Kirsten Brown

As an addition to the discussion about pitchers in the Gleeman & the Geek's recent podcast, I wonder ... who's the first pitcher out of the bullpen and into the rotation *when* one of the starters gets hurt or struggles? I imagine Gardy will pick Duensing because he was a starter last year. But is he the best choice? Who should it be?

March 10 - 17. Can't wait.

The biggest news in recent days is obviously that pitchers and catchers have reported and are participating in baseball activities. Finally. However, there are a couple other news bits to mention since I last checked in. Alexi Casilla avoided the opportunity to have the Twins tell him that he's not as awesome as he thinks he is. He and the Twins settled on a one-year, $1,382,500 contract. The amount is a smidgen under the halfway point between the numbers the two sides exchanged, but still a nice raise for Casilla. Ok, Alexi, now go be awesome. ~~~ Sounds like the biggest news out of Spring Training so far is that Joe Mauer is participating in all his catching duties and drills like any other catcher. This is newsworthy because, last season, it took three weeks into Spring Training before he could even participate. This delay caused him to rush himself in order to catch up, which turned out to be a one-step-forward-two-steps-back venture. For what it's worth, I know a lot of fans (and some newspaper columnists) are frustrated with Mauer. Ok, fair enough -- last year was a crappy year for him. However, that's all it was ... ONE crappy year. It's way too soon to call his catching career over. It's also too soon to call his contract a bust. Yes, his contract is a huge burden on the team. That's not his fault. Also, it's not fair to claim that should be considered less prone to injury just because he makes a lot of money. I seriously doubt his knees or hips or lungs or any other body parts know how much money he makes. In my opinion, any injuries he suffers and his salary should never be mentioned together. So, I'm glad to read that this camp is starting out well for him. I have every confidence that he'll have a "good Joe Mauer" year this season. And the team will be better for it. ~~~ You need to check out the new enterprise by the TwinsCentric guys (Seth Stohs, Parker Hageman, Nick Nelson, and John Bonnes) called Twins Daily. This great site is not only an aggregator of their work and the work of other great Twins bloggers, but it's also an entire community experience. If you register to their site, you can participate in the forums or even write blog posts. It's a great way to catch up with your favorite Twins bloggers and fans and to find new ones.

The biggest news in recent days is obviously that pitchers and catchers have reported and are participating in baseball activities. Finally. However, there are a couple other news bits to mention since I last checked in. Alexi Casilla avoided the opportunity to have the Twins tell him that he's not as awesome as he thinks he is. He and the Twins settled on a one-year, $1,382,500 contract. The amount is a smidgen under the halfway point between the numbers the two sides exchanged, but still a nice raise for Casilla. Ok, Alexi, now go be awesome. ~~~ Sounds like the biggest news out of Spring Training so far is that Joe Mauer is participating in all his catching duties and drills like any other catcher. This is newsworthy because, last season, it took three weeks into Spring Training before he could even participate. This delay caused him to rush himself in order to catch up, which turned out to be a one-step-forward-two-steps-back venture. For what it's worth, I know a lot of fans (and some newspaper columnists) are frustrated with Mauer. Ok, fair enough -- last year was a crappy year for him. However, that's all it was ... ONE crappy year. It's way too soon to call his catching career over. It's also too soon to call his contract a bust. Yes, his contract is a huge burden on the team. That's not his fault. Also, it's not fair to claim that should be considered less prone to injury just because he makes a lot of money. I seriously doubt his knees or hips or lungs or any other body parts know how much money he makes. In my opinion, any injuries he suffers and his salary should never be mentioned together. So, I'm glad to read that this camp is starting out well for him. I have every confidence that he'll have a "good Joe Mauer" year this season. And the team will be better for it. ~~~ You need to check out the new enterprise by the TwinsCentric guys (Seth Stohs, Parker Hageman, Nick Nelson, and John Bonnes) called Twins Daily. This great site is not only an aggregator of their work and the work of other great Twins bloggers, but it's also an entire community experience. If you register to their site, you can participate in the forums or even write blog posts. It's a great way to catch up with your favorite Twins bloggers and fans and to find new ones.

