Where did the comments to the previous two posts go?

from the Star Tribune: "The Twins now will look elsewhere as they try to fill their opening. Former Twin Don Baylor has been mentioned by some as a candidate. Baylor resigned as Seattle's hitting coach after this season and is a free agent."

and may I say after watching this season ... that is not a real recommendation. As RickL said on USS Mariner earlier this year: "Being the Mariner hitting coach is kind of like being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

My bad, heraldguy. I'm trying to use a mere Blogtron 2250, which has fewer capabilities than the Blogtron 3000.

I know this is offtopic, but the Twins suing to get out of their lease doesn't mean what I think it means, right? Right? Please??

(click my name for link)

I just read the lease article, and I don't know what else it could mean but that they're ready to start packing, despite what they claim. Suddenly I don't feel so good.

Crap. Just...crap. On both counts.

Darn, I really like Moli. I wonder if he would come back and DH instead.

If there is some kind of internal rumor/knowledge of a possible move, maybe that answers for the Torii comments/house sale, the parting ways with Newman AND the "no" from Molitor...

I take the Twins' latest legal maneuver as just a bit of arm-twisting, so Pohlad either gets his deal now or MLB is empowered to bring back the contraction/relocation threat next year. The CBA expires after next season, remember. Meanwhile, the club is looking to get back the political leverage that Judge Crump took away. Given that, the heavy emotional blackmail can begin anew! Ah, the rites of Spring!

Just read the article about the lease. I still can't figure out why at least a Twins stadium can't get done, especially since the Hennepin County plan seems like its reasonable. Being from SE Wisconsin, I clearly remember the debate about building the Brewers a new park, and how the bill passed in the wee hours of the night. But now, no one complains about the miniscule sales tax people pay in the 5 county area around Milwaukee.

This may be the Twins trying to rattle some cages, but since Bud and the boys seem to want to get involved, that can't be a good sign if the Twins are to stay in Minnesota.

After reading the article about the lease...I'm suddenly really scared....

LALALALALALALA... I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Ditto Kaf! (That's generally my reaction to the whole off-season, really).

Awww, Molly, c'mon! I thought you liked us!

One word for Molitor: hoser.

That's meant in good fun, and as a reference to an old Twins commercial, if anyone remembers.

"Just read the article about the lease. I still can't figure out why at least a Twins stadium can't get done, especially since the Hennepin County plan seems like its reasonable."
----------------

IMO, the club should be sitting down with John Marty and other opponents in the capitol to negotiate a compromise solution. Instead, the Twins threw up this plan near the end of the last legislative session which dictates the public cost, how it will be managed, and how the profits will be awarded--now gimme! Opponents in the capitol apparently still have other ideas of what's fair. If the Twins would be open to talking about trimming the cost and sharing more profits with the public, who knows, they might have a deal. But they're not even talking about compromises, as far as I've seen.

Doesn't Molitor have "family" in pretty much every AL city?

One word for Molitor: hoser.

That's meant in good fun, and as a reference to an old Twins commercial, if anyone remembers.

Nick, I loved that commercial. It's right up there with this year's commercial with Newmie.

I can understand both Molitor's decision and the Twins' suit. As a player and coach, Molitor's spent most of his life away from family. I assume he must be financially secure enough that he can turn down any job that takes him back on the road constantly. As for alternatives, it just seems to me like this is the ideal time to bring in a Latino coach, which given the make-up of the players on this team, is long overdue.

The Twins' suit is just business. The Dome is trying to preclude the Twins from being able to pack up and move by playing hardball on a long-term lease. The Twins, rightly (IMO), are doing whatever they can to avoid losing their leverage. The solution, obviously, is to pass the damn bill to allow construction on the new stadium to begin. Then the Twins will be happy to sign a new lease that would run until construction is complete.

Seems to me like the Dome Commission is taking a huge risk though. If the Twins lose the income they get now from the Dome, they'll do two things... cut salary limits and start looking for a stadium deal in Vegas... and I can't say I'd blame them for either one. Your politicians up there seem to be doing anything they possibly can to destroy that franchise and I just don't understand it.

Kafumbly,

Thanks a lot, I just laughed out loud when I read your post and got several dirty looks from the person in the career station opposite mine. Back to work, I guess.

*sigh*

Let's face facts. The only reason the Twins are still in the Metrodome is that they have nowhere else to go. It took three years for baseball to find a place to put the Expos. There aren't a lot of places for the Twins to move, which is why they are still in Minnesota.

Having said that, people had better realize that eventually, some city without major league baseball is going to make a serious effort for it. When that happens, the Twins will be gone. Maybe some people in Minnesota are okay with that, but just realize it, because it will eventually happen.

I am going to just pretend I am unaware of it all. Denial is, by far, the best way to deal with it.

