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Aaron and John's last KFAN broadcast is live from the Minnesota State Fair. First they talk about the Twins slide, September callups and a report out of LA that the Dodgers pursued Justin Morneau this week. Then they are joined by Lindsay Guentzel who talks about the highlights and lowlights of living in the MLB Fan Cave, what it's like trying to build a career in media and why Aaron shouldn't lead with his hair on those first dates. Here are:

• the podcasts
• the rss feed

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Tonight The Voice of Reason™ and I went to a St. Paul Saints game. We soaked in a gorgeous Minnesota summer night, watched a bunch of kitsch and thoroughly enjoyed a game in which we had almost no emotional investment. Because it’s baseball. And it doesn’t last forever.

I hear Minnesota sports fans lauding the turning of the calendar page, anxious for football and the (albeit limited) hope new seasons bring. I’ll enjoy watching the Gophers and Vikings too. But I’m a baseball guy, and ...

Aaron and John talk about Brian Dozier's demotion to Triple-A, Nick Blackburn's ongoing awfulness, whether the Twins are collapsing down the stretch again, the latest "day-to-day" injury proving anything but, where and when Chris Parmelee will play, KFAN producer Ryan Donaldson's puking story, and preparing for the return to full-time podcasting. Here are:

• the podcasts
• the rss feed if you want to subscribe and
• the podcast on iTunes.

Terry Ryan says the Twins aren’t going to be able to buy themselves out of this funk they’re in. He’s absolutely right, especially when it comes to second base, where the Twins OPS ranks 29^th in the majors. Because there is almost nothing to buy.

The free agent market for middle infielders is often limited, but this year’s market for second basemen is especially sparse. I count one starter – Toronto’s Kelly Johnson. Johnson is 31 years old, has a 692 OPS ...

"Life's like a movie, write your own ending."

- The Magic Store from The Muppet Movie

~~~~~

It started with a decision in the spring of 1990. He asked her if their first date should be an afternoon at the Art Institute or a double-header at Wrigley Field.

"How is that even a call?" she replied.

The sun gleamed, the grass glowed underneath the ballplayers and the magical afternoon was made ...

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' odds of contending or rebuilding in 2013, where Chris Parmelee eventually fits into the lineup, exactly how bad Tsuyoshi Nishioka looked, whether Nick Blackburn should stick around with a 7.50 ERA, Liam Hendriks' and Brian Dozier's long-term outlook, which of them would make a worse Olympian, Bert Blyleven vs. Patrick Reusse, and why Gleeman won't go to Las Vegas with Bonnes. Here are:

• the podcasts
• the rss feed

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"We have holes. And some of it is pitching, and some of it is not. There are other areas we need to address."
- Terry Ryan as reported by Phil Mackey


The Twins rotation currently ranks 29^th in the majors in ERA and 28^th in innings pitched. But Ryan is right – they aren’t the only sore spot that will need to be addressed this offseason.

The decision to promote and play Tsuyoshi Nishioka at second base highlights one such area. The Twins rank 29^th in the ...

If The Twins Are Willing To Trade Morneau This Offseason, There Should Be Options

Last week, as the trade deadline approached, Justin Morneau was featured in the latest trade rumors. That made sense. First, Morneau had been productive and healthy. Second, Chris Parmelee is raking at first base in AAA but shut out in the majors. Finally, Morneau is still owed about $19M for the rest of this year and next. Moving him would give the Twins that much more money to spend on pitching this ...

Aaron and John talk about dumping Danny Valencia, bringing back Tsuyoshi Nishioka, what the trade deadline inactivity means, what can be done about the Twins' medical staff, John's new motorcycle, Alex Wimmers' elbow surgery, and a report about Miguel Sano and the Beloit prospects from special guest Seth Stohs. Here are:

• the podcasts
• the rss feed if you want to subscribe and
• the podcast on iTunes.

The trade deadline is a significant event in Twins Daily’s calendar and now that it’s over, I thought we might give an update on how the community is faring.

• We have 1923 registered users and 963 of them have contributed at least one post to the site.
• We have 2209 threads with 40,120 posts. Each month, the number of posts has been increasing by 24%.
• 133 members have tried blogging and produced 1342 posts.
• Over 150,000 unique visitors have stopped by the site since we

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Two weeks ago on Gleeman and the Geek, Aaron Gleeman and I argued about Francisco Liriano. In Liriano's previous outing he had struck out 15 batters but lost the game when he gave up a grand slam in the fourth inning. Aaron chaffed at the portrayal of Liriano as "mentally weak" while I felt that Liriano, at the very least, had trouble pulling himself out of a nosedive when he started struggling.

Anyone who listens to the podcast knows that Aaron and I arguing some perceived point into ...

Aaron and John talk about the Francisco Liriano trade, break down the prospects from the White Sox and the Twins' reasoning for the deal, get sad with Otis Redding, welcome back Danny Valencia, look ahead to potential other moves before the deadline, marvel at Lew Ford, update Alex Wimmers' health, and then John leaves and Aaron does a solo podcast with the help of Twitter questions. Here are:

• the podcasts
• the rss feed if you want to subscribe and
• the podcast on iTunes.

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Ten Things I HATE About The Liriano Trade

I started making a list of the top 10 things I hate about this trade for today’s Gleeman and the Geek podcast. I’m up to #28.

(Kill me. Or better yet, add on in the comments section.)

1. I hate that after waiting out the market so Liriano was the best remaining rental, the Twins traded him after his one terrible start in the last two months and less than 24 hours before a possible redeeming start.

2. I ...

Two big pitching trades have been made this week and several more have been close. With all that activity, could it be that Terry Ryan has missed his chance to maximize his return on Francisco Liriano?

I don’t think so, but I also doubt we’ll see a move soon.

Still Lots Of Interest
The Tigers acquired Anibal Sanchez on Monday and the Pirates traded for Wandy Rodriguez on Tuesday. Both are top notch pitchers that could be viewed as comparable (or better) than Liriano. ...