tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49070622204680462462024-03-13T11:11:10.316-07:00Peanuts From HeavenThe Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.comBlogger721125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-21651816211558418032016-05-11T12:01:00.000-07:002016-05-11T12:01:20.956-07:00How Hamilton Explains This Lousy Twins SeasonIn the midst of one of the most disappointing Twins seasons in memory, it's natural to look around for something, anything, to explain or distract from what promises to be a long, hard campaign.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's where pulitizer-winning, grammy-winning, genius-crafted (even if said genius is a<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/sports/baseball/21miranda.html?_r=1"> Yankees fan</a>), best-selling, award-monopolizing musical <i>Hamilton</i> comes in. Sure you can listen to it and distract yourself from the announcement of yet another dropped fly ball, blown lead, or ill-timed strike out. But you can also catch a glimpse of what how it might feel and what can still be done this year.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My favorite example of <i>Hamilton</i> as metaphor for the Twins Season comes from the voice of George Washington in his first appearance on stage (starting at 0:52)</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJAZxMqqYko" width="560"></iframe><br />
So how does this explain...and offer a possible solution to the Twins situation? I'm glad you asked<br />
<br />
We are outgunned (witness the Pitching); outmanned (witness the ill-timed injuries); outnumbered (witness the teams lack of statistical acumen); outplanned (witness seemingly every decision that the manager or front office has made in the past six months).<br />
<br />
Still, we have model of a "modern major (<i>field</i>) general", the "venerated...veteran" Joe Mauer, who must be dumbstruck that just as he gets back into form, the entire squad built to support him has gotten blown into smithereens. The players he could be leading "keep retreating", regressing in their performance or being sent back down to Rochester to work out their kinks. And great as Joe has been, he "cannot be everywhere at once people", and remains: outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned.<br />
<br />
While some, including me, have long preached patience, confidence and trust in that the same tactics that led to past success, it may be time to stop admiring "how [we] fire...from a distance" and just see "how things work out" and try something different.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi0SGyelCyrcfcFJDUfsU1pQWMnbnURS10ccg7joYh7ozQrsuASxIyX107rgleAgqo2D80Qom-F4wKhVR1nCVPRsO-EDF5WjZkPlzVedF-Jd7xFzRQB5zLPnal6LUIjkmI7apII8nEct5N7tmCXzNJK7dn9xfFh65B69vW6RjQm3dJJVoKLyvJnCveaeR9KcUnb6dY_P0lOtEqqs-SevA=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi0SGyelCyrcfcFJDUfsU1pQWMnbnURS10ccg7joYh7ozQrsuASxIyX107rgleAgqo2D80Qom-F4wKhVR1nCVPRsO-EDF5WjZkPlzVedF-Jd7xFzRQB5zLPnal6LUIjkmI7apII8nEct5N7tmCXzNJK7dn9xfFh65B69vW6RjQm3dJJVoKLyvJnCveaeR9KcUnb6dY_P0lOtEqqs-SevA=" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mauer (L) and an unnamed rookie (R)<br />Or Christopher Jackson (L) and Lin Manuel Miranda (R)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, Mauer needs a "right hand" man, a Hamilton to his Washington. Someone fearless enough to stick it out through the problems, and get aggressive now and then. Someone who is optimistic, ready to "rise up", and capable of acknowledging that doing the same thing over and over can end your career, but adapting and adjusting is what's necessary to survive. Put another way, in the big leagues: "dying is easy, living is harder."<br />
<br />
We can't expect that the "right hand man" is going to come galloping to our rescue from outside the organization. Mauer and company can do battle on the field, but they're going to have to make do with "what our Congress [aka the Twins Front Office] has promised". We can't beat other teams at their own games, but for all the rookies who rise up "young, scrappy, and hungry" we can't afford to "throw away their shot".<br />
<br />
We are outgunned, outmanned: so whichever youngster is ready to step up, they can and should help to lead the way and promote the culture of winning with the fellow prospects who fought with them on the fields of Fort Meyers, Chattanooga and Rochester.<br />
<br />
We are outnumbered, outplanned: but if you can adapt and bring in a few strong skills from outside the organization (maybe defensive metrics? maybe different attitudes about pitch selection) you can "master the element of surprise" and even if we lose the battle, we can win the war.<br />
<br />
So, who is it going to be? Berrios? Sano? Buxton? Chargois? Any of them...all of them...because while our general might need a right hand man, there's more to it that one silver bullet, or one pump up song
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgraphics8.nytimes.com%2Fimages%2F2015%2F03%2F19%2Ftheater%2F19hamilton%2F19hamilton-facebookJumbo.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi0SGyelCyrcfcFJDUfsU1pQWMnbnURS10ccg7joYh7ozQrsuASxIyX107rgleAgqo2D80Qom-F4wKhVR1nCVPRsO-EDF5WjZkPlzVedF-Jd7xFzRQB5zLPnal6LUIjkmI7apII8nEct5N7tmCXzNJK7dn9xfFh65B69vW6RjQm3dJJVoKLyvJnCveaeR9KcUnb6dY_P0lOtEqqs-SevA=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi0SGyelCyrcfcFJDUfsU1pQWMnbnURS10ccg7joYh7ozQrsuASxIyX107rgleAgqo2D80Qom-F4wKhVR1nCVPRsO-EDF5WjZkPlzVedF-Jd7xFzRQB5zLPnal6LUIjkmI7apII8nEct5N7tmCXzNJK7dn9xfFh65B69vW6RjQm3dJJVoKLyvJnCveaeR9KcUnb6dY_P0lOtEqqs-SevA=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi0SGyelCyrcfcFJDUfsU1pQWMnbnURS10ccg7joYh7ozQrsuASxIyX107rgleAgqo2D80Qom-F4wKhVR1nCVPRsO-EDF5WjZkPlzVedF-Jd7xFzRQB5zLPnal6LUIjkmI7apII8nEct5N7tmCXzNJK7dn9xfFh65B69vW6RjQm3dJJVoKLyvJnCveaeR9KcUnb6dY_P0lOtEqqs-SevA=" -->The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-22006985291374127342016-04-17T11:06:00.002-07:002016-04-17T11:06:25.386-07:00#ParkBloom: The lost poetics of Byung-Ho's bombs<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
On perhaps the most beautiful day Minnesotans have seen in 2016, fans of the local ball club were treated to sunshine, cold beer and a dream-like state in which, we we had gone almost 48 whole hours without a loss.<br />
<br />
But still there was unrest, muttering and snarls at the young hitters. "NOT A HOME RUN, MAUER!" when the resurgent catcher ripped a screamer up the middle, straight into a second baseman's glove. "SWING THE BAT, BIG BOY!" when Miguel Sano spat on border line pitch after border line pitch. "ARCIA, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN...I JUST...UGH...." they bemoaned and the erstwhile fan favorite.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/8/8/2/172743882/cuts/park1280_yeax036g_rri9vzni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/8/8/2/172743882/cuts/park1280_yeax036g_rri9vzni.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a>Somewhere, I like to think that the newest target of fan abuse, Korean slugger Byung-Ho Park, was blissfully unaware of the groans and ignorant remarks about him. ("He don't speak any English," and "Bung-hole" were two particular gems.) I like to think, even though I speak no Korean and have know way of knowing for sure, that there are things he feels that he cannot say, thoughts and ideas lost in translation.<br />
<br />
Mercifully, one large thing not lost in translation is <a href="http://m.twins.mlb.com/min/video/v593993283/?player_id=666560">this power</a>.<br />
<br />
After celebrating with teammates, in the approved, high-fiving, helmet-slapping way, Park was left alone with his thoughts. His pride. The honor of being able to play at the highest level. His new friends and the cheers of the people so far from home.<br />
<br />
All too suddenly, the reporters were there to squeeze into strange and foreign words all the personal feelings of the moment. How did he feel about this bomb?...like a gentle zephyr had caught hold of his heart, like he was buoyant, airborne, "the wind is back," he smiled...<br />
<br />
...and his interpreter explained "the wind was blowing out."<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Arch_of_Reunification.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Arch_of_Reunification.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korea's Reunification Arch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
How did it feel to win again? Of course it felt good, but better than good: "affirming, invigorating, as though the storm clouds of our souls have been broken apart, and the rain drop tears of fans have stopped, and now we make the beautiful music of bat, and ball, and glove and <i>tong-il</i> a unification and coherence of all the team..."<br />
<br />
...and his interpreter explained "it feels good, yesterday we broke the losing streak, today it's a two game winning streak. It feels good to hear music again."<br />
<br />
The reporters smiled, Park smiled, the translator smiled.<br />
<br />
Words may vanish like gossamer in the summer air, but the memories of this home run would last for everyone, and perhaps that's the true poetry.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-86280584629672798102015-11-24T18:47:00.000-08:002015-11-24T19:21:27.583-08:00Why I Still Talk About Sports at Times Like ThisIt's been a hard fall for me to write in these spaces. Every evening I try to sit down to write, I find a dozen other things to do. There are papers to grade and recommendations to submit and people to actually be married to. So while I love to write, and even though I want to write, it slips through my fingers more often than I like.<br />
<br />
This past week, I had the time, I had the energy, but every time I opened up this page, I stopped and stared. And as the feeds from North Minneapolis streamed into my phone, as people I love and trust engaged in louder and louder protests for more pressing matters than quality sports analysis, I couldn't find it in myself to write.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.minnpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_detail/images/articles/BLMProtests1192015_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://www.minnpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_detail/images/articles/BLMProtests1192015_640.png" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="400" /></a></div>
So as I sat in front of the screen, I could think of nothing to say that wasn't horribly, dreadfully irrelevant. And when I went in to work, to discuss issues of the day with young people who lived blocks from the fourth precinct, who spent all night raising their voices for justice, all I could think was how insignificant it would be to write down potential snarky nicknames for Byung-Ho Park or warmed over jokes about how I liked <i>St. Vincent </i>and the Grenadines better when it was Bill Murray and a light syrup.<br />
<br />
What reason could I have for publishing my millions of minor notions about these silly little games, while a senior boy--a young man I've worked with for four years, an academic on track for college and a major in architecture, a person I would trust to rule justly and fairly as Grand Poobah of the Universe-- while this <u>friend</u> of mine confessed his intense fear that the last thing he would ever see would be the somebody's boots on the curb, and the last thing he would hear would be the cocking of a gun, as he lay on the street with his hands behind his back?<br />
<br />
The truth is, I (and many people like me) have the privilege of turning off the news, of tuning out the rhetoric, of tending to our hobbies and interests, because we don't live near the fourth precinct or worry that our lives will end with a bang and a brief, perfunctory, utterly unsurprised comment on the local news.<br />
<br />
It's particularly easy for those of us who love sports to see successful people of color in our community, to cheer for their successes, wish them the best and forget that people like them in our community are struggling. We can bleed purple with Adrian and Teddy and dream on the futures of Byron, Miguel and Byung-Ho. We can debate the upside of Towns and Wiggins and marvel at the cross-cultural partnerships of Ibson and Alhassan and remind everybody that we loved Maya Moore and Simone Augustus before it was cool to do so. We can, and do, hold our local heroes close whatever their background, even though--as fans in the stands--we have always looked more like Killebrew and Mikan than Hunter and Garnett.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTE2WDcxMg==/$(KGrHqRHJCgE8fjuOpMTBPNG5TYvCg~~60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTE2WDcxMg==/$(KGrHqRHJCgE8fjuOpMTBPNG5TYvCg~~60_35.JPG" height="231" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
But what's dangerous is if we start to feel that, because we know the men (and women) who wear jerseys emblazoned with <i>Minnesota</i>, we don't <u>need</u> to know the men and women, the fathers and mothers, the sons and daughters who walk the same streets, work in the same buildings, and attend the same institutions that we do.<br />
<br />
If we confine ourselves to watching the games from the comfort of our couches and our big screens, we miss the joy of watching together. If we insulate our passions to the podcasts on our headphones or isolate our opinions to small talk with family members and friends, we turn our very public institutions into extremely private pleasures. <u>But</u>, if we <u>insist</u> on sharing our loves, if we make a point of socializing around the colors and emblems and players that we adopt as "one of us," then these silly little games can unite us in a way that few other things can.<br />
<br />
Right now, with the ways we consume sports changing rapidly, it's easy to isolate ourselves in our fandoms. And for those who attend games on a regular basis, it's even easier to forget that what you see on the field or the court or the ice isn't reflected in the stands (even adjusted for our metropolitan demographics).<br />
<br />
As mere fans, there's little we can do. No championship trophy is going to unite us all or solve the systemic problems that have left so many so desperate for change. We can't have one good conversation at a sports bar, or over the water cooler and end injustice.<br />
<br />
What we can do is be open. What we can do is to talk about what we love and learn what others think. What we can do is use sports as the icebreaker, as the gateway, as the conversation starter, to come together and build a better community.<br />
<br />
We might have to go out of our way to find new opinions. We may need to visit a bar on Lake Street rather than in Northeast to watch a Champions' League match. We may need to share more than a nod with a neighbor or coworker who wears team gear after a big win. We can invite them to watch the game on Sunday (or Saturday, or whatever day). We can take an extra ticket that a friend flaked on and try to pass it on to someone different rather than just resell it. We can donate to the team funds that <a href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/community/grants/twinscare-tickets-for-kids/">make</a> <a href="http://wild.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=51028">attending</a> <a href="http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/community/timberwolves-tickets-kids">a game</a> <a href="http://www.mnunitedfc.com/groups">easier</a> <a href="http://www.vikings.com/outreach/vikings-childrens-fund.html">for others</a>. These things won't bring justice or peace, but they will bring us a little closer together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/186730061.jpg?w=424&h=282" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/186730061.jpg?w=424&h=282" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a></div>
I talk about sports, even at times like these, not because I want a distraction from work or the worries of the day. I talk about sports because it reminds me of how great it is to be part of something bigger than myself: bigger than my job, bigger than my worries. Sports reminds me of what it is to be part of a community of fans, and how much better we are together than we are alone.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again, or if it'll be about sports when I do, but I know I'll ask the boy from over North--the one who still wears a Mauer jersey through every snorting laugh from his friends--what he thinks of the bullpen for next year; I'll ask the girl from Lake Street who moons over Ronaldo if she's seen Christian Ramirez up close yet. And after we talk about that, we'll talk about the next thing, and the next, and the next, until we stop being two individuals talking and start being a pair of fans in community.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-64247175321360216522015-08-31T20:02:00.001-07:002015-08-31T20:02:53.131-07:00Cliff Notes for the 2015 Twins: Chapter 4<i>The first days of school are right around the corner for many tykes in Twins Territory, so to help you with that summer reading you neglected, here's some more notes about that local best-seller: The Minnesota Twins</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Chapter 4: Post-All-Star Break to End of August</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Plot Summary:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
While the doldrums in Chapter 3 appeared foreboding, the climactic triumph of Glen Perkins and Brian Dozier's march to the All-Star Game (and accompanying 6-1 stretch) offered a great deal of hope to Twins fans. As I wrote <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2015/07/cliff-notes-for-2015-twins-chapter-3.html">then</a> </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"As Perkins and Dozier rise as protagonists, it will be interesting to see what obstacles and conflicts are thrown in their way to create dramatic tension for the rest of the season."</i></blockquote>
In many ways, those obstacles and conflicts are part of Chapter 4's great unraveling....<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-product-image/neal-cotts-autographed-baseball-card-chicago-white-sox-2004-topps-cracker-jack-188-806-t1995932-170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-product-image/neal-cotts-autographed-baseball-card-chicago-white-sox-2004-topps-cracker-jack-188-806-t1995932-170.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OOH BOY!<br />It's worth 5 cents!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On a Summer Vacation style trip to Oakland and Los Angeles, Glen Perkins' save streak came to an abrupt end. Home series against the Yankees and Mariners didn't help matters and a swift sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays at the start of August left many people questioning whether or not the whole season was doomed.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It didn't help that the Twins' attempts to bolster their squad were...underwhelming, as very few kids clutch their "Kevin Jepsen" or "Neal Cotts" trading cards. Sure enough many people targeted the bullpen as a disappointment, and the starters didn't help matters by following the struggles in Toronto by spending a weekend in Cleveland where no starter got through 4 innings. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Meanwhile, in the line-up, Dozier's daunting numbers have slipped, dropping forty points in On-Base Percentage, and one-hundred points in Slugging Percentage, right when (as the pitching shows) his bat would be quite valuable. An eleven run outburst against the Rangers helped them in the Wild Card, but by the time the Twins hit New York for another series agains the Yankees the rival Royals' division lead had stretched to 12 games. After (yet another) sweep in the Bronx, that lead was 14, and even the wild card seemed out of reach. Particularly when the two All-Stars were so far from the heroes they seemed to be just months before.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Or so it would have been, if another hero had not emerged over Chapter 4. Twins' fans hearts have begun to pitter-pat in a way they haven't since the days of "Baby Jesus", fittingly thanks to an Angel...or rather, an Ángel. Miguel Ángel Sanó. The burgeoning power and satisfying patience offset a strike-out happy debut, and once joined with his fellow rookie sensation Byron Buxton, Sano helped carry the Twins to a staggering 8-2 run to close out the month, with all the wins coming against fellow playoff contenders in Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Houston.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/miguel-sano-7715.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do it again Miguel!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So despite the doom and gloom that pervades chapter four, again the authors' of the Twins season offer reasons to hope entering the next thrilling chapter.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Main Character Development:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We've mentioned the falls of both <b>Perkins</b> and <b>Dozier </b>and the plot summary referenced the rise of <b>Sanó</b>, but baseball seasons' don't just develop the obvious protagonists, they develop everyone.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Consider <b>Eduardo Escobar: </b>this was a player who seemed for all the world to be an tossed-in trading chip on an insignificant deal during the middle of a lost year. A player so insignificant, that our review of the trade focused <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-liriano-must-be-traded-now.html">more on a poem about the departing Francisco Liriano</a> than any reflection on who was coming over. Three years later, while the man he was traded for has been solid on the mound, Escobar has become something of a cult figure in Twins Territory, occupying a space once reserved for Nick Punto or Gene Larkin. He has out-hit Pedro Florimon, out-fielded Danny Santana, and out-everythinged potential trade bait to become the starting short stop on a play-off contender. That's a heck of a return for three months of poor performing Francisco Liriano.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/creativecontent/images/cms/936960_1280x720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/creativecontent/images/cms/936960_1280x720.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: The Bachelor in Paradise<br />equivalent of Terry Ryan holding<br />Ervin Santana.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you want a less optimistic development consider <b>Ervin Santana</b>: At the end of Chapter 3, Santana twirled a fine game against the division leading Royals, with eight strikeouts in eight innings, leaving the K deprived Twins fans eager to #SmellBaseball (and in many cases, learn what hashtags really meant). He seemed to be a bright spot on the dispiriting West Coast road trip and then spent a six game stretch allowing an average of 5 runs per start and winning exactly zero of those games. High hopes were dashed, and the cheers turned to questions about whether we had been bamboozled by steroid inflated numbers, just like Joe was hoodwinked by Samantha's 200 texts on <i>Bachelor in Paradise</i> (<i>don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about</i>). Perhaps his 10 Strikeout performance will redeem him...or perhaps he's a pineapple.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Key Quote/Stat Explained</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>+tOPS in High Leverage At Bats</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
