MWLFan

So this could be the last year of the Twins in Beloit. If true where do you think the Twins should go? You could stick with the already in place MWL teams or think a bit out of the Box. Now it has to be able to work into a current low A league and make sense. Rapid City or Fargo will not work for travel reasons in the Midwest League, even though at least Fargo has a nicer stadium the one currently in Beloit. My choice would be Cedar Rapids if they move from Beloit. (Quad Cities would be great again, but they are not giving up the Cardinals.) Jim Crikket I think I know your view on this. Now if you decide to think out of the box, like say Madison or Eau Claire or Waterloo or Dubuque can you give a few reasons why it should happen and what could make it happen? (I have wondered for a awhile how long a franchise could stay in Beloit with their facilities and attendance. The MWL may need a more dynamic city if you will.) My wild ass thought is the Wisconsin Dells. April and May attendance might be a problem, but honestly it would be on par with Beloit currently, and they would need a Stadium but so does Beloit, but June, July and August could be wild with Twins fans vacationing there. Just a nutty thought. Talk amongst yourselves.

So this could be the last year of the Twins in Beloit. If true where do you think the Twins should go? You could stick with the already in place MWL teams or think a bit out of the Box. Now it has to be able to work into a current low A league and make sense. Rapid City or Fargo will not work for travel reasons in the Midwest League, even though at least Fargo has a nicer stadium the one currently in Beloit. My choice would be Cedar Rapids if they move from Beloit. (Quad Cities would be great again, but they are not giving up the Cardinals.) Jim Crikket I think I know your view on this. Now if you decide to think out of the box, like say Madison or Eau Claire or Waterloo or Dubuque can you give a few reasons why it should happen and what could make it happen? (I have wondered for a awhile how long a franchise could stay in Beloit with their facilities and attendance. The MWL may need a more dynamic city if you will.) My wild ass thought is the Wisconsin Dells. April and May attendance might be a problem, but honestly it would be on par with Beloit currently, and they would need a Stadium but so does Beloit, but June, July and August could be wild with Twins fans vacationing there. Just a nutty thought. Talk amongst yourselves.

I guess it depends on your expectations. Yours are higher then mine it sounds like. The statement speaks to a prolonged period of success being defined be a winning record, playoff appearances and just plain old relavancy. I am not looking at Competion. That means little in this comparison.. I understand that is a sticking point for you but I could then argue that the Twins World Series wins were less then stellar due to the level of competition they faced in the Series, the Cardinals were a good team but banged up and missing key people and the Braves were also not the percieved best team in the National League. Now the Twins did have to beat a pretty good Tigers Team in 87 and a decent Blue Jays team in 91, but the 87 team did benefit from playing in the Western Division which did not have the best teams in the league. Arguements like this can go on and I don't have time or energy to put into taking them to their ultimate conclusion. My point was in terms of overall wins, playoff appearances the Twins in years 2002 to 2010 had a string of success only equaled or surpassed by the Viking Teams of the late 1960's and 1970's. The 1964 to 1973 Twins were probably a better if I broke it down and less chances for Playoff appearances. But like the Twins of this era they too had their boogieman, only it was the Orioles and not the Yankees. Did the North Stars have such a period, no. Like the late 80's and early 90's Twins they had some excellent teams for shorter periods, could not sustain. The Timberwolves? Wild? Gopher football? How far do we go down the food chain here? Gopher Hockey and the Lynx? I will also say why the level of competition thing is not important to me. In 15 to 20 years I hope I will not dwell on the fact that this team didn't beat the Yankees, that Koskies ball doesn't jump into the stands, that one umpire makes the correct call on a "Fair" ball down the line. I did that in my 20's and 30's with the Vikings. (Drew Pearson did push off by the way.) It is a waste of emotion and just negative energy. I want to remember that magical run when the Twins overtook the Tigers, now you can say the Tigers collapsed and they did but I don't care as that is a Tigers fan issue and not mine, I want to soak in the excitement of game 163 against the Tigers and watch Go-Go run. The memories I will carry will be Joe Mauer on one of his hot streaks htting the crap out of everything, Santana looking unhittable with 2 and what should have been 3 Cy Young years, young Frankie dueling Roger Clemens, Joe Nathan and his horse blow racking up saves, Morneau's sheer power and the one year of Thome. That this was not done against the Yankees of 1927 or the Gashouse Gang or Big red Machine doesn't make a difference to me. It was still fun and enjoyable. That doesn't mean I don't get disappointed when something stupid happens, Ramos for Capps really or say BJ Garbe. It also does not mean I want them to suck this bad, it is annoying to be this awful. But I won't get worked up as it is only a baseball game played by millionaires for the enrichment of billionaires and has no real bearing on my daily life. Many times I get the feeling in reading the pages that too many people get all frothy about something Gardy did or didn't do, or Mauers lack of power or whatever. I don't, this is entertainment like a movie or American Idol. I used to get worked up about my cars too, but I now realize that all a car is is transportation. It isnot a extension of myself, just like the Twins are not really a part of my being. Just my outlook. If you choose to get all into the parts about level competiton, dive into the stats, live in the clubhouse intrigue and focus on how they just are not a high caliber team and they don't measure up to the Yankees or the Red Sox, I respect that. If that is where you enjoy baseball, have at it and I hope it makes you happy, truely I do. It doesn't work for me. I have enough S*#t in my life. I love minor league and town ball because it is simple and not full of all the BS surrounding the major leagues, it is baseball at it's best in many ways. I know watching the Snappers or E-Twins pales in comparision to the skill of the majors, but man it is just fun. Reminds me of how it was when I played with my friends 25 years ago. I am trying not to go all Field of Dreams here, and my rant is long ...my bad.

