Twins (We'll try it again)

[thatguy]

You are not going out on a limb, Im pretty sure everyone expects a sweep. With our pitching lately, giving up huge numbers against the mighty Tigers and Royals, it will be like batting practice for the Yanks. At least we'll only have to watch our pathetic starting rotation once, and only see Matt Gurrier 4 times, LOL. They hit cruise controll as soon as we clinched, and its going to cost them.

And by everyone...you mean...most bandwagon and fairweather fans? The fans that have stuck with the team the entire year are overwhelmingly still behind this team and believe that we have a shot to do something. I know I do.

[PurpleMustReign]

And by everyone...you mean...most bandwagon and fairweather fans? The fans that have stuck with the team the entire year are overwhelmingly still behind this team and believe that we have a shot to do something. I know I do.

Let's clear something up here...
There is a difference between a bandwagon or fairweather fan and a realist. For example: I am not expecting a Vikings Super Bowl win. That doesn't make me a bandwagon fan or a fair weather fan. It makes me a realist. It does not make me less of a fan. I am a huge Vikings fan, one of the biggest that I know. I know more about the Vikings than anyone I have ever met personally (some on the board know more than me but I haven't met them yet...).
Similarly, me expecting a sweep or series loss does not make me, or purpleguy, less of a fan. It makes us realists. In order for the Twins to move on, they have to win 3 out of 4 games against arguably the best team in the MLB. I woul love almost nothing more than for the Twins to go into NY and take the series. But I just don't see it happening.

With all that said, I am expecting a sweep as well. I would love nothing more than to be wrong and eat a table full of crow, but it just ain't gonna happen.

[Demi]

Yankees are so much better than the twins it's ridiculous. Twins are a bunch of flyover country chokers.

And just like the homer hanky waving homer fans they are perfectly happy with division title and one and dones. Too bad hope and waving a little rag doesn't win games.

[PurpleMustReign]

Gardenhire needs to go. His love for players who only do one aspect of playing (Punto, Tolbert, Repko on defense for example) deny actual talent from being on the roster. The main 9 this season (Span, Hudson, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, Young, Valencia, and Hardy, along with Thome) is as good if not better than most of the teams in the postseason. but the bench sucks. When they were introducing the Yankees I couldn't believe the BENCH players they have (Berkman, Thames for example). Berkman could probably start on many teams. But since Punto makes a good play once a week, he's on the team. #### joke is what it is. The Twins went on a tear without him twice this season. But no, he has to play.

Fire Gardy now. Too bad we can't get Ron Washington from Texas.

[thatguy]

Gardenhire needs to go. His love for players who only do one aspect of playing (Punto, Tolbert, Repko on defense for example) deny actual talent from being on the roster. The main 9 this season (Span, Hudson, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, Young, Valencia, and Hardy, along with Thome) is as good if not better than most of the teams in the postseason. but the bench sucks. When they were introducing the Yankees I couldn't believe the BENCH players they have (Berkman, Thames for example). Berkman could probably start on many teams. But since Punto makes a good play once a week, he's on the team. #### joke is what it is. The Twins went on a tear without him twice this season. But no, he has to play.

Fire Gardy now. Too bad we can't get Ron Washington from Texas.

Please tell me which player we can get that can hit above .300 and field amazingly well who's gonna be a FA that we can pay millions of dollars for on our crowded payroll?

It's a real shame that not all baseball teams can have a $200 million payroll like the Yankees...

[Demi]

Gardenhire needs to go. His love for players who only do one aspect of playing (Punto, Tolbert, Repko on defense for example) deny actual talent from being on the roster. The main 9 this season (Span, Hudson, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, Young, Valencia, and Hardy, along with Thome) is as good if not better than most of the teams in the postseason. but the bench sucks. When they were introducing the Yankees I couldn't believe the BENCH players they have (Berkman, Thames for example). Berkman could probably start on many teams. But since Punto makes a good play once a week, he's on the team. #### joke is what it is. The Twins went on a tear without him twice this season. But no, he has to play.

Fire Gardy now. Too bad we can't get Ron Washington from Texas.

Gardy loves his dopey white guys that can hit in the mid to low .200s and field above average.

[thatguy]

Gardy loves his dopey white guys that can hit in the mid to low .200s and field above average.

Who?