+tOPS is a way to tell if a player is performing better or worse than they normally do. 100 is average, so any thing above that is good for a hitter (and bad for a pitcher), anything below 100 is bad for a hitter (and, obviously, good for a pitcher).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leverage is a means of measuring how any individual at bat can affect the outcome of the game. If a pitcher can get an out in a high leverage situation (like, say, the bases loaded with no outs and a one run lead) that's a little more important than a low leverage situation (like, say, facing the number nine-hitter with two out, nobody on, and a ten-run lead). </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a1.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/RSN/North/2014/09/20/PI-MLB-Twins-Indians-1-092014.vadapt.620.high.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a1.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/RSN/North/2014/09/20/PI-MLB-Twins-Indians-1-092014.vadapt.620.high.0.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the going gets tough...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Right at the end of Chapter 3 the Twins turned <b>Trevor May</b> into a relief pitcher, and while it hasn't been as narratively satisfying as some other characters' arcs, it is instructive in this situation. After all, May has pitched a lot this season, in all kinds of situations as both a starter and a reliever. In low leverage situations, he's performed like he usually does (tOPS = 104). In medium (or average) leverage situations he's performed like he usually does (tOPS = 108). In high leverage situations he has been significantly better (tOPS = 74).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Those numbers are all still about average by league standards, but it suggests that Trevor May can be quite good right when the Twins need him to be (no matter which role he's pitching in).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Literary Terms to Impress English Majors:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If the 2015 Twins are a mystery to you, as they are to most fans, then you're ready to find out exactly what this year has been a <b>Red Herring </b>and what isn't. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sweets.seriouseats.com/images/2011/10/20111028swedishfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sweets.seriouseats.com/images/2011/10/20111028swedishfish.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2015 Twins plot points</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Many hard core mystery fans know to expect red herrings, or misleading clues in the course of their story, say when a suspect is called "a bad, bad man" by a trustworthy source right when the detectives are looking for a "bad, bad man". Naive readers may assume, the "bad, bad man" is the villain, trained readers know that there's something else a foot.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So the best writers (or those who like messing with readers the most) enjoy piling red herring on top of red herring until you have a veritable smorgasbord of deceptive head fakes, winks, nods and suggestions leaving everyone totally bewildered. So, if you're trying to figure out your team's identity and you're perpetually bombarded by mediocrity, then brilliance, then ineptitude, you know you've got a Red Herring, you just don't know which one. The same goes for players: is Glen Perkins the shut down closer of your dreams, or an injured work horse? Is Brian Dozier an MVP candidate, or a great head of hair and a winning smile? Is Ervin Santana a disaster or a diamond? Is Neal Cotts another Bargain Bin retread, or just what the doctor ordered?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The climactic chapter of the Twins' season is yet to come, all will be revealed, and all the herrings will be eaten.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-28081003010195718762015-08-17T18:11:00.001-07:002015-08-17T18:50:06.104-07:00How to Win Every Byron Buxton DebateFor the last week a great many Twins fans have been fiercely debating the fate of top prospect Byron Buxton. As the most prominent local minor leaguer since Joe Mauer, Buxton has been tremendously appealing to fans from Apple Valley to Zumbrota, particularly as the Twins scramble to hold on to one of the AL Wild Cards.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yet Twins Territory has been torn between demanding Buxton's arrival and ascendancy to greatness, and hedging in the name of cautious player development. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It may seem that these two camps are irreconcilable, but I think they're just focused on two different questions, like each camp picked a different essay question on the Twins fan final exam.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, as we get ready to start the school year in Minnesota, here's a quick refresher on how to answer all the questions about Byron Buxton.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bringmethenews.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/byron-buxton1.jpg?w=435" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://bringmethenews.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/byron-buxton1.jpg?w=435" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's all about him...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1 <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Who/What/When/Where/How </b>is Byron Buxton?</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Identification questions--</i>these are the things you can Google and answers are clearly right and wrong: (ex. A's <i>A baseball player; a human being; the present era; Rochester, New York; pretty good, thanks for asking?</i>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2 <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Could</b>/<b>Can </b>Buxton play Centerfield in the majors?</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Hypothetical Evaluation questions--</i>should be simple, with yes/no/maybe all viable based on specific known evidence: (ex. A's <i>Yes, he can, because has all his appendages; No, he can't, two weeks of below average play shows he stinks; Maybe he can, because the world is a complex and unknowable place</i>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://txstateu.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/essay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://txstateu.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/essay.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ideal help for every essay test you<br />have as a grown adult</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3 <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Might </b>the Twins be making a mistake, by not playing Buxton?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Speculative Evaluation question--</i>like a hypothetical question there's the yes/no/maybe answer but your evidence can be what you predict will happen than what you know from the past. (Ex A's. <i>Yes, they will never succeed without Buxton; no, a season is more than one player; maybe, assuming the apocalypse doesn't happen first).</i></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
4 <b>W</b><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">hy </b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">isn't Byron Buxton playing/starting with the Twins?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Basic Analytical question--</i>the answers are infinite, you only need some evidence to cite and arguments to support: (ex. A's <i>The Twins aren't playing him because they are dum-dums who ignore minor league production; ...because they are evil geniuses who have a memo titled "Destroying Buxton"; ...because they are a cautious team who promote players slowly.</i>)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">5 </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Should </b>Byron Buxton be starting in the Twins outfield?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Basic Argumentative question--</i>Pretty direct, another one that can be answered with yes/no/maybe, but unlike the analytical question this depends more on your opinion rather than provable facts. (Ex. A's--<i>yes, he is awesome; no, he has flaws that need more time at AAA; maybe, I'm too confused by Donald Trump's immigration plan to concentrate)</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">6 <b>If </b>the Twins call Buxton up, <b>will</b>/<b>would </b>he start/improve individually/help the team win?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Advanced Analytical question</i>--you still need to analyze the Twins, their system and methods, but it's based on more limited conditions, so your evidence needs to be based on a specific situation and your answers are more likely to fit the yes/no/maybe camp. (Ex. A's <i>yes, they respect performance and Buxton will perform well; no, they respect historical performance, so they may push him to a fourth or even fifth outfielder role; maybe, they don't normally push prospects, but Sano's success may have changed them</i>)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
7 <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Should </b>the Twins call up Buxton, if they think he <b>won't</b> be starting/improving/helping?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ourbetterhealth.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/shouting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://ourbetterhealth.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/shouting.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your other debate option</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Advanced Argumentative question--</i>Here's the core question, but too often the second half (which limits your evidence to a specific condition, even if you disagree) is ignored. You can answer yes/no/maybe again but you need to keep your argument clear. (Ex A's. <i>Yes, every major league experience will help; no, the limited time will slow down his progress and hurt our relationship with Rochester; maybe, every player is different and you won't know until you try</i>)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There you go. As the debates continue use these guides to answer questions, or tear the suggestions up and shout at the top of your lungs...that seems to work elsewhere.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-7591086350758164842015-08-11T17:11:00.000-07:002015-08-11T17:11:30.530-07:00Adventures in Baseball Cards: 2015<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPCfvRxy09hJj4ZCuQRDJhHCKj3FfZjIMFD6dp-wG7dq0e8tPjoKYtdXqZCm8-kT6-9Oy9m-q1AiDjSXXwMK-lCE0PyzuOLm0yu7xwI6vdwPbXAtUhMAtml1pj29yD7m6AADl1hL3rpo/s1600/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPCfvRxy09hJj4ZCuQRDJhHCKj3FfZjIMFD6dp-wG7dq0e8tPjoKYtdXqZCm8-kT6-9Oy9m-q1AiDjSXXwMK-lCE0PyzuOLm0yu7xwI6vdwPbXAtUhMAtml1pj29yD7m6AADl1hL3rpo/s320/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.09.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That New Pack Smell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every year, I treat myself to one pack of baseball cards. I've <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2014/06/paying-to-anticipate-adventure-in.html">always</a> <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2012/04/back-at-last.html">enjoyed</a> recapturing the glee, the confusion and the memories of stale bubble gum.<br />
<br />
This year, with the Twins careening below .500, it seems that plenty of fans would appreciate a diversion like this, but, as a curious soul, I wondered. Would the Twins be any better, if I replaced players on the team with those individuals in my particular deck of cards? Or, put another way, is the Twins Front Office any better at assembling talent than a random machine at the Topps factory?<br />
<br />
The results, both of my nostalgia and my exercise in Random GMing are as follows.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
PART THE FIRST: RANDOM MUSINGS</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc1EO8Rcdf8s4NrILBFFU6VH9m2VQjdgV4XUWZX-ao1yqXSyYY3jbdPjpP7FN_ZgEF0G480CpEhLJEec1P7DWcdTK_WmjBwjo9RejACnvKjYyJCgsQrj4iyl6AlYA97GOy2j0tF0bVyQ/s1600/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.11+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc1EO8Rcdf8s4NrILBFFU6VH9m2VQjdgV4XUWZX-ao1yqXSyYY3jbdPjpP7FN_ZgEF0G480CpEhLJEec1P7DWcdTK_WmjBwjo9RejACnvKjYyJCgsQrj4iyl6AlYA97GOy2j0tF0bVyQ/s200/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.11+%25232.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really? Parker?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I always trick myself into thinking the top card will be someone of magic and wonder, someone to trick you into saying: YES! BEST PACK EVER!!...This year's magic man...Jarrod Parker...a good pitcher coming back from elbow surgery...oh boy...this might be more trying than one of Mike Pelfry's starts.<br />
<br />
Jose Lobaton (Catcher of the Washington Nationals) follows...Lobaton is fun to say, but I might prefer Loba-tron: Android Catcher of the Future.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsp4IipCODRBG3CLVSpZJjOM2T9GWQ3PMYhqk9nZytCOT_6P-P8ZiWmMk_AC2mFhep7qlESBPJ-ZszB_7uFJFdcNn4Y-KDBs50Os1lY1K0ULb1HanW6pTKpMZDpS3jqIg_7-t9Rx-01AI/s1600/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsp4IipCODRBG3CLVSpZJjOM2T9GWQ3PMYhqk9nZytCOT_6P-P8ZiWmMk_AC2mFhep7qlESBPJ-ZszB_7uFJFdcNn4Y-KDBs50Os1lY1K0ULb1HanW6pTKpMZDpS3jqIg_7-t9Rx-01AI/s200/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.16.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's funny because he's a Tiger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cody Ross of the Diamondbacks might be the most stereotypical Millenial suburban baseball boy name ever...but he was actually born in 1980 so he squeaks into the avant garde of Gen X suburban baseball names and the pack's determined outfield partner would be Rajai Davis, who is shown missing a catch...c'mon Topps, that's just mean!<br />
<br />
Oh boy, it's the middle of the pack time, hitting the role players, fringe prospects and journeymen part of the deck: Wily Peralta from the Brewers, Robbie Grossman from the Astros, and Robinson Chirinos of the Texas Rangers. These are all guys I could sit next to on a flight to New Delhi and never know they were major league baseball players (assuming they would A: fly to New Delhi and B: Fly coach)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEBBr4BbPVgmRI3n8TcnAvDILnjQxqt0DfKv_5jP_81lvOAwcc2lLHLfRaoSPz607u9QFQ5gNUSyvSJAymMkdB7lD3E56eoNvkLxdQi4fwVw6I648p3NF8rpWd956SfNAc28c4TYbjpA/s1600/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEBBr4BbPVgmRI3n8TcnAvDILnjQxqt0DfKv_5jP_81lvOAwcc2lLHLfRaoSPz607u9QFQ5gNUSyvSJAymMkdB7lD3E56eoNvkLxdQi4fwVw6I648p3NF8rpWd956SfNAc28c4TYbjpA/s200/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.20.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahh, memories of Mike Piazza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Oh! We've got a throwback card! (Also known as fan service for the aging buyers of baseball cards) It's Mike Piazza from his Mets days. Side note: I was a big Piazza buff during my teenage years when the Mets were easier to see on Montanan TV than the Twins. I look forward to his induction in the Hall of Fame, even though I never actually did see him play live.<br />
<br />
Woah, it's time for some quality here at the end of the deck: Stephen Vogt (A's Catcher, and three pitchers who had strong seasons recently: Stephen Strasburg, Jhoulys Chacin, and Hisashi Iwakuma). Clearly my assumptions about the top of the pack being magical need to be re-evaluated. That might actually be the cleverer marketing ploy: save the best for last and convince the kids to go buy more...I'm on to you Topps, you and your diabolical machinations!!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
PART THE SECOND: "<i>ANALYSIS</i>"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
HERE BE HEARSAY AND CONJECTURE, BE YE WARNED</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So The Topps Pack of 12 contains 0 Infielders, 3 catchers (not counting Piazza), 3 Outfielders and 5 pitchers (all starters). So how would that do at replacing Twins players?<br />
<br />
In an unscientific study using baseball-reference's WAR so far this season (and a selection of Twins players who have logged most of the time in the line up, here's where the Twins players* (<i>see note 1</i>) stand.<br />
<b>Starters: </b>Suzuki/Mauer/Dozier/Plouffe/Santana/Rosario/Hicks/Sano<br />
<b>Bench:</b> Nunez/Escobar/Hermann/Robinson<br />
<b>Line up Total (6.9)</b><br />
<b>Starting Pitchers: </b>Hughes/Gibson/Pelfry/Milone/Santana<br />
<b>Relievers:</b>Thompson/Duensing/Graham/Fein/Boyer/May/Perkins<br />
<b>Pitching Staff Total (11.2)</b><br />
<b>Twins Total: 18.1 WAR</b><br />
<br />
After that I hunted down the year for those players in this pack to see how they compare. Obviously I couldn't I didn't just want to replace bad players with someone better (any team is better if they choose better players), rather I wanted to see how the Twins could be expected to do if they brought in all 12 of these guys to replace others at similar positions (i.e. Starters, Catchers, and outfielders)<br />
<br />
So how would the Twins have done if they'd grabbed this pack of cards and plugged them into the rotation? Here's the results:<br />
SP1-<strike>Phil Hughes (1.8)</strike> Stephen Strasburg (-0.3)<br />
SP2-<strike>Kyle Gibson (2.4)</strike> Hisashi Iwakuma (0.6)--Only 10 starts<br />
SP3-<strike>Mike Pelfrey (1.7) </strike>Jhoulys Chacin (0.0)--<i>Injured all year, hopefully maybe this would be May</i><br />
SP4-<strike>Tommy Milone (1.4)</strike> Willy Peralta (0.5)<br />
SP5-<strike>Ervin Santana (0.0)</strike> Jarrod Parker (0.0)--<i>Injured all year, so it's a wash</i><br />
<b>Regular Twins Staff: 7.3; Trading Card Staff: 0.8</b><br />
<b>Net Change (-6.5 WAR)</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The key take away, <i>other than that my initial reaction to pitchers is based much more on name recognition than performance this year</i>, has to be that despite even the worst outings of late for Twins pitchers, over the season, it's WAY better to have the devil we know than the devil we don't</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMRyMNTSB6KwrfOTaYWSk8RTBFO10Ij9EsajCrYy3Vyt1d7rarw02oJuDiKHOh3afWm9nwEorAhWB41BcwlCJBZYFWqf0x76vcLZzBxJITv1Ivni7ML6T7FuP1hRwQ3wUkR57DLlILFA/s1600/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMRyMNTSB6KwrfOTaYWSk8RTBFO10Ij9EsajCrYy3Vyt1d7rarw02oJuDiKHOh3afWm9nwEorAhWB41BcwlCJBZYFWqf0x76vcLZzBxJITv1Ivni7ML6T7FuP1hRwQ3wUkR57DLlILFA/s320/Photo+on+2015-08-10+at+18.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe my initial pleasure with these pitchers was ill founded... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If we acknowledge that Terry Ryan can build a rotation better than a completely random player generator, how about the line up?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are the lineup replacements# (<i>see note 2</i>):</div>
