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Michael (ClassicMNTwins)

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Everything posted by Michael (ClassicMNTwins)

  1. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    One absolutely can’t be faulted for questioning the Twins thought process in completing this trade. I also see Paddack as a potentially strong contributor after he rehabs, but it makes me wonder if Falvey and Levine used a big chunk of hope and prayer when they pulled the trigger, given the injury history. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when they were discussing his medical charts and plasma injection procedure of last September. What guided them to be as positive as they were about his chances to remain injury-free?
  2. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Excellent video, gives me hope Kepler is actually making adjustments, appears to be hitting more to left field - even making some big knocks against left-handers, including E.Rodriguez tonight. Was very nice of him to cooperate and make you look good, smart with this article!
  3. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    I think it will be a very pleasant revelation to Twins fan’s re: just exactly what impact a top flight shortstop can make. Minnesota hasn’t had a 7+ WAR shortstop since Zoilo Versalles in 1965. Yeah, barring injury, it could be incredible with this fellow anchoring the infield!
  4. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Paul Sorrento sure could polka those home runs over the fence! Heckuva throwback to simpler times, especially seeing cr@ppy, old Tinker Field again, that ancient minor league facility! The Twins finished 5th in the 7 team AL West that season. Herbie, ha, you’d never know he’s from Minnesota!
  5. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    They will post a “36A” and a “36B,” I predict!
  6. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    BTW, I especially enjoyed your statistical dive, very interesting to view how both Kaat stacked up favorably against players from their era, and historically as well. Well done!
  7. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Well said, Tom, re: your comments “Yeah, dead Babe Ruth and Ted Williams aren’t exactly upset at including these mere mortals Oliva and Kitty into the Hall.” Exactly! Speaking on behalf of all the “get off my yard” old duffers, this is just such an incredible development, seeing such very worthy Twins superstars from our formative years being honored! My most ingrained memory of Kaat is from a listening to a game he pitched AGAINST the Twins, Sept. 9, 1973 (thank you, BBREF!), the first one in which the Twins were his opponent. I recall his old batterymate Phil Roof whacking a triple to cf in the second inning to score Steve Brye - and what stood out for me in that instance was Herb Carneal’s voice on the play by play call, so absolutely consumed with the excitement and drama of the moment: the light-hitting, career second string catcher Roof connecting so solidly off his old friend Kaat, who was in the midst of his second life as a pitcher, and experiencing wild success as a White Sox player; he apparently gave Roof a wink and a knowing glance over at third afterward, I gleaned by listening to Herb’s animated description...so, even as a young kid, that was all pretty obvious to me, and made me appreciate all the more Kaat’s place in Twins history. Fun stuff, I actually had recorded that portion of the game,and replayed that moment for years after the fact. The tape was eventually lost or reused and taped over, unfortunately. Kaat eventually won that game 10-7, going 7+ innings. Wouldn’t mind having that cassette tape back, especially now that Jim Kaat and Tony have been given Cooperstown honors!
  8. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Super job, Seth, you really got a lot of great info and responses from the brothers Varland. And they absolutely appear to be brainy, intuitive guys that are invested in learning/improving their craft -it will be great to see if they can take their thing “to the next level,” and find out if it plays in MLB. Your Spotlight series hasn’t been on my radar, but I think it has to be after viewing this! BTW- Thanks to Gus for all the compliments about being the GOAT (as “Michael Busch” is my actual, birth name, LOL).
  9. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Should Jim Kaat have his number 36 retired? Seriously? Well, consider… the fact that he was an original Minnesota Twin, part of the 25 man roster when the Twins first season commenced in 1961, and would be in the Twins organization for parts of the next 12 seasons that he was on the mound to pitch the complete game victory in 1965 that clinched the team’s first League pennant. that he would have been the team’s first Cy Young award winner in 1966 with a 25 wins, but the retiring Sandy Koufax was the sole pick, as only one pitcher in both league was honored back then that he is among a small fraternity of players who have been active in 4 decades - beginning with the 1959 Washington Senators, and ending with the 1983 Cardinals. He pitched against both Ted Williams and Darryl Strawberry that his great durability and character, the huge number of innings pitched yearly, besides his well-publicized 16 Gold Glove Awards, etc, and stellar broadcasting career both locally and nationally… …make him a beyond-worthy choice to have his uniform number retired. So, I could really care less if he pitched another 20 years in Japan or on Pluto, the guy’s got an incredible story and legacy. And he should be on the Wall.
  10. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Cesar Tovar was absolutely magnificent-a Tasmanian devil-type energy was what he brought to the game every day, and his BBREF black ink for about six years running jumps off the page. Pat Reusse is right, it’s ridiculous he’s not already on The Wall. He’s long since passed away, and thus is not present in any way post-career to make an impression upon people born after his playing days ended, a la Kitty or TonyO.
  11. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    The Orioles were the gold standard of the late 1960s and early 70s, definitely. Their infield was a rock wall against batted balls, so outstanding!
  12. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    The early Twins had it good too, John.
  13. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    I use "Eddie Rosario, Glory Hog" as if it's a bad thing. Far from it. Consider me your friendly, neighborhood baseball barber, if they still exist. I coat and lather you with Baseball Ref homer and hit charts until your head spins (if anyone cares, I'm going into the 12-step process for souls imbibing on the play index search). Classic Minnesota Twins will get back to posting vintage Twins photos like there's nobody's business again soon, dispense with all this new-fangled hullaballoo.
