Cup of Coffee

August 29, 2012: Bad Habits

62 Comments

Skim, thanks to her amazing ability to tell little white lies before bed, found out yesterday that she has some pretty bad cavities in one of her baby teeth. We've been trying to stay on her about stuff like this, but hopefully this will make her want to change...

62 thoughts on “August 29, 2012: Bad Habits”

    1. There would be much rejoicing in a certain segment of the "fanbase". Also, the Pohlads would like it.

      1. My mom already texted me about it. She claimed she didn't want it to happen, but I think she was just being nice to me.

        A family friend was saying this weekend that at least Mauer has been OK this year. I mentioned that he's performing about to his salary. "PFFFFTT. Half his salary _maybe_. He said." I tried to say more, but he just "PFFFFFTT'd over me." O_o.

        If the team is doing this just because it's standard practice to put players on trade waivers, well, it's just another example of them handling the whole thing poorly. Adds fuel to the fire.

        1. I think pretty much any other year this wouldn't be a big deal, but with the Dodgers taking on $275 million in contracts through a waiver trade it makes it seem more possible something will happen. I've already had a friend text me this morning saying he "wouldn't be opposed" to trading Mauer. I suppose if the return was Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmerman, and Ryan Zimmerman I "wouldn't be opposed" to that trade.

          1. Doesn't Mauer have a full no trade clause? I don't think he would waive it. This is a weird move.

                  1. I've never heard this specifically addressed before, but one could imagine this being a huge point of contention for the MLBPA if it happened. The whole point of a NTC is to have control over where you are playing, where you're living. They might be called no-trade clauses, but I suspect they are really "I get to choose where I play" clauses in practice.

                    1. i would guess that there's nothing in a NTC that would stop a team from putting a player on waivers. if he is claimed (or passed through) and trade terms are agreed upon, then the player could exercise his NTC.

                      i'm not sure if rhu_ru's phrasing was awkward, or that's how he meant it, but i can't see a player saying he doesn't want to be traded, so you have to pull him off of waivers.

                      EDIT: nevermind, looking closer i see that i basically said what the `barb said. sorry, dude. in response to bS though, i would imagine a trade is a trade, regardless of the mechanism.

                    2. well, yea, ONCE you get through waivers, you can be traded after the non-waiver trade deadline. My point was just that waivers ≠ trades. You can be claimed on waivers and the waiving team can let you go (hence ubes' bone of contention point).

                2. Sorry, I didn't mean to imply he had to approve being put on waivers. Just that maybe he _did_ approve of being put on waivers. It just seems stupid for the team to invite even more Mauer speculation/criticism, even if it is normal operating procedure.

                  'Course quotes since imply he was as surprised as anyone else.

        2. It was my impression that teams flood the waivers in the hopes that they can get players to slip through more easily. I could be wrong, though.

    3. I love Joe Mauer

      "Obviously this is where I want to be, and this is why I signed to play here," Mauer said. "So it was news to me this morning. I just feel bad for my mom. She was out at the State Fair today doing a thing for Kemps, and I don't think they were talking a whole lot about ice cream."

  2. Spooky,
    That's what baby teeth are for, right? If she has to get a filling that'll be visible, let her be Slick Rick without the eyepatch for a few years.

    1. Ugh, I'm so much more tired today than I was after Sunday's shift. I think it's because I worked yesterday morning as well AND I couldn't fall asleep for my pre-shift nap. I am really dragging right now.

  4. So my athletic trainer friend is back from Florida now that the GCL season has ended. Apparently the Twins' rehab trainer is seeing his return as an opportunity to take some time off. He asked my friend to take over on Baker and Capps' rehab work for the next few days. Because of this, my friend is going to be sitting on the Twins' bench for tonight's game and tomorrow's game. My jealousy knows no bounds.

  5. For me, Sinker can be hit or miss but it was through him that I found this place so I still read what he writes. I agree with his senitment, if not the last sentence (I can't help but watch/listen...if only half-heartedly):

    It's frustrating for me because I want to make time for this team. I want to think that better days are ahead. I want to watch the September games with hope. Really, I'm not a tough audience. But the investment isn't worth the reward right now, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.

    emphasis mine
    I would like to see some urgency to fix this team. I understand that you can't win many ballgames with a slew of 4 & 5 (at best) starters, and the available bench players are essentially base runners and defensive replacements, but I'd really appreciate some hint as to how they* plan to pursue a remedy. I don't want band-aids, bubble gum, duct tape and bailing twine. I want a new tractor.
    At the risk of going all 'Stribbie', I'm beginning to wonder, in earnest, if Gardy & his staff should be given credit (i.e., blame) for the the way this team has performed on the field. As noted above, I already know that the FO hasn't done it's job stocking the farm system and rotation so the manager gets a bit of a reprieve, but only a bit.

    *Ownership, Front Office, Manager & Staff

    1. My feeling on Gardenhire is that they give him one more chance with an actual Major League worthy rotation next year, and then evaluate after that (unless on the off chance they could talk Francona into managing this team but I doubt that will happen). My biggest concern is the hard salary : revenue rotation ratio the Pohlads want to use. I think spending money wisely is more important than spending a lot of money, but I also think that given the wasteland that is the Twins' upper minor system, they are going to need to pay for some FA pitching. And this might put them out of their comfort zone. But, I guess if I was running the team, I'd be okay with giving up a few percentage points. Spending a bit of extra money to put an entertaining product on the field is going to put asses in seats and thus drive up revenue. If the Twins run out there with even three of the current rotation starting 2013, I wouldn't blame people from tuning out.

