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The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes is a handbook for making a home where lives can unfold, chridren grow up and dogs run wild. For the home that will stand the test of time. How we can turn a house into a home.
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In 2007, Monocle was launched as a magazine briefing on global affairs, business, culture, design and much more. They believed there was a globally minded audience of readers who were hungry for opportunities and experiences beyond their national borders.
But they didn't stop there. They have also launched Monocle 24, their round-the-clock radio station. They have opened shops in New York, London, Toronto, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore, cafés in Tokyo and London. And besides the magazine there are numerous publications like the 'Guide to...' series, 'The Forecast' and 'The Escapist' and series of travel guides covering London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Beth R.
Review for Society Of Singers, Calabasas, CA, USA
When I was close to losing my home, Society of Singers stepped in and gave me an emergency grant that saved me from homelessness. They gave it to me very quickly- it probably only took a few days following my application for aid. It made all of the difference during one of the worst periods in my life. Wendy Garfink was incredibly kind and went far out of her way to see that I got emergency funding as quickly as possible. She continues to lead this organization with an open heart for the many professional singers who live without benefits, as do most musicians. Words can't express what it means to have someone help you save your home, but that's what SOS did for me. I will never forget their kindness and generosity to me during an extremely stressful period in my life.
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Review for Society Of Singers, Calabasas, CA, USA
SOS is an amazing organization who have offered financial assistance to thousands of singers who have found themselves in emergency situations. I was fortunate enough to be a recipient of a grant from them when I was in danger of losing my home. It saved me- and I know they've helped save many more like me.
Musicians are a terribly underserved part of our society. Most of them never get any form of health insurance, retirement fund, or any other kind of backup support should they find themselves in an emergency. SOS has stepped in and helped them when they had little or no support from any other source.
I was permanently disabled from regular employment in 2004. By the end of 2005, I had exhausted any emergency money I had on hand, and was facing homelessness. If not for the grant I received from SOS, I would have lost my home.
I can't say enough about SOS. In a matter of DAYS, I received a grant from them. Their empathy throughout the process was nothing less than amazing to me. They helped to give me hope and kept me going when I thought my life was in a permanent downard spiral.
They have my undying thanks for their help. Wendy Garfink is an angel to me, and if there is anything I can do to repay them in kind for what they did for me, I'm very happy to give it.
I hope that this letter of endorsement helps them in getting further support so that they can continue their incredibly valuable support of singers. Words cannot express my gratitude to them.
Beth Reynolds
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Give them thousands of volunteers in aiding them to raise funding!!

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We will update you here all latest upcoming vacancies in District Magistrate & Collector Sambalpur under District Magistrate & Collector Sambalpur Recruitment 2016 Latest Projects. The following vacancies has expired, please don't consider the following vacancies. It is only for the record of the candidates.
Office of the District Magistrate & Collector Sambalpur Recruitment 2013 for the post of RI and ARI: Office of District Magistrate & Collector, Sambalpur had thoroughly made a proclamation for the enrollment and the employment of the potential generation under the post that are as following:
- Revenue Inspector (RI): 8 Posts
- Assistant Revenue Inspector (ARI): 5 Posts
Conditions being attached with the candidates so that selection of the candidates could be commenced by checking the eligibility of the candidates under the following requirements:
Age limit: Age of the applicants is being demanded to be in between the 20 years to the 32 years which would be well thought-out as per on the date 1st April 2013. Relaxation is also to be provided to the candidates who will be under the category SC, ST, SEBC and the women candidates. This relaxation is to be made in the upper age by the 5 years. So the candidates under the category take in to consideration the fact mentioned above. and
Office of the District Magistrate & Collector Sambalpur Recruitment 2013 Educational Qualification:
Revenue Inspector (RI): Candidate that thoroughly wished to apply for the post must possess the bachelor's degree in any of the streams i.e. in the arts, science and commerce which must also includes the bachelor's degree in business administrative or the bachelor in computer application or the qualification that is equivalent to it.
Assistant Revenue Inspector (ARI): Qualification that is to be possessed is the higher secondary examination (10+2) that is conducted by the council of higher secondary education, odisha or the equivalent qualification with the knowledge of the computers.
Selection procedure: Selection of the candidates would be done if the candidate is competent enough with the physical fitness test which should include the active habits, mental fitness and any other type of diseases. This test is needed by the candidate to qualify for sure.
Application fees: Fees is to be paid by the candidates which is demanded to be in the form of the A/C Payee Bank Draft in the favor of the Nizarat Officer, Collectorate, Sambalpur which are duly payable at the SBI, Main Branch Sambalpur with the expense of Rs. 100. Candidate with the category SC and ST are being exempted to pay any amount for the post.
How to apply: Candidates are being announced to apply for the post with the submission of the applications under the suitable format as being published by the authority with the required testimonials concerning to the candidate and two photo graphs that are recently clicked a, two self addressed envelope with the postage stamp of Rs. 40 and original bank Draft. Name of the post must be mentioned on the envelope
All the certificates are to sent to the authority at the address which is as Office of Collector, Sambalpur
Important Date: 2nd August 2013: Closing date for the acknowledgment of the application by the authority.
Important Link: Linkage where the candidates can see the notification and the required application to be sent to the authority is as below:
Download Recruitment Notification


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A friend and I were wandering Lausanne on our first night in the city when we stumbled across this little brasserie in a side street. While we were peering at the menu, a local patron came out for a smoke break and told us in...More
1 - 10 of 17 reviews
A friend and I were wandering Lausanne on our first night in the city when we stumbled across this little brasserie in a side street. While we were peering at the menu, a local patron came out for a smoke break and told us in...More
We were looking for a restaurant that fillet of perch and tartiflette on the menu and this one did so we went in. It is small, looks like it is used by locals and charming. The service was excellent, we were given complimentary salads to...More
We stumbled across Brasserie Saint Laurent by chance - having jotted down a shortlist of places to try, we discovered to our increasing frustration that everywhere was full. As we headed despondently back down the road after trying yet another place and finding a complete...More
Lovey characterful brasserie in the centre of Lausanne. We ate there in the evening and the staff were fun and very attentive. The food was of a very high standard and in Lausanne where a 2nd mortgage is generally required to eat, this restaurant was...More
In a city where decent food at decent prices is not easy to find, this place is definitely worth considering. The owner(?)/waitress was welcoming and efficient. The food was generously portioned, the salads norvégienne (smoked salmon and caper salad) I had was fresh, tasty and...More
First time here but for sure not the last one! We stopped on a Friday evening, just watching the menu outside, noticing "filets de perches"...moreover for 22CHF...when you pay anywhere over 30CHF, usually 34CHF for this meal in Lausanne. And then what happened? A warm,...More
We dine here often when in Lausanne. We love most things about this place, location, wait staff, offerings, quality, and value. It's a brasserie and therefore quite fun. At lunch time, four offerings are made. This time we had a Perch dinner and a dinner...More
This is a small and traditional restaurant in the city centre of Lausanne. We came here for dinner during a conference visit. I had a horse steak and my companions had Zurich-style sliced veal with Rösti (that is as typically Swiss as it gets, but...More
Best value for your buck. Great fondue and daily specials. Try the fish. In the heart of old Town and service great
A nice dinner and very good wine, good service from the italian owner. The food is mostly suisse, but you can also find a nice selection of pastas. Good price per quality.


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Category Archives: Offseason
The Prospects of Top Prospects
I haven't published a "Twins Top 15 Prospects List" this offseason, yet. There are plenty of other writers who do and many of them probably have better insight into who the top names should be than I do.
I didn't really make a conscious decision not to do a list this year. I just didn't get around to it, until now.
So I'm going to provide my list today, but I'm not going to focus a lot on the players individually. Instead, I'm just going to share some thoughts on the Twins' organizational depth, as a whole, and a few players that I'm anxious to follow in 2016, for a variety of reasons.
So, here's my list, with the levels each player played at last season, as well as their ranking, in parens, from my personal rankings a year ago.
1. Byron Buxton OF – AA, AAA, MLB (2)
2. Jose Berrios SP – AA, AAA (4)
3. Max Kepler OF/1B – High A, AA, MLB (11)
4. Byung Ho Park 1B/DH – Korea (NR – late 2015 FA sign)
5. Tyler Jay SP/RP – High A (NR – 2015 draft)
6. Stephen Gonsalves SP – Low A, High A (12)
7. Nick Gordon SS – Low A (9)
8. Jorge Polanco 2B/SS – AA, AAA, MLB (6)
9. Engelb Vielma – SS High A (NR)
10. Taylor Rogers SP – AAA (NR)
11. Lewis Thorpe – SP Injured (NR)
12. Nick Burdi – RP High A, AA (10)
13. Jake Reed – RP High A, AA (NR)
14. Kohl Stewart – SP High A (8)
15. J.T. Chargois – RP High A. AA (NR)
As always, there are a few players that, in retrospect, I can't believe there wasn't room for on this list. For example, the Twins have three catching prospects that I'm certain would easily find themselves on the Top 15 list of a number of other organizations. Stewart Turner, Mitch Garver and Brian Navarreto all have legitimate shots to become MLB starting catchers. How many other teams have three catchers you can say that about that are rising up through the ranks in consecutive levels?
