Minnesota Twins gifts

I hope every one had a great holiday! I would like to report that I did NOT receive any Minnesota Twins merchandise under my tree this year. Santa?!? Hello, did you forget that I wanted some blue fleece Minnesota Twins mittens? Maybe next year. It’s not like I could wear them to the Metrodome in the summer any way, but I wanted to show my spirit year round and I am betting I could make good use of the Twins mittens at a few early spring and late fall games at Target Field in 2010! I did get a promise from my sister to take me to a game at the Dome in 2009, her word is good as gold so I guess I should count that as a Minnesota Twins gift, right?

Leave me comments with your favorite Minnesota Twins gifts!

Gardy likes Punto, so do I

I read over in the Pioneer Press that Ron Gardenhire is pushing to re-sign free agent shortstop Nick Punto. In fact, he has guaranteed him a starting spot:

"If we sign Nick Punto, he would be my starting shortstop," Gardenhire said.

What happens if we don’t sign Nick Punto? “If we lose Nicky, I'm not afraid to take a look at Casilla over there." said Gardy.

I don’t dislike Alexi Casilla, but I would prefer to see Nick Punto back on the field for the Minnesota Twins in 2009. I think he is a better choice for shortstop and a great batter. Punto has reportedly received inquiries from three or four other teams.

I think the Twins should sign Nick Punto to a multi-year deal and make sure he is a part of opening up Target Field in 2010 as well. I am sure the front office is thinking of that as well, you know, building a team for 2010. Let’s hope good decisions are made so we can have a strong team to finish up the Metrodome Legacy and an even better team to start the new legacy in 2010.

Minnesota Twin Scott Erickson

I read last week that Scott Erickson wants back in with the Minnesota Twins. Remember him? Man, I used to have a huge crush on him back in ’91 – his dark hair and light eyes and oh yeah he was a pretty good pitcher, too. He’s got to be in his 40’s by now and I haven’t exactly seen him around MLB. Perhaps this is a publicity stunt for the Twins or maybe the reporter got it mixed up with Erickson’s desire to make the All-Metrodome team that the Twins are going to select this season.

Good ‘ol Scott Erickson, man that brings back some good memories.

Twins Players Moving Around – Adam Everett a new Tiger

Bodies will be moving all about in the next few months as the Twins and other MLB teams try to secure their roster before spring training. Twins free-agent shortstop Adam Everett is going to be a Detroit Tiger after agreeing to a one-year contract worth $1 million and the Philadelphia Phillies are seriously looking at adding Delmon Young to their roster.

One of the best parts of all the player movement is that there is plenty to blog about! Major League Baseball definitely does a good job of being a year round sport – long regular season, long playoffs, long spring training, winter meetings – is there an off-season?

Twins Spring Training

The Minnesota Twins Spring Training Schedule is out. Every year this is a depressing time for me as I spend my time day dreaming about taking a trip to Florida to see my favorite baseball team up close and personal in the warm sunshine state. This year will be just like last year, no trip to Florida for me, but I swear some day I will go.

You can buy Twins Spring Training Tickets already. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Twins Red Sox or even the Twins Yankees games. Just think, February isn’t that far away.

Delmon Young Future Unknown

I read this in Charley Walters column – not that ground-breaking, but just a reminder that the Delmon Young Minnesota Twins issue is still at the forefront on the Minnesota Sports Scene.


“It remains unclear whether the Twins will be able to move outfielder Delmon Young, but they are intent on trading for bullpen help.”


See ya Delmon - be sure to take your greasy entourage with you.

Twins Metrodome Plans

The Twins are going big for their final Metrodome season. Last week I mentioned the throwback jerseys and the All-Metrodome team, but I also heard they have other surprises in store for us fans. I read that they are putting together a video of the top 100 Metrodome memories to be played at each home game – I will be excited to see that for sure.

The Twins marketing team definitely isn’t sleeping on the job and this final Twins season at the Dome should be a fun one. I will definitely make it out to a few games to say good-bye to the stadium and reminisce about all the good times I have had there (my experiences do not include any make-out sessions in the Dome bathrooms, though.)

Twins fired up for FINAL season at Metrodome

It’s not even 2009 yet and the Minnesota Twins are already getting fired up for their final season at the Metrodome Minneapolis.

#1 The Twins website has a Dome patterned background. I believe it is the upcoming seasons logo.

#2 On Monday, the Twins unveiled a really cool throwback uniform that they will wear on Saturday home games in 2009. I love the Minnesota script on the uniform…It has been my logo for over a year on this Minnesota Twins blog. The Twins throwback uniforms are similar to the ones the Twins wore during the inaugural season of the Metrodome in 1982. I will 100% make it to at least one Saturday game to see the Twins live in these uniforms next year. The only bad thing, there will be NO names on the back of these throwback jerseys so I will have to study my player numbers closely or, more likely, purchase a Twins program at the game.


"I'm a big throwback, vintage kind of guy," my boy Justin Morneau said. "I like most of the old uniforms, and these are pretty sweet."


#3 The Minnesota Twins will let the fans vote on an All-Metrodome team, I will be voting for Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett and Frank Viola for sure.

It’s hard to believe that the Minnesota Twins will be leaving the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome. They have played there for 27 years and when I think Minnesota baseball, I think Metrodome. It’s bittersweet for this baseball fan.

Justin and Joe Make the MVP List

Most people say that second place is really just the firs loser, but I still think it is an honor to be second in Most Valuable Player voting. Think of all the other baseball players that didn’t even make the top five. My favorite Minnesota Twin, Justin Morneau was this years MVP runner-up (some guy from the Red Sox won) and Joe Mauer (or minnesota twin ‘baby jesus’ as my dad calls him) ended up fourth in the voting. Hmmmmm….a team with TWO (2!) players on the MVP list and we didn’t even make it past the first round playoffs? WTH? (what the heck?)


Oh yeah and the Twins signed manager Ron Gardenhire to a two year extension – no surprise there, but it sure would be nice if we could make it a little farther in the playoffs Gardy.

Pat Neshek Feelings

I read this Pat Neshek quote online and I thought I would post it – poor guy.

"I'm extremely bummed out right now and am at a loss of words," Neshek wrote in an e-mail to the Star Tribune. "Kind of a numb feeling ... just depressed, I guess."

Yeah, Pat, I am depresses too. This totally sucks for you and the Twins. Keep your chin up buddy. I won’t forget you.

Pat Neshek Update

I am sure every Twins fan has already heard this story, but I want to share any way. I heard on the news the last two nights (yes, two) that Twins pitcher Pat Neshek will be out the entire next season as well.

Remember when he got hurt last May with a torn ligament? Well, apparently it was only partially torn and every one recommended that he rehab as opposed to surgery. Well, the rehab plan didn’t work out so well because he completely tore the ligament while working out last week in Florida. That means Pat Neshek is now FORCED to have Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery. He will be out another 12 plus months and he may never be the same.

I am totally bummed about this. I love the Pat Neshek story. His local Minnesota roots, his crazy side arm delivery, his dedication to other baseball fans AND he even personally emailed me once - before he got big – I emailed him about his site and he emailed back! Shortly after that, the Twins pulled him off the farm team and he took off in the majors. I like to tell my friends that I had something to do with it, ha ha. Well, I am going to keep Pat Neshek in my prayers and hope that every thing works out. Take Care, Pat!

Minnesota Twins Schedule

Well, there isn’t much for an average Minnesota Twins blogger to blog about in the off-season…which is why I am still considering giving up this Minnesota Twins blog. I did notice that the 2009 Minnesota Twins Schedule is out – no joke. It seems like Major League Baseball is the one sport that has no problem planning ahead. I swear it is just days after the World Series is over and the new MLB Schedules are out. I will have to write more posts about the Twins Schedule later. I see Twins tickets are already for sale, too. Crazy.

Minnesota Twins Wannabes

Well, I didn’t see too many Minnesota Twins players out trick or treating, in fact I didn’t see one! I saw two Lacrosse players (no joke, I thought it was a bit random myself – maybe Lacrosse is the new cool sport) and a bunch of scary costumes, but not one single baseball or football player. The number of trick or treaters in general was down which I thought was surprising since the weather was so nice.

You know who I am hoping to see dressed in a Minnesota Twins uniform next year? And this is no trick. Nick Punto. (He just filed for free agency, I hope the Twins can find a way to keep him.)

Happy Halloween Twins Fans

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween. I promise to count up the number of baseball players I get at my door and report back next week!

Here is what my pumpkins looked like....

just kidding.

Delmon Young Retraction

OK, I need to retract my statement from October 22nd when I said that Delmon Young was here to stay. Here’s why: I happened to take a call from a local sports caster at work on Monday and I asked him if he would give me some good dirt on the Minnesota Twins for my blog. The only way he would talk is if I promised not to use his name, I said sure (thinking that a good journalist never reveals her sources.)

