Category: General Blogging
This is a general blogging category.
Where did 2017 playoff teams get their players
There was an article written by Sam Dykstra on MiLB.com back on September 29th that I found really interesting that many of you may have missed titled “Toolshed: MLB contenders find help on the farm“. The article shows where and how 2017 playoff contending teams including the Minnesota Twins acquired their players. It might surprise you, check it out.
Twins sign Manager Paul Molitor to three-year contract extension
In a press-release less than an hour ago the Minnesota Twins announced today that they have signed Manager Paul Molitor to a three-year contract extension, which will keep him as the club’s manager through 2020.
Minnesota Twins thank their fans
Here is a video put out by the Minnesota Twins thanking their fans for their support in 2017.
From all of us at the Minnesota Twins, we thank you, our fans, for your support throughout the 2017 season.
Thanks for being the greatest fans in the game!
Will Paul Molitor be managing the Twins next year?
It has been a heck of a year for the Minnesota Twins organization as they bounced back from a 59-103 season in 2016 to a 83-76 season todate and became the first team in MLB history to make the play-offs after losing 100 or more games.
No one saw this coming, if they said they did they are BSing you. I though they would improve to an 80-82 mark and I thought that was optimistic on my part. The team has had a heck of a season but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The guys at the top, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine with a few minor exceptions have sat back, watched, and learned in their first year at the helm of the good ship Minnesota Twins. Yes, they did make some trades at the deadline that indicated the Twins were out of playoff contention but maybe that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it seemed to rally the team and gave them a “we will show them” attitude.
Manager Paul Molitor found himself in a strange situation as he had just finished year two of a three-year deal when Falvey and Levine came on board with an edict from owner Jim Pohlad that Molitor stays as the Twins manager in 2017. I don’t think it was that big a deal for Falvey or Levine to have Molitor stay around for one more season as it appears that they had planned to sit back and watch in 2017 plus they had some don’t raid their previous organizations for one year stipulations they were abiding by. They sure weren’t expecting the Twins to make the playoffs in 2017 so they had to figure they could dump Molitor when the 2017 season ended with no problem.
But now with the Twins heading for the playoffs and expectations even higher for the future, the pressure is going to be on Falvey and Levine to bring Paul Molitor back, after all, how do you fire a manager that took your team from 103 losses to the playoffs? A lot I think depends on the relationship that Falvey and Levine have with Molitor and I am not in a position to know how good or bad that relationship really is. But like everyone else, I have an opinion, and from where I stand, it seems that relationship is one of tolerance, as long as no one throws the first rock, the relationship will continue to co-exist.
The problem is that everyone in management wants to put their own people in positions that have an impact on their future employment. Who wants to stake their future on someone who you didn’t select for the job in the first place? On the other hand, if they send Molitor packing and the team doesn’t take the next step forward, then Falvey and Levine will find themselves with the creek rising and more rain predicted.
If Falvey and Levine decide to keep Molitor they need to give him a longer term deal after forcing Molitor to manage in his least year of a three-year contract. At least that is what I would ask for if I was Molitor. Having said, that I recently read a book by Ron Simon who was Molitor’s agent when he was a player and he stated in his book that Molitor was a very easy-going individual who was not necessarily all that confident in his ability (at least outwardly) and preferred to avoid conflict.
So what will happen? Falvey and Levine find themselves in a damned if they do and damned if they don’t situation and we will just have to see what they do. It will be much easier to keep Molitor at the helm than it will be to fire him, that will tell us a lot about what these guys are made of. This duo has said all along that the number of wins will not be the decision maker but when it comes right down to it, what is more important than win and losses? Don’t they play this game to win?
Twins clinch their first ever wild card spot
After losing at Cleveland to the Indians 4-2, the Twins retreated to the clubhouse to watch the Angels play the White Sox in Chicago because an Angels loss and the Twins could celebrate their first playoff appearance since 2010 which seems, oh so long ago. The Mighty Whities came through for Minnesota with a extra-inning walk-off 6-4 win as the Angels fifth reliever of the night Blake Parker gave up a two-run walk-off home run to outfielder Nick Delmonico. The corks were popped and the Twins celebrated getting into the 2017 MLB playoffs.
