Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast · Talk North Podcast Network

Rocco, Molly, the Series

·29 min·1 clip

Paul Molitor compared George Springer’s run to first base with Joe Carter’s World Series home run.

1. Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan centers on Rocco Baldelli, Paul Molitor, the Blue Jays, and the Twins manager search. 2. Jim Suhan and Lavelle E. Neal III lead the discussion; Suhan is a Star Tribune and TalkNorth.com reporter, and Neal covers Twins baseball for the Star Tribune. 3. The episode asks what Baldelli, Molitor, and the next Twins manager say about Minnesota baseball right now. 4. Lavelle says Rocco Baldelli sounded calm in Rhode Island with his wife and three children and was headed to the beach the next day. 5. Baldelli told teams that contacted him after his dismissal that he was not ready to jump back into managing. 6. Lavelle says the Twins picked up Baldelli’s 2026 option, so he is getting paid while he steps back. 7. Jim and Lavelle compare Baldelli’s situation with Tom Kelly, Ron Gardenhire, and Paul Molitor still appearing around the Twins organization after being fired. 8. They say Baldelli appreciates the people he worked with, including Thad Levine, and plans to be a Twins fan for now. 9. Lavelle says the last two seasons wore on Baldelli because the Twins looked like a division contender on paper and then collapsed. 10. Jim argues that sports pulls fans into emotion, but Baldelli has enough reputation and contacts to return to baseball when he wants. 11. Lavelle recalls calling Paul Molitor about the Blue Jays’ first World Series since 1993 and hearing Molitor compare George Springer’s run to first base with Joe Carter’s famous home run. 12. He says Molitor and Jack Morris both liked Toronto’s chances because the Blue Jays can make better at-bats and get into the Dodgers bullpen. 13. Jim and Lavelle note that Dodgers starters Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto had dominated the Brewers and that Toronto’s plan depends on extending innings. 14. Lavelle says Alejandro Kirk keeps producing despite his appearance, and he likes Toronto’s entire lineup because the bottom of the order keeps innings alive. 15. The manager search broadens when Lavelle mentions Scott Servais and Vance Wilson alongside James Rowson, Derek Shelton, and other candidates. 16. Lavelle says the Twins need a manager who can say the right things and help younger players develop, especially Royce Lewis. 17. He points to Royce Lewis as the key organizational question because the former top prospect has not yet held onto the superstar trajectory the Twins expected. 18. The show has a loose, conversational panel feel, with Suhan and Neal interrupting each other and moving between baseball analysis, memory, and side stories. 19. Listeners who follow the Twins, World Series history, and baseball leadership will get the most out of this episode. 20. Listeners seeking only game-by-game recap coverage may skip the long Springsteen detour.

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