Jacksson

Unfortunately, pro sports has moved far down the road of becoming just businesses. As stated by that underappreciated observer of society, Fred Flintstone, " You're in the business army now, your only friend is a buck and the more bucks you've got, the more friends you've got. This applies to both sides of the pro sports equation.

Twins could save a small fortune on footwear repairs if they were to have their own..... SHOEMAKER !!

GREAT STORY !! Oh, what might have been....

In addition to being corner outfield insurance, also DH insurance.

If they hadn't signed him, The Twins Off season Free Agency efforts, Coukd have been referred to as being........ HAPP Less !!

Trades are exciting, interesting and worthy of lots of conversation. Signing an over-the-hill, 38 year old starter for 8 Million, not so much.

If you were an accomplished and desirable free agent would you want to play outdoors in Minnesota in April or October? Or for that matter, May or September? Too bad they didn't think to build a ............... RETRACTABLE ROOF STADIUM !!

The interest in Duvall is all about connections. Amazing talent in Adam's Family. Fester's pitching is electric. Gomez' bat is explosive. Pugsley is working hard at training.

Of course Cruz is not a must signing. That David Ortiz dump and replacement by Matt LeCroy turned out well, DIDN'T IT ??

I do remember how saving a few bucks by dropping David Ortiz and replacing him with Matt LeCroy worked out.....

Interestingly, the Chicago White Sox will be the only MLB team in 2021 that when the Manager goes to the mound to make a pitching change, It will be the Manager that uses a powered cart, instead of the Relief Pitcher that is entering the game !!

Robbie Ray is off the market. Time to make another choice. Who is that/where does that Robnak guy in the rotation come from?

Goodbye = Romo, Avila, Gonzalez, Hill, Come on Back = Clippard, Cruz If Price is Right = Adrianza, May, Odorizzi

Hang this loss on: MANAGER BENCH COACH PITCHING COACH BULLPEN COACH Wrong guy (Mejia) at the wrong time. Got stale waiting to be used. What's Vasquez doing? Knitting a sweater?

Another example how Lady Luck can overcome players that choke in the clutch and a manager who hasn't a clue. Inning #1 - Kepler on @B ZERO out. No sacrifice to move Kepler to 3B to score on a sac fly Polanco looks slow and strikes out looking on a Fastball that was inches away from the previous curve ball. Missed opportunity. Bailed out by Cruz and Rosario. Same inning Rosario on 2B, Two out. Gonzalez bounces a low and away Curve to 1B for the final out Inning #2 - Garver on 2B, ZERO Out. No sacrifice by Schoop. He pops out to 1B. Wasted at bat. Buxton picks up the slack and plates Garver With one out, both Kepler and Polanco choke and fly out. ATTN: MANAGER, BENCH COACH, HITTING COACH = 5 players saw a total of 9 pitches. What's up with that - in the second inning????? INNING #3 - ONE out, Gonzalez on 2B, Garver on 1B. Schoop chokes and grounds a low and away curve ball into an inning ending double play. Missed scoring opportunity. ATTN: MANAGER, BENCH COACH, HITTING COACH = 5 players saw a total of 10 pitches. Not including Garver who saw 5 pitches himself - and walked. What's up with that - in the third inning????? INNING #4 - Buxton on 1B ZERO out. NO sacrifice, no attempt to steal 2B Kepler chokes and grounds into a double play. The DP is followed by 2 singles, before Rosario pops out to SS n a low and away Fast ball. INNING #5 Garver on 2B, TWO OUT. A hit means a run and Schoop grounds out to 3B on the first pitch he sees, a slider inside. INNING #6 - Polanco on 2B via single and wild pitch. Two Out. Cruz whiffs on a low inside slider on his 9th pitch of the at bat. INNING #7 - Cron on 1B ZERO out. No sacrifice, runner is not advanced. Gonzalez flys to LF, Garver hits a DP to 2B. MISSED OPPORTUNITY. ATTN MANAGER, BENCH COACH, PITCHING COACH, BULLPEN COACH: Poor decision on bringing May in to face 1 batter in the 7th and then haul him out again to begin the 8th. Poor decision on bringing in Parker to start the 9th, since he worked on Saturday. FLAVINE => Get some arms Baldelli can trust, otherwise this is a repeat of Molitor's bullpen use.

Harper has at least shown SOMETHING. Vasquez has earned a ticket back to Rochester. Bring on Stewart or Romero.

Chase DeJong = OOPS STRIKE ONE = Send him back down. Andrew Vasquez = OOPS STRIKE TWO = Get him a plane ticket. Now, who are you going to try with an 0-2 count? Perhaps both Stewart and Romero. Seems like Odorizzi is looking like he needs some time on the IL for SOMETHING that isn't right.