<div>
C-<strike>Kurt Suzuki (-0.3)</strike> Stephen Vogt (2.5)<br />
LF-<strike>Eddie Rosario (1.0)</strike> Robbie Grossman (-0.4) <i>Most games are in Left</i><br />
CF-<strike>Aaron Hicks (1.4)</strike> Rajai Davis (0.9) <i>Most games in center.</i><br />
Utility IF- <strike>Eduardo Nunez (0.4) </strike>Jose Lobaton (-0.1)<br />
2nd C-<strike>Chris Hermann (0.0)</strike> Robinson Chorinos (1.6)<br />
4th OF-<strike>Shane Robinson (0.2)</strike> Cody Ross (-0.9)<i> He only played 9 games (so I kept him here)</i><br />
<b>Regular Twins Line up: 6.9; Trading Card Line up: 7.9</b><br />
<div>
<b>Net Change: (+1 WAR)</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Clearly the outfield is hurt by that set of swaps, but shockingly (or unshockingly I suppose) any combination of these three random catchers would all outperform the Suzuki/Hermann Tandem with room left over for a third catcher and a couple of days of Vogt spelling Mauer at first base...heck Chorinos even has starts at 3rd on his resume. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All told, if the Twins let a random pack of trading cards determine half their line up, they would be significantly worse than they are: 18.1 Team WAR to 12.6 Team WAR.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I won't use this as some asinine proof that the Twins are secret geniuses, but at the very least, I won't tweet out some claim that monkeys at typewriters could bang out a better roster than the front office.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...At least...until I open a better pack....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>*Note 1: A case could be made that I should have used some different players who either played better (i.e. drop Santana and include Vargas instead) or worse (i.e. Drop Santana for Nolasco), but like my warning says, it's hearsay and conjecture, stick with me guys.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i>#Note 2: I suppose you could quibble and say that I should have removed Hunter for Davis and kept Hicks, or dropped Santana instead of Nunez for the third catcher, but whatever way you do it, the gain of 1-3 Wins above Replacement isn't enough to offset for the dismal pitching changes. And besides that: HEARSAY! CONJECTURE! Smarter writers will have better reasons, I'm just a shmuck who opens trading cards and writes about it.</i></div>
</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-16969730651882871512015-07-31T14:07:00.001-07:002015-07-31T14:07:44.141-07:00Cliff Lee Twins Legend: An Alternate Trade Deadline HistoryFor the first time in 5 years the Twins are buyers at the deadline, and with the Mariners in town and the Twitter fanbase on fire, I thought it would be fun to to look back at the last big Twins trade that never happened and imagine what it would be like if the Twins had acquired Cliff Lee from the Mariners 5 years ago.<br />
<br />
<i>Note: this is a work of fiction, not a genuine attempt at analyzing impacts...I'm not that smart, I'm just a weird guy who likes Alternate History </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<div>
<b>7/9/2010</b></div>
<div>
When the Rangers refuse to part with Justin Smoak, the Twins acquire Cliff Lee for Wilson Ramos, Aaron Hicks, Kyle Gibson and Anthony Slama. Minnesota fans rejoice so much that no one notices that Justin Morneau remains sidelined after a collision in Toronto</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>7/31/2010</b></div>
<div>
Without any more trade chips, the Twins go without a proven closer, despite tempting overtures about emerging Nats closer Matt Capps, trusting John Rauch to save the day, or failing that...Cliff Lee on his off days</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>9/21/2010</b></div>
<div>
The Twins clinch the AL Central with 12 games to spare, allowing manager Ron Gardenhire to set up his rotation for a matchup with either the Yankees or Rays in the first round. "Cliffy has done real good up here...so he might just be our game 1 starter" says Gardy. "Doi!!!" say Twins fans.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>10/12/2010</b></div>
<div>
The Twins finally break their Yankee he'd after Cliff Lee wins Game 5 at Target Field with a 1 run shutout. Says Lee, "it was a bit rough (with the bullpen nearly blowing Liriano's game 2 lead) but we got there in the end, good thing Glen (Perkins) came in in the 8th, you know...he could make a good set up man."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>10/20/2010</b></div>
<div>
Backed by the home run power of Jim Thome, Delmon Young and Danny Valencia, the Twins need only 5 games to beat the Rangers in Arlington and advance to the World Series against the Giants. Asked if he's worried about Cliff Lee's workload, manager Rob Gardenhire replies, "work what now?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>11/1/2010</b></div>
<div>
Twins lose the World Series to the Giants in 5 games, but remain upbeat. "Obviously we would rather have the trophy, but we'll back and loaded next year, that's for sure" pledges Lee.</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.milb.com/images/2010/11/02/rT6JCk7F.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still stings, doesn't it Twins fans?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<b>12/14/10</b><br />
Cliff Lee jilts Minnesota to re-sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. "I never wanted to leave in the first place," says Lee, "obviously it was nice to help Minnesota, but Philadelphia is where my heart lies." Undeterred, General Manager Bill Smith seeks to lock down the squad that brought Minnesota their first AL Pennant in nearly 20 years giving extensions to JJ Hardy (through 2014), Delmon Young (through 2015), and Francisco Liriano (through 2014) and re-signs Jim Thome. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2/15/11</b></div>
<div>
Spring training for the AL champs starts with high hopes as Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan return as do new Twins Carl Pavano (who had a fine second half with the Texas Rangers) and intriguing Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka who Bill Smith hopes could push Alexi Casilla at second base ("he might even be able to spell JJ at short stop" gushes Smith who is eager to offset the loss of fan favorite Nick Punto )<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<b>4/7/11</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-BA334_SP_COU_D_20110412174226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-BA334_SP_COU_D_20110412174226.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shame we lost Hardy on this take out slide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Disaster strikes as Nick Swisher slides into second base breaking JJ Hardy's fibula. Manager Ron Gardenhire quickly installs Tsuyoshi Nishioka as the new starting shortstop. A quick RBI triple and lunging grab to his left causes the fan base to erupt with joy as the Twins take a series in Yankee stadium. One fan goes so far as to get a "Nishioka Forever" tattoo.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>8/15/11</b><br />
The Twins have the highlight of their year when Jim Thome hits his 500th Home Run. It's Thome's last before he returns to Cleveland for one final playoff run with his first team. Meanwhile the double play combination of Hardy and Nishioka (or Thunder and Lightning as fans have taken to calling them) offer a ray of hope to compensate for the regression of Danny Valencia and Delmon Young (despite peripheral stats that suggest Nishioka isn't quite as good as his rookie year attests). The team finishes with a 69-93 record, which will give them the fourth pick in the 2012 draft, their highest in a decade.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>12/14/11</b><br />
With a lot of money tied up in other extensions the Twins face a difficult decision between keeping beloved reliever Joe Nathan, former top prospect Jason Kubel, or right fielder Michael Cuddyer who had paced the offense while Morneau and Mauer worked to make a come back. Citing the need for a "proven closer" the Twins resign Nathan (for 3 years), and Kubel (for 2 years). "This year was an anomaly," says Smith who was given a full vote of confidence by ownership, "I don't expect us to have a year like that again, and I'm sure the players don't either."<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1378010!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/court-delmon-young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1378010!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/court-delmon-young.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wasn't his finest hour, </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>4/16/12</b></div>
<div>
Hours after a drunken Delmon Young's anti-semitic tirade in New York and subsequent suspension ("We won't tolerate that" says Jim Pohlad), call-up Ben Revere stuns the crowd with a great leaping catch in left field. Fans who hope a return to the Bronx will remind a struggling Nishioka of his strong April are disappointed when he airmails two throws into the Yankees dugout. Rochester infielder Brian Dozier packs his bags.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>8/5/12</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gatorzone.com/gallery/photos/1488/Zunino-MikeTh1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://www.gatorzone.com/gallery/photos/1488/Zunino-MikeTh1.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the #4 Pick in the MLB Draft the Twins select<br />Mike Zunino thereby solving all catching problems<br />ever...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Twins end their connection with ALCS hero Danny Valencia by trading him through waivers to the Red Sox. "It's part of the game," explained Manager Ron Gardenhire, "Danny gave us a lot over two years ago, I'm sure he'll give his best in Boston." Some fans, frustrated with the inconsistency of Francisco Liriano, had hoped that the former ace in the making and the big third baseman could bring in significant pitching prospects are left wanting. But many have now turned their attention to the Twins top draft choice: Florida Catcher Mike Zunino ("hey, look at what happened the last time they took a catcher in the top 5...maybe this one won't even get bilateral leg weakness!")<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>10/1/2012</b><br />
The Twins finish their season of struggle sliding to 67-95<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>11/29/2012</b><br />
Citing their "complete confidence" in Ben Revere the Twins trade Denard Span to the Nationals for Vance Worley and Trevor May. Revere's diving catches and ear-to-ear smile become the face of the Twins.<br />
<br />
<b>12/6/2012</b><br />
The Twins shockingly trade their second outfielder in a week, when the Tigers offer the Twins a random relief prospect to take Delmon Young off our hands, who they think is just the veteran bat they need to finally win the World Series. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU" shout Twins fans. A small group of fans chant the same words at Tsyuoshi Nishioka's Air Japan flight back home at the completion of his contract.<br />
<br />
<b>2/1/2013</b><br />
GM Bill Smith gushes about the team's newly revamped pitching staff: "We know that Perkins, Burton and Nathan can do what we need at the end of the game, but we needed pitchers who could get the leads there. I think we have a very deep rotation, Scott [Diamond] took a big step forward, we know what Francisco [Liriano] is capable of, and now with veteran arms like Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfry we have what we need to compete."<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2aad3909bb83cd54eafb1059d6d86e03c9075a67/c=218-0-3553-2507&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/KARE/KARE/2013/12/13//1386987753001-USATSI-7414621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2aad3909bb83cd54eafb1059d6d86e03c9075a67/c=218-0-3553-2507&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/KARE/KARE/2013/12/13//1386987753001-USATSI-7414621.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still hurts to see a Twins legend<br />in rival colors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>7/31/2013</b></div>
<div>
For the first time in over a decade the Twins are never close to contention, due in large part to complete implosions in the starting rotation. The team decides to sell off many of their veteran assets at the trade deadline: Morneau and Liriano head to the Pirates, JJ Hardy goes to the Diamondbacks, Jason Kubel goes to the Cleveland Indians on a short rental. "I guess we're really rebuilding," writes one Twins Daily blogger, "good thing Mauer's locked in at Catcher."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>8/19/13 </b><br />
Joe Mauer sustains a concussion during a make up game against the New York Mets that spells the end of his catching career, and top prospect Mike Zunino struggles a bit when called up to split time with Drew Butera as his replacement. The only shocking silver linings in another disappointing season (66 - 96) are the sudden burst of power from second baseman Brian Dozier, says team closer Joe Nathan, "he's the real deal."<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>11/11/13</b></div>
<div>
Bill Smith steps down as General Manager admitting, "yeah...I can't believe I lasted this long either," the Twins take the unusual step of inviting back former GM Terry Ryan to replace him. "It's time to turn the page and build from within," says Ryan before looking at a farm system that boasts Miguel Sano, Mike Zunino, Second Baseman Eddie Rosario, and not much else. "Well, crap..." says Ryan afterwards.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>12/6/13</b><br />
The Twins welcome new starting pitchers, Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes at a press conference. On the emerging slew of podcasts, one Twins follower says: "Obviously we'd like to have our own pitchers come up through the minors, but besides [Trevor] May at Double A, our best options are the kid we got for not resigning Cuddyer [Berrios], and Kohl Stewart. So they're all a ways away."<br />
<a href="http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Kansas+City+Royals+v+Minnesota+Twins+W-XTGrdhlb1l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Kansas+City+Royals+v+Minnesota+Twins+W-XTGrdhlb1l.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="126" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>3/22/14</b><br />
With uncertainty around the aging familiar stars and the unknown new signings, The Twins turn to young talent to highlight their ad campaign, "Bringing Smiles back to Twins Territory". The ads mostly consist of Ben Revere and Brian Dozier smiling brightly at the camera saying, "please come back...please...? You're a very attractive person...I'd like to see you at the ballpark...Please?"<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>7/15/14</b><br />
While some stat heads argue that Twins Closer Joe Nathan had been outperformed by set up man Glen Perkins, Nathan is the one player chosen to represent the Twins at their home town all star game. Though he loads the bases, he does deliver a final strike out to lone Rangers representative Kurt Suzuki. "God, he'd be better than Butera and Zunino" carps one Twins fan.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>9/25/14</b><br />
The Twins near the end of their 4th straight 90 loss season despite an all-time record Strike out to walk ratio for new starter Phil Hughes. In their final home game the team stages a moving tribute to Joe Nathan, who, after giving up the closer spot in September to Glen Perkins, gets one last 9th inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After the game Nathan says "wait...why didn't I get the Mariano Rivera farewell tour?...screw it! I'm coming back next year!"<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>12/3/14</b><br />
Torii Hunter joins the Twins for one final season despite the offer to complete a new soul patrol in Seattle with Aaron Hicks and top prospect Byron Buxton. </div>
<div>
<br />
<b>4/3/15</b><br />
New signee Ervin Santana is suspended for 80 games for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. Rookie Trevor May is added to the rotation behind Mike Pelfry. "Would have been nice to see a little competition for that spot," says Terry Ryan, "but we like the guys we have."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://isportsweb.com/wp-content/uploads//2015/07/Kevin-Jepsen-Texas-Rangers-v-Tampa-Bay-Rays-nJIc-NJABQNl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://isportsweb.com/wp-content/uploads//2015/07/Kevin-Jepsen-Texas-Rangers-v-Tampa-Bay-Rays-nJIc-NJABQNl.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Newest Twin...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<b>7/31/15</b><br />
At the trade deadline the surprisingly contending Twins seem in desperate need of a shortstop (as no one has compared to Hardy and Nishioka), catcher (to replace Butera as the struggling Zunino goes back to AAA) and in the bullpen. Terry Ryan delivers only Tampa Bay Reliever Kevin Jepsen to complement Glen Perkins setting up for Joe Nathan, at the cost of starter prospect Chih Wei Hui. Fans demand a more meaningful move, like the one that got them Cliff Lee 5 years ago.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-76731646629428648242015-07-28T10:33:00.000-07:002015-07-28T10:33:40.568-07:00Adopt a Prospect 3.4: Why I Like JT Chargois More than A-Rod<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/photos/2015/04/15/lookouts_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/photos/2015/04/15/lookouts_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More interesting that Target Field</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It has not been an easy last two weeks for our Adopted Prospect: Mr. Jon Tiberius Chargois (okay it's Jon Thomas...but give me some nerd slack). He had his worst outing of the year giving up 6 earned runs on three walks and three hits, and the breezy dominance that made Chargois a Florida State League All-Star seems like a distant memory compared to his current form.<br />
<br />
<br />
And yet, this weekend, as the Twins got snake bitten (again) by the Yankees and their complicated, record-book busting (again) DH Alex Rodriguez, I found myself eagerly turning away from the superlative performances of A-Rod at Target Field, to the minor league box scores for word of Chargois.<br />
<br />
<br />
It may seem like a silly comparison: Alex Rodriguez, love him or hate him, will go down in the annals of baseball history; JT Chargois will be in this odd little corner of cyber space...but probably, not much else. And while the part of me that loves athletic excellence is inclined to see the very best players do their very best work, a much larger part of me wants to cheer for Chargois much MUCH more than A-Rod.<br />
<br />
The reasons I care more about a AA reliever than the fourth most prestigious home run hitter in baseball doesn't depend on the history of a rivalry, or the fact that one is paid by Minnesota billionaires and the other is paid by New York billionaires. It comes back to the fact that Sports is the rare entertainment that demands honesty.<br />
<br />
Other entertainments live on the other side of truth. Movies and books are fictional. Music and even visual arts (painting and sculpture) are as much about what people (and record companies) know will sell, rather than purely what people have lived or feel.<br />
<br />
But sports demands honesty. Do your best, play fair, and may the best team win. Do that, and we'll root, root, root for the rest of our lives.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2304428.1437876619!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_635/481977172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2304428.1437876619!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_635/481977172.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a>Therein lies the problem. A-Rod is fundamentally dishonest: he didn't trust his best to be good enough, he didn't play fairly with those who stayed clean, and he tried to rig the game so his team would be better than the best.<br />
<br />
No question, A-Rod is entertaining, powerful and impressive (even more so on PEDs). But that was a fiction. He insisted he was legitimate twice, once while using and once after getting caught in two more moments of dishonesty. If he was a pro-wrestler, or doing some crazy in-depth performance art it could be strangely intriguing, but instead it's just fake, false and infuriating to watch.<br />
