GO AJ!

Maybe in the end the events of the last week or so will only help his image. I must say, he's the former twin I would have guessed to be the least likely to be accepted by Chicago players or fans. But it seems AJ has found a home again. And in my opinion, twins-sox games are just more fun with AJ involved.

He's the pasty legged charmer of the South Side Sox. Who could resist?

Click my name for ocular proof. Here at casa Flitcraft, we don't judge.

AJ's just eating it up, I'll bet. I still miss him. Why, oh why, couldn't Joe Mauer have come up as a thirdbaseman?

AJ's always been my sweetheart.

AJ is the man, there's no question. Click my name for an interesting Reusse column about AJ (with a guest appearance by Dougie).

Joe Mauer is a lot hotter than AJ. End of story.

As much as I love Joe, Dougie's comment is true. The moral high ground is nice, but we've lost the edge that used to be there. And I know there's not much of a zesty edge to any of the players lower in the system. They're all too nice, dammit.

Oh, Anthony John, how I love thee. I miss him so much.

And Dougie is right....(so is annun)....we lost the edge our team had, and now our team is too nice....maybe that was what Torii was trying to do....get some of that spark back, some of that edge....albeit that it was too late in the season....

I don't get the correlation between being nice and not playing good baseball.

Anyone see the link from Gleeman's Link-o-rama blog Friday 10/21/05 to a little party where AJ is showing his jello shooting skills?

Click my name for Gleeman's blog, then scroll down to the 3rd bullet item...

[I'm sorry, SBG, but I frown on people sniping at other commentors. Feel free to disagree--though I think you are reading this conversation too literally--but do so in a respectful matter, or at least a civil one.--Batgirl]

I was not sniping at any other commentors whatsoever. I never mentioned a single commenter by name, nor were my comments directed at any particular comment at this site. My beef with with the ridiculous comment made by Mienkiewicz at the end of the article in which he stated plainly that he'd take A.J. over Mauer and in which he said that the Twins were "crazy" to trade A.J.

Given the results of that trade and the emergence of Mauer as the best position player on our team, I can't help but think that I am in no disagreement whatsoever with any person who follows baseball at all (with the notable exception of Mr. Mientkiewicz) that the Twins made out like bandits on that trade.

Your readers are more than welcome to read my literal interpretation of Reusse's article, which I have posted at my site. I will warn the readers that I am not civil in my own blog about this Reusse column, which I find to be an unnecessary rip on the best player the Twins have, Joe Mauer.

Apologies, SBG. I interpreted your comments as a snipe at a commentator rather than Reusse. While I think it is useful to discuss some of the fire that the Twins have indeed lost--as Frightwig pointed out in some entry or another, who do the Twins have now that is going to start a nice bench-clearing brawl?--implying that this was a bad trade probably isn't Reusse's best move. Mauer may not wear as many wife-beaters, but he sure can play baseball, and it's our priviledge to watch him.

Still, the discussion is an interesting one. Both Doug and AJ were replacecd with better players, but more subdued ones. Not a bad thing by any means, but I hope in the offseason we can find someone who has both mad skillz and a bit of fire, too. Sometimes being a pain in the ass isn't the worst thing.

As a certified pain in the ass, I have to agree with you. I like A.J. as a player and enjoyed him as a Twin. I'm happy he's getting a shot at a ring. But, I'm confused by Doug's remarks. He seems to be holding an enormous grudge against the organization. His statement about A.J. and Mauer as players is simply not credible.

As you know, I'm less concerned about players' personalities than others are. Some athletes are fiery, some (think: Joe Montana, Paul Molitar) are as cool as a cucumber. If they can play, I'll take 'em. I agree with you, though, a little fire can't hurt. It's interesting that A.J. has shown up repeatedly on Souhan's list of Guys He's Glad are Gone. I've never understood that. I'm not glad he's gone. He was a quality player, and yes, it was fun to see him get under other teams' collective skin. But, I'm not sad, either, because his trade worked out great for the Twins.

Still reading, SBG

In the land of make believe and fantasy I wish the chairman would have come up a 3B as well.

Then the Twins could have Mauer at 3B, AJ at catcher and I guess Cuddyer at 2B but who would close? Would Crain be able to handle it?

See that's the problem you gotta give something up to get something and to have AJ around we would have had to miss getting Nathan.

The Twins due lack an edge though. Sorry Torii, smacking Justin around in the club house is not inspring in my opinion. I'm probably just agreeing b/c I miss and wish Dougie Baseball was still a Twin as well.

Since the Twins got nothing for getting rid of Doug, I wish the Twins could have kept him.

I don't think the issue is whether or not an individual player is fiery--but the ingredients that make a team. You can't have--god help us--25 AJs, but having one guy that's willing to storm the mound and knock out CC Sabathia's teeth has its advantages. So in losing Doug and AJ, the team lost a little bit of personality; not many people would argue with those moves, but maybe it's worth getting some back.

That said, I think we do have this balance in our pitching staff. You've got Bradke, who is barely animate, and Carlos Silva, who just might spontaneously combust.