Friedman is a good choice I think. Solid cred. Has been in a top flight org for years now. Stuck in a awful place with a good team. He might actually look for a way out. I would think a bigger market then Minnesota would come calling before then and maybe even after he would arrive on the shores of the big muddy however, he would go all Andy MacPhail on us. Not sure about full control, that tends not to work in other sports. Football and basketball coaches with"full" control are a issue sooner or later. (See Green, Denny.) Nice call nicksaviking.

You bring up a good point. I don't know if MLB clubs use executive search firms. Most MLB Teams are owned by strong minded men who probably believe they know better then anyone else unlike colleges and universities that are more layered in their structure and have multiple levels of signing off.I don't think I ever have heard of a club using a outside group to help, sure it must happen sometimes and at some level. But you look at guys who own baseball teams and there are not a lot of delagators in that group, with the possible exception of the Minnesota Twins. I will need to pay closer attention next GM opening this October or November.

How would Gleeman see a minor league afflilate? Unless the Twins place all their affliates in St. Louis Park, Richfield, Bloomington and maybe Robbinsdale. Spring training would be a bitch in Apple Valley and that is across the river, not sure he would travel lthat far.

Not trying to be too snarky here. Just wondering who people think would be a good replacement for TR? I honestly have no idea on who would be better if anyone. I just read all the comments about how bad he is and thought that many people would have a plan around that. (The anyone would be better line is a lame retort. You could have used that for most of the Twins pitching staff, but someone has to take the ball and pitch. I can say Sam Denudo is awful, but who do I say takes his place. Clayton Kershaw or Liam Hendricks. There is where the comments hit the fan.) So who would be your Dream Date General manager for the Minnesota Twins to replace that old balding guy. (The guy from twilight is kind of dreamy, wonder if he knows what pitch to contact means...ummm.)

Not trying to be too snarky here. Just wondering who people think would be a good replacement for TR? I honestly have no idea on who would be better if anyone. I just read all the comments about how bad he is and thought that many people would have a plan around that. (The anyone would be better line is a lame retort. You could have used that for most of the Twins pitching staff, but someone has to take the ball and pitch. I can say Sam Denudo is awful, but who do I say takes his place. Clayton Kershaw or Liam Hendricks. There is where the comments hit the fan.) So who would be your Dream Date General manager for the Minnesota Twins to replace that old balding guy. (The guy from twilight is kind of dreamy, wonder if he knows what pitch to contact means...ummm.)