<br />
That's why I like a middling AA prospect and can't stand one of the best power-hitters in over a century of baseball. Because JT Chargois is not perfect and makes no pretenses about it. His scuffles at AA are part of the game, an honest failure, just as his run of scoreless innings from April to June was an honest success.<br />
<br />
I don't like Alex Rodriguez. I don't wish him ill. I don't hope he suffers. I just wish he were more like JT Chargois.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-41340965960415360962015-07-17T04:34:00.000-07:002015-07-17T04:34:24.004-07:00Cliff Notes for the 2015 Twins: Chapter 3<i>Again, I've been derelict in my duty--though I was out of the country and away from reliable internets for a while there. Still were back with another nerdy English-Class style recap of the last month (plus) in Twins Territory</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Chapter 3: June to the All-Star Break</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Plot Summary:</b></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So great was the joy among fans after a shockingly strong June, that the Twins could, to many eyes, have appeared better than they actually were. So it was only slightly surprising that the team stumbled badly in June.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Sports/AP_HUNTER_150611_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Sports/AP_HUNTER_150611_16x9_992.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
The slide began by dropping two out of three to the Brewers (who had not been terribly impressive) at Target Field. Then the rival Royals ended the Twins' time atop the Central with a sweep (culminating in Torii Hunter's freak out) and the doldrums continued as they dropped two out of three to the Rangers, but in an effort either to stop the slide or to hold on to their quavering place in the attention of local fans the Twins called up the first of their dynamic prospects: Byron Buxton.<br />
<br />
Buxton's arrival accompanied the only Twins win in Texas, and despite two losses in St. Louis, his thrilling play and daring speed were on fine display as the team returned to the Twin Cities in excellent form evening the score against the Cardinals, several close games against the Cubs and a crushing of the White Sox. Sadly, a slide against the White Sox also crushed a bone in Buxton's thumb, and he was removed from the lineup as suddenly as he appeared.<br />
<br />
Efforts to repeat the magic on a return trip to Milwaukee by calling up another touted prospect in Alex Meyer were unsuccessful. The National League again thwarted the Twins' momentum as the Brewers and Reds squeezed the home town 9 to a paltry 4-8 record against the bottom 3 teams in the NL Central. Meyer was duly demoted and again things looked grim.<br />
<br />
The Twins went to the prospect well a third time and called up Miguel Sano for their visit to Kansas City. As a pure hitter, Sano trumped even the heralded Buxton, and his 11 game hit-streak coincided with the Twins sudden offensive rejuvenation as they finished the first half of the season on a 8-3 run, good enough to put them in 2nd place in the division and 2nd place in the entire American League.<br />
<br />
<b>Main Character Development:</b><br />
The true climax of this chapter was the All-Star Game and the two Twins players who went, recognized as being among the best of the best (the 90th percentile of players in the major leagues). First and foremost, the acknowledged top closer in the league: <b>Glen Perkins. </b>Perkins broader acclaim was all the more note worthy for where he had come from: failed starter, unhappy demoted pitcher, after thought set-up reliever, and, as of now, owner of the best Save streak in Twins history (28 in a row). Most impressively, in this chapter of the season he faced 45 batters and allowed only 6 of them to reach base (a .133 OBP against).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/0/3/0/136574030/cuts/MIN_1280_u7wgta3x_9w7px72h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/0/3/0/136574030/cuts/MIN_1280_u7wgta3x_9w7px72h.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
Perkins was joined in Cincinatti by second baseman <b>Brian Dozier</b> who was initially left off of the roster. That snub may have been the best thing for him. It begat a voting campaign (No Bull, Vote Dozier); it got his name mentioned consistently in the national press and on cable tv, and it aligned perfectly with an outburst of timely hitting including two walk-off home runs and another in the All-Star Game itself that captured a great many eyeballs across the country and began a genuine grumbling campaign that he might be the league MVP (assuming he both kept it up and found some way of getting Mike Trout to fall into a temporal vortex). What was once a cute photoshop on this blog is now a common talking point (so much so that at a wedding I attended last weekend, both the bride and my grandmother could be found discussing him).<br />
<br />
As Perkins and Dozier rise as protagonists, it will be interesting to see what obstacles and conflicts are thrown in their way to create dramatic tension for the rest of the season.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Key Quote/Stat Explained:</b><br />
<b>Pythagorean Winning Percentage: .528</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://classicalwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/pythagoras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://classicalwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/pythagoras.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a>As any fan can tell you, occasionally the better team loses. Unlucky bounces, dumb umpire calls, a slight stumble on a soggy infield, all of it can turn the game when you least expect it. So there's the Pythagorean Winning percentage, in which the square of the hypotenuse of a right tri...wait, no...that's Pythagorus' Triangle Theorem...when he was brought forward to the present by Doctors Bill S. Prescott and Theodore Logan to watch baseball and party on dude, he (and Bill James) developed an equation to measure how many games a team should win based on both their runs scored and their runs allowed.<br />
<br />
To wit:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; clear: both; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1em;">
(Runs Scored)^1.83<br />---------------------------------------------------------<br /> (Runs Scored)^1.83 + (Runs Allowed)^1.83</blockquote>
<i>via baseball Reference</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Basically dividing the (approximate) square of a team's runs scored, by the (approximate) square of their runs scored PLUS the (approximate) square of their runs allowed should yield an average result.<br />
<br />
So while many Twins fans are dancing joyously at the fact that the Twins have the second best record in the American League, our Pythagorean Winning Percentage can show whether we are really lucky, a little lucky, or even unlucky to be where we are.<br />
<br />
The Twins Pythagorean Winning Percentage is .528 (or 52.8%); their real world winning percentage is .551 (or 55.1%), so they've only been about 2.3% luckier than their run total would suggest. So they are actually a solid team with the chance to get better (unlike the White Sox who are below 500 and still 8% luckier than they ought to be).<br />
<br />
The one down side is the Twins have a lower Pythagorean Winning Percentage than 8 other teams, including three currently outside of the playoff hunt: the Orioles (7% unlucky), the Blue Jays (8% unlucky) and the Athletics (9.8% unlucky). If those teams see their records normalize a bit, and the Twins drop even a percent in their luck, people dreaming of the playoffs can put a pin in it.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Literary Term to Impress English Majors:</b><br />
Writers throughout history have relied on a simple belief: everything's better in threes. Hence "<b>The Rule of Three". </b>Things are funnier, easier to remember, generally more meaningful if you combine things in threes: three volume novels; three act plays; three little pigs; three bears; I came, I saw, I conquered; stop, drop, and roll; a priest, a minister, and a rabbi<br />
<br />
It doesn't just take three things to fit the rule of three, they should be thematically connected and structured in such a way as to make meaning. So take the Twins June/July call ups: Buxton/Meyer/Sano.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_OQmsmU0AADazK.jpg:large" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_OQmsmU0AADazK.jpg:large" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From L-R: Meyer, Berrios, Sano, Buxton<br />(Good news, Jose: you don't have to worry about this rule)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Buxton comes first, and excites the fan base, we need him and he looks pretty good but it's over early due to the thumb injury. </li>
<li>Meyer comes second, the fan base is a little less excited, but there's enough mention of his pedigree, status and dominance as a reliever in AAA to make him enticing, and it's over very quickly when he gets hammered by big league bats. </li>
<li>Sano comes last, and while he's long been one of the two big names in the Twins' system, the structure is set up to make at least a few fans regard another call-up skeptically. So his offensive outburst with power and patience seems like a pleasant surprise, even though he has always looked capable of this.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Obviously, I don't think the Twins intended Buxton and Meyer to have such unpleasant endings to their Major League debuts, but if there <i>was </i>some sort of magical script-writing in all of this, it would be a pretty great use of the Rule of Three.</div>
</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-83448695776935913492015-06-26T10:49:00.000-07:002015-06-26T10:49:42.519-07:00Terry Ryan learns the Magic WordAs we tip toe to July, we know that inevitably Twins fans will start to imagine all manner of favorable scenarios, dream sequences and wishful thinking that leads the GM Terry Ryan to make all the right moves and deliver a winner to Target Field.<br />
<br />
We Peanuts from Heaven are nothing if not imaginative, but rather than prognosticate any remotely feasible trade scenarios, allow us to write another in our on-going series of creative scenes played against a backdrop of the Twins 2015 season (<i>apologies if you find these scenes tedious...it's what you get from a blogger who's a wannabe playwright/novelist</i>).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/9/8/2/67625982/cuts/tr1280_9yftotij_68w8hxqj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://m.mlb.com/assets/images/9/8/2/67625982/cuts/tr1280_9yftotij_68w8hxqj.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
[<i>Interior: Terry Ryan's office, as the sun sets on a fine June day with Target Field sprinklers running in the background</i>]<br />
<br />
<b>Secretary</b>: Mr. Ryan? Flip Saunders is here to see you.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Thank you. [<i>Flip Saunders enters, Terry's joy bubbles in his voice, like an impressed grandfather</i>] Flip! Old buddy, ol' pal, how are you!<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>Uhh...I'm fine Terry, fine...How are you?<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Pretty good, pretty good! I saw you had a great night during the draft!<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>Yeah, we're pretty happy about it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f5165edfa19bcf273643df7b3770f5690bca06dd/r=x404&c=534x401/http/cdn.tegna-tv.com/-mm-/8f34608b555ec32dd768545f79953f0d1ac02edc/c=1-0-1022-768/local/-/media/2015/06/26/KARE/KARE/635709175776399451-Jones-and-Towns-skyway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f5165edfa19bcf273643df7b3770f5690bca06dd/r=x404&c=534x401/http/cdn.tegna-tv.com/-mm-/8f34608b555ec32dd768545f79953f0d1ac02edc/c=1-0-1022-768/local/-/media/2015/06/26/KARE/KARE/635709175776399451-Jones-and-Towns-skyway.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><br />
<b>Terry: </b>Wooowhee! Karl Anthony-Towns <i>and</i> Tyus Jones! Well, I tell you, every one here's just as pleased as punch. Very excited, very excited indeed.<br />
<br />
<b>Flip</b>: Thank you Terry.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Yes, siree-Bob, you're a smart man Flip. And you sure seem to have a way with those fellows from Cleveland. Yup, it's almost like magic...<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>Uhh...well, you know how it is Terry, you hang around this business long enough, you build certain relationshi--<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>[<i>Cutting Saunders off, Terry now sounds terse and demanding, a hard nosed boss at last</i>] Can the bull Flippy-boy! What do you have on Cleveland? How do you get them to make these asinine trades?<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>What?<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Don't play dumb. I've been in this business since before you first sniffed a speed dial. You've got some sort of pull on Cleveland, and I want to know what it is!<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>Terry, I assure you, I--<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>"Assure me", what an "Ass-U-Are" Flip! I want details and I want them now.<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>[<i>Sighs, defeated</i>] Alright, alright, I'll tell you. The magic word is Cumquat.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Cumquat?<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://41.media.tumblr.com/b8b5aaf726b2dde7e721ac7d51429884/tumblr_ml0cy7n6DQ1qfyo3so2_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://41.media.tumblr.com/b8b5aaf726b2dde7e721ac7d51429884/tumblr_ml0cy7n6DQ1qfyo3so2_1280.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a><b>Flip: </b>Yeah, Cumquat. See, at the last GM meetings, I took David Griffin to see this hypnotist, The Great Gaspini. Anyway, I slipped the guy a fiver and he gave Griffin a private session. Anyway, in between making him cluck like a chicken and memorize the entire dance to Single Ladies, he implanted the idea that any time he heard the word "Minnesota" followed by "Cumquat" he would agree with whatever someone was saying.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry</b>: So that's how you got Wiggins, Bennett and Jones for 1 Season of crappy Kevin Love and a pair of second rounders?<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>To be fair...yes...yes it was...I guess I am a genius.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Brilliant, brilliant! So I just need to get this Gaspini-guy to do the same thing for me with Shapiro and Antonetti!<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>Actually...well...what with this whole West Loop partnership thing we've got going on these days, Glen Taylor, Bill McGuire and the Pohlad boys paid for Gaspini to pull the same thing over on the Indians and AFC Cleveland.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Not the Browns?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Flip: </b>Pssh...c'mon Terry, they're the Browns, they'll screw themselves anyway. Plus, this is a West Loop deal, so Ziggy can lump it for all I care.<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Hehe, yeah, West Loop Pride. [<i>Calls into the hallway</i>] Dorothy! Get me Chris Antonetti on the line! [<i>Pause</i>] They've got soccer in Cleveland?<br />
<a href="http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Indians-Reds-Spring-B_News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Indians-Reds-Spring-B_News.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="249" /></a><br />
<b>Flip: </b>I'm as surprised as you are.<br />
<br />
<b>Secretary: </b>Antonetti on line one!<br />
<br />
<b>Terry: </b>Just say Minnesota first and then Cumquat? [<i>Flip nods, Terry picks up the phone</i>] Chris, my-boy! How are you?! Terry Ryan here in...<i>Minnesota!</i> Listen, we've got a bit of a pitching log jam here, so I'm thinking it might be time to make a trade: how about you guys take Ricky Nolasco and his contract and we take that short stop of yours, Francisco Lindor?[<i>Pause</i>] Oh, don't be so quick to count me out Chris, after all, Nolasco's no...<i>cumquat!</i>...[<i>Pause</i>] Yeah, I thought you might reconsider. Tell you what, I'm feeling generous today, so if you toss in Trevor Bauer, I'll send you Mike Pelfry and Shane Robinson, how about that....?<br />
<br />
[<i>Scene</i>]The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-17623686097446849792015-06-23T10:30:00.001-07:002015-06-23T10:30:49.077-07:00The Cure for the Twins OffenseThough the Twins' offense has struggled to generate many runs in the month of June, their tremendous success in May and the method of their outburst against the White Sox yesterday reminds us all of what has worked for the team all year: Hit Clusters.<br />
<br />
Now, the Twins, along with local business partners in the breakfast cereal industry are out to share the secret of their winning ways with the populace at large in this new advertisement for a special Twins Centric Cereal!<br />
<br />
[<i>Our first shot is of Twins clubhouse where a dejected looking Kennys Vargas and Byron Buxton sit at the team breakfast table</i>]<br />
<br />
Kennys: It isn't easy to be a big leaguer...<br />
<br />
Byron: Yeah, and you'd think they'd be able to afford something better than simple toast for us too...<br />
<br />
[<i>Brian Dozier enters, with a big smile and, if possible, animated unicorns and ninjas</i>]<br />
<br />
Brian: Are you guys tired of your boring breakfasts and wishing you could score more runs?!?<br />
<br />
Kennys: That is <i>literally</i> what we were just saying.<br />
<br />
Brian: Try HIT CLUSTER CEREAL! A joint venture of the Minnesota Twins, General Mills, and Malt o Meal! The official Cluster-Based Cereal of the Minnesota Twins!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.350sweets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/whitchocclusters2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.350sweets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/whitchocclusters2.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a></div>
<br />
Byron: Do we have an Official Non-Cluster-Based Cereal?<br />
<br />
Brian: Don't change the subject Rookie!! HIT CLUSTER CEREAL contains all the valuable nutrients you need to connect hits together for a big inning!!<br />
<br />
[<i>A series of other smiling Twins players appear with the cereal</i>]<br />
<br />
Torii Hunter: It's got Single Almonds!<br />
<br />
Trevor Plouffe: It's got Double Granola Granules!!<br />
<br />
Eddie Rosario: It's got Triple Fiber Flakes!!!<br />
<br />
Brian Dozier: Not to mention Home Run Flavor!!!!<br />
<br />
Joe Mauer: Sometimes, when I really want to cut loose, I even have some with vitamin rich Milk.<br />
<br />
Torii: For the last time Joe, don't flaunt your decadent party life style in front of the kids!<br />
<br />
Joe: Sorry...<br />
<br />
Brian: C'mon Guys! Try a bite!!<br />
<br />
Kennys: Wow! That taste sure comes through in the clutch!<br />
<br />
[<i>All the Twins Laugh heartily before the final Voice Over</i>]<br />
<br />
VOICE OVER: Hit Cluster Cereal is available for a limited time only, and is part of a balanced breakfast with other great Official Minnesota Twins foodstuffs like "Base on Balls Bread" and "Orange (<i>You Glad We're Facing White Sox Pitchers</i>) Juice"The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-86839122159249871982015-06-13T08:27:00.001-07:002015-06-13T08:27:26.502-07:00Torii Hunter Teaches the Little Things<i>There's been a lot of cyber ink spilled over the ejection, tirade and now suspension of Torii Hunter for arguing balls and strikes on Wednesday. Rather than debate the justifications for it, or weigh in on the great "inspiration"/"childishness" debate, we'd like to imagine how this little event will affect future Twins franchises.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We take you now to a tape room in the Twins' Fort Myers training compound, some March day in the not-so-distant future. A crew of young prospects, chatter anxiously awaiting the appearance of the franchise legend who will address them today. A hush falls as he enters the room, but the nerves are set at ease when he flashes his trademark mega-watt smile:</i><br />
<br />
"Hey guys! What's happenin'"<br />
<br />
"Good morning, Mr. Hunter," they squeak in unison.<br />
<br />
Unphased, Hunter sits backwards on a chair, "listen y'all, you can relax. This isn't a big talking too. I'm not gonna lecture you, we just want to go over some of the finer points of your game.<br />
<br />
"You've been coming along nicely for a little while now. I know one of you led the Midwest league in homers, and I saw another one hit 97 on the gun yesterday. Real good, man, real good. But to make it to the bigs you've got to know how to lose your cool properly....<br />
