Bob Twins Fan Since 61

And so concludes my Golden Anniversary year.
Not the Golden Anniversary of my birth. I’m a little way past that. And not the Golden Anniversary of my wedding. We’re a little way short of that.
Rather, this past July 13 marked the Golden Anniversary of the Detroit Tigers beating the homestanding Kansas City Royals 8-3, in front of 25,834 fans. Woody Fryman was the winning pitcher, scattering 12 hits over nine innings. Future Hall of Famer and 3,000 Hit Club member Al Kaline was the only player in the Tiger lineup not to get a hit. By contrast, little-used left fielder Marv Lane had four of his career 37 hits that night. He also had his only career triple and both of his career stolen bases. For the Royals, Cookie Rojas plated both runs with an inside the park homer and Kurt Bevacqua and Hal McRae each had three hits.
As MLB games go, it was pretty routine. But it was anything but routine for the eight-year-old kid sitting in Aisle 119, Row JJ, Seat 4, attending his first-ever big league game.
How do I know there was a kid in that seat attending his first game? Because I still have the ticket stub.
 
To celebrate this Golden Anniversary, I did two things this summer. First, I decided to go to three specific games to celebrate. I went solo to each of the three, which also provided time for reflection, as I thought baseball memories on the drive to and from.
The first game was at new Comiskey in Chicago. Or call it U.S. Cellular, Guaranteed Rate, whatever. I chose new Comiskey because for a long time, that was where I went to games most often, often catching the Twins when they were in town.
Ironically, I was standing a dozen or so rows back in the left field bleacher during batting practice, watching others clamor for balls hit into the stands. Some Twin staffer grabbed a ball and looked up in the stands. I suppose because I was one of the few people wearing a Twins shirt, he pointed at me and threw it in my direction. When I was a kid, I would have died for that to happen.
 
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A second game was at Target Field, where I probably get to games most often these days.
When by myself, I normally just get a cheap ticket and move down to an open seat over the course of the game. This time I actually found a $25 ticket for a seat in the Thrivent Deck.  That got me a padded seat, extra concession stands (with shorter lines and more food options), a concourse with greater access to restrooms and the like and the opportunity to wander through a Hall of Fame of sorts, with memorabilia ranging from Harmon Killebrew’s high school basketball uniform to the gear Joe Mauer wore for his emotional one-pitch return to the catcher spot in the final inning of his final game and lots of other stuff.
That game was topped off by crossing paths with my all-time favorite player as I was leaving. Tony Oliva is a regular at Twins games and was gracious enough to pause for a picture.
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The game I particularly looked forward to was at Royal (now called Kauffman) Stadium. My first hope in looking at the schedule was to go on July 13, but the Royals were on the road. However, I was able to go on July 24.
And here’s where it got extra cool. I wanted to recreate a picture from as close as possible to my seat from 50 years ago. When I looked for tickets, however, I discovered that the sections had been renumbered, so Section 119 was at a different location than it was in 1974.
I found an email address and sent a message to the fan relations office, asking if they had a seat map from 1974, explaining why I was looking for it. A couple days later, one of their people sent a map with the old seat numbers. He even went further, going out to take several pictures from the seat in question and sending them to me. It was indeed the general angle I remembered. When I searched for a ticket near the seat in question, I was able to find one a row behind and a seat to the side, essentially a checkerboard move from one seat to the other.
Then, the person in “my” seat went out to the concession stand just before the game started. I’d struck up a conversation with the family in that row, so I asked to hop into that seat for the opening pitch, taking things up a level. The glove is the one I had taken to the game so many years ago. The Marty Pattin autograph has long worn off.
A couple days after my first email exchange, the Royals took it even another step further in their customer relations. A department manager wrote to ask which game I would be attending and where I would be sitting, saying they wanted to bring me a gift to commemorate the day.
 
Midway through the game, what was probably an intern stopped by with a bag of goodies. She had bags to stop by other seats as well, but they had obviously raided the stash of leftover promotional items. For example, I got bobblehead was from a 2023 giveaway and the cap was what they had given to 2019 season-ticket holders. The picture frame was from when they hosted the All-Star Game in 2012. 
The best gift, however, was the t-shirt given away in 2018 to celebrate radio announcer Denny Matthews’ 50th year of broadcasting, but I’m choosing to see the 50 emblem as my own commemoration of 50 years. It’s fitting to have a broadcaster’s mic as well, since my love of baseball was incubated by listening to Twins on WHO-Des Moines.
 
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The second thing I did was put together a list of at least 50 things or memories that capture and reflect the joy I’ve experienced following baseball. Not surprisingly, I blew past that number in a short time, so I consolidated a few on the list that follows.
 
I’d welcome your commenting on any that resonate for you. Or that seem goofy enough to ask about.

