A Winning Brand

The Twins lost four of six to the Yankees in the last two weeks. I don't even want to look up the exact numbers, but the Twins have been completely owned by the Bronx Bombers in recent memory. What's more, the Yankees have played in half of the last twelve World Series; the Twins haven't made an appearance since the magic of '91.

America loves its winners, and millions of people around the country forgo their home teams to root for the Yankees. Personally, I remain committed to the Twins' brand of ball. The organization as a whole has done an excellent job of producing fundamentally sound, homegrown teams that fight hard and make the most of what they have. I have been a huge Twins fan since I can remember, but it is only in the last decade that the club's new identity has emerged en force.

Revenue will be up thanks to the new ballpark, but I am still extremely pleased with the recent moves the club has made. The Mauer and Morneau resignings were to be expected. More important to me were the decisions to ink the likes of Nick Blackburn and Denard Span to multi-year deals, indicating that the Twins remain committed to their brand. Blackburn is a finesse pitcher that doesn't get many strikeouts, but he also doesn't walk people and generally induces a lot of ground balls. Span is a fantastic athlete that doesn't hit many home runs, but has a great on-base percentage, runs the bases well, and plays excellent defense.

Furthermore, offseason acquisitions J.J. Hardy, Orlando Hudson, and Jim Thome are all excellent fits for the club: Hardy and Hudson handle the bat well and play great defense, and Thome brings experience, power, and leadership. Most importantly, none of them command a huge contract, and they all are good clubhouse guys, particularly Thome and Hudson.

When (and I do mean when) the Twins ultimately win their 3rd World Series, I sincerely hope that the success derives from sticking to their brand of baseball. Even as the gorgeous new stadium brings the potential to spend more freely, I want the roster to be full of players who can compete with the best but remain humble teammates. Guys who take pride in their defense, are willing to give themselves up to advance runners, and forgo strikeouts for better control. That's the brand of baseball with which I identify and the team to whom I remain loyal.

The Yankees will continue to spend big money. That's their brand, and their fans expect them to go out and get Sabathia and Teixeira and re-sign Jeter and Rivera, no matter what the cost. But there will come a time, maybe even this year, when the Twins will beat the Yankees in the postseason, and the baseball world will have to tip its cap to a team that found success by staying true to the fundamentals of the game.

Outposts of Tyranny

The latest installment of North Korea's inferiority complex reminded me of George W. Bush's infamous 2002 branding of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as the 'Axis of Evil.' It also reminded me of John Bolton's contribution to diplomacy when he labeled Cuba, Libya, and Syria 'Beyond the Axis of Evil,' as well as Condoleezza Rice's 2005 tagging of Belarus, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar as 'Outposts of Tyranny.'

Countries are a lot more than their heads of state. History, culture, tradition, and most importantly, citizens should define a country. However, as the saying goes, 'If you don't define yourself, someone else will.' In the case of, say, North Korea or Libya, it's difficult for the general population to define themselves when the government controls the media and communications so that the rest of the world only hears about Kim's warmongering or al-Gaddafi's latest antics.

What interests me here is the potential for online communication and social media to help reshape the international image of unstable and even failed states, from the ground up. One of the most recent and notable examples is footage of the 2009 death of Iranian student and protester Neda Agha-Soltan, which proved to be an international rallying point for the anti-Ahmadinejad movement. This is of course a brutal and tragic example, and Ahmadinejad was ultimately 'reelected,' but it nevertheless highlights the potential strength of viral campaigns and movements.

When the international community paints with too broad a brush, the true essence of a country is often blurred beyond recognition. My hope is that oppressed peoples around the world will eventually find ways to get beyond government control of multimedia and communications and tell their stories.

Investing in America's future

I read a disheartening article in the NY Times this morning that essentially explained how the recession has led to massive, nationwide hiring freezes in what previously had been considered a 'recession-proof' profession: teaching.

What frustrates me the most is that there are thousands upon thousands of bright, motivated recent graduates who want nothing more than to commit their careers to teaching. Many of these young people paid (and continue to pay) tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund their own education, but forwent ostensibly more lucrative majors and career paths in order to teach.

The facts of the matter are simple: Children who receive a decent basic education are generally going to contribute more to the U.S. economy and ask for less help from the U.S. government (financial bailouts not included) than those who have not had this basic need fulfilled.

Teach for America (TFA) had 46,000 applicants this year (1,688 Ivy Leaguers) for 4,500 openings. TFA accepts only a few of the best and brightest to work in some of the worst school districts in America. My guess is that of the 41,500 rejected applicants, the majority could be making a positive impact as a teacher somewhere. But the odds do not look good.

It would be naive to say that simply hiring more teachers will solve any problems. However, the fact that the U.S. spends somewhere around 10 times as much money on defense as on education would seem to say something about this country's current priorities. The top American students can compete with the best from any country, but we need all students to be better prepared to perform in an increasingly knowledge-based world.

I am no expert on education policy, but it seems to me that when we have a serious achievement gap and a wealth of capable young people who are passionate about teaching, someone ought to be able to connect the dots.