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I don't typically find myself sitting down to write on a Sunday evening, but with my foot in a cast, and a level of frustration in tow, here we are. The first part of that formula is thanks to my achilles deciding to part ways with my foot, the second half is the fault of none other than the Star Tribune's Jim Souhan. On Sunday night, the Tribune Twitter account sent out Souhan's latest with this attached to the piece, "Affordable contract would keep Mauer in good standing with #MNTwins." Prior to getting full blown defensive, I needed to dive in further. So, I hopped into an incognito window and got to reading. There were some quotes from Twins President Dave St. Peter defending the $184 million deal that any team would've jumped at the opportunity to ink. There was some talk with Molitor about wanting him back, and then there was what Souhan added on his own. The journalist quipped "Mauer’s desire to play probably will be based on his health. He has recovered from concussion-like symptoms to return to the everyday lineup, but is batting just .222 with a .556 OPS since his return. Before his injury, his on-base percentage was .404, ranking among the league leaders. His on-base percentage since is an uncharacteristically low .300." From Mauer, Souhan went on to talk about Dozier. A late-bloomer that has an impending pay day ahead. The Twins don't look like they'll pony up, and there's baseball reasons for that (even aside from his typical slow start). He could end the piece without returning to Mauer however, in which he offer "the best thing Mauer could do for his image is to sign an affordable contract, to give the hometown team a break, and finish his career as a bargain instead of a financial burden." Now that you've read as much as you need to, I'm sorry. Over recent seasons, Souhan has been raked himself by plenty a fan of his poorly written pieces. Whether suggesting Phil Hughes as soft for not pitching through injury requiring surgery, or calling Miguel Sano out prior to him having an All Star caliber season. In both of those occasions however, you could argue the pieces had a level of journalistic integrity. Here however, Souhan comes out looking like more of a clown than he ever has. In noting Mauer's production, Jim points to Joe's return from the disabled list. While noting his numbers, he fails to mention that's literally an eight game sample size (including Sunday). The .759 OPS and .404 OBP come in a 38 G span to open up the year. Had he been leading off during that stretch, the Twins offense may have benefitted even more (but that's another story). In a game that decides realities over the course of 162 games, cherry picking eight of them (and failing to mention it), is poor at best. Should the idea that noting statistical production in an lackluster manner not bother you, Souhan then doubled down with his final remarks. Noting that Mauer should give the Twins a break, and not be a financial burden. If the brigade wielding pitchforks at the notion of Mauer's previous contract didn't already have enough poorly derived information, they've just been handed a bit more fuel for the fire. The horse is so far dead, there's not even reason to beat it at this point. That being said, Mauer's $184 million deal was already a hometown discount. There isn't an organization in baseball that wouldn't have signed on that dotted line in a heartbeat. He was the best catcher in the game, and on pace to be among the best to ever play the position. He took less to stay home, and has been unappreciated by a fanbase that saw a living legend because a brain injury drastically altered his career. With baseball being an uncapped sport, and the Twins rarely being in a position to land big fish over the course of his deal, spending to supplement Mauer hardly seemed to be the right move. In 2018, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine executed a near flawless offseason to bring in talent while pushing the payroll to an organizational record. The reality is that even the most sensible dollars don't always come together at the right time in terms of the on field product. Given the current climate of free agents, and the new front office, I'd guess that Falvey and Levine would chuckle at the notion of giving Torii Hunter $10 million for a 2015 season at 39 years old. Veteran leadership is a great thing, but I'll be damned if suggesting it trumps performance on a good team makes any semblance of sense. Hunter was a defensive liability and on his last legs at the plate. It was a fine last hurrah, but the dollars didn't make sense. The beautiful part of it however, was that it didn't make a difference on the bottom line either. A season ago, Joe Mauer was robbed of a Gold Glove that would've made him the third player to ever win one at multiple positions (and first catcher). At the present time, he's the best defensive first basemen in baseball, and it doesn't really matter if opposing managers are blind to that because of his lack of power numbers. Should Mauer want to return next year, Minnesota should jump at the opportunity. He can help Miguel Sano make that defensive transition, and earning something like $10 million is peanuts for the benefit he'd bring on the diamond. When the dust settles on his career, Joe Mauer will go down as the best player to ever play in the Minnesota Twins organization not named Harmon Killebrew. Whether you can't come to grips with his contract, or the fact that a season of inflated home runs in the Metrodome didn't transform who he was doesn't really matter. Tonight Jim Souhan tried to summarize what Mauer has been, and can be going forward, while failing to do even a shred of journalistic justice. It's a sad look for the Star Tribune, it's an expected offering from Souhan, and it's a reminder that Mauer has deserved so much better than what Minnesota has given him for far too long. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Jim Souhan responded to widespread criticism of his August 22nd Sano-Is-Too-Fat column yesterday, and after defending the column, he shared his philosophy on how to evaluate sports writing. It is a philosophy that I have heard shared by a few other journalists. It is the Cult Of Access. Access is the focal point of the philosophy. It is so esteemed, it becomes the basis for all evaluation. Those who have more of it are better than those who have less of it. If Tom Kelly answers his phone when you call (SWOON), it puts you in the penultimate spot on the professional (and moral) pyramid – right behind the team’s announcers. Those who have Access even have a higher moral character than those who don't. You’ll find all of these clearly referenced in Souhan’s diatribe.That philosophy is somewhat understandable. For a sports writer, Access is both a big part of the job and also one of the pain points. Hanging out in a locker room is mostly tedium, but writers are often required to be there in case news breaks. For instance, sometimes announcements are made regarding injuries. Missing that news when another outlet reports it looks bad to one’s supervisors. Yes, Access can give you a chance to talk to players and coaches, but it’s similar to walking around an office building, interviewing people at their desks when they’re working. Most of the players are polite and answer questions; that’s not the problem. But you are not their friend. They don’t really know you. They shouldn’t really trust you. It is often not in their best interest to reveal too much to you. Plus, they have work to do, or people they want to talk to, or maybe they just want to go home, or screw around with their teammates a little. Or maybe they just don’t want to talk right now. Navigating that environment takes a lot of energy and a lot of time. It is the most visible and tangible part of the job. It is not surprising that it is held in high regard. However, that philosophy is also mighty convenient. If Access is the differentiator, then the quality of one’s work is secondary. Embracing that philosophy puts a columnist near the top of the Ponzi scheme. He can disparage others’ quality stories because they don't have Access. He can sling crap against the wall, see what sticks, and talk about how the duty of a columnist is to get people talking. (It also helps if I decide that the platform that someone else has built, maybe singlehandedly, is an undeserved accident. After all, if having a bunch of readers and listeners had anything to do with merit, then why isn’t anyone listening to my brilliant reality-based daily podcasts with various sports luminaries? Answer me that!) That philosophy can also be a clever bit of misdirection. With one hand, you trumpet how important it is to have Access. Meanwhile, the other hand actively lobbies to restrict that Access to the very people you’re disparaging. But mostly, that philosophy is just some guy yelling and pointing at a velvet rope. He wants it to be a divider; a barrier that he has conquered. He is on one side and we are on the other, and the resulting hierarchy should be intuitively obvious to everyone. That might fool some people. But most people know: a velvet rope is an illusion. Relying on it to differentiate oneself is an act of impotence. Insisting that it lends some moral superiority is an act of desperation. It's all bull. It's reducing a genuinely valuable tool into an exclusive little club to boost one’s ego. As Souhan suggests, you get to choose who to read. So allow me to share my philosophy, which simplifies the choices considerably. You can either read people who reward your trust in them with thought-provoking, entertaining coverage of the Twins. Or you can rely on those who feel justified in regularly breaking that trust with incendiary garbage due to some fictitious self-important exclusivity. I’d ask that you make that choice carefully. You get decide if the velvet rope is real or not. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John go to Town Hall Brewery and talk about Paul Molitor officially being hired as Twins manager, a Torii Hunter reunion, Tom Brunansky returning as hitting coach, last week's impromptu chat with Tim McIntosh, thoughts from Molitor's press conference, bad newspaper columnists, good bourbon, and being woken up by Molitor on a Saturday morning. Don't forget, you can subsribe to GATG using iTunes or Stitcher. Or just click 'Play' below. Click here to view the article