1. Going to my first game in Kansas City. Dad and Mom weren’t baseball fans, but we were visiting my uncle in Kansas City, who got us the tickets.
2. Throwing a tennis ball against the side of the house for hours on end, playing imaginary games that always had the Twins winning.
3. Looking forward to Baseball Digest coming in the mail each month. Hoping each Christmas morning that one of my siblings would again renew the subscription as my present.
4. Winning the daily trivia contest on a local radio station several dozen times over a few years, getting two tickets to minor league games in Cedar Rapids each time. Cashing in the voucher for our box seat tickets, going down the steps to the concourse and then back up the steps to the seats, sometimes after turning right in the concourse to the souvenir stand, where a quarter could get the previous week’s copy of The Sporting News.
5. Going to the Rod Carew Game, a 19-12 Twins win over the White Sox in 1977, the year Carew flirted with .400 for much of the year.
6. Wearing the yellow t-shirt with my red Toughskin® jeans during Pee-Wee baseball and then the green pinstriped uniforms for Little League.
7. Being the bat boy for my brother-in-law’s slow pitch softball team, with my own team shirt with my name on the back.
8. Tying my bat on to my bike with baler twine and hooking my glove over the handlebar as I headed off to Vacation Bible School. I enjoyed the stuff we learned, but I have to acknowledge that the softball games before and after were bigger highlights.
9. My parents letting me drive six hours to a baseball game in Minnesota on my own, with my best friend and his brother. I don’t remember which summer it was and whether we were still in high school or had graduated. Going to a game while visiting the future Mrs. IT near the end of her year at Northwestern College in nearby Roseville.
10. Freezing our butts off on my first trip to Wrigley, during a May Term during college. I mean, it’s May at Wrigley — how could it not be shorts weather?
11. The community at Twins Daily, the best fan site there is for following the Twins. For being an online site, it has amazingly civil discussion (most of the time).
12. Playing fantasy baseball for 27 seasons. I don’t think I’ve finished last yet, but I haven’t won 24 of those years.
13. Going to a game with a dear friend, a loan officer, and talking just enough about his credit union so he could write it off as a business expense. Going to lunch with him just over 20 years ago to plan a weekend trip to St. Louis, Kansas City, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Wrigley, but having him not being able to go after he died so unexpectedly just a few weeks later. Taking a glove and ball to his grave when his Cubs made the World Series in 2016.
14. Not sure where to start in the list of memories related to IT Junior. Starting with teaching him the alphabet by saying that “A is for Aaron, B is for Bostock, C is for Carew,” we’ve covered a whole lot of geekiness since then.
15. Lots of memories with younger son (IT Sophomore?), including the joy of being one of his Little League coaches and sitting on a bucket as his catcher while he practiced pitching. I never caught a single inning in Pee Wee or Little League, but it was so much fun to have my own catcher’s mitt to use with him.
16. Weather — Blistering hot in St. Louis in July while taking the boys to their MLB first game at ages 6 and 3. Getting drenched during a rain delay in St. Louis on a later trip, using the giveaway insulated cooler as our “umbrella.” Blistering hot on a Saturday afternoon at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Freezing cold on a spring break trip to Chicago. Sweltering in the back of the upper deck at Wrigley. Lasting through a rain delay on a Sunday evening Twins blowout at Tiger Stadium, where the game ended with only about 100 fans in the entire outfield.
17. Ballpark nachos.
18. Served in a plastic helmet. Pretty sure that studies have shown that food is about 20 percent better when served in a plastic helmet.
19. Speaking of plastic helmets, collecting them as a high school student, wearing them all the time. I’m still not sure why they didn’t become a fashion trend.
20. Playing slow pitch softball in Iowa and Indiana, along with fast pitch in Indiana. Wow, did I stink at the latter.
21. Visiting all 30 major league stadiums. Redoing it when new stadiums opened in Atlanta and Texas. I’ve also been to 15 stadiums that have been closed. Haven’t decided how I’ll handle Sacramento next year. I’d have to count, but it’s probably about 20 minor league parks.
22. And lest 45 MLB parks seem impressive, what’s even more impressive is that Mrs. IT has been to 23 of the 30 current stadiums and a bunch of the closed ones! She doesn’t even like baseball, but it’s just one more reason why she’s a saint.
23. Putting together picture frames of pictures from all the parks, both for my office and for our home.
24. The 1987 World Series, with the Twins winning their first world championship.
25. The 1991 World Series, when the Twins won again.
26. Going to the public library to check out biographies and history books, particularly during oats combining season, when I would check out a dozen or so to read in the field while I waited for Dad to fill the hopper and be ready to dump in the wagon I was pulling. A lot of the biographies were from the adult section, and they used naughty words my parents wouldn’t have approved of.
27. Only realizing much later how much my thoughts about race were shaped by the biographies of Black and Latin players I read as a child, as they described the discrimination they faced, particularly in the minors.
28. All the Matt Christopher books I checked out from my elementary school library. And the My Secrets of Playing Baseball book by Willie Mays probably had my name on the card a dozen times.
29. Coming from school in the fall of 1973, checking the newspaper each day to see if Hank Aaron had hit another homer as he chased Babe Ruth’s record. Trying to figure out what the four columns of numbers in the box score stood for. Trying to figure out abbreviated names like “Ystrzski.”
30. Getting hooked on folk singer John McCutcheon’s music, particularly when I found there is actually someone writing intelligent songs about baseball. And then he did an entire album of baseball songs. And entire concerts of baseball songs. And I even contributed in a tiny way to his most recent song.

The Hammer - April 8, 2024.mp4 31. Listening to as many Twins games as I could as a kid, including late night games from the west coast, all on WHO-Des Moines. Getting rebooked on baseball on the radio by listening to games on MLB Audio these days.
32. Going to the Baseball Hall of Fame several times, including for Kirby Puckett’s induction. Going to an induction for what will probably be the last time when Tony Oliva was inducted. Going to a bunch of other museums as well. The best of the others is the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, but there’s also been ones for Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Bob Feller (sort of — it’s now closed).
33. Developing a friendship with an MLB player, bringing him to church twice as a youth group fundraiser. Learning more about the business side of the game from the unique perspective he provides.
34. Field of Dreams, The Natural, Bull Durham, The Sandlot, Trouble with the Curve, Moneyball, A League of Their Own and all the great baseball movies I’ve seen. Putting together an All-Star team of movie characters — Billy Chapel on the mound, Roy Hobbs in right, Crash Davis behind the plate, etc. 
 