I don't typically put many relief pitchers on my list, but the crew of outstanding young bullpen arms that has risen to the Major League threshold has forced me to include Burdi, Reed and Chargois. Even Jay and Rogers could end up pen arms, but their rankings are based on projections as starters, especially with regard to Jay. In fact, however, as I'll explain below, this list doesn't even include every young relief arm that has a legitimate chance to establish himself as a big leaguer this season.
This is all one way of saying that I think that all of the concern out there about the Twins not acquiring relief pitching on the free agent or trade market is going to turn out to be much ado about nothing. These guys are the real deal.
The case of Adam Brett Walker probably deserves an entire post of its own. He's another guy that would easily be in the Top 15 of many, if not most, teams. He probably should be in this one, too, and certainly would be if there weren't so many outstanding relief pitchers that are literally on the big league club's doorstep. The strikeouts are a huge red flag, but I'm a Walker fan. I believe he will be a Major League ballplayer one day and probably a good one.
Generally, you probably won't notice a lot of difference between my top 15 and anyone else's, but there's one name on the list that I think I'm higher on than most and that's shortstop Engelb Vielma, who spent his 2015 entirely with the Fort Myers Miracle in the High A Florida State League.
A lot of conversations about the Twins' shortstop position go something like this: "It's great that Eduardo Escobar has established himself as a legitimate starting shortstop so he can hold down the position until Nick Gordon is ready."
Occasionally, someone will point out that Jorge Polanco is ready to hit big league pitching right now and might be ready to claim the shortstop position soon. Others opine that Polanco will never have the arm to be a full time MLB shortstop.
Most shortstop discussions will go on for a long time before anyone brings up Vielma (if his name comes up at all). That's understandable. He wasn't a first round draft pick like Gordon or a $750,000 international free agent signing like Polanco. At 5′ 11″ and MAYBE 150 pounds (if he weighs in immediately after a good meal), you could be forgiven for mistaking Vielma for his team's batboy – until you see him virtually inhale any ground ball hit remotely close to him and throw rockets to first base.
If baseball was an offense/defense platoon game, like football is, there's a good chance Engelb Vielma would already be the Twins' shortstop. He's that good in the field. The question has always been, "will he hit?"
Well, guess what? He hit .268 in Cedar Rapids in 2014 and followed that up with a .270 clip in Fort Myers. Both Polanco and Gordon are projected to hit a bit better and both will generate more power, but if you ask me who is most likely to eventually succeed Escobar as the Twins' starting shortstop, I'll put my money on Vielma. If Gordon continues to progress, as well, Vielma will make a terrific utility infielder (or a valuable trade chip).
Much has been written about how deep the Twins' minor league organization remains, despite the graduations of players like Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario in 2015 and the likely graduations of Buxton, Berrios and, perhaps, others in 2016. Indeed, half (or more) of my Top 15 this year could spend significant time with the Twins this season.
General Manager Terry Ryan made reference to the excitement of finally seeing some of these prospects graduate into being productive Twins during a Q&A session with fans during Twinsfest this past weekend. He was quick to add that he was aware that fans are tired of hearing about prospects.
One couldn't help but notice the quiet, yet pronounced, nod in agreement from the man sitting to Ryan's left on the stage – owner Jim Pohlad.
Pohlad has patiently watched his GM trade away fan favorites (and, according the owner, many of his own personal favorite players) and trusted that his patience will be rewarded as the club's best prospects begin to arrive. This may be the year that his patience is rewarded.
In fact, it may be the first of many rewarding seasons, because the "graduating class" this season won't necessarily be limited to the names on anyone's top prospect list.
Alex Meyer's name has fallen off this list, but he will almost certainly finally make his MLB debut, either in the Twins rotation or (more likely) in the bullpen.
Another bullpen option not listed is lefty Mason Melotakis. When we last saw him, he was throwing his mid-90s fastball past AA hitters in 2014. He had Tommy John surgery in October of that year and the Twins were so impressed with his recovery that they felt the need to add him to their 40-man roster this offseason, rather than risk losing him to another team in the Rule 5 draft. If he's as good in March as the reports about him were in November, he could compete with the higher ranked relievers to be the first among the group to debut with the Twins.
Finally, there are two players I want to focus some special attention on, because the Twins' front office certainly will be focusing on them as the new season gets underway.
The careers of pitcher Kohl Stewart and outfielder Travis Harrison could be approaching crossroads.
Stewart was the Twins' first round pick (5th overall) in 2013 and Harrison was a compensation round pick (50th overall) in 2011. Both were high schoolers, so you wouldn't say that the fact that they aren't being mentioned as potential big leaguers in 2016 is necessarily a big red flag, but both players have spent time higher on "top prospect" lists than where you will find them this year.
Stewart has more breathing room than Harrison simply because he was chosen 46 spots higher (and paid about $3.5 million more in bonus money) than Harrison and is two years younger than the outfielder.
Still, in an era where the strikeout is king, Stewart has not missed bats at the rate that scouts (and fans) would like to see. He struck out fewer than five batters per nine innings for the Miracle in 2015. As has often been pointed out, Stewart didn't focus on baseball until after graduating from high school. Before that, he spent as much time, if not more, honing his quarterbacking skills as he did his pitching mechanics.
Stewart's 129 1/3 innings of work in 2015 was far and away the most time he has ever spent on a pitcher's mound in one year. At just 21 years old, there's plenty of time for him to begin to wow the organization with his stuff and move closer to realizing his enormous potential. But it might be a good idea to begin doing that in 2016 because another year of, "what's wrong with Stewart?" talk among fans – and scouts – might not be a positive thing for his career.
Similarly, it's hard to believe that Harrison is still just 23 years old, because it feels like we've been discussing him forever.
After signing late in 2011, Harrison debuted with Elizabethton in 2012 and has made progress one step at a time ever since. He played full seasons in Cedar Rapids (2013), Fort Myers (2014) and Chattanooga (2015), always against competition that was at least a year or two older than he was.
So, if he has made steady progress up the organizational ladder and is still relatively young, why should we consider Harrison's career to be approaching a crossroads? It's not a matter of him showing signs of failure. Like Stewart, it comes down to the player not yet having met certain expectations.
Harrison launched 15 home runs for Cedar Rapids in 2013 (16, if you count one walk-off "single" that left the park but wasn't credited as a home run because one of the runners on base abandoned his trip around the bases to join the team's celebration on the field) and it appeared that the Twins had found themselves a future power hitter. However, his home run totals have dropped to three and five round-trippers in the two seasons since leaving Cedar Rapids.
He's very strong and has been among his team's leaders in doubles virtually every season, so it's quite possible that those doubles will begin finding the extra few feet of distance to clear the fences. If so, Harrison could quickly enter any conversation about the Twins' "outfield of the future." But the clock is ticking, because he'll be a minor league free agent after 2017 and because, let's face it, there are already a few pretty good young outfielders in the process of arriving at Target Field ahead of him.
Both of these young players undoubtedly know they've reached the point where they need to show everyone just why the Twins scouts liked them enough to use very high draft picks on them as they were coming out of high school. They're both hard workers.
Don't be surprised if, a year from now, we are all talking about how they both had breakout seasons and wondering how the Twins are going to find big league spots for them in the near future.
Twinsfest Weekend: a Photo Journal
I don't go to Twinsfest every year, but try to get up to the Twin Cities to attend the Minnesota Twins' winter fan event every couple of years, anyway.
I was there two years ago for the first such event held at Target Field and I wasn't terribly impressed. Maybe my expectations have adjusted or maybe the Twins have learned how to do it all a little bit better, but for whatever reason, I enjoyed the event more this year than I did two years ago.
I should make clear that I don't go all three days. I go one day – and I don't stay all that long. I'm not big into autographs, so after a couple of hours of wandering around and seeing what there is to see, I start to feel anxious to move on to something else.
I always run into a few people I know and it's great to catch up with friends and I enjoy the public interviews that are conducted with players and front office management. I particularly enjoy seeing some of our former Cedar Rapids Kernels getting their turns to interact with Twins fans.
Then, of course, there's the TwinsDaily.com "Winter Meltdown" that's held by the TD guys in conjunction with Twinsfest every year and that's always a great time. I always enjoy the opportunity to catch up with friends at this event and meet a few new people each year, as well. I appreciate TwinsDaily continuing to invite this old guy to attend.
One of the things the Twins did right was having all the players wear their new red "Friday night" alternate jerseys. When they were first announced, I was lukewarm on them, but after seeing the players wearing them around all day, they've really grown on me. Yes, I even like the Kasota Gold in the trim.
I'm not going to write a whole lot about my experience this weekend, instead I decided to just post a whole bunch of pictures (some good, some not so good) to give you a sense of how I spent my weekend. Enjoy. – JC
(All photos by SD Buhr)
Berrios Headlines Kernels' Hot Stove Banquet
Jose Berrios has shot up the national "top prospect" rankings based on his performance the past couple of years in the Minnesota Twins organization and on Wednesday night, Berrios joined his former manager with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Jake Mauer, and Twins farm director Brad Steil to participate in a "roundtable" discussion at the Kernels' annual Hot Stove Banquet.
