(twins' board) very funny, and appropriate

[caulfield12]

From "Print your playoff tickets" to "This team can't do anything right"...

...we've come a long ways in four days. It's hilarious to see the polarity within these comment boards on a daily basis. After the first two games there were parade routes being planned, Wheaties boxes being printed, and new banners being hung aloft the glorious teflon of the Dome...And now after the last two, people are burning relievers in effigy, rioting and pillaging the front office, and replaying their 87' and 91' Series VHS cassettes over and over in solitude hoping to forget all they have witnessed this past Saturday and Sunday. This is late season baseball folks and there's certain to be more drama from here on out so take the good and the bad with a sense of rationality and enjoy the ride."

 

 

1) Twins' fans hate their bullpen (particularly Bonser, Bass, Crain and Guerrier) now more than we do...with Logan, Dotel, etc.

 

2) As much as we were aggravated with Torii Hunter and Jason Bartlett this week, Twins fans are more aggravated with AJ (Arrogant Jerk) Pierzynski

 

3) Some Twins' actually think/believe/argue that our bullpen is better than theirs

 

4) As much as KW is under fire here...Bill Smith is more under fire for BS (Blowing Smoke) and not doing anything to improve the Twins' bullpen or add another middle-of-the-order bat.

 

5) They really have divided opinions on Punto, D. Young and Carlos Gomez.

 

6) A minority of Twins' fans consider there to be a league-wide bias (at MLB HQ, Madison Avenue, ESPN and in the umpires' rooms) to prevent the Twins from getting to the playoffs for the 5th time in 7 years

 

7) They spend about 80-90% of the time discussing 7th and 8th inning set-up/bullpen issues, just like we do now

Edited August 25, 2008 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ap8K...o&type=lgns

 

Great article. Maybe this is as close as we get to the Twins' version of "Moneyball."

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/stats/byteam?c...08&sort=816

 

Twins are 30+ walks fewer than the rest of MLB. Actually, the White Sox aren't so bad, either. We're 4th in the majors, 49 behind Minnesota (0.4, less than half a walk per game difference).

 

Top Sox minor leaguers in the BB/9 IP category

 

1. Richard, Clayton (0.82 AAA/1.72 AA)

2. Poreda, Aaron (2.31 AA/2.21 A)

3. Egbert, Jack (2.51)

4. Torres (2.58)

5. Harrell (2.59)

6. Broadway (2.73)

7. Whisler (2.74)

8. Cassel (2.89)

9. McCulloch (3.55)

10. Haeger (4.13)

 

Kannapolis starters...

Anthony Carter, 1.61

Shirek, 1.89

Maxwell, 2.12

Edited August 25, 2008 by caulfield12

[RME JICO]

I am sure most fans have very similar sentiments towards their teams when they are winning or losing.

 

Winning = Optimists declare a World Series Championship, hand out MVP/ROY awards, etc.

 

Losing = Pessimists say I told ya so, see we really do suck, fire the manager, release all players in slumps. BLOW.THIS.TEAM.UP

[Felix]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ap8K...o&type=lgns

None of their starting pitchers – Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins and Francisco Liriano, all homegrown, none older than 26 – has more than 31 walks.

He has 23 walks in 7 starts (34 innings). Probably not the best example there.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Felix

[RME JICO]

With 5 very young pitchers, it is hard not to believe that 1 or 2 of them will start to drop off performance-wise this late in the season. It is just the nature of the game. It happened to Danks last year, and the Sox were not even in the race.

[caulfield12]

He has 23 walks in 7 starts (34 innings). Probably not the best example there.

 

 

He's given up only 10 in the last 23.6 IP. He had 13 walks in his first 10, when he wasn't ready coming off surgery.

 

The guy has won 14 games in a row between Rochester and the majors. And that's only with a 89-92 MPH fastball and low 80's slider, compared to his mid-90's fastball and upper 80's, low 90's slider two seasons ago.

 

 

[caulfield12]

With 5 very young pitchers, it is hard not to believe that 1 or 2 of them will start to drop off performance-wise this late in the season. It is just the nature of the game. It happened to Danks last year, and the Sox were not even in the race.

 

 

I know Danks wasn't really known as a power pitcher last year...although he's raised his velocity this year a bit.

 

Danks I guess is most similar to Perkins, who came off an injury/DL appearance in the last couple of seasons and hasn't been consistently pitching 175-200 IP (or close) over the last 3 seasons.

 

Baker and Slowey are very solid, and the Maddux comparisons are starting to become more relevant for Slowey with each start.

 

If there's a concern, it's with Blackburn/Perkins and then Liriano, because you never know what will happen to that elbow. He's going for 15 in a row today.