I spend way too much time reading the comment sections of the Blogs. In doing so I have seen many people comment over and over again indicating that A. They are unemployed and are really filling time or B. They are employed and really avoiding work. But that doesn't interest me (For the record I am a B and that includes yard and house work.) What interests me is each of you.( Not in the Jerry Sandusky creepy way ok.) I read the comments from people, I am guessing they are people though I have never met them face to face though I have seen Seth at Twins fest, and have in my mind what I think of their general view of baseball as life. But I am curious on how you view yourselves. Are you a rose colored glasses kind who supports Gardy and the Pohlads and would have Terry Ryans Love Child if asked (I don't really think Mr. Ryan wants to know that by the way.) or have you not met a Twins executive you have liked since..ah..F**k them all. A one armed, drought stricken, stalk of corn could run this team better. Only me and those that think like me, of which I have never met anyone fitting that description, could run this club correctly. But that is too broad of a spectrum to fully capture the depths and nuances of the frequent denizens of Twins Daily. We need to narrow this down. Here are 3 to start with for the general Twins Daily Population. Who are you? Question number 1. Between 1 and 10. Organizational outlook. 1. Are you a nearsighted person who is only looking for instance gratification from each at bat, pitched game, daily outcome and lineup. We have Minor League Affilates? 10. Are you farsighted and what is really important is the performance of the Twins prospects in the DSL and how we are stacking up for our draft next year. When did the Twins move out of the Met? (I would put myself at a 7 here. Since I spend more time in Minor League Parks the performance of the E-Twins is actually important to me for next year hopefully. I need to watch my MLB TV in order to see a Twins game and if you have spent any time on MLB TV you might understand how frustrating that is. So the performance of the current Twins actually means less for me than that of the Minor League guys.) Question number 2. Between 1 and 10- How do you view the game day experience. 1. The most important thing to me at the game is what the current up to the at bat BABIP is for Joe Mauer, the UZR for Ben Revere, the xFIP for Scott Diamond and other performance metrics that will predict the outcome of this contest before I even arrive at the game. In Fact all this would be so much better on a computer and not have any of these pesky players and fans around me. It is also hot here and I burn easy. 10. Dude the beer is awesome and the hot girl in the 5th row is like falling out her shirt. I have got to get behind home plate and text my buds while on camera. Bert Circle This! Where do I find the Kent Hrbek Cuban Sandwiches? Hey Mauer get one over the plate..Boooooo. Hey lets come up with a nickname for that big guy Wilingham. How about the Willing Hammer! ( I see myself as a 6. Wishing I could still be 10. But going to games with Wife and Children means less beer and more soda. I also need to be a bit more subtle around the girl falling out of her shirt and then I feel guilty as I realise how old I am and how young she is..back to that creepy thing again. Also advanced stats bore me. I like the sun, the sounds, the smells and the symentry of the game far more then the spreadsheets. I understand them and their place, I do advanced businnes stats for a very large company so I get it, but it really strikes me as trying to make something simple so hard that only those with large brains and extra time can appreciate it. I know that is in't it, but it has that element in it's application and the communication. That being said I do look at them and think that if I was in the front office or field leadership of a Major League team it would NEED to be in the tool box and near the top. But I want to sit in the sun, sip a cool adult beverage and watch Oswaldo Arcia and think back to a time I would watch Tony O and his sweet lefty swing. Aside Best I have ever seen. Just awesome in its speed, power and grace. Tony Oliva in his pre knee injury days is maybe the best hitter I have ever seen.) Question number 3- How do you view the Radio or TV experience. 1.) That Bert Blyleven is so funny. I love it when he circles people. Dick Bremer is really insightful and calming. Dan Gladden must know what he is talking about as you know he scored the winning run in the 1987 World Series. I miss John Gordan, but this Cory kid may turn into something yet. Hey can we have more on field instruction with All Stars Ron Coomer, Tim Laudner and Roy Smalley. I learn so much. Anyone else like Chris Berman on the Homerun Derby as much as I do! 10.) They all suck. I prefer to get my Twins in game information from MLB Gamecast and follow updates on Twitter. Blyleven is a one trick Pony, the best thing about Bremer is when TK calls him Richard, Dan Gladden as a highly paid communicator...really. Stevie Wonder and Stephen Hawking would give me more insight and impart it more fully. Coom Dog, Smalley and Laudner. Looks like the best tips they could give me is on eateries in downtown and hair styling for men...or lack there of. I will go 8. I can stand Bremer and Bert doesn't get to me as much as the performance of MLB TV which reloads every 4 minutes it seems. Gladden does nothing for me, Provus I used to listen to him a lot on Brewer games and he is ok. I was hoping for Ryan Levebre though as I have listened to him on Royals games and think he is very good. I think the part of TV and Radio that grates on my most is the incessant commercials and sponsorships for everything. Has Kohler sponsored a Bert pee Break segment yet? Geez shouldn't give them ideas. For every dump Dick takes this year Kohler will donate $50 to Toilets for Troops. But I do miss the days of Herb, Kaat and Robinson. So how do you see yourself and are their any other ratings you can throw out there.

