pogofan

I was thinking along similar lines: where is it written that the salary has to rise each year during a contract?

I won't invite ridicule from the far more knowledgeable (and analytical) fans here by suggesting that Nick Punto belongs on the list, but I will never forget the comment by Ken Harrelson (a first-ballot inductee if they ever open a Most Annoying Broadcasters wing in Cooperstown) in the final game of a series in which Punto had been killing the White Sox with one stellar play after another: "Man, we've gotta stop hitting 'em to that guy."

Nothing on that list justifies Hosner's presence among the finalists. I'd call his inclusion over Mauer's an outrageous snub.

John, I've enjoyed your writing for years. You are the primary reason I'm subscribed to Twins Daily, and it's been a great disappointment that you've mostly given up writing for podcasting (that's still pretty much true, isn't it?). I'm sure the 'casts are informative and entertaining, but I don't have an hour a week to listen to them. So I was delighted to see your name on an article again---then surprised to find myself disagreeing with it. Souhan manifestly did NOT proclaim a Cult of Access, since he pointed out that team broadcasters have a lot of access but will only say what they're allowed to say by the team. From some of your responses to other people's comments, it seems that 1) you didn't like the way Souhan wrote his original piece on Sano's weight because he didn't identify his sources clearly enough, and 2) you think Souhan (and perhaps other traditional media writers?) "violates ... accountability on a semi-regular basis." Neither of those points was apparent to me in your article. I suspect that there's a much more interesting and thoughtful piece lurking somewhere behind the one you wrote. I hope I'll get the chance to read that one some day.

An ignorant question from a non-athlete (and a Maryland resident who sees MLB highlight clips but not whole games): if arm strength is Polanco's (main?) liability at SS, is there any possibility of him building it up?

Dozier was the "overwhelming" choice when he got 13 points to Nunez's 8, and wasn't even on two of the seven ballots??

I'm guessing that the reason McNamara didn't pick Roger Clemens is the timing of the Red Sox's rotation. Clemens pitched on Saturday the 11th (9 innings, as it happened, though of course McNamara didn't know that when rosters were announced on the 9th) and then again on Thursday the 16th. In contrast, Hurst's starts before and after were Thursday the 9th and Saturday the 18th. Viola also pitched on Saturday the 11th; maybe Kelly asked McNamara not to use him? Or McNamara just looked at the schedule and saw that Viola's turn was coming up on the 11th and figured he wouldn't be fresh for the ASG?

Actually, 0.65 is a 62.5% increase from 0.4 . (I assume I don't need to apologize to baseball geeks for being a math nerd. ;-) )

"...who has spent his entire career pitching well in high-leverage situations, the last few weeks notwithstanding." The folks here in the Washington area would beg to differ. In the deciding game 5 of the 2012 NLDS, Storen entered the 9th with a 7-5 lead (at home); three hits and two walks later, the Cardinals had scored 4 runs (all with two outs, down to their last strike on 5 different pitches). In game 2 of the 2014 NLDS, Storen entered with two outs in the 9th and a runner on first, gave up a single and a double that tied the game, and the Nats went on to lose in 18 innings. Last Tuesday, in a must-win game to get back within 4 of the Mets, with a 7-1 lead in the seventh inning, Storen completed a 6-run bullpen meltdown that tied the game. (The Mets' winning run came on a homer surrendered by closer Papelbon in the 8th.) Again, all the runs scored with two outs. Storen entered with the bases loaded and the score 7-3, thanks to two previous singles and three (!) walks; he started off with the bases-clearing double to Cespedes that brought the score to 7-6, then yielded three MORE walks (with a wild pitch mixed in) to score Cespedes and tie the game. After that disaster, I'm not surprised he lost his temper and ended up breaking his thumb. That game was probably the most devastating baseball loss I have ever watched. I'm not saying Storen's a bad guy or even a bad pitcher; for all I know, a change of scene might be all he needs to be the second coming of Mariano Rivera. But no way in hell can he be described as someone who has spent his career pitching well in high-leverage situations---at least not those with the highest stakes.

I don’t know that there is a lesson to be learned here. There absolutely is a lesson to be learned here, John, though as a non-listener to your podcasts (who has time?), I can only take your word for it that it applies to you. The lesson is, "Seek first to understand, and then to be understood," or in other words, "Really take the time to listen before you talk." Our country would be far better off if all our discussions about politics and public issues followed that guidance! Whether you and Aaron follow it isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, of course, but if you want to strike one little blow for better dialogue in American society, I recommend keeping sentences like "I'm not sure I followed that; can you run it by me again?" close at hand. Thanks for another of your always-thoughtful posts.