Cody Christie

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MEN91q2weg0/T1OmFEAiBWI/AAAAAAAABHI/xWKOZXlzyBE/s320/SpanFall.png The Twins are only three games into their Grapefruit League schedule but Denard Span is making sure to put all of his concussion worries behind him. Over the course of the last handful of days, Span has been forced to make numerous plays on the ball that could be troublesome for a player who suffered a concussion last year. Even with all of these rough plays, Span has not suffered any major setbacks and he has started this spring off on the right foot. The first incident took place during a simulated game on Thursday, which was played on a side field next to Hammond Stadium. Trevor Plouffe was at the plate and he hit a ball that looked to be heading over the fence in center field. Span went back on the ball looking to make a play and he crashed into the fence at almost full-speed. Other than a busted lip from hitting the chain-linked fence, he seemed to be fine following the incident. He would continue to workout with the team for the rest of practice with no lingering effects. More tests came for Span in the Twins' first action of the spring against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. In the third inning Span went back on a ball and made a falling catch on the warning track. This caused him to get up a little slow but he was able to shake it off and stay in the game. The very next inning he was forced to battle the sun and the wind to make a falling catch. He was very successful from the offensive side of the plate in the game as he went 2-3 with two singles. The more promising sign might have been that both of his hits came after he made the falling catch on the warning track. The Twins had a split-squad schedule on Sunday with games against Boston and Tampa Bay but four plays from the team were staying back to work on some hitting at Hammond Stadium. Span was one of those players along with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Josh Willingham. The team has another game on Monday at home so all of these players should be back in the line-up in front of the home fans. Span tried to make multiple comebacks after he suffered a concussion in the middle of last season. He missed most of the month of June and all of the month of July before making his first comeback at the beginning of August. During that month, he would play nine games before before some other complications forced him to sit out until the last week of the season. In September, he played three complete games and he also played in two partial games. He played a vital role in the Twins 1-0 win in the last game of the season by smacking a double to start the ninth inning and he would eventually score the winning run. At the time of Span returning to the field with only a handful of games left, it seemed like a questionable move for the Twins because there was a chance he could get hurt again. But by returning to action, he was able to prove to himself that he could get on the field. In those five appearances, he batted .278/.278/.611 with two doubles, two triples, and four runs scored. He seemed to fit back into the top of the Twins line-up as he helped the team to finish out a miserable season. It would have been easy to skip out on those games but Span wanted to prove to the team and to himself that he was able to stay on the field. The Twins will keep an eye on Span as the spring training schedule continues to play out in the coming weeks. Span has passed quite a few tests in the first handful of opportunities and the hope is that the team won't have to worry about him once the season begins. For the Twins to be successful in 2012, Span is one of the key pieces that needs to be in the line-up on a more regular basis. He is the table setter ahead of the bigger bats in the middle of the batting order and his success can go a long way to determining how the Twins will perform this year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MEN91q2weg0/T1OmFEAiBWI/AAAAAAAABHI/xWKOZXlzyBE/s320/SpanFall.png The Twins are only three games into their Grapefruit League schedule but Denard Span is making sure to put all of his concussion worries behind him. Over the course of the last handful of days, Span has been forced to make numerous plays on the ball that could be troublesome for a player who suffered a concussion last year. Even with all of these rough plays, Span has not suffered any major setbacks and he has started this spring off on the right foot. The first incident took place during a simulated game on Thursday, which was played on a side field next to Hammond Stadium. Trevor Plouffe was at the plate and he hit a ball that looked to be heading over the fence in center field. Span went back on the ball looking to make a play and he crashed into the fence at almost full-speed. Other than a busted lip from hitting the chain-linked fence, he seemed to be fine following the incident. He would continue to workout with the team for the rest of practice with no lingering effects. More tests came for Span in the Twins' first action of the spring against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. In the third inning Span went back on a ball and made a falling catch on the warning track. This caused him to get up a little slow but he was able to shake it off and stay in the game. The very next inning he was forced to battle the sun and the wind to make a falling catch. He was very successful from the offensive side of the plate in the game as he went 2-3 with two singles. The more promising sign might have been that both of his hits came after he made the falling catch on the warning track. The Twins had a split-squad schedule on Sunday with games against Boston and Tampa Bay but four plays from the team were staying back to work on some hitting at Hammond Stadium. Span was one of those players along with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Josh Willingham. The team has another game on Monday at home so all of these players should be back in the line-up in front of the home fans. Span tried to make multiple comebacks after he suffered a concussion in the middle of last season. He missed most of the month of June and all of the month of July before making his first comeback at the beginning of August. During that month, he would play nine games before before some other complications forced him to sit out until the last week of the season. In September, he played three complete games and he also played in two partial games. He played a vital role in the Twins 1-0 win in the last game of the season by smacking a double to start the ninth inning and he would eventually score the winning run. At the time of Span returning to the field with only a handful of games left, it seemed like a questionable move for the Twins because there was a chance he could get hurt again. But by returning to action, he was able to prove to himself that he could get on the field. In those five appearances, he batted .278/.278/.611 with two doubles, two triples, and four runs scored. He seemed to fit back into the top of the Twins line-up as he helped the team to finish out a miserable season. It would have been easy to skip out on those games but Span wanted to prove to the team and to himself that he was able to stay on the field. The Twins will keep an eye on Span as the spring training schedule continues to play out in the coming weeks. Span has passed quite a few tests in the first handful of opportunities and the hope is that the team won't have to worry about him once the season begins. For the Twins to be successful in 2012, Span is one of the key pieces that needs to be in the line-up on a more regular basis. He is the table setter ahead of the bigger bats in the middle of the batting order and his success can go a long way to determining how the Twins will perform this year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?274-Friday-Links-N-Thinks

