Cup of Coffee

March 4, 2019: Progress

40 Comments

Looks like we might be climbing out of the freezer towards the end of the week around here. Not sure about Minnesota. It just might need to be canceled at this point.

40 thoughts on “March 4, 2019: Progress”

  1. My brother in law moved from Florida to our guest bedroom in Illinois just after Thanksgiving, and got a job that requires he work outside about half the time.

    For a guy who hasn't lived further north than Nashville in his adult life, he's hanging in there pretty well. He watches the forecast a lot closer than any of us, though.

  3. Hey site admin: I created a poll for the Half-Baked Hall, and when I originally did it I got a URL or whatever to put in the post, but now I can't find it to add it.

    1. I don't think there's a way to get it again but I know the shortcode to insert it into a post:
      [poll id="56"]

  4. So the poll is up for the Half-Baked Hall. I have it set to close this Friday at the end of the workday. I know you'll all be agonizing over Jim Abbott, so.

  5. Zach Granite had 4 RBI in 263 plate appearances last season in AAA. Say what you will about the usefulness of RBI as a stat, but that is....not great.

    1. And on Twins radio. Maybe I'm the only one, but I'm really tired of the endless parade of interviews during these games. Yes, I know, it's just spring training. But if I wanted to listen to a talk show, I would turn on a talk show. I turn on the ball game because I want to hear the ball game.

        1. I'm really wondering if he's going to be on the team this year. Yes, it's still early, but he didn't get much accomplished last year and he hasn't done anything so far this year.

            1. Oh, yeah, I was all for it when they signed him. But it sure hasn't worked out so far.

        2. For a veteran guy, spring stats this early are particularly meaningless because he could be just working on specific pitches, especially if he hasn't been told he'll have to earn his spot on the roster. He's guaranteed $8.5M, so I'm guessing he's not been told that he has to earn his spot in the bullpen.

          3. More seriously, if Molitor was still the manager I'd definitely agree that he'll be on the roster. I think there's still a pretty good chance he will be, but I don't think it's guaranteed, even if his salary is.

            1. Not really saying his spot is guaranteed, just that he's on unless he pitches himself off. That's different than he has to win a competition to secure his spot. Less than 3 innings before the end of the first week of March has not done anything to hurt his roster spot, yet.

      2. Between in game interviews with players and endless promotion for boat tours Spring Training games are a tough listen. I usually mute when they are on, but thats tough for radio only folk.

        1. I caught some of the game on my drive back from the cities yesterday, and the interviews... oof.

          Also, I missed the conversation about Marney and Dan the other day, but... Marney's got some work to get where she needs to be. Gladden didn't exactly seem to be helping her for the most part, but she also didn't seem to be taking his lead when it was offered ("Kyle Hammer, get over here, so we can discuss whether you were reimbursed for something or other we discussed during the break" says Marney. "No, Kyle, stay there," says Dan, trying to actually broadcast the game. "No, get over here Kyle. Wheel that chair on over. Come on. Kyle, come on. Come on over here." "Two strikes. Kyle you can stay there." "Don't you think people want to be able to see what Kyle looks like? He should come over here..." etc.)

          Gladden has not been my favorite broadcaster, but I think he has improved considerably over the past few years. I generally like Marney, but... I felt like she needed some work. She missed most pitches when doing play by play, too busy getting other things in. Hopefully she can get there. We've all been new at something before, right?

          2. Too much Pizza Ranch, probably. I'm told she did a pretty good job doing a wolves game earlier in the year.

            Hot take: dazzle is solidly above average. (rating may be inflated due to comparison to the tv crew.)

            1. She has a lot of experience with basketball because she does the Lynx games. She made some mistakes, but it was just stuff that should improve with experience. I liked her personality overall on the air. She was just herself and it worked well. I think Gladden treated her just like he would Provus or any other Twins announcer, which seems to be very complimentary.

          3. I wasn't terribly impressed with Marney, but given that it was spring training, and given all the interviews she was doing while still trying to keep track of the game, I don't feel like she's had a fair chance yet. I thought her home run call was too contrived, but she has that in common with lots of other baseball play-by-play announcers.

          4. Phil, I think thats a fair assessment. I think she would be better in a tv only situation where calling the play by play is helpful but not necessary.

  7. Here's a question I never thought I'd be asking. Mr. NaCl decided he was okay with the jalapeno playing Fortnite and downloaded it for Mac (on a desktop computer) last night. And . . . the computer can't run the graphics.

    Those of you who know more about computers & video games than I do, are there any options to fix this issue that aren't crazy expensive?

    1. I don't know what you have right now, but looks like your options are:
      * No
      * Console

    2. I hate Apple. I'm at 4 hours and 2 trips to the store. All I want to do is get my pictures off it but I first need to get new operating system.

    4. Thanks, guys. Someday we'll get a newer computer, but in the meantime, I think it's going to be a good opportunity to learn about not getting the thing you want...

      #MeanestMomInTheUniverse

    1. Common sense told me this so very long ago that it just seems crazy that tackle football is still out there for our youth.

      I remember when Youth Hockey banned checking at the Pee Wee level (mostly 12 and 13 year olds). Many in the Minnesota hockey world protested so very loud. A few years later, and hardly anyone complains. For me, with kids playing hockey, it just seemed like a no brainer to protect their developing brains another few years. It just floors me that so many people in both sports push aside player safety because they don't want to subscribe to the "wussification of our youth".

      My son never played organized football at any level. We said "no" many times due to the potential brain injury. Grant it, there is a risk in hockey, but we dodged that bullet with both our kids and did not want to "double down" with playing the riskiest contact sport.

      1. Common sense is not that common. There is a reason lawnmowers have warnings that they are not to be used as hedge trimmer.

          1. Last year, an estimated 135,000 Americans were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with improper use of lawn equipment and garden tools, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

            The good news is that the figure represents a 40 percent decrease from 1982, the year the federal government imposed stringent safety standards on outdoor equipment.

            1993 Chi Trib

              1. I sort of figured.

                Sometimes reality is funny, sometimes tragic, sometimes both.

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