ewen21

You mention "poor defense" over seven runs scored in three games? I swear, I don't get how the offense has hardly been called out here. Rocco and poor defense seems to be the more acceptable target. I guess I'm going to need to start a thread blasting the offense for how horrible it was in the playoffs yet again

Old enough to remember this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HIxGyrQz_e8 Also old enough to remember Beat the Clock, Jeopardy with Art Fleming, Zoom and Wonderama

Not sure why people are latching onto moves that may or may not made a difference when we scored just 7 freakin runs in three games. Offense was supposed to be a strength and this team crapped the bed. That is indefensible and it covers a whole lot of guys. This doesn't come down to the manager. I guess it makes people feel better to focus on that.

Hey, I live in Dutchess County (near Poughkeepsie)

Thanks for your response. I am particularly turned off by the "i'm not frustrated at all" comment and I actually LIKE Rocco. I even defended him during the series when people cited his decision making as being one of the keys to the loss in game one. Truth be told, I did not watch any of the pressers after any of the games and I really could care less unless something caught my attention. This did. As far as the urgency/effort/caring angle which you inferred as the thrust of my "angst" you are completely off on that one. I don't doubt they felt it was important to win, tried (as best as they could) and cared. That is all out the window when you come into the thing scared and this team had a lot of players who sure looked like they were to me. If you come in intimidated all the caring, effort and urgency amounts to very little. I saw players who were not comfortable and it showed. I did not see calm, focused, professional at bats and this is something that has gone on and on for years with this ballclub when playing the Yankees. Rocco should know his audience better than to say that. So he isn't frustrated. That's wonderful. I still thing it was an ignorant thing to say. As far as "psychotic angst" goes I am still not sure what you are alluding to. I was over this season as soon as we made the last out in the 7th Monday night. At no point did I scream at the TV or lose sleep over what happened. I went to be that night and slept like a champ. What amazes me now is the lengths people want to go to distance themselves from feeling any frustration over this. What is the point in that? I love this team and watch and follow it religiously year round. The underlined parts above. Why are you telling me this if you aren't talking about me? Or are you? I can tell you if "psychotic angst" and the underlined above is being use to characterize me you are really missing the mark. By a lot. I can take criticism, but get it right

"Psychotic angst"?? Are you kidding me? For me personally its in perspective. It's just baseball and I separate it from everything else when I'm in it. To be frustrated and ticked off about these weak chicken-hearted efforts is "psychotic angst" to you? A good rant is "psychotic angst"? Heck, I like reading a good rant--what's wrong with that? I take wha you said as a broad accusation directed at a number of people here. And it completely mischaracterizes probably most all of those you just labeled. Not cool. You seem like a reasonable dude. I enjoy reading your stuff by this kind of thing irritates me. You're a fan yourself. That's disrespectful to anyone who justly criticizes this team's absolutely atrocious efforts in the playoffs. And if someone goes off and tries for style points? Whatever. If it's over the top it gets deleted anyway. Are you talking about what's left up on the board? It's not "psychotic" it's just not your cup of tea

The statement in question is "I'm not frustrated at all" Is that you? Forgive me if I am. Maybe you aren't, but knowing you're a longtime Twins fan I'm not sure how that is. I have a friend who insists that he never gets stressed. He also is 55 years old, lives in a tiny apartment and lives paycheck to paycheck. So Rocco isn't frustrated. Hooray for him. I'll cop to saying I am and he should understand there are a great many people who are. I have been a Rocco supporter, but his statement is stupid

Pardon me, but did you see the way the Yankees were making contact off him? Had he gone out for the 5th he would have never made it through.

This series was lost before it was played. This organization has a problem and it really needs to be fixed. I am not sure if he had Casey Stengel in the dugout it would have mattered. A manager doesn't figure THAT MUCH in ballgames. We watched BRUTAL at bat after BRUTAL at bat. That is on the freakin players and more needs to be made about that if you ask me. Show some balls. Make a game of it. There is an odd mindset around this team. I hate the fact that Rocco said "i'm not frustrated at all". HE completely alienates me with those words. Much in the same way Gardy did when he said "the effort was there" after the last time the Yankees swept us.

