John Bonnes

Not to be too harsh, but if you're reading this and have not made time to geek out at spring training, you might want to re-evaluate the path your life is following. I don't think I'm overstating this. This is a red flag. This is an intervention. This is a cathartic episode. Do you want to know if you should be going to spring training? Here's the litmus test: do you read Twins Daily? If you do, then you should be going to spring training.It's everything you want it to be. It's warm. It's having both road and away games within driving distance, every day. It is peeks of minor leaguers and up close access to major leaguers. It is watching Byron Buxton glide into a triple and Tom Kelly feeding fungoes and encouragement to Kenny Vargas about ten yards away. It is new ballparks. It's hot dogs on the grill, and cold beer on a grass lawn overlooking left field. It is mist off the Gulf and dew on the grass. And all of these are only tastes; let me get you the main course. It's an extra month of baseball at exactly the time at which you want an extra month of baseball. The human spirit needs baseball in March. (This truth is multiplied ten-fold for those who have experienced a Minnesota winter.) The spirit needs to unburden itself of the triple layer of fleece it is under and take flight. It needs to soak up a mixture of Vitamin D and Hope, more potent than anything Walter White could have cooked up. Spring training is fuel. It is depth. It is color. It is Mecca, worthy of a pilgrimage, and if that's how you need to frame it in your mind to overcome the stasis in which you're imprisoned, then start pilgriming. If you can't make it in the next two weeks, use that time to start booking next year's trip. Get that PTO on the office calendar and start researching flights or condos or whatever. Don't be the 98% who read this and put it off. Here's why: As you get older, you're going to start recognizing that life is shorter than you thought. And that's because it is. It certainly is for you. You're closer to your death than you have ever been and it's time you started taking that s*** seriously. Find a way to free yourself and get to spring training. This is why you are alive. ---- In manager Paul Molitor's postgame talk today, there was understandably a lot of talk about Alex Meyer, who was demoted to the minor league camp this morning. The issue that is mentioned by detractors regarding Meyer is his age, as he's already 25 years old. Molitor was asked if Meyer's age raised any concerns. "Not for me," replied Molitor. "Sometimes different body types take a little longer to fix issues like that. He's got a lot of time to be really good." The "body type" reference is likely in regard to Meyer's 6'9" frame. There was an interesting discussion in the forums in the story about Meyer's demotion where I wondered out loud if it takes taller pitches longer to gain a requisite level of consistency and control. So tonight I looked up Randy Johnson's career. Johnson didn't debut in the majors until he was .... 25 years old. His strikeout rate was rather pedestrian until he was 27. And he had a walk rate that was 6+ BB/9(!) in his 27 and 28-year-old seasons. He didn't really become the Big Unit until he was 29, at which point he had accumulated more than four years of service time. That comparison can be looked at either way. On the one hand, it might show how big guys blossom late. Or it might show that pitchers who could be elite need to be able to work their craft and make adjustments in the majors. But at the very least, it seems to demonstrate that age might not be a big concern for large pitchers. In fact, it makes me question why we ever thought it was. -------- An underrated aspect of any vacation: picking out the cheap sunglasses you're going to wear for the duration. Will you go for the Top Gun fighter, or Joel Goodson's Ray Bans, or maybe the sporty volleyball player wrap arounds? Who are you going to be this week? It's some of the best $20 you can spend on vacation. The ones I picked were labeled "Player". Damn straight. #47YearOldDad -------- I know you're waiting for the Hammond (now CenturyLink) Stadium beer report, so here goes: Bud products rule the most taps, and they aren't even the real craft brews like Goose Island or Red Hook; it's mostly Shocktop and Longboard. But the Twins have done a nice job finding room for a wide variety of other beers if you look. First, Yuengling Lager is everywhere (one of the underrated aspects of Florida) and also their Black & Tan is in the stands behind first base. Across the aisle from it, you can find a Fat Tire kiosk, and the right field line has a similar kiosk with English import ales. Leinie's is easily found in a few places and I heard that Summit Pilsner is available, though I didn't find it. But if you really want to find some local craft brews go to the bar next to the right field foul pole, where you'll find Blue Point, Sweet Water and Jai Alai IPA all on tap. Finally, I'd be remiss to not mention that a new stand down the right field foul line has beer milkshakes. They include three flavors and the Young's Double Chocolate Stout was recommended highly by a friend of Thrylos, so that is happening at some point this week, diet or no. Click here to view the article

Well, they'll have time together in Rochester this year for some of it to rub off....

Nick, I couldn't agree more about worrying about his age. My personal sense, not backed by stats, is that I worry about the age of hitters, not pitchers. But I wonder how valid that is. It would be interesting to see how the age of pitchers when they are introduced to the majors correlates with their future. I have't because I think that would include a lot of "noise" or be a prime candidate for the "correlation vs causation" argument; generally a good pitcher is a good pitcher early, so they tend to make it to the majors earlier. It would also be interesting to take a look at tall pitchers and see if they tend to develop later. It sure seems like it took Randy Johnson a long time to move from "curiosity" to "ace" but I wasn't paying as much attention to age at that point. Anyway, I guess my point remains: age is just a number for pitchers and shouldn't factor into the decision to rush a pitcher. I'm glad to hear from Seth that this is only his first option year. We might be impatient, but we have a lot of time to iron this stuff out.