35. Seeing Twins minor leaguer Royce Lewis interact compassionately with a bat boy with Down Syndrome. Total class.
36. The amazing speed of Byron Buxton. Joe Nathan doing his horse-like, “Pbbbbbt,” as he stood on the mound and prepared to throw a pitch.
37. All the players who gave autographs to my sons throughout the years. I always thought Nathan set the tone with Twins relief pitchers. If the leader of the pen was so willing to sign, how could the others not do the same?
38. Baseball cards — getting introduced to them by getting a pack from my brother. A pack with a Rod Carew, no less. Collecting them as a kid. Spreading them all over the floor with my best friend. Getting gifted my brother-in-law’s cards one year for Christmas. Best Christmas present ever! Knowing I traded away several Nolan Ryan and Reggie Jackson rookie cards over the years. Eventually completing the 1976 and 1979 sets, two years when I was particularly active. Recently completing a run of all of Tony Oliva’s cards, making a display in my home office.
39. Having a work travel schedule at several employers that have lent themselves to being able to tag a bunch of games on to work trips.
40. Going to the Field of Dreams movie site several times, playing catch with IT Sophomore, but also with a bunch of people I’ll never know.
41. Baseball-reference.com. Enough said.
42. Going to the Society for American Baseball Research annual conference. Twice.
43. Ballparks — practically the only time I eat peanuts in the shell. Other than when I go to Five Guys.
44. Touring a bunch of parks over the years, including standing atop the Green Monster.
45. Covering plenty of games as a newspaper reporter or sports information director, including games in several minor league parks and a couple of states and games with a future NFL player. Interviewing a couple of major leaguers who were on minor league rehab assignments.
46. Getting to throw out the first pitch at a high school game, to the young man in my church who I serve as a mentor for.
47. Keeping score. Seeing the passion IT Junior has for doing the same. Occasionally sending scoring questions to Stew Thornley, whom I’ve gotten to know through a unique set of circumstances.
48. Having the goofy dream of retiring to Rochester, Minn., spending my evenings selling Diet Coke in the bleachers at Target Field. Probably won’t happen.
49. Having baseball as part of my end-of-life plan. Seriously. I’ve told Mrs. IT and the boys that baseball enjoyment is one of my measures of incapacity. If there’s no likelihood that I’ll ever be able to sense/experience a baseball again, that’s one indicator that it’s okay to pull the plug.
50. When asked how she feels about going to all these games, hearing Mrs. IT say, “I don’t like baseball, but I like some people who like baseball.” See saint reference above. That statement has taught me so much about marriage.
 
(If you’ve made it through all this, thanks for indulging me.)
 

There's a lot of discussion around Willi Castro and whether the Twins will pay up an estimated $6.2M via arbitration to keep him around next year. People are coming down on both sides, and really anyone could be right. I see 3 scenarios where the Castro decision shows which way the team will decide to construct next year's roster. Take a break from the Dodgers crushing the Yankees (we'll see how that statement ages), and take a walk with me...
Scenario 1 - Joe Pohlad finds his wallet
In this scenario, Derek Falvey gets approval to slightly improve the payroll number to north of $130M. Despite Castro's stature as a utility man, Falvey recognizes his value is greater to the Twins than a lot of teams due to his ability to play a number of positions decently and he remembers in most games to bring his bat. Maybe he's a more consistent version of Nick Punto, after all. $6M for a 3 WAR player doesn't seem so bad, and Falvey can perhaps get creative with other moves to find bullpen help, a first baseman, and a starter who's not considered a reclamation project. I'm not sure how to describe the probability of this scenario, but it seems plausible but not likely.
Scenario 2 - Youth movement
This time, the family believes the easiest path to selling the Twins is to pare down the team payroll (and possibly other areas). There's no way Castro stays in this scenario, and the Twins also seek to deal Lopez, Vasquez and Correa (who I hope says "no"). Even in this scenario, they probably don't deal Buxton in order to stave off a complete fan revolt. Kepler and the other free agents get the front office's best wishes and not much more, and the Twins start the year with some well-known prospects like Brooks Lee, Austin Martin, Emmanuel Rodriguez and probably a couple of surprises on the roster. They would be fun to watch, but some of the more learned fans will find themselves going to more Saints games to see a more competitive team. I really hope this doesn't happen, and I'm afraid it might.
Scenario 3 - Falvey's sleeve and the tricks they hold
Maybe the salary range is a little higher. Or lower. But Derek Falvey does something or maybe a few somethings to create some flexibility. One of those might be offering Willi Castro a 3 year deal. No idea what that would look like...maybe $12M to lower his annual value to $4M? Maybe finding a trade partner for Vasquez for a little more relief? If they decide to roll with Jeffers and Camargo at catcher, maybe Falvey finds a left-handed starter? A power hitting first baseman? The possibilities aren't exactly endless, but I can almost guarantee he'll do something that isn't on anyone's radar. I think this scenario may be the most likely, but we're talking about like a 40/30/30 split.
I always love the roster construction exercise with the uncertainty and the number of paths that we as a fanbase will describe, deconstruct, argue about, and propose alternatives. While cheering the Twins on in the World Series would be a better use of our time in October, we are where we are...reading the tea leaves and dreaming of spring training. 