I don't know if this would be an issue if we had been a better team this year, but the Twins are always a bunch of AAAA guys who in the past few years have managed to put something together based on a strange alchemy--and some of that was pure cojones. If the Twins had 25 Mauers, no one would complain and we wouldn't need attitude. Though maybe a better team barber.

Did AJ's wife divorce him? I see no wedding ring in those pictures. Maybe he just "forgot" it. But I'm sure she wouldn't be pleased to see him licking that chicks neck either. What do you do? Baseball boys will be boys. At least it wasn't a sex boat. (Sorry--rather off topic...)
I loved AJ while he was here, but I like having Joe around. He's a hell of a catcher. NO, he's not chatty like AJ, but he's sweet. He's quickly becoming a fan favorite by being a nice guy, rather than being crazy/loud/intoxicatingly arrogant. (Which I believe AJ sometimes was...))

BG, how can you say Bradke is barely animate? Remember when he got tossed? It was beautiful! He just saves his animation for times that it's really, really needed, and then he does a damn fine job :)

I still get squidgy watching that tape. *sigh*

Dear SBG,

I read Reusse's entire column, and though you may be right about some of what you say you are reading between the lines from Reusse, after reading your remarks on your own blog about this, I think you may be reading more into Doug's comments than were intended.

The way I see it, Doug's statement "But until Joe gets his guys to the playoffs...I'll take A.J." was merely his opinion. His opinion based largely on his personal friendship with A.J.

He also clearly stated that "Joe probably has more talent than A.J. I'm sure he does."

What's wrong with that? It seems to me he's admitting that Joe is a damn good ballplayer.

But just as the rest of us have the right to our opinions, Mientkiewicz has the right to his own opinion too.

I adore Dougie, but let's face it, you would never want him as general manager for your team.

ForMorneau,

Couldn't have said it better myself. More fan appeal!

~Hannah~

Two words: Milton. Bradley.

I hate the White Sox with a passion, but with that said, I like A.J. I thought A.J. played hard here and he did whatever he could to win in his Twins tenure. He never slacked off.

SBG: I read Reusse's piece and I never thought he meant to rip Mauer at all. What Reusse meant ws that the Twins need grinders and guys who have it in them to succeed. He cited A.J. and Doug as examples of guys that had spunk and how it rubbed off on them. I agree. If there was something that was clearly missing on the Twins this year, it's that no one had spunk which is something I cited all season. Terry Ryan gotta find some good men that have it in them to succeed. You also have to hope Morneau finally has it in him to succeed. The only three guys I can come up with guys that have it in them to succeed is Torii, Jacque, and Shannon. You have to figure Joe Mauer will eventually have it too. The Twins need more though which is why I wouldn't mind having a guy like Jeff Kent here (don't hold your breath about this happening). That's what the article about. It wasn't about ripping Mauer IMO.

The day Radke got tossed was fun, but I'll only give him half-credit for "edginess" when he's just cursing at umpires from the dugout. He gets full credit when he regularly shows that kind of fire from the mound and starts throwing up & in once in awhile.

Dear ForMorneau,

AJ was always crazy/loud/intoxicatingly arrogant. Even when he was in Rookie League.

Annun

BG-I couldn't agree more. You said this months ago--that the Twins sorely needed an infusion of sass. We lost it. Mint, Koskie, and A.J. I love the Nathanest of Joes, but, damn, what I would not give to have A.J. behind the plate with Mauer at 3d. I'm happy for A.J. and his unfiltered competitive spirit.

If by "sass" you folks mean we need a reliable right-handed power hitter in the lineup, then I agree.

But until the game becomes "psychball" I don't think it matters at all whether you have someone with "fire" or "sass" on your team.

II

I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three blackbirds
And Neal Cotts.

Hmm. I disagree, Eric. I suggest that individual talent doesn't necessarily win titles. Ask the Yankees. Teams win. Often, the whole of a team is more than just the sum of it's parts. Sometimes, it's less.

A team that has fire can often times play beyond itself. The issue I have with AJ wasn't necessarily his effect on the opposition, it was the effect he had on his own team. Being a fiery, edgy competitor is great if you aren't also alienating your teammates.

My point, in an earlier post, about the Twins needing someone that could start a good ol' fashioned benches clearing brawl, is that an occasional incident like that can bring a team together. It fires people up. Teams that don't play with that kind of emotion and fire are at a disadvantage. Talent, without passion, is something less than it could be.

And if you don't think that passion, fire, or even sass plays a large role in performance, then we can agree to disagree, but I'd almost be inclined to be so bold as to say you're wrong.

Batgirl, I can't believe you've ignored this press release for so long:

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/content/printer_friendly/min/y2005/m10/d20/c1255926.jsp

For a shortlist of the candidates, click my name.

mmmarkiep!

I miss Aj's sass. I miss AJ preiod, but the fire is needed, BG has posted about it several times this summer. Fire is important.