Out of all of the levels in the farm system for the Twins, which team has the best mascot/logo? And make sure to leave a reason why. GCL TwinsElizabethton TwinsBeliot SnappersFort Myers MiracleNew Britain Rock CatsRochester Red WingsSome of the choices are easy to throw out but there are some other interesting selections to choose from.

I saw this a couple of days ago. I liked watching him on KARE 11 because he did have a passion for baseball. Last year when he went to Japan and did the series on Nishioka, it was fun to see some insights into the player the Twins were bringing to their organization. It sounds like he wanted some more time with his family and only working during the baseball season should free him up a little.

If everyone is healthy for the Twins, they should be able to finish ahead of the White Sox. Right now I would feel confident in betting a steak on it.

St. Louis is such a great baseball town that I really enjoyed my time at Busch Stadium. I found Comerica Park to look very similar to Target Field but with their own tweaks. Miller Park was ok but I didn't like the retractable roof. It made me feel boxed in.

It's hard to believe that another week has gone by and the Twins are one step closer to beginning their 2012 season. The first Grapefruit League action for the Twins will take place on Saturday and it sounds like Joe Mauer, Denard Span, and Justin Morneau could all be available to play. Span ran into the center field wall during a simulated game on Thursday and as of right now he only had a cut lip to deal with. Fingers are crossed that he will show up to the facility on Friday without any lingering effects from the collision. All of the minor league players for the Twins are due to report to Ft. Myers on Tuesday of next week. This means the complex in southwest Florida will be overrun by Twins players and coaches from all levels of the farm system. With the severe winter weather that hit a good portion of Twins Territory this week, the Florida sun is sounding pretty good right about now. The company formerly known as Twins Train has switched their name to Territory Train. They have a variety of great trips scheduled for 2012 so make sure to check them out. The top high school pitching prospect for next year's draft supposedly hit 100 mph in his first start of the year. Talk about getting the year off to a good start. The tenth inning stretch has a recap of the Twins B game from Thursday. Seedlings to Stars composed their first 2012 MLB Mock Draft for the First Round and the Supplemental Round. Who will the Twins snag at number 2? Seth Stohs is preaching patience with the bullpen and he had some great guests during his podcast on Tuesday night. One of the most valuable pieces of sports memorabilia ever is up for auction. After the social media world blew up from some of Morneau's comments, he made some clarifications following a few days of working out with the team. Glen Perkins posted a picture of himself with a shark and he made NotGraphs because of it. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H8-xEMu10V0/T1AUHh7AjkI/AAAAAAAABHA/lJfV6yxGQh0/s320/GlenPerkinsShark.jpg Twins Fan From Afar asks the question, "Did Joe Mauer-- and Twins Fans -- need his 2011 season to happen?" Ozzie Guillen is already making headlines in Miami. The New Britain Rock Cats were sold to an investment group earlier in the week. The Fort Myers Miracle are going to be celebrating their 20th season this year and they have special caps in honor of the milestone. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBSEHaqonI4/T1AOxW2DF4I/AAAAAAAABG4/ix3cJyhfcW8/s320/Miracle20thAniv.png A former Twins first round pick retired earlier this week but he never played for the Twins organization. The Yankees can't find a better spot than the bathroom to take their team pictures?!?! Jose Mijares switched teams this offseason but he still couldn't figure out how to get to spring training on time. Twinkie Town wonders if Trevor Plouffe can be the player the Twins need him to be. The writers over at Puckett's Pond have been busy with their "Back to Baseball" series so make sure to visit their page and check it out. Twins Rubes has started a series call "Our Stadium Adventures." The first post was on Target Field and the second installment was on Safeco Field. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Zumaya's injury leaves right-handed hole to fill Tuesday: How long will Dozier stay in the minors? Thursday: Tough schedule could put Twins in early hole Video of the Week: A tip of the cap to the blog Classic Minnesota Twins! for their post with this video earlier this week. It is Kent Hrbek as a guest on the David Letterman Show all the way back in 1987. The Twins were coming off their first World Series Championship and Hrbek had some fun stories to tell.