Great post, Tony. I'm looking forward to reading more. Best of luck for a great season!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-azn05pwnFLQ/TZUrW2YE9RI/AAAAAAAABe0/D-P1hu1nyvk/s320/welcomeback.JPG Do you know what today is? Do you know what's going on today? Of course you do. Today is the day when boys, and men with boys' hearts, gather by the hundreds in places like Clearwater, and Mesa, and Surprise, and Fort Myers, to participate in baseball activities. They're perfecting their changeups, and bunts, and double-plays. They're practicing covering first, and running down flies, and knocking the ball out of the park. They're breaking in new gloves, and new shoes, and new routines. They're greeting old friends, and making new ones. They're preparing their bodies and minds for the new season. And they're bringing their dreams. Dreams as fresh as the grass beneath their feet and as optimistic as the sun on their faces. And their dreams may vary in the details -- some dream of winning it all, while some dream of making the big team -- their dreams are essentially the same. They dream of besting the competition: the other teams, the other players on their teams, themselves. And their fans are dreaming too. On this day, we all have a small voice that says "this is the year." So our boys practice, and play, and prepare. They'll bat, and throw, and catch. And they'll make their fans very happy to see them. Good luck boys. Work hard and have fun. The best is yet to come. ~~~ I wrote this poem about three years ago, so if you've been here for awhile, you might recognize it. I'm replaying it because I like it. Besides, I can't think of a better way to celebrate the start of Spring Training than with a hopeful poem.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-azn05pwnFLQ/TZUrW2YE9RI/AAAAAAAABe0/D-P1hu1nyvk/s320/welcomeback.JPG Do you know what today is? Do you know what's going on today? Of course you do. Today is the day when boys, and men with boys' hearts, gather by the hundreds in places like Clearwater, and Mesa, and Surprise, and Fort Myers, to participate in baseball activities. They're perfecting their changeups, and bunts, and double-plays. They're practicing covering first, and running down flies, and knocking the ball out of the park. They're breaking in new gloves, and new shoes, and new routines. They're greeting old friends, and making new ones. They're preparing their bodies and minds for the new season. And they're bringing their dreams. Dreams as fresh as the grass beneath their feet and as optimistic as the sun on their faces. And their dreams may vary in the details -- some dream of winning it all, while some dream of making the big team -- their dreams are essentially the same. They dream of besting the competition: the other teams, the other players on their teams, themselves. And their fans are dreaming too. On this day, we all have a small voice that says "this is the year." So our boys practice, and play, and prepare. They'll bat, and throw, and catch. And they'll make their fans very happy to see them. Good luck boys. Work hard and have fun. The best is yet to come. ~~~ I wrote this poem about three years ago, so if you've been here for awhile, you might recognize it. I'm replaying it because I like it. Besides, I can't think of a better way to celebrate the start of Spring Training than with a hopeful poem.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]124[/ATTACH] Click here to visit Amazon.com Doug Glanville. The Game From Where I Stand: From Batting Practice to the Clubhouse to the Best Breakfast on the Road, an Inside View of a Ballplayer's Life. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin., 2010, 276 pp. ISBN 978-0-312-57309-6 I love a good baseball insiders book, and former outfielder Doug Glanville's The Game From Where I Stand is a pretty good one. Glanville chronicles his baseball career and the state of the Game while he was in it. But he does more than just list a series of events; he goes deep into his topics giving great insight and smart, solid opinions. The Game is intelligent and interesting. He gives fans tales and background they wouldn't ordinarily know. He informs and entertains without being condescending and absolutely doesn't disrespect anyone. It was an interesting read, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a fun read. His writing style bugged me a bit -- it is prone to cliche and wordiness. And, from time to time, he'd turn a phrase that just seemed like he's trying too hard. It took me a long time to get through because, even though I was interested in it, it never gave me that "can't put it down" feeling. All in all, it's a very good book and certainly worth your time. I recommend it if you're looking for a baseball fix. I'd give it a solid B.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?201-Quick-Notes-Feb-12

[ATTACH=CONFIG]112[/ATTACH]Right when I go and figure the Twins are done making moves, they go and make a move. However, it's not a move to get terribly excited about. The Twins claimed outfielder Darin Mastroianni off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. This looks like it's mostly a minor league filler move. One has to be skeptical about claiming players off waivers -- after all, there's a reason he was put on waivers in the first place. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, they designated RHP Esmerling Vasquez for assignment -- which means they have to trade him or pass him through waivers and put him on the minor league roster. The Twins claimed Vasquez off waivers at the end of last season. ~~~ It looks like I might have to make sure my injury paper doll machine is fully tuned up early in the 2012 season. Luke Hughes sprained his shoulder in a home plate collision during an Australian Winter League game. He's been shut down 3-4 weeks. Which is kind of too bad, because his team, the Perth Heat, went on to win the Australian Baseball League championship, and he had to miss it. I'll refrain from creating a paper doll for him for now. He's not due to miss much playing time during Spring Training, so he doesn't need one yet. However, if he, baseball gods forbid, suffers a setback or he doesn't heal as expected, I'll be on top of it. Just a note to the players for anyone who is unclear: Having an injury paper doll is a bad thing. Continued good health is the goal here. ~~~ Spring Training is very close. The equipment truck has been loaded and is headed to Fort Myers. It's such a big task that everyone needs to lend a hand -- even TC the mascot: http://www.twitvid.com/5T7QZ Very exciting!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?186-Right-Around-the-Corner

