid level guys who (you hope) will help & find guys who are “underrated” (they hope).
While you’d think there is a ‘middle-ground’ – bring in a big-boy or two to supplement your homegrowns – I don’t know of any mid-level market, average income team that’s been able to do it with any consistency.
Yes, I’d love to believe, year in and year out, “this group could be good enough to win it all.” Unfortunately, that era ended (I’d like to think “went on hiatus”) in the ’60s for the Twins.
The ’87 & ’91 Twins both followed the same script – great things were not expected when the season began, but then (as they say) they played the games. In ’87, a team that was still obviously flawed (starting pitching after Blyleven?) got hot at the right time and surprised everyone; in ’91, pieces came together from everywhere (Knoblach, Erickson, Morris, etc.) and “poof!” there was a darn good team on the field.
That’s how the Twins do it. Absent a complete restructuring in baseball finances, I suspect it’ll remain the way they have to do it.
Frustrating? Sure, sometimes.
On the other hand, we could be the Pirates.
Ugh
What a bad article. First of all, the Twins are very much capable of winning the division and just need a couple decent additions- which time and again, other teams are able to do without giving up their top prospects. They could win it just standing still, but that’s bad strategy; last year we saw the importance of 1 win in action.
It is just sad how many Twins fans are pitiful shrills for an indecisive front office and miserly ownership.
Know what else is sad?
How many rubes aren’t happy with the front office simply because it isn’t doing what they want it to do.
You say the Twins are capable of winning the division, and you’re absolutely right. The point here, which you missed, is that the Twins don’t need to make a move right now. They’re still only 2.5 games back, in spite of an embarassing series in Oakland. If Minnesota was playing better and was still neck and neck with Detroit or Chi-Town, then I’d be all for a move. But there’s no reason to make a move, simply to improve your squad from “average” to “just barely above average”. It’s a waste of resources considering how tight things are.
You also mention teams being able to pick up “a couple decent additions” without giving up their top prospects. I need to know when this happened and who was involved, because I’m not sure which teams would ever make a dynamic trade without using some of their best prospects.
Finally, how has this front office been indecisive? Since Bill Smith took over, they’ve allowed Torii Hunter to walk away, traded Johan Santana in a situation where Johan had all the leverage, traded for a promising kid named Delmon Young, signed Joe Crede and turned a starting rotation over to five guys who are 27 or younger. Not all of these things have worked out perfectly, but they were all decisive moves; most of which were aimed at making this team not just competetive, but young…and therefore affordable and competetive for a number of years.
I know you’re new here, but I’m challenging you right away on this comment. I don’t really mind if you don’t like what I’ve written, you’re probably joining a long line of people there. But you need to back up what you’ve just said.
The Red Sox gave up basically nothing for LaRoche. Felipe Lopez cost the Brewers a couple marginal prospects. Cla Meredith cost a AAAA-player with no options. And that’s in the past week or so. Complimentary players are dealt all the time for reasonable prices.
Top prospects are only dealt for big-time players. This is just common knowledge… it just seems like you are not thinking about what you write. Letting someone walk is “decisive”? Signing a guy with no other options to an incentive-laden 1-year deal is “decisive”?
If you want to defend the front office, that’s fine, but at least try to make some sense.
by drivlikejehu on Jul 23, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Right.
There’s a difference between a decent addition and a complimentary player. But those are all great examples of complimentary players. LaRoche would have been a nice bench player, but I’m not sure he’d have wanted to go somewhere to ride the pine. Lopez is a great one, particularly with his OBP history, but the Twins picked up Grudzielanek without having to give up anyone. Meredith isn’t really someone who’s about to improve this bullpen.
But really I’m not sure you read the entire post. Particularly this part:
So here’s the reality check: the Twins won’t be pulling off any major deals in the next week, or even in August, because at this point the costs would outweigh the realistic benefits.
I wasn’t saying this team couldn’t make marginal improvements. I made it clear that this is all about the big moves. So am I really not thinking about what I write? Or are you just not reading the whole thing? I’m almost thinking we’re arguing about something we agree on…
And finally, yes, letting someone like Torii Hunter walk is a decisive move, particularly when it’s someone as well-known, well-liked and talented as Torii was. It’s a decisive move in terms of direction of the franchise which, ultimately, is what any baseball decision is about. And why are you arguing about the terms of Crede’s contract? This team needed a third baseman and took a solid gamble, what’s not decisive about that?
I said “decent” players, not stars. Granted ‘decent’ is a bit vague but it certainly excludes blockbusters (e.g., Halladay).
It is difficult to understand your position because your initial post shifts around quite a bit and contains a number of platitudes, so I focused on the more concrete statements. Here is one:
I don’t want this team tying up money in trades that could be used in next year’s free agent market
This is just an odd thing to say because the Twins never sign high-priced free agents, are under payroll, and are moving into a new stadium.