Since I was just some stranger answering the phone, I think he was leery to give me anything too juicy, but he said that Delmon Young will NOT be with the Minnesota Twins next year. Why? Young is not a good fit personally for the team. I guess Delmon Young spends more time in the strip club than he does in the batting cages and that has the Minnesota managers unhappy (well that and the fact he can’t seem to see a ball coming at him.)

Young also has issues playing day games after night games thanks to his afterhours activities. My source was implying that Delmon Young is still drunk at those day games or at least extremely hung over. My conclusion is that Delmon Young does not fit in with the “Minnesota Nice” image of the Minnesota Twins and he is not enough of an asset to look over the strip club and alcohol addiction. I remember the days when Justin Morneau liked to hit the bottle, good thing he came around to the bright side and look how well he has been doing. Too bad Delmon Young couldn’t change, I think he has potential, but potential is often wasted on evil addictions.

Minnesota Twins Stencils

I can’t imagine that any one is really going to do this, but you can download Pumpkin stencils from the Minnesota Twins web site. Ok, well maybe Aaron Gleeman might do this – LOL!

Check out the stencils:
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/fan_forum/pumpkin_stencils.jsp

Twins Trading Delmon Young

Oh yeah, by the way the Twins are not going to trade Delmon Young – because they don’t want to admit they blew a deal.

Other Twins Blogs – Don’t worry this isn’t a Slam Book

If you google Minnesota Twins Blogs, here are the top five results:

1. Nick & Nick's Twins Blog www.twinsfanatnicks.blogspot.com/

2. Twinkie Town www.twinkietown.com/

3. Twins Nation www.mntwinsnation.com/

4. AaronGleeman.com www.aarongleeman.com/

5. Twins Locker www.twinslocker.com/


Now, my blog is not top 5 worthy, I get that and I am not out to bash any one else or any other blog, but let me give you my quick synopsis of each of these blogs . . . please don’t get any hurt feelings, if you own one of these blogs, read my post about the 23 questions before becoming a blogger – one of them is to have a thick skin:

N&N – good basic blog – it’s not a commercialized site, just a blogger site (like mine) lots of good information including stats, but also good commentary. I would prefer to see more pictures. My favorite segment? post season review vs the pre-season predictions. Nick predicted way more home runs than the Twins could ever actually hit.

Twinkie Town – part of the SBNation blogs, but I think Jesse is a local writer which is nice. Lately I have been randomly voting on their prospects poll. I am not sure any one really cares about the Twins #12 prospect, do they? OK, maybe these guys do – they do have a lot of comments, but I am willing to bet a lot of those voters are just like me, random voters. Whose name sounds the coolest, let’s pick them. I like Shooter Hunt the best.

Twins Nation – Hasn’t been updated since June 23rd, maybe Kris got sick of blogging, too. Google should take it off the top 5.

AG – AaronGleeman is practically famous in the world of baseball. If you need a stat, go see him. I even heard him on the radio the other day, I almost spit out my coffee. My favorite segment: Gleeman is good at conspiracy theory and I love it. Example: the Walters Hartman Minnesota Twins trading Delmon Young story.

Twins Locker – this site is not even operational – Google, hello? Is there a place where you can submit suggestions to Google for them to revise their search results?

World Series Favorite? Vote Now!

I added a poll to my blog! I don’t think I have ever had a poll on here before, but after having a long conversation with my dad about why I think the Tampa Bay Rays are more deserving of the World Series pennant than the Philadelphia Phillies, I decided to put up a little poll on my blog to see what other people are feeling.

Do Minnesota Twins Fans Like the Rays

I am listening to KFAN right now and apparently there is a guy working at the Minnesota Twins Pro Shop (in Roseville, Rosemount – Rose some where) wearing his Tampa Bay Rays jersey today – what?!?! Where is your loyalty? If I worked at the Minnesota Twins Pro Shop, I would wear my Twins gear every day (wouldn’t that be the uniform any way?) and I would love it. I bet the Minnesota Twins Pro Shop would pay me to have a Twins blog, too!

Blogging is Work

I was reading an article on blogging tips (there are a million of them out there) to try and get inspired to keep this Minnesota Twins blog and one of the articles created a list of “23 Questions for Prospective Bloggers - Is a Blog Right for You?” – After I stopped analyzing why they picked 23 questions (I love baseball so, of course, numbers are important to me) I read over a few of the questions and decided that blogging is indeed the right thing for me – just an average Minnesota girl with an average knowledge of the Minnesota Twins and an average desire to write about it, but I can answer yes to most, if not all, of these questions. Check it out!

Minnesota Twins pictures

This blog needs a little spicing up so I am going to post a few pictures of my favorite Minnesota Twins. They always say a picture is worth a million words – what do these pictures say to you?

Minnesota Twins Blog through 1/1/09

I was thinking about giving up this Minnesota Twins blog, why? I just don’t have as much time as I used to and I don’t feel as passionate about the Minnesota Twins as I used to, but after a lot of consideration, I am going to give it until….drum roll, please….the new year. That means, I will be dedicated to updating this site at least once a week until January 1st, 2009. But if I find I am dreading it more times than I am enjoying it than I am going to quit. I decided to track my overall progress by using an “enjoy” and a “dread” label at the bottom of the posts and then I will be able to tally up my overall progress come January 1st. I actually hope there are more enjoys as opposed to dreads because I really do like blogging (I am a writer by trade), but I am tired of the Twins so maybe it will be time to find a new hobby January 1st.

Want to encourage me? leave me a comment so I know that others care about the Twins!

Twins ticket prices less than other Professional Sports

Minnesota Twins ticket prices have stayed steady compared to other sports as far as season ticket prices go. Minnesota Timberwolves charge $250 for a center court seat and the Minnesota Vikings charge $125 for a 50 yard line seat whereas the Minnesota Twins charge only $50 for a seat behind home plate. Sure, the Vikings have fewer games and opportunities to make their revenue, while the Minnesota Twins have 81 home games a season, but comparably the Minnesota Twins and the MLB are a lower price ticket.

If the Minnesota Twins raised their ticket prices I think they would anger a lot of longtime and loyal baseball fans. Not too long ago there was a special on the news about a Twins fan that had been to every game for like 30 years and he was 80 years old! I doubt he would be too please if the Minnesota Twins gave him the shaft. Of course the new stadium will not pay for itself, but drastically raising the Minnesota Twins ticket prices would not be the best way to do so. Upsetting the fans is the last thing the Minnesota Twins should do. Maybe they are waiting to see if the Twins make it far in the playoffs before announcing Twins ticket prices in the new stadium. This issue has been weighing heavily on my mind, can you tell? This is like the third time I have wrote about it this month.

More on Minnesota Twins Ticket Prices

Baseball thrives on being the American sport. I love that it caters to all economic and social classes. I think it is much different than say the NFL and even the NHL in some markets (i.e. here in Minnesota unless you are willing to camp out overnight for the cheap coveted upper level tickets). The general admission Minnesota Twins tickets start out fairly inexpensive for someone who is looking to just get in the door or who has 5 kids and want a fun yet cheap activity to do on a Sunday afternoon. I have heard that the new Minnesota Twins stadium will feature these kinds of ‘cheap seats’, but how cheap, no one will tell. I am hoping that my corporate America sister can score us some nicer, corporate level suite tickets so I can have a taste of the good life, too. You can bet that I will be making plans to go to the new Twins stadium, but how much am I willing to spend? Oh that is such a tough question.

Minnesota Twins Price Predictions

Everyone knows (well, most everyone – unless you live under a rock in the Twin Cities) that the Minnesota Twins are currently building a new stadium. Twins tickets prices may or may not go up because of this. I think that the prices will stay the same, but nicer club and suites will become available. The Minnesota Wild have their club and suite levels that cater to corporate events and clientele that want a nicer atmosphere and experience. The Twins would be foolish not to follow suit (or should I say suite ? –ha ha). The Minnesota Twins are set to have their new stadium finished for the 2010 season. A sponsorship deal for the new stadium has not been set up yet. A large corporate sponsor could also mean Minnesota Twins ticket prices could be less! Any predictions Twins fans? On the ticket prices or the big corporate sponsor…

Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins attendance

One more Minnesota Twins Texas Rangers fact: It was the largest three-game series home attendance total for the Twins this season! Bigger than the Milwaukee Brewers, bigger than the New York Yankees – the Metrodome clicked 101,248 fans over the Twins Rangers three game series for an average of 33,749 fans per game. Way to show up Twins fans! I am willing to bet that the September 23-25 Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins series will be bigger, though. The AL Central will be on the line. I can’t wait!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day, Twins Fans!

Check the AL Central Standings now!

Twins Ranger Series

The first Twins baseball series back from the All-Star Break was the Twins Rangers Series. Yes, I know this news is from July (18th, 19th and 20th to be exact), but it was a solid series and I often stress that teams won’t have the same zing when they come back from the All-Star break, but the Twins have remained steady and winning two games out of the three against the Texas Rangers on the first series back was a real momentum booster.

Twins Rangers Series Facts:

...Fridays 6-0 shutout was the Texas Rangers first shut out of the season and in fact was their first shut-out since an August 19, 2007 game at the Metrodome vs. our very own Minnesota Twins. Man, I love it when the Rangers come to town!

...Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood has never beaten the Twins, he is 0-6. I wish we could play the Rangers every day.

...Delmon Young had his 12th game with 3-or-more hits. Delmon Young wishes we could play the Rangers every day!

...The 14-2 win also inked some season highs for the Twins as the team set single game-highs as a team in total bases, extra-base hits, rbi’s and season high home-runs with four. Who says we aren’t swinging for the fence every time? Oh yeah, me. We aren’t, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could play the Texas Rangers every day?

...The Twins lost the Sunday Rangers game 1-0 with a measly 3 hits. This was the fourth time the Twins have lost a 1-0 game. This was the second time this season that the Twins have scored 12-or-more runs in their previous game only to be shutout in the next game. Ick.

That’s all folks. Check back soon for more fun Twins facts!

Twins Bloggers petering out?

There has been plenty of Minnesota Twins news to report, I just haven’t been reporting it! In fact, when I look around the web there seems to be a lot of bloggers that aren’t blogging as often as they used to. Do you suppose the blogger bug has lost its bite? Or maybe it’s just all this nice summer weather that keeps us outside enjoying recreation that doesn’t involve a QWERTY keyboard. Anyway, I promise to get caught up soon – I am stuck in the office all day today so I promise to compile a list of random Twins facts for your reading pleasure. Stay Tuned Twins Fans! Stay Tuned!

Minnesota Twins Hot Ticket

The great people over at Ticket King still want to advertise on my Minnesota Twins blog -I am not sure why because google has stripped my page rank, but this is still a good quality site and I promised those ticket folks located over there by the Metrodome that I would do my best to increase the page rank and give them a bang for their buck. So go buy your tickets from Ticket King and tell them you heard it from their Twins blogger!

Twins are Hot at Home with Francisco Liriano

Sure, this Minnesota Twins blog has been quiet as of late, but the Minnesota Twins baseball team has not! The Twins are tied for first and on fire!

Last night, Francisco Liriano used that left arm of his to beat down the Seattle Mariners at the Metrodome 9-3…the best part? The Minnesota Twins are tied for first place in the AL Central (again).

I think Francisco Liriano is itching to make it into my top Twins Pitcher list, but he will need to tighten up a but first. Sure, he got the big win and I swore I saw some speeds at 92 MPH, but the 30 pitch 4th inning had me nervous, but he got out of it and the Twins bats are on fire so that always helps the pitchers confidence as well.


I think I am a few series behind on my random game facts, but don’t dismay – I WILL BE BACK (in the voice of the Terminator of course…in honor of Arnie coming to town for the RNC)

Minnesota Twins beat Cleveland Indians at the Dome

Well, for the most part they did. The Twins beat the Cleveland Indians Friday 4-1 and Sunday 6-2, but lost on Saturday night 1-5, winning the series 2 games to 1. It’s time to dig up those random facts I love to share with my Minnesota Twin blog readers regarding this Twins Indians series at the Metrodome. Here they are in no particular order:

...Nick Blackburn improved his record to 3-0 vs. the Indians after Friday nights 4-1 victory. He is on fire at home with a 6-2 record and a 2.54 ERA in 10 starts.

...Randy Ruiz made his Major League debut in Friday’s game, going 1-for-3 with a run scored as the designated hitter – welcome to the big leagues Ruiz!

...Metrodome attendance for Satruday nights loss was 40,000+ - that is a lot of disappointed fans, more than the usual 25,000 in attendance on a week night game.

...Sunday was the twelfth consecutive crowd of 30,000 or more at the HHH Metrodome, the longest streak since 1992 – who says we are in a recession?!

...The Twins are bunting Gods and lead the majors in bunts this season – is there a special bunting coach? It’s not really hitting, is it? I think it’s cool to bunt, but cooler to homer!

...Juan Rincon made his first appearance at the Metrodome not wearing a Twins jersey – worked well for the Twins since he gave up a homerun!

...Francisco Liriano pitched well on Sunday. I think he wants to make it onto my top pitchers list this month.

The Twins are currently playing in Seattle - I hate the west coast games, I like to retire early and the time difference bites. I will post more next week! Go Twins!

Let's slide into first . . . base and place!!!!

Minnesota Twins are winning series

Apparently the come to Jesus meeting had some effect on the Minnesota Twins because in the past week they have managed to win two out of three on the road against the Cleveland Indians and more importantly (not that every win isn’t important), the Twins managed to win three out of four against the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox. Hooah! The division lead is within reach and if the Twins keep up this momentum, the playoffs should be a pleasant experience for us Minnesota Twins fans.

Today is August 1st and everyone should take a minute to remember the 35W bridge victims at 6:05pm tonight. The year went by fast, but I bet it doesn’t feel that way to the people who lost their loved ones. God Bless!

Minnesota Twins get swept by New York Yankees

I don’t think I will be posting mid game anymore (see my previous mid-game Monday night entry). I thought maybe it would be lucky, but I was wrong. The Minnesota Twins were swept by the New York Yankees –swept! There is definitely a Yankee Stadium curse. In fact the Twins are 3-19 at Yankee Stadium since 2002 – ouch. And they weren’t just regular run of the mill losses (don’t question me if there is such a thing), these were fluke losses where guys just didn’t play like they usually play. Pitchers sucked on the mound, batters sucked at the plate, fielders sucked on the grass. It just plain sucked.

Ok, enough grumbling. Ron Gardenhire has promised a “come to Jesus meeting” with the Twins players before they start the Cleveland Indian series so let’s hope that can inspire them to turn it around before we get too far behind the White Sox. The White Sox will be at the Dome next week. It will be crunch time for sure. Ugh.

Minnesota Twins Yankees Game

Is anyone out there watching the Twins Yankees game? Hooah! We are sitting here in the office glued to the TV. After what's his face Yankee hit the two run homer we thought it was over, but maybe not....oh wait, the Yankees are scoring again . . . what a terrible roller coaster game.

Twins Rangers Series

The Minnesota Twins are back at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome tonight hosting the Texas Rangers in a three game series. There are still good Twins tickets available from local ticket brokers like Ticket King, but the prices aren’t as cheap as some of the other games I have seen. I guess the boys of summer are finally catching on in the Twin Cities and drawing in more fans than usual. Sunday afternoons game has a Justin Morneau jersey promotion!!! I wish I was going, but I have to tile my entryway. *sigh*

Golf with Tom Kelly

A buddy of mine got to play golf with Tom Kelly this week – Tom Kelly! I couldn’t believe it. I told him that I would have been too star struck to even hit the ball (although, I can hardly hit the ball any way). I love good ‘ol TK and my buddies account of the day makes me love him even more. Tom Kelly is just as nice and normal and cool as I have always imagined him to be. I guess you get to stay up on that pedestal, TK. Glad you didn’t let the Common Man rile you.

All-Star Joe Mauer

It seems all of my girlfriends are obsessed and I mean OBSESSED with Joe Mauer. As most of my blog readers know, I prefer Justin Morneau over Joe Mauer any day, but I promised my friend Nicole I would post some of her Joe Mauer pictures in honor of his starting role in last nights All-Star game (but we all know that Justin Morneau won the game for the American League – he’s the real All-Star). Here are your great pictures Nicole. He is rather attractive and if you can respect the fact that he bats for average and not for homers, than I guess he is a pretty good ball player, too.

Twins Indians Series Notes

OK. I am over the Boston Red Sox fiasco and I want to take time to relive a better series, the Minnesota Twins Cleveland Indians series. Remember that series ? July 4th, 5th and 6th all ended with a big “W” for the Minnesota Twins. Here are my random Minnesota Twins facts that I want to share! I will share 4 facts in honor of the 4th of July series (Ok, that’s a stretch…I know)

///Nick Punto hit his 10th career homerun when he hit a three-run shot off John Lackey. Woohoo! That set the crowd off like fireworks in the dome.

///Carlos Gomez collected his 21st bunt hit of the season.

///Over 5,000 tickets were given to military personnel and their families on Saturday night for Armed Services Appreciation night and the Twins players each sported various military branches on their baseball caps. It was very cool. Hooah!

///Twins scored five runs in the sixth inning on Saturday and have outscored their opponents 68 to 41 in sixth innings this season – how is that for random?!?

Twins lose big in Boston

I was going to compile my favorite Twins facts from the Minnesota Twins Cleveland Indians series, but I am too depressed over the three losses to the Boston Red Sox the past three days. Sure, I expected the Twins to lose, but I HOPED they could win at least one game. The first games were close, losing by only one run in each of the first two games of the series, but what the heck happened yesterday? The Twins lost 5-18 – ouch. Those 18 runs are going to hurt the stats , that’s for sure. The Strib titled it “Boston holds a tee-off party against Twins.” Yeah, it was a haunting day at Fenway Park. I wish I could forget it and I bet Jason Kubel wishes he could, too.

