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Minnesota Twins Players Crying Foul With Broadcasters

By Benjamin Chase

Aug 25, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins hat and glove lays on the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins hat and glove lays on the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Minnesota Twins players are reportedly having issues with negative comments from broadcasters.

While Minnesota Twins fans have endured the Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven pairing on broadcasts for years, surviving the broadcasts while also stomaching the product on the field in 2016 has been a little much. So when some of the comments from the booth were negative, the players went after the broadcasters, likely thinking they’d have the support of the local fan base against the broadcast booth.

Instead, an article from the Star Tribune outlining a confrontation between an anonymous player and Bremer indicates in the comments section just how much the Twins fans actually support the broadcasters in this situation. This particular comment caught my attention:

"This is rich, The worst team in baseball, and we’ve got a guy demanding that our resident (and, in my opinion, lovable) homer reel in his soft-as-a-falling-flower-petal criticism. This makes me want to check out on the whole season. It’s unacceptable and unprofessional when you’re a good team–when you’re this lousy, demanding fealty from your broadcasters is patently absurd… – posted by millcitygal"

The best line from Bremer in the article was of a similar variety:

"“I didn’t say what I wanted to say, which was, ‘Well, play better and the commentary will be more positive.’ You can’t mask the fact this team is a quarter of the way through the season with 10 wins.”"

How common is it for a broadcaster to stroll through the clubhouse (as Bremer states he does on a daily basis) to have this sort of confrontation? Well, Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman spoke with Buster Olney on the ESPN Baseball Tonight podcast earlier this year about a legendary confrontation that he had with fellow Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr. in the Reds clubhouse in such a pregame stroll. You can click on the link to listen to the audio of the entire interview.

Next: Predicting the MLB Draft

Right now, it’s a tough time in Minnesota after they made a surprising run toward the playoffs last season. High-end prospects like Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, and Jose Berrios were set to get their big league careers underway in 2016, which led to plenty of optimism coming into the season. Now, they’re looking hard at the #1 pick at the 2017 draft, and obviously it’s leading to a few touchy feelings in the Twins clubhouse.

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