Minnesota would need to bring in four or five players to plug all the holes this team has right now
The Twins don’t need to be perfect, they just need a marginal improvement to dramatically bolster their post-season odds.
With regard to the less concrete, there is this fine example:
That’s the hope that blinds us, asks us to entertain notions and implores us to accept delusions of grandeur as the obvious.
Oh my. I’ll admit, I really have no idea what this means, because it manages to contain half a dozen grammatical errors, if not more. But to the extent it may mean that Twins fans are too hopeful about this season, you are wrong. A team must seize the opportunity when it’s there. Next year, the Twins could be 20 games under .500, and holding onto a mediocre prospect will not make us feel better about giving up in 2009.
Then there’s the historical revisions. The Twins waited and waited with Crede despite having no real alternatives. He fell into their lap, plain and simple. It’s ridiculous to cite such an obvious and low-risk move as “decisive,” especially when the same team had been without a third baseman for years.
And, no, it is not decisive to let a player walk when you aren’t willing to pay him. It’s just a foregone conclusion. There was no decision involved at all. The Young trade was admittedly decisive- and of course, a monumental error.
by drivlikejehu on Jul 23, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I like the way you think, man
Maybe you and I can be the voices of reason on this blog. Though I must say, I don’t think the Twins are quite as close as you do for the simple reason that our starting pitching has too many question marks.
You know what?
Those are all fair points. Especially the one about the grammatical errors.
My only advice: use this last comment as the first one. People don’t always respond when you’re an ass, and this is a better way to keep the conversation moving.
Decisions
I’m reading this exchange back and forth between Jesse and Jehu and I’m wondering how a baseball decision can be decisive or indecisive. By definition, a decision is a decisive move. Now back to the more important topic of whether the Twins are contenders or not …
Everybody keeps saying the Twins are only 2.5 games back, so we got a chance. Let me put my thoughts this way: We are one bad series from being a sub-.500 team, and we are 0-7 against the Yankees and 2-4 against the Red Sox. At this point in the season, we are what we are. We are an average team. If we don’t make any trades we will win somewhere between 79 and 83 games and miss the playoffs by about 5-7 games. Are we okay with that? By the way, the White Sox seem to be heating up, and they are the team that looks like they are going to make a run.
I think I started the whole decisive thing, basically meaning the Twins haven’t been sufficiently pro-active, in fixing the bullpen for instance.
by drivlikejehu on Jul 23, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That's better
Totally agree now that you used the word pro-active instead of decisive. I like your passion and the fact that you’re not afraid to criticize the team in spite of that passion.
I think that's a fair statement.
Because I do think the Twins have been decisive on which direction they want to take this team. But they haven’t always been pro-active in getting the best players to fit that plan.
The Twins are a Metaphor for my Life
Which is why I choose to follow them. I don’t live anywhere near Minnesota, but I jumped on the bandwagon in ‘87 because I like their style. I don’t personally have the financial resources of the Yankees, not even in a relative sense—so i don’t relate to them. The Red Sox can write off $10 Million (or more) of Julio Lugo, but the Twins are hammered by mistakes like Mike Lamb. I think I made a “Mike Lamb” like mistake once when I traded in a car…
I just prefer skin of your teeth competition to total domination, even when I play cards or board games. Its more fun to me to win by one point then fifty.
The Twins have taken plenty of flyers on guys and they almost never work out. And are criticized. They make a trade for a super talented young outfielder, and are criticized. But I choose to focus on the times the flyers worked out, if only for a while. Liriano and Nathan and Bonser for A.J? I love it. Romero for Casilla, who actually was a factor last year? Excellent. Maybe Shooter or Guitierrez might have fast-tracked to the majors and been a factor. Maybe Valencia still will. I prefer to see these kinds of moves pay off vs. going out and just picking up Adam Laroche for ‘insurance.’
If you make a big move and the Twins win, unless it’s Roy Halladay throwing a complete seventh game or Freddy Sanchez hitting a walk off home run, how do you know the guys already on the team couldn’t have done it without them? (I know—W.P.A. or some other stat.) But in the meantime you watch Wilson Ramos become a star with another team. And if it doesn’t work out, you just have another Delmon Young situation, and the hindsighters lambast management for making a stupid trade.
So I say stand pat or make the ‘usual’ minor tweaks and let the guys rise to the occasion and be that proud papa, or not, and still be that proud papa—the one who doesn’t blame the refs or the coaches or the dirty little player on the other team. Some times its just not in the cards.
You and Jesse work for the Twins front office
The first sentence of your last paragraph was what gave you away!
I don't know if I can buy what you're selling, Jesse
The front office isn’t some high school kid reffing a little league game. That analogy isn’t working for me. They absolutely deserve the metaphorical punch in the nose—otherwise known as criticism—for their failures.
As for now, I can’t agree that this team has too many holes to try to fill, and therefore the Twins shouldn’t do anything, which is how I read your remarks. (If this isn’t what you meant, as some of your above argument in comments hints at, I have to tell you as a long time reader and commenter here, you weren’t very clear).