Twins Detroit Tigers Series

I am a bit behind on miscellaneous facts, but do not be dismayed Minnesota Twins fans, I will catch up eventually…probably over the All-Star break –ha ha. Let’s see the last series I compiled fun facts on was the Twins Brewers Series so now I need to put together some random Minnesota Twins facts on the Twins Tigers series. It’s hard to believe that the first game of that series closed out the month of June, but it did and that leads me into the first fact:

…The Minnesota Twins finished June 2008 with a record of 17-11. The Twins historically do not do well in the month of June and this June was just the seventh time in Twins franchise history that they have recorded 17 or more wins in the month. The Twins all-time record in June is 647-669

…Joe Mauer recorded his 42nd walk of the season during the Tigers series and leads the team in walks

…The Detroit Tigers walked Carlos Gomez twice in a game for the first time in his career. I guess they wanted to slow him down

…Carlos Gomez completed his 20th bunt this season, he leads Major League in bunts

…The Minnesota Twins finished the series out-hitting Detroit 41 to 27 – way to get those bats swinging boys!

Stay tuned for more fun facts from this Minnesota Twins fan! Go Twins!

Happy 4th of July

Have a safe and fun 4th of July Minnesota Twins fans! Celebrating the 4th of July is as American as baseball and apple pie! Has anyone ever wondered why they don't serve apple pie at Twins baseball games? I have. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE!

Twins win two of three over Brewers, fans show support

The Minnesota Twins continue to amaze me. The Twins Milwaukee Brewers series was a real gem and I have a few miscellaneous facts that I want to share with my loyal Minnesota Twins blog readers (even though it’s a little late.) I will compile facts on the Twins Detroit Tigers series next week (better late than never, right?) Here are the facts that I just can't keep to myself:

--> Joe Mauer hit his third home run of the season on June 27th vs. Milwaukee Brewers. All three homers were in the month of June...does that still make him an All-Star? You betcha!

--> The Twins lost to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 28th in front of 38,963 fans. It was their largest attendance since opening day, March 31 vs. Los Angeles when the Twins (and Torii Hunter) drew 49,596 fans. Perhaps the pressure of all those prying eyes was just too much. Livan Hernandez walked four batters, a season-high.

--> Kevin Slowey pitched his second complete game of the season on June 30th, tossing the first shutout of his career. Woohoo!


--> The Twins were only 278 fans short of drawing 100,000 fans into the Metrodome for the Twins Brewers three game series. Those 278 people were out on their boats enjoying the beautiful weather. They said they would have come out if the game would have been played outside.

--> The Twins finished off Interleague Play with a record of 14-4. Way to go boys in blue!

Carlos Gomez has Fan Support

When I went to the Minnesota Twins game last week, I took mental notes at what people were wearing. I, of course, was wearing my blue Justin Morneau jersey. I saw a lot of Joe Mauer jerseys and quite a few Morneau jerseys, but I also saw a lot of Carlos Gomez jerseys/t-shirts. For being a newer Minnesota Twins player I was surprised that there would be so many, but I guess he has made a big enough impact with the fans to warrant them shelling out $20 for a jersey style Twins t-shirt. I did see one Johan Santana jersey – weirdo. These days, I bet there aren’t that many Johan Jerseys at a Mets game either!

Minnesota Twins All-Stars

Congrats you big All-Star!

Milwaukee Brewers at Metrodome Minneapolis

I am guessing that after the Minnesota Twins last 6-0 homestand, the demand for Minnesota Twins tickets will be higher than ever. Couple the winning momentum and the border battle rivalry of the Milwaukee Brewers and you have a recipe for a tight ticket. I just checked Ticket King and I see they have Minnesota Twins vs Milwaukee Brewers tickets for around $40 each on a $30 face ticket. I figured it would be more than that – I guess not as many people are planning on heading to the Dome as I thought. I hope the Twins put on a great show . . .so far the National League games have been good ones. Go Twins!

One more Random Twins Fact

Ron Gardenhire’s wife is very athletic and often takes their Greyhound dog for runs. The Gardenhires live on the same lake as my asphalt contractor. After I told my contractor that I had a Twins blog, he felt it necessary to share that with me. Oh yeah, the Greyhound dog was a gift from Tom Kelly. And if the driveway turns out awesome, I will plug my contractor at a later date, but for now he just gets credit for the random Ron Gardenhire fact.

Juan Rincon goes to Cleveland Indians

I don’t think I have mentioned this yet so I thought I would just put a blurb out here about the circumstances of pitcher Juan Rincon. The Minnesota Twins designated Rincon for AAA on June 12th, Rincon turned down the Minnesota Twins assignment to pitch for AAA (giving the Twins 10 days to trade or release him), he became a free agent (he had zero trade value). It was reported today that Juan Rincon signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. There will be no love lost from this Minnesota Twins fan. The fact is that without his steroids, Juan Rincon’s slider just didn’t snap like it used to. I am against using steroids in sports and I felt betrayed when Rincon was suspended in 2005 for testing positive, but I felt even worse when I realized he couldn’t pitch without the drugs.

Random Minnesota Twins Facts

Once in awhile I have random Minnesota Twins facts that I want to share, but I don’t really feel like putting them into a true blog post. I really just want to spew them out. So here are the latest random Minnesota Twins facts that I just can’t keep under my hat (my baseball hat, of course).

Alexi Casilla has either scored a run or driven in a run in 25 of his 35 games played this season.

Michael Cuddyer’s wife, Claudia, gave birth to the couple’s first child Friday June 20th…Casey Jonathan Cuddyer was born at 3:23 pm at Fairview Southdale Hospital and he weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and is 20 inches long. Born on the first day of summer, kind of gives a new meaning to “the boys of summer” doesn’t it?

Livan Hernandez home record this season: 6-0.

Brendan Harris finished theTwins last homestand with eight hits in 19 at-bats (.421) with four doubles, a triple, six runs scored and two runs batted in. wow.

Justin Morneau Fan

This could be me. It's not, but it could be. My name is very similar to his girlfriends name and if the mood strikes me, I like to tell strangers that I am his girlfriend. Sick, I know. Usually, they look down at my wedding ring and know I am not telling the truth, but it is fun for that one small moment to feel like I am the wife of a MLB star, especially the stong blue eyed canuck that my heart pitter patters for.

Twins Sweep Arizona Diamondbacks

The Minnesota Twins swept the Arizona Diamondbacks and made it a perfect 6-0 home stand. YEAH! Way to go Twins. I had a great time at the game on Friday night and saw a t-shirt that said “My boys play for the Twins” it was really cute and now I am kicking myself for not buying it. There seemed like a lot of empty seats at the HHH Metrodome on Friday night, but they announced the attendance at 29,000 something. The couple of other week day games I have been to were only like 21,000 so it was considerably fuller, I guess. Randy Johnson has been having a tough year for the Arizona Diamonbacks, any one else think he is washed up?

Twins vs. Diamondbacks
Fri Jun 20 Twins 7, Dbacks 2
Sat Jun 21 Twins 6, Dbacks 1
Sun Jun 22 Twins 5, Dbacks 3

Twins vs Diamondbacks – Tonight!

All week long, I’ve been feeling down since the weather has (finally) turned to summer here in Minneapolis and I’ve been stuck behind my desk. Luckily for me, however, my boss just hooked me up with four free tickets to see the Twins play the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Metrodome tonight. That cheered me right up. The icing on the cake happened when I found out that these free tickets are 6 rows behind home plate!! So, I get busy checking out the Twins website, and I find out that Randy Johnson is the starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks. It’s so nice when good things happen for no reason. I can stop feeling so blue about being inside when it’s 85 degrees and beautiful because my alternative is sitting behind home plate and watching the Minnesota Twins take on a veteran pitcher like the legendary Randy Johnson in an air-conditioned ballpark. Maybe I can make a great sign and get Bert Blyleven to circle me on the air. So, if you’re watching the game tonight, look for the happiest girl in her Justin Morneau jersey behind home plate; I’ll wave to you!

Twins face Diamondbacks at Home

After finishing the series with the Washington Nationals at the Metrodome, the Minnesota Twins will now play the Arizona Diamonbacks in a three game series. The back to back Metrodome series could prove beneficial to the Minnesota Twins and their place in the AL Central…that is if they can muster up a few wins against the National League West leader Diamondbacks. There are still cheap Twins tickets available from local ticket brokers like Ticket King so buy your Twin Tickets and head out to the Metrodome this weekend to see the boys of summer in action! Go Twins!

Twins Game Winning Secret: Pitching

After a disappointing loss against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, can the Minnesota Twins make a comeback? Twins fans seem to be asking themselves the same question lately, "how can the Twins make this comeback?" A question with a simple solution, find a new pitcher. Eisler Livan Hernandez (or just Livan Hernandez to the casual Twins fan) will start todays home game against Washington Nationals. With twelve different pitchers to choose from, has Rick Anderson (pitching coach) made the right choice by starting Hernandez? I would say a definite yes! Hernandez has thrown more strike outs than Joe Nathan himself. Hernandez will choose the Twins' fate on how the game against The Washington Nationals will go.

