ND-Fan

My memories of the Dome were quite positive especially since we came from NE North Dakota we knew there was going to be baseball game and we would be sitting in comfort to watch a game. I had been to metropolitan stadium before in early April never was so cold as that sitting bleachers but like Target field in June and early July no better than watching a game outdoors. The problem with outdoor stadium in Minnesota the beautiful days are so limited and poor weather days has such impact on our teams playing performance and keeping players healthy on the field. I think over the years how player performance was hurt by early season muscle pulls and tendon strains playing in cold weather especially early in the season. I also think its one the reasons we had such hard time to signing free agent talent and keeping players is because of playing in cold outside temperatures. Also the comments that for lot people attending its like going to theme bar there not there for the baseball its the drinking and the food but i am there for the baseball and all thing you can't see on television. I do miss the dome having that home field advantage we had with the players that were suited to playing in the dome now were like rest of teams only where we struggle each finding enough good players to play on traditional fields.

I will say all metrics point to this is right decision but there are other factors what he brings to club house and the team and yes he could be utterly bad but one thing he had was consistently contributed rbi's for the team. He is emotional player and when things are going well the highs are high and on flip when things are going bad the lows are awful. Now changing the subject a little expect we will experience this again in the future with Buxton because were coming to parting of the ways but here were going to see a player if he's playing daily for team is going to transform a team with his play. Yes he has been hurt a lot but i have feeling once leaves us this isn't going to happen. Like Eddy liking warm weather if he goes to warmer place his injuries may disappear and become the player we thought he would. Here's a thought we may like our out door baseball but what impact does it have on our players with nagging injuries from early season and there production for the whole season. Also how does impact our signing pitching long term here because of playing in colder weather for part of the season. Write it off but maybe your analytics could do some research on this because we like 3 months of outdoor baseball but we forgot there are six months of baseball plus the post season.

I never thought this group was end all and smartest team that ever has come to Twins when they first arrived for the Twins. I think the media liked having something new to talk about and these guys offered some new to write about and cover. A number thought with all their technology this was going to solve our problems but it has not it did improve the the team in the short term but in becoming technology dependent we lost human eye equation that Terry Ryan brought to the Twins organization and what he was building up again when he was let go. These guys built on players Ryan had scouted and signed into this organization but as we are loosing these players were seeing cupboard hasn't been replenished with few ready players they have been drafted. Also they were going to finally have somebody that could improve their pitching by drafting and developing pitchers but they seemed to follow same pattern that Ryan has. I have my doubts they can turn this around quick enough please fan base and then ownership when they start seeing the results. I wish we could get combo mix of what Terry Ryan brought human touch and ability to judge talent and now Falvey go by numbers to improve play of talented players drafted and developed for the Twins. Also for Twins to become more successful ownership is going to need to be more active stance and willing to take risks for winning a championship. To be successful there are times you need to take risks and there will be failures but ownership has to become active in this otherwise management will never will or not capable of taking such risks. The bottom line is were in for never period of loosing until we acquire more talent to build a team because it appears window is closing very quickly on the talent we have now.

probably will need to sell most of our players again and this management group has not performed to expectations from previous regime . We were told that analytics was needed to improve this team and that this new group of management new how develop pitching but were still looking at team that is need of pitching and our top pitcher is from previous regime drafting. I look at our farm system and this management group has not done much in drafting top players or signing our top talent. This also could be result of ownership because were having almost identical results in the management groups we have spent ton of money on analytics but bottom line our performance on the field has not improved that much or in the playoffs. I hate to say it but i have not been really following the team it just seems after last year baseball going woke i just don't have passion for baseball. I thought i would miss it more but i have found that like small town baseball and college baseball as pleasing to watch because they are playing the game because of love for it and not so much of business and money. I think were back with the Twins rebuilding again and maybe i will see a difference in new players that may come in the future but i have my doubts MLB has become to much about the business and not enough just playing the game for love it and getting paid on top of that. I won't go on here but i thought i had to say something but MLB has sure lost me and i don't think i am only one.

I think the season over for this year we will never get to having a baseball season. The way were trying to control infection rate means it will take more than this summer before we get full handle on this virus. I hate to say this but until majority of people have been exposed to Convid-19 were going to have these restrictions in place in the US.

That is problem when trading away proven talent and position prospects for pitching. Pitching prospects or young pitching is a very risky business so many things can go wrong with pitchers. I always feel when teams are willing to trade pitchers there's something wrong with them or they wouldn't trade them. Even signing free agent pitchers is risky business only hit there on 50% basis usually. I still think you need to develop your own pitching but it requires a big checkbook to sign a lot of talent and hopefully you hit once a while.

