TWINS SPRING TRAINING HAS JUST BEGUN

Spring Training has officially begun for the Minnesota Twins. Always the last club in the Majors to have its pitchers and catchers report, the Twins got their Spring Training started with a workout on Monday February 19th. The Twins are coming off a stellar season and there is plenty of excitement and anticipation for this years camp. Many of the returning players experienced the emotional highs and lows of last season and many haven’t forgotten the sting of being swept by the Athletics in the playoffs.

"Everyone is kind of on a mission," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Everyone pretty much understands what we went through last year. We'll have a few new people who didn't have a chance to experience it with us, but most of the guys in the clubhouse did. We know how to get there; now, it's just about getting it done when you get there."

This year, the Twins will spend a lot of time working on the pitching staff and buckling down on a solid rotation. Without Brad Radke, who retired, and Francisco Liriano, who's recovering from elbow surgery, the Twins pitching staff looks a little different from last year. The competition will be tough to see who will fill out this years’ line up.

The club welcomes new faces, such as Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson, as well as some of the young guns battling for their chance at a spot. Even one of the lone returnees, Carlos Silva, is a bit of a question mark. After struggling to an 11-15 record with a 5.94 ERA in '06, the hope is that Silva can return to the form he had in '05, when he went 9-8 with a 3.44 ERA. Boof Bonser is considered a lock for the rotation after earning the number two starting spot in the playoffs, and other young pitchers such as left-hander Glen Perkins and right-hander Matt Garza provide the team with some talented options. Scott Baker and top pitching prospect Kevin Slowey also will be in the mix. I can’t wait to see what is going to shake out in the next few weeks for the Twins starting pitchers!!!!

The bullpen looks pretty solid as All-Star closer Joe Nathan once again anchors the Twins that have are also pleased to have Dennys Reyes, Juan Rincon, Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier return. There is an opening for another lefty to back up Reyes, with a few veterans in camp as non-roster invitees, including Randy Choate and Mike Venafro, battling for the spot.

A better look at just what might be in store for the Minnesota Twins this spring won't come until the rest of the club reports on Friday. The first full-team workout will take place on Saturday, February 24th! Twins Spring Training has finally begun! Let’s go Twins!

WHY I LOVE BASEBALL

On this Valentine's Day, I decided to list a few of the reasons
“Why I love baseball"

♥ Anyone can play - you don't have to be seven feet tall or have shoulders the size of Texas

♥ 76 million people - a record 76 million fans attended Major League Baseball games in 2006

♥ Spring Training – baseball in the sun during the dreary winter/spring months can’t be beat

♥ The Players - they are always changing, one day can be a slump, the next day a record

♥ Numbers - I love the stats, the percentages, the records I should have been an accountant

♥ Tradition/History – baseball is America’s game and let’s face it I am sentimental

♥ The 7th inning stretch – it’s predictable in a world that is not

♥ You can bring the kids – baseball is a definite family event

♥ The ballpark hot dogs – yum

♥ You can enjoy the game from cheap seats - Cheap Minnesota Twins Tickets

♥ On any given day anybody can win – it’s just how the ball bounces

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!! May our love for each other and love for baseball continue to grow!!! Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!! Happy Valentines Day!!!

JOES A GO!!!

Joe Mauer is a go for the Minnesota Twins! Mauer agreed to a four year deal worth $33 million! Yowsers! That's a lot of change for the 23 year old catcher, but he was the first catcher to win an American League batting title and the first catcher to lead the Majors in hitting with a .347 average last season, along with 13 home runs and 84 RBIs. He is a definite super star in major league baseball and the Twins are happy to have him under their roof. Of course, the fact that he is a St Paul boy is a big plus. Perhaps the biggest hype regarding the long term deal is that Joe Mauer will be around when the Twins open the new stadium in 2010! Way to go Joe!

JUSTIN IS STILL MY BOY

On Friday, I was so thankful to hear that the Minnesota Twins signed my boy Justin Morneau! I was sad to hear it was only for a year, but I am just so happy the ink is on the paper! Reports are that American League MVP Justin Morneau agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the club. Wow - that's a pay raise! I think he was making like $300,000 last year! I guess being MVP, leading the club in home runs (34) and RBI's (130) helps the checking account!


The agreement between the club and the first baseman came at the midpoint between the $5 million Morneau sought and the $4 million the club had offered. "He's a talented young player, and he's given a good effort as far as working at his game," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said of Morneau. "I think there is a certain maturation that we've seen in Justin. He put up numbers, and consequently that earned him the MVP. When you do that, you're going to be rewarded, and he was." The Twins had made public their desire to try and sign Morneau to a multi-year deal and I made my desire public as well, but I guess when it came down to it, the two sides weren't able to agree on the terms. That doesn't mean that it's been ruled out from happening in the near future because I know Justin loves Minnesota Twins baseball and we love him - I am sure he will come around (-: Welcome Home Justin, Welcome Home!

Fun Justin Fact:
He was the first Twins player to earn MVP honors since Rod Carew in 1977.