The Twins came into the offseason with very few needs as a whole.  They were set to lose Gray and Maeda and Mahle to free agency.  This was planned in advance with Lopez extension and the return of Paddack with his extension and the development of Varland.  To get into the season the Twins felt that they needed at least 1 depth starter to make it to at least the trade deadline where they could trade for the pitcher, they need for the post season run.  That is how I view what has happened so far anyways.  The cable deal won't be approved by the bk courts till the summer is what I am hearing and hopefully in time for the trade deadline.  
The Twins traded Polanco for 2 prospects including a top 100 (#79) on mlb.com top 100 prospects and a pitcher the Twins were interested in drafting.  (this is a trend where the Twins like to acquire players they wanted to draft, Pearson and Banuelos are two of them) They also got a middle reliever and a back of the rotation starter and 8 million to pay his salary down to the Bundy level.  Now the Twins have 6 starters they feel they can rely on to start the season.  They have coverage for when one of them gets injured. And the rotation is now set for going into the season.  They also freed up the blockage of players in the middle IF so Julien and Lewis get all of the playing time they can stand, and Farmer is there as a backup.  Lee is waiting in the wings for his opportunity.  and the middle IF is now set.
The Twins freed up just enough payroll space to sign Carlos Santana to a 1 year 5.25 million deal.  This is a solid depth move in that he is a good defensive 1B and he is a solid if unspectacular hitter.  He is a prototypical Twins hitter in the mold of a 20 HR hitter with 80 RBI potential and the Twins like to fill their lineup with these types of hitters because of their lower cost but with a full line up of hitters like this the lineup becomes stacked and that's how they remain a top 5 in the league offense year after year.  He also hits LHP well and is a switch hitter and can fill in as a DH as well.  lots of subtlety improvements and benefits with this signing.  (I still prefer JD Martinez) but Santana is an upgrade and if Miranda tears the cover off the ball and forces his way into Santana's role, we can trade Santana easily enough as well.  
For the bullpen we went into the offseason knowing that we were going to lose Pagan.  The rest of the bullpen seemed fairly settled.  I was wrong.  The Twins traded for Topa, signed Staumont and Jackson to Major League deals and claimed 50 relievers off of waivers....  ok maybe not 50 but several and I will probably miss some if i label them here but here goes.  Alexy, Jepsen, Duarte and ......  so now the bullpen should be done as well as we should have lots of depth as we will likely need some innings from most of these guys at some point this coming season.  
That brings us to the OF.  the Twins have said they want to bring in an OF to back up CF.  I guess they do not want Castro or Gordon doing that or Martin either.  I imagine that if Taylor is affordable enough the Twins could bring him back and have extra depth there.  That would complete the depth for our team where we would have a solid enough replacement at every position on the team.  
This brings us to the last piece of the puzzle.  The Twins have said that the budget would be an issue this offseason.  As a result, the Twins did not go out and get the ace level starting pitcher.  We did bolster our prospect depth and there is a cable deal in place to be approved by the bk court.  I think when that happens the Twins will look to acquire a top of the rotation pitcher for the post season run.  
Overall, the Twins didn't have many needs for the offseason and the big one (getting a Gray replacement) didn't happen.  It feels like a failure of an offseason, but the depth is there.  The Twins have succeeded in adding solid depth.   There is still offseason left to sign (Taylor) or 4th OF who can start in CF.  And there is still the possibility of the Twins trading for that top of rotation starter, if not in the offseason, then at the trade deadline.  Having this flexibility leaves me to say that this offseason is a B- with the possibility of an A or A+ when they get that top of rotation arm.  
How do you feel about the Twins offseason so far?  How do you feel about my critique of the Twins offseason?  Please let me know.  

The last weekend of January can be brutal for Twins fans and Minnesotans alike. Brutally cold weather, losing sports teams, general malaise and seasonal depression just to name a few. But it also means Twinsfest Live, Diamond Awards and the granddaddy of them all: Twinsfest. 
Reduced down to just a single day for autographs, Twins fans nevertheless came out in droves after a successful 2023 season that saw the end of The Streak (no, not a repeat of Brock beating Taker, and that still wasn't the right choice imo, but I digress). Yes, the Twins have now officially won a playoff GAME (two in fact) the last 2 decades. 
Twins fans came out in droves, in fact it was announced Friday night that Twinsfest Saturday was sold out! 
I attended Twinsfest Autograph Saturday and here are some of my personal takeaways, as always, feel free to comment below!
1. Twins fans are just as excited as ever: Winning playoff games will do that to a fanbase. But it wasn't just that, it was the team they put on the field. I spoke to many people who were just as excited to meet Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan as they were Rod Carew or Kent Hrbek. Winning is contagious and this fan base has been waiting so long for post season success. The fans showed up on Saturday, now its up to the team to show up again in October. 
2. Royce Lewis is by far the MOST popular player on the roster. His line for Autographs was insanely long. He started signing at 3:15 and fans were lined up at 11:30 to get his autograph. He was a busy man and never took the smile off his face. Every fan I talked to said he was the player they were most looking forward to saying hi to or seeing play next year. When I yell you he's as exciting as Kirby was in his heyday, it's true. Now, with some success (and Twins history) under his belt, it's time for him to take the reigns and become the undisputed fave of the franchise. 
3. Byron Buxton is healthy and ready, that should excite fans. Buxton is the most divisive Twins player since Joe Mauer(not including Miguel Sano). Fans either love him or hate him, there's no in between. He's either an All Star caliber player that makes tough plays look easy, or he's an often injured soft bum whose collecting a paycheck. Wherever you lie on that scope, know this: Byron is ready. He hasn't been this ready for a while. I asked him on Saturday while going through his autograph line when we might see him back in the field and how he's feeling, and he said "I feel great, hopefully in the field on Opening day". That is music to this fans ears. Buxton makes the lineup better. You can't teach his speed and given the Twins haven't (and likely wont) re sign Michael A Taylor, who was his backup last year, a healthy Buxton is required for a deep playoff run. 
4. Players are excited about this year's team. Almost to a man, every player I spoke to briefly and asked how they were feeling about the 2024 season said something similar: "Excited" "Can't wait" "Build on last year". This team has, in my opinion, a perfect mix of veterans (Buxton, Correa, and Pablo Lopez) combined with younger players still looking for sustainable success/consistency or looking to take a step forward and build from 2023 (Ober, Wallner, Julien, Lewis). This is a mix the Twins haven't had in years, it showed last October and hopefully will again this year.
5. Joe Mauer is still a beloved figure, and a first ballot Hall of Famer. That's right, whether it's old school Twins fans who dont understand concussions and what exactly "bi lateral leg weakness" is, young fans to whom he's just a name in team history, to fans in their 30s and 40s like myself who saw his entire career, Mauer is as popular as ever. You can debate the first ballot thing, but you can't say that he isn't popular. He was signing at 9:15 on Saturday morning and my wife was in line at 9:02 (just after the doors opened) and she said there was already 150 people in his line. Hometown player, entire career with the Twins, Twins Hall of Fame and now the MLB HOF, he is without a doubt, the most popular Twins player, since Kirby Puckett. He helped the Twins stay relevant and was often the face of the franchise as a Catcher. I've always been a fan and always will be. Congrats on your incredibly well deserved induction, Joe! 
(Side note: I talked to people who said the Mauer line stretched out the room, down the hall and around the corner, roughly 400+ people)
Final Takeaways: Twins fans and players alike are excited for 2024. The players I spoke to (albeit briefly) all mentioned how much fun last year was and how they want more of that success in October, and the players feel like the team is built for it. In my opinion, it's going to come down to two big keys (health, as always; and growth). If they stay healthy and Lewis, Julien and Wallner continue to improve, they will make a deep October run, and then maybe next year, Twinsfest will go back to Two days for autographs. 