I think most people have no idea how far technology has come with small camera's that could be placed anywhere in ball park that could be used to zoom in catcher relaying signs thats transmitting to a burner cell phone that could be viewed and sent to player on the field alerting him to next pitch. also i have seen now they have drones as small as insect that can transmitt to again cell phone same results. Also now we get to the Twins new technology on exco video technology is possible by this to determine what a player is going to do or is not capable of doing based on this new technology. All these things may seem wonderfull to this new era of technocrats to find winning edge. The problem is in the average baseball fan it would be a form of cheating to win. So how do we control the technology from wrecking the game. Along with this money involved in the game is so large it can easily pay for all this new technology from ownership side or even the player side. When you are talking now contracts that are near half a billion dollars there is money to enhance outcome. This will be there until they kill the game and money disappears. Also now your adding gambling into baseball which means there is more money involved and another interested party who would like influence outcomes in the games or down to individual acts in game of baseball. Baseball as industry is going to really need to get on top of this in next year or I fear they may damage the game for ever. Ownership started us down this path by hiring us analytics to put together a cheaper team to win and to use against players and agents in bargaining new contracts. There problem was they couldn't come together as collective group and divide spoils so we ended up with analytics or money ball now this path they have chosen may lead them to where they may kill the sport.

We have come to point with technology what will game evolve into because video taping and real time communication is going to make it impossible to to monitor. What is to pervent even single player from hiring people to communicating this information to him when he's at bat during a game. All it would take wifi transmitter to cell phone to one in the crowd to receive images off in field camera's and that person again communicating it to a player via cell phone again that would alert him to the pitch he's receiving. Because of this we have had slowing of the game to try to just pervent sign stealing. Is it that we need to add more technology so we get away from physical form of communication or is that we ban baseball from using any video replay which i find almost impossible in this day with current technology. I have to believe if the game is going to continue we need to come to some form ethical behavior that can't be crossed. The under lying problem is money now involved in the game and attitude win at all costs even when you know youre cheating. I believe this has been not limited to to Boston and Houston and i am willing to bet this has been done by number of other clubs over the years with some sort of cheating. Even clubs may have not know of cheating but it was done by individual players getting around the rules because amount of money involved for success may have paid off in great returns. Just like we had with drugs and steroids era the returns were way more than costs. Baseball is going to need to sit down as industry work out how they can keep integrity of the game. This is just not management and owners but it also includes the players and the agents, and also the media in coming up with plan to restore the faith in the game or it will die as sport and business because of this drive to win at all costs. Yes we need to compete but it has to be done fairly and follow set of rules the players,ownership and fans all can agree upon. To do this i think that penalties have to be very strict and almost like death sentence for offending parties this includes players, managenent, and owners. Like if your caught cheating finds strips of both of accomplishments as welll as money you have made. For players there would be automatic life bans and fines that represent percentage of career earnings from the game. Management same again lifetime ban and significant fines to be paid. Ownership this should be special here with large fines and lifetime bans with ultimate punishment that they have to sell club for what they purchased the club for. All these measures seem high but if punishment is not set high there will be no policing by various clubs with this risks are so high that nobody would want to even think about cheating and each of these groups would be monitoring each other because of risk of punishment. These are my thoughts on this latest cheating scandal this is in my mind only way to clean this game up in the future.

I think this is the Twins last pitcher they can aquire without giving up to much in prospects and is more like signing a free agent. I said last fall this could be fall backe option for the Twins to acqire a pitcher and he falls in what Twins have been looking for in left hand veteran pitcher. I wouldn't worry about next 40 man Roster yet because a lot of things can happen in coming year. First is we have number players that will be free agents next year coming of the roster. Second is we have number of players that could possibly get traded before start of 2021 season. To name a few Rosario, Sano, and several of relief pitchers if they can't be signed for reasonable contracts in near future. I think long term plan here is that Twins are going to replace from the farm system as there players age and trade these maturing players for future prospects. I believe this has been strategy all along is always keep most affordable and controllable players and if you can't sign your players is to trade them with two years left of control to get some quality prospects. I do not believe they believe in going all out for winner and then going back into loosing phase. They want to be chase and hope lighting in the bottle strikes and they win a world series but they want a team that is contending for playoff spot. I look at like in college basketball they are midmajor team successful season is getting to the tournament knowing they have very small chance of winning. But success is measured by getting to the tournament and for most people now they like seeing winning team when they go and has reasonable chance of winning the game they are watching. This may not what avid Twin fan wants to hear but today large percentage people going to the games are not avid fans they are going for experience of the outing and hoping to see good game. I used to be one fans that would have screamed bloody murder but I have come to this realization that Twins ownership is not here to win whole thing but here to entertain the fans to where they are profitable year in year out. There goal is to make money every year and have team that can draw enough fans to do this. The goal of winning championships is not there primary goal because to do that in small market the up and downs are to large and primary goal is to turn a profit every year. If you look at it this management team has been fulfilling this since they have taken over. This is what got previous management fired because they couldn't put good enough product on field to satisfy the casual fan. I willing to bet most of people on this site find this disgusting but what we have two different goals of success and if you can't see this after nearly 30 years of ownership you haven't been playing close enough attention. The time we won championships when they first bought club and owners wife was avid fan and then we had leadership that measured success by championships and since her death we had goal of being successful profitable business. Which is right goal for owner of business to be most profitable year in year out. This ownership is in it for long haul not inflate success of business and then sell it for high rate of return but to run business year in year out through generations of the family.