I spend way too much time reading the comment sections of the Blogs. In doing so I have seen many people comment over and over again indicating that A. They are unemployed and are really filling time or B. They are employed and really avoiding work. But that doesn't interest me (For the record I am a B and that includes yard and house work.) What interests me is each of you.( Not in the Jerry Sandusky creepy way ok.) I read the comments from people, I am guessing they are people though I have never met them face to face though I have seen Seth at Twins fest, and have in my mind what I think of their general view of baseball as life. But I am curious on how you view yourselves. Are you a rose colored glasses kind who supports Gardy and the Pohlads and would have Terry Ryans Love Child if asked (I don't really think Mr. Ryan wants to know that by the way.) or have you not met a Twins executive you have liked since..ah..F**k them all. A one armed, drought stricken, stalk of corn could run this team better. Only me and those that think like me, of which I have never met anyone fitting that description, could run this club correctly. But that is too broad of a spectrum to fully capture the depths and nuances of the frequent denizens of Twins Daily. We need to narrow this down. Here are 3 to start with for the general Twins Daily Population. Who are you? Question number 1. Between 1 and 10. Organizational outlook. 1. Are you a nearsighted person who is only looking for instance gratification from each at bat, pitched game, daily outcome and lineup. We have Minor League Affilates? 10. Are you farsighted and what is really important is the performance of the Twins prospects in the DSL and how we are stacking up for our draft next year. When did the Twins move out of the Met? (I would put myself at a 7 here. Since I spend more time in Minor League Parks the performance of the E-Twins is actually important to me for next year hopefully. I need to watch my MLB TV in order to see a Twins game and if you have spent any time on MLB TV you might understand how frustrating that is. So the performance of the current Twins actually means less for me than that of the Minor League guys.) Question number 2. Between 1 and 10- How do you view the game day experience. 1. The most important thing to me at the game is what the current up to the at bat BABIP is for Joe Mauer, the UZR for Ben Revere, the xFIP for Scott Diamond and other performance metrics that will predict the outcome of this contest before I even arrive at the game. In Fact all this would be so much better on a computer and not have any of these pesky players and fans around me. It is also hot here and I burn easy. 10. Dude the beer is awesome and the hot girl in the 5th row is like falling out her shirt. I have got to get behind home plate and text my buds while on camera. Bert Circle This! Where do I find the Kent Hrbek Cuban Sandwiches? Hey Mauer get one over the plate..Boooooo. Hey lets come up with a nickname for that big guy Wilingham. How about the Willing Hammer! ( I see myself as a 6. Wishing I could still be 10. But going to games with Wife and Children means less beer and more soda. I also need to be a bit more subtle around the girl falling out of her shirt and then I feel guilty as I realise how old I am and how young she is..back to that creepy thing again. Also advanced stats bore me. I like the sun, the sounds, the smells and the symentry of the game far more then the spreadsheets. I understand them and their place, I do advanced businnes stats for a very large company so I get it, but it really strikes me as trying to make something simple so hard that only those with large brains and extra time can appreciate it. I know that is in't it, but it has that element in it's application and the communication. That being said I do look at them and think that if I was in the front office or field leadership of a Major League team it would NEED to be in the tool box and near the top. But I want to sit in the sun, sip a cool adult beverage and watch Oswaldo Arcia and think back to a time I would watch Tony O and his sweet lefty swing. Aside Best I have ever seen. Just awesome in its speed, power and grace. Tony Oliva in his pre knee injury days is maybe the best hitter I have ever seen.) Question number 3- How do you view the Radio or TV experience. 1.) That Bert Blyleven is so funny. I love it when he circles people. Dick Bremer is really insightful and calming. Dan Gladden must know what he is talking about as you know he scored the winning run in the 1987 World Series. I miss John Gordan, but this Cory kid may turn into something yet. Hey can we have more on field instruction with All Stars Ron Coomer, Tim Laudner and Roy Smalley. I learn so much. Anyone else like Chris Berman on the Homerun Derby as much as I do! 10.) They all suck. I prefer to get my Twins in game information from MLB Gamecast and follow updates on Twitter. Blyleven is a one trick Pony, the best thing about Bremer is when TK calls him Richard, Dan Gladden as a highly paid communicator...really. Stevie Wonder and Stephen Hawking would give me more insight and impart it more fully. Coom Dog, Smalley and Laudner. Looks like the best tips they could give me is on eateries in downtown and hair styling for men...or lack there of. I will go 8. I can stand Bremer and Bert doesn't get to me as much as the performance of MLB TV which reloads every 4 minutes it seems. Gladden does nothing for me, Provus I used to listen to him a lot on Brewer games and he is ok. I was hoping for Ryan Levebre though as I have listened to him on Royals games and think he is very good. I think the part of TV and Radio that grates on my most is the incessant commercials and sponsorships for everything. Has Kohler sponsored a Bert pee Break segment yet? Geez shouldn't give them ideas. For every dump Dick takes this year Kohler will donate $50 to Toilets for Troops. But I do miss the days of Herb, Kaat and Robinson. So how do you see yourself and are their any other ratings you can throw out there.