Before the banquet got underway, all three men were available for media interviews.
It was the first time Berrios had been back to Cedar Rapids since he was part of a 2013 Kernels squad that was loaded with potential big leaguers, including Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Tyler Duffey, Adam Brett Walker and many others.
Berrios said he was enjoying the homecoming.
"Coming here today in the afternoon, I saw things and thought, 'I remember that.' It's different because now, you've got a lot of snow, but I remember some things. My host family, Abby (Pumroy) is coming tonight and I'm excited about that. This is where I played my first full season and I enjoyed it. My family came for my birthday in May. I enjoyed all of my year in 2013 in Cedar Rapids."
Pumroy, his host mother during his stay with the Kernels (as she is every summer for many of the Latin-American players), not only came to see Berrios at the banquet, but joined him on the stage during the roundtable to serve as interpreter, if necessary.
That service wasn't needed often. Berrios has made a lot of improvements since his time with the Kernels and that would include his command of English.
In truth, his season with the Kernels was Berrios' worst as a minor leaguer. He didn't turn 19 until the second month of the season and notched a 7-7 record and 3.99 ERA and gave up, on average, just over one hit per inning. He struck out "just" 8.7 batters per nine innings. That's certainly not bad, but 2013 is the only season of his young career in which he failed to top the 9 Ks per inning mark.
Maturity on the mound was an issue for Berrios at times that season. There were times when an inning would start out with an error or two or maybe a couple of hits and the young right-hander would appear to lose his composure a bit, leading to crooked numbers going on the scoreboard that inning for the opponent.
That's not unusual, of course, especially in the lower levels of the minor leagues, as Mauer pointed out while talking about the progress that Berrios has made since their time together with the Kernels.
"He was pretty young, obviously, when he was here," Mauer recalled. "He came up late (in April). One thing he would do is he would always compete. Really it was probably the first time he had been hit in his life. He had struck everybody out.
"Kohl Stewart went through some of that, when he was here, too. Some of those guys, that's what they learn to do here – they start to learn how to pitch, learn how to overcome adversity. Sometimes you get yourself out of innings that maybe your defense created for you. Do I just roll over or do I compete and get through it? I think both of those guys are starting to figure that out pretty good."
Berrios, who will still be just 21 years old when the 2016 season opens, agreed that he has developed a more mature approach to his craft.
"I've matured every year," he said. "You have to be under control in every situation. That's what I work on every year and that's what I've learned.
This is the second year that Berrios has been invited by the Twins to open Spring Training with the big club in Fort Myers. A year ago, he wasn't shy about telling people his goal was to open the season in the Twins' rotation.
That didn't happen, of course, and Berrios ended up throwing all 166 1/3 of his innings in the minors, split between AA Chattanooga and AAA Rochester.
His goals going into 2016 have not been tempered from his experience last year, however. If anything, he has taken them up a notch.
"Yeah, I'm keeping the same goals," he confirmed. "Trying to make the 25 man roster in April with the Minnesota Twins. Then keep going, work to be selected for the All-Star Game in July and then at the end of the season, maybe the Rookie of the Year.
"That's my goal, that's what I'm preparing myself for, to make that goal. Be ready for spring training this year. I'm excited about that."
There may still be snow on the ground, but Berrios said he's ready to get the new season underway.
"Yeah, there's too much offseason, I want to play a game."
Steil, voicing the views of the Twins front office, wasn't prepared to predict a Rookie of the Year award for his young prospect, but he clearly is looking for good things from Berrios in 2016.
"We're looking for him to keep improving, which he's done a nice job at every level he's been through in our system, Steil said. "Last year, when he went from AA to AAA, he was a little shaky to start with at AAA, which is to be expected.
"I think once you saw him get settled in and get comfortable, he made some adjustments and really pitched well the last month of the season. So he's going to give some guys at spring training a run for their money when it comes to competing for a roster spot there."
While it's too early to make any firm predictions about the Kernels' 2016 roster, Steil did talk about what he's expecting at this early point in time.
"I think, looking at it right now, a rough idea of what kind of team we're going to start with, I think it will be another strong pitching staff, similar to last year," he offered. "I think as the season goes on, some of the younger hitters will get better and I think we've got a chance to have a better lineup than we did last year, just because of the talent that some of these guys have that are coming here.
"Jermaine Palacios, a shortstop that was in the GCL and Elizabethton last year, is one of those guys. I expect LaMonte Wade will be back here to start the season. Chris Paul is another guy that will probably be back to start the season. So I think we're going to have a few guys that can swing the bat. We should have a little bit more of a threat in the middle of the lineup than they maybe did last year."
Steil also talked about a couple of pitchers that Kernels fans saw a little of two years ago, Lewis Thorpe and Fernando Romero.
Regarding Thorpe, Steil said the 20-year-old Australian lefty is, "doing very well."
"He's probably not going to be ready to go to start the season, so he'll probably start in extended and get stretched out and build up his arm strength.
"Fernando Romero is in a similar situation," Steil added. "A guy that pitched here briefly two years ago. He's got a really good arm. He'll touch 97, 98 (mph). He's doing really well. He's a little ahead of Thorpe, so he may be ready to go at the beginning of the year."
The Twins assigned each of the managers in their system to the same teams they led in 2015, but the departure of a couple of coaches at the AAA level meant wholesale coaching changes among most of the minor league staffs. As a result, Henry Bonilla, the Kernels pitching coach last season, is moving up to handle the Miracle's pitching staff and Tommy Watkins, who has coached Kernels hitters for three seasons, will be in Chattanooga with the Lookouts.
Mauer will be welcoming J.P Martinez and Brian Dinkelman to his staff in Cedar Rapids this season as pitching and hitting coaches, respectively.
While Mauer had known Bonilla and Watkins going back to the days that they were teammates in the Twins organization, he said he doesn't have a similar background with Martinez and Dinkelman. As Mauer was moving through the organization as a player, Martinez and Dinkelman were always a rung or two below him on the ladder. By the time they were reaching the upper levels as players, Mauer had begun his coaching career back in rookie ball.
"I missed being a teammate with them, but I remember them in Spring Training and being around them last year a little bit. They're both competitors and they both have a lot of information. They're both really good personalities as far as they're hard workers and they're excited.
"This is more 'real baseball' than what extended and Gulf Coast League are. They've heard a lot of the positive things that are going on up here and both played in this league. I spoke to both of them right around Christmas time. They're both heading down to Florida early to get down there and get around some of our boys a little sooner."
Mauer indicated that one benefit of the coaching changes is that Martinez and Dinkelman have already worked some with many of the players likely to pull on a Kernels jersey this summer.
"To be honest, I don't know many of the guys," Mauer admitted. "I'll probably rely on JP and Brian quite a bit. They had them in instructional league and some of them in extended, so they have a feel for them. We'll shake it out in spring training and figure out who can do what and where they all fit."
Mauer has set the expectations bar high for next season after leading Cedar Rapids to within one game of a Midwest League championship. On Wednesday, his boss expressed how impressed he has been with the Kernels' skipper.
"He and Tommy and the pitching coaches here have done a great job in our three years here, advancing a level deeper into the playoffs the last two years," Steil said. "Especially last year, they did a great job as a coaching staff.
"I don't think that team was as talented as the first two years we were here. But they did a really good job and those players battled and they never gave up. They played good, sound baseball. They didn't beat themselves and that was a credit to Jake and Tommy and Henry."
Sunday Morning Comic Relief
ok.. so maybe I'm a little late and it's not morning anymore but as car commercials go, this is pretty good.
Urban Baseball is Now a Thing
Everything Old is New Again
Today, I want to revisit something I wrote in a prior post. The subject (as so many things written by so many people has been) was centered around what the Twins should do with regard to Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton.
Maybe you take them aside and say, "Guys, if you're healthy in April, you're going to be Minnesota Twins. You may perform like Kennys Vargas or you may look more like Aaron Hicks, but you're going to stay in Minnesota. You will not be sent back to the minors. From this point forward, you are Major League baseball players. Now get to work and act like it."
The thing is, you can't wait until spring training to make this decision. It wouldn't be fair to Trevor Plouffe.
If Sano is going to step in as your primary third baseman, Plouffe needs to spend some time this winter learning to play left field. Maybe he and Joe Mauer could learn together.
For that matter, I'd tell Sano to go out there and shag some fly balls, too, because I'm not convinced the Twins won't discover they're better off defensively with Sano in the outfield and Plouffe at the hot corner.
What's that? You say you're one of the five or so people who have read everything I've posted this offseason and you don't recall reading any of that? Well, you're absolutely correct.
I offered those recommendations in October – of 2014.
That just demonstrates that I'm never wrong with my ideas, just occasionally ahead of the curve! Eventually, conventional wisdom (and that of the Twins' front office) comes around to my way of thinking. They really should just listen to me in the first place, right?
So was I prescient or premature? Based on the reactions I received to these suggestions 14 months ago, most would say I was premature – that it was simply too soon for Sano and Buxton to be plugged into the Twins starting lineup right out of the gate in 2015.
Maybe. But, with the benefit of hindsight, I'd say I'd still like to have seen what kind of results the Twins would have had if they had benefited from a full season of Sano-Buxton, rather than half a season of Sano and only enough Buxton to show eventual flashes of his potential at the end of the season.
