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nicksaviking

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Everything posted by nicksaviking

  1. nicksaviking
    Wow how time flies. I can't believe it's been so long since he famously helped Santana turn the corner.
  2. nicksaviking
    My post was only half in jest. I was serious in suggesting that if Molitor actually did pick up flaws with pitchers on the staff last year, perhaps he would have done the same with the pitchers whom the Pirates corrected flaws.
  3. nicksaviking
    Liriano + Worley + Molitor = WS I'm not a math wiz, but that formula looks accurate does it not?
  4. nicksaviking
    As in: "There is no possible way a MLB pitching staff can be this bad. Eureka! The only explanation for why this staff looks like they belong in the Appelacian League is that they are tipping their pitches!"?
  5. nicksaviking
    I have to say though, I don't think I ever heard a Denard Span interview that wasn't tepid. He might be robot.
  6. nicksaviking
    I wouldn't choose those two either, but why do you think they wouldn't protect the team's investment? If it's because they are critical of pitch counts etc. that shouldn't matter much as it's the manager that decides pitching changes. I'd actually hope that a pitching coach encourages the manager to let the guys go deeper into games. I don't want a Yes-Man pitching coach.. That's of course assuming Molitor takes the recomendation simply as advice, and uses his own judgment for the final decision.
  7. nicksaviking
    Bert does seem to have the ability to teach pitching and even more importantly, the knack for diagnosing problems and attacking batters. Still, with his broadcasts the last several years, and his vacation schedule, I get the feeling that he doesn't have the desire for a full-time gig anymore.
  8. nicksaviking
    I'd hope a pitching coach would teach players individually and Viola likely would, but it's not a given that's how it would work. Surely some guys teach what they know. It seemed like Gardy did most of the time. We are assuming that Molitor will pick out his staff, but as he's an inexperienced manager and an internal hire. The hiring process also played out a lot longer than we expected. Through negotiation, it's quite possible Ryan told Molitor that the input for these coaches was largely going to come from the GM. I'd prefer Molitor gets to pick his staff exclusive of the GM's preference, but I guess it works out both ways. What if Molitor decided to do The Old Boy's Club bit and no Latin coaches were chosen? Ryan made it pretty clear he would like a Latin presence.
  9. nicksaviking
    I loved Viola, though while his 'playing days' pitching philosphy of change up, change up, change up would likley appeal to an organization that loves the pitch, I wonder if that would raise those strikeout totals mentioned above. Let's also look into St. Louis' minor league pitching coaches. Perhaps it's just their scouting, but someone over there certainly knows how to get those young guys ready for the MLB.
  10. nicksaviking
    Just as I prefer it. I do however see a bit of hypocrasy in chastising a team that may experience muliple years of losing due to large but unproductive contracts when the team you're defending is losing for a similar or longer period of time.
  11. nicksaviking
    I said above that the game wasn't exactly rigged, it was just that Molitor was possibly given an insurmountable advantage. Jon Heyman has a good piece and while it's not the lede, he does cite a "former Twins person" who thinks the hiring process involved a canine and equine parade. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24779999/twins-choice-molitor-made-sense-for-the-twin-cities-team-all-along Ryan, notoriously thorough, interviewed about 10 candidates even though others saw Molitor as the obvious call all along. While one former Twins person suggested the search seemed at times like a "dog and pony show" with Molitor the obvious call, and at least one other potential candidate suggested he believed Molitor was the strong favorite all along, the fact that there were multiple interview of multiple candidates suggest Ryan was just doing his homework, as usual. I guess one of the other men being interviewed thought the same. I hope it wasn't an internal candidate who had that view, though if the source is a "former Twins person" it's likely quite possible.
  12. nicksaviking
    I don't want the Twins to go hogwild in free agency because the market looks awful this year. But Detroit's fans won't have to be frustrated that long. Only Cabrera is under contract for more than the next six years and all but he and Verlander are off the books by 2018. So if you're going to be critical of the Tigers and a possible 4-6 year low point, I fail to see how you can continue to defend the Twins when they are begninning year 5.
  13. nicksaviking
    I'll look back fondly on the Gardy years anyway. Until the last four years, it was a pretty good run. I wanted a championship and I wanted change, but I still think Gardy was a fine representitive for this organization, even if I didn't think he always made the right decisions.