<br />
"I mean, I've seen the tapes of you guys when you're upset, groanin' and shakin' your heads. That doesn't do anything man! You gotta get wild! You gotta make a point! So let's look at the tape here.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view8/20150611/5218708/baseball-tantrum-o.gif" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /><br />
<br />
"First, ya gotta start with the little things, light weight stuff, elbow guards, wrist guards, you know, easy stuff. Warm yourself up! You there, McGillacuddy, you're a big fella, but if you start chuckin' the bat and the helmet and everything right away you could strain a forearm, a muscle, how's the manager gonna feel if you have to rest a day because you couldn't be bothered to warm up first?"<br />
<br />
"Uhh...not very good..."<br />
<br />
"Your damn right not very good!<br />
<br />
"Now secondly, don't lose track of your point in this, everything you throw you have to punctuate with another yell, turn back to the ump, the crew chief especially, because that's the umps boss, let him know that it's a protest, it's not a performance, it's a political statement. Yes Diaz?"<br />
<br />
"What should we say to them? Should we reemphasize the rule with references to the section and subsect--"<br />
<br />
"Nah, they can't think logically about it at that point, just say what's in your heart...let the coaches and the lawyers talk specifics, you do you man, you do you.<br />
<br />
"Alright, finally gentlemen, the climax: the jersey toss. Now some might say it's over the top, some might say it's foolish, but this is a special move. It's the point of no return, and think about it, if you want to continue to emphasize your protest what else could you throw?"<br />
<br />
"Your shoe?"<br /><br />
"No, Moskowitz, that's a protest common to Iraq and the Arab Peninsula. Do we play on the Arab Peninsula?"<br />
<br />
"No, sir"<br />
<br />
"That's right, the Bagdad expansion franchise isn't coming in for another three years. Who else?"<br />
<br />
"Your belt?"<br />
<br />
"Your belt? Stop for a second a think there, Henderson, how exactly is a little ol' Minnesotan lady in the stands gonna feel if you start strippin' down out there?"<br />
<br />
"Oh yeah..."<br />
<br />
"What about equipment from the dug out?"<br />
<br />
"Not a bad idea, Van Nostren! But that's a little played out, and remember you've got teammates and fellow pros out there, don't want to risk anybody's safety. That's why I recommend the shirt toss, it's soft, it's light, it flutters down beautifully after a long throw, its arc and trajectory gives you more time to shout at the umps, it's perfect."<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />A tentative hand rises from the front row, "But Mr. Hunter--"<br />
<br />
"Yeah?"<br />
<br />
"Sir, I was just wondering, wouldn't it be safer not to say anything at all and just file an appeal after the game..."<br />
<br />
Torii blinks, and stares back at the player. "What's your name, son?"<br /><br />
"Uhhh...Middlecamp"<br />
<br />
"Uh-huh, Middlecamp....well you're not on my sheet here, son, I think you might be looking for Joe Mauer's Seminar on Increasing your Midwestern-ness, that's room 203 not 302..."<br />
<br />
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir," says Middlecamp, gathering his belongings and heading for the door.<br />
<br />
"Its okay, man, its okay, it may be helpful some day. Now the rest of you, let's talk about how much to tip the batboy after he picks up the stuff..."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>*AND SCENE*</i></div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-2064223863826191082015-06-09T16:06:00.000-07:002015-06-09T16:06:00.138-07:00Cliff Notes for the 2015 Twins: Chapter 2 "May"<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Like my very own students, I'm slow in posting, but by god, I will always deliver these cliff notes...unless I go crazy grading student papers first.</i></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Chapter 2: "May"</b></div>
<div>
<b>Plot Summary:</b></div>
<div>
Just as Twins fans prepared themselves to see the silver lining at the end of April reform into a thunderhead of injuries, incompetence and ineffectiveness, something happened that had not happened for a <i>long</i> time in Minnesota.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://themuslimvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/silver-lining-cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://themuslimvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/silver-lining-cloud.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="400" /></a>The silver lining got brighter.<br />
<br />
And brighter.<br />
<br />
And brighter.<br />
<br />
So bright in fact, that it was hard to see the clouds any more. They opened the month with four straight wins, and after one loss...four more straight wins. They took a series from Oakland, and Cleveland, but surely the Eastern Division would be our downfall...nope: two of three from Tampa, three straight from Boston, and two of three from Toronto.<br />
<br />
A chatter filled the air: delight, surprise, disbelief. Are they for real? Fans asked on the rooftops of local bars and restaurants. Can they keep this up? Supporters questioned over cubicle walls and in carpools. How the hell are they doing this? Minnesotans pretended not to wonder, even as cable pundits bellowed it louder than any member of "Twins Territory" ever could.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There was effective hitting to be sure, and consistently strong relief pitching, even simple competence from the starting pitchers was so deeply appreciated it might have been treated like the second coming of Walter Johnson himself. But above all else, there was confidence. There was consistency. And there were wins.<br />
<br />
Sure, it might not last, but it was warm, it was joyous, and the silver lining was so bright, you had to wear shades.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Main Character Development:</b></div>
<div>
Would that we could say that it was all about Trevor May in the month of May, but it wasn't.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmdvAR5D4QhX0LBl4SEte44YdFlvee2DFJ1n0Cb2FJnJVTK7vbtCHlSp7CTg_cqtUR_FbJlV-_tlwc7-j0D7FTXK9gFpmDpHraO_KkULYhmKlFG070iTw8qWpJt2WCnqby7iGDrMoQHs/s1600/tumblr_n293ufpNKY1t1lw1qo1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNmdvAR5D4QhX0LBl4SEte44YdFlvee2DFJ1n0Cb2FJnJVTK7vbtCHlSp7CTg_cqtUR_FbJlV-_tlwc7-j0D7FTXK9gFpmDpHraO_KkULYhmKlFG070iTw8qWpJt2WCnqby7iGDrMoQHs/s200/tumblr_n293ufpNKY1t1lw1qo1_400.jpg" width="159" /></a>First, there was t<a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2013/11/ricky-human-exclamation-mark-nolasco.html">he human exclamation mark</a>: Ricky Nolasco! Without Nolasco in the rotation, things seemed to be fine in April, and few if any were gung ho about his return. He has earned as little trust from Twins fans as Scott Boras. And yet, without making much fuss (or exploding in his characteristic exclamatory twitter jamboree) Ricky racked up 26 strike outs in his 6 outings. Did he average more than 5 innings in those appearances...No. But 26 strikeouts! And only 6 walks! He bested Phil Hughes!! He made me love the exclamation mark again!!! UNIRONICALLY!!!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rF2gjp-U5XB477PfygrhS7N6pn8qEYqvy_ZbzCxRXBFbPHD4vp4LmExBvqOoHNGkN-1ZkWfQ3z0pmkSuhZL1cXFiT_WjKwa_p1TtSQBT6KbrFGRMpmiNVE2ecapXItpMsWvamkCMYoY/s1600/Torii+LS.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rF2gjp-U5XB477PfygrhS7N6pn8qEYqvy_ZbzCxRXBFbPHD4vp4LmExBvqOoHNGkN-1ZkWfQ3z0pmkSuhZL1cXFiT_WjKwa_p1TtSQBT6KbrFGRMpmiNVE2ecapXItpMsWvamkCMYoY/s200/Torii+LS.JPG.jpeg" width="151" /></a>Then there was another, <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-battle-over-torii-hunter.html">oft debated, warily embraced Twin</a> who returned this year, albeit from other cities rather than the disabled list: Torii Hunter. And while April gave us plenty of stories about Torii the "character" (the leader, the mentor, the clubhouse general, etc.) his actual play in the field was fine but often forgotten. Then he became less of the wise old sage, and more of the totally dangerous Jedi-Master: Torii-Wan-Kenobi. The kind of man who can duel a foe and come out stronger. Can he defend fully? Probably not. But as long as that swing still sings, all manner of things can be forgiven.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Key Quote/Stat Explained:</b></div>
<div>
<b>2 Outs/RISP & BAbip</b><br />
You'll often hear people say that there's no such thing as "clutch." You can't measure talent under pressure because players are still players, some times they hit, sometimes they don't, some times it rains.<br />
<br />
But, as with everything else people say doesn't exist (Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster, a<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_duhamel/"> Josh Duhamel movie that doesn't stink</a>), once you say it, people are determined to prove you wrong. Hence: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/split.cgi?t=b&team=MIN&year=2015#clutc">the "Clutch" Sections</a> on baseball-reference.<br />
<br />
This is where Baseball-Reference stat-heads compile the splits to cover how players and teams perform in key situations that we often refer to as "clutch", situations like: 2 outs and runners in scoring position, and when we see that BAbip (or Batting Average on Balls in Play, aka how often the Twins hit the ball rather than striking out or walking) we see a surprising .320 from the team.<br />
<br />
That would be a clutch number. It would mean that when the Twins have a chance to score a run with a hit in a critical situation, they're doing it about a third of time they put the ball in play. That's mighty good.<br />
<br />
But it's also a pretty terrible strategy to say "let's get guys in scoring position, and then get two outs because we do really well in those situations!" and BAbip is subject to lots of variables, not just hitters' strengths (i.e. opponents' fielding, pitcher fatigue, etc.).<br />
<br />
So why bring it up? Well, like quotes in literature, this can be read two ways. If you have a friend who says "the Twins keep getting hits when it matters", you have to admit they are right. If your friend assumes that means the Twins are going to win the World Series...well...probably not.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Literary Term to Impress English Majors:</b></div>
<div>
Perhaps you've noticed, but while there's a lot of sunshine and silver linings and players defying expectations and "clutch hitting", I'm not entirely on board. Nor for that matter are national writers, local writers, local bloggers, and pretty much anyone who isn't immediate family to the Twins staff themselves.<br />
<br />
I want it to be true, oh-sweet-lord-have-mercy! I want it to be true! I want Ricky Nolasco to keep the pitching going and get his arm stronger. I want Torii Hunter to keep hitting and finding his fielding form of old. I want "Clutch" to be real, and for the Twins to bottle it, and sell it to fans for a reasonable price so I can come up big when it matters most in my job. But I have enough experience with literature to know that it's not always that simple.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.savannahtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/forrest-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.savannahtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/forrest-1.jpg" height="203" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a>That's where the <b>unreliable narrator</b> comes in.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreliable_narrator">An unreliable narrator </a>is someone whose story telling, just doesn't add up. There are contradictions within the action, there are obvious omissions, there are attempts to gloss over somethings that matter and over emphasize things that don't.<br />
<br />
There's not necessarily anything malicious in an unreliable narrator. They can be solely interested in undermining the system, or making you laugh, or challenging your preconceptions. They can be tremendously entertaining and enjoyable: Forrest Gump was an unreliable narrator, so was Ted Mosby from "How I Met Your Mother".<br />
<br />
If the Twins are telling the story of 2015 to their fans, they may be unreliable narrators. But after a tremendous May,<br />
<br />
I'm happy to keep listening.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-10745626065372360302015-06-08T18:18:00.000-07:002015-06-08T18:18:05.941-07:00Adopt a Prospect 3.3: Interest Spike<i>Once a month we check in on our adopted prospect, JT Chargois, bring him soup, pat him on the back, whisper sweet nothings about his rapidly improving performances to Terry Ryan in the hopes that he becomes a pitcher ready to make meaningful contributions to the Twins in the near future.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
When last we checked in on JT Chargois he was starting the <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2015/05/adopt-prospect-long-road.html">long road </a>back to pitching domination.<br />
<br />
That road got a little shorter in the interim.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/analysis/images/Tennessee%20Welcome%20Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/analysis/images/Tennessee%20Welcome%20Sign.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a><br />
Chargois was <a href="http://twinsdaily.com/topic/17653-jt-chargois-2015/">promoted to Chattanooga on May 26th</a>. To be sure the literal road from Chattanooga to the Twin Cities is shorter than the one from Fort Myers (about 700 miles shorter), but it's also metaphorically shorter (what with the higher level of competition and all), and even setting that aside a promotion this quickly into the season, a promotion back up to the level that many of his peers are already at, speaks to just how close Chargois is to getting his game back where he wants it to be (he's now half-a-year younger than his competitors rather than nearly a full year older).<br />
<br />
He ran off a month worth of outings without allowing an earned run. He boosted his strike out records (due, we have no doubt, to particularly spiky curve ball). And he doubled his save tally as he became more and more comfortable with high leverage and late innings.<br />
<br />
<br />
So is it fair to say that interest in JT "Spike" Chargois is..."spiking"?<br />
<a href="http://www.ericinparkcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/100228-graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="177" id="fb-img" src="http://www.ericinparkcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/100228-graph.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Yes...but a better question is: what will Chargois do now that interest has?<br />
<br />
After all, anyone can get an interest spike. (Hell, random lurkers make my page look popular on utterly random days.) But the better consideration is what I should do with those new eyeballs. How I can keep their attention and remain memorable.<br />
<br />
Spikes are great on lots of things: punk-rock-jewelry, stegosaurii, Curveballs of Doom, but on interest graphs...they're aberrations, nothing more, nothing less.<br />
<br />
So, what next for Chargois? Well...he started off in Chattanooga with a rocky outing, loading the bases on three singles, and though he didn't cede a run, it was more base runners than he'd allowed since the ugliness of April 13th (the last time he gave up an earned run). And like that unfortunate outing, he's been better but not amazing in his two outings since. He'll have a hard time cracking through the supremely talented relief corps in Chattanooga, but other pitchers will see interest spike, other outings will show his gifts.<br />
<br />
We call Chargois "spike" for his talent, his pitch and (ideally) his demeanor, not for mere flashes of greatness. We trust there will be a long and positive Chattanooga season ahead of him, even though the fun of Ft. Meyers is firmly in his rearview mirror.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-87072013354209289442015-05-19T19:59:00.001-07:002015-05-19T19:59:20.650-07:00Cereal and Statistics<a href="http://us.123rf.com/450wm/ildipapp/ildipapp1209/ildipapp120900063/15323606-bowl-of-chocolate-corn-flakes-cereal-with-spoon-and-chocolate-bars-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-jug-of-milk-in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://us.123rf.com/450wm/ildipapp/ildipapp1209/ildipapp120900063/15323606-bowl-of-chocolate-corn-flakes-cereal-with-spoon-and-chocolate-bars-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-jug-of-milk-in.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="133" /></a>I tend to spend my mornings with four things: a bowl of cereal, a cup of tea at hand, my MLB At Bat app and a folded over copy of <i>The Economist </i>magazine.<br />
<br />
<br />
As I gorge on both carbs and information, I'm happy to know that the Twins have room to grow and that seemingly every night someone out does themselves (even if someone else does worse). But I'm also happy to balance the Twins in one corner of my mind and world events (like Greek debt defaults and Indian corruption trials) are squarely in another.<br />
<br />
So it's a little startling when those two worlds actually do collide.<br />
<br />
At the start of this month <i>The Economist</i> published an article entitled "<a href="http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21650078-new-tracking-system-could-revolutionise-understanding-baseball-every-step?fsrc=rss%7Csct">Every step they take</a>" about the ease with which advanced statistics have permeated the sports world, in particular the plethora of statistics that the MLB Network can show on an average broadcast. From pitch speed and curvature to fielder reactions, speed and routes.<br />
<br />
None of what they covered will be terribly groundbreaking to the most hardcore of Twins fans. The folks who analyze the team and read amateur blogs know about such statistics already, there's little that I (or a bunch of International foreign affairs nerds) can add to it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://adaptivelearninginelt.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/the-economist-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://adaptivelearninginelt.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/the-economist-cover.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the cover of this article, <br />but appropriate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But what I can say is that when the world of statistical analysis collides with the world of my breakfast table, we've crossed a threshold. This isn't references to <i>Moneyball</i> or "advanced statistics" that make oblique allusions to the wider world of baseball knowledge. This is detail. This is substance. This is specific and detailed analysis smack dab in the middle of mainstream media.<br />
<br />
The Twins may be using more advanced metrics under Paul Molitor, they may not. Terry Ryan may have turned a corner in his evaluation systems, he may not. But when statistical analysis is offered openly to students in Sri Lanka and professors in Peru and bureaucrats in Burundi and shopkeepers in Slovakia, then you are past the "wait and see" stage. You're past the "consider all aspects" phase. Statistical analysis isn't advanced knowledge, it's mainstream, and if evaluations and judgement aren't made on those metrics...well...<br />
<br />
Put it this way, I'd like the front office of my favorite baseball team to be as well informed about recent advances in baseball statistics as people half-way around the world who've never seen a game, but who love to read.<br />
<br />
I hope they are, I hope Ryan and Molitor talk about such topics, I hope I'm underestimating them. And if not...they can always come over to my house for breakfast.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-16622184317853933122015-05-10T15:15:00.000-07:002015-05-10T15:15:22.560-07:00Adopt-a-Prospect: A Long Road<a href="http://www.milb.com/images/608638/t509/180x270/608638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="J.T. Chargois" border="0" src="http://www.milb.com/images/608638/t509/180x270/608638.jpg" /></a>When last we checked in on JT Chargois he was starting a long and vital season on his road to recovery and professional debut. Working back from injury is never easy, as Chargois found out to his detriment on his second outing.<br />
<br />
After 23 pitches against the Tampa Yankees on April 13th, Chargois had retired one batter, acquired a 27.00 ERA, and faced his first major set back in his comeback.<br />
<br />
Conveniently though, a comeback doesn't begin and end with a single appearance, nor does a season, nor does someone's status as a prospect.<br />
<br />