Of course, based on the reactions we see to the Twins trading Aaron Hicks and their statements concerning plans to use Sano in the outfield in 2016, a lot of fans would say I was neither prescient nor premature, but I was simply wrong then and wrong now.
I've been critical of front office decisions with some regularity over the past few years (but then, who hasn't?), but I'm on board with both the trade of Hicks to fill a definite need at catcher and the plan to give Sano a look in the outfield.
Maybe Hicks will become another Carlos Gomez, emerging as an All-Star performer in another organization's outfield after escaping Minnesota. But, for me, Buxton remains far more likely to become that All-Star outfielder and he's not going to reach that level by spending more time in Rochester. He needs to be told he's the Opening Day centerfielder and neither he nor the Twins should waffle from that decision, even if he opens the year a little slow. He won't disappoint.
A lot of people make a big deal of Sano's size, doubting that a guy weighing in at nearly 270 pounds has any business playing the outfield. Ordinarily, I might agree. But Miguel Sano is not your ordinary 270-pound athlete. If he can learn to take at least decent routes to fly balls and, obviously, catch the balls he gets to, I think he'll impress us. Of course, it's not a given that he'll be able to do those things. We have nothing to go on, positive or negative, to judge at this point whether he can do those things. But anyone thinking he'll be another plodding outfielder in the mold of Young, Willingham or Arcia are, I believe, going to be proven wrong.
As I wrote a year ago, it wouldn't hurt for Plouffe (and perhaps even Mauer) to shag some fly balls, as well. If it does turn out that Sano simply can't field the position, there will be a need for Plan B. If Byung Ho Park transitions well from Korea to the American League, the Twins are going to need to find another way to keep the bats of both Park and Sano in the lineup every day. It seems unlikely that MLB will grant manager Paul Molitor special dispensation to use two designated hitters.
There's a lot of uncertainty in all of this, but there are two things we and the Twins do know – Trevor Plouffe can play a solid third base and Joe Mauer can do the same at first base. We don't know if Sano and Park can do the same. I suspect we'll all know a lot more about who is capable of doing what by June, but for now, I'm okay with what the Twins appear to be planning to do – let the guys who have demonstrated an ability to play infield defense do so and bet on Sano's athleticism being good enough to fill the third outfield spot along with Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton.
General Manager Terry Ryan has a few things left to do this offseason to finalize his roster and if he gets overwhelmed with an offer for Plouffe, he can accept it. However, based on what we're seeing of the third base market, that seems unlikely to happen and he shouldn't give Plouffe away for a handful of magic beans.
But I have no problem with him betting on Buxton and Sano making him look smart a year from now. After all, not many people have gone wrong betting on the ability of those two men to do just about anything on a baseball field.
Let the Sano-Buxton-Park Era Begin
The Minnesota Twins held a press conference Wednesday morning to introduce their newest addition to the family, Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. The hope is that Park can approach the level of production he showed in Korea and, if so, join potential stars Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton as cornerstones in a Twins everyday lineup being built to contend for the postseason for years to come.
By now, everyone knows how he came to be a member of the Twins. His Korean team posted him, the Twins won the bidding for the exclusive rights to negotiate with him, they came to an agreement on a multi-year deal and, on Wednesday, he and the Twins' brass spoke to the media about the whole thing.
The assembled media asked a lot of good questions. How will park adjust to facing better pitchers who throw better breaking balls and faster fastballs? How will he adjust to being a full-time designated hitter? What kind of fielder is he, in the event he needs to use his glove more frequently than is currently envisioned? How will he adjust to living and working in the United States?
The media got very few good answers to those questions, however.
That's not the fault of Park, GM Terry Ryan or anyone else on that dias, really. The fact is, there are no good answers to most of the questions, yet. Park will need to answer those questions on the field, in the clubhouse and out and about in the greater Twins Territory community.
Ryan told the media that he feels his team needs to add offense and that he expects Park to replace Torii Hunter's offensive production.
My goodness, I certainly hope he can do better than that. After all, while Hunter made significant critical contributions to the turnaround of the 2015 Twins, not a lot of those contributions were with his bat. If Park doesn't exceed Hunter's 2015 production, he may well be getting acquainted with upstate New York or south central Tennessee at some point.
It sounds like expectations are measured, which is good. Everyone with the club has indicated they expect Park to struggle a little bit as he adjusts to Major League pitching, but that he is also expected to successfully make those adjustments. I wonder how well those limited expectations will be remembered when the strikeouts come, especially if wins don't come as quickly for this team as we think they should.
I'm looking forward to a full season of Park and Miguel Sano in the lineup. That's a lot of long-ball potential that wasn't there on Opening Day, 2015. It's also a lot of strikeout potential, of course.
Ryan was asked if he expects to make more roster moves, obviously alluding to the possibility of trading incumbent third baseman Trevor Plouffe. His response seemed unequivocal, stating that he did not expect to make additional changes to the regular lineup. "We're going to go with what we've got," he said. He added, "We're going to move Sano to the outfield."
Things change, of course. Baseball's Winter Meetings are coming up and it's reasonable to expect that Ryan will get some inquiries about the availability of some of his players, including Plouffe. Maybe his unambiguous statements today are just part of a posture he's taking to send a message to his peers that they should not expect to get Plouffe (or anyone) for peanuts.
But, to me, he certainly sounded and looked like a man who believes his everyday lineup is just about set in stone.
The additional power is good. It's very good. I just don't think it's so good that it will, by itself, push the Twins over hump and propel them into the postseason. I believe that this team also needs more hitters who can get on base and contribute some extra-base hits with regularity.
For that to happen, Miguel Sano cannot afford a sophomore slump. He needs to not only continue to pepper the outfield bleachers with 400-foot home run balls, he needs to continue adding 30 or 40 doubles and get on base 38% of the time. In short, he needs to be a fixture in the cleanup spot for the Twins that strikes fear into the minds of opposing pitchers and catchers.
He needs to be that guy right out of the gate in 2016.
Byron Buxton also needs to arrive in 2016. And by "arrive," I mean he needs to, as Nuke LaLoosh put it, announce his presence with authority.
If Buxton and Sano take control of the leadoff and cleanup spots, respectively, on Opening Day and both show the talent they have demonstrated at every minor league level (and that Sano demonstrated in half a season with the Twins this year), it will allow the rest of the lineup to easily fall into place.
Mauer and Dozier become the everyday number 2 and 3 hitters. Plouffe, Park and either Rosario or Arcia (whichever claims the third outfield spot) easily slot into the 5-7 spots, while Escobar and the catcher du jour, Suzuki or Murphy, pull up the rear.
In that scenario, the Twins lineup has become much "longer," to use the buzzword currently in favor that describes a team with dangerous hitters even far down the batting order. It also allows guys like Dozier, Mauer, Plouffe and Rosario to successfully fill roles they are most suited to fill, rather than try to be something they aren't.
Yes, I would have defensive concerns with any outfield that includes both Sano and Arcia in the corners. That's a disaster waiting to happen, but I'm pretty confident that Rosario will be the winner of that battle this spring, so I'm not too concerned about it.
But if Buxton can't be Buxton at the top of that order or if Sano struggles to make consistent hard contact at cleanup, suddenly your "long" lineup isn't really so long and you've got some guys hitting in spots they really aren't best-suited for.
Your leadoff hitter needs to work the count, hit for average, draw walks, find some gaps and cause all sorts of anxiety for pitchers, catchers and defenses on the basepaths.
Your cleanup hitter needs to consistently drive in runs. He needs to hit home runs in bunches. He needs to be able to do more than make pitchers pay for mistakes. He needs to hit a pitcher's best pitch for extra bases. He needs to avoid striking out so often that opposing teams don't worry about seeing him step into the on-deck circle.
If Buxton isn't an effective leadoff man, someone else has to do that job and there is nobody currently on this roster that you could honestly say, "leadoff is his best spot." The same is true of Sano at cleanup.
Yes Dozier could lead off. Mauer and Escobar could do it, too. But all three of those players have holes in their offensive games that make them much better suited to hit someplace other than at the top of the Twins' order.
It's possible that Park will turn out to be a legitimate cleanup spot alternative to Sano. If so, that's a bonus. But right now, the best the Twins show me is a few guys who could serve that role if they absolutely had to. That's not good enough.
If you have to slide Dozier and Mauer up a spot in the order and/or do the same with Plouffe and Rosario, not to mention Escobar and your catcher, suddenly that lineup doesn't look so "long," after all. You no longer have a lineup set up to challenge the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central Division, much less make a deep postseason run.
I know that I've totally ignored the pitching situation and, obviously, that's very important, too. I also am aware that the Twins will be likely be a better team with Buxton in centerfield every day, regardless of what he does with his bat.
But for the Twins to become the team we all want them to be, they need Byron Buxton to be an All-Star level leadoff hitter, they need Sano to be a beast in the cleanup spot and they need those things to happen closer to April than September. They also need Park to quickly make whatever adjustments need to be made to allow him to be a significant contributor to a big league contender.
No pressure, guys. Just become great and do it now.