I have speculated that if the Twins acquire a starting pitcher, he won’t clearly be seen as a top 50 or 60 starter. I would think the guy will be either unproven, an injury risk or coming off a disappointing or unproductive season. Further, I think most teams are placing a high price on pitching, particularly guys under team control.
Teams that have no real hope of contending should be a little more willing to part with starters under team control because by the time they expect to contend, guys in the majors will have moved on. In addition, bad teams might have pitchers whose stats look worse because they are playing for a bad team. Maybe a bad bullpen allowing lots of inherited runners to score, perhaps bad defense behind him or instances where the manager had no choice but to let a team put up crooked numbers because there was nobody available in the bullpen.
There were four 100-loss teams in 2023. Two of them were in the AL Central and thus would be unlikely to deal with the Twins. The other two teams are Oakland and Colorado. In exploring the pitching staffs for those two teams, my first thought was ugh!, there just isn't anything there. However, in looking a little deeper, I found one guy from each staff to consider. From Colorado, Austin Gomber was 29 last year and pitched 139 innings, he is a lefty, something I think the Twins would like to have in their rotation. In looking at Gomber's home-road splits, he compiled a 3.68 ERA on the road, away from Coors Field. I don't know anything about his injury history, but acquiring the road Austin Gomber for prospects might be something to consider. It appears that Coors messes with a lot of pitchers' heads and adjustments made in the high altitude diminish effectiveness when the pitcher is at a normal altitude. 
From Oakland, I nominate JP Sears. Similar to Gomber, he is a lefty in his late 20s. He worked over 170 innings last year and while his numbers weren't good overall, he seems to have worn down over the course of the year and perhaps the wearing down was exacerbated by being on a terrible team. His first half ERA was 3.97 with a 1.044 WHIP. and over 8 Ks per nine innings pitched. The walks and hits soared in the second half, so I will speculate he did wear out. He's not a big guy--5'11"180 lbs.--and this was his first full year of the major leagues. Also, I have to suspect that his manager was forced to work him longer in games because of the rest of the pitching staff being pretty awful. The coming season might allow Sears to handle additional work better and the Twins probably would be better suited to conserve his innings pitched. 
I know very little about either pitcher mentioned other than a quick look at BBRef. For all I know, either or both could already be scheduled for major surgery, but I do think looking for an undervalued asset on a bad team is one way to get value. 

Growing up in the 1950’s was so different for those of us who loved to play baseball. Today you can drive past a ball field during the summer and find it empty. With us we needed to rise early in the morning, have a quick breakfast and ride our bikes to the closest field hoping to be there before another group staked its claim. And besides bringing your baseball equipment, you needed to have a lunch with you. If you didn’t eat lunch at the field you took a chance that the field wouldn't be empty when you returned.
Of course our equipment was different. My glove was a Rawlings John Groth model (outfielder for the Tigers). The glove was small and the web was barely large enough to contain the ball. Only the catcher and first baseman had the "big gloves."
The ball we used was probably coming unstitched and was dark and dirty. If the stitching was too far gone, the ball was covered in electrical tape, normally the shiny kind.
Lastly, we probably only had one or two bats between us and in most cases the bat was probably broken and was held together with either a nail in the bat, or more electrical tape (the non-shiny type acted as a nice grip).  Batting gloves were not thought of at this time, and would have been perceived as unmanly.
We didn’t need adults to organize us, and we didn’t need rides to get to the field.
Most of us played Little League, but usually we were all on different teams. The good players make the “majors” at 10 years old, the lesser at 11 or 12 (12 year olds were not allowed to play in the “minors”).
Our Little League uniforms had been used for a number of years and the knees on our pants probably had a patch or two on them. The shirt and pants were made of flannel, so they lasted for many years, but during the heat of the summer, they were really hot. Our hats and stirrups were made of wool and the stirrups usually needed an elastic at the top of them to stop them from drooping every time you ran.
We had batting helmets, but they were not really helmets, but earmuffs. They were made of leather and came in a couple of sizes.
But baseball was king. There was no organized football for us and very few options for playing basketball. Most football was one or two hand touch and played in the street. Living on a quiet street was a huge plus because you wouldn’t have to keep stopping the game to let cars pass. Basketball rims were at the playground, but many of us hung a basket from our garage and played in our driveway.
Most of us collected and traded baseball cards.
Buying cards was convenient. During the school year, we would walk past two stores near our school that sold baseball cards and penny candy. During the summer our neighborhood was serviced by a traveling store. The vehicle was about the size of a self-contained RV and was like a convenience store on wheels. It came by 3 days a week, and always stopped in our neighborhood, because most of our families were Italian and we had to have Italian bread with our supper.
You could buy cards two ways, for one cent you could buy a pack with one card in it, and for five cents the pack would contain 6 cards.
There was no such strategy of collecting stars. Your goal was to have a complete set, and if you needed to trade a star for one of your missing commons, you’d do it.
Of course we all had a favorite team. Living in Rhode Island there were two options: you rooted for the Red Sox and hated the Yankees, or you rooted for the Yankees and hated the Red Sox. A lot of friends started out as Red Sox fans, but changed their allegiance because the Yankees always won and the Red Sox never did. I would collect and hoard Red Sox players and draw beards and mustaches on Yankee players. I can’t image how many Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra cards I had were ruined because of beards.
Cards were for collecting and making complete sets.
Doubles and triples were used for pitching. Pitching cards was a school yard activity. You would take your extras to school and either at recess or after lunch you’d find an empty area with a wall. Because you were pitching these cards against a wall, there were no cards in mint condition. They all had rounded edges from colliding with a wall, or have creases because you bent the card as you were picking them up off the ground (usually cement or asphalt).
We played three different games and who ever won the previous game would pick the game. The first game was “farzees (pronounced far zees)”. The game was not limited to one player against another, you could put together as large a group as you could find. With farzees you would pitch your card (one toss per player) and the person who’s card stopped closest to the wall would win all the cards. On occasion the card would stand up. A standing card would beat any other card that was tossed.
The second game was “standeez (pronouced stand eez)”. With standeez the person choosing the game would stand a card up against the wall. It would be at about a 30 degree angle. The game would end when someone tossed their card and it knocked the standing card down to the ground. If you knocked the card down, you would win all of the cards that had been tossed up to that point.  Baseball cards were severely damaged in this game. You never wanted to hit the standing card and not knock it down because you didn't toss your card hard enough.
The last game was “topzees (pronouced top zees)”. With topzees the person choosing the game would pitch a card out in the playing area, trying to keep it away from any wall. The winner of the game was the person who would toss their card and it would land on top of any of the cards already on the ground. It didn’t have to cover a lot of the card, just some part of it. The winner would pick up all of the cards that had already been tossed.
Because most of us “pitched” cards, finding cards from the 50’s or early 60’s rarely came in mint or excellent condition. We never anticipated that our cards would ever be worth anything and that the stars would be worth more than the common.  We loved our cards because they were play things, never investments.
Please feel free to leave comments on this article, especially if you are at an age where you may have pitched cards also.
My blog will try to recreate loving the game of baseball and what it was like playing and watching the game in the 50’s and 60’s.
 