That's one of the problems with tracking prospects as carefully and chronicling their ups and downs. The peaks feel monumental and the valleys feel canyon-esque. We get so excited by a strong week that we demand a call up, and so disappointed by a poor showing that we may fear the worst.<br />
<br />
But it's a long road to the majors, and an even longer road back from injury. That's what we see in JT Chargois.<br />
<br />
Since his lousy April 13th, Chargois has made 9 appearances, each for a single inning, and bit by bit he's dropped his ERA, dropped his WHIP, and boosted his strike outs. He hasn't allowed an earned run, he's yielded 8 base runners and notched 10 strike outs, he's become a valuable cog in the Fort Myers bullpen, and begun to establish a bit of reliable form.<br />
<br />
There's more to come, obviously. More success and more challenges. There will be other outings as abysmal as the one in Tampa, and many more innocuous ones besides. But above all else, there will be more. And as he returns form injury that's enough to be getting on with.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-33830266750050661312015-05-05T21:00:00.000-07:002015-05-05T21:00:02.635-07:00Cliff Notes to the 2015 Twins: Chapter 1 "April"In an effort to get back in the swing of writing about the Twins consistently, I'm going back to an old well: Cliff-Notes. After all, I end up checking the cliff notes of everything book I teach for plagiarism, I figure this is just getting ahead of the curve. (For the start on cliff-notes I made before September crushed my baseball loving soul click <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Cliff%20Notes%202014">here</a>)<br />
<br />
With that, let's start looking at Volume 2 of the Twins' Cliff Notes<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Chapter 1: "April"</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Plot Summary:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With the traditional exposition of some vague optimism and pledges to change, the Twins opened the season with a crushingly grim display of flaccid and ineffective play culminating in a cascade of boos during the home opener.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Faced with trying times, the Twins responded with muted resolve. They continued down the pre-ordained path, changing players only when forced by injuries rather than performance. New leader Paul Molitor remained enigmatic, occasionally catering to long standing pleas from fans (eg. for platooning, against myopic use of closers), but frequently maintaining longstanding habits (eg. valuing experience over upside, offering limited knowledge of advanced statistics).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The players themselves were similarly nonplussed. The biggest news seemed to be that heroic Joe Mauer had grown a beard. Phil Hughes pitched well but failed to win enough games to earn the undying affection of the faithful. Returning favorites such as Torii Hunter, Glen Perkins and Brian Dozier were solid but not sensational. Promising prospects such as Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas regressed. New team members like Blaine Boyer and Shane Robinson did not win any fans or burn any bridges.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
At the very end of the month a silver lining emerged, the Twins beat their rival White Sox handily. They beat the White Sox best pitcher (Chris Sale) emphatically. And in the eyes of fans throughout Twins Territory a small glimmer shone as if to say, "well, at least there was that"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/883*549/08-584722%202TWIN050115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="galleryImage" height="198" src="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/883*549/08-584722%202TWIN050115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Main Character Development:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
With so much affirming of the way things have been (from Terry Ryan to Joe Mauer to Phil Hughes) and too little to develop a complete assessment on new people (Molitor, Boyer, Robinson), the greatest development came from an unlikely source.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media23.onsugar.com/files/2011/07/28/2/301/3019466/0e6c50e05413f3b1_Neville-before-and-after/i/Matthew-Lewis-Pictures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://media23.onsugar.com/files/2011/07/28/2/301/3019466/0e6c50e05413f3b1_Neville-before-and-after/i/Matthew-Lewis-Pictures.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trevor Plouffe as a rookie (L), and in<br />two years (R)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Trevor Plouffe</b> was not terribly impressive, but he was, also, not terrible. His consistent growth into a consistent presence has been satisfying, not sensational, but satisfying. His defense is competent, his pitch selection is solid and his willingness to meet league wide standards is gratifying. For a man whose errant throws and questionable swing choices led many to beat their heads against their coffee tables at home and their seat mates at the stadium, this is impressive growth. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He has, in effect, completed the same transformation as Neville Longbottom does in the first four Harry Potter books: from punchline to consistent presence. This is the first significant step on the road to heroism, whether it happens with us or with another team is a matter for Chapter 4 (July/the Trading Deadline)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Key Quote/Stat Explained:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>SO/BB v.s. W-L.</b> Phil Hughes' Strike out to Walk Ratio in April was 13, that's two K's better than his record setting 2014. Yet over that time his record was an underwhelming 0-4. While these bloggers are often preaching to the choir, it doesn't take much to acknowledge that Hughes pitched far better than his record would suggest and that, popular though they are among lay-fans, a pitchers' record has very little to do with their over all performance.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Literary Term to Impress English Majors:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you've ever willingly hung around self-important pseudo intellectuals you've heard people talk about how <b>cliche </b>certain things can be. Basically criticizing anything so overused and overdone that it loses all meaning: like how inspiring teams begin from humble beginnings or how self-important pseudo-intellectuals always call things "cliche".</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkandstormy_5013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkandstormy_5013.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Twins opening a season with a run of terrible play was certainly <b>cliche </b>for a team with four straight 90 loss seasons, the baseball equivalent of starting a novel with the line: "it was a dark and stormy night". But a cliche can have power if, instead of following the familiar pattern (team grows, learns and overcomes the odds to win), it inverts things (refusing to change, continuing to struggle, willingly accepting mediocre play to gain the ultimate rewards of change--either in personnel or in management). So, yes, the Twins played cliche ball in April, which means they've got us exactly where they want us.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-17834172343710080722015-04-12T10:40:00.002-07:002015-04-12T10:40:56.768-07:00Adopt-A-Prospect: Meet JT Chargois<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Three years ago, we Peanuts <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2012/05/adopt-prospect-1-meet-luis-perdomos.html">adopted a prospect</a>. A delightful prospect we thought could grow into an intimidating reliever...or <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2012/07/adopt-prospect-5-twins-most-critical.html">at least his beard could</a>. A guy we cared for, and supported through thick and (<a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2013/04/adopt-prospect-ii1-helping-luis-perdomo.html">more frequently</a>) thin, until finally, we waved good bye as he ran joyfully through a field upstate, where all the <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2013/08/adopt-prospect-ii5-never-give-up-never.html">released prospects go when they're released</a>.<br />
<br />
We spent a year in mourning, but we're ready to re-open our hearts, to another prospect. And to that end, we've adopted another in the long line of promising potential relievers. Who may make it themselves, or may be cobbled together by Terry Ryan in some sort of Genetically Modified "SUPER RELIEVER". But enough context, let's meet our guy!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhNvoNQnSpclLxJGEItxHxSQVUzXWjcDMDoyOLuvPMZv9Mh6QcwwUcLXtpgoQQXD9m1mEvTQmrOHEpVChWaAG0b12oA3jLUcdPBC48fAgd8pbDPwld1x5IQCEmdIRIXAQ-TCB9FK4mGVIW1bLSrNishAs7fgSxla1p4GUhki2wgJXAvIeM6JjqFzH3ZlKXooDFFzQK6=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://m.twins.mlb.com/assets/images/1/0/6/97201106/cuts/twins_mbbal9a2_yyci6gxa.jpg" height="225" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is JT Chargois<br />
<br />
JT Chargois (pronounced SHA-gwa) was born in Sulphur, Louisiana, where he was a Golden Tornado just like former major leaguers <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jocko_Thompson">"Jocko" Thomas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Rapp">Pat Rapp</a> and former Twin <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Daigle">Casey Daigle</a>.<br />
<br />
JT was recruited by and joined the Rice Owls when he left High School in 2009, though apparently he<a href="http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/article/20090412/News/304129991"> didn't need much convincing to join Rice</a> since his dad praised both their athletics and their academics. Still, he left the Owls after his impressive Junior year when the <a href="http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/article/20120608/NEWS/306089992">Twins drafted him</a> (<i>as well as f<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=duffey000tyl">ellow Owl Tyler Duffey</a></i>) in the second round of the 2015 draft. Many were excited about him as a nearly developed prospect, while <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2012/06/with-twins-more-or-less-out-of.html">my traditional 5 word analysis</a> was: <i>"Spikey" Curveball helps: in ROLLERBALL!!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMC747DUSVUfEr2IazibzvfV7N6jEhwDhTimYIajDdqHfPly2J3_z0G0H-HYzCxHEe5sjMT8u_-y7WcclBOGWIjSZ7XvqGK4csSkr8zlPGVZNtv3AuGfJ1dlCJKX4nWglfy20kfUrkaig/s1600/Rollerball+-+Outlast+The+Game+Front.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="[Rollerball+-+Outlast+The+Game+Front.gif]" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMC747DUSVUfEr2IazibzvfV7N6jEhwDhTimYIajDdqHfPly2J3_z0G0H-HYzCxHEe5sjMT8u_-y7WcclBOGWIjSZ7XvqGK4csSkr8zlPGVZNtv3AuGfJ1dlCJKX4nWglfy20kfUrkaig/s200/Rollerball+-+Outlast+The+Game+Front.gif" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DEEP CUT!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(<i>An explanatory note: Major League Baseball's capsule on Chargois during the 2012 Draft described his curveball as "Spikey". Not knowing exactly what that meant or looked like, I did what any responsible blogger would do and ignored the opportunity for research in order to make a lame joke about a 1970s James Caan Sci-Fi Sports Flick.</i>)<br />
<br />
After a strong debut at Elizabethton (<i>where he finished 8 games, had a 4.4 K/BB ratio and a sub 1 WHIP</i>), Chargois came to spring training 2013 ready to rise quickly. But elbow soreness sent him to extended spring training, then rehab, and finally in the fall of 2013 <a href="http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_24007393/minnesota-twins-prospect-j-t-chargois-undergo-surgery">Tommy John surgery</a>. Having missed the entire 2014 season, Chargois has done well<a href="http://m.twins.mlb.com/news/article/97200472/jt-chargois-jake-reed-flourishing-at-minnesota-twins-instructional-league"> in instructional league</a> and this year's spring training and has started the year with the Ft. Myers Miracle (<i>where he already<a href="http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/twins-minor-league-report-410-pitching-and-polanco-r3539"> has one save </a>to his credit</i>). While he's a year older than most High A players, he's also in a good position to rise quickly.<br />
<br />
That all makes this a critical year for JT. If everything goes great, he'll move fast and may even be a potential September call-up (<i>assuming Twins relievers implode...a crazy notion I know</i>). If it goes well, it would be reasonable to see him hit AAA and force the Twins into a tricky decision (<a href="http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/288639601.html">as Seth already outlined</a>), either putting him on the 40 man roster or risk losing him through the Rule 5 draft. If it goes poorly, the risk of not putting him on the 40-man Roster will plummet, and JT will be facing an even more pressing season coming up. At least so far it looks very good (as this video with the mix of his fastball and curve shows)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fCto4VQbr2o" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
So why should you care about JT Chargois? Besides his tremendous upside, he seems like another excellent candidate for our "SUPER RELIEVER" project. His Curveball may be the kind of devastating secondary pitch a reliever needs. And also, if I can make it happen he promises an excellent nickname "SPIKE" Chargois anyone?<br />
<br />
We'll keep up the bi-monthly updates in the forum, and will continue to work out a monthly major update
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fm.twins.mlb.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2F1%2F0%2F6%2F97201106%2Fcuts%2Ftwins_mbbal9a2_yyci6gxa.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhNvoNQnSpclLxJGEItxHxSQVUzXWjcDMDoyOLuvPMZv9Mh6QcwwUcLXtpgoQQXD9m1mEvTQmrOHEpVChWaAG0b12oA3jLUcdPBC48fAgd8pbDPwld1x5IQCEmdIRIXAQ-TCB9FK4mGVIW1bLSrNishAs7fgSxla1p4GUhki2wgJXAvIeM6JjqFzH3ZlKXooDFFzQK6=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhNvoNQnSpclLxJGEItxHxSQVUzXWjcDMDoyOLuvPMZv9Mh6QcwwUcLXtpgoQQXD9m1mEvTQmrOHEpVChWaAG0b12oA3jLUcdPBC48fAgd8pbDPwld1x5IQCEmdIRIXAQ-TCB9FK4mGVIW1bLSrNishAs7fgSxla1p4GUhki2wgJXAvIeM6JjqFzH3ZlKXooDFFzQK6=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhNvoNQnSpclLxJGEItxHxSQVUzXWjcDMDoyOLuvPMZv9Mh6QcwwUcLXtpgoQQXD9m1mEvTQmrOHEpVChWaAG0b12oA3jLUcdPBC48fAgd8pbDPwld1x5IQCEmdIRIXAQ-TCB9FK4mGVIW1bLSrNishAs7fgSxla1p4GUhki2wgJXAvIeM6JjqFzH3ZlKXooDFFzQK6=" -->The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-81979687394637605272015-04-02T15:23:00.001-07:002015-04-02T15:23:25.192-07:00On Words and NumbersAnyone who seeks out more writing about the Minnesota Twins, clearly cares about the team. They have opinions aplenty about the best direction the franchise could take. They think about it, they weigh pros and cons, and they argue with passion when they feel like they are right.<br />
<br />
In that regard, there's very little that separates blog readers from the Twins front office. But in the last few weeks a font of frustration has welled up, particularly as regards recent roster decisions. I am no kind of astute baseball analyst (I mean, a large number of my posts turn in to <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2014/06/chairman-mauer-vanquishes-all-enemies.html">abstract satires of North Korea</a>...), but I think I know why this is.<br />
<img height="133" src="http://thedeconstruction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/words1.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /><img height="150" src="http://jackmalcolm.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/numbers.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /><br />
It all comes back to a key division between baseball fans: the fans of words, and the fans of numbers.<br />
<br />
Fans of words like the story telling aspect of the game: the heartwarming narrative of a player coming into his own or coming back from injury; the mythical prowess of a 100 mile per hour pitcher or a Ruthian Home Run machine; the emotional love of the game.<br />
<br />
Fans of numbers like the statistical and factual aspect of the game: the value a player brings to the field, their role in creating runs and wins, their failure to avoid defeats, the logical appreciation of the game and its players.<br />
<br />
While I normally think about the separation between fans within the stands, the same split occurs when we try to evaluate players, and can be expanded to apply to when anyone evaluates someone else.<br />
<br />
Think of it like this: if you work in a job where you get performance reviews (and I'm struggling to think of a job where you wouldn't), your boss <u>might</u> highlight your productivity by saying something like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Wow Johnson, your coworkers and supervisor have been telling me all the great things you're doing this year. They rave about your contributions to the <i>Snarflebargle</i> Project and from what I've seen of you during meetings, I think you're ready for a step up."</blockquote>
Or they could highlight it by saying something like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Wow Johnson, you've been incredibly productive this year. You've been averaging 50 hours of work a week, and the <i>Snarflebargle</i> Project has contributed to a 32% increase in our <i>Doohicky</i> sales alone! I think you're ready for a step up the ladder." </blockquote>
But in reality, they probably have a mix of both the words that colleagues use to describe you and the statistics that they can measure. (<i>As a school teacher I admittedly have <b>no earthly clue</b> what business meetings sound like, but I do know that I'd rather be judged by both comments from other teachers <u>and</u> student performance on standardized tests rather than just one. I suppose I'm hoping that other people have similarly rational evaluations.</i>)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/dvdboxart/30400/p30400_d_v7_aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/dvdboxart/30400/p30400_d_v7_aa.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="133" /></a>That's really what we argue about when we talk about who is ready and who isn't ready for the major leagues. We're used to the Twins scouting department (<i>a more word savvy crew</i>) running the show, basing judgements off of what they see in the minors and what the manager sees during Spring Training. Meanwhile, many of the fans (<i>including those who seek out articles to read on-lin</i>e) are hungry for a more number-friendly crew. But for as much as we talk about the Twins' statistical analyses (<i>or lack thereof</i>) as a catchall for the team's failings, we have to remember that there are benefits and drawbacks to both ways of evaluating people.<br />
<br />
<br />
Word lovers may be able to accurately describe a person's character, demeanor, attitude and potential, but they risk falling so in love with a concept of performance that <i>actual</i> performance means nothing. (<i>After all, if word lovers like me ran teams, somebody would be feeling a nine man team of Air Buds</i>)<br />
<br />
Number lovers may have a more accurate measurement of a player's performance on the field, comparisons with others their own age, and insights into areas for growth, but they risk turning an individual strength or weakness into a career defining fact. (<i>After all, if statistical measurements of skills were 100% infallible, Moneyball favorite <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Brown">Jeremy Brown would have been an All-Star</a>, and <a href="http://www.si.com/nfl/photos/2013/02/25memorable-wonderlic-scores">Ryan Leaf would have proven more mature, intelligent and effective than Dan Marino</a></i>).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Aristotle_Altemps_Inv8575.jpg/765px-Aristotle_Altemps_Inv8575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Aristotle_Altemps_Inv8575.jpg/765px-Aristotle_Altemps_Inv8575.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="149" /></a>The best case scenario is as old as Aristotle: moderation in all things and extremity in none. Evaluations should mix words and numbers, and while there's certainly anecdotal evidence to suggest the Twins could use more numbers, that doesn't mean that words are totally irrelevant to evaluating a player.<br />
<br />
<br />
There is far more that unites we Twins fans and the team management than divides us. Fans and management want a good team. We may have different ways of approaching that goal, but just as we accept both written and statistical performance reviews in our own jobs, just as we enjoy a beer with fans who talk about VORP as much as those who talk about "intangibles", we are better when we use both together.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-382330012138580672015-03-31T14:50:00.001-07:002015-03-31T14:51:29.928-07:00Terry Ryan's Secret PlanMany of you may be looking at the Twins roster for opening day and wondering: "where the hell are the prospects?"<br />