Max Kepler's 2016 Role
In 2015, Twins outfield prospect Max Kepler had his long-awaited breakout season, primarily with the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts. He was the Southern League Player of the Year and, immediately after his Lookouts team won the Southern League Championship, Kepler was on his way to join the Twins for the remainder of the 2016 season.
Kepler had an injury-plagued season in 2013, not being able to even join the Cedar Rapids Kernels until mid-June due to an arm injury. In 2014, he made progress with the Fort Myers Miracle, but still wasn't wowing the supposed "experts." He had a very good stint in the Arizona Fall League in 2014, however, setting the stage for his outstanding 2015 season.
This has led to some conjecture as to what his role might/could/should be in 2016. The topic became the subject of a Twitter exchange I participated in on Monday but making a thoughtful argument on a matter like this in 140 character bites is all but impossible.
Fortunately, I have a blog that has no such limit.
I don't recall how the topic was originally raised, but in essence, I believe the question of Kepler perhaps being utilized as the Twins' fourth outfielder in 2016 was posed.
The immediate reaction, from informed persons with considerable experience and knowledge on such matters, was that Kepler would not and should not open the season with the Twins if he's not going to be one of the three starting outfielders. In that case, he should begin the year on the farm where he'll be an everyday player, preparing for a possible mid-season promotion.
This is a reasoned and logical view. It's a view I would have shared a year ago. It's a view I wouldn't necessarily criticize the Twins' front office for taking this spring, either.
But I don't necessarily agree it would be the correct approach in 2016.
I don't think we can rely too much on one very impressive season out of Kepler (or any prospect) and we can't assume that he's going to pick up in March right where he left off in Septermber, though he will get an opportunity to impress coaches and the front office during the Twins' spring training. He may struggle against what passes for big league pitching in the initial spring training games and, if so, the only decision to be made will be whether he opens 2016 in Rochester or back in Chattanooga.
Just for the sake of argument, though, let's assume he opens strong and is successful against the March versions of Major League pitching he faces, but not to the extent that he forces his way into one of the top three outfield spots with the Twins.
Now, what do you do?
Option one, of course, is that you still send him to the minors where he'll play every day.
Option two is that you bring him north to Minnesota to open the season as the Twins' fourth outfielder.
With a prospect of his caliber, conventional wisdom is that you don't want him rotting on the big league team's bench. You want him honing his craft in the upper minors by getting daily looks at quality pitching (though, clearly, not MLB level "quality").
I'm not prepared to just blindly follow conventional wisdom, in this case, however. It may be conventional, but I'm not convinced it's wise.
As things currently stand, the Twins' starting outfield is likely to be some three-man combination of the following four players: Eddie Rosario, Oswaldo Arcia, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. If Trevor Plouffe remains the Twins' starting third baseman on Opening Day, it's quite possible that all four of the aforementioned men are with the Twins, making Arcia the likely "fourth outfielder."
But, again, for the sake of argument, let's assume Plouffe, Rosario or Arcia is not with the organization, Buxton struggles in spring training or the Sano-as-outfielder experiment goes bust.
In our "what if" scenario, then, the Twins are left with the choice of adding a replacement level fourth outfielder in the Shane Robinson mold or making Keper that fourth outfielder.
If the Twins were still in the midst of a run of 95-loss season futility, Kepler would be farmed out. If you have little hope of competing for the postseason, you give your top prospects all kinds of time to develop in the minors, even if they might make your big league club marginally better. You're planning and playing for the future, when you can contend.
But the Twins of 2016 are no longer rebuilding. To my mind, every roster decision they make coming out of spring training should answer only one question – who gives us the best chance to win games at the MLB level?
I simply don't buy the argument that Kepler's development would be damaged by being the Twins' fourth outfielder, as opposed to being a regular in Rochester if – BIG IF – he demonstrates that he is not overwhelmed by big league pitching.
Given the likely composition of the Twins' starting outfield (and the fact that Paul Molitor, not Ron Gardenhire, is the Twins' manager), Kepler would not rot on the bench. Most starting outfielders get one game off each week, either entirely off or where they serve as the designated hitter. That would potentially give Kepler three starts every week. At worst, he would start twice and pinch hit a time or two.
Together, Shane Robinson and Jordan Schafer averaged over ten plate appearances per week for the Twins in 2015 and they were not the only reserves who saw time in the Twins outfield.
Reynaldo Rodriguez led the Red Wings, playing in 132 of Rochester's 140 games in 2015. He averaged about 25 plate appearances per week. If you subscribe to the "promote Kepler at mid-season" philosophy, he's not going to come anywhere close to that number, anyway.
If the Twins can find a dozen plate appearances for Kepler each week at the big league level and if he demonstrates he is not overmatched in those opportunities, I would rather he learn to hit MLB pitching in the Major Leagues, not simply continue to show a proficiency for hitting good minor league pitching.
But that's not really the point, anyway.
The point is that these Twins should be doing absolutely everything within their power to win Major League games. They found out in 2015 just how important every single win is and that a win in September is no more important than a win in April.
For that reason, if the Twins believe that Max Kepler's presence, whether it's his defense, his baserunning, his pinch-hitting or his ability to ably fill in as a starting outfielder two or three times a week, is likely to result in more wins over the course of the season than whoever else they might alternatively utilize in that role, then that's all that really matters. You keep Kepler in April, period, even if that means Kepler doesn't reach his full potential as a big leaguer for another year.
The Twins – and their fans – need to stop thinking like an organization still "waiting until next year." Next year is now and the Twins should need to begin acting like they plan to compete with the Kansas City Royals for dominance of the American League Central Division and do so beginning in 2016.
That means you bring your best 25 players to Minnesota with you in April. If that includes Max Kepler (and/or Byron Buxton and/or Jose Berrios), then so be it.
Sunday Morning Comic Relief
Next for Twins Offseason? Hopefully Not Much
Last week, Minnesota Twins General Manager Terry Ryan went back-to-back-to-back making three deals in three days in an effort to improve his club, winning the bidding for the right to negotiate with Korean slugging first baseman/DH Byung-ho Park, trading backup catcher Chris Herrmann for a prospect, which cleared the way for catcher John Ryan Murphy to be added via trade.
It has been almost a week since the last of those deals was announced, so the question has become, "Now what?"
I felt the catching situation was the most glaring need that had to be addressed this offseason and Ryan & Co. appear to have resolved that situation with the addition of Murphy.
Now, where should the GM turn his focus?
Given the state of the Twins the past four offseasons, it seems odd to say it, but I think Ryan's offseason work should be about done already.
Let's take a position-by-position look at where the Twins stand right at this moment, with some thoughts as to how they could still be improved.
Between incumbent catcher Kurt Suzuki and the newly-acquired Murphy, the position appears to be set. If Ryan could find a taker for Suzuki, they could just hand the starting job to Murphy and look for another backup, but that seems highly unlikely.
Joe Mauer is at first base and isn't going anywhere. The Twins added another first baseman in Park, which was surprising to most of us, so the odds are stacked high against seeing another one added. Kennys Vargas remains on the periphery of the 1B/DH mix and now we're seeing reports that he could make a good sized payday in Korea or Japan if the Twins are willing to sell his contract.
Brian Dozier will play second base. If the Twins get an offer they can't refuse for Dozier, Jorge Polanco would likely get his shot at a permanent promotion to the big leagues. It's hard to imagine the Twins adding someone else to the mix. James Beresford performed well in Rochester, but he's a minor league free agent again this year and is at least an even bet to sign elsewhere after the Twins didn't even give him a look in September.
Eduardo Escobar did everything anyone could ask of him at shortstop in 2015 and appears to have given the Twins the stability they've lacked at the position since the ill-advised trade of J.J. Hardy to the Orioles. The Twins will also have Danny Santana around as a utility player, should Escobar falter. It's unlikely the Twins will go looking for another shortstop.
Everyone seems to think that third base is already crowded. Trevor Plouffe is still manning the hot corner, but is looking over his shoulder at the hulking figure of Miguel Sano. This has led many to recommend that the Twins trade Plouffe this offseason and hand the position to Sano.
While that might make sense, providing that Ryan could get fair value for Plouffe on the market (I'm not all that certain would be the case, but it's possible), making that deal would mean putting all of the club's third base "eggs" in the Sano basket. That makes me nervous.
Maybe Sano can play third base competently every day, but that's hardly a certainty. If Plouffe is sent packing, Ryan had better have a reliable Plan B ready to step into the position. With Plouffe gone, who would that be?
There are few internal options that manager Paul Molitor could plug in. Do we want to see Eduardo Núñez as the Twins' starting third baseman? Polanco and Santana have rarely played the position, even in minor league ball, but maybe one or both could do it.
Could a Plouffe trade be followed by the acquisition of a stop-gap type? Conceivably, yes. The Twins Daily Offseason Handbook projects 37-year-old Juan Uribe to sign a one-year deal for $3 million. That sounds a little high, to me, for Uribe, but if it's in that neighborhood, it wouldn't be a bad price for this particular situation.
Unless Ryan is really wowed by an offer for Plouffe, however, I think he's better off keeping the status quo. Let's see how Sano handles the position (and how he handles his sophomore season at the plate) before running the risk of turning the third sack back into the black hole it was between the departure of Corey Koskie and the arrival of Plouffe.
