51 thoughts on “May the Fourth (2016)”

  1. I can't edit the image apparently, but ain't there an R2D2 coffee image? If not today, then when?

    2. I had planned to take a picture of my BB8 mug and upload it in preparation for today. Best laid plans and all.

      1. Hmm. Now that I know they exist, I am now planning to acquire a BB8 mug.

  2. I can't do it from my phone but perhaps someone could replace the 3 day old video of the day with this.

      1. It's all good. You should have just put the word out.
        I don't want to step on any toes or anything.

  4. So. J.R. Graham.

    He was the definition of "easily replaceable middle reliever" last year, and has managed to give up 7 walks and 11 hits in just over 8 innings in AAA this year.

    What.

    1. With a walk rate like that, probably injured. Or it could be the yips, ala Rick Ankiel.

    2. The Alex Meyer situation is another example of this franchise either not having a plan or not believing in its plan at the first sign of trouble.

      It makes sense to try to reestablish Meyer as a starter and he had an encouraging start to the experiment in Rochester. I saw some quotes from Terry Ryan that said they need to see him string together some solid starts to know if he has a chance of sticking as a starter.

      What happens next? He's called up and sits for four days before making a relief appearance on the same day it's announced he is replacing Milone in the rotation. Then his start doesn't go well and he is immediately sent down to Rochester and a guy with a 10+ ERA is recalled.

      I know starting pitchers are injured and probably coming back soon, causing a rotation crunch now that Duffey and Berrios are up (and clearly ahead of Meyer in the pecking order). But it isn't like that should be a surprise, so why mess around with a guy like Meyer that has had a pretty rough year+ in the minors? Especially if you're willing to call up JR Graham at this point.

      Did the major league staff want to see Meyers' stuff in person again, did they want to see how he handled adversity? With such a quick hook, it sure seems that Molitor didn't have any confidence in his ability to get out of a rut.

      It isn't like this situation is going to have a major impact on the season, but add it to the growing list of moves that leaves me scratching my head.

        1. Even I have no defense of the moves we've seen this season. I am not trusting the front office to develop talent. Acquire, maybe, but develop? Clearly not.

      2. Graham will be sent down as soon as Santana comes off the DL on Saturday. Meyer would have just sat on the bench until Saturday, so he wouldn't have been able to help and would have been sent down Saturday anyways. Graham was the one recalled for a few days because he was available to pitch and he's already on the 40-man roster. They felt they needed an arm because Milone and Tonkin both pitched yesterday and those 2 are the only ones stretched out for long relief. My biggest question is why pull Milone from the rotation. Why couldn't he start yesterday, see how he does and then if he continues to struggle, then he leaves the rotation when Santana comes off the DL. Of course, Meyer was called up originally to help the bullpen. Maybe they saw a chance to give Meyer a start and see if they can catch lightning in a bottle. Once it became apparent Meyer wouldn't be getting another start, maybe Molitor decided to pull him to keep him from getting lit up and lose confidence built up from just 3 starts in AAA. Fans aren't always privy to reasoning behind moves, but I don't see Molitor as a guy that doesn't have a plan or doesn't know what he's doing. Maybe he's panicking and making desperation moves because of the poor start, but I don't see him as the type of person to do that either.

        1. Yeah, I think you're right. I read the headlines and thought it seemed harsh, but then as I read further,
          Meyer wasn't gonna make another start and really only would have had a chance to relieve right before Santana comes off the DL, they recalled another reliever who was on the roster. Because it gives them the equivalent of 14 pitchers and 12 position players between the two starts.

        2. Quick update. In the last week, the current Twins relievers have thrown:

          Milone 3.1 innings with 57 pitches
          Tonkin 5.1 innings with 84 pitches
          Abad 2.2 innings with 43 pitches
          Fien 3.2 innings with 52 pitches
          Pressly 2 innings with 29 pitches
          Jepsen 2 innings with 28 pitches
          May 3.2 innings with 68 pitches
          O'Rourke 0.1 innings with 7 pitches

          Those don't look like a bunch of tired relievers to me. Even with this spot on the roster only lasting a few days, surely an extra bat is much more useful.

              1. Given that it's the Twins, they'd probably use the spot for a third non-hitting catcher.

                1. Well, you saw what happened the other day. What happens if our hot-headed catcher gets ejected, and the replacement tweaks his back while swinging (and missing, of course, because let's face it, these are Minnesota Twins catchers we're talking about)? You might say "well, then we'd have to give Escobar the catcher's gear for a couple innings, but wouldn't you rather have a third catcher in the dugout, just in case?

                  2. Even a third catcher is more useful because then you can pinch-hit the the last two times that spot comes up on the order.

                    1. You can, but the Twins most likely wouldn't. Because if they pinch-hit for the second catcher and the third catcher gets hurt, then what are we going to do?

                    2. It's turtles catchers all the way down.

                      I honestly would love to see a reverse position-player-pitching scenario when the last guy out of the pen has to put on some catching gear.

                    3. It's turtles catchers all the way down.

                      Somebody give this man a $WGOM.

    3. "Twins' J.R. Graham: To be recalled"
      Guys! Graham is going to be one of those cup-of-coffee guys you can recall. Unlike Travis Bowyer, Chuck James, Carmen Cali, Julio DePaula, Brian Bass, or Juan Morillo.

  5. I stopped by Lake Monster Brewing on the way home, as it's halfway between the office and my house. The beer was decent, I'll probably go back if for no other reason than proximity.

    1. It was interesting, but it felt a bit like a writer stretching for a thesis. I never served in the Israeli, Canadian or British army, and have spent no more than a few months (England) in those societies, so his suggestions may be appropriate for those soldiers. But, based on my experience, I'll go ahead and disagree with the assertion that American military jargon says much of anything about American society in the manner he suggests.

      The origins of a military language, particularly one spoken over the radio, Rosenthal said, lie in a practical need for secrecy and brevity.

      This was still true while I was deployed to Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

      At the same time, some of the more perilous and awful parts of the soldiers’ lives are concealed under acronyms of bureaucratic triviality: a “VBIED” sounds a lot safer than a car bomb, for example.

      Uhm, no. When time is of the essence, "VBIED" is easier and faster to say than, "Vehicle-Born Improvised Explosive Device" while being just as accurate. Hearing "VBIED" over the radio had jack-all to do with concealment or bureaucratic triviality.

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