<br />
Sure, we've been told again and again that we're about to get a huge influx of talent. And sure, we've been told that the children are our future. But the young players coming north: Danny Santana, Kennys Vargas, Oswaldo Arcia, Kyle Gibson...we've seen them all before...and the people we haven't seen: Blaine Boyer? Kurt Suzuki? Tim Stauffer? Are not the world changing prospects we've been asked to bank on.<br />
<br />
So, you may be a little frustrated. I'm a little frustrated. Until I realized that this is all part of Terry Ryan's Secret Plan.<br />
<br />
We at Peanuts from Heaven have found a secret ad written, directed and produced by Terry Ryan. What follows is a transcript of that ad.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
TWINS SECRET COMMERCIAL</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATBfH2wWl8slI0Yeqf-xvrDgy9FCVtxWjVFvXrjqu3EVhNqqKu0r8YyFTBaVl4W3crYFADN2EbAn_Msfxp2odqYiSvTPaf27OPaFzvTTJIOBnct2csiGYGtAFSIb8LiaKabbiT10MyBI/s1600/SaneTerry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATBfH2wWl8slI0Yeqf-xvrDgy9FCVtxWjVFvXrjqu3EVhNqqKu0r8YyFTBaVl4W3crYFADN2EbAn_Msfxp2odqYiSvTPaf27OPaFzvTTJIOBnct2csiGYGtAFSIb8LiaKabbiT10MyBI/s1600/SaneTerry.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
[Ext. Day, Terry Ryan, wearing a completely respectable suit is walking toward the camera from Right Field]<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
SANE TERRY. Hi. I'm Sane Terry, from Sane Terry's House of Fiscally Viable Veterans here with totally reasonable deals on all your veteran baseball player needs.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
[Cut to. Int. Twins Clubhouse, Sane Terry walks past empty lockers]</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
SANE TERRY. For years, the Minnesota Twins have been giving the aging and seemingly ineffective baseball players of America a chance to hit rock bottom. Once they do that, they are ripe for the picking...your picking.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
[Cut to. Close Up, Terry Ryan turned to face new camera]</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
SANE TERRY. Are you a team with six valid starting pitchers? Why not trade for one of our many rotation candidates as insurance in case of injury, theft, or spontaneous combustion?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
[Cut to. Opposite angle Terry Ryan turned to face new camera]</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
SANE TERRY. Are you a team who wishes their young players could learn from a cautionary example? Why not trade for one of our jaded-former-prospects whose shattered dreams has left them a shell of their former selves.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
[Cut to. Original Angle Terry Ryan turned to face new camera]</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
SANE TERRY. You can get all your valuable veterans for low, low prices. Just ask these satisfied customers.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
[Cut to Neal Huntington smiling in front of PNC Park in Pittsburgh]</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
HUNTINGTON. Our team used to be a joke, but once we just started picking Terry's discarded pitchers off the scrap heap, we had all the support we could ever need!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
[Cut to Buck Showalter at the dugout railing of Camden Yards]<br />
SHOWALTER. If someone has "former-Twin" on their resume, you can bet that they'll be a below-average starter, but an irrationally great resource for your post season run! Thanks to Sane Terry, I might not be fired right before my team wins the World Series!<br />
<br />
[Cut to Sane Terry reclining in his office at Target Field, the camera takes in a view of the field]<br />
SANE TERRY. We know you can get brand new ballplayers from many sources. But Crazy Billy's Coliseum of Deals always seems to have ulterior motives, and the next Miami Marlins Fire Sale isn't scheduled until November 2016, so why not come on down to Sane Terry's House of Fiscally Viable Veterans and see what we have on offer?<br />
<br />
[Cut to, reverse Angle, the camera takes in a view of the hallway]<br />
SANE TERRY. You don't have to give up the farm, just a young kid with upside, or downside, or cash...we like cash. And we like to give these veteran ball players a new lease on life. That's why we'll always have them on the roster, and always have them available, because that's what made us successful all these years.<br />
<br />
ANONYMOUS INTERN [While walking by Terry's door]. Huh? What do you mean? We haven't been successful. And the older players rarely if ever help us. And when we trade them we almost never get anything of value.<br />
<br />
SANE TERRY. Well, you know what they say, "the definition of sanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result."<br />
<br />
ANONYMOUS INTERN. Actually I think that's the definition of insanity.<br />
<br />
SANE TERRY. Ha. Ha. If that were true, I would be Crazy Terry...and I am clearly Sane Terry. It says so on this ad.<br />
<br />
ANONYMOUS INTERN. What ad? And who are you talking to?<br />
<br />
SANE TERRY. Sane Terry's House of Fiscally Viable Veterans. Call now and get Mike Pelfry right before he finalizes his deal with the devil for one more good season.<br />
<br />
[Fin.]The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-50074519344087746192015-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:002015-02-09T20:36:37.210-08:00My First GameIt's strange to say for someone who has written this blog for nearly seven years, but I've never written in depth about my first Twins game. But I have a good reason for that.<br />
<br />
I don't really remember it.<br />
<br />
I've tried to. I've imagined Kirby Puckett legging out a triple. I wishfully think that it was the Orioles so I can say that I saw Cal Ripken in the midst of his streak.<br />
<br />
But I just don't remember it. Not the day. Not the year. Not the opponent. Not the outcome.<br />
<br />
But I remember my grandfather, the man who took me there.<br />
<br />
I remember coming to Minneapolis from Montana, over a single <i>long</i> day's drive. And knowing it we had made it, when I could see the lights on the porch and hear the game on the radio.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21U64pZLN9L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21U64pZLN9L.jpg" height="206" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I remember sitting on a porch swing on summer mornings looking over the box scores with him as he sipped his coffee in an old robe and I peppered him with question after question.<br />
<br />
I remember holding his hand and walking down the Metrodome's concrete steps to our seats.<br />
<br />
I remember him point to the turf, and the bases, to see if I was following along, and joining in the "<i>Noooo</i> Smoking at the Metrodome".<br />
<br />
<br />
I remember him bringing me a swirled sundae in a Twins helmet cup and smiling kindly as the sundae ended up half in my mouth and half on my shirt.<br />
<br />
I remember his kind questions, "did you like it?", "who was your favorite player?", "what was your favorite moment?"<br />
<br />
I remember him happily lobbing underhand whiffle balls to my brothers and me, when we asked to play in the front yard that night and many other nights there after.<br />
<br />
In the years that followed we didn't always go to Twins games, we out grew whiffle ball, and I actually became an adroit helmet sundae eater. But he still asked his questions while he sat in his barcalounger and I sat on the sofa beside him.<br />
<br />
He still poured over box scores with the morning paper, and watched, and listened and read whenever he could. He had opinions about who was doing well, and how the old players compared and he shared them with me regularly.<br />
<br />
We talked about Paul Molitor getting hired and remembered seeing him in downtown Minneapolis when I was a boy. We talked about Tony O missing the hall of fame again and how he used to watch the batting practice bombs. We talked about how he was convinced that my college friend should become my wife the moment he found out she was a singer with season tickets.<br />
<br />
He passed away yesterday morning, after beating back cancer for longer than the doctors had thought he could. I knew he was tough, I knew he was proud, but when he passed I could only think about how kind he was and how happy he must have been with family around him, singing and sharing their love.<br />
<br />
Just like he shared the game, and a sundae, and his hand with me.<br />
<br />
Whatever day it was.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-81639649827328559722014-12-03T20:07:00.002-08:002014-12-03T20:07:30.964-08:00The Battle over Torii Hunter<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
He's back. Torii Hunter is back, and in the 7 hours of his official presence in a Twins line-up again there are two clear camps in response to his return.<br />
<span id="goog_1786928577"></span><br />
<br />
In the blue corner, weighing in at 140 characters, 140,000 grey hairs in the last four seasons and 140 million liters of digital ink are the analytically minded, podcast savvy, SABR-metrical, writers, critics and yes...fans who wonder what the heck the Pohlad's were thinking.<br />
<br />
"This is not the Torii Hunter we fell in love with," they remind readers, listeners, viewers and random passers-by.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/abc_0074.jpg?w=224&h=176&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-attachment-id="3130" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D2X","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1117720470","copyright":"","focal_length":"300","iso":"640","shutter_speed":"0.002","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="ABC_0074" data-lage-file="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/abc_0074.jpg?w=555" data-medium-file="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/abc_0074.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/abc_0074.jpg" data-orig-size="900,707" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="224" height="176" src="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/abc_0074.jpg?w=224&h=176&crop=1" style="height: 176px; width: 224px;" title="ABC_0074" width="224" /></a>He is not the defensive wunderkind we saw steal homers from Barry Bonds, he's not even the workman-like defender we saw handle Eduardo Escobar pop outs in Anaheim and Detroit. He has struggled lately, and one thing the Twins outfield does not want for is corner outfielders who struggle defensively (see: Arcia, Oswaldo; Willingham, Josh; Nunez, Eduardo Freaking)<br />
<br />
The Torii we came to know and love was prone to gaps in his approach at the plate, always good but never quite great. While that also changed in the years he was away, 39 year-old Torii may not be able to maintain that production. And as younger talents vie for playing time, the curious sight of an aging corner outfielder with declining production and defensive value getting constant playing time and clinging to his no-trade clause becomes all the more questionable.<br />
<br />
This is not the mega-watt smiling, do-no-wrong, clubhouse hero either. One afternoon worth of press coverage seemed to confirm that. Claiming that "whoever believes in that SABR-metric stuff never played the game" (despite the successful A's GM/former first round draft pick/former Minnesota Twin Billy Beane being a leader in the field) did not allay the fears of the analytically minded writers in the room and at home. Hunter then proceeded to call Mike Bernadino of the Pioneer Press, "a prick" four times, because Bernadino asked about how his opposition to gay marriage may have affected his free agency and may yet affect his leadership. Only Kris Humphries had a shorter honeymoon.<br />
<br />
So, says the camp in the blue corner, "this is not the Torii Hunter we fell in love with." Defensively, offensively, socially: it's different now. But there is another side to this.<br />
<br />
In the red corner, weighing in at $221 million dollars <a href="http://www.forbes.com/teams/minnesota-twins/">in revenue</a>, 73,000 household wide television audience, and four straight 90 loss seasons is the Twins front office who wonder "what the heck's the problem?"<br />
<br />
Loathe as we writers may be to admit it, the front office can see and know these issues. They may not believe in defensive metrics, but they know a 39-year-old outfielder is going to be less effective than the 32-year-old they last had in uniform. They may not project many stat-lines, but they saw enough of Jim Thome (not to mention Tony Batista, Shannon Stewart, and Dave Winfield) to know that a 39-year-old hitter isn't a 32-year-old hitter. And while Hunter's not keen to talk about his beliefs, the ownership isn't exactly shy about theirs (leading <a href="http://politicsinminnesota.com/2012/06/mn-united-raises-more-than-3-million-to-fight-gay-marriage-amendment/">the list of contributors</a> to the anti-gay marriage amendment in 2012).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/hlf070426217.jpg?w=211&h=265&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-attachment-id="3148" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"HANNAH FOSLIEN","camera":"NIKON D2H","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1177619386","copyright":"HANNAH FOSLIEN\/MINNESOTA TWINS \u00a9 2007","focal_length":"400","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.003125","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="hlf070426217" data-lage-file="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/hlf070426217.jpg?w=555" data-medium-file="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/hlf070426217.jpg?w=239" data-orig-file="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/hlf070426217.jpg" data-orig-size="717,900" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="211" height="265" src="http://twinsphotog.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/hlf070426217.jpg?w=211&h=265&crop=1" style="height: 265px; width: 211px;" title="hlf070426217" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heck, they'd probably take mummified<br />Torii Hunter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Twins brass knows that this is not the old Torii Hunter, and they do not care, they want <i>this </i>Torii Hunter.<br />
<br />
Bear in mind, the Twins are not just in the business of fielding a winning baseball team, they're in the business of making money. To be sure, the best teams make the most money, but even the worst teams can make some.<br />
<br />
If you're a business and you know your most loyal customers will come back again and again even when they are dumbstruck and aghast at your decision making, you know that you can make "dumb" and "ghastly" decisions again and again. Their opinion doesn't matter. They'll keep coming--even if only to complain.<br />
<br />
What matters is the undecided, the ambivalent, the apathetic customers, ones that you may have lost in the lean years and can bring back (even briefly now). Last year the biggest crowd at Target Field (36,952 to watch the Yankees on July 4th) wouldn't have been in the top 8 home crowds of the 2013 season--when the team was even worse. Sure a great team would solve that problem, but we aren't going to get a great team over night, so let's appreciate what we can have: a beloved local legend on a farewell tour (you saw the crowds for Jeter/Rivera? Torii might only get a tenth of that...but that's a lot better than the Twins have drawn recently).<br />
<br />
And even if you don't see this as a cold, callous and calculated business decision, you can appreciate it as a comfortable move at a time of great uncertainty. There's a new manager, a bevy of new talent in the wings, the team is in flux and adding one familiar face, beloved by the front office, admired by the layman fan base, is a way to ease the transition from one regime to the next.<br />
<br />
You may not believe the "clubhouse leadership" lines, you may not buy the "mentorship" lines, but what you buy and what you don't is moot now. The Twins bought Torii Hunter 2014, not 2011 or 2007, and they wanted to do that. If it fails, it fails, but if it excites a few absentee fans, if it eases the transition and if it supports the next generation of outfielders, then it's worth it.<br />
<br />
Call it Twins Teri-Torii, call him Torii-Wan Kenobi, but above all else, call it what it is. A decision that <i>was </i>made (past tense), as fiercely as we may fight about it, argue about it and debate it, the results won't be known until next spring and summer. (Even then since the arguments are being made in different directions, there not be a winner. Maybe Tori'll be terrible <u>and</u> bring in fans/make the clubhouse brighter, or maybe he'll be great on the field <u>and</u> as insignificant as Jason Bartlett in the annals of Twins reunions gone by. We can all be right, we can all be wrong!)The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-12087605987875942192014-11-24T16:04:00.001-08:002014-11-24T16:04:46.645-08:00#14,001<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
For the last three years, the Murphy family has tried to answer a single question: <i>how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame</i>?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Tony_Oliva_Official_Fan_Club-300x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="VoteTonyO_Tony_Oliva_Official_Fan_Club" border="0" class="aligncenter wp-image-439 size-medium" height="200" src="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Tony_Oliva_Official_Fan_Club-300x200.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vote Tony O Team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
No one asked them to answer that question. Not the Twins. Not Tony himself. They weren't deputized or drafted. They chose to do it themselves, coming together in a kitchen to found Vote Tony O to find out, "<i>how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame?</i>"<br />
<br />
That's not an easy question to answer, and as someone who writes more than he takes action, I'm a little worried that I can't do much. After all, baseball writing focuses on providing clear and concise answers to clear and concise questions. <i>Which player won the game? Which team lost the trade? Who's washed up? Who's the future? </i>There's a quick answer to each of those questions and a swath of data to support any answer you give: box scores and power splits, defensive metrics and pitch mapping.<br />
<br />
But when it comes to addressing Hall of Fame worthiness, things get trickier. For instance <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/black_ink.shtml">one advanced measure</a>, which analyzes an array of statistics and contexts, puts Tony ahead of no-doubt-legends like Joe DiMaggio and Frank Robinson, but behind such faded who-the-hecks as Gavvy Cravath and Harry Stovey.<br />
<br />
"The numbers are easy", says Mike Murphy, one of Vote Tony O's spokespeople. "[They've] all been a record since 1976, but it's a little bit harder for us to <i>quantify</i> what Tony means to the community."<br />
<br />
Fuzzy though the quantification is, it's certain that Tony Oliva means a lot to his communities. He is and has been a role model for Cuban players coming to America. He served as a cornerstone of the Twins for the past 50 years as a player, a coach on both World Series winning clubs, and an announcer for our increasingly diverse fan base. Above all, he stands out as an indefatigable ambassador for the game, the team and life itself.<br />
<br />
Over the years Murphy and his family have seen this more than most people. "Tony loves being Tony. Tony loves being the guy that people want to come up and meet and touch and get an autograph. He loves everybody that comes up to him; he bends over backwards for these people, and it's because he truly enjoys it. "<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/630*359/twin1104oliva.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="182" src="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/630*359/twin1104oliva.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Again, anyone who has seen Oliva around the Twins in recent years knows it. Though the team has hardly been a bastion of good vibes, Oliva is often the greatest source of entertainment. He smiles. He beams. He radiates a love of the game that would insulate an ice fishing cabin in International Falls, and embodies a passion that those who fixate on questions about winning and losing too often forget.<br />
<br />
But the Murphy's won't forget that passion, because they can't forget one of the rare times Oliva was dispirited rather than optimistic: winter 2011, the last time Tony was up for election. Mike Murphy remembers the push to the ballot. Remembers they day of the announcement. Remembers how "exactly the way you think it would be in your head, [that] was the way it was. You know the clock ticking and nobody talking, then depression sets in.<br />