Likewise, the outfield appears pretty full, even with the departure of Aaron Hicks to the Yankees in the Murphy deal.
Eddie Rosario will be in one corner and the Twins are hoping Byron Buxton claims centerfield right out of spring training. They've expressed their intention to teach Sano to play a corner outfield spot, especially now that Park seems likely to get most of the DH at-bats. Oswaldo Arcia is another internal outfield option, but the Twins won't (or shouldn't, anyway) consider any option that results in Arcia and Sano sharing the same outfield, no matter how good the man in centerfield is. Max Kepler earned the opportunity to impress coaches and the front office enough in spring training to claim an Opening Day roster spot, but I suspect they'll start him in Rochester, especially if the alternative is a fourth-outfielder role with the Twins.
And then there's the pitching staff.
The predominant theory seems to be that the Twins have plenty of internal options to fill out their rotation, but need to look to the free agent and/or trade market to improve their bullpen.
I disagree. Not that the bullpen wasn't bad (it was), but I disagree with that approach to fixing it. I would prefer to fix the bullpen by improving the rotation even more.
There are four pitchers that you have to figure should be locks to open in the Twins' rotation. Ervin Santana, Tyler Duffey, Kyle Gibson and Phil Hughes will, unless traded or injured before then, open the year as Twins starters.
Trevor May, Alex Meyer, Tommy Milone, Jose Berrios and Ricky Nolasco all have starter pedigrees, in the minors and/or Major Leagues, and any of the five could earn the Twins' fifth rotation spot. But if the Twins are set on being more than just a borderline contender in the American League Central Division, you have to ask yourself whether they could do better than those five pitchers in that final rotation opening.
Now, I'm a Zack Greinke fan from way back. After the 2010 season, I advocated here for the Twins to engineer a trade with the Royals to acquire Greinke. Five years later, I'd still love to have him at the top of the Twins' rotation, but the Twins are not going to shell out the $25+ million per year over 5+ years that is being projected as being what it will take to sign the free agent – alas, nor should they.
Likewise, you can pretty much rule out names like Price, Cueto, Samardzija and Zimmerman, all of which are likely to garner $100+ million/5+ year deals on the open market. That's an awful big commitment to make to pitchers who, in each case, come with some significant question marks about their abilities to perform at "ace" levels for the next half-decade. Only Price, in my view, is worth that kind of money. Unfortunately, he won't be had for that kind of money – it will likely take over $200 million to get him. Ouch.
Berrios is a future Twins starter. May and Meyer could very well be future rotation fixtures, as well. The big unknown, in each case, is the definite arrival time of that future. We just don't know. It could be April, 2016, and if it is, for just one of those pitchers, then the rotation question is asked and answered.
However, like the situation with Sano as a full time third baseman, relying on any of the five possible fifth starters currently on the roster to be good enough to help propel the Twins into an elite-level team in 2016 is pretty risky.
If Ryan decides to take that risk, it's fine with me, but I wouldn't mind seeing the Twins take a one-year flyer on Doug Fister, who certainly will be looking for a make-good contract to rebuild his value with an eye on trying free agency again next year. Two years ago, Fister was traded to Washington after 2 ½ successful years in a Tigers uniform. Had he been a free agent a year ago after notching a 2.31 ERA over 25 starts for the Nationals, he'd have undoubtedly been near the top of every team's free agent starting pitcher wish-list.
But he was Washington property for another year and he did not live up to expectations in 2015, to put it mildly. He lost his starting rotation spot as the dysfunctional Nationals faltered and he finished the season working out of the bullpen.
Could a return to the familiar AL Central spur a revival of Fister's starting career? I don't know, but I wouldn't mind if the Twins spent $10-15 million or so to find out. At that price, they can afford the risk. If it works out, he's more than just another fifth starter. If it doesn't work, all they've lost is a few bucks and they move on with whoever is looking the best from among the internal options.
With a rotation of Santana, Duffey, Gibson, Hughes and Fister, you are left with a lot of pretty strong options to improve your bullpen.
Glen Perkins and Kevin Jepsen will be there. You have to be concerned with the way Perkins pitched the last half of 2015 and I'm not certain Jepsen is really as good as he looked after being acquired from the Rays, but those two will be cornerstones of the 2016 relief corps, if they're healthy.
Now, just for fun, plug the following five arms into the bullpen: Trevor May, Alex Meyer, Tommy Milone, Jose Berrios and Ricky Nolasco.
Yes, that leaves just Perkins and Milone as lefty arms, so I'd like to see Logan Darnell make the team, meaning Nolasco is cut loose or one of Meyer/Berrios is kept in Rochester to stay stretched out in case there's an early hole to plug in the rotation.
No team survives a season without running 7-10 pitchers through their rotation during the year and all five of these guys could work their way into starting roles either by their own performance or attrition among those who open the year as starters.
But the point remains that the Twins have pitching that is capable of bolstering their bullpen and I'd spend $10-15 million to take a chance on Fister improving the rotation. Then, as the dominoes fall, quality internal pitchers are pushed to the bullpen.
To me, that's preferable to making multi-year commitments to one or more of the flavor-of-the-month relief arms available in free agency when the Twins have guys like Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, J.T. Chargois, Taylor Rogers, Zach Jones, Alex Wimmers and Mason Melotakis (to name just a few), any of which could become high-quality internal bullpen options before 2016 is over. Even 2015 top draft pick Tyler Jay, who will be given an opportunity to work in a minor league rotation somewhere to start the season, could be called on for a big league relief role, if needed at some point.
The best free agent bullpen arms will command large, multi-year deals, which the Twins should not invest in, and the next tier on the open market are no more likely to provide consistent quality relief innings than the Twins' own internal options.
The bottom line, for me, is that Terry Ryan can get Park signed, make a deal with Fister, then go on vacation, as far as I'm concerned. If he can get someone to take Nolasco's contract off his hands, terrific, but otherwise, I'd be content to head to spring training with that roster.


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Island Remede has form in soft ground but in lesser company than this. Notarised was tailed off when encountering heavy going at Sandown before winning at Bath while Jelly Fish made a winning handicap debut on the Polytrack. Devilment is another recent winner on the all-weather but preference is for stablemate ANGLOPHILE. The latter had a handful of subsequent winners behind when scoring at Salisbury in August and he should go very close if coping with today's surface. The same proviso applies to Alisios, who makes most appeal of the remainder.
Devilment 11-8fav (9-5) Held up in rear, headway over 2f out, switched slightly left just over 1f out, led inside final furlong, soon clear, readily, won at Kempton 1m 2f 2yo mdn stks (5) pol in Sep beating Black Label (9-5) by 4l, 8 ran.
Anglophile 7-4fav (9-6) Tracked leaders, outpaced 3f out, headway under pressure over 2f out, led 1f out, ridden and held on inside final furlong, won at Salisbury 1m 2yo hcp 0-75 (5) gf in Aug beating Aqlaam Vision (9-3) by 3/4l, 9 ran.
Alisios (GR) 3-1 (9-5) Mid-division, headway over 2f out, every chance entering final furlong, stayed on well, 2nd of 17, nk behind Erroneous (9-5) at Redcar 7f 2yo mdn (5) gf.
Jelly Fish 13-8fav (9-6) Slowly into stride, keen in mid-division, headway over 3f out, driven to challenge over 2f out, led over 1f out, soon hard pressed, stayed on well, won at Kempton 1m 2f 2yo hco 0-75 (5) pol in Sep beating Ultimate Warrior (9-1) by nk, 11 ran.
Notarised 9-2 (9-5) Soon led, pushed along over 3f out, ridden clear over 2f out until over 1f out, ridden and pressed when edged right final 100 yards, stayed on best to assert towards finish, won at Bath 1m 2f 2yo mdn (5) gf in Sep beating Dullingham (9-5) by nk, 8 ran.
Photography (IRE) 9-1 (8-8) Towards rear, pushed along over 4f out, ridden 3f out, headway under pressure over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong, 4th of 10, 10l behind Volume (8-13) at Nottingham 1m 1f 2yo hcp 0-90 (3) gd.
Storm Force Ten 5-2 (9-2) In touch, ridden and weakened over 2f out, 5th of 7, 5l behind The Alamo (9-2) at Windsor 1m 2yo hcp 0-85 (4) hvy.
Rudi Five One (FR) 12-1 (8-2) Dwelt in touch in rear, ridden and headway over 1f out, kept on same pace final furlong, 5th of 8, 4 1/2l behind Safety Check (9-7) at Newmarket 1m 2yo hcp (2) gd in Sep.
Island Remede 6-1fav (9-3) Soon behind, driven and headway on outside over 2f out, soon ridden, stayed on to chase leading pair final furlong, went 2nd post, just failed, 2nd of 16, nk behind Ahoy There (8-13) at Nottingham 1m 2yo hcp 0-70 (5) sft.
Plucky Dip 14-1 (8-10) Dwelt, behind, headway to chase leaders halfway, driven and effort 2f out, soon lost place, last of 9, 29l behind Double Point (9-1) at Lingfield 7f 2yo mdn aut (6) gf in Jun.