GREAT MOVE Pohlad FAMILY. Well, cheap asses, you got your stadium off the backs of the ever stupid Minnesota State Legislators (and us taxpayers).` Didn't all you clowns grow up in Minnesota? Or did your bucks permit you to only actually live here 5 months a year? Everybody else (except the ignorant legislators) knew that building an open air stadium for baseball in Minnesota was pure folly. With the weather here, baseball here in April and October without a retractable roof is lunacy. And September can be no bargain either. Not withstanding the showers and thunderstorms that take place during our "glorious" tepid, humid summers can make games uncomfortable for both fans and players. Too bad Eloise didn't insist on a retractable roof. DUMMIES !!

Austin is just going to park himself in a lawn chair in the outfield and leave the defense up to Dugger and Pillar.

When Sano, FINALLY IS HEALTHY, Astudillo will probably be optioned to Rochester. At the trade deadline, Castro, Gonzalez, Odorizzi, will be shopped and Astudillo will be recalled.

Looks like there is some managerial light in the tunnel. Should have had Cave sacrifice Astudillo to 2B in the 2nd. With RISP in the 3rd, Rosario choked and whiffed. With 2 outs and the bases loaded and a new pitcher brought in to face him, Kepler sees only 3 pitches before swinging at an up and in slider and predictably popping out to SS to end the inning. WHERE WAS THE HITTING COACH BEFORE THIS AT BAT??? With 1 out in the 7th and 2 "gift" base runners on, Astudillo hits into a DP RUNNERS WERE NOT ON THE MOVE. Inning #8. Imagine using a pinch hitter! Who would have thunk that up? Both Austin and Kepler came through big in the clutch. Especially Kepler who took a low and away sinker to LF to drive in 2 runs. FOUR defensive changes and a pitching change. WHAT HAPPENED, did Baldelli leave the dugout to take a leak and leave managing up to someone else?? 9th inning = Pinch Runner ?? Stolen Base to get into scoring position?? What is Baldelli trying to do, become a Manager??

Yes, we're only 4 games in but: Kepler, Rosario, Schoop, Gonzalez, and Castro all stink. Time to make playing time for: Cave, Astudillo, Adrianza and even Austin to get some looks while the non-performers cool their heels.

Lucky Win. Covered a number of missteps by the rookie manager. I realize he is a first time manager, but didn't he ever WATCH a game and see how other Managers manage? Wasted single to lead off the 1st. No bunt. No steal. And what's with the first 3 batters of the game together only seeing 4 pitches? Gonzalez and Schoop fail to deliver in the clutch in the 4th. Polanco and Rosario fail to deliver with a runner on 2B in the 5th. 6th inning = runner on 2B, ZERO outs, score is 3-2 Twins. No sacrifice to advance the runner to 3B to set up the sacrifice fly. Gonzalez, Schoop and Buxton all choke. 7th inning = runners at 1B & 2B, ZERO outs, Tie score 3-3. Cruz walks to load the bases... Fly ball = 1 run, Single = 2runs. Rosario, Cron and Gonzalez proceed to choke. 8th inning = Schoop on 1B, ZERO outs. Tie score 3-3. No sacrifice. No attempt to steal. PH Astudillo, looks at one pitch before flying out to CF with the second. Buxton Whiffs looking. Kepler fouls out to SS on the second pitch he sees. 9th inning = Polanco on 2B. Zero Outs. Twins down 4-3. No sacrifice. No attempt to steal. Cruz hits a fastball to RF for a flyball out. Cron whiffs on a ball in the dirt on a Full Count. Schoop, with runners on the corners, hits the first pitch he sees into a force out on a nasty pitch down and away. 10th inning = Astudillo on 1B, ZERO outs, Score tied 4-4 No sacrifice. No successful attempt to steal. Cave hits the 1st pitch he sees, (a change-up) on the fly to LF ??? With the count 1-2, Kepler whiffs on a change-up in the dirt. Cruz comes through... This Time. With runners on the corners, 2 outs and a 1 run lead, Rosario flys to CF. Team needs some remedial hitting. Batting coach needs to be concerned with batters, not watching the game. Manager needs to learn to manage. Anybody can win a game when it is left up to luck.

Even Baldelli's inexperience couldn't screw up Sunday's result. Now, if we could have a bit more hitting in the clutch by some players and if Rosario could buy a hit, the Twins might have something.

TIME FOR SOME EDUCATION: Extra batting practice for all Twin's Batters. Extra bullpen sessions on control for Parker. Extra bullpen sessions for Garver on blocking pitches. Extra course for Baldelli on the use of the sacrifice. Extra course for Baldelli on the use of the stolen base. Extra course for Baldelli on when to yank a pitcher. Extra course for Baldelli on the use of pinch hitters off of the bench. Extra course for Baldelli on playing small ball for a single run. Extra course for Derek Shelton on speaking up when the Manager is WRONG. Extra course on Instructions to hitters for Rowson and Hernandez. Extra course on the selection and use of relievers for BOTH Baldelli and Bullpen Coach