 

Career against left handed pitchers  BA - .262; OPB - .328; SLG - .449; OPS - .777.  This year has been worse as expected. He can play 1B, OF and DH.  Mancini's fielding is not as good as Gallo's but he would be an extremely low cost, RH hitter. Mancini, a survivor of colon cancer, was one of the first to reach out to Liam Hendricks, when Hendricks was diagnosed with cancer. A classy move.  

The boys of summer are back. And with them comes every baseball fan’s urge to soak in the sun in one of the many beautiful ballparks around the continent (couldn’t leave you out, Toronto). With temperatures rising, summer vacation approaching, and unused PTO sitting and waiting to be burned, it’s the perfect time to plan a stadium tour. Baseball stadiums are undoubtedly the crown jewel of American sports venues: the expansive green grass, quirky outfields, skylines, and geographical landmarks are just parts of what make these American sports cathedrals magnificent and charming.

Not all ballparks are created equal, however: some need to be renovated, some should be burned, and some will go down in history as great American landmarks. Let’s put these parks in their place. 
 
30. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay Rays
Let’s just get this one out of the way. The worst place on earth to play any sport.
 
29. RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland Athletics
There’s a reason that there has been talk of moving the A’s out of Oakland. They play baseball in a football stadium that is no longer home to a football team. 
 
28. Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays
Slightly better than Oakland and Tampa simply because there’s a view of the CN Tower from the 3rd-base line. Everything else about it is forgettable. Points for having a completely symmetrical outfield?
 
27. American Family Field, Milwaukee Brewers
You’ll notice a trend: retractable roofs and indoor stadiums will suffer on this list. Formerly known as Miller Park, this ballpark looks more like a corporate building. Not much to write home about. The best part is probably the left-field slide that Bernie Brewer slides down after a Brewers home run. 
 
26. LoanDepot Park, Miami Marlins
What is the statue thing in left-center field? It’s cool and big, but this place looks like it was built to be a Miami hangout spot rather than a place to watch baseball. 
 
25. Globe Life Field, Texas Rangers
They built a stadium with a retractable roof and artificial turf in Arlington because it got so damn hot in the summer time that it was borderline dangerous to play and watch baseball in the Texas sun. At that point it’s probably just time to move the team. 
 
24. Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros
Don’t be fooled by the team’s recent success as a measuring stick for the ballpark’s charm. The train tracks in left field are cute. But from the Chick-fil-a signs on the foul poles, indoor-feel (even with the roof open), and train-depot aesthetic, it’s just kinda meh. 
 
23. Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers
It’s the 8th wonder of the world that Miguel Cabrera hit 500 home runs while playing primarily in this massive ballpark. The view is subpar, unless you like industrial buildings; and the cars out in center field are a little awkward. As if they need to remind you that you’re in the Motor City. 
 
22. Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks
It has a beautiful feel to it, despite its stuffy, indoor nature. The contrasted, striped grass is fresh, and it has the perfect antidote to that desert sun: the right-center field pool. 
 
21. Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago White Sox
It’s an average ballpark with nothing special about it. A fine place for a ball game. I have always wondered what those candy cane things are out in center field. 
 
20. Nationals Park, Washington Nationals
Any place that is home to a recent World Champion and also sits in the nation’s capital is going to get some love. Unlike some of the new-age parks built in the last few years, the Nationals didn’t try and do too much when they built this beauty in 2008. Simple and sweet. 
 
19. Progressive Field, Cleveland Guardians
A solid place to play ball, although it is in need of renovation.The wall in left field is trying to be the Green Monster, but the trees in center are a nice touch. 
 
18. Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds
Catch a game here on a sun-soaked afternoon and you won’t be disappointed. The view of the Ohio River and Newport, KY hills are breath-taking. A calm, peaceful place to watch a pitiful team.
 
17. Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies
The coniferous trees behind the short wall in center field next to the zig-zagging tall wall in left-center, the right-center field bell, and the distant skyline provide real charm.
 
16. T-Mobile Park, Seattle Mariners
The best of all the retractable-roof parks by far, this venue is the only hybrid stadium that truly has an outdoor feel. The grass just seems greener than most (probably because all it does is rain in the Pacific Northwest). The only downside is how much magenta is plaguing the architecture since the T-Mobile rebranding.
 
15. Citi Field, New York Mets
The blue and jagged outfield walls, orange foul poles, and Home Run “Big Apple” out in center field are all unique aspects that provide an individuality to this 21st-century park. A true upgrade to the old Shea Stadium that could seat about fifteen people in the outfield bleachers.
 
14. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Dodgers
It’s got history, it’s been the home to mythical teams with all-time great players. But nostalgia only counts for so much. It’s a relatively standard design without many distinctive qualities. And that storage-like batter’s eye in center field is an eye sore. The beautiful canyon that it sits in is what saves this park from not being lower on the list.
 
13. Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees
How dare I place this so low on the list. The reason it’s this high on the list is out of respect. First off, the field dimensions are atrocious. A lazy fly ball in almost every other park is a home run in left or right field. The skyline view is sorta meh considering it’s in New York. Most of all though, this is like owning a copy of the Declaration of Independence for your classroom. There is no history to this ballpark. It’s not the “House that Ruth Built”; and sorry, the “House that Jeter Built” doesn’t have the same ring. You’re welcome for not putting you lower, Yankees fans.
 
12. Truist Park, Atlanta Braves
Atlanta did it right when they moved from Turner Field in 2017. Built into the beautiful Battery district, its simple design wins in an era of over-architected stadiums (talking to you, Miami). The brick wall beneath the Chop House provides a variable that complicates things just enough for visiting right fielders. 
 
11. Petco Park, San Diego Padres
Nestled in-between shimmering skyscrapers in downtown San Diego, Petco is a glorious place to witness a Major League game. The historic Western Metal Supply Co. building built into the left-field line is unlike anything else in the sport, while the minimal center-field architecture allows for a beautiful view of the city; the palm trees out there don’t hurt either. 
 
10. Coors Field, Colorado Rockies
Location, location, location. The mediocre Colorado baseball franchise has one of the best ballparks in the land in large part because of its Rocky Mountain backdrop. I suppose the team is adequately named. The pine trees and greenery in the center-field batter’s eye and rocky streams in the right-center-field bullpens make it actually feel like you’re in the mountains.
 
9. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore Orioles
A beautiful home for an abysmal baseball team. The historic and repurposed B&O Warehouse behind the right-field porch, (which rivals the quirkiness of the Western Metal Supply Co. building at Petco Park) and the great skyline view provide pretty things to look at since Oriole fans need to look away from their pathetic team every so often. The new left-field wall design is bad, and frankly dangerous for any left-fielder trying to cut off a ball deep in the gap.
 
8. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Royals
The crown jewel (get it?) of the lower Midwest. The crown on the center-field jumbotron. The waterfalls and fountains in the right-center field. It’s quite the picture. Only downside is that it feels a little dark there during night games.
 
7. Oracle Park, San Francisco Giants
There may not be a more unique place in the league. The giant (yes, the Giants did this intentionally) Coke-bottle slide and old-time four-fingered glove behind left field are just odd. And what’s the deal with that car-shaped bulge in the left-field fence? But the sneaky-big outfield, right-field garages and short porch backing up to the Bay are special. Don’t forget the kayak wars.
 
6. Angel Stadium, Los Angeles Angels
The grassy hills behind the left-center- and center-field walls would be highlights in most stadiums, but the rocky waterfall takes the cake here. It’s even more picturesque when Mike Trout is pulling a home run back in front of that waterfall. The massive Angels hats in front of the entrance are almost hilariously large and unique. 
 
5. Target Field, Minnesota Twins
If a Twins fan tells you they want the Metrodome back, just ignore them. Thank goodness that retractable roof idea was dismissed. There are many subtle aspects to Target field that make it unique. There’s the one-of-a-kind “living wall” batter’s eye sitting above the grassy berm behind the center field fence. The flower boxes behind the left-fence are a nice touch for a state that loves their summertime gardening (great photo ops here, too). If you’re going to play right field at Target Field, you’d better be ready for the four different surfaces to contend with: the Minnesota limestone overhang, the padded wall, the non padded section under the limestone, and the scoreboard. The skyline view with Minnie and Paul in the foreground is the perfect way to watch night fall on Minneapolis. 
 
4. PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates
Something with this franchise and Ps. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better view in baseball. The Clemente Bridge crossing the Allegheny River, with the majestic skyline behind it is hard to beat. The variable outfield wall with the “PIRATES”-sculpted hedges behind center field are just quirky enough to make the park itself unique.
 
3. Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals
Now this is a baseball stadium. Everything about this place just pops. The vibrant green grass, the “arch” mowed into the outfield grass, the red bleacher seats. The Old Courthouse historical landmark peeks out from behind the left-center field wall, bringing majesty and history to an already historic franchise’s home. What really brings this one home is the shimmering St. Louis Arch towering behind the center-field Budweiser sign. I’ve never understood the whole Big Mac Land thing, though.
 
2. Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs
About the only negative things I can say about Wrigley Field are that it gets a little dark and shadowy at night (probably because they didn’t have permanent lights until 1988) and that playing outfield has to be about as dangerous as getting tackled by Ray Lewis. I wouldn’t have any interest in crashing into a brick wall covered in ivy to catch a flyball. The outfield basket is an oddity that must drive outfielders nuts. It’s got charm. It’s been around forever. It’s simple. There’s a reason it’s on every baseball fan’s bucket list.
 
1. Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox
The oldest ballpark in the Bigs, Fenway is the weirdest place to play baseball. The massive Green Monster is so close to home plate that singles off the fence are nearly as common as doubles. The short right field fence is just flat out dangerous. The triangle and garage doors in center field cause all sorts of problems. Oh and don’t forget Pesky’s Pole: a hitter can hit a lazy fly ball down the right field line that ends up a home run (and would very likely be a foul ball in 29 other stadiums). The Citgo sign is to Fenway as PB is to J. These quirks and its history are second to none. Congrats Boston, another thing to puff your chests out about.
 
Honorable mention: Field of Dreams, Iowa
Yes, it is heaven. Commissioner Manfred needs to seriously consider adding a 31st team in Iowa solely for the fact that there can be Major League baseball played in this haven 81 nights a year. I may start a petition for the All-Star Game to be held here every summer. You simply can’t beat it.

Check out my other unique sports content at the Bad Loser Blog; covering basketball, football, baseball, and the human side of sports.