What I find interesting is that while the 2017 Minnesota Twins fought for a wild card that no one mentioned that the Minnesota Twins have never been a wild card participant. All of their previous eleven forays into the playoffs have been as winners of their division.
Their appearance in this years playoffs will be extra special because they will be the first team in MLB history to lose 100 games (103 to be specific) in the previous season and see playoff action the next year. Even stranger when you consider that the Twins did this with a new Chief of Baseball Operations, a new GM but a returning manager in Paul Molitor, not many managers survive to return after losing 103 games.
The team has four games to play, one more this afternoon in Cleveland against the first place Indians and then they fly home to finish off the season with three home games against the Detroit Tigers.
The Twins current record stands at 83-75 with four games to play. It will be interesting to see how the Twins do in their last four games as the World Champion Twins won just 85 games in 1987.
So congratulations to the Minnesota Twins and good luck in the playoffs! A victory over those hated New York Yankees in Gotham (assuming the Red Sox hold on to win the division) would be OH SO SWEET! In a one game series anything can happen.
What a motley crew this is
Can you identify these 2017 Minnesota Twins rookies?
One time Twins pitcher Jim Donohue passes away
James Thomas Donohue Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 31, 1937 and died on September 9, 2017 in the city where he was born. Jim Donohue was a 1956 graduate of CBC (Christian Brothers College), a prominent Catholic high school in the St. Louis area.
Donohue who friends called “Bones”, was signed by the St. Louis Cardinal prior to the 1956 season at the age if 18 and assigned to play for the Class D Gainesville G-Men in the Florida State League where he was 5-6 as a starter/reliever and he posted a very nice 2.08 ERA in 95 innings.
Donohue continued working his way up the Cardinals minor league ladder but in June of 1960 he was traded by St. Louis to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His stay in their system was relatively short because that November the Detroit Tigers snagged him with a Rule 5 pick. Donohue made the 1961 Tigers team and debuted in the majors on April 11, 1961. Used strictly in relief, his stay in Detroit too was destined to be a short one as on June 7, 1961 the Tigers traded him to the Los Angeles Angels. Donohue spent the rest of 1961 with the Angels splitting his time as a starter and as a reliever. Donohue started the 1962 season in LA but on May 29th the Minnesota Twins acquired him in a trade for pitcher Don Lee.
Bones appeared in six games starting one for the Twins in June of 1962 before being sent to the minors never to pitch in the big leagues again. As far as I can determine, Donohue spent 1963 and 1964 in the Twins minor league system without being invited to spring training before leaving baseball behind. In Jim’s brief stay in Minnesota he pitched in just 6 games and had no wins with one loss, and a save in 10.1 innings with a 6.97 ERA.
Jim Donohue is the 78th former Minnesota Twins player to pass away. Although Jim Donohue’s time with the Minnesota Twins was short, he did pitch for the organization and as such is part of the Twins wonderful history forever. Thank you for the memories Jim Donohue. We at Twinstrivia.com want to express our condolences to the Donohue family and all of Jim’s friends and fans.
Food safety at MLB ballparks
The Minnesota State Fair opened today for its 12 day run and when I think of the fair I think of two things, politicians and food. This morning my alarm went off and what did I hear first? None other than Dave Lee of WCCO radio interviewing Senator Amy Klobuchar.
We don’t go to the state fair every year but when we do go we try to taste some of the new foods that they have available which brings to mind a recent article I ran across that Sports Illustrated did a couple of weeks ago in ranking food safety at MLB ballparks in 2017. Food safety standards are not standard across the board so it is difficult to rate and compare, here is what SI had to say about that.
Are standards the same across the country? It can be difficult to compare ballparks since each city, county and state reports restaurant inspections differently. Nonetheless, all departments follow the food code set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which offers a consistent model. Health department representatives said that inspections are largely standardized. Some violations, though, did mean different things in different municipalities. For example, a walk-in refrigerator that didn’t have a thermometer was a non-critical violation in Anaheim and Oakland, whereas it was critical in Toronto and D.C.