It's hard to believe that another week has gone by and the Twins are one step closer to beginning their 2012 season. The first Grapefruit League action for the Twins will take place on Saturday and it sounds like Joe Mauer, Denard Span, and Justin Morneau could all be available to play. Span ran into the center field wall during a simulated game on Thursday and as of right now he only had a cut lip to deal with. Fingers are crossed that he will show up to the facility on Friday without any lingering effects from the collision. All of the minor league players for the Twins are due to report to Ft. Myers on Tuesday of next week. This means the complex in southwest Florida will be overrun by Twins players and coaches from all levels of the farm system. With the severe winter weather that hit a good portion of Twins Territory this week, the Florida sun is sounding pretty good right about now. The company formerly known as Twins Train has switched their name to Territory Train. They have a variety of great trips scheduled for 2012 so make sure to check them out. The top high school pitching prospect for next year's draft supposedly hit 100 mph in his first start of the year. Talk about getting the year off to a good start. The tenth inning stretch has a recap of the Twins B game from Thursday. Seedlings to Stars composed their first 2012 MLB Mock Draft for the First Round and the Supplemental Round. Who will the Twins snag at number 2? Seth Stohs is preaching patience with the bullpen and he had some great guests during his podcast on Tuesday night. One of the most valuable pieces of sports memorabilia ever is up for auction. After the social media world blew up from some of Morneau's comments, he made some clarifications following a few days of working out with the team. Glen Perkins posted a picture of himself with a shark and he made NotGraphs because of it. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H8-xEMu10V0/T1AUHh7AjkI/AAAAAAAABHA/lJfV6yxGQh0/s320/GlenPerkinsShark.jpg Twins Fan From Afar asks the question, "Did Joe Mauer-- and Twins Fans -- need his 2011 season to happen?" Ozzie Guillen is already making headlines in Miami. The New Britain Rock Cats were sold to an investment group earlier in the week. The Fort Myers Miracle are going to be celebrating their 20th season this year and they have special caps in honor of the milestone. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBSEHaqonI4/T1AOxW2DF4I/AAAAAAAABG4/ix3cJyhfcW8/s320/Miracle20thAniv.png A former Twins first round pick retired earlier this week but he never played for the Twins organization. The Yankees can't find a better spot than the bathroom to take their team pictures?!?! Jose Mijares switched teams this offseason but he still couldn't figure out how to get to spring training on time. Twinkie Town wonders if Trevor Plouffe can be the player the Twins need him to be. The writers over at Puckett's Pond have been busy with their "Back to Baseball" series so make sure to visit their page and check it out. Twins Rubes has started a series call "Our Stadium Adventures." The first post was on Target Field and the second installment was on Safeco Field. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Zumaya's injury leaves right-handed hole to fill Tuesday: How long will Dozier stay in the minors? Thursday: Tough schedule could put Twins in early hole Video of the Week: A tip of the cap to the blog Classic Minnesota Twins! for their post with this video earlier this week. It is Kent Hrbek as a guest on the David Letterman Show all the way back in 1987. The Twins were coming off their first World Series Championship and Hrbek had some fun stories to tell.