Gardenhire Gets Thrown out of Brewers Game

The out come of Sunday's Twins Brewers game shocked many game viewers including head manager Ron Gardenhire. Gardenhire was so shocked, his feelings threw him out of the game by the 8th inning. I am sure most Twins fans saw this clip on the local news (I was surprised I didn't see it on SportsCenter) when Brendan Harris was up to bat and the Twins were down by one run. Harris batted two outs and felt as if he was given no time to prepare. Harris asked the umpire for more time, but no answer was given. To make a long story short Guillermo Mota, the Brewers pitcher, pitches to Harris while he wasn't looking and Harris strikes out. It was crazy. Like many Minnesota Twins fans, Ron Gardenhire wonders if the Twins could have won the game if the umpire would have granted Harris more time. Gardenhire is probably right and the Twins could have won. I am guessing that ump won't be making the Gardy Christmas Card list. Better luck next time Twinkies.

MLB All-Star Team = Red Sox Team

Wow, this years All-Star team is going to be basically the Boston Red Sox with A-Rod and Derek Jeter. Take a look at the vote count for the American League, Red Sox, Red Sox, Red Sox. Perhaps the Boston Red Sox fans are just trying to jab the New York Yankees fans since the game will be played July 15th at Yankee Stadium. You know how crazy those Red Sox fans are at jinxing those Yankees, well, apparently they all got internet access and voted! Very interesting. It doesn’t look like Twin Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer will be starting this year…sad. Then again, neither one of them has been playing at All-Star levels, let’s hope they both pick up the pace.

Twins Break Losing Streak, Finally!

The Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians last night in Cleveland 8-5. The Twins built up a big run lead and then tried to give it away (have they been taking lessons from the Minnesota Vikings?), but managed to hold on to snap their six game losing streak. The Twins played hard in the third inning when Justin Morneau hit a two-run double, Michael Cuddyer had an RBI double, and Jason Kubel hit a two-run homer – woo hoo! It was about time the Twins gave the fans something to be excited about. I thought Dennys Reyes was going to give it away, but Jesse Crain came in to get the Twins out of a tough spot and Joe Nathan came in to “close the door.” Sing it with me, you know you want to! Let’s hope the Twins can build on this momentum and put a few more notches in the win column.

Minnesota Twins lose to Chicago White Sox again and again

The road has not been good to the Minnesota Twins, not good at all. Who would have thought the Chicago White Sox would make the Minnesota Twins look so silly. The Twins lost all four games in Chicago, all four! What the heck happened?!?! The series was a chance for the Twins to stay near the top of the AL Central, but instead the Twins fell further behind the White Sox. Ugh! The games weren’t even close, they were just plain embarrassing. The Twins will have a chance to redeem themselves at the end of July when the White Sox come to the Metrodome. Come on Twins, get it together!

Minnesota Twins on the Road

After finishing up a straight seven day home stand, the Minnesota Twins hit the road for a straight 10 away games. Ten is a lot! It’s a Midwest trip with stops vs. Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers. What will I do without my Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome for 10 whole days? It will be a ghost town around here. It will be an important road trip as far as the AL Central Standings are concerned. The White Sox hold a small lead over the Twins and the Indians aren’t too far back in third place. I won’t be able to trot over to the dome to see my boys of summer so I will have to belly up to the TV to catch the games over the next week! Go Twins!

Twins Yankees Series

The Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees series is always one of my favorites, even if the Twins don’t always come out on top, but hey they split the series so bravo!

The Twins lost on Friday night 5-6 and Saturday night 6-7, but managed to win Sunday afternoon 5-1 and Monday night 6-5. The Saturday night game went 12 innings and was the longest game of the season lasting 4 hours and 35 minutes. The coolest thing? The Metrodome actually looked pretty full from start to finish. The announced game attendance was 36,441 – that has to be one of the highest of the season as well. It was probably one of my favorite games of the season and had the Twins pulled off a win, it would be my favorite. I love a good overtime battle (that’s why I love the NHL playoffs as well). The Twins played hard and pulled all the punches including putting in every pitcher we could. I have to say there were a lot of groans when Juan Rincon took the mound (Juan needs to find a different bullpen, I am sick and tire of him dragging down the Minnesota Twins). Mauer still hasn’t hit a homer and apparently the pressure is getting to him because the Yankees stole four bases on Saturday night, it was the first time that had happened in Mauer’s career.

Who would have thought? The Minnesota Twins are still in the hunt for first place in the AL Central – woohoo!

Joe Mauer Finally Hits a Homerun

Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the season tonight, finally! He must have read my Minnesota Twins blog and dug out that old dusty quickswing! It was Mauer’s first homerun since a September 29, 2007 game vs. Boston Red Sox. That’s a span of 217 plate appearances between home runs – oh my! I had been slamming Joe Mauer the past couple of weeks (much to my sisters dismay) – I guess I will have to let up a bit now that he broke through the fence.

Joe Mauer needs a Homer

Last night, my boy Justin Morneau got to be a hero by hitting the homer to win the game, but his pal Joe Mauer has yet to hit a home run this season – what is going on with Joe? How many games will it take? It’s been over 50 games…will it be 60? 70? I should put a poll up. Come on Joe, show us what you got. Perhaps you need to bring out the old Quickswing!

Minnesota Twins sweep Kansas City

I wish the Minnesota Twins could play the Kansas City Royals every day! The Twins swept the Royals in Kansas City winning 4-3, 9-8 and 5-1 in the past three days. The Kansas City Royals have now lost 11 straight games. Ouch.

Last night, Craig Monroe hit a three run homer as part of a five run ninth inning for the Twins. He was so excited when he got back to the dugout. The Twins actually looked like they were having fun playing baseball. It was the second straight night somebody hit a three-run homer in the ninth at Kauffman Stadium – oh what a night! Justin Morneau got to be the hero hitting a homer to win the game. I wish I would have been at that game – it had all of the classic elements of a memorable MLB game for this Twins fan; great weather, come from behind, homeruns and my favorite player getting a home run to win the game.

Tonight, Kevin Slowey got another win and he is begging to be put on my favorite pitchers list. We’ll see Kevin – I will think about it.

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day Twins Fans! It’s a day off for our beloved Minnesota Twins and many workers in the United States. Memorial Day also signifies the unofficial start of summer, but it is so much more than that. Memorial Day is a time to remember our fallen soldiers, so please take a moment today to remember those who have died for our freedom. Happy Memorial Day!

Twins split Ranger series

The Minnesota Twins split the Texas Rangers series at the Metrodome this week ending two of the four games in extra innings. Despite the split, the Twins remain in second place in the American League Central. The Twins lost this afternoons game 7-8 in 10 innings. It was a heartbreaker because the Twins team really rallied to come back from behind to tie. Carlos Gomez was on fire with four hits including a single home run to left field. It was a beauty.

The Twins need to stop making so many errors! I read this stat on the Twins post game notes: The Twins fell to 10-15 when making an error in the game…they have made at least one in five straight games (nine total in those games). Ouch. That’s a lot of errors for a Major League Baseball team. I wonder where they rank in the MLB. If anyone knows, please share with me.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend Twins fans!

Twins swept by Blue Jays, lose two to Rockies, take on Texas Rangers

Ok, if the post title didn’t do it, let me get you up to speed, Twins fans. The Minnesota Twins were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays at the Metrodome. I had no idea that the Blue Jays were so good or rather that the Twins were so bad. The series was littered with poor fielding. Mistakes that just shouldn’t happen when you are playing on your home turf. The games were all close and the Twins just came up short (and unlucky) three times in a row.

With their momentum in the negative zone, the Twins then traveled to Denver to take on the National League Colorado Rockies. The Twins lost two of the three match-ups and returned home to the Metrodome to face the Rangers. Check back to my Twins blog on Thursday for a Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers recap! Go Twins!

Ron Gardenhire Quote

My new favorite Ron Gardenhire quote:

"We're going to be thinking about winning as many games as we can and irritating the living heck out of a lot of people who said we can't play," Gardenhire said. "Whether we can or not, we want to make it look like they have no clue what they're talking about. That's our goal."

The guy cracks me up! I bet the dugout really gets going on a good day. If you have other favorite Gardy quotes – leave them in my Minnesota Twins Blog comments!

Twins look strong against Red Sox

The Minnesota Twins played well against their foes in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox. The Twins hosted the Red Sox in a four game series at the Metrodome and came out on top winning 3 out of the four contests.

Friday: WIN 7-6
Saturday: LOSS 2-5
Sunday: WIN 9-8
Monday: WIN 7- 3

Many Twins nay-sayers predicted a season-long struggle for the Minnesota Twins. In fact, Sports Illustrated picked them to finish last in the American League Central – well, ha! The Twins are now leading the American League Central. Go Twins!