<br />
"And the weird thing was Tony wasn't depressed he didn't get into the Hall of Fame. He's at peace with it; he's fine. That part's not a big deal. I'm sure he wants it, but the fact that he isn't in there? He's okay with it.<br />
<br />
"The part that disappointed him and bothered him was that he felt that he let his fans down...This is 35-ish years after the last baseball game he played. He was disappointed not because he didn't make it, but because he let his fans down."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vintagecardtraders.org/virtual/64topps_giant/64topps_giant-44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.vintagecardtraders.org/virtual/64topps_giant/64topps_giant-44.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="192" /></a>So while others might shake their heads and moved on with their lives, the people behind Vote Tony O have taken up a three year campaign to push for Oliva's induction. They <a href="https://twitter.com/votetonyo">tweet</a>. They <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VoteTonyO">promote</a>. And they inundate the <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Postcards1.jpg">Hall</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_12Years.pdf">of</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Kirby_Puckett.pdf">Fame</a> with over <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Latino.pdf">14</a>,<a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_MyTonyOStory.pdf">0</a><a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Pitchers.pdf">0</a><a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Top6Awards.pdf">0</a> post cards highlighting Tony's achievements, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the game. According to Murphy, that has been the real drive of the group, focusing on "the character of the guy, the integrity of the guy, and re-shining some light. Hopefully we can pick up those last four votes and put him over."<br />
<br />
<br />
Four more votes, that's all Oliva needs. Twelve out of sixteen members of the veteran's committee. Former colleagues, executives and writers who know the game and its history, who should understand the effect that Oliva has had. And even though the votes belong to those men, and the honor of selection belongs to the players, the Murphy's know that the institution isn't just the property of the gatekeepers or the honorees. "It's a museum. It's a New York State museum. It's a public thing, and frankly as a baseball fan: it's <u>my</u> museum."<br />
<br />
And even if you dispute Oliva's credentials (<i>or refuse to consider him until after Gavvy Cravath gets his due</i>), the leaders of Vote Tony O believe it's important to speak your mind. "It's <u>our</u> museum," repeats Murphy. "If [fans] feel strongly about anybody on that list be it Gil Hodges or Jim Kaat, I think it's their responsibility to let [the Hall of Fame] know. Nobody is really right and nobody is really wrong. But what we know as a fact is that an awful, awful lot of people think that Tony Oliva should be in the Hall of Fame, and that's what we [want] to share with those 16 guys."<br />
<br />
So, <i>how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame</i>? Simple: do whatever we can.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://votetonyo.com/">Vote Tony O website</a> has a wealth of post cards that you can print and mail to the Hall of Fame (also <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Postcards1.jpg">linked</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Top6Awards.pdf">to</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_12Years.pdf">here</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Kirby_Puckett.pdf">for</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Latino.pdf">your</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_MyTonyOStory.pdf">clickable</a> <a href="http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Postcard_Pitchers.pdf">perusal</a>). The baskets of cards are dumped out in front of the committee members and makes for a rather effective image (as noted by former committee member Tommy Lasorda).<br />
<br />
So here's what you do<br />
1. Click on the links to find the post card you like.<br />
2. Print one (or preferably more) off.<br />
3. Add a personal memory.<br />
4. Address it to:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Baseball Hall of Fame</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Attn- Golden Era Committee</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
25 Main Street</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cooperstown NY 13326</div>
<br />
5. Attach a stamp to the card.<br />
6. Drop it in the mail.<br />
<br />
Whether you stood beside him at the Cuban sandwich station at Target Field, or held out a ball for an autograph at the Metrodome, or cheered with the Knothole Gang in the Old Met's bleachers on a Saturday afternoon, I think you'll agree that Tony Oliva is an integral part of what Minnesota baseball is.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/reu/d/2011%5C98%5C2011-04-08T182219Z_01_MIN04_RTRIDSP_0_BASEBALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/reu/d/2011%5C98%5C2011-04-08T182219Z_01_MIN04_RTRIDSP_0_BASEBALL.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank You, Tony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whether you appreciated his friendly demeanor, or his clutch performances, or his bad-ball hitting, or his mentorship, or his courage in simply being a man of color in minor league towns that kept him separate and unequal, I think you'll agree it's time to stand up and say "thank you" to Tony Oliva.<br />
<br />
<br />
Whether you want to recognize a player who never got his due, or acknowledge the role he played in cementing baseball as an international game, or just want him to savor the game's greatest honor before (like Ron Santo and Buck O'Neill) it's too late, I think you'll agree it's important to call on the Veterans Committee to "Vote Tony O".<br />
<br />
Do your part: click, print, sign, lick a stamp, and make yours the 14,001st plea for the Veteran's Committee to Vote Tony O.<br />
<br />
Well...14,002nd. I already sent mine.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-49070989195117086292014-10-28T19:57:00.000-07:002014-10-28T19:57:04.573-07:00The Great Twins Scotch Bet of 2014: ConclusionAfter our second year of watching and gambling on Twins baseball, we Peanuts from Heaven had our annual pay-off dinner/drinking fest at the St. Paul Grill, aligning perfectly with Game One of the World Series. And while Stinky bemoaned Alcides Escobar's lousy pitch selection (seriously, three pitches up by his eyes? I mean...who does he think he is, Delmon Young?), we also made time to talk about the team we actually care about.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the midst of the third...or maybe fifth...scotch, I started to think that there were, surprisingly, some similarities between the drinks I savored and the players who made it possible. High falutin'? Yes. Totally subjective? Sure. Overly generous to players who still managed to lose 90 games? You bet. But hey after this many scotches, it's hard not to get a little generous.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLVSoIjUvuJgyg9sJ84BxL3Km1S8F0c4_LTs-Hfb3e1fJs0VPTO_EL-Dnn1gbftx59R9hizUdFnFc-7Bn8Wkw2q59vwYMMI3CgqVVGnIBJRyudMSuQ3sLlz1J0Demlrr-hsmbcf8LZ4w/s1600/TwinScotch3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLVSoIjUvuJgyg9sJ84BxL3Km1S8F0c4_LTs-Hfb3e1fJs0VPTO_EL-Dnn1gbftx59R9hizUdFnFc-7Bn8Wkw2q59vwYMMI3CgqVVGnIBJRyudMSuQ3sLlz1J0Demlrr-hsmbcf8LZ4w/s1600/TwinScotch3.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Kyle Gibson = The Strathisla 12 Year</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Gibson struggled at the beginning of his career. Then, after showing some promising points to him, but he had a hard time finishing the job in later innings/months of the season. The Strathisla [pronounced, Strah-eel-ah] smells a little like minerals when you start, then tastes both sweet (like caramel) and potent (like pine), before finishing a little meekly.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLdfAwDdbIPS_y_7IjEvl-w-Naq2o8kxt-b8VaDE4jO9NEBHWpFomCmzOEFpxV0Zznunhv6PepVs26d4qTMGuM6rjk9BPPSHjVO9idqguwEDUmksieb_91yDpkHrEo7bPEIdEDi_xMTc/s1600/TwinScotch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLdfAwDdbIPS_y_7IjEvl-w-Naq2o8kxt-b8VaDE4jO9NEBHWpFomCmzOEFpxV0Zznunhv6PepVs26d4qTMGuM6rjk9BPPSHjVO9idqguwEDUmksieb_91yDpkHrEo7bPEIdEDi_xMTc/s1600/TwinScotch2.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>The Edradour 10 Year = Eduardo Escobar</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Edradour, or...Eduaradour, if you will, comes from the smallest distillery in Scotland, it's relatively under the radar, seemingly unimpressive and generally unknown. But those who know it, and like it are fiercely loyal. As if the backstory isn't convenient enough, there's the fact that the drink tastes like a mix of mild peppers and pulpy citrus...you know, like an occasionally defensively stylish, occasionally offensively potent short stop. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPEXedIzNF6a2I-yvIT451kW2iR3kUuq7KKvSPMzNpIr3z-vtg-M_gqD6oIOaMnHx5wFvSlMltvDi1qQKlUtcI_GCbB8LRob6a7l7DnyrmyRkwi5N3x7EPY5_LGHB9JzMSnGBhc2qOcw/s1600/TwinScotch4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPEXedIzNF6a2I-yvIT451kW2iR3kUuq7KKvSPMzNpIr3z-vtg-M_gqD6oIOaMnHx5wFvSlMltvDi1qQKlUtcI_GCbB8LRob6a7l7DnyrmyRkwi5N3x7EPY5_LGHB9JzMSnGBhc2qOcw/s1600/TwinScotch4.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Brian Dozier = the Glenmorangie 18 year</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Obviously, Brian Dozier is the team's current Dream Boat. A total sweetheart of a guy who, has a bevy of fans, like Glenmorangie (outsold only by the big guns of Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenfidditch and Balvenie). The 18 year old variety is just as sweet as Dozier's looks, with wheaty/grain like notes that bring to mind the amber waves of his hair, before finishing with a little woody kick (kind of like Dozier's home run pop).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-s-gXRtnZKZ4yzkUP_FL1GQS97Y6C19qnXoS6c7lCtVEJztnoEaqeYbokYCM1TWneibA675mIWCy2z4SEPS33djUeA_tTWBxD4SbZ-D5-TKmA9Z63tSIlBlQER1m1X536HkRUb22gAI/s1600/TwinScotch5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-s-gXRtnZKZ4yzkUP_FL1GQS97Y6C19qnXoS6c7lCtVEJztnoEaqeYbokYCM1TWneibA675mIWCy2z4SEPS33djUeA_tTWBxD4SbZ-D5-TKmA9Z63tSIlBlQER1m1X536HkRUb22gAI/s1600/TwinScotch5.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>The Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban = Glen Perkins</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Speaking of the Glenmorangie, the Quinta Ruban's my personal favorite, not unlike Glen Perkins himself. There's spices and orange-y sweetness for a full-bodied dram that finishes nicely. Perkins himself obviously finishes nicely, is "full bodied" to put it politely, and as his twitter-feed and rapport with his running wife suggests has a fine mix of spice and sweet.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDH2EOYH4ao1PtpSMWSus94s3jhIwBOSPFw48PzM6PQ1PZMS0_Hh-gq31JIkwXEHszZwerOnUwQH25TNztuWadxKv3nHA2NuwbqftHFqVfNh62a5UD148V3TwbPSVPFLyezoC1joF624/s1600/TwinScotch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDH2EOYH4ao1PtpSMWSus94s3jhIwBOSPFw48PzM6PQ1PZMS0_Hh-gq31JIkwXEHszZwerOnUwQH25TNztuWadxKv3nHA2NuwbqftHFqVfNh62a5UD148V3TwbPSVPFLyezoC1joF624/s1600/TwinScotch1.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Phil Hughes = The Balvenie 21 Year Portwood</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Balvenies are slightly more obvious in the global market (not unlike Phil Hughes former team, the Yankees). But even among Balvenies (or Ex-Balvenies as the case may be) a 21 year old scotch is a rare thing, much smaller in volume than most of the 3-8 year old scotches that dominate the market...this doesn't come along very often. And when you finish the drink in a special port barrel, it adds layer upon layer of complexity. I didn't know much about Phil Hughes when he was signed, I don't know a tonnage about him now, but I do know that his season this year was a special one, and without it, I wouldn't have had this Scotch. So for that Phil Hughes I give you a special toast. Slainte.</div>
</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4907062220468046246.post-79699108166219175322014-10-21T16:55:00.000-07:002014-10-21T16:55:00.021-07:00Laughing through the Pain: Hitters & AARP<i>A year ago I offered an alternative statistic for measuring player worth--not in wins/losses, but in the far more useful field of entertaining the fan base: Amusement Above Replacement Player (<a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-2013-twins-by-only-stat-that_21.html">AARP</a>) for short. The statistic is measured in five key categories on a scale of -2 to +2, </i><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Play </i></li>
<li><i>Nickname:</i></li>
<li><i>Physical Traits: </i></li>
<li><i>Personality/Demeanor:</i></li>
<li><i>Oddities: </i></li>
</ul>
<i>When added up, these statistics gives us a total AARP somewhere between -10 and +10. </i><br />
<br />
Last year, <a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-2013-twins-by-only-stat-that_23.html">the AARP statistic revealed </a>that while the Twins <i>could</i> hit, they couldn't really inspire much to interest the general public. Beyond Joe Mauer there just weren't many other people of note, Brian Dozier's break out season aside. A year older and wiser, it's worth wondering who if anyone has been able to grab attention and interest of the masses.<br />
<br />
Again regular statistics don't always do it justice, but there's reason for optimism for Twins fans, especially when it comes to the offensive side of the ball.<br />
<br />
<b>Josmil Pinto</b>--Last year's promising start was tempered by the fact he neither got regular playing time, nor did he get to stay with the team all year. But on the plus side, I'm now convinced that "Josmi-and-the-Pussycats" is going to be the next great Saturday Morning Cartoon.<br />
<b>AARP: 1.6 (Up +0.6 from last year)</b><br />
<br />
<b>Eduardo Nunez</b>--Having been saved from the Yankees, Nunez has a little redemption/comeback story about him, but is never as interesting, curious or good as other players <b>AARP: 0.2 </b><br />
<br />
<b>Chris Colabello</b>--The plucky, scrappy narrative story line remains a fan favorite and even though he will likely never get better than the one magical month that one magical month makes him special. <b>AARP: 0.9 </b><br />
<br />
<b>Aaron Hicks</b>--It seems like there are two camps on Aaron Hicks, those who will never forgive him for disappointing them the first time, and those who will need at least two seasons of great play before they learn to love again <b>AARP: 0.6</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Kennys Vargas</b>--The big bopping Rookie who actually has more than a single month under his belt, Vargas is definitely encouraging irrational optimism with his Ortiz-esque appearance, Ortiz-esque interview style and Ortiz-esque moon shots. Even his nascent nickname's ("Li'l Papi", "Bam-Bam", etc) are winners. <b>AARP: 3.4</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianAFZf4-LXILNgYdRJNYqgxz5MXGvszxaykxgUTFeJWoSsV1sb4awuAwGRbK9Dpf765LXq6PakbIJygZPzM3t_87JpkYlwftkYgR6kd8Zg-3TBWrfwsVwk0tIBowlUXGxllZ0uqZ7rXA/s1600/ChrisParm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianAFZf4-LXILNgYdRJNYqgxz5MXGvszxaykxgUTFeJWoSsV1sb4awuAwGRbK9Dpf765LXq6PakbIJygZPzM3t_87JpkYlwftkYgR6kd8Zg-3TBWrfwsVwk0tIBowlUXGxllZ0uqZ7rXA/s1600/ChrisParm.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><b><br /></b>
<b>Chris Parmelee</b>--Parmelee is the forlorn example of where the Twins were for so many years: neither amazingly talented nor totally without promise and featuring nearly no personality at all. <b>AARP: 0.3 (Same as last year)</b><br />
<br />
<div>
<b>Oswaldo Arcia</b>--"Ar-see-ya" (or "Waldo" as I prefer to call him) keeps earning loyalists. The streaky power he has flashed for two years promises to make Target Field's faithful stand up and cheer every time he crushes one when it counts (seeing his standing-o back in May was proof of that), and the unpredictabilty of his mohawk has entrenched him as a local landmark. <b>AARP: 3.1 (Up +1.6 from last year--gains in playing (though not defensively), nicknames, and physical appearance)</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Danny Santana</b>--I sadly left behind my cable subscription right around the time Danny Santana became a fixture in the Twins line-ups but I have remained consistently impressed by his positivity and energy despite being consistently played out of position by Twins management. Whether or not he ever gets a chance at shortstop "Dan-San" or "Dan-the-Man" has a sizable leash from Twins fans. <b>AARP: 2.3</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Eduardo Escobar</b>--Brad Swanson began the Eddie 500 campaign in the spring and I was happy to join in the fun, little did we know that we were witnessing something even better: the emergence of "Nick Punto 2.0". For both that nickname and his play, I salute you Eduardo Escobar! <b>AARP: 2.5</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8cfRw6-Jy8GcuRsTEGervqBjm-XoDjtKFKuenVcgV46_ofaFEkyB6mp_Mn4i9HoF6PWPwSgmk-bFCo-U-aoc_XPiA86EiaqDq9mRYle4wO-oESwQubDLVhvc7yF1iWdH7UCFdKhX9xA/s1600/PlouffePants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8cfRw6-Jy8GcuRsTEGervqBjm-XoDjtKFKuenVcgV46_ofaFEkyB6mp_Mn4i9HoF6PWPwSgmk-bFCo-U-aoc_XPiA86EiaqDq9mRYle4wO-oESwQubDLVhvc7yF1iWdH7UCFdKhX9xA/s1600/PlouffePants.jpg" height="200" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gratuitous Plouffe Bash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Kurt Suzuki</b>--The man who was supposed to be a back-up, then a place holder for Josmil Pinto, just never went away. Between the clutch hitting, the positive community involvement, the unique Hawaiian background, and--now--the long-term contract, Suzuki's lovable, but perhaps a little early in his peak. <b>AARP: 2.9</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Joe Mauer</b>--The Chairman (all praises to his name) continues to be mildly amusing to those of us who know him best, but right now it looks like he's trying to keep up on the field and has slipped below the level of nationally recognized superstar. <b>AARP: 4.8 (Down -0.4 in field performance)</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Trevor Plouffe</b>--The joy of shouting "Trevor!" in my best Neville Longbottom impression has risen dramatically this year, and the head smacking stupidity of his play at third base has decreased. Combine those two factors and you have a far more <b>AARP: 1.8 (Up +1.4 thanks to on-field performance and wider variety of nicknames)</b><br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEvR_oGlLuENX4tW102fIqpAvxcCFl0FJMHFCLXH-TXfQ-2daUXnQ-AE_9UC3Z4IM6I56qNBiESFKEAnxkuaANqYTL1X4O_h1lPsvv8U6e6R7-d1lozBwN9fMzP8ali4G0CPSnBIzwog/s1600/BrianDozer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEvR_oGlLuENX4tW102fIqpAvxcCFl0FJMHFCLXH-TXfQ-2daUXnQ-AE_9UC3Z4IM6I56qNBiESFKEAnxkuaANqYTL1X4O_h1lPsvv8U6e6R7-d1lozBwN9fMzP8ali4G0CPSnBIzwog/s1600/BrianDozer.jpg" height="200" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah Diamondcentric<br />did it better</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Brian Dozier</b>--The biggest surprise of last year continued his flair for great hitting, highlight-reel-fielding, impressive hair, and a true good-ol-boy southern charm. He's not the face of the franchise like Mauer is, but he is a tremendous asset and widely appreciated both on the field and in the community. <b>AARP: 4.2 (Up +0.5 with wider appreciation of nickname, and off field personality)</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
Last year's break down of the offense showed one elite player (AARP Greater than 5.0, Mauer) and one local favorite (AARP Between 2.0 and 4.9, Dozier). This year while Mauer's not a nationally elite name any more, the core of the team seems solidly in place. With Santana, Escobar, Suzuki, Arcia, Vargas, Dozier, Mauer (<a href="http://heavenlypeanuts.blogspot.com/2014/10/laughing-through-pain-another-way-to.html">plus Glen Perkins and Phil Hughes on the mound</a>) creating a rather likable, if not world-beating core of the team, the Twins have much larger set of players who fans can form an attachment to. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course many other writers will point out the folly in forming an attachment to players whose greatest value is on the trade market, but hey, if you wanted genuine analysis of player value, you wouldn't be reading this article about a totally made up and arbitrary statistic.<br />
<br />
If you'd be interested in more "shouting", "yelling", "making things up" then I eagerly encourage you to post in comments or suggest other directions for the postings.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0