[WilliamTell]

I don't and will never understand why Twins fans of all people hate Pierzynski. Being from Twins Territory, I always call out Twins fans when someone makes a remark about AJ. (Granted I never thought I'd back up AJ, but still.) I always mention that AJ got them Liriano, Nathan, and Bonser because they were making room for Mauer. I just think it's idiotic that a lot of Twins fans hate him when he helped them win a lot of games, plus helped them get one of the most lop sided trades ever.

[greg775]

Interesting. I'd think Twins fans would shut up and thank their lucky stars every day they are where they are cause of a scrappy team and great manager. How the hell they are doing this year in and out is beyond me. Their payroll is low. They should be happy every single day.

 

That said, I'm damn glad the Angels beat them the last 2 days. Finally. And it took some scrapping by Anaheim to win yesterday.

[JoeBatterz]

I am sure most fans have very similar sentiments towards their teams when they are winning or losing.

 

Winning = Optimists declare a World Series Championship, hand out MVP/ROY awards, etc.

 

Losing = Pessimists say I told ya so, see we really do suck, fire the manager, release all players in slumps. BLOW.THIS.TEAM.UP

 

It's refreshing to see other teams have this attitude at times.

 

While its the wrong sport, in Nashville, most fans of the Titans and VY always look at the world with rose colored glasses and think that their team can never do wrong.

 

Glad to see the Twins fans are invested so much in their team that they seem bi-polar like us Sox fans do at times.

[witesoxfan]

I know Danks wasn't really known as a power pitcher last year...although he's raised his velocity this year a bit.

 

Danks I guess is most similar to Perkins, who came off an injury/DL appearance in the last couple of seasons and hasn't been consistently pitching 175-200 IP (or close) over the last 3 seasons.

 

Baker and Slowey are very solid, and the Maddux comparisons are starting to become more relevant for Slowey with each start.

 

If there's a concern, it's with Blackburn/Perkins and then Liriano, because you never know what will happen to that elbow. He's going for 15 in a row today.

 

never in my wildest dreams would I ever compare Perkins and Danks. Not even last year. Perkins has a pretty solid fastball and that's about it. He gets by with location and junk. Danks is a power pitcher, and while I feared what would become of him this year, he has proven me wrong and is a fantastic pitcher. A very good fastball, changeup, curve, and cutter...I'd say that Danks is more comparable to Liriano than he is Perkins (whereas Buehrle is more comparable to Perkins than he is Liriano).

[EvilMonkey]

I don't and will never understand why Twins fans of all people hate Pierzynski. Being from Twins Territory, I always call out Twins fans when someone makes a remark about AJ. (Granted I never thought I'd back up AJ, but still.) I always mention that AJ got them Liriano, Nathan, and Bonser because they were making room for Mauer. I just think it's idiotic that a lot of Twins fans hate him when he helped them win a lot of games, plus helped them get one of the most lop sided trades ever.

I never understood that either. It's not like they made him a contract offer and he told them go f*ck off, he was traded, and netted them a fortune!

[ptatc]

I don't and will never understand why Twins fans of all people hate Pierzynski. Being from Twins Territory, I always call out Twins fans when someone makes a remark about AJ. (Granted I never thought I'd back up AJ, but still.) I always mention that AJ got them Liriano, Nathan, and Bonser because they were making room for Mauer. I just think it's idiotic that a lot of Twins fans hate him when he helped them win a lot of games, plus helped them get one of the most lop sided trades ever.

 

They probably met him.

 

[caulfield12]

never in my wildest dreams would I ever compare Perkins and Danks. Not even last year. Perkins has a pretty solid fastball and that's about it. He gets by with location and junk. Danks is a power pitcher, and while I feared what would become of him this year, he has proven me wrong and is a fantastic pitcher. A very good fastball, changeup, curve, and cutter...I'd say that Danks is more comparable to Liriano than he is Perkins (whereas Buehrle is more comparable to Perkins than he is Liriano).

 

When I saw Danks last year, he was throwing 88-91 and wasn't missing many bats.

 

I guess time will tell who he ends up being more like...Perkins has to have something going for him, I think he still has an ERA right at or just below 4.

 

Liriano's not Liriano anymore. I don't think he will ever be able to throw that devastating slider that was the second most effective pitch in baseball to Mariano Rivera's cutter when he was in his prime.

[Felix]

He's given up only 10 in the last 23.6 IP. He had 13 walks in his first 10, when he wasn't ready coming off surgery.

 

The guy has won 14 games in a row between Rochester and the majors. And that's only with a 89-92 MPH fastball and low 80's slider, compared to his mid-90's fastball and upper 80's, low 90's slider two seasons ago.

I wasn't meaning to bash Liriano. However, he has had control problems this year and isn't the best example for the author to use considering how little time he's spent in the majors this year.