And I won't go into my feelings about Mauer, other than to say, he's a good player, and I'm glad he plays for us and not someone else.

I'm with mmmarkiep (hi mmmarkie!). I think every sport has an element of psychball in it, and winning is never about talent alone. Which is what makes the game so fun! Character, personalities, even fan involvement influence every game.

It may be more obvious the role personality plays in baseball when looking at players who should be spectacular but fail miserably. JFC Romero, anyone? If there's an argument for certain ballplayers being 'head cases,' there should be room for an equal and opposite argument that some players' personalities inspire their teammates and lead to better play.

mmarkiep-

Alright then, you discuss the performance of a team by using the DSM IV, I'll use the statistics almanac.

9 times out of 10 people talk about the chemistry of a team looking _back_ on a season, after the talent of the individual players has determined if they win or lose a bunch that year. And I didn't mean to say that one player would have changed things, but getting a player that can hit would be my idea of a good get, as opposed to a great team guy. I don't care how well a team gets along as long as they win. And often team chemistry is determined by how well a team plays, it's just that people get sucked into the chicken and egg thing and assume it is all because of team chemistry that a team falls apart.

I'll stick with the more concrete evidence of how a team will do, ala OBP and SLG, you go ahead with the OCD's etc.

Well, the schizophrenics are generally switch hitters and utility infielders, Eric. The paranoids are your pitchers. Catchers usually are antisocial what with the mask and pads to avoid personal contact and all. Closers are the OCD, always pitching that one inning, you see. The middle relievers are the low self esteem types. And the narcissists? I'd guess the DH. I could be wrong.

Now, perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm not discounting talent. Certainly, a team has to have guys that can play ball. I'm saying that a team that has talent AND chemistry, passion, fire, sass, whatever, is certainly at an advantage. The hindsight thing is easy. You gather a collection of individual talent, put them together and see how they get along. You can make predictions but until the cake's out of the oven you don't know if it's going to fall flat or not.

So, for example, let's take, oh .. the Lakers. Were they successful? Sure, when they were getting along. Did the talent change? No, not really. Some would argue that Patyon and Malone made them even more talented. However, they didn't get along. The chemistry sucked. So, consequently, they didn't fare so well. All I'm saying is that stats are telling but it's still a team sport. And, to me, there's no way you can leave the chemistry\passion factor out.

"If the Twins had 25 Mauers, no one would complain and we wouldn't need attitude. Though maybe a better team barber."

You took the words right out of my head, BG.

Just stumbled into this discussion. I think what we've seen this season is an overdose of grit and sass -- albeit misdirected -- this season. Too nice? Tell that to Gardy's door. Or the players fighting. Or the pitchers sniping at the batters.

The Commish is on the money.

And since when did Doug M. have his finger on the pulse of the team? The guy acted like he was five when he was on his way out. And he should probably put more energy into finding a place to play soon rather than do diagnostic work of the Twins.

Doug was treated very badly by the Twins when he was on the way out. He certainly wasn't treated like a player who had hit at least .300 2 out of the last 3 seasons. And he wasn't treated like a player that helped the Twins win again after so many years of losing.

I think all parties involved acted poorly by the time the trade to Boston was happening. I think Doug needs to worry about his career now but when you are so unceremoniously shown the door I think closure can be an issue.

Personally, after this season I think I'd take Doug over Justin. I know blasphamy!

There was a game in Cleveland when the Twins were losing something like 7 to 2 and Justin hits a pinch hit HR and the Twins lose 7 to 5. For me that is what Justin's season was like. He showed power when it no longer mattered. I'd rather have Doug's sass. Maybe next year Justin can win me over???

Bradke getting the boot was such a proud moment for me. That look on his face and then you couldn't hear what he was saying but that mouth was moving and you could make out a few choice words- that was some fire. I love it.

I miss A.J. and all the trouble he brings but 5 years down the road Joe will be 5x better than he even is now...and A.J. will be 34.

C'mon Doug!

AJ wasn't the only bringer-of-the-edge on the Twins.

We had YOU, too!!

As far as A.J. and his "edge" are concerned, remember - he's only been in Chicago for a season. See how those guys feel about him in another year or two... But he is definitely a guy who relishes the big stage, and for that you have to give him his due. But I think we have to give this group of Twins time to jell and find their own personality, don't we? Corey and Doug and A.J. didn't exactly light it up right out of the gate. I tend to trust the Twins on this stuff - they sure seem to get it right (LaTroy, Guzie, Uncle Miltie, Dougie) more often than not. And speaking of Dougie, he clearly has an axe to grind. From all indications, the only one who behaved like a child at the end of his tenure with the Twins was him; his antics with the last out ball from the BoSox Series win prove that, while he's an entertaining guy (and an amazing defensive first baseman), he's got some serious personality flaws on top of his increasingly-erratic hitting. (Have we already forgotten his "I'd rather play for the AAA team and win than play for the big league team and deal with that mean ol' Tom Kelly" tirades?) If he wasn't a known problem at this point, why is he a man without a gig?