I haven't seen what there plan is for the coming season but it seems to me they must be on plan d by now. We have watched as other clubs have signed pitching talent or have traded for pitching talent and we have come up with zero additions. I don't want to here about getting Ordorizzi and Pinada signed these were moves to return players we had last year. They were lucky they got Ordorizzi back for one year because if he new how this off season was going to go he would never accepted the qualifying offer and he would be gone. We saw what they have in minors this past year we have no top of line pitcher coming this year to be counted on to fill the gap. Part of there plan must be to move Sano to first but I don't see how that going to improve the defense on this club. If anything it weakens it because Sano will become liability at first because he will increase number errors from other fielders on his receiving ability. Also going the trade route is going to be costly now because of number pitchers signed by clubs that were thought not to be looking for pitching has eaten up supply of pitchers and there are still number of contending clubs looking for pitching. This off season is different than past two and this front office has been caught off guard in that pitching has become more valued and clubs are securing it must faster than last year or year past. They do have time improve this club yet but my guess is were going to take a step backwards this year and if my guess is right this division is going to improved this year and all of the American league looks to be improving over last year. With that we could easily fall back to 85 win club which not put us in running for wild card and doubtfull to win the central. I feel they saw this 101 win club are just over estimating where they are at and I could also cost them fan support for the coming year.

I will give them benefit of the doubt for Bumgardner because he is such individualist that i can see him signing where he did because of where he wants to live. If he already is living there in Arizona it make perfect since because he will be home almost half of the baseball season. If he was looking at Minnesota he would have to find place to live for the baseball season and then find place for Spring baseball season all time being away from family and his home. The Twins are going to have to over pay to get somebody to come to MN not only because of location but also because of taxes players have to play playing in MN. My understanding is even when were next to what another club offers in money were not because amount of taxes taken away for being in Minnesota. Second I think the first two years this management group was in charge has had impact on recruiting new players because they were subtracting when they were competing for playoff spot because of their analytics were showing they couldn't win. This had impact on getting future players because not standing behind their team to win. If you don't think so players do talk and set a poor example of team backing there players. Third how they treated Byron Buxton hurt them in how they were perceived by players and agents it made them look cheap not good recruiting stance for other players. Then add in perception of ownership being frugal not just in short term but long term these are hard perception to over come. Especially when they were willing to at one point contract this team. The ironic part of this when Pohlad's took over they were ones breaking the barriers on player salaries with what they paid Puckett and other players. Also one last thing everyone in Minnesota are in love with the new ball park but because its outside but nice weather does not cover whole season and as player the beginning and the end of season can be very tough weather to play in. Just another reason for Free agent to consider where choosing a place to play.

Houston looks to compete for next two years but then huge number of their core players are coming to the end of their contracts. Then the question comes what they have in their farm system or is where they trade away core players on contract and start all over again. I guess if they win this year world series another one in next two years it will have been determined successful run. I also think the next union contract is going to be not automatica renewal like it has been. I think there is going to be discussion on tanking and teams will need to spend minimum amount to compete. These new general managers are improving bottom lines on short term but is costing baseball on the long term. The fans of today are not invested in game like in the past it social event with high lite plays they come to watch. If they are done eating or drinking and game has not shown highligth plays there gone to local bar or home. These fans will come and go but if its not in their social pattern there not really invested in the team or the players. The fans of old were there to see good baseball played and were invested in the players and teams long term and today that is going by wayside. We will see how this all plays out long term for baseball.

Gibson has never been a favorite of mine because he is nimbler and wants to be perfect which usually leads to big inning against him. The fact though is I have feeling he's going to sign contract who ever gets him will fix him on the above and he will become the pitcher we always thought he could be. Also he pitched this season being sick all of the season all you had to do was look at him. His regression this year I believe will be recovered if he can get himself healthy. If right team signs him with some real veteran pitchers that can teach him how to pitch aggressively he will become solid 3 to 4 starter eating up 180 to 200 innings. the problem is the Twins are screwed no matter which way this goes. But remember this when he having career year on winner some place else. Because somebody going to sign him to moderate contract and get his upside plus he's good to have in club house another positive he does have. Gibson will be one the pitchers looking back at where the twins couldn't get what they wanted but somebody else unlocks that performance becomes one reason they have won.

The things that made him change his pitching also has been one of his faults because he never could get to level to let the pitch fly when he had lead he was always trying to be perfect. This led to his walking batters and giving up big innings driving fans crazy. I still thing he has place with the Twins but i am afraid his time here has ended. As individual he is what youre looking to add to a team from reports i have heard about him. This last couple of months he should have been put on disabled list but i am afraid him being a free agent had some thought on this too. Its sad but this happen to many times to the Twins players coming into the playoffs how many times did we reach playoffs with several of star players either on disabled list or only shell of what they were earlier in the season. I wonder when baseball analytics will figure it out that these players need break not just a day but like missing a road trip where they can heal up. Football plan it into there season and they also can just not have play for week on active roster. The level that is expected of these players and physical training they do takes alot out of there bodies.

The gold glove is still tied to how well you hit at position and not how well you play that position and then you add in player recognition and who you play for are all determining things in gold gloves. That is truth if it was all about defensive stats we would have quite a few different gold gloves over the years.