Carlos Gomez Steals Again and Again

Carlos Gomez leads the American League in stolen bases, but he still has a little trouble at the plate so I don’t think he will be breaking the 1982 season American League Rickey Henderson 130 bases record. You gotta get on base in order to steal one. He won't be breaking it this year any way, but maybe some day? I don’t know that is a tough record and Gomez has the tendancy to strike out, but he is young and still has time to smooth out the rough spots. He will definitely be a fun player to watch and I love how nervous the opposing teams pitcher gets when Gomez is dancing around behine them.

It would be nice (and 100% possible) to see Carlos Gomez get 80 stolen bases this year - he already has 13 and we have only played one month of baseball. Last year New York Mets Jose Reyes stole 78 bases, it would be sweet to see Gomez pass him up! I wonder if Carlos Gomez has a Twins locker room nickname? Like Speedy or Grease Lightning… Oh, Google of course can answer that – here are the results I get when looking for Carlos Gomez Nicknames: "Go-Go", "Speedy Gonzalez" and the “Go-Father” – very funny Twins thread – check it out. Looks like “Go-Go” it is. I will be go going to the Metrodome to see Gomez and the other Twins play very soon!

Twins lead American League Central

It feels good to be number one and the view from the top is always sweetest. That’s what our American League Central Division leading Minnesota Twins are saying today! MLB Standings. The Twins are leading the division with a 16-14 record, mostly thanks to a five game win streak. The 16-14 record is the poorest record among the six division leaders so I won’t be breaking out that World Series Homer Hanky just yet, but it is still plenty to be excited about!

The Twins will host another division leader this weekend at the Metrodome when they face the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have started out rocky on the road this season and the Twins have a definite chance to win and for sure split the four game series in front of the Metrodome crowd. I wish my mother was a Twins fan because I would love to be at the Dome this weekend! Perhaps I can score some Twins Tickets to Monday nights game! Go Twins!

Minnesota Twins Gossip

My boss has a friend that gets insider information from the Minnesota Twins organization and the last time he went to lunch with his buddy I asked him to try and get me some juicy Twins gossip for my Minnesota Twins blog. Well, here is what he got me…it’s not all that juicy, but the source is truly an insider and my guess is he is careful about what he says.

Number 1: Carlos Gomez has got to start hitting better, Gardy is not happy with Gomez speed alone. He told Gomez very sternly to step it up last week.

Number 2: Twins expected Francisco Liriano to suck. Sure the media said he was throwing well and he said he was feeling great, but Joe Vavra and Twins coaching team knew Liriano was going to have a terrible year and they are not sure if he will ever be a star MLB pitcher.

Number 3: Denard Span doesn’t know how to play baseball. Twins coaches are irked because he misses signs and screws up the basics of baseball.

Number 4: Delmon Young has a posse wherever he goes and it irritates Ron Gardenhire and several other star Minnesota Twins players. Young thinks he’s more or a rap star than an outfielder.

Minnesota Twins All Star Vote

Don’t forget to vote for your Minnesota Twins to make it to the 2008 MLB All-Star game! The 79th All-Star Game will be played on July 15th at Yankee Stadium in New York City. I think you can vote like 25 times and you can even vote in Spanish! Let’s Rock the Vote for the Minnesota Twins!

MLB All Star Ballot

Voting ends online on July 2nd and ends in person at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome on June 19th.

Nine Minnesota Twins players made the ballot:
First baseman Justin Morneau, Second baseman Brendan Harris, Shortstop Adam Everett, Third baseman Mike Lamb, Catcher Joe Mauer, Designated Hitter Jason Kubel and outfielders Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young.

Let’s go Twins!

Francisco Liriano Pitching Stinks

Perhaps last Thursdays Minnesota Twins pitchers post was a Francisco Liriano jinx because he is quickly becoming one of my least favorite Twins pitchers, not one of my most favorite! Today, Liriano was charged with six runs on five hits with three walks and no strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning against the Oakland Athletics – he couldn’t even make it through ONE inning!!!

I guess I have been living in some sort of Minnesota Twins fantasy world thinking this team had things under control. I know it is early in the season, but I am starting to get freaked out! The Twins aren’t even at the .500 mark! Come on boys, get it together before all of the Minnesota Twins start jumping off the bandwagon!

My favorite Minnesota Twins Pitchers

With only eight games into the season, this Minnesota Twins Fan has already picked my favorite Minnesota Twins Pitchers. Since I haven’t had the chance to see Francisco Liriano, he will not be on the list, but I am hoping that when I do this list again let’s say in two months, he will be able to make my favorite Minnesota Twins Pitchers list. Drum roll, please…

Number one: Scott Baker

Number two: Livian Hernandez

Number three: Nick Blackburn

Twins Angels Series slump, Twins Royal series hump

After the remarkable home opener, I thought the Twins were going to split the Los Angeles Angels series for sure, but I was wrong and the Twins ended up losing the next three. Thankfully, the Kansas City Royals came to town and the Twins were able to win two out three. Had the Twins lost that series, I may have just quit blogging…or probably not, but I would have been a very unhappy Minnesota Twins fan. It was a busy week at the Metrodome with the Twins in town all week; I will be sad next week that they will be on the road.

Twins Angels Series tied at one apiece

The Minnesota Twins won their home opener in grand fashion and new Twins centerfielder Carlos Gomez made a statement with Twins fans and his new team. He is fast! Lightning fast! Gomez had a lead off double that for most guys would have only been a single and then his bunt had me on my feet! I couldn’t believe how quick he was and you would think in order to be that fast you would have to be small, but nooooo, he was big! Tall and quick, I heard his interview though after the game and I couldn’t understand a word he said! It was so funny. I will tell you one thing, Carlos Gomez will help sell Minnesota Twins Tickets and jerseys!

The Minnesota Twins were not so successful last night losing big time to the Angels 9-1. Let’s hope they can pull off a win tonight so they can still win the series. Let’s go Twins!

Minnesota Twins Opener and the snow

It’s finally here! It’s finally here! The Minnesota Twins home opener! The Los Angeles Anaheim Angels are in town and it’s a good thing we are still at the HHH Metrodome because the six inches of falling snow would for sure cancel the game in the new Twins open-air stadium.

There is a lot of talk on sports radio about how stupid Minnesota is for not putting a roof on their brand new multi-million dollar stadium and I for one have to agree. It always seems that Minnesota does everything the cheap way, not the right way. Let’s face it, this is Minnesota and there will be snow in March and April and lots of rain too. I am not looking forward to the nightmare of rescheduled games or of opening the season so late thanks to Minnesota weather. It just doesn’t seem right to have a stadium in the nations ice box without a roof. I am all for open air baseball, but come on, let’s put a retractable roof on the thing!

Twins Roster is all but set

Ron Gardenhire keeps telling the media that the Twins starting line-up is not set until opening day, but I think most Twins players and Twins fans knows who is starting where and when. The media has been all over the fact that Carlos Gomez will be the starting centerfielder and I am 99% certain that Nick Punto is out and Brendan Harris will be the Twins starting second baseman. Then there is shortstop Adam Everett and third baseman Mike Lamb that are all on the starting team and of course Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.

Back to the centerfield debate, I don’t think we have seen the last of Denard Span…mark my words, he will be back this year. This guy is ready for the big leagues.

Twins Joe Nathan Contract

The Minnesota Twins inked closer Joe Nathan to a four-year, $47 million contract with a $12.5 million team option, $2 million buyout, for 2012. The Twins tore up this year’s $6 million contract and Joe Nathan will now earn $11.25 million each year of the contract beginning this season. Wow! That’s a lot of dough, but he is one of the best in the league. Nathan’s deal is less than Mariano Rivera's record-breaking three-year, $45 million deal, but more than many other closers in the MLB.

"I think it's a good fit," Joe Nathan said. "Dave Pepe, my agent, has always
said this organization is right for you ... it seems like you belong here."

Many critics say that this big contract just makes Nathan more “tradable” but this Minnesota Twins fan thinks the Twins made the deal to keep one of the best closers in the American League on the roster. I look forward to seeing Joe Nathan at the Metrodome this season! His new contract makes me want to buy Twins Tickets!

Countdown to Twins Opener

I wish I was smart enough to put one of those fancy countdowns on this great Minnesota Twins blog, but I can never find the code I want. Google searches have indeed failed me – ha ha. The Minnesota Twins Opener is a mere 11 days away – 11! Does anyone know which Minnesota Twin will wear the number 11 jersey this year? Jason Pridie, poor Jason Pridie who didn’t even make the active twins roster.

Minnesota Twins Commercial

Ok, clearly the Minnesota Twins have a great ad agency because I just saw the new Minnesota Twins Pat Neshek commercial and it is clever! The commercial features Neshek at his hometown Park Center high and the gathered crowd only wants to know about Joe Mauer…does he smell nice? Mauers favorite cheese? One of the girls in the crowd has a heart with Joe Mauer and her picture inside. It is awesome. I laughed out loud. If you haven’t seen it on TV yet, be sure to watch it on the internet. It’s good Twins baseball humor.