The Seattle Mariners and Safeco Field had the best ranking and the Tampa Bay Rays and Tropicana Field had the lowest ranking. So where do the Minnesota Twins and Target Field rank against other MLB ballparks in 2017 as far as food safety is concerned? Sadly, their food safety ranks in roughly the same category as does their pitching. You can read the SI article here.
Former Twins outfielder Danny Walton passes away a age 70
Former Minnesota Twins player Danny Walton passed away on August 9, 2017 at the age of 70. Daniel James Walton was born in Los Angeles, California on July 14, 1947 and passed away on August 9, 2017 in Morgan, Utah.
Walton’s pro baseball career started in 1965 when he was drafted in the 10th round by the Houston Astros. A much heralded minor league slugger, he put up huge numbers in Triple-A and appeared headed for major league glory. Many fans compared him to Mickey Mantle, with the full expectation that he would succeed The Mick as the game’s next great slugger. In fact, Walton’s nickname was “Mickey.” This obviously never came to pass.
Walton debuted with the Astros at the age of 20 on April 20, 1968 but he only got 2 plate appearances with Houston before they traded him to the Seattle Pilots in August 1969. Walton was so dominant in the American Association in 1969 that The Sporting News voted Walton its Minor League Player of the Year. The following year, 1970, the Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers and Walton quickly became a fan favorite. His growing strikeout rate and a knee injury finally forced the Brewers hand and they traded Walton to the New York Yankees in June of 1971. Receiving little playing time in New York they then traded Walton to the Minnesota Twins in October 1972 for catcher Rick Dempsey.
Walton’s time in the Minnesota organization lasted 3 years but he only appeared in a Twins uniform in 37 games in 1973 and 42 games in 1975 and spending the rest of his time in AAA. Playing for the Twins AAA Tacoma Twins in 1974 Walton tried switch-hitting smashed 35 home runs, knocked in 109 runs while hitting a respectable .263. Danny Walton’s strikeouts continued to plague him and he hit just .176 with 5 home runs for the Twins in a total of 79 games and 179 PA’s in 1973-1975. In December 1975 the Twins traded Walton to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Bobby Randall.
After playing in 18 games for LA he was traded back to his first team the Houston Astros where he again played briefly before being released in March of 1978. Walton then went to Japan to play for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in the Japan Central league where he appeared in 75 games before leaving there and signing with the Seattle Mariners in March of 1979 but he never played in a big league game for them. In March of 1980 he was released by the Mariners but was signed by the Texas Rangers where he appeared in the final 10 games of his big league career. The Rangers traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in December of 1980. Walton spent the 1980 season in AAA before calling it a career.
Over a professional career that lasted from 1965 to 1980, Walton played for six major league teams and 13 minor league franchises.Outside of his one decent season in Milwaukee, he never gained traction in the major leagues. But he didn’t give up, kept going back to the minor leagues, and became one of the greatest Triple-A sluggers of the expansion era. In parts or all of 10 Triple-A seasons, he hit 184 home runs and slugged .507.
To this day, Walton remains a minor league legend. While not many major league fans saw Walton play, many fans of my age and older have heard the stories of his prodigious power and his tape-measure home runs. There is a certain mystique to the name Danny Walton. All things considered, that’s not a bad legacy to have.
After leaving baseball, Walton worked as a welder. He was the happiest man with a great love for life and people. He was loud, funny and very affectionate. He had so many friends that loved to be in his company.
In 1983, Danny married Judy in Elko, Nevada. It was love at first sight for them and they were able to spend 34 wonderful years together.
Danny is survived by his wife, Judy, sisters, Charlene (Steve) Alzugaray, Marian (Larry) Kane, brother-in-law, Mick (Christine) Jungles, Brard (Dixie) Bailey, Lyle (Lisa) Bailey, and his children, Cody (Vicki) Walton, Amy Walton, Shelly Walton, Jason Polaro, Daniel Zahl, Bryan (Cassie) Roberts, and Brandon (Tonya) Robertson and nine grandchildren.. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Catherine May Walton and brother-in-law, Vaughn “Duck” Bailey.
The Hardball Time did a great story on Danny Walton that you can read here.
Rest in Peace Danny Walton and thank you for the wonderful memories.