I wrote about this in my blog post earlier today but here is the main point: The Twins have one of the toughest schedules in April out of all of the American League teams. Almost all of their games are against clubs who were in the playoffs last year or close to making it into the postseason. Should this be cause for concern? Or will the Twins be able to take advantage of these teams before they find their mojo?

There are so many great stadiums across baseball so I was wondering what is your favorite stadium that you have visited besides Target Field? The Twins tend to get some good support on some of their road trips and I am sure a few fans have been to some nicer stadiums than I have visited. I'm interested to hear where people have been and what they liked about the experience.

I could see the Twins leaving Span in center at the start of this season but moving Revere back to center in the future. Gardy doesn't want to upset his veterans by moving them to a different position in favor of a younger player. Even if it is better for the team.

I was wondering if anyone had subscriptions to any of the following: Baseball ProspectusBaseball AmericaESPN InsiderLooking for the benefits of having subscriptions to these sites or other sites that might be good investments.

I would lean toward Morneau but I would like to see Span take on more of a leadership role this season.

On SportsCenter they were just running down the top 10 captains in the history of sports. This got me thinking about the Twins and if they had a captain, who would it be? The obvious choice last year was Michael Cuddyer but who would it be for the 2012 version of the Twins? I'd like to hear people's suggestions...

Everyone should try and make a trip on the Territory Train. I have gone the last two years to Detroit and Milwaukee. It is a great time with a bunch of other hardcore Twins fans.