Now that the spectacle of the NFL championship is over, thoughts of green grass, and leather gloves, and wood bats take over baseball fans' minds. Spring Training is right around the corner, and I bet you can't wait. I know I can't. And, by now, it kind of looks like the Twins are done adding players and the Spring Training crew is set. If you're planning on heading to beautiful Fort Myers to visit our boys or if you're planning on listening to some broadcasts, you'll want to know who it is you should root for. So I decided to compile a helpful list. Guys With Whom We're Acquainted Scott Baker, RHP Nick Blackburn, RHP Alex Burnett, RHP Drew Butera, C Matt Capps, RHP Alexi Casilla, IF Brian Duensing, LHP Luke Hughes, IF Francisco Liriano, LHP Jeff Manship, RHP Joe Mauer, C Justin Morneau, 1B Tsuyoshi Nishioka, IF Carl Pavano, RHP Glen Perkins, LHP Trevor Plouffe, IF/OF Ben Revere, OF Denard Span, OF Rene Tosoni, OF Danny Valencia, 3B Guys Whose Names Sound Familiar, But If They Walked In Our House And Raided Our Refrigerators, We Wouldn't Be Sure If We Knew Them Joe Benson, OF Scott Diamond, LHP Liam Hendriks, RHP Lester Oliveros, RHP Chris Parmelee, IF Anthony Swarzak, RHP Brian Dinkelman, IF (non-roster invitee) Phil Dumatrait, RHP (non-roster invitee) Rene Rivera, C (non-roster invitee) Anthony Slama, RHP (non-roster invitee) Guys Who Will Be Wearing Twins Uniforms For The First Time But We Know Them From Other Teams Jamey Carroll, IF Ryan Doumit, DH/OF/1B Jason Marquis, RHP Josh Willingham, OF Joel Zumaya, RHP Guys On The Twins 40-man Roster Who Make Us Say "Who?" Oswaldo Arcia, OF Terry Doyle, RHP (new) Jeff Gray, RHP (new) Deolis Guerra, RHP Carlos Gutierrez, RHP Matt Maloney, LHP (new) Tyler Robertson, LHP Esmerling Vasquez, RHP Guys Whose Numbers Will Probably Be Greater Than 60 Because They're Non-roster Invitees Aaron Bates, 1B Jason Bulger, RHP (new) Sean Burroughs, IF (new) Jared Burton, RHP (new) Matt Carson, OF (new) Ray Chang, 3B Samuel Deduno, RHP (new) Casey Fien, RHP (new) Pedro Florimon, IF (new) Chris Herrmann, C Mike Hollimann, 2B (new) Danny Lehmann, C Steve Pearce, 1B (new) Luis Perdomo, RHP (new) Wilkin Ramirez, OF (new) Daniel Rohlfing, C Aaron Thompson, LHP (new) Daryl Thompson, RHP (new) JR Towles, C (new) PJ Walters, RHP (new) Brendan Wise, RHP (new) Wow, that's a lot of bodies...64 to be exact. 33 pitchers. 24 new guys. 12 guys with first names that start with J. 2 guys with initials for first names. 2 Diamonds if you count the one they'll play on. I'm sure they're all ready to get this season started. I am.