Thanks for the post. Always good to see ideas out there from people who have thought things out. I will say sorry but the words Torrii Hunter and discount do not fit together. If Torii signs for less money then anticiipated it is because nobody offered more. This from a person who loved Torii as a Twin. Don't over pay for a aging outfelder with a system of potential young stud outfielders. Also if Joe Benson is in the Majors, he should be playing everyday. Very creative ideas.

A tear of joy has appeared in my eye with the news he would be included. Justice has once again been served on the Twins Daily site. God Bless America.

Like it the list. Particularly have Oswaldo so high. The guy can rake. I do have to give a shout out to one of the two pitchers with the most most organization wins...Jason Wheeler- 10 and 4. I think in the 50 he could have some slot maybe taken by a guy who has not thrown a professional pitch or has been out performed by him at Beloit. You know I have to defend the honor of my Adopt a Prospect.

I would miss my trips to Beloit and my 9 year old loves the Snappers, but Cedar Rapids is just as good for me as I am about half way between the two. The stadium in Cedar Rapids is an improvement and the town is a good place to visit.

David thank you for sharing your words and welcome! Enjoy the game and stay connected here.

Good for Liddle, but as a person going to the games this weekend I do have to say I am a bit disappointed.

With the injury to Rosario what are the Odds that Niko Goodrum or Max Kepler get a taste of the Midwest League? Or how about dropping Levi Micheal back to see if he can get some confidence in his game? (I know the last one would not happen, but they have done it to Benson and Parmalee.)

With the injury to Rosario what are the Odds that Niko Goodrum or Max Kepler get a taste of the Midwest League? Or how about dropping Levi Micheal back to see if he can get some confidence in his game? (I know the last one would not happen, but they have done it to Benson and Parmalee.)

Thanks as always for the update!

Can't wait for your eval of Sano and Rosario. Thought about heading to Cedar Rapids Friday night, just not sure we will have time. Saturday or Sunday games are much more palatable for that trip. Enjoy!

Ashburyjohn makes a good point on the competitive game part you watch enough minor league ball and you understand there is a shell game taking place to some degree, in the low minors I have seen this. Also, the team you see in April will NOT be the team you see in June or August in Beloit. I was lucky enough to see Arcia when he dropped in and he was the best hitter on the team by far last year, by June he was gone to Fort Meyers. But it is part of the game isn't it.

Seth, I think from a big picture big league consumes all the oxygen perspective it being about 100% development is a fact. However if you are attending Beloit, Fort Meyers, New Britain and I think in particular Rochester games regularly it is harder to accept that. I know for instance that I am fortunate to get to see Sano and Rosario play this year, but I also know it is a fleeting thing and I have to enjoy it now. When they are gone something needs to remain, the circus just can't pull up it's tent and leave town. When I go to games I want to see a victory. If I was a casual fan and see one or two or four of these I am more likely to come back and spend my money. It really does drum into you as a minor league fan that you are, well minor league. Most people in the stateline area of Wisconsin are either Brewer or Cubs fans, some Sox fans but they are usually excluded at the gates, so they have no interest in Twins prospects past Beloit. I worry about Rochester, great baseball city and a proud tradition that I think the Twins are soiling to some degree. But it is a business and the bottom line is the ticket sales at Target Field. Also, besides my 9 year old whose goal is to wear a Snappers uniform, no player at these levels wants to stay here. They want to get to Minnesota and play in the Major Leagues, don't we all. It is about develpment, but it does not make having an awful team in these cities any easier.

Sano was 2-2 with a HBP and a Walk. Just struck out looking. Announcer said it was a curve that fooled him.