That could be a sign of some bad things to come. At this point, there is a lot of baseball left to be played before the Twins will have to make their selection. Both Giolito and Appel could turn into very nice players. The upside of Giolito is nice but I can see the Twins wanted to stick with the safer college arm.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jvPqmEC0Vk/T07zkszcmtI/AAAAAAAABGw/2-kEtGFuqe0/s320/twins-yankees.jpg One of the downfalls of having an unbalanced schedule in MLB is that teams will end up facing a lot of competition from the other divisions in their league earlier in the year. For the Twins this means a healthy dose of the AL East and AL West to start the 2012 campaign. The AL East has three of the top teams in the entire American League and the AL West has put together two of the best rosters at the top of that division for 2012. This leaves the Twins with a lot of tough competition when their season gets underway at the beginning of next month. The Twins start the year in Baltimore but almost all of the rest of the month is against teams that won 86 or more games during 2011. The Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox make trips to Target Field in the first month of the season. An east coast road trip sees the Twins visit New York and Tampa Bay. The month ends with a west coast swing into Los Angeles to face the Angels for the second time in the month. Overall, it looks like a very tough schedule to start the year so here's a brief look at each of these teams. Following a 99-loss season, the Twins will want to get off to a good start but it could be hard with the teams they will be facing off against. Los Angeles Angels 2011 Record: 86-76 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 9th, 11th, 12th, 30th The Angels made some of the biggest waves in the offseason free agent market by bringing in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. After seeing the success of the Rangers during the last two seasons, the Angels are looking to unthrone Texas from the top of the AL West. Top prospect Mike Trout could provide a lift to an aging outfield but recent reports have him starting the year in the minor leagues. By the fifth full week of the season, the Twins will have played the Angels nine times with six of those contests coming at Target Field. In the early part of the year, these teams will be very familiar with one another so it will be interesting to see how the match-up shakes out. Texas Rangers 2011 Record: 96-66 2011 vs. the Twins: 3-5 April schedule vs. Twins: 13th, 14th, 15th The Rangers made some of their own noise in the free agent market by paying a kings ransom to sign Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan was also lured away to Texas for the opportunity to fight for a World Series title before his career is over. The Twins first weekend series of the year at Target Field is a three-game set with Texas and this could mean Nathan coming out of the bullpen in center field. During the last two seasons, the Rangers have represented the American League in the World Series and they look poised to make the playoffs again in 2012. These two teams won't face each other again until the later months of the season so it will be interesting to see how much these team's change in the middle portion of the year. New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-2 April schedule vs. Twins: 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th A four-game series in the Bronx was probably not very high on the Twins early season wish-list but that was the way the schedule was put together. Unlike the other teams listed above, the Yankees didn't make a huge mark on the free agent market but that doesn't mean that they weren't busy with other moves. The biggest free agent signing for the Bronx Bombers was in the form of Hiroki Kuroda a 37-year old starting pitcher. Other than this signing the Yankees also traded away top prospect Jesus Montero for pitching phenom Michael Pineda from the Mariners. The Twins have struggled with the Yankees in recent years and Yankee Stadium has been full of horrors for the Twin Cities squad. Here's hoping the Twins find a little early season luck in the Big Apple. Tampa Bay Rays 2011 Record: 91-71 2011 vs. the Twins: 7-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 20th, 21st, 22nd The Rays have become the model franchise for small market teams with their ability to develop young talent and produce a winning baseball team. Tampa's front office usually stays away from messy free-agent deals because they have the talent in their system to replenish the major league squad. Carlos Pena will make a return trip to Tampa Bay and he represents the biggest offseason signing for the Rays. A stocked rotation with David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson will only get deeper with the edition of top pitching prospect Matt Moore. With all of their talent, the Rays will be picked to finish near the top of the AL East for the fourth year in a row. Boston Red Sox 2011 Record: 90-72 2011 vs. the Twins: 5-2 April schedule vs Twins: 23rd, 24th, 25th After a heartbreaking end to the 2011 season, the Red Sox will be looking to get 2012 off to a positive start. Manager Terry Francona left the team following the team's collapse and veteran manager Bobby Valentine replaced him. The only multi-year free agent signing for the Red Sox was former Twins utility-man Nick Punto but they also brought in outfielder Cody Ross to add some depth to their line-up. One of the biggest questions facing this team in spring training a starting rotation that ranked 13th in innings pitched pitched last season with only the ninth best ERA in the AL. The offense should continue to produce if the team can find away to hold the other team from scoring. A rough start by the Red Sox at the beginning of 2011 was the talk of baseball and the team will be looking for some positive conversations to start 2012. With 16 straight games against this tough competition, the Twins could find themselves looking up in the standings before the team ever faces a AL Central foe. Of those 16 games, 15 of them come in a stretch without a single off day. The Twins could be in good shape for the rest of the year if they can find a way to get out of April without digging themselves a giant hole in the standings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jvPqmEC0Vk/T07zkszcmtI/AAAAAAAABGw/2-kEtGFuqe0/s320/twins-yankees.jpg One of the downfalls of having an unbalanced schedule in MLB is that teams will end up facing a lot of competition from the other divisions in their league earlier