[witesoxfan]

When I saw Danks last year, he was throwing 88-91 and wasn't missing many bats.

 

I guess time will tell who he ends up being more like...Perkins has to have something going for him, I think he still has an ERA right at or just below 4.

 

Liriano's not Liriano anymore. I don't think he will ever be able to throw that devastating slider that was the second most effective pitch in baseball to Mariano Rivera's cutter when he was in his prime.

 

When I saw Danks last year, I saw a really raw pitcher who had good stuff, but I didn't have the confidence that he could become a very good pitcher; I saw Jeriome Robertson in him. Glad I was wrong. When I see Perkins, I see mini-Buehrle; allows a lot of hits, has relatively good control, doesn't strike many guys out, but knows how to pitch and to get guys out. I see it in his stuff too.

 

Also, while Liriano's slider was good, it had nothing on a Pedro Martinez changeup. Pedro would destroy anybody with that pitch.

[Marky Mark]

The twins fanbase is very very very small. It is a much bigger Vickings town in the TC than Twins. I wouldn't expect much out of them in terms of realistic knowledge.

[TheBigHurt]

I love how the Sox win 5/6 from two s*** teams like OAK and SEA and everyone gets all giddy, then we lose to a great team like TB and people are pissed. I don't get it.

[TLAK]

They probably met him.

[JohnCangelosi]

With 5 very young pitchers, it is hard not to believe that 1 or 2 of them will start to drop off performance-wise this late in the season. It is just the nature of the game. It happened to Danks last year, and the Sox were not even in the race.

Yes, I agree....but WHEN is it going to happen!?!?!?!?! We've only got a month left!

[stretchstretch]

With 5 very young pitchers, it is hard not to believe that 1 or 2 of them will start to drop off performance-wise this late in the season. It is just the nature of the game. It happened to Danks last year, and the Sox were not even in the race.

 

 

they always have young pitchers, and usually make the playoffs anyway. This is the foundation of their club, young talent (= less injury) that relies upon a huge winning % at home (through a hitting style tailored to the dome) to counter road losses, then exits first round of the playoffs when their young team has to play on the road under the kind of pressure they've never seen, and in the process taking away the chance for a team like the Sox with guys who've been their before to use that as an advantage to win in a place like Boston or Anaheim.....sucks but true, see 2003, 2004, 2006

[stretchstretch]

Interesting. I'd think Twins fans would shut up and thank their lucky stars every day they are where they are cause of a scrappy team and great manager. How the hell they are doing this year in and out is beyond me. Their payroll is low. They should be happy every single day.

 

That said, I'm damn glad the Angels beat them the last 2 days. Finally. And it took some scrapping by Anaheim to win yesterday.

 

 

I truly believe once they leave that dome, they become just another low budget team trying to compete. W/o the ability to tailor their offense to a unique park, they'll be forced to play the same game as other teams and slap hits will not be able to help their young pitchers rack up huge home numbers. I would almost guarantee we're seeing the last of the twins threat this season. Put them in a place like the cell and their offense becomes half as effective......in a year like this one, I'd count them for 6-7 fewer wins than they have right now.....imagine us having a 7 game lead right now???

[oralsoxpodcast]

But I would think their building their new park in much the same manner. I think the majority of Twins fanbase exists in the visitor's broadcast booths.

[greg775]

In a perfect world, we pull away from them and for good measure win 2 of 3 in that huge series in the Twinkiedome. I'd hate to not win the division in a year Cleveland and Detroit tanked.

[caulfield12]

I truly believe once they leave that dome, they become just another low budget team trying to compete. W/o the ability to tailor their offense to a unique park, they'll be forced to play the same game as other teams and slap hits will not be able to help their young pitchers rack up huge home numbers. I would almost guarantee we're seeing the last of the twins threat this season. Put them in a place like the cell and their offense becomes half as effective......in a year like this one, I'd count them for 6-7 fewer wins than they have right now.....imagine us having a 7 game lead right now???

 

 

1) I think they will tailor their park to their left-handed power, Mauer/Morneau/Kubel/Young.

 

2) There's no reason to believe they won't be extremely competitive the next 3-5 seasons. As long as they keep their foundation (Liriano, Nathan, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel/Cuddyer, Span/Gomez) together, then they should be set.

 

3) There will be a tremendous amount of pressure on the Pohlad family to spend a little more money and support the GM as they move into a new stadium. They managed to survive losses like Radke, David Ortiz, AJ, Hunter and Santana, there's no reason to think they will be any less competitive, because their "system" won't change in the least. Speed. Fundamentals/execution. Team Concept. Defense. Strong pitching.

 

4) They will start play there beginning in 2010. As long as they're in the Dome, they're incredibly formidable. (See 1987/91)