Insider | Short Hops | Love Letters
The theme of this week's letters: People still seem to love the Minnesota Twins. And people still seem to loathe the Los Angeles Dodgers. Anybody surprised?
From: Red
I hate you.
Glad to see the guy I cut off on the Interstate around midnight the other night is a regular reader.
From: Anthony
Scott, the upside to being a Twins fan is that we get to see cycles of youngsters mature into good baseball players and occasionally into great teams.
The downside was most evident, as you pointed out, when a solid organization was treated like a poker chip. The Pohlads have given fans enough headaches for the last few years, but I honestly thought this time the team was gone. Worse, I didn't think anyone beyond the Twins fan-base would give a rip. I'm glad I was wrong.
I enjoy your coverage of MLB, and I want to thank you for writing today's (9-21) article. It's nice to know that paying dues is still seen by some people as a badge of honor.
The nice thing would be if it was still seen by the Twins' owner as being a badge of honor.
From: Darren Slack
Thank you for the piece on the Minnesota Twins and their loyal staff who stuck with the team when "Not-My" Bud Selig did not want the team to stick around in MLB. Even though most people think that Twins owner Carl Pohlad is a jerk for wanting to sell the team to contraction, he still runs a better ballclub than Selig's Brewers. No matter who wins the AL MVP award (the debate will go on through next season whether A-Rod should or should not have gotten it), AL manager of the year and executive of the year should both be sitting in Metrodome offices next year.
If there's any justice in MLB, the Minnesota Twins should play the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series. Not only would this be a great rematch of a classic World Series from 15 years ago, but with all the struggles these two clubs had to go through off the field beginning last November, are there any two teams more deserving?
If there's any justice in MLB, Carl Pohlad will be set on a stage on the Metrodome pitching mound before one of the playoff games so that fans will have the opportunity to bombard him with boos for at least 30 minutes.
From: Quint Studer
Thank you for your article on the Twins. One word to describe Terry Ryan: integrity. He role models it, and it carries through the organization. Nice to see good things happen to good people. Thanks for bringing a positive story to public view.
Terry Ryan is way too good for Carl Pohlad.
From: Alex
I say that the Royals could do better if they tried a bit harder. But even though they are at a downslope in their major-league record, what those goons did to the first base coach was wrong. I personally enjoy watching the Royals play! I am behind them 100 percent, and at the games I always cheer for them. And I think that they will improve! The Royals are my favorite team, even though they trade some of my favorite players. I have Royals posters on my wall that are from the 1985 World Series that they won. I think they are capable of doing that good now if they tried their hardest.
PS: I am a 13-year-old girl, so if I am a fan, think of how many more fans they must have.
Thanks for the sweet note, Alex. And I must say, those posters on your bedroom wall from the 1985 World Series team are older than you are! That's impressive. Here's hoping the Royals take some steps back toward their old respectable selves.
From: Chris
Rumors are flying here in Baltimore that Syd Thrift will be replaced by Mike Flanagan. My question to you is would Oakland's assistant GM Paul DePodesta have interest?
DePodesta, the bright young assistant to GM Billy Beane, right now has his mind on Oakland and its bid to win the World Series. And as long as Oakland is in the postseason, nobody will be allowed to talk to him. That being said, he does have East Coast ties -- he's a native of Alexandria, Va., and he graduated from Harvard. The Orioles are a marquee franchise despite the hard times they've experienced over the past few seasons. Many executives would love a chance to run such a franchise, but Peter Angelos' penchant for being a hands-on owner scares many away. DePodesta is just 29 and probably would benefit from getting his first GM job in a place where he wouldn't have the owner shadowing his every move.
From: Adam Coutts
Mr. Miller, your article about the supposed disparity between effort in the Dodgers/Padres and the Giants/Brewers series was illogical and annoying. It does not surprise me to check your profile and see that you are located in "Southern California".