Oh, and I love Molitor.

Jeff-

Sadly, we might not have to wait until some other city makes a play for the Twins. We might just have to wait until the lease is up and contraction is back on the table (i.e. after next year). The only reason the Twins and Nats exist is b/c legally, the Twins have to play in the Dome. And Selig wasn't willing to just contract the Expos.

If the Twins aren't legally required to play in the Dome, and the players union is ok w/ contraction (which, I believe it says they are in 2006).......

Well, I don't really want to think about it. Instead, I'll think about how good Pujols would look in a Twins uniform batting cleanup behind Mauer.

As a Sox fan, I just want to say I really do not want to see anything happen to the Twins. I love the rivalry that has developed in previous years, and hope that you guys can sort out the stadium thing somehow and keep the AL Central intact and exciting for years to come.

I'm afraid our only hope now is to win powerball, and buy the twins ourselves.

"Being the Mariner hitting coach is kind of like being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

Dear MEB,

I suppose this means my dream of having Kenneth Branagh as our new hitting coach is "not to be".

Damn it all. He might have had a few cricket batting techniques that could come in handy.

bubblemint

Bubblemint -

Only if he has Emma Thompson feeding him his lines...

Did anyone see the Best Damn Sports Show last night? Torii was a special guest host, and was practically begging for the Twins to trade him to the Yankees. It was a very embarrassing appearance by Hunter.

For those of you who missed the interview, the video clip is posted on the Twins page at Foxsports.com. Click my name for the link and scroll down to the video link.

"I want to be a Minnesota Twin. I bleed Minnesota Twins. I was born and raised a Minnesota Twin. So, I want to die a Minnesota Twin." -Torii Hunter [10/18/05] Best Damn Sports Show Period

That was one of his quotes. He was not by any means begging to be traded. He said he would keep his options open, but he wants to stay here.

Congrats to the Houston Astros.

Now let's have a great World Series.

May it be almost as good as 1991. But not quite...

I just watched the Torii video and I have to agree that he is not begging to go anywhere. He sounds like he wants to be a Twin but let's face it every year he sees another teammate going away due to FA so of course he is going to be straight forward about his future.

"if the Minnesota Twins want to move me and save some money that way...."

Sounds to me like the Twins will be the one who decides if we get to keep him.

"I want to be a Minnesota Twin. I bleed Minnesota Twins. I was born and raised a Minnesota Twin. So, I want to die a Minnesota Twin." -Torii Hunter [10/18/05] Best Damn Sports Show Period

No. I saw the whole show. When he said this, and he said it twice, it was in jest...a mocking-type style...toting the company line. He wasn't being serious. There's more to the interview than what they posted on the Fox Sports website. You had to see it all to understand what was going on. It was Torii advertising himself to GM's around the country that he wants out of Minnesota, so make a trade offer for me. It may work out well for the Twins, as it's likely a team that's desperate for a CF will over-trade for Hunter and take a huge contract off the Twins' hands. I hope that's how it shakes out.

I saw the whole thing. I have it taped. He was being serious. He was not begging to be traded.

I saw the Torii interview, too, in it's entirety.

Boo, I think you're being a little paranoid. ;) What came across to me from Torii was, "Hey, I'll die a Twin as long as the Twins will let me. But, if they wanna shop me, so be it - pinstripes might be nice."

Which would pretty much be my attitude as well.

Later in the show Pete Rose even gave him crap for wanting to stay in Minnesota and Torii just shrugged it off.

-Freez
P.S. - Good for Torii, who gives a rat's a$$ about what Pete Rose thinks?

I didn't see the Torii interview, but everyone seems to have varying opinions of what he meant. I think it would be perfectly legit to say you want to stay a Twin and "shop" yourself. This isn't t-ball.

Today (Friday) Paul Konerko's Dad said "the days of the home town discounts are over" concerning his son. That's on the eve of the WS. That's the MLB world.

Home town discounts are over from most guys but I have to give credit to Brad Radke who could have gotten more money from Boston. Giving up that money also meant giving up another trip to the post season.

I'm not disagreeing to the general point of home town deals are over but there will always be players who are loyal to their organizations. I think Radke demonstrated that last season.

The classic "home town discount" was, of course, Hrbek. All he wanted was a couple of new lures and some polish for his bowling ball.

Even though I thought the Dome's suit against the Twins was ridiculous (still do), I was glad to see it work out the way it did, as it gave the state an opportunity to save the team.

And we see the Legislature is nothing but talk - just as it was before.

Hennepin County stepped up. The only task for the Legislature was to approve the dadgum package, but they couldn't be bothered.

The Twins won't be contracted - the Nats success in Washington has put an end to that kind of talk. They'll be moved.

Where? Vegas.