Now that the spectacle of the NFL championship is over, thoughts of green grass, and leather gloves, and wood bats take over baseball fans' minds. Spring Training is right around the corner, and I bet you can't wait. I know I can't. And, by now, it kind of looks like the Twins are done adding players and the Spring Training crew is set. If you're planning on heading to beautiful Fort Myers to visit our boys or if you're planning on listening to some broadcasts, you'll want to know who it is you should root for. So I decided to compile a helpful list. Guys With Whom We're Acquainted Scott Baker, RHP Nick Blackburn, RHP Alex Burnett, RHP Drew Butera, C Matt Capps, RHP Alexi Casilla, IF Brian Duensing, LHP Luke Hughes, IF Francisco Liriano, LHP Jeff Manship, RHP Joe Mauer, C Justin Morneau, 1B Tsuyoshi Nishioka, IF Carl Pavano, RHP Glen Perkins, LHP Trevor Plouffe, IF/OF Ben Revere, OF Denard Span, OF Rene Tosoni, OF Danny Valencia, 3B Guys Whose Names Sound Familiar, But If They Walked In Our House And Raided Our Refrigerators, We Wouldn't Be Sure If We Knew Them Joe Benson, OF Scott Diamond, LHP Liam Hendriks, RHP Lester Oliveros, RHP Chris Parmelee, IF Anthony Swarzak, RHP Brian Dinkelman, IF (non-roster invitee) Phil Dumatrait, RHP (non-roster invitee) Rene Rivera, C (non-roster invitee) Anthony Slama, RHP (non-roster invitee) Guys Who Will Be Wearing Twins Uniforms For The First Time But We Know Them From Other Teams Jamey Carroll, IF Ryan Doumit, DH/OF/1B Jason Marquis, RHP Josh Willingham, OF Joel Zumaya, RHP Guys On The Twins 40-man Roster Who Make Us Say "Who?" Oswaldo Arcia, OF Terry Doyle, RHP (new) Jeff Gray, RHP (new) Deolis Guerra, RHP Carlos Gutierrez, RHP Matt Maloney, LHP (new) Tyler Robertson, LHP Esmerling Vasquez, RHP Guys Whose Numbers Will Probably Be Greater Than 60 Because They're Non-roster Invitees Aaron Bates, 1B Jason Bulger, RHP (new) Sean Burroughs, IF (new) Jared Burton, RHP (new) Matt Carson, OF (new) Ray Chang, 3B Samuel Deduno, RHP (new) Casey Fien, RHP (new) Pedro Florimon, IF (new) Chris Herrmann, C Mike Hollimann, 2B (new) Danny Lehmann, C Steve Pearce, 1B (new) Luis Perdomo, RHP (new) Wilkin Ramirez, OF (new) Daniel Rohlfing, C Aaron Thompson, LHP (new) Daryl Thompson, RHP (new) JR Towles, C (new) PJ Walters, RHP (new) Brendan Wise, RHP (new) Wow, that's a lot of bodies...64 to be exact. 33 pitchers. 24 new guys. 12 guys with first names that start with J. 2 guys with initials for first names. 2 Diamonds if you count the one they'll play on. I'm sure they're all ready to get this season started. I am.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?170-k-bro-Twins-Fest-Report-2012

Is there any way to list the blog name or author to the links in the "GameDay's Twins Blogosphere Guide" section?

I had the same problem that Andrew had with editing the profile stuff. I was able to add an avatar, but not from the "Edit Profile" area. I can't really remember how I did it. I'll try to recreate my steps and I'll let you know. EDIT: Ok, to add an avatar, click the "Settings" link up top and then on the left there will be an "Edit Avatar" link. However, I don't see the avatar here, but I do see in on my blog entry.

Copying and pasting from Blogger (in "Compose" mode) worked just fine, with a lot of pictures and all. I thought the font turned out to be a little small, but I think I can adjust it up before I publish.

Nothing breaks up a drab, blah, boring, post-holiday winter's weekend quite like talking baseball. And the best place to talk baseball, and see baseballs, and hear baseball stories, and to think about baseball, and otherwise get your baseball fix in January is TWINS FEST! I was especially motivated to go this year, because Brad Radke was appearing for the first time since he retired. I don't normally like to spend my time in autograph lines, but this was for Brad Radke, so I had to. He shared an autograph station with Jacque Jones and Shannon Stewart, so it was kind of like a 2004 reunion tour. The line was longer than I expected, but fortunately I made it in just in the nick of time (they closed the line 5 or so people behind me). http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p3zJ4t-F1Z8/TyWyKmP6dkI/AAAAAAAABug/IN9FuaJZt9o/s320/bradke.jpgSuccess! http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N33IY7ps7tA/TyWyegqxCNI/AAAAAAAABuw/1svtk4GAd_s/s320/jonesstewart.jpg I didn't want Jacque and Shannon to feel bad, so I got theirs too. For the record both Jacque Jones and Brad Radke are better looking in person than any picture I've ever seen; they both have fabulous smiles. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a3zuXVZoIbk/TyWxQpcEFNI/AAAAAAAABuQ/qo5Ni3vVUoE/s320/brad.jpgBrad has short hair now. But he's still good looking. But not so much in this picture. After I finally got my autographs, I went inside. It's the first time I'd been in the Dome since they put on the new roof. It was a lot brighter in their than it used to be. I can't imagine trying to catch a fly ball with that sun-bright roof. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V8b5KpS7448/TyWzvbZZPoI/AAAAAAAABu4/iNR-BIqoJRw/s320/twinsfest.jpg It was crowded, but not as much as it was a couple of years ago. I sat at the ESPN1500 radio area, which is one of my favorite things to do -- you can relax, and listen to the radio guys interview the players. It's a great way to see the guys as they're being interviewed. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_e-biq3ReU/TyW0ylrEKvI/AAAAAAAABvA/aGsbbAm-_0c/s320/justin.jpg Justin Morneau also commented on the bright white roof. When we started wondering around, we checked out Bert Blyleven's new Hall of Fame plaque, ... http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SArkWFe-npQ/TyW14dHvXNI/AAAAAAAABvI/CQgpU51F_x4/s320/bert.jpg Hmm. I don't think it really looks like him. visited the Twins Pro Shop, ... http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7EU8tmShqw/TyW20A4IymI/AAAAAAAABvQ/6mZGgBNS7SY/s320/mikelamb.jpg You can get your very own Mike Lamb banner. and found TC Bear, among other things. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bXVj-kKGwpw/TyW42sA3FZI/AAAAAAAABvY/pU1sMoMQ7vE/s320/tckbro.jpg Best mascot in the Majors. By the time I did all that, the Twins Grab bag booth was closed down because they had run out of grab bags for the day. I was really disappointed because for $15, you can get a treasure of stuff -- old stadium giveaways, media guides, and other prizes. Bummer. Next time, I'll get those first. All in all, though, I had a great time. And now I'm really in the mood for baseball to start.