  14. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Oh, she was there alright. You were off buying beverages, probably.
  15. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Yes, I'm not sure what's more unbelievable - the fact that the Twins could score five round-trippers in the same inning, or the fact that stuff like the scene below made it past the network censors in 1966. Be that as it may, I always enjoy a lookback on the great Twins feats of yesteryear, in addition to childhood TV guilty pleasures. Far be it from me to resort to clickbait; you'll hopefully get the connection between the powerhouse Twins lineup of the mid-1960s and that godawful, campy Batman series of the same era. God bless you, Catwoman Julie Newmar, and your fashion sense (though very suspect knowledge of advanced stats - a jailable offense in my book). Officer: "Funny. I don't remember seeing that one-piece in the Target Field pro shop."
  16. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    They were the young saplings, mere waifs on the hill for the Twins, but still announcing their presence with authority. It's a Jose Berrios & Dominating Starts By Young Twins Pitchers post at Classic Minnesota Twins. The fascinating eye-candy GIF of Jose waxing on Carlos Gonzalez on May 18, 2017 is worth the price of a visit, as well as the thought-provoking BBRef game-finder table serving as further proof of just HOW amazing young Blyleven was at a young age. Enough of my bull, the rest is yours...with thanks to Gleeman for putting me onto to the search itself.
  17. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Everything that you said. Mauch kept me watching as well-the guy had a few layers, a complex guy, one hell of a strategist. Lest anyone forgot, or didn't know it, Joe Maddon learned at the feet of Mauch, as one of his coaches durning the latter' tenure as Angels manager in the 80s.
  18. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Yes, my frazzled brain juxtaposing 2 different Twins eras and pitchers! I'm making the Scott to Roger switch ASAP!
  19. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    It was a sunshiny, spring day like today in Minnesota in 1978 when the California Angels hitter and second baseman Bobby Grich bullrushed Twins pitcher Roger Erickson. What better time for grown men to engage in fisticuffs and flying sucker punches than when Mr. Blue Sky is shining on their labors? I definitely remembered doing this post lately, like after Miguel Sano was brushed back by the Tigers, and when Bryce Harper and his flowing locks charged Hunter Strickland. I think Bobby Grich saw a young, defenseless fawn in the person of young Roger Erickson, who always looked as if he was 12 years old. His mother never should have allowed him out of the house to play ball with those big, bad grownups. In retrospect, I'm certain Grich felt that Twins manager Gene Mauch had ordered the brushback, and felt it was time to send him and the Twins a message. The same Mauch, that is, who would be his manager in a couple of years after resigning as Twins manager! Whatever was the case, please go to my blog and take a look at the most popular trending post of the week.
  20. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    It's a writer's clinic. Or, at least, one make-believe writer (that would be me) taking time out from the "Sano Show" to chat with a real writer, formerly of Bloomington, MN, on his views on some classic Twins players, good baseball books, and his disdain of Derek Jeter worship at "The Tovar Of Bloggers: A Chat With Erik Lundegaard" at Classic Minnesota Twins!
  21. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    We saw Kent Hrbek's debut, August 24, 1981 on local TV, and it was about as good as it gets. Go ahead and click on The Sporting News link, and you'll learn how the scout that signed him (Angelo Guiliani), http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w-Z_5CuiNmw/TWqJbUHlJ8I/AAAAAAAAHVw/4MRb7-4BHl4/s400/1982ToppsTraded044T.jpganother Minneapolitan, was also beside himself. Good times!
  22. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    We would be remiss in not announcing Butch Huskey's nickname, one that was prevalent while he was still active: "No-Tools." As in Butch "No-Tools" Huskey. I don't have a link handy to cross reference / corroborate that, but I bet other older Twins fans may chime in. Gotta be Ron Davis, both for longevity, maximum psychological harm he did to the home nine in his 5 year tenure.
  23. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Apologies for missed grammar, sentence fragments in original post! Fixes hopefully made now. Apparently, the late-night World Series and play off game end times have messed with my sleeping patterns, and thus the sharpness of any blog writings. A casualty am I of October baseball!
  24. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    From the safety of the walls of my study, book and Twins bobbleheads looking down on me in great thought, comes a new post, "It's Official: Senators Announce Move To Minnesota, Oct. 26, 1960." It gives a short glimpse into the intrigue and downright un-transparent (opaque?) nature of the pre-move behavior by Griffith and the American League in 1960. It was a whole month before anyone ever used the word "Twins" in any context other than that involving Minneapolis and St. Paul. But that's a story for another time (and which is conveniently linked at the beginning of the above piece). I hope you enjoy the read-centric nature of my latest, minor classic. http://sabr.org/sites/default/files/images/GriffithCalvin.jpg
  25. Michael (ClassicMNTwins)
    Thanks for the voice of reason, Nick. While I understand the general disenchantment during a horrid season, I have a hard time abiding the "everything sucks, will suck forever, and prove to me I'm wrong" attitude. There is major upside to the Twins franchise, and it's important that people like you clarify that point from time to time. For those of us who endured the '82 season, the 90s one day at a time, this too shalt pass, and then we will have reasons to enjoy coming to Target Field, beyond the TonyO Burger, or what have you
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