Ferris Bueller

Yeah, didn't he visit last week? If he goes, I'll miss him. He can be somewhat of a statue in right field (with a +++ arm), but he was the only leader in our clubhouse, and the only guy who SHOWED UP every day last season. He plays the game.

That's right my nigga, and I'm on board with the Carroll signing. The money is much, but the Twins have cheese. Carroll's contract is less than what Punto's was when he re-signed as an FA over the winter of 2008 (2 yr, $8mil). And that was Metrodome money. The news broke late Friday, but there is always the possibility that there are incentives in the deal. The way I see it, this is a low risk, high reward. Albeit this seems to create a logjam in the middle infield, but having him could benefit the younger guys like Plouffe and Hughes from a mentoring standpoint. They were failed at AAA Rochester, and as a result (but will never be admitted to), some of the coaching staff lost their jobs. We're going to need the young guys on the club because of their offense. Plouffe could find himself in the outfield, Hughes can play all four fielding positions in the infield, Parmelee is pretty much a lock for 1B to spell Morneau (or play for him pretty much if he can't get over the concussion symptoms...still). I really don't know what the hell else Terry Ryan could do about this. We'll see at Spring Training. As for Carroll, most people are saying he shouldn't be an everyday player. He played in 146 for the Dodgers last year and commited 9 errors between SS and 2B. How many errors did we see last year between SS and 2B COMBINED? I lost count. He can field the ball behind ground ball pitchers like Pavano, Blackburn (if he ever returns to 2009 form), and Baker (on a good day). His bat will come in handy. Career .356 OBP, 131 hits in 2011? Yes, please. And I'll share the same sentiments with the more in tune fans out there - perfect #2 guy. Bats behind Span, and before Mauer (if healthy), Morneau (if healthy), etc. And I don't know what the fuck we're going to do with Nishioka. He'll be at Spring Training, I'm sure. Unless he doesn't do something INSANELY GOOD, I really hope there will be a mutual agreement to just buyout the remaining two years of his contract for like a few million.

You can't fight them, plain and simple. They are idiots. You should hear what the old school baseball writers here in town (Reusse, Souhan) have to say about 90% of the fans. The worst ones are the people that demand that Mauer be traded. If they knew anything about his contract, it has a NO TRADE CLAUSE. Speaking of the aforementioned writers, they are totally ripping the Carroll signing.

Posada still could be umad about getting benched and reprimanded for having a tussle over being dropped down in the order. Twins should sign his ass so he can show Mauer how a real nigga play baseball and not act like a ho.

The Wild got this game nigga

Right. I was giving an example of how ERA isn't the best measure of a pitcher's overall performance.

Yeah, ERA has too many factors that play into it, specifically the defense playing behind a pitcher. And say a guy is pulled in the sixth with a high pitch count (Liriano?) after putting two runners on 1st and 2nd. The relief pitcher comes in and gives up a bases clearing double. The starter earned those runs. ERA is kind of a collective thing, I suppose. If you're looking at a pitcher as an individual, I think the best stats are K/9, BB/9, and ground ball rate.

Terry Ryan is at the helm (again) on an interim basis. He was not happy or impressed with what he's seen as an assistant to Bill Smith (he did establish the Twins farm as reputable until recently), especially with the injuries and how long it took for players to get back on the field, so you never know what will happen. He's a real baseball dude and a great talent evaluator, but yeah, get the trainers out of there. JJ Hardy's wrist bugged him all 2009. Spring Training with the Orioles, the wrist flared up again, and he was back on the field in a week and tore it up during the regular season.

CHUPACABRA: NO MORE BILL SMITH!!! REJOICE!

it was most definitely cal clutterbuck. got the obvious 10 minutes for misconduct, but he won't face any punishment. he was trying to defend himself from being pushed/pulled into the canooks bench.

listened to most of the minnesota-vancouver game on the radio, decided i was missing too much and headed down to the bar to watch the third period. great fucking game. can't say i have seen the wild play at that pace before under todd richards or jacques lemaire. looks like the guys are starting to figure out mike yeo's system. nice 5-1 stomp of the canooks. loved seeing clutterbuck jack the ref in the grillatin, albeit it was accidental. fsn delayed the commercial break to show the skirmish.

They just played last night at First Ave in Minneapolis. It's their usual venue for their annual stop - it seems like they're here each year at least. RIP Cory Smoot AKA Flattus Maximus. Dude could shred.

Also, Mark Buehrle is an FA. I could see us making a run at him. Lefty, great control, can pitch to contact. Shit that Andy and Gardy are, for whatever reason, obsessed with.

There is a lot out there. Ryan Doumit's option was declined by the Pirates. He has some pop and can be a backup catcher. We would have to pony up for a million or so, but it will probably net us a better return than paying Butera league minimum to be a terrible hitter. If not Doumit, Jose Molina is also available. Pirates also declined Paul Maholm's option - not a bad lefty starting pitcher. The bullpen is such a fucking mess, I wouldn't know where to begin. Also, infield. If Valencia can get his act together and Morneau is finally feeling healthy, we'd be alright on the corner. I think Valencia is due; he had his sophomore slump last season, but I think he's destined to do well. He just needs to quit being pompous and constantly talking about swagg and work on his defense. I really, really would like to see Trevor Plouffe work out his kinks. I think he'll be getting extra attention in spring to work on this fielding and throwing. It might be worth the trouble to have him out there because he could give us 20HR/60RBI. Luke Hughes could be a utility, as he can play corners and middle. Whatever the fuck. This shit is such a fucking mess. Also, Toronto declined Jon Rauch's option.

Oh man, if I were Bill Smith, I wouldn't know where to start as far as FA signings go. Big list for 2012. We just acquired a kid lefty from the Reds organization.

re-sign* not trying to pull teeth, but resign means the opposite.

And Lou Piniella

josh harding had his 5th career shut-out last night, against the wings of all teams. he missed most, if not all of last year. really a great game to watch if you were a wild fan. loved seeing bertuzzi pissed about the high stick and his resulting bloody nose, and then he gets back out on the ice and clutterbuck fucking smashes him into the boards.

Howard and Fielder are both very productive, but Howard certainly has the ability to play a defensive first base - i.e., he's not fat as hell.

Ryan Howard > Prince Fielder

Fielder to the Yankees is an absurd idea. So, would they platoon Fielder and Tex at first base?

what texas needs is a right fielder that isn't a bum.

Are you referring to him putting Torrealba on deck for Colby, and getting Holland warm in the 'pen, then putting Colby back out? I was listening to the radio for that one; he and Tony LaRussa were kind of dueling on that move.

Nellie misplaying Freese's drive was pretty much the turning point of this game.

Well, I reckon David Freese just stole the MVP from Pujols if the Cards win the WS.