They basically beat us up, took our lunch money and urinated on our doorstep. But hey. We are winning on social media. Whatever.

Come on damnit. Sorry for being so crochety in the other threads. I am letting go right now. About to crack my first Guinness

This is a freakin team effort. Seems to me when we cite isolated defensive plays and managerial moves it is way to simply things to make it appear that we are only a click on the dial away. Well....we were so damn far away from having a chance in NY it wasn't even funny. That is soup to nuts, top to bottom, every single aspect.

Here we are talking about the pitching, meanwhile our vaunted offense has scored 6 runs in the first two games. We were playing in a bandbox against two pitchers who are far from unhittable. Score some damn runs! In the last 11 post season games we have scored a total of 26 runs. How about this vaunted offense show some balls tonight? This team looks like the other teams to me. They are playing scared and are taking stupid unfocused at bats. It was no secret what this team was supposed to do. They have not done it yet.

Ginger Baker has died at age 80 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1QihWLLKGY

Really dude? Really??

How are we blaming managerial decisions for what we are facing now? Just who the heck should we have gone with and do you really believe it would have made a difference? The best you can do is say I DON'T KNOW. What we know right now is this Yankee lineup is the best in the game, bar none. We don't stack up against it. Period. Whine all you want about a decision here and a decision there. That's easy to do if you want to do it. Maybe they were not the right decisions, maybe if we did what you wanted we might have been a little better off (maybe worse off). We are down 2-0 because the Yankees hitters are way WAY better than anything we have to put on the hill AND our bats have not shown up. The Twins have also showed yet again that the "none of these guys were here when we lost all these games in the post season" rationale means nothing. This is not a bizarre random sports anomaly. At this point, we need to admit there is something broken in the mindset this organization (and possibly the fan base) has. In the midst of failure people are denying it. We are trying to make it about managerial moves over anything the players have done and that is straight up denial if you ask me.

This has nothing to do with managerial moves. NOTHING We could Casey Stengel on that bench and it wouldn't matter so I don't want to hear about leaving in guys too long or pulling them too quickly. Nobody is getting the job done

I really hate the way some fans lecture others on not getting too invested or upset about all the losing. Then when we win those same fans want to brag and party. I am with you brother. I want to rip someone's head off right about now

THis wasn't about defense or "questionable managerial decisions" Personally, I am looking to field the best possible lineup in that stadium against this team. If Arraez was good to go (even if not 100%) I put him in there as well. Much too much complaining about Rocco's "questionable decisions" as far as I am concerned. This team managed to win 101 games in spite of Baldelli's stupidity? No. This is about the Twins bats as much as it is anything else. We have now lost 14 post season games in a row and over those 14 games we have scored 43 runs. Sorry, not good enough. And you are dead on with regards to Berrios. He does braindead sometimes and last night was a perfect example of it. He got yanked after 4 innings of ineffective work and got bro-hugged in the dugout for it. That to me is a big issue. Seems to me this team feels like it accomplished enough to put its tail between its legs and get swept again while the fans blame it on small payroll, east coast bias and Bob Costas not loving us enough. Enough already. This isn't about "having fun" right now. It is about being a pro and being able to look at yourself in the mirror when this is all said and done. That was a weak effort all around last night and in no way can we chalk it up to "poor defense" or "questionable managerial decisions" Please. It runs way WAY deeper than that

How about you and I charge into their dugout and fight the players? I would just need one other like-minded person to join me and I am in

Plus we are not getting the respect we deserve from Bob Costas. That stings more than anything Another walk

There are a lot of things I can say right now, but I would rather not get arrested.

That Gleyber Torres at bat was the game in a nutshell. Two great takes and he wore down Duffey

It wasn't like Duffey or Berrios were effective so I have no idea what you are talking about. People have complained about Baldelli's pitching changes all year and we got to 101 wins in spite of his "mishandling of the bullpen"

I am well aware of that, but it doesn't matter to me if the losses to the Yankees in the post season continue. We have seen this rerun before and it doesn't seem to matter who wears the uniform