PeanutsFromHeaven

It's Opening Day (for the third day in a row!) and as we Peanuts settle in for the first game of the season (after a lunch date over Tibetan food) we thought we should offer a few last tidbits to savor before the game begins. First, congratulations to the newest member of the Peanuts from Heaven Hall of Fame. We're proud to induct those players who make it fun to watch a Twins game, they don't always need to be the best players, just the ones who help us enjoy it. This year a crowded field led to just one honoree: Michael Cuddyer. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVx3LNxiD5o/T33c0lzehBI/AAAAAAAAB-0/DiqRMG7yDdo/s400/CuddyHOF.jpg Congratulations Cuddy, and those who voted, please know that other near winners (Thome & Nathan) and not so near winners (Young, Slowey, Kubel and Crain) will be back on the ballot next year along with any other Twins who depart this season. But now is not the time to fixate on those who are no longer here, now is the time to think about the long season ahead. Clearly, since this is a Twins blog, we are biased. So for impartial analysis we turned to our newest analysts: Sid and Minnie...our pets. So after much asking and much more flopping on couches here's how the pets see the 2011 MLB race. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYcYqmd18vQ/T33cuyU7EAI/AAAAAAAAB-s/rreb0TZOaAQ/s320/402065_637983608975_40400007_33533351_166814527_n.jpegAL--as called by Sidney the Dog Also Rans: Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Mariners, A's, Angels (whenever these teams were mentioned Sid either stared dully out into space or sprawled out trying to sleep...not a good sign) Juuuust a bit outside: Twins, Blue Jays (He appeared vaguely interested, but that might have been because food was near by) Playoff Teams: Red Sox, Rays, Indians, Tigers and Rangers (I assumed licking his chops was a sign of excitement, rather than the fact that even he could play better than every Cleveland Indian) Winner: Tampa Bay Rays--3 WHOLE LICKS!! Congrats, Joe Maddon, you've got the backing of our little mutt. NL--as called by Minnie the Cat Also Rans: Mets, Braves Cardinals, Reds, Astros, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres (in each case she was looking down at the ground...just like she does before she vomits up a hairball) Juuuust a bit outside: Marlins, Nationals, Cubs (she put her head just to one side, as if considering it, then....nah!) Playoff Teams: Phillies, Brewers, Pirates, Giants, Rockies (Her eyes were up in that hopeful "I'd like more food please!" look cats sometimes get) Winner: It's hard to know for sure (I skipped all my "Cat Body Language" Courses in college) I'm going to guess that her adoring demeanor after I mentioned the San Francisco Giants makes them her pick to win it all (though the Pirates should savor the fact that she gave you an ear wag). So our pets predict a Tampa Bay V.s. San Francisco World Series. But at the end of the day, we can all agree that the ultimate winner is adorableness! Enjoy opening day!

It's Opening Day (for the third day in a row!) and as we Peanuts settle in for the first game of the season (after a lunch date over Tibetan food) we thought we should offer a few last tidbits to savor before the game begins. First, congratulations to the newest member of the Peanuts from Heaven Hall of Fame. We're proud to induct those players who make it fun to watch a Twins game, they don't always need to be the best players, just the ones who help us enjoy it. This year a crowded field led to just one honoree: Michael Cuddyer. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVx3LNxiD5o/T33c0lzehBI/AAAAAAAAB-0/DiqRMG7yDdo/s400/CuddyHOF.jpg Congratulations Cuddy, and those who voted, please know that other near winners (Thome & Nathan) and not so near winners (Young, Slowey, Kubel and Crain) will be back on the ballot next year along with any other Twins who depart this season. But now is not the time to fixate on those who are no longer here, now is the time to think about the long season ahead. Clearly, since this is a Twins blog, we are biased. So for impartial analysis we turned to our newest analysts: Sid and Minnie...our pets. So after much asking and much more flopping on couches here's how the pets see the 2011 MLB race. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYcYqmd18vQ/T33cuyU7EAI/AAAAAAAAB-s/rreb0TZOaAQ/s320/402065_637983608975_40400007_33533351_166814527_n.jpegAL--as called by Sidney the Dog Also Rans: Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Mariners, A's, Angels (whenever these teams were mentioned Sid either stared dully out into space or sprawled out trying to sleep...not a good sign) Juuuust a bit outside: Twins, Blue Jays (He appeared vaguely interested, but that might have been because food was near by) Playoff Teams: Red Sox, Rays, Indians, Tigers and Rangers (I assumed licking his chops was a sign of excitement, rather than the fact that even he could play better than every Cleveland Indian) Winner: Tampa Bay Rays--3 WHOLE LICKS!! Congrats, Joe Maddon, you've got the backing of our little mutt. NL--as called by Minnie the Cat Also Rans: Mets, Braves Cardinals, Reds, Astros, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres (in each case she was looking down at the ground...just like she does before she vomits up a hairball) Juuuust a bit outside: Marlins, Nationals, Cubs (she put her head just to one side, as if considering it, then....nah!) Playoff Teams: Phillies, Brewers, Pirates, Giants, Rockies (Her eyes were up in that hopeful "I'd like more food please!" look cats sometimes get) Winner: It's hard to know for sure (I skipped all my "Cat Body Language" Courses in college) I'm going to guess that her adoring demeanor after I mentioned the San Francisco Giants makes them her pick to win it all (though the Pirates should savor the fact that she gave you an ear wag). So our pets predict a Tampa Bay V.s. San Francisco World Series. But at the end of the day, we can all agree that the ultimate winner is adorableness! Enjoy opening day!