Nothing breaks up a drab, blah, boring, post-holiday winter's weekend quite like talking baseball. And the best place to talk baseball, and see baseballs, and hear baseball stories, and to think about baseball, and otherwise get your baseball fix in January is TWINS FEST! I was especially motivated to go this year, because Brad Radke was appearing for the first time since he retired. I don't normally like to spend my time in autograph lines, but this was for Brad Radke, so I had to. He shared an autograph station with Jacque Jones and Shannon Stewart, so it was kind of like a 2004 reunion tour. The line was longer than I expected, but fortunately I made it in just in the nick of time (they closed the line 5 or so people behind me). http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p3zJ4t-F1Z8/TyWyKmP6dkI/AAAAAAAABug/IN9FuaJZt9o/s320/bradke.jpgSuccess! http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N33IY7ps7tA/TyWyegqxCNI/AAAAAAAABuw/1svtk4GAd_s/s320/jonesstewart.jpg I didn't want Jacque and Shannon to feel bad, so I got theirs too. For the record both Jacque Jones and Brad Radke are better looking in person than any picture I've ever seen; they both have fabulous smiles. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a3zuXVZoIbk/TyWxQpcEFNI/AAAAAAAABuQ/qo5Ni3vVUoE/s320/brad.jpgBrad has short hair now. But he's still good looking. But not so much in this picture. After I finally got my autographs, I went inside. It's the first time I'd been in the Dome since they put on the new roof. It was a lot brighter in their than it used to be. I can't imagine trying to catch a fly ball with that sun-bright roof. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V8b5KpS7448/TyWzvbZZPoI/AAAAAAAABu4/iNR-BIqoJRw/s320/twinsfest.jpg It was crowded, but not as much as it was a couple of years ago. I sat at the ESPN1500 radio area, which is one of my favorite things to do -- you can relax, and listen to the radio guys interview the players. It's a great way to see the guys as they're being interviewed. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_e-biq3ReU/TyW0ylrEKvI/AAAAAAAABvA/aGsbbAm-_0c/s320/justin.jpg Justin Morneau also commented on the bright white roof. When we started wondering around, we checked out Bert Blyleven's new Hall of Fame plaque, ... http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SArkWFe-npQ/TyW14dHvXNI/AAAAAAAABvI/CQgpU51F_x4/s320/bert.jpg Hmm. I don't think it really looks like him. visited the Twins Pro Shop, ... http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7EU8tmShqw/TyW20A4IymI/AAAAAAAABvQ/6mZGgBNS7SY/s320/mikelamb.jpg You can get your very own Mike Lamb banner. and found TC Bear, among other things. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bXVj-kKGwpw/TyW42sA3FZI/AAAAAAAABvY/pU1sMoMQ7vE/s320/tckbro.jpg Best mascot in the Majors. By the time I did all that, the Twins Grab bag booth was closed down because they had run out of grab bags for the day. I was really disappointed because for $15, you can get a treasure of stuff -- old stadium giveaways, media guides, and other prizes. Bummer. Next time, I'll get those first. All in all, though, I had a great time. And now I'm really in the mood for baseball to start.