Average production at second base and an extra pen arm might significantly increase their chances to win this division, and doesn’t seem like an excessive expectation.
You wrote about being smart and taking advantage of opportunities. You are getting the best seasons you are ever going to get out of Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel, and are one game over .500. Is that taking advantage of opportunity?
Some have suggested that it’s better to be competitive consistently as opposed to being great occasionally but bad the rest of the time. That dichotomy makes no sense to me—that’s not the choice. As long as the Twins succeed in development, they will be in position to compete. But the year to year decision making has not been good, and I’m not happy about it.
Further, regardless of whether the Twins are actually winning or just being “competitive,” the possibility of going through a down cycle is going to be there. History didn’t start in 2001—and it’s gong to go on. There will be times when the team is less than competitive. As fans, we live with that. But their current window, defined by the group of players that have developed around Mauer, will eventually close. Wasting one of those seasons isn’t seizing opportunity.
by Eric in Madison on Jul 23, 2009 5:05 PM EDT reply actions
Give up what for what?
That’s the question that faces the Twins every year around this time.
As presently constituted, this is a team that could win the AL Central.
As presently constituted, this team has a lot of holes that would have to be filled to be considered “World Championship Material.”
There are too many holes in the batting order – 2nd, short, the outfielder not named Span / Cuddyer, 3rd base if Crede misses significant time.
The starting rotation isn’t consistent – Liriano’s been bad, Perkins is uneven (and may be hurt again), Slowey’s out, etc.
The Twins are 7.5 games out in the Wild Card with 6 teams ahead of them. They’re in the divisional race because no one in the division is particularly good. They’ve not done anything yet that would make you think they’d have a reasonable shot at beating the Yankees or Red Sox in a short series.
Yes, getting there is good. Yes, you have no shot at winning it all if you don’t get to the postseason. The issue is “what are you willing to do just to get to the postseason?”
In that context, trading for a ‘rental’ doesn’t make a lot of sense unless the rental is very cheap . If the Twins make a move that’s more costly than that, then they need to get something back that will improve the team this year & beyond.
Re: Not very clear.
I think that was my main problem with what I wrote this time.
At 11:30pm, UK time, I felt I had a moment of clarity. I pretty much wrote this in a moment of inspiration, be it good or bad, and published it. I haven’t written like this in a long time; I used to do it all the time back in the old Twins Territory days.
In hindsight, I think my “moment of clarity” was more or less about a lot of different things…which I apparently tried to tie together with metaphors. At least a few people are willing to call me out on it.
aka...editing your own work doesn't always pay off.
Although pausing before publishing it might have helped me be more clear.
It is a sad day on this blog when you or any of our other volunteer Editors/Writers feel the need
to apologize for a piece because some assholes don’t like the “style” of the piece. Not calling out anyone in particular here (least of all Eric in Madison who has been a long time contributor to this site), but I found this piece written by Jesse to be a fairly innocuous piece that had moments of enjoyment in it. Was there some grammatical mistakes? Yeah, so what? I didn’t pay 50 cents to read it, and Jesse didn’t get paid anything to spend time writing it.
Get a fucking grip on your desire to criticize others.
Did the piece contain some polemic statements and maybe a dash of hyperbole. Yeah, so do all kinds of op-ed pieces and public interest pieces that help make any newspaper more enjoyable, less dull rote recitation of facts.
Was the analogy a little strained? What analogy isn’t.
If every piece were a mere recitation of numbers this site would get boring fast. Jesse and everyone else here, should be encouraged to attempt to write meaningful prose every now and then. And everyone should also be encouraged to criticize the pieces in ways that are meaningful for furthering the point of the piece, add to the conversation about the topic, or thesis about the piece, or in a way that is relevant to a legitimate discussion of the Minnesota Twins.
by montanatwinsfan on Jul 24, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
I appreciate that.
It means a lot.
And I’m not about to apologive for what I write about. But at the same time, I think it’s important to take legitimate criticism onboard if you think it can make you better. And really, that’s what this is all about. Sure, being an ass doesn’t help the conversation, but the best thing to do in those situations is just try to ignore that part of it.
My guys (and everyone here) are always encouraged to write about whatever it is they want to write about. Nobody’s going to stop doing that just because a couple of people don’t like it.
Spending $10 million on a player that doesn't pan out (someone above mentioned Julio Lugo)
not a big problem when your pockets are deep like the Yankees or the Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, etc…
Such mistakes can send a small market team spiraling into a financial quagmire.
by montanatwinsfan on Jul 23, 2009 6:57 PM EDT reply actions
Keepin' it local
But changing sports, the Vikings mortgages their future for Herschel Walker. He was going to run us all the way to the Lombardi Trophy. He was great for about 2 games then I couldn’t wait for him to leave.
"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
by less cowbell, more 'neau on Jul 23, 2009 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Twinkie Town
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