Great sentiment, I love the days of sincere, unflinching optimism, best time of the year!

To be sure, Ben Revere's boundless glee makes him an automatic favorite, but just to be different I'm going to take Luke Hughes (both for the Aussie jokes and the "Hughes the Force, Luke" meme that I fall back on in Twitter comments. So I'll go for the reserve infielder, hoping that he squeezes into a starting role thanks to average defense and above average hitting...and perhaps some Jedi Mind Tricks on Gardy.

Oops, should be fixed now...apologies to all

We really appreciate those intelligent, dedicated Twins bloggers who can analyze the minor league invitees, pick apart pitching motions and scrutinize batting stances until the Twins' prospects for the coming year can be understood by anyone with half-a-brain. But we aren't those bloggers. To us Spring Training is less a time to be studied and obsessed over and more like a trailer for the movie. Unfortunately, it's a trailer that goes on past the end of the average fan's attention span. So, if you've blown off checking out the Twins and Twins analysis until now DON'T WORRY!! We've got you covered with the following trailers! Just check out whichever one best meets your attitude as a fan and you'll be well prepared for the months ahead. Note (if you believe we would be better served (legally speaking) by removing the videos we will do so post haste but you should still see them at our independent blog: here) Trailer 1: For Optimists [video=youtube_share;redLQte9jyE] Trailer 2: For Pessimists [video=youtube_share;1vMf9kRa6vo] Trailer 3: For Realists [video=youtube_share;KalZ_GB67pk] So, are you an optimist, a pessimist or a realist?

We really appreciate those intelligent, dedicated Twins bloggers who can analyze the minor league invitees, pick apart pitching motions and scrutinize batting stances until the Twins' prospects for the coming year can be understood by anyone with half-a-brain. But we aren't those bloggers. To us Spring Training is less a time to be studied and obsessed over and more like a trailer for the movie. Unfortunately, it's a trailer that goes on past the end of the average fan's attention span. So, if you've blown off checking out the Twins and Twins analysis until now DON'T WORRY!! We've got you covered with the following trailers! Just check out whichever one best meets your attitude as a fan and you'll be well prepared for the months ahead. Note (if you believe we would be better served (legally speaking) by removing the videos we will do so post haste but you should still see them at our independent blog: here) Trailer 1: For Optimists [video=youtube_share;redLQte9jyE] Trailer 2: For Pessimists [video=youtube_share;1vMf9kRa6vo] Trailer 3: For Realists [video=youtube_share;KalZ_GB67pk] So, are you an optimist, a pessimist or a realist?

