Brad Zellar We all know that the American League Central hasn’t exactly been a powerhouse division the last several seasons, but for an idea of just how deep Minnesota’s organization is, and how creative the front office and field staff have been when it comes to adjusting on the fly, it’s sort of interesting and instructive to … Read more
…on the one hand, the correct political line is demanded of the poet; on the other, one is justified in expecting his work to have quality. Such a formulation is of course unsatisfactory as long as the connection between the two factors, political line and quality, has not been perceived. Of course, the connection can … Read more
Maybe the team’s brass feels there needs to be some lingering sense of drama in the Twins spring training camp, given how few positions are really up in the air. I don’t know how else to explain why they haven’t just handed the starting shortstop job to Jason Bartlett. What exactly is the competition? Slick-fielding … Read more
‘The question at stake,’ said Epictetus, ‘is no common one; it is this: Are we in our senses, or are we not?’ —The Golden Sayings of Epictetus We cannot truly know whether we are not at this moment sitting in a madhouse. —Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Aphorisms There are those to whom one must advise madness. … Read more
I stopped over to visit my old friend Rich last night. Rich is having a bit of a tough time, or so he had told me on the phone. I go way back with this guy, and on a certain level I’ve always gotten a kick out of him. That said, he is, like many … Read more
I love Baseball Prospectus as much as the next guy, and since Bill James’ regrettable vanishing act it’s probably the single most reliable annual. That said, these guys do occasionally spout some real nonsense. I don’t know, for instance, who wrote this year’s entry for the Twins, but this item on Matthew LeCroy got me … Read more
I recall reading somewhere about a party of British adventurers who were mucking about in some primitive, forsaken place. This was, if I’m not mistaken, some time in the 19th century. According to a handful of sketchy journals they left behind they’d had an arduous expedition and had lost several members of their party to … Read more
Either Western Canada’s a harsh breeding ground for all manner of ailments and afflictions –a sort of jerkwater petri dish blooming with pestilence– or the Twins need to find out what the hell Justin Morneau’s putting in his body and/or what he’s done to offend Zeus. Because Morneau’s rapidly becoming the Molehill Job, a man … Read more
I don’t know why there isn’t more talk of moving Lew Ford into the leadoff spot. At this stage of his career Shannon Stewart is no longer a prototypical leadoff guy; he’s pretty clearly lost his wheels and isn’t much of a threat to steal a base or beat out a groundball, both areas where … Read more
Look, man, I’m not saying every McDonald’s manager is a 265-pound white woman, I’m just telling you that that pretty much describes every one I’ve ever worked for. You really think Tina’s 265 pounds? If she isn’t, she’s not much more than a couple Big Macs away. Shit, man, why don’t you ask her? That … Read more