63 thoughts on “July 19, 2016: Groundhog Day”

  1. The good news is that Omaha, will be hosting the 2018 Olympic Curling Trials next year. The bad news is my cell phone has officially died.

      1. I read that as "fist fights" and was trying to figure out what kind of curling you've been watching.

  2. The big winner in this Twins mess is Glen Taylor, he now looks like a great owner compared to Jim Pohlad.

    1. I agree that it looks like a mess right now, but I'm willing to wait and see what happens. It's still possible that, despite the way things look now, the Twins will make a really good GM choice in the end.

      1. Absolutely. A few years ago, who would have expected the Wolves to get the top coaching name on the market?

        1. It's also possible that we're overdoing the"Molitor will be back in 2017" thing. If they don't hire someone until after the season, his first move probably wouldn't be to fire the manager anyway. A change could still be made later, though.

      2. I haven't read anything that gives me confidence in the Twins. As much as I am down on TR, Pohlad is worse.

            1. This thing called lube, I just can't handle it
              This thing called lube, I must get round to it
              I ain't ready
              Crazy little thing called lube
              This thing (this thing)
              Called lube (called lube)
              It cries (like a baby)
              In a cradle all night
              It swings (woo woo)
              It jives (woo woo)
              It shakes all over like a jelly fish
              I kinda like it
              Crazy little thing called lube

          2. nephew Joe Pohlad, Bob’s son, who heads Go Media, the family broadcast arm. Insiders expect Joe to replace St. Peter whenever Jim decides he’s ready, and his presence Monday suggests a larger role may be imminent.

            SMDH. so the twins have become the Wolves.

  3. I accidentally listened to the Gleeman and the Geek pop-up episode last night. PSA: if you think you should listen to it, even as background noise, don't do it. Not even for morbid curiosity.

      1. It's just objectively terrible. It sounds like something a friend and I would have recorded on a cassette tape in our basement.

        1. Were they both drunk? Or using potatoes for microphones? Or both?

          I'm betting both.

            1. You weren't kidding. They quickly got to the point of talking past each other about Terry Ryan and it continued, and continued, and then I listened to something else.

    2. My first reaction to Pohlad's use of "media guides" to research other organizations' front offices:

      Pohlad: citing media guides in press conference :: Gleeman : citing ERA at Baseball Prospectus

  4. Will Rob Antony get a legitimate shot to have the interim-label removed?

    All indications from Monday’s discussions seem to indicate that the Twins will look to hire someone from outside the organization. However, the track record of the organization would certainly indicate that he will be given an opportunity. How he handled the trade deadline and, frankly, how the team performs may be his interview for the job. Maybe that is why Terry Ryan resigned when he did, to give Antony an opportunity to show what he can do, his style, etc.

    -Seth Stohs

    Based on what we've heard reported about TR knowing his end was likely imminent, and his interest in trying to take care of his people, Seth's conjecture at the end makes a lot of sense.

    1. Judging a potential GM on a team's record over 70 games in a lost season may be a mistake.

      2. Just so we're clear, I don't mean to imply that I think the results of the trade deadline and remaining games should be sufficient to judge how fit Antony is to have the 'interim' tag removed. He does have a bit of a track record as Assistant GM, but much of his resume (PR/Media Relations-heavy) doesn't do much to assuage my concerns about his capabilities.

        I was only saying that I could see TR wanting to give his folks as much opportunity to save their jobs as possible, and by stepping down now, he maybe thinks the timing would be beneficial to their cause...

        It could just as easily have been, "Fuck-it. Get 'er dun Billy Smith Jim Pohlad!"

    2. That makes sense. If TR was allowed to dictate his terms & timeline, then TR leveraging it to take the blame for the season & give a trusted lieutenant the inside track seems consistent with how he operates.

  5. How about Ichiro Suzuki? I know it's just half a season and he's playing part time, but hitting .345 with a .423 OBP at age 42 is pretty fucking awesome. He's banked up 1.6 rWAR and can keep that by just maintaining replacement level or above the rest of the season. For the Twins, only Mauer and Dozier have a better rWAR on the season.

    1. He hadn't indicated that he's retiring or anything, has he? I hope he can keep going for a couple more years, anyway. I'd like to see him get a ring.

      1. Not that I know of. I just saw an article on him at the four-letter and was just reminded again of how much of a badass he is. If he makes it to 50, he'll pass Julio Franco for the record.

        1. I think he'll continue to do fine for a while as long as he's managed like Mattingly has done this year. He's been kept as a fourth outfielder and their top pinch hitter. That has really allowed him to stay fresh while still allowing him to get consistent at-bats. If he went to the AL, he might be relegated to a platoon DH role.

          1. I kind of doubt that an AL team would pick him up as a platoon DH, because teams are so focused on power from the DH. (Excepting the Twins with TynyDH, of course.) Also, given how determined teams are to have 20 or so pitchers on the active roster, AL teams seem to prefer using the DH slot to "rest" a position player rather than having someone specifically as a platoon DH.

            He's a great 4th OF in the NL, though, especially since you could DH him if you're playing an AL game and the pitching matchup looks favorable.

    3. How about Ichiro Suzuki?
      As your stats imply, he's still got a lot of playing career left. Let's let him finish that before nominating him as Twins' GM.

    4. Yikes, I did not realize that Ichiro was so close to 3,000. And that's on top of his 1,278 in Nippon. But, you know, pussy singles hitter and all that.

  6. It's been about ten years since I've been through Iowa, but I'm at a pub in Cedar Rapids and man have things changed beer-wise in this state. This place has almost sixty taps, zero of which are macros and I'm drinking a sour made IN Iowa.

    1. Iowa has a pretty decent beer scene. The Des Moines Beer Festival was usually packed with brewers from across the state. At least two, if not more, breweries have popped in DSM since I left.

      I will take a second to pour one out for The Library, no longer a poorly lit student bar with the best nachos in Des Moines. It is now under new management and is a trendy craft bar now. 🙁

    2. What's the name of the pub? There was one bar downtown when I lived there that had a great beer selection, lots of imports as it was before the domestic craft brew craze caught on. That's where I had my first Belgian tripel.

        1. Looks like the place I'm thinking of is now called Bricks, but that wasn't the name back in the day. I know the flood years ago took out several downtown businesses.

  10. so, I saw in the Paper of Record today a story about

    'The Speech' SelectShow
      1. forbidden-zoney SelectShow

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