Here is an example of the illogic:
"Meanwhile, in addition to using Lawrence out of the bullpen twice over the weekend, Bochy pinch hit Ryan Klesko in the ninth inning Sunday against Dodgers closer Eric Gagne. "
You did not state: Klesko pinch hit because he did not start the game. And Ryan Klesko is a better hitter than Jose Hernandez is. Perhaps you did not note his not starting because it contradicted the argument that you laid out in your article.
And why didn't Bochy bring in a fresh arm to face (Marquis) Grissom in the second game, when Hoffman clearly didn't have the touch that day?
Klesko didn't start on Sunday because he had a sore wrist and because the Dodgers were pitching the left-handed Omar Daal. Klesko doesn't hit lefties as well as he hits right-handers, and in not starting him, Bochy was managing just as he had for much of the season -- just as he was when he brought Trevor Hoffman in to face Grissom. You ask good questions, but the answer is the same: The Brewers not even giving Jose Hernandez one at-bat last weekend was shameful.
From: John Neri
This is in regards to the article about the Padres/Brewers actions during the stretch run. While I do not agree with what the Brewers did with Hernandez, I also have a problem with what the Padres are doing.
One thing you failed to do is question the soundness of the decisions made by the Padres at this time. The players and owners have told us (verbally and by their actions) that this is not only a game, it's a business. If I was a shareholder in the Padres, I would hope that the Padres are making sound business decisions and they are also trying to win a championship. I would question the sanity of using a weary-armed Brian Lawrence in a campaign that has been over for the Padres for some time. When a player is fatigued, there is a greater chance of injury.
Excellent points, John. But in using Lawrence in brief relief stints, I don't think they were overextending him as much as had they continued to start him and let him throw a high number of pitches. Combined, he threw just 40 pitches against the Dodgers -- 20 in each of the two outings.
From: Mark Christensen (Logan, Utah)
Sounds like a lot of whining and crying from L.A. Too bad the Dodgers have to rely on Milwaukee to beat the Giants. If L.A. would have taken care of things during the four games against the Giants in L.A. last week, they wouldn't need any help.
PS: Go Giants.
Hey Mark, you've got to be fair if you're going to weigh in here. I pointed out in the column that the Dodgers wouldn't be in that predicament if they had won a few more games earlier this year, and the Dodgers themselves weren't exactly ripping the Brewers.
From: Matt Breska
I've been a diehard Brewer fan since birth, but I have to say: Could we please have a fire sale? I think with the exception of Ben Sheets, Geoff Jenkins and Richie Sexson, the whole team should go. I don't know of many teams in the league that would have traded a bologna sandwich for Hernandez. I wouldn't.
But he might be worth a mortadella sandwich. As for your fire sale request, with Doug Melvin coming in as the new GM, I'd say you've finally got blue skies ahead in Milwaukee for the first time in years.
From: Craig Dunkin
Hey Scott, Scott Sheldon played all nine positions late in a game for the 2000 Rangers.
You're right, thanks for the reminder. Cesar Tovar was the second-to-last guy to do it.
From: Rick Ashtabula OH
To me, it's still too soon to tell on the Robbie Alomar trade. IF (Alex) Escobar and (Jim) Traber can have productive careers (never saw Escobar, Traber could win 10-15 a year) it will be good but, yeah, the immediate impact of trading a potential Hall of Famer doesn't look good for Cleveland. (Robbie's not having such a great year, either.)
The way things have gone in both cities, you have to doubt that Alomar's presence would have made things better for the Indians.
From: Mike Thomason
As a Braves fan, I would have to say losing Luis Gonzalez is certainly a big loss for Arizona. But the Braves have several times over the last 10 years lost (Eddie) Lopez, (Rafael) Furcal or someone else for the postseason (granted, we have never lost Andruw or Chipper Jones). It is part of the game. Could they overcome it? Absolutely.
So we're marking you down under the "shedding no tears" category.
From: Pierre
Who's last in the majors in attendance?
WRONG.
Florida, not Montreal.
Bravo, Monsieur Loria. Give him another million for his good work. Still think that lawsuit is frivolous?
Nope. That lawsuit brought by Montreal's former 14 limited partners is going to explode into big headlines unless Major League Baseball can persuade them to reach a settlement sometime soon.