  14. nicksaviking
    I don't think the process was a show, I think Ryan wanted to consider outside personalities, but he said early on that his preference was to hire internally. The game wasn't exactly rigged, but it was likely heavily tilted in Molitor's favor. I'm guessing the outside voice would have had to be head-and-shoulders better than the existing option. Lovullo probably would have had to be an A+ and Molitor a B+ for this not to turn into an Occam's Razor situation.
  15. nicksaviking
    As long as it's not short for "The Buck stops here."
  16. nicksaviking
    Colby Rasmus making this team a .500 ballclub seems like pretty high expectations. I like his pop and he can play decent defense, but that guy's got some serious strikeout and walk issues. I think for a contending team he'd merely be a platoon/4th OF.
  17. nicksaviking
    So Jim Pohlad has begun taking part in the interview process? http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/280564562.html Um, not sure what to make of that. If it's a lack of confidence in Ryan's decision, it probably means Ryan shouldn't be there in the first place. If he actually thinks his baseball IQ will be usefull in the decision, then I fear we may have a burgeoning George Steinbrenner or Jerry Jones. I guess option #2 wouldn't be bad if he started commiting payroll like an owner that views the team like a hobby. Not holding my breath though.
  18. nicksaviking
    The Twins surely aren't the favorites, but is Maddon to MN really that much more outrageous than Francona to Cleveland.
  19. nicksaviking
    Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis and Mike Lamb have weighed in. They all agree that it would be foolish to pay a guy that kind of money who doesn't actually play in the games.
  20. nicksaviking
    Well the Twins have the advantage of not being in a precarious position with an existing manager. If they are interested, they need to get out front of this NOW. Don't allow the Cubs, or whoever else may be interested, to hide in the shadows and try to work out a deal subversively. If the Twins make a bold move, these other teams aren't going to have a lot of time to decide if alienating their current manager and his supporters on the team is going to be worth the chance at getting Maddon. Don't disregard the fact that any other team that wants Madden is takng a risk that he'll say no. That will be damaging considering the existing manager is still under contract. Just think how awkward the situation with Mattingly would be if the Dodgers made a play for Madden but he instead chose the Cubs. The Twins need to make these teams decide now if they are willing to show their hands, or fold altogether.
  21. nicksaviking
    He has, I agree and that's why I would prefer him most out of the internal candidates. I do think he's open to new baseball ideas. That doesn't change the feeling that he also has the air of a "my way or the highway" kind of guy. Though perhaps his, standoffish? stoic? icy? demeanor betrays him to some degree. I don't even know how to describe him exactly.
  22. nicksaviking
    He's open-minded. He's more than that, but really, that's enough to get me excited. No more stubbornness please. For some reason, some people lately have been promoting the idea that stubborness is a good trait, when it's basically the death blow to inovation and evolution. I'm not saying Molitor or Meintkiewicz would be bad managers, but to me they seem like the type that would be described as bullheaded and they'd be proud of that fact. This game's always changing, we need people who will adapt with it, not drag their feet and insist the game must be played the way they most feel comfortable playing it.
  23. nicksaviking
    There isn't a free agent available that I'd rather have than Madden. Considering Ryan's defensive responses to Parker's payroll questions, I'm guessing he doesn't plan on putting a lot of money into free agency. Well, here's a good spot to put it.
  24. nicksaviking
    Hey, if they do snag Madden, they may just get Dave Martinez to Minnesota after all!
  25. nicksaviking
    To be clear, I don't think this is happening, but the timing is incredibly conicedental. As noted, the Twins are the only team without a manager under contract. So if the Twins are not his destination, that means he either has another gig likely lined up where another manager is about to get a late axe, or he plans to sit out a year. I'm not sure why he would choose to sit out a year however unless it's under protest against his cheap club which he has defended multiple times in the past. He won't get paid if he sits out. Don't you have to think he wouldn't be resigning unless he has something else cooking? Maybe the Twins were dragging their feet while they were working something out behind the scenes. The Twins would probably be one of the only clubs who could keep such a thing quite seeing as how cloak and dagger they are. Trips to central Florida wouldn't raise many eyebrows considering their base of operations is only a couple hours away.
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