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Fatal crash closes Seward Highway (updated): The Anchorage Police Department reported Tuesday evening that the Seward Highway near Potter Marsh was closed while they investigated an accident that left one dead. According to APD, police and medics responded to a collision between a semi truck and a sedan traveling in opposite directions shortly after 7:15 p.m., and one person, a female, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. Police said that the highway would be shut down in both directions as the investigation continued, but highway access is flowing through Rabbit Creek Road, Old Seward Highway and Potter Valley Road. There was no specific timeline for when the highway might reopen completely, but police said on their Twitter page that "Fatal collisions usually take a few hours to thoroughly investigate." Follow APD on Twitter for possible updates.
Anchorage police make 20 drunken driving arrests over weekend: The Anchorage Police Department made 20 drunken driving arrests over the three-day St. Patrick's Day weekend, only four of which occurred on the holiday itself. Police department spokesperson Jennifer Castro said that is a significant drop from last year, when 18 people were arrested for DUIs on the holiday. Police sent five extra patrol officers out every night of the weekend, using a grant from the Alaska Highway Safety Office. The number of patrol officers was beefed up last year, too. On New Year's Eve, police made nine drunk driving arrests.
Heli-ski guide dies following avalanche: A 31-year-old heli-ski guide died Monday following an avalanche over the weekend, Alaska State Troopers reported. Aaron Karitis of Bend, Oregon was caught in an avalanche near the kicking Horse Valley west of the Southeast community of Haines on Saturday while leading a tour group down the slope. After Karitis ordered the group to stay atop the ridge while he further checked out conditions for a run, they were watching the guide descend when a large avalanche was triggered mid-slope, engulfing him and carrying him a distance of about 700 feet. Karitis, who was wearing an emergency beacon, was located under four feet of snow within about 15 minutes by a fellow guide who was about to lead a second group down the run, according to Freeskier.com. Alaska State Troopers reported that Karitis was found unresponsive and taken to the Haines clinic. He was then flown to Providence Hospital in Anchorage for further treatment. Upon arrival, his core body temperature was critically low, and oxygen flow to his brain had reportedly been compromised. He passed away Monday, surrounded by friends and family. Read more, at Freeskier.
Amid criticism, the Quest gets a new director: The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race has hired a new executive director, according to a report from the CBC. Laurie Parris, who will be the new head of the 1,000-mile sled dog race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, doesn't have direct experience with mushing, according to the report. In fact, she'll be coming to the job form an unlikely previous job -- working as an advisor to a provincial fisheries organization in Cambodia. Parris told the CBC that she'll be focusing on the business end of race administration. Her appointment comes as previous executive director Marie Boulanger departs the race to move to Alaska, according to the report, and it also comes on the heels of criticism leveled at the race. A number of mushers have vocally complained that the Yukon Quest hasn't done enough to help the race grow, including securing sponsors and granting media access on the trail. Those mushers have compared the Quest unfavorably with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Sixty-nine mushers started this year's Iditarod, while just 18 competed in the Yukon Quest.
Wasilla man faces at least 30 years in prison for sexual abuse of daughter: A Wasilla man was convicted Monday of sexually abusing one of his daughters over the course of several years, according to a press release from the office of Alaska Attorney General Michael Geraghty. The defendant's name was not released in order protect the identity of the victim, the release said. The abuse began in 2007, when the victim was in third grade and living in Anchorage. It continued to 2011 and included multiple occasions of sexual penetration, according to the release. A parent of one of the victim's friends reported allegations of sexual abuse to Alaska State Troopers in Palmer, and the defendant was later convicted of one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, and two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. The defendant faces at least 30 years in prison, and will be sentenced in August in Anchorage Superior Court.
Report: Only Wyoming beats Alaska for taxes paid by individuals: If there are taxes to be paid, Alaska is one of the best states to do it from, suggests a new report that ranked states on the level of taxation paid in eight different categories. Alaska ranked second on the list of best places to pay taxes, boasting the lowest state and local income taxes -- there are none -- as well as the lowest auto property tax and food taxes, according to WalletHub, a site that bills itself as a one-stop location for personal financial advice. Only Wyoming beats us. The average annual state and local taxes in Alaska come out to $2,791 -- 60 percent lower than the national average, the study says. (The oil producers, who with the federal government foot most of the costs of state government, may not agree. But the eight categories don't include severance taxes for extracting nonrenewable resources.) Factoring in the relatively high cost of living in Alaska, the state still ranks fourth in the U.S. in the report. The low taxes are good news for economic mobility, with a family's chances of moving up or down the ladder increasing in states with lower taxes, according to the report.
'Battle for Seattle' keeps escalating: The battle between Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines for West Coast market share -- especially in Alaska's Seattle hub -- continues to heat up. Delta is removing code shares from a number of Alaska flights on routes along which the two compete, including those between Seattle and Anchorage, reports Travel Weekly. Alaska has done the same with Delta flights, notes Puget Sound Business Journal. Alaska Airlines is "a good company; my sense is that it will be nicely profitable for the foreseeable future," said Michael Linenburg, a Deutsche Bank analyst, who recently downgraded Alaska's stock, according to Travel Weekly. "But Linenberg also said he believes 'it's only a matter of time before some of the smaller carriers trying to play in the same sandbox as the bigger carriers' have to become more closely aligned with other airlines or face absorption." For travelers from Alaska on Alaska Airlines flights one potential silver lining is that the company is increasing its codeshares with American Airlines instead -- perhaps to help stave of that "absorption." And it that leaves you cold, there's always the airline's new wines, custom blended by a Walla Walla, Wash. winery "to be enjoyed at high altitudes, where travelers' sense of smell and taste bud sensitivity is known to change."
In restructuring, Wood-Tikchik to lose flying ranger: Wood-Tikchik State Park will lose a ranger as part of a restructuring plan that places it administratively under Chugach State Park, reports KDLG, Dillingham's public radio station. According to KDLG, the consolidation of the state's two largest state parks under a single superintendent comes as the parks system tries to boost staffing at more heavily-used areas while budget's remain static. Wood-Tikchik, centered around a series of interconnected lakes north of Dillingham and Aleknagik, currently has two rangers, but will see that number drop to one after this summer, according to the report. That second ranger, Alison Eskelin "is one of the parks division's few trained pilots, and the plane the park acquired last year will move with her," KDLG reports.
Yukon premier lobbies Washington for Alaska Highway funds: According to the premier of the Yukon Territories, Darrell Pasloski, the U.S. has paid for little less than 25 percent of the costs of the Alaska Highway, but U.S traffic accounts for 85 percent of its total traffic, says a report from the CBC. Pasloski was in Washington last week trying to convince U.S. lawmakers to continue funding the highway, which links Alaska to the contiguous 48 states through Yukon and British Columbia. Under an agreement with Canada, the U.S. had providing some road funding since 1977, but that funding dried up in 2012. Pasloski is hoping that his efforts -- with the support of groups like the Teamsters' Union and the American Truckers Association -- will get those funds flowing from Washington again.


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Does not even exist anymore 😒 We went looking for it today but was told by other shop owners it closed years ago. Sad because we need more Japanese in New Plymouth.
1 - 10 of 20 reviews
Does not even exist anymore 😒 We went looking for it today but was told by other shop owners it closed years ago. Sad because we need more Japanese in New Plymouth.
I took some clients to the $10 lunch, and it was an amazing experience. Everything was cooked beautifully, the staff were professional and attentive, but we were still able to chat. What you need to remember is that it can get a bit noisy with...More
This Japanese restaurant do an awesome $10 lunch. Amazing value for money. They cook the food on hot plates in front of you & you can order fish, chicken or steak which is chopped & cooked with a mixture of fresh seasonal vegetables. This is...More
Best prawns ever with their special garlic mayo and best with the fried rice instead of plain rice. My partner had the eye filet steak which was very tender.
My family and I are very frequent customers and usually we are impressed by the service of the front of house and the quality of the food. We have been served a few times by Bronte and Erin who are a really good team, are...More
We went with our two children - ages 10 and 11. We eat quite a lot of Japanese, and this one did not disappoint. From the moment we walked in we were looked after. The chefs were amazing with their knife display and catching the...More
Very entertaining way to see your food cooked and prepared with skill. Took my elderly mother and she was transfixed by the whole experience. We all loved the flavours and enjoyed our meals. Will visit again but it might be repetitive.
It was a fun environment. This is a place you do not come for the food, but for the entertainment. It was a pleasant evening and the set menu delivered a good quantity of food, but as mentioned, it was average. Expect to spend circa...More
novel, catching the excellent Japanese meats - not a good place for a vegetarinan I would guess!! Fun eating experience
Been to a Japanese restaurant, no, get along for a evening of dinning that you need to experience ... like the 'Bucket list' you will visit again. Enjoy


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The civil parish of Sywell is located in Northamptonshire, and holds a population of just under 800 people. Though the village may be small, it packs in several sites and experiences that can't be missed during any stay in Northamptonshire. Sywell is home to a church dating back to the 13th century, and a hall that dates back to the Elizabethan era. While many of the homes within the village were rebuilt in the 1860s, there is plenty of history to be explored within Sywell itself, in its buildings, its architecture, and its experiences.