Twins Centerfield Presidential Match-Up

The Pioneer Press did a cute Twins Centerfield story today, relating the competition to be the starting Twin centerfielder to the presidential race. Denard Span said he was John McCain, that cracked me up…I wonder if Carlos Gomez is Hilary Clinton then? And Jason Pridie is Obama?

Remind me of this post next November, Twins Fans, wouldn’t it be something if the 2008 Twins Star Centerfielder matched up with our next president? Sure the Pio thought of it first, but they don’t take it to the next level like I am, stating that whichever player gets the spot, then his corresponding presidential candidate will also get the spot. Hmmmm…OK, I know it is a little hokey, but I just wish I was in Florida for Twins Spring Training and not sitting at my computer hacking away at the Twins Centerfield headline.

Minnesota Twins Opening Day

Only 3 weeks until Minnesota Twins opening day! Only 3 weeks! Catch a homerun ball on the lower level home run porch for only $50 per ticket! Buy Minnesota Twins Los Angeles Angels Tickets today!

Carlos Gomez in Centerfield

Carlos Gomez is certain he is the man to make the difference in center field with the Minnesota Twins this year. I am sure that Denard Span will have something to say about that, but isn’t it nice to have a little friendly competition once in awhile? Gomez has the speed and the throwing arm to be in centerfield, but he also has a mega cocky attitude that this Twin fan could see getting in the way of his game. Gomez may want to turn it down a notch if he wants to get on the good side of the coaches and the other star players like Morneau and Mauer, I am not sure the Twins dugout could handle one more humungous ego! It will be an interesting Minnesota Twins season that is for sure! Let the games begin!

Francisco Liriano rumor

All of the papers and even this Minnesota Twins blog are certain that Francisco Liriano is going to be just fine and make a positive impact with the Minnesota Twins this year, but I heard a rumor from a reliable local sports guy that Liriano may not be up to par. Besides arriving late for Twins Spring Training, Liriano is 20lbs. over weight and has yet to throw a 90mph pitch. In fact the only person to attest to Liriano being able to throw 90mph after Tommy John surgery is his agent who “saw him do it in the Dominican Republic.” That rumor makes this Minnesota Twins fan nervous.

Well, Francisco Liriano will make his first Twins spring training start this Friday against the Boston Red Sox. My guess is Liriano will throw two to three innings, depending on his pitch count. Let’s hope we see some speed in those pitches!

Twins start Spring Training Games

The Twins take the field in their first Twins Spring Training game today. The Twins will take on the Cincinnati Reds at 1pm in Sarasota, Florida (about 90 minutes from Ft Myers). I hope our local news stations will cover the game and give us some live highlights tonight on the news. I am excited to see the Twins on the field actually playing a game and not just doing the electric slide shuffle on the field as a workout!

Any bets if I could make it to the game if I left right now? If I had a private jet, it would be close. You can still get Twins Tickets to the game online. If it were me, I would like to see the Twins Red Sox game this Saturday. Too bad I will be at Bloomington Jefferson judging high schoolers on their public speaking abilities. I think I will award extra speaker points to any speaker who mentions the Minnesota Twins or uses the word twin or baseball or even spring…because Twins Spring Training is where my body will wish to be!

Francisco Liriano in Ft Myers 2/27

Twins Pitcher Francisco Liriano finally made it to Twins Spring Training in Ft Myers, Florida…9 days late. Liriano cleared up his visa issues and strolled into camp. He is excited to get going and many Twins players, fans and the Twins coaches are eager to see what can do after being off for 16 months. This Minnesota Twins fan still has hope that Francisco Liriano can be the silver bullet this year for the Minnesota Twins, because like catcher Mike Redmond said, “…we need him. I mean, we NEED him. Bad”

Twins Spring Training

The Pioneer Press has the best Minnesota Twins Spring Training blog ever, I love this blog – check it out! If I can’t be there myself, then I guess I have to read about it (-:

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/

Francisco Liriano Status

Ok, this Minnesota Twins fan must be living in a fantasy world. I had visions of Francisco Liriano swooping in to save the day and that at the end of this season, every Twins fan would be saying, “Johan who?”

But I read over at the PP that Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire sees it differently. In fact after reading Gardenhires comments regarding Francisco Liriano, I am not sure I want to buy too many Twins Tickets if I can’t count on a solid pitching rotation. Perhaps I am just being too emotional and I should wait until the completion of Spring Training to make my verdict on this year’s Twins pitchers. Let’s also hope Francisco can stay sober enough to make it through the season – remember that DUI charge that's holding him up.

Twins centerfield position debate should be second to Twins Pitching

It seems every one is anxious to determine who is going to be the Minnesota Twins centerfielder, but this Minnesota Twins fan still thinks that decision should take a back seat to who is on the Minnesota Twins pitching rotation.

I have heard several reports that youngster Carlos Gomez really wants the position, but he will have to battle Denard Span and Jason Pridie at the least to get the center spot. Looking over the 40 man roster…there isn’t a single player on there who has ever played the centerfield position full time in the MLB…it could be an interesting year.

Carlos Gomez Fact: Gomez signed withe the Mets when he was 16...do you suppose they had any child labor law issues??? hmmmm....

Boof Bonser on my radar

When looking through my Minnesota Twins blog, I can see I wrote a number of posts about Twins pitcher Boof Bonser, either I loved him or I loathed him. He was on my fantasy team last year and it helped me a few times because he was a bit of a dark horse and he had a few solid showings, but overall the season was not stellar for Bonser. This year will probably be no different…in regards to my articles, I mean, and my fantasy team, but I would expect Boof Bonser to be a better and more consistent pitcher.

Bonser has lost 20 pounds, and better to look at is always just better in this Minnesota Twins fan book, and he seems more mature and dedicated to his career. He is setting goals of pitching 7 or 8 innings instead of just 4 or 5. I guess time will tell, but I am glad to have Boof Bonser on my team!

Minnesota Twins Spring Training

Minnesota Twins Spring training is finally here! Minnesota Twins Spring Training is finally here! Minnesota Twins Spring Training is finally here! Yes, I am excited. The countdown is officially over.

Twins Tickets for Sale

One of my buddies decided to buy a Twins season ticket package just to get his name on the priority list for the new Twins ballpark. He bought a pair of tickets in section 132 row 15. He bought the Gold Glove package which is a group of pretty good games including the Saturday June 28th match-up vs the Milwaukee Brewers which happens to be mini-Michael Cuddyer Wind-Up Walker night! I have sat in section 132 before and they are great seats. In fact, 132 and 133 are some of my favorite seats because you are right by the Twins dugout and you get great views of the Twins players warming up.

My buddy decided he wanted to get rid of some of the Twins tickets to help with the expense so he tried calling local ticket broker Ticket King. The Ticket King rep said they would pay face value for the Red Sox, Yankees or Brewers game, but that they weren’t interested in anything else at this time. I guess Twins ticket demand is down…do you suppose it is because the Twins lost two of their stars and Twins fans don’t remember that we still have the super stars of Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan? I am guessing that if the Twins come out of the gate and win a few in a row, Twins tickets will become a lot more valuable. Anyone care to comment?

Spring Training post-Santana era

The Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers will be reporting for their first workout less than a week away (report: Feb 17th, practice: Monday Feb 18th) in Ft Myers, Florida. It’s hard to believe that Minnesota Twins Spring Training is so close. In this Twins post-Santana era, all eyes will be on left-hander Francisco Liriano and his health and performance. He says he is 100% ready to go, but coming back from such a tough injury it is often difficult to maintain that 100%. The biggest question will be, can Francisco Liriano make it through the entire Twins season healthy and ready to take down batters on a whim?!?! Time will tell...

We will miss you Johan

There is no doubt in my mind that Minnesota Twins fans will miss their ace. I can’t help but remember another big Mets trade the Twins made with Frank Viola. That trade paid off big and ultimately led us to be the 1991 World Champions – remember Rick Aguilera? We couldn’t have done it without him

Here is a quote from Gardy about missing Johan:
"Absolutely, we're going to miss him," Ron Gardenhire said. "I wish him nothing but success. He's been a very, very good player for us, and a very good person and friend. Honestly, I can just say that I'm proud to have had an opportunity to manage him."

I wonder if this Minnesota Twins Tickets site will take Johan off the roster list any time soon? Do you suppose they will move him to a Twins Great? Nah!

The centerfield competition continues to heat up

The list of potential Minnesota Twins Centerfielders just keeps getting longer. With the Johan Santana trade complete, the Twins picked up 22 year old Carlos Gomez from the Mets. Gomez is expected to compete for the opening in center field left by Torii Hunter's departure, and could provide the team with an option for the leadoff spot. Hmmm…..

The centerfield competition continues to heat up

The list of potential Minnesota Twins Centerfielders just keeps getting longer. With the Johan Santana trade complete, the Twins picked up 22 year old Carlos Gomez from the Mets. Gomez is expected to compete for the opening in center field left by Torii Hunter's departure, and could provide the team with an option for the leadoff spot. Hmmm…..