The regular season is so close you can taste it, and we Peanuts are back from our long hibernation with our season preview posts. Later in this week we'll post our preview of the Twins season (the optimistic, pessimistic, and realistic points of view) and predictions for the year ahead from the smartest analysts we know. But first, the reason for the prolonged delay between posts. It turns out that it's easier to post about things when you don't have a full time job to attend to. With Stinky in her cube, and me tapdancing for 80 kids a day there's a lot to get done. So most of our days are filled with the reading of e-mails and essays on personal heroes or meaningful innovations. After work we've got choirs to sing for and track teams to coach and as if that weren't enough, we've just packed up our entire household and moved into a new home. One thing that comes along with moving is chronicling just how much baseball stuff we have: a piece of Target Field artwork; bobbleheaded Joe Mauer; framed photos of Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner (bought during one of our earliest dates); signed balls; at least five kinds of TC hats and books like Crazy '08, Baseball in the Garden of Eden, The Glory of Their Times and Shoeless Joe. Moving also unearths prized possessions you forgot you had (particularly when your parents want to unload long dormant boxes in their basement). That's when you discover this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peqeRo5w7EE/T3oAo-IQT-I/AAAAAAAAB98/S8DokL8Ng-g/s320/Photo+on+2012-04-02+at+13.03.jpg Yes, that would be a treasure trove of baseball cards, acquired when I was about 5 years old. I was convinced every card would feature a Hall of Famer, a legend in the making. Almost 25 years later I can see a whole lot of Frank DiPino's and Lance Johnson's and very few recognizable anythings. But with the benefit of hindsight I can chuckle at Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams before he had a mullet; Dave Concepcion in his final days; Kevin Seitzer (pre-glory days) and Chris Bosio (sans goggles). But there are a few particular names that stand out: [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9JfpbalKzAo/T3oCpJRN82I/AAAAAAAAB-U/NBP8G3ODWaQ/s320/Famous+4.tiff [TD=class: tr-caption]Clockwise from Top Left: Ron Gant, Mike Socia, Ken Williams, Jamie Moyer [/TD] [/TABLE] This quartet will get no plaques or plaudits but I can remember them all clear as day. I remember Ron Gant getting pulled losing his balance scampering back to first in the '91 series. I remember Mike Socia winning the '02 series (coming back from his debilitating stint on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Softball Team). I remember Jamie Moyer making the Rockies last week (and making the Rockies back when he was minor league in the Paleozoic era). And I remember Kenny Williams, not from his playing days, but just from being a nice guy to a punk kid working in PR for a rookie league club in Montana. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2isH0wISbkA/T3oCquw351I/AAAAAAAAB-c/lUkSrfemwRg/s320/Twins+4.tiff [TD=class: tr-caption]Clockwise from Top L: Roy Smalley, Les Straker, Tim Laudner, Chili Davis [/TD] [/TABLE] Sadly, from my tonnage of cards there were maybe 5 Twins cards, perhaps they were held back from packs after they won the World Series. But in none of my stacks of cards was there a Kirby or a Hrbek, there were two members of the FSN Team in Roy Smalley and Tim Laudner (even if I can't remember them playing a game. There's also a then rookie Les Straeker with his lofty hopes before a DL trip ended his career. And there's Chili Davis three years away from being "my guy" on the '91 Twins. But of all the piles of cards there are only two that really stand out. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o2jxbDCTcnM/T3oApyZoM7I/AAAAAAAAB-E/Xn2ObpFHv7o/s200/Photo+on+2012-04-02+at+13.22.jpg TK looks thoroughly managerial here. Chaw shifted off to one side, looking askance at some shenanigan by the dugout. Pondering exactly how to say "shape up or ship out young man"...actually he probably would just say that. With TK's number set to be retired later this year, we are proud to salute him. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7vgY1RbQw4w/T3oAqYuSEyI/AAAAAAAAB-M/Jg9IWsS1zRI/s200/Photo+on+2012-04-02+at+13.23.jpgBest of all, there's this card of last year's retired number honoree: Bert Aberforce Blyleven. It might be a little better if there was an "I heart to fart" shirt, but as the most decorated and revered player in my baseball card collection we'll settle for his grizzled beard and death stare as some sort of absurdist ploy to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies...and also set up the curve ball. Now that I've sorted through all these cards, and all the books and all the knick-knacks and doodads that comprise our Twins fandom, it's time to turn our eyes to the field and root root root for the home team. We're glad to be back (and if you are looking for a Danny Cox baseball card...give me a call)

