Monkeypaws

Hell of a wild card to be able to play. They should let him PH against the Tiger pen a couple times just to get that awkwardness out of the way. We have pinch runners galore if he actually gets a hit.

You do if out of the 14 they are the handful you can actually count on.

Smalley and Cuddy like this thread. All the better argument to NOT retire numbers.

Hah, well played Dave. Your season prognostication skills outweigh your trade prediction skills.

Especially when you can nab a Donaldson at 48, a Blackmon at 72, a Trout at 25, Sale at 13, Judge at 32, etc.

Very good article. That Buxton webgem reel had me laughing and shaking my head.

It would be hilarious to see them throwing drumsticks and mashed potatoes and gravy all over the locker room

The Yankees full out celebrated with bubbly when they clinched as well. The Dbacks jumped in the ballpark pool. Maybe the lads will develop a taste for it, so I'd say enjoy the moment, and remember the feeling.

My original avatar on TD!

As I see it, one thing only will get Molitor fired at this point: losing that Wild-Card spot, and even that is iffy. How the team responds to ANY adversity as they try to seal the deal, I think therein lies Molitor's future. It would take balls of steel to fire the first guy to lead a 100 loss team to the postseason the very next year, especially a pretty popular hometown guy and HOF laureate.

That 82nd win is pretty special: return to winning baseball, relevance, possibly the post-season, the whole shebang.

Gibson has become fun to watch again. He looks determined out there.

Eephus, that is the exact example I was gonna put out there. Tim Young scored the overtime winner that broke the curse in the playoffs, and the Stars rarely lost there again.

Worked for Boston and Ortiz. Each case is unique. Mauer is a pretty special athlete who seems to have finally gotten out of a long funk, concussions or whatever. His experience, athleticism, demeanor could all be valuable assets going forward. Agree now is not the time to do this, and I think the best situation would be an overture from Mauer's camp this off-season that gave him a couple more years at a nice price. He sure didn't cut the Twins a hometown discount last time around.

Love the joy a foul ball brings to a child !

Except this isn't a contract year.

Vikings fan no doubt?

Wild GM made a shrewd move I thought giving Koivu an extension at an affordable price in a cap-driven world. No cap in baseball. Not really in a hurry to get rid of 2017 Joe Mauer. Our 1B candidates have flopped pretty hard: Park, Lil Papi. A couple years half to third the money, left him retire a Twin. Thoughts....

True - don't know these guy or their family relations. Putting myself in their place. Busted.

2 on nobody out, bottom of the order hitter at plate. I prefer a sac bunt to the usual whiff, double play grounder, or weak popup. Baseball is all about maximizing situations: move runner to 3rd with less than two outs, advancing runners, etc. Should Sano, Rosario, or Mauer bunt a runner over? mmm, no. Polanco, Giminez, even Buxton, yes, cuz some of them might get a hit out of it. I'm all about maximizing run scoring potential, and bunts can help. I'd never have a hot bat bunt tho. The problem is that the Twins don't really have an a-one bunter. I watched Carew bunt hit after hit. It's a great weapon when used correctly.

I had the same thought. Maria is even more powerful than Irma, and bearing more for a direct hit on PR. Likewise Eddie and Kennys.

It should have been 1 per post, ya know, extend the joy. Search told me these legends were not present: Bob Gorinski - inaugural member of the Lumber Company, with Craig Kusick. OPS of .548 in his sole season at age 25. Terry Felton - Louisiana Lightning Jr. when he came up. called "untouchable" by Calvin Griffith after a decent start. Finished his career at 24 with an 0-16 record, 5.53 ERA. Walks haunted, 76 in 117 IP. On a happier note, 1995 1st rounder Mark Redman became an All Star with Kansas City while posting a final season ERA of 5.71! Dude did throw over 1000 mob innings though, to a final WAR of 11.

I don't get that vibe from the quote. Perhaps in context it makes sense. Cuz "Dan" ain't my buddy, that's why :-D

Cleveland 21 in a row is one of the numbers that caught my eye today. Some others: •Gibson's record at .500 and ERA<5. Who would have predicted that a month ago? •Twins back to a +6 run differential. •Twins sit 6 games over .500. Most the chasers are hovering around .500. Playing just .500 ball or slightly better just might be enough at this point. •7, as in 7 more wins = winning record in 2017. Also their rank in runs scored in all of MLB. Going to the game Friday - 1st game I'll have attended in a long long time that had playoff implications.

I wonder if "Dan" has watched Mauer actually play first base.