[Demi]

Who?

Well, let's eliminate the pitchers, and the starters. Throw in the DH. Leaves us with those final four spots. So, who are the dopey white utility players? Punto, Repko, Tolbert, and Butera.

He pulls guys at the most questionable times during the regular season, and then when it's painfully obvious that Liriano is going headcase...even before he allowed any of those scores...he doesn't seem to consider for a second pulling him? Hell Liriano shouldn't even have been starting that game in the first place! But I guess "come back player of the year" is more important than being the best pitcher on the roster, at least to the person that counts. while most teams lead off with their best pitcher by default.

After we get swept by the Yankees what's it going to be, 13 playoff losses in a row?

[thatguy]

Well, let's eliminate the pitchers, and the starters. Throw in the DH. Leaves us with those final four spots. So, who are the dopey white utility players? Punto, Repko, Tolbert, and Butera.

He pulls guys at the most questionable times during the regular season, and then when it's painfully obvious that Liriano is going headcase...even before he allowed any of those scores...he doesn't seem to consider for a second pulling him? Hell Liriano shouldn't even have been starting that game in the first place! But I guess "come back player of the year" is more important than being the best pitcher on the roster, at least to the person that counts. while most teams lead off with their best pitcher by default.

Did you watch the whole season? Liriano got the Comeback Player of the Year award for a good reason. His slider was back in full force, and he gave up a TOTAL of 8 HR's ALL SEASON! That's crazy! If a pitcher isn't giving up runs but is starting to look rough, you go out there, talk to him...calm him down....then give him the chance to get out of the inning and deal with pulling him while you're on offense. Why pull a guy who is healthy and hasn't given up a lot of runs?

As for Punto, Repko, Tolbert, and Butera...I'm a little confused as to when you think he plays those guys on the regular...

Repko is generally a good OF with a lot of speed who is used as a pinch-runner.

Punto is exceptional, yes exceptional, at defense. His batting leaves something to be desired, but by no means is he a terrible bench player.

Tolbert is a great utility player in the field who can also pinch run because he is quite speedy. He had quite a few good games as a batter this season, so I don't know why you think he's "dopey."

Butera is a back-up catcher. Catchers aren't expected to hit very well...that's why Mauer is so special. His defensive abilities are average. He only played on Mauer's off-days or when Pavano started because they clicked since the start of the season.

These guys weren't on the A roster at any point (Punto started the season but Valencia took the spot over and Gardy sat Punto even when he was healthy). I don't understand where you think he was "in-love" with these guys. None of them are terrible...but Gardy always favored starting the actual starters when he could.

[purple guy]

^ The whole season means ####, if you get swept in the first round. We won a division with 3 other crappy teams in it. Its the same old Twins, we can beat up on the cellar dwellers and play well during the reghular season, but when its crunch time, fold like a cheap tent. IMO, the Yankees, outside of pitching, dont have that much more talent than the Twins, they just know how to win in the playoffs. The first game Cuddeyer was the only one who showed up, last night it was Young. That wont cut it. We will get swept, has NOTHING to do with being a fair weather fan, nothing. A fan isnt one who blindly believes their favorite team is the best in the world or cant possibly lose, wtf. The Twins CANT beat the Yanks. We have lost 13 or 14 STRAIGHT playoff games. Who cares what they did during the regular season. Wow.



Oh, and Punto, has no business on a MLB team. He can field, but its like he is swinging a swizzle stick at a BB every time he is up to bat, he sucks, period. As a rookie Valencia is 10X the player of Punto.

[PurpleMustReign]

We will get swept, has NOTHING to do with being a fair weather fan, nothing. A fan isnt one who blindly believes their favorite team is the best in the world or cant possibly lose, wtf. The Twins CANT beat the Yanks. We have lost 13 or 14 STRAIGHT playoff games. Who cares what they did during the regular season. Wow.
Oh, and Punto, has no business on a MLB team. He can field, but its like he is swinging a swizzle stick at a BB every time he is up to bat, he sucks, period. As a rookie Valencia is 10X the player of Punto.

100%. Much of it is on Gardenhire. We need a manager who knows how to win in October, and we need one soon. We will not win with Gardy as a manager.