Sywell's biggest claim to fame is undoubtedly the Sywell Aerodome, which opened in 1928 to be used as a training facility for soldiers during World War II. While the Aerodome is still an active flight school and offers training and a flight club, it is also an excellent place to visit to learn a little more about Sywell's history, the World War II era, and even to take in a show. The Aviation Museum is housed within the Aerodome, and tells the stories of the soldiers and airmen who utilized the facilities during that time of war. The Sywell Aerodome is also home to a popular airshow attraction called Music In Flight, which is a perfect and exciting event for all ages.
Although the Aerodome is a large attraction to Sywell, the quaint charms of the small village are not lost because of it. In fact, Sywell is a perfect location for honeymooners, an anniversary trip, or a birthday celebration getaway. There are two pubs within the village, a country park and reservoir with a tea room dedicated to Sywell history, and a residential park with over 115 acres of beautiful wooded walking land. This park, the Overstone Solarium, also offers quaint amenities so you can feel as though you're embedded right into the woods.
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Health issues transcend geographic boundaries. Dealing with disease and promoting healthy living in the border region requires line-crossing partnerships. SEAHEC works to enhance the well-being of people living in Southeastern Arizona's US-Mexico border region by collaborating with communities to enhance prevention and care. Our Border/Binational program hosts the The Arizona Border Communities Health Network/Binational Health Council of Ambos Nogales The Arizona Border Communities Health Network/Binational Health Council of Ambos Nogales.
SEAHEC Intern Recognized at El Rio Symposium
SEAHEC Intern, Jenni Adams, brought home a ribbon last week for her presentation on SEAHEC's work with Sonoran promotoras (community health workers) from Molino de Camou, Sonora, México, a small community located on the Rio Sonora northeast of Hermosillo. Continue reading
Another successful "Can We Talk?" Parent-Teen Communication Retreat
"…we all need to be open-minded with one another, perhaps the situation we are going through is the same situation our parents faced,"
"I loved the program. I thank you for the opportunity you give in order to understand our kids." Continue reading
Video: Dr. Quiñonez Hinojosa on Mentoring Future Physicians
"All I wanted to do was make it better for the next generation." Dr. Alfred Quiñones-Hinojosa, who came to the US as a migrant farm worker, and fulfilled his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon/oncologist. Now he mentors youth who would be physicians. Continue reading


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Other available options
Add glamour and sparkle to your style with this ladies' watch from Lorus. Featuring a white multifunction dial with a crystal set case, this pretty dress watch is finished with a stainless steel bracelet strap for sleek, contemporary style.
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- 3.5 cm
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- 2 Years
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For 15 years they argued through the media, courts, state legislatures and Congress over the fate of Terri Schiavo. Now the two sides in America's most divisive end-of-life case are taking their feud to the nation's bookshelves.
In one corner are Mrs Schiavo's parents and her brother and sister, who have penned a book, A Life That Matters, recounting their failed legal struggle to keep the brain-damaged woman alive against the wishes of her husband and presenting accounts of his alleged violent temper.
Describing themselves as the people who loved and knew her best, they say that their narrative "separates lies from truth, myth from facts" and will correct misconceptions of a story that became "buried under the avalanche of politics and power".
In the other corner is 42-year-old Michael Schiavo, the dead woman's husband, who successfully fought to have her feeding tube withdrawn, resulting in 41-year-old Mrs Schiavo's death in a Florida hospice a year ago next week.
His protracted battle with his in-laws caused a constitutional crisis as politicians - including President George W Bush and his brother Jeb, the governor of Florida - attempted to overrule courts that had ruled in his favour.
It also raised tensions between America's pro-life and right-to-die movements and forced Mr Schiavo into hiding.
"A religious zealot offered $250,000 [£142,000] to anyone who would kill me. My two babies were threatened with death," Mr Schiavo - who remarried two months ago and has two children by his new wife - says in his book Terri: The Truth.
"I was condemned by the President, the majority leaders of the House and Senate, the governor of Florida, the Pope and the Right-wing media, all because I was doing what Terri - the woman I loved - wanted.
"I didn't respond to their attacks. I didn't confront their lies. Until now."
His book is being kept under wraps ahead of its March 27 release. But it is expected to refute allegations that he was ever violent towards his wife - claims that were aired in court - and reject assertions that she had considered divorcing him prior to her mysterious collapse at home in St Petersburg, Florida, in 1990, which left her brain-damaged.
In the family's book, they detail three alleged incidents which they say led to their suspicions that Mr Schiavo had a hair-trigger temper that may have led him to harm Terri.
In one incident, Mrs Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, 65, recounts how she witnessed him grabbing his brother around the neck in a choke hold during an argument.
"There was obviously a violent streak in 'Mr Charm' beneath his social politeness," she alleges.
In another episode, Mrs Schiavo's brother, Bobby, 41, claims that Mr Schiavo assaulted him after something he said had "hit a nerve".
"He went crazy. He pushed me down on the couch and had me with his hand around my throat. I couldn't move. He scared me. I remember Terri begging me not to say anything about it to anybody," he says.
In 1992, Mr Schiavo won a medical malpractice lawsuit against his wife's family doctor for having failed to diagnose her with bulimia, which the court was told had led to a potassium imbalance that caused her collapse.
The post mortem examination report last year noted, however, that "the main piece of evidence supporting the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa is suspect".
The findings also countered her parents' belief that she had displayed cognitive abilities, such as recognising them when they walked in her room.
It stated that she was blind at the time of her death and that her brain was "profoundly atrophied".
The clashing accounts of former husband and family - which will be released 24 hours apart - are set to re-ignite the ethical and political debate over the rights of the disabled.
"The Schindlers are almost unflinching in their belief that Terri was murdered," said Prof Art Caplan, the director of the Centre for Bio-ethics at Pennsylvania University.
"Probably the most compelling thing Michael Schiavo has to say is why he didn't just walk away and divorce her. He says he really did feel he knew what she wanted and he wasn't willing to give up his standing as her decision-maker."
Bobby Schindler, who now dedicates his time to campaigning for pro-life causes and disabled rights, said yesterday: "The only thing that connected us to Michael Schiavo was Terri, and Michael is no longer part of our lives and connected to us. We really don't care about Michael Schiavo."
Mr Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, said last night that there was "never substance" to the violence allegations and that they had been repeatedly rejected by the courts.
"It's sad that the parents are not able to really move past this," he said.
He added: "Michael is going to very forcefully tell his side of the story. It was important for him to write a book, it was a healing experience."
Mr Felos is also working on his own book that examines end-of-life issues - Beyond Schiavo: Searching For Death With Dignity.
Another book - Fighting For Dear Life: The Untold Story Of Terri Schiavo and What It Means For All Of Us - written by the Schindlers' lawyer, David Gibbs, is due out in August.


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Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Postoperative Complication After Colorectal Surgery
Several earlier studies indicate that perioperative supplements of Omega-3 fatty acids can
reduce the risk of postoperative complications after major surgery through an immune
modulating effect in the form of a downward adjustment of the inflammatory response. (1-7)
The interpretation of these studies is made more difficult by differences in their method of
administration (parentally/enterally), differences in the time of the intervention
(preoperative/postoperative) and differences in the selection of patients (malnourished
cancer patients / upper GI cancer patients/mixed surgical patients) and finally because many
of the studies deal with a so-called immune modulating preparation containing a mixture of
arginine, Omega-3 fatty acids and ribonucleic acid.
The biological effects of fish oils are related to their content of such things as Omega-3
fatty acids that can be incorporated in cell membranes where they influence receptor
function, enzyme activity and the production of lipid mediators. The cells from the immune
system perform their functions through membrane-associated activities like secretion of
cytokines, antibodies, lymphocyte transformation and contact lysine. These functions can be
affected by changes in the membrane structure. (7;8) Besides the effect parameter of
postoperative septic complications, many of these studies use pseudoparameters such as
length of stay, need for respirator treatment, time in intensive care as well as a wide
range of biochemical changes whose relevance to the clinic process can be difficult to
assess. (1-7;9-13;). It is well-known that early enteral nutrition reduces the risk of
postoperative complications (14; 15). Many of the aforementioned studies similarly point to
a benefit from using Omega-3 fatty acid enriched nutritional preparations preoperatively.
There is now a commercially manufactured nutritional preparation for peroral consumption
containing Omega-3 fatty acids - Supportan (Fresenius-Kabi). The preparation is more energy
intensive than similar drink preparations, but does not otherwise differ in composition from
standard preparations. It is approved by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration for
this study.
In 2 x 200ml of Supportan 3 g EPA and DHA are given daily. In other studies up to 10 g have
been given daily without side effects. (6; 16)
Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Prevention
In previous studies a complication frequency (infectious complications) of at least 30% was found for this type of operation (14; 17) This figure has to be reduced to 10% (MIREDIF = 20%).
Primary outcome measures are infectious complications after surgery for colorectal cancer defined as: pneumonia, cystitis, wound infection, intraabdominal abscess, peritonitis, septicemia, other infections. 30 day mortality and other complications such as bleeding, wound dehiscence, anastomotic leakage will also be registered
1 year
Erik be schmidt, professor
Study Director
Aalborg Hospital the lipid clinic
Denmark: National Board of Health
June 2007
February 2010