The regular season is so close you can taste it, and we Peanuts are back from our long hibernation with our season preview posts. Later in this week we'll post our preview of the Twins season (the optimistic, pessimistic, and realistic points of view) and predictions for the year ahead from the smartest analysts we know. But first, the reason for the prolonged delay between posts. It turns out that it's easier to post about things when you don't have a full time job to attend to. With Stinky in her cube, and me tapdancing for 80 kids a day there's a lot to get done. So most of our days are filled with the reading of e-mails and essays on personal heroes or meaningful innovations. After work we've got choirs to sing for and track teams to coach and as if that weren't enough, we've just packed up our entire household and moved into a new home. One thing that comes along with moving is chronicling just how much baseball stuff we have: a piece of Target Field artwork; bobbleheaded Joe Mauer; framed photos of Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner (bought during one of our earliest dates); signed balls; at least five kinds of TC hats and books like Crazy '08, Baseball in the Garden of Eden, The Glory of Their Times and Shoeless Joe. Moving also unearths prized possessions you forgot you had (particularly when your parents want to unload long dormant boxes in their basement). That's when you discover this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peqeRo5w7EE/T3oAo-IQT-I/AAAAAAAAB98/S8DokL8Ng-g/s320/Photo+on+2012-04-02+at+13.03.jpg Yes, that would be a treasure trove of baseball cards, acquired when I was about 5 years old. I was convinced every card would feature a Hall of Famer, a legend in the making. Almost 25 years later I can see a whole lot of Frank DiPino's and Lance Johnson's and very few recognizable anythings. But with the benefit of hindsight I can chuckle at Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams before he had a mullet; Dave Concepcion in his final days; Kevin Seitzer (pre-glory days) and Chris Bosio (sans goggles). But there are a few particular names that stand out: [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9JfpbalKzAo/T3oCpJRN82I/AAAAAAAAB-U/NBP8G3ODWaQ/s320/Famous+4.tiff [TD=class: tr-caption]Clockwise from Top Left: Ron Gant, Mike Socia, Ken Williams, Jamie Moyer [/TD] [/TABLE] This quartet will get no plaques or plaudits but I can remember them all clear as day. I remember Ron Gant getting pulled losing his balance scampering back to first in the '91 series. I remember Mike Socia winning the '02 series (coming back from his debilitating stint on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Softball Team). I remember Jamie Moyer making the Rockies last week (and making the Rockies back when he was minor league in the Paleozoic era). And I remember Kenny Williams, not from his playing days, but just from being a nice guy to a punk kid working in PR for a rookie league club in Montana. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2isH0wISbkA/T3oCquw351I/AAAAAAAAB-c/lUkSrfemwRg/s320/Twins+4.tiff [TD=class: tr-caption]Clockwise from Top L: Roy Smalley, Les Straker, Tim Laudner, Chili Davis [/TD] [/TABLE] Sadly, from my tonnage of cards there were maybe 5 Twins cards, perhaps they were held back from packs after they won the World Series. But in none of my stacks of cards was there a Kirby or a Hrbek, there were two members of the FSN Team in Roy Smalley and Tim Laudner (even if I can't remember them playing a game. There's also a then rookie Les Straeker with his lofty hopes before a DL trip ended his career. And there's Chili Davis three years away from being "my guy" on the '91 Twins. But of all the piles of cards there are only two that really stand out. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o2jxbDCTcnM/T3oApyZoM7I/AAAAAAAAB-E/Xn2ObpFHv7o/s200/Photo+on+2012-04-02+at+13.22.jpg TK looks thoroughly managerial here. Chaw shifted off to one side, looking askance at some shenanigan by the dugout. Pondering exactly how to say "shape up or ship out young man"...actually he probably would just say that. With TK's number set to be retired later this year, we are proud to salute him. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7vgY1RbQw4w/T3oAqYuSEyI/AAAAAAAAB-M/Jg9IWsS1zRI/s200/Photo+on+2012-04-02+at+13.23.jpgBest of all, there's this card of last year's retired number honoree: Bert Aberforce Blyleven. It might be a little better if there was an "I heart to fart" shirt, but as the most decorated and revered player in my baseball card collection we'll settle for his grizzled beard and death stare as some sort of absurdist ploy to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies...and also set up the curve ball. Now that I've sorted through all these cards, and all the books and all the knick-knacks and doodads that comprise our Twins fandom, it's time to turn our eyes to the field and root root root for the home team. We're glad to be back (and if you are looking for a Danny Cox baseball card...give me a call)

I'm picturing an ironic tribute to the Rocky IV training montage, where shots of Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi juicing are intercut with Braun cutting wood in a Wisconsin winter, punching big hunks of meat (or--being Wisconsin--cheddar) and running up a snowy hill. But then at the very end, Braun grabs a syringe too...just for good measure... Seriously though, I like your point, there's so much conjecture and rumor mongering around Braun right now that we'll likely never know what really happened, we can bemoan the unfairness of it all or we can shake our heads and move on...I vote for the latter.

Really nicely done. I think it's reasonable to assume that last year was out of the norm for the Twins--assuming a return to the mean it can easily make .500; but I doubt that Gardy or the veterans (Mauer, Morneau, Baker, Span) will accept just "average"--which can help boost them to contention.