      This team has been no fun for basically two years now. There's some hope on the horizon (Sano, Barrios, Hicks, Arcia, Buxton), but it's a few years away. They're not going to get anywhere without some pitching, though.

  6. How was Adrian Gonzalez able to pass all the way to the Dodgers on waivers? I understand the other guys but I would think some team would have put in a claim on him before he got that far.

      1. I would have to look but it doesn't seem like he is really all that overpaid. It seems like some team would at least throw a claim on him.

        1. Yeah, I was surprised by this as well. I figured it was par for the course to put in claims on players like that just to block trades like the Red Sox/Dodgers deal that just went down. I mean, the Red Sox weren't going to let Gonzalez go for nothing, and even if they did, he obviously has some trade value. Teams are going to try to live pretty close to the edge of their budget, but I would assume most teams would be willing to go over in order to score an asset like that.

    2. I suppose he made it through a lot of the AL teams because most of the good first basemen in the league are in the AL. I'm curious what the order was like in the NL, but I assume there weren't many teams that were ahead of the Dodgers who had the need & the budget. What I don't get is why they took back so much terrible salary and gave up some quality pieces. Any production they get from Crawford & Josh Beckett's corpse is a benefit I suppose, but it's like a $275 million deal for Gonzo.

        1. Fangraphs says he has been worth $28M (2009), $20.8M (2010), $29.5M (2011) and $12.7M (so far in 2012). He's in his age-30 season.

          His power [edit: and walk rate] is way down this year from the average of the previous 5, but I don't know that that is any indication that he's slipping. His BA, OBP and BABIP are all in line with career averages, and Fangraphs thinks he's a very, very good fielding 1b.

          I'd think that he's going to be a very, very productive player for at least another 3-4 years.

      2. I could see Crawford having some value. His wOBA this year is .342 and his career wOBA is .343. His 2011 numbers scream "playing through pain." Yeah, wrist and elbow problems the last couple years are less than ideal, but he's a pretty ahtletic guy so I like his chances of coming back from that. He'll likely retain his speed and range in the field so the Dodgers probably figure he's a rich man's Juan Pierre.

        Beckett could even have some value. His ERA and xFIP are pretty close to his 2006 season, after which he had three straight 5+ fWAR seasons. Getting some free outs from the 9th spot in the order is only going to help, I imagine.

    3. I'm surprised Punto made it through waivers. Couldn't any team want a decent bench/utility/good clubhouse player for nearly free? (I assume he's not on a multi-year contract?) I'm not sure what SS/Utility players the AL teams in contention have, but Punto is probably an upgrade on at least one, right?

      2. I think Punto's a decent bench guy for the price, but at this point in the season, most of the teams that would want to specifically add a player like that would be teams in contention who need some bench depth in September, and the Dodgers could claim ahead of most of those teams. I think if you're a bad team, you're usually not looking for a bench player above rock-bottom minimum, unless he has some long-term upside.

        1. Jamey Carroll, inf
          - 2 years/$6.5M (2012-13), plus 2014 option

          • Signed by Minnesota as a free agent 11/16/11
          • 12:$2.75M, 13:$3.75M, 14: $2M club option ($0.25M buyout)
          • 2014 option becomes player option (no buyout) with 401 or more plate appearances in 2013

          🙁

          1. Carroll's at 1.5 fWAR this season, in line with his history of performing at greater-than-Punto levels. And judging by wOBA, other than Florimon's 43 PA, none of the other Twins' middle infielders have hit better than he has. He also doesn't slide into first base. I'm not too beat up over that contract.

    1. Getting outrighted two days before rosters expand--on a team going nowhere fast--has to sting.

    3. Step 1--Get Parmelee in the major leagues.
      Step 2--Actually put him in the lineup regularly.

      Step 2 is on you, Gardy. Figure it out.

    1. my brother lives in Slidell. He and his wife and their week old kid hightailed it up to her folks place in Jackson Mississippi.

    1. 2014 All Star Game. Admittedly, such a vague post with all the Mauer crap floating around today isn't such a great idea.

      2. I suppose they have to be vague because the entire press conference could be replaced by tweeting "Minnesota Twins officially awarded 2014 All-Star game." Sounds like a pretty boring press conference to attend. What questions are there to ask?

        "Is there any word on the captains for the celebrity softball game?"

        "Are you looking to expand the rosters even further to make it an All-Participation Game?"

        "What would have to happen for ESPN to assign a new broadcaster to the home run derby?"

        ??

    2. What are the odds that this announcement is good news? 20%? Less? I have little faith.

    3. Jeff Gray has a lot of fans. People are gonna want an explanation.

      Wonder if it's Morneau? They brought Parm up two days early.

  10. The Barca-Real Madrid game on ESPN3 is really cracking. 2-1 RM at the half, 4-4 on aggregate. Madrid have the away goals at the moment. Madrid scored 2 here early, but Messi just put in a free kick in the 44th-ish minute.

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