[thatguy]

^ The whole season means ####, if you get swept in the first round. We won a division with 3 other crappy teams in it. Its the same old Twins, we can beat up on the cellar dwellers and play well during the reghular season, but when its crunch time, fold like a cheap tent. IMO, the Yankees, outside of pitching, dont have that much more talent than the Twins, they just know how to win in the playoffs. The first game Cuddeyer was the only one who showed up, last night it was Young. That wont cut it. We will get swept, has NOTHING to do with being a fair weather fan, nothing. A fan isnt one who blindly believes their favorite team is the best in the world or cant possibly lose, wtf. The Twins CANT beat the Yanks. We have lost 13 or 14 STRAIGHT playoff games. Who cares what they did during the regular season. Wow.

Defensively, the Yankees are a worse team than the Twins (that's a given)...batting...they load their roster with guys that can hit. Not because they're smarter than the Twins or any other team...it's because they can afford them. This is what they do...they play the system that has been broken for a loooooong time. The Twins have one of the most talented teams in the MLB, but when umps blow calls consistently like last night (and Phil Cuzzi last year), it's hard for them to take games from them. Everyone knows the Yankees are the most talented batters in the league because they buy em.

I don't "blindly" believe our team can beat the Yankees in the playoffs...I believe it because it's backed up by the fact that our record was almost identical to theirs.

[purple guy]

Defensively, the Yankees are a worse team than the Twins (that's a given)...batting...they load their roster with guys that can hit. Not because they're smarter than the Twins or any other team...it's because they can afford them. This is what they do...they play the system that has been broken for a loooooong time. The Twins have one of the most talented teams in the MLB, but when umps blow calls consistently like last night (and Phil Cuzzi last year), it's hard for them to take games from them. Everyone knows the Yankees are the most talented batters in the league because they buy em.

I don't "blindly" believe our team can beat the Yankees in the playoffs...I believe it because it's backed up by the fact that our record was almost identical to theirs.

The Umps, outside of ONE called ball that COULD have been a strike, was going to change the game??? Now that is grasping at straws. The Yanks had to get 4 outs in the 9th of game one and that didnt help us. Buy em, draft em, develop em, trade for em, I dont care, we need em. I dont care if we win 120 games in the regular season and then go one and done. We need players/manager who can win in the playoffs. Blaming the Umps is typical Minnesota Viking/Twins victim mentality. The Umps have done nothing to prevent the Twins from winning, thats on the Twins, 100%.

Similiar records doesnt mean much, if anything. They played in a tougher division. What matters is PLAYOFF records. And Twins vs Yanks=not good for Twins fans. Until we get some pitching and a manager who know how to lead a team thru the post season, we will be one and done wonders. Manage to win the division often, only to give our first playoff opponent, an easy first series.

[PurpleMustReign]

Similiar records doesnt mean much, if anything. They played in a tougher division. What matters is PLAYOFF records. And Twins vs Yanks=not good for Twins fans. Until we get some pitching and a manager who know how to lead a team thru the post season, we will be one and done wonders. Manage to win the division often, only to give our first playoff opponent, an easy first series.

I think I mentioned it earlier, but if Gardy was the manager of either NY team, Boston, either LA team, or probably most other teams, his playoff record, especially the 9 straight losses or whtever it is now (not to mention the HOME losses), would get him fired no matter his success in the regular season. He is like Flip Saunders or Glen Mason. He can build and develop a very good team, but can't get to the next level.

Gardy should be fired. He can't win in the post season. He wins in the regular season probably on talent alone, because his teams have had more talent in the past 8 years than most of the rest of the league. His more talent beats up on the less talent, which is how it should be. But it takes more than talent alone in the psot season, especially when facing the Yankees or Red Sox. Other than last season, every other team besides the Twins that had faced the Yankees in the post season beat them. Look it up. Gardenhire has yet to beat them. 2-11 (soon to be 12) againdt them. And his regular season record against them, Boston, Tampa Bay, and Toronto is just as bad.

[thatguy]

lol you two are both like Philly fans. If things don't go our ways in the playoffs even though the coach/manager has given the team the chance to win and compete every year...fire him. It's always the manager's fault.

Oh and btw, unless you don't take too much stock in this word...that strikeout would've given us momentum. It's hard for a pitcher to come back and pitch another strike after a perfect pitch that was called a ball. Pavano deserved better...I hope to God we get him back next year.