For the last three years, the Murphy family has tried to answer a single question: how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame?
http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Tony_Oliva_Official_Fan_Club-300x200.jpg The Vote Tony O Team
No one asked them to answer that question. Not the Twins. Not Tony himself. They weren't deputized or drafted. They chose to do it themselves, coming together in a kitchen to found Vote Tony O to find out, "how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame?"
 
That's not an easy question to answer, and as someone who writes more than he takes action, I'm a little worried that I can't do much. After all, baseball writing focuses on providing clear and concise answers to clear and concise questions. Which player won the game? Which team lost the trade? Who's washed up? Who's the future? There's a quick answer to each of those questions and a swath of data to support any answer you give: box scores and power splits, defensive metrics and pitch mapping.
 
But when it comes to addressing Hall of Fame worthiness, things get trickier. For instance one advanced measure, which analyzes an array of statistics and contexts, puts Tony ahead of no-doubt-legends like Joe DiMaggio and Frank Robinson, but behind such faded who-the-hecks as Gavvy Cravath and Harry Stovey.
 
"The numbers are easy", says Mike Murphy, one of Vote Tony O's spokespeople. "[They've] all been a record since 1976, but it's a little bit harder for us to quantify what Tony means to the community."
 
Fuzzy though the quantification is, it's certain that Tony Oliva means a lot to his communities. He is and has been a role model for Cuban players coming to America. He served as a cornerstone of the Twins for the past 50 years as a player, a coach on both World Series winning clubs, and an announcer for our increasingly diverse fan base. Above all, he stands out as an indefatigable ambassador for the game, the team and life itself.
 
Over the years Murphy and his family have seen this more than most people. "Tony loves being Tony. Tony loves being the guy that people want to come up and meet and touch and get an autograph. He loves everybody that comes up to him; he bends over backwards for these people, and it's because he truly enjoys it. "
 
http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/630*359/twin1104oliva.jpg
 
Again, anyone who has seen Oliva around the Twins in recent years knows it. Though the team has hardly been a bastion of good vibes, Oliva is often the greatest source of entertainment. He smiles. He beams. He radiates a love of the game that would insulate an ice fishing cabin in International Falls, and embodies a passion that those who fixate on questions about winning and losing too often forget.
 
But the Murphy's won't forget that passion, because they can't forget one of the rare times Oliva was dispirited rather than optimistic: winter 2011, the last time Tony was up for election. Mike Murphy remembers the push to the ballot. Remembers they day of the announcement. Remembers how "exactly the way you think it would be in your head, [that] was the way it was. You know the clock ticking and nobody talking, then depression sets in.
 
"And the weird thing was Tony wasn't depressed he didn't get into the Hall of Fame. He's at peace with it; he's fine. That part's not a big deal. I'm sure he wants it, but the fact that he isn't in there? He's okay with it.
 
"The part that disappointed him and bothered him was that he felt that he let his fans down...This is 35-ish years after the last baseball game he played. He was disappointed not because he didn't make it, but because he let his fans down."
 
So while others might shake their heads and moved on with their lives, the people behind Vote Tony O have taken up a three year campaign to push for Oliva's induction. They tweet. They promote. And they inundate the Hall of Fame with over 14,000 post cards highlighting Tony's achievements, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the game. According to Murphy, that has been the real drive of the group, focusing on "the character of the guy, the integrity of the guy, and re-shining some light. Hopefully we can pick up those last four votes and put him over."
 
 
Four more votes, that's all Oliva needs. Twelve out of sixteen members of the veteran's committee. Former colleagues, executives and writers who know the game and its history, who should understand the effect that Oliva has had. And even though the votes belong to those men, and the honor of selection belongs to the players, the Murphy's know that the institution isn't just the property of the gatekeepers or the honorees. "It's a museum. It's a New York State museum. It's a public thing, and frankly as a baseball fan: it's my museum."
 
And even if you dispute Oliva's credentials (or refuse to consider him until after Gavvy Cravath gets his due), the leaders of Vote Tony O believe it's important to speak your mind. "It's our museum," repeats Murphy. "If [fans] feel strongly about anybody on that list be it Gil Hodges or Jim Kaat, I think it's their responsibility to let [the Hall of Fame] know. Nobody is really right and nobody is really wrong. But what we know as a fact is that an awful, awful lot of people think that Tony Oliva should be in the Hall of Fame, and that's what we [want] to share with those 16 guys."
 
So, how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame? Simple: do whatever we can.
 
The Vote Tony O website has a wealth of post cards that you can print and mail to the Hall of Fame (also linked to here for your clickable perusal). The baskets of cards are dumped out in front of the committee members and makes for a rather effective image (as noted by former committee member Tommy Lasorda).
 
So here's what you do
1. Click on the links to find the post card you like.
2. Print one (or preferably more) off.
3. Add a personal memory.
4. Address it to:
Baseball Hall of Fame
 
Attn- Golden Era Committee
25 Main Street
Cooperstown NY 13326
 
5. Attach a stamp to the card.
6. Drop it in the mail.
 
Whether you stood beside him at the Cuban sandwich station at Target Field, or held out a ball for an autograph at the Metrodome, or cheered with the Knothole Gang in the Old Met's bleachers on a Saturday afternoon, I think you'll agree that Tony Oliva is an integral part of what Minnesota baseball is.
http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/reu/d/2011%5C98%5C2011-04-08T182219Z_01_MIN04_RTRIDSP_0_BASEBALL.jpg Thank You, Tony
Whether you appreciated his friendly demeanor, or his clutch performances, or his bad-ball hitting, or his mentorship, or his courage in simply being a man of color in minor league towns that kept him separate and unequal, I think you'll agree it's time to stand up and say "thank you" to Tony Oliva.
 
 
Whether you want to recognize a player who never got his due, or acknowledge the role he played in cementing baseball as an international game, or just want him to savor the game's greatest honor before (like Ron Santo and Buck O'Neill) it's too late, I think you'll agree it's important to call on the Veterans Committee to "Vote Tony O".
 
Do your part: click, print, sign, lick a stamp, and make yours the 14,001st plea for the Veteran's Committee to Vote Tony O.
 
Well...14,002nd. I already sent mine.