Nice summary of an under analyzed move by the Twins this year; I worry sometimes that his solid OBP is more of a result of hitting ahead of the pitcher's spot in the NL (which may partially account for his meager runs scored total last year--especially if the Dodgers pitchers/lead off hitters struggled--they were the Dodgers so...). For statistically inept bloggers like me, my biggest hope is that Carroll's offers plenty of "old guy" joke material (especially now that Thome's gone). For example: Jamey Carroll's so old that he has a MedicAlert bracelet for the times when he dives for a ground ball and can't get up."

I'll definitely buy the hope. I have to believe that an organization that made savvy, intelligent moves that kept them at/near the top of a division for a decade did not suddenly become idiots in 2011. Bad luck is far more logical than mammoth (and previously unseen) ineptitude. That said, I think there's enough entitlement among some in the fan base (particularly the Mauer-bashers) to make me consider buying "Mauersucks.com" and copyright phrases like "We paid 184 million dollars and all we got was a pair of sideburns and this lousy t-shirt"--perhaps the profits could be donated to the roster fund.

Now that pitchers and catchers have officially reported to Ft. Meyers we can turn off the hot stove and turn on our baseball brains. My baseball brain would like to offer the Twins the following promotional opportunity. The team recently announced that, for the first time in a decade, there would be no bobblehead give-away day this season. Since the bobbleheads were once a big lure for a team struggling to draw fans, boost attendance and generate revenue to put back into payroll, we need some kind of new event. SO! We propose that, for one day this year, we turn Target Field into: Twinton Abbey! [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sSS3NeA4WLg/T0Kb6OfB2iI/AAAAAAAAB90/_t8on6V16c8/s640/Twinkieton+Abbey.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]This is made possible by the Pohlad Charitable Trust and Fans like You [/TD] [/TABLE] Thrill at the drama as Lord Gardenhire tries to navigate the tumultuous world of the American League; Swoon as heir to all Twins Territory, Joe Mauer, mulls whether or not he can accept these responsibilities and the love of a good woman; Laugh at the lastest zinger from the Dowager Count Terry Ryan! ("Don't be a defeatist dear; it's so middle class, we might as well live in Oakland!") We could have fans play the servants and mow the grass/fill the gatorade jug before the game. Dick and Bert could call the whole thing in a British accent. And after the game, season-ticket holders can have a formal dinner with the players at which something shocking is announced (war; engagement; end-of-war; trade of Matt Capps; end-of-engagement; Spanish-flu outbreak, etc). Given the wild popularity of the show, baseball's inherent fondness for "turn-back-the-clock" type promotions, and the fact that PBS has been guilting people into giving them money for decades this is a no-brainer! Easy money for the Twins and pure hilarity for the fans. Twins officials: I await your phone call!

Now that pitchers and catchers have officially reported to Ft. Meyers we can turn off the hot stove and turn on our baseball brains. My baseball brain would like to offer the Twins the following promotional opportunity. The team recently announced that, for the first time in a decade, there would be no bobblehead give-away day this season. Since the bobbleheads were once a big lure for a team struggling to draw fans, boost attendance and generate revenue to put back into payroll, we need some kind of new event. SO! We propose that, for one day this year, we turn Target Field into: Twinton Abbey! [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sSS3NeA4WLg/T0Kb6OfB2iI/AAAAAAAAB90/_t8on6V16c8/s640/Twinkieton+Abbey.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]This is made possible by the Pohlad Charitable Trust and Fans like You [/TD] [/TABLE] Thrill at the drama as Lord Gardenhire tries to navigate the tumultuous world of the American League; Swoon as heir to all Twins Territory, Joe Mauer, mulls whether or not he can accept these responsibilities and the love of a good woman; Laugh at the lastest zinger from the Dowager Count Terry Ryan! ("Don't be a defeatist dear; it's so middle class, we might as well live in Oakland!") We could have fans play the servants and mow the grass/fill the gatorade jug before the game. Dick and Bert could call the whole thing in a British accent. And after the game, season-ticket holders can have a formal dinner with the players at which something shocking is announced (war; engagement; end-of-war; trade of Matt Capps; end-of-engagement; Spanish-flu outbreak, etc). Given the wild popularity of the show, baseball's inherent fondness for "turn-back-the-clock" type promotions, and the fact that PBS has been guilting people into giving them money for decades this is a no-brainer! Easy money for the Twins and pure hilarity for the fans. Twins officials: I await your phone call!