in the year. For the Twins this means a healthy dose of the AL East and AL West to start the 2012 campaign. The AL East has three of the top teams in the entire American League and the AL West has put together two of the best rosters at the top of that division for 2012. This leaves the Twins with a lot of tough competition when their season gets underway at the beginning of next month. The Twins start the year in Baltimore but almost all of the rest of the month is against teams that won 86 or more games during 2011. The Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox make trips to Target Field in the first month of the season. An east coast road trip sees the Twins visit New York and Tampa Bay. The month ends with a west coast swing into Los Angeles to face the Angels for the second time in the month. Overall, it looks like a very tough schedule to start the year so here's a brief look at each of these teams. Following a 99-loss season, the Twins will want to get off to a good start but it could be hard with the teams they will be facing off against. Los Angeles Angels 2011 Record: 86-76 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 9th, 11th, 12th, 30th The Angels made some of the biggest waves in the offseason free agent market by bringing in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. After seeing the success of the Rangers during the last two seasons, the Angels are looking to unthrone Texas from the top of the AL West. Top prospect Mike Trout could provide a lift to an aging outfield but recent reports have him starting the year in the minor leagues. By the fifth full week of the season, the Twins will have played the Angels nine times with six of those contests coming at Target Field. In the early part of the year, these teams will be very familiar with one another so it will be interesting to see how the match-up shakes out. Texas Rangers 2011 Record: 96-66 2011 vs. the Twins: 3-5 April schedule vs. Twins: 13th, 14th, 15th The Rangers made some of their own noise in the free agent market by paying a kings ransom to sign Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan was also lured away to Texas for the opportunity to fight for a World Series title before his career is over. The Twins first weekend series of the year at Target Field is a three-game set with Texas and this could mean Nathan coming out of the bullpen in center field. During the last two seasons, the Rangers have represented the American League in the World Series and they look poised to make the playoffs again in 2012. These two teams won't face each other again until the later months of the season so it will be interesting to see how much these team's change in the middle portion of the year. New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-2 April schedule vs. Twins: 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th A four-game series in the Bronx was probably not very high on the Twins early season wish-list but that was the way the schedule was put together. Unlike the other teams listed above, the Yankees didn't make a huge mark on the free agent market but that doesn't mean that they weren't busy with other moves. The biggest free agent signing for the Bronx Bombers was in the form of Hiroki Kuroda a 37-year old starting pitcher. Other than this signing the Yankees also traded away top prospect Jesus Montero for pitching phenom Michael Pineda from the Mariners. The Twins have struggled with the Yankees in recent years and Yankee Stadium has been full of horrors for the Twin Cities squad. Here's hoping the Twins find a little early season luck in the Big Apple. Tampa Bay Rays 2011 Record: 91-71 2011 vs. the Twins: 7-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 20th, 21st, 22nd The Rays have become the model franchise for small market teams with their ability to develop young talent and produce a winning baseball team. Tampa's front office usually stays away from messy free-agent deals because they have the talent in their system to replenish the major league squad. Carlos Pena will make a return trip to Tampa Bay and he represents the biggest offseason signing for the Rays. A stocked rotation with David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson will only get deeper with the edition of top pitching prospect Matt Moore. With all of their talent, the Rays will be picked to finish near the top of the AL East for the fourth year in a row. Boston Red Sox 2011 Record: 90-72 2011 vs. the Twins: 5-2 April schedule vs Twins: 23rd, 24th, 25th After a heartbreaking end to the 2011 season, the Red Sox will be looking to get 2012 off to a positive start. Manager Terry Francona left the team following the team's collapse and veteran manager Bobby Valentine replaced him. The only multi-year free agent signing for the Red Sox was former Twins utility-man Nick Punto but they also brought in outfielder Cody Ross to add some depth to their line-up. One of the biggest questions facing this team in spring training a starting rotation that ranked 13th in innings pitched pitched last season with only the ninth best ERA in the AL. The offense should continue to produce if the team can find away to hold the other team from scoring. A rough start by the Red Sox at the beginning of 2011 was the talk of baseball and the team will be looking for some positive conversations to start 2012. With 16 straight games against this tough competition, the Twins could find themselves looking up in the standings before the team ever faces a AL Central foe. Of those 16 games, 15 of them come in a stretch without a single off day. The Twins could be in good shape for the rest of the year if they can find a way to get out of April without digging themselves a giant hole in the standings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

Wish I could be there. Even if it is just a scrimmage...

Welcome to the blogging world!

It looked like this was bound to happen but I don't really like the addition of more teams to the playoffs. It does put more pressure on teams to fight for the division title so they can stay out of the wild-card play-in game (the 2010 Yankees come to mind). The thought of a good team getting knocked out in the wild card round could be tough to swallow.

Good start to the 2nd half of the season last night for the T-Wolves. Big game for Derrick Williams

Adding some other things on the same night as the home run derby would be cool. The celebrity softball game is stupid. A skills competition would be neat but I am not sure what they could do. In my mind I see guys in the outfield trying to throw into a trash can set-up behind home plate.