Twins trade Santana

Well it is official; Johan Santana is no longer a Minnesota Twin. After passing his physical, Santana became an official member of the New York Mets. In exchange for Santana, the Twins acquired four prospects: outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-handers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra. The Mets and Santana agreed on a six-year contract that includes a guaranteed $137.5 million and features a seventh-year, $25 million vesting option for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout.

We have been talking about a potential Johan Santana trade for months and this Minnesota Twins fan is not sure the Twins made the best deal. I guess time will tell if the prospects will pan out. Santana's contract is the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history and his average annual salary of $22.5 million ranks second in baseball, trailing only Alex Rodriguez $27.5 million salary. Can you believe it? Santana and ARod in the same tax bracket!

The Twins offered up to as much as five years and $100 million to Santana, but he held out and it paid it off…big...I guess.

Twins Super Bowl Ad

Like millions of Americans, I was tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday. It was one of the best Super Bowls I have ever personally watched and I enjoyed the tight competition and the fact that the New York Giants came out victoriously. Way to go Eli! Every time the Giants looked spectacular and Eli Manning completed a laser sharp pass, I kept thinking to myself, my Minnesota Vikings beat them! I was waiting for Troy or someone to mention the fact that the Giants were embarrassed by a few teams this year, not just the Vikings in their trek to the Super Bowl, but in the end I guess the Giants got the last laugh.

Speaking of laughs, I got a little chuckle out of the Minnesota Twins Super Bowl ad. It was the first 2008 "This is Twins Territory" ad and was only shown locally. It was fun to see Justin and Joe and good ‘ol TK make an appearance in a Super Bowl ad! Way to hit the big time Twins!

Who will be Center Field for the Minnesota Twins

I think every major league baseball team needs an off season cover story and the Minnesota Twins have several. First of all, will Johan Santana stay or go and second who will fill the spot at center field now that Torii Hunter moved to the west coast.

The Twins have a couple of options at center field . . .Michael Cuddyer just signed a pricey contract and Gardy may slide him over to center field and try to get as much out of him as we can or Craig Monroe would like to point out that he has 77 big-league games at the position as well or perhaps the Twins will fill the hole with youngster Delmon Young – heck, let’s just put Joe Mauer out there for fun. It will be an interesting Twins Spring Training year with so many round players and square holes that need to be filled.

Put me in coach, I’m ready to play!

Twins Fest 2008

There has been so much in the news about the Minnesota Twins that I haven’t even written about Twins Fest yet! Did anyone think that the attendance numbers seemed a little low this year? I guess there was an official Twins Fest attendance number of 30,483 fans. It was the third-highest total in event history. Maybe it seemed like a smaller crowd because last year was so crowded and it was the first year that I ever went so I expected every year to be like that.

There were plenty of players, many of which I could never pick out of a line up…perhaps I am not a true fan or perhaps they need better cheat sheets when you enter. My favorite part about TwinsFest is seeing all the youngsters in their Twins garb with big teethy smiles. My least favorite part about TwinsFest was viewing the new Twins ballpark display and thinking how over budget we are and how I will refuse to go to a game when the weather is nothing less than ideal – I still say it’s not too late to add a retractable roof (-;

Francisco Liriano is ready

With all the talk about Johan Santana staying or going, we must not forget Francisco Liriano is ready to stay and ready to pitch. He says his arm is strong. The Pioneer Press did a story on Liriano on Sunday and I think it was a reminder to Twins fans that we still have this “ace in the hole.” The PP answered questions surrounding Liriano’s return:

His velocity? "It's back. The past two weeks, I was (at) 95, 94 (mph)"
His endurance? "I'm throwing bullpens the same length as before surgery. I'm in shape."
His pitch selection? "I'm throwing all my pitches now. Sliders, changeups, everything - no problem."

Let’s go Twins…Is it Spring yet?

Twins sign Morneau and Cuddyer for big bucks

Well, Minnesota Twins signing news is still on the front burner of Minnesota Twins news. Last Thursday, I wrote about how happy I was that my Justin Morneau jersey wouldn’t be going to waste and now I can rest assured it will last me at least six years (that’s a pretty solid investment, Twins fans)

Justin Morneau signed a Twins record deal last weekend agreeing to $80 million over six years –that is the longest and richest in club history. It appears the Twins dollar squeezing days may be over…do you suppose the Twins read this blog? I was just talking about the need to secure key players in order to win a pennant race and you can’t do that unless you are willing to open the checkbook.

The Twins also signed Michael Cuddyer for $24 million over the next three years. I personally think that is a bit much, but time will tell. The Twins originally offered him $4.7 for next year (do the math $14.1 over three years) I am not sure what inspired the Twins to ante up the $8 million a year especially since my sources told me Michael Cuddyer was only looking for 6.2 million next year (do the math $18.6 over three years), but apparently the Twins wanted him to sign.

Let’s hope these hot hitters can propel the Twins into a pennant race and gain some excitement for a team that will soon have a new home field and let's hope they can help sell some Twins Tickets!

Twins payroll on the rise

As with any baseball team that tries to keep its core members together, the Minnesota Twins payroll keeps escalating to a higher price. The Twins signed Justin Morneau, Juan Rincon and Jason Kubel, all arbitration eligible players, and all of them got raises.

>>>> Justin Morneau will play in 2008 for $7.4 million

>>>> Jason Kubel will play for $1.3 million (1 million dollar raise)

>>>> Juan Rincon will make $2.475 million (about a half million more than his previous $2 million contract)

I was happy to see Justin Morneau signed on the dotted line…I didn’t want my Justin Morneau jersey to go to waste!

Other Twins still negotiating:

> Relief pitcher Matt Guerrier asking for $1.15 million (Twins offer $750,000)
> Michael Cuddyer is seeking $6.2 million in 2008 (Twins offered $4.7 million)

Twins need Budget Balance for success

Finding quality young players that you don’t have to pay as much is a difficult business, but it has been a business that the Minnesota Twins have been good at over the last decade or so. Now that the Twins have seen success in recent years, the team is trying to keep its players together.

Spending on proven players is not always the best route to take in major league baseball, but a team can’t be good with a bunch of no-names. I think if the Twins can balance out re-signing their best players with scouting hot new talent they can be very competitive over the next couple of years.

Will Twins get Phil Hughes?

If Twins pitcher Johan Santana goes, the Minnesota Twins will most likely receive Phil Hughes in a trade from the New York Yankees. Hughes is a 21-year-old right-hander who would make a fantastic addition to any pitching staff in the majors. He was 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA last season with the Yankees. The "ace" of the Twins pitching staff come opening day is still very much in the air! Hughes even has his own web site - this youngster reminds me a bit of our own Pat Neshek...

Santana in Florida joins Liriano

Johan Santana has arrived in Fort Myers, Florida to start his spring training workouts, but he still isn’t sure whose uniform he will be wearing come April. The Minnesota Twins are getting back Francisco Liriano this season from Tommy John surgery, but will he be enough to replace a Santana-sized void in the pitching rotation?

For Now, Santana is still a Twin, but he rejected the Twins four year, $80 million contract extension offer, meaning he wants to go elsewhere. If the Twins start the season with a one-two punch of Santana and Liriano like they had in 2006, they might have a hot start out of the gate, something that hasn’t happened for the Twins in recent years. This years Twins Spring Training should be interesting.

Twins Spring Training

It’s hard to think that it was already a month ago that I brought up this years Twins Spring Training. The Twins Spring Training Schedule has been released and Twins fans everywhere are gearing up to buy tickets to the best games like the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Tickets go on sale through the Twins office this Saturday, but I know local ticket brokers like Ticket King already have tickets for sale. Once again, I won’t be going this year, but a girl can dream…palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze, warm sun highlighting my hair, the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees in my sites…oh, what a dream…

Read about another Twin Cities blogger talking about Twins Spring Training! Every one has the fever!

Twins Fest is this month

The Minnesota Twins annual festival, TwinsFest, is scheduled for Friday, January 25 through Sunday, January 27, 2008, at the Metrodome. TwinsFest is always a great time for Twins fans to see their favorite players up close. The Festival boasts that more than 50 current, former and future Twins players are expected to appear throughout the course of the weekend. I looked at the list and I have to admit there is at least a dozen names on there that I would not be able to pick out of a lineup (Nick Blackburn? Carmen Cali?)

Of course the Minnesota Twins will use the annual festival to pump us up about the new ballpark and try to sell us single game Twins tickets to home games.

Bert Blyleven's not going to the Hall

The Bert Blyleven quest to join the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will last at least another year. The National Baseball Hall of Fame election results were announced this afternoon, and for the 11th straight year, Blyleven did not receive enough votes for induction. He did, however, receive his highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes since making the list. He was picked on 61.9 percent of the ballots (336 votes), but he needs 75% to make the Hall.

In fact, only one player was chosen from the ballot by the 543 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. After nine years on the ballot, reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage received 85.8 percent (466 votes) to finally earn selection.

Other vote getters that I found interesting:
Jack Morris 233 42.9%
Mark McGwire 128 23.6%
David Justice 1 0.2%
Chuck Knoblauch 1 0.2%