Aaron and John talk about Eddie Rosario's chance of stealing the center field job from Aaron Hicks, Mark Hamburger's case for a bullpen spot, another chance to win Twins season tickets from the Minnesota Corn Growers at MNFarmTeam.com, Spider-Man the internet repair guy, Joe Nathan being a mess, Kevin Correia finding a new home, eating salads at Mac's Industrial, getting into soccer, big spoons and little spoons, and AL Central cliches. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

In 1970, for the second straight year, the Twins won their division but were swept out of the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles. It wasn't obvious at the time, but the team would not make another postseason appearance for 17 years. That doesn't mean they were bad.The Twins remained marginally competitive over the next decade or so, but injuries and age chipped away enough to lower them from elite to mediocre. Killebrew turned 35 in 1971 and would never again hit even 30 home runs in a season. Oliva hurt his knee on a shoestring catch in June 1971 and would never again garner MVP votes, which he had done for eight straight years. Killebrew departed the Twins after the 1974 season and retired a year later. A year after that, Oliva played his last major league game. Part 5 of a 12-part series that breaks Twins history into fun-sized chunks.You can find more here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |Part 4 Rod Carew, however, bounced back from his 1970 injury and resumed his Hall of Fame career. He won batting titles every season from 1972 through 1978, except for 1976, when he missed it by two hits. He was an All-Star every year from his rookie year in 1967 through 1984. The clubhouse was handed to manager Frank Quilici who guided the team to nearly a .500 record from 1972 through 1975, but they never finished higher than third in the division, and never fewer than eight games back. The results took their toll on attendance. The Twins did not break the 1,000,000 attendance mark for the first time in 1971, but it wouldn’t be the last. The Twins didn’t reach that mark again until 1977, thanks to Carew’s stellar season, a new manager, and a “Lumber Company.” The manager was Gene Mauch, a veteran manager from the National League who also happened to be a former member of the St. Paul Saints and Minneapolis Millers. He took over the Twins in 1976, and, despite the midseason trade of Bert Blyleven, the Twins posted a winning record for the first time since 1970. The next year was even more exciting, and over 1,100,000 Twins fans watched it live. The Twins offense, known as the “Lumber Company,” scored 867 runs and featured career years from Larry Hisle (119 RBI) and Lyman Bostock (.336 batting average). That level of run support helped make a 20-game winner out of Dave Goltz, who posted a 3.36 ERA. On August 23, the Twins were 18 games above .500 and a game back of the Royals. A late season fade to fourth place and 84 wins didn’t diminish the return of interest to the franchise. That interest was further fueled by Carew’s remarkable 1977 season. He entered June hitting .365 but proceeded to gather hits in every June game save the one on the 18th. On July 1st he was hitting .411 and would keep his average above that level through July 10th, about the same time he was on the cover of Time magazine. He would not reach .400 again, but finished the year with a .388 average, eight hits shy of the magical mark. It would be the zenith of Carew’s career with the Twins. But things turned sharply downhill that offseason. Next up: Bottoming Out Click here to view the article

Thanks for letting me know guys. I think I know what the problem is.

And I had Wolves season tickets for years with a friend. They're coming soon, I promise.

Why in the world would we launch a soccer website, especially before a basketball web site? There are three good reasons. The first is that soccer coverage in Minnesota has been mostly ignored by corporate media. (If there is one thing that gets a bunch of bloggers blood boiling, it’s seeing corporate media ignore something worthy.) The second is that the local soccer team, Minnesota United, has possibly the most fun and creative fangroup the Twin Cities has ever seen. Just stroll through this gallery of pictures by photographer Jeremy Olson (who is providing many of the pictures for the site) and tell me you don't want to be a part of this.But the biggest reason is that we have a lot of brilliant soccer writers locally that should be heard. I’m not overstating this. Several have nationally recognized blogs that have drawn thousands of regular readers. They are passionate, obsessive, analytical and entertaining. Seriously, they’re so good they’re going to make you like soccer. Jon Marthaler, who many of you know either from The Sportive Podcast or his satirical work at TwinkieTown or his SoccerCentric blog on the StarTribune.com, recognized the irony of these three facts. He has been bothering us for a couple of years to do something about it. At some point, it became less work to just appease him. Or that’s that I tell him. The truth is that we do this because we love people who love stuff, and these guys love this stuff. I think there is a good chance that you’re going to love this stuff too, even if you’re determined not to. That’s a good thing. Finding stuff to love is life’s work. So please swing by and let us know what you think about the new NorthernPitch.com. I think you’ll see why we felt it was important to add this to the MinnCentric sites. And maybe you’ll even fall in love. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about whether the Twins should sign Brian Dozier to an extension, Paul Molitor's quotes about managing philosophies, chatting with Adam Czech of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association about a season ticket package giveaway contest for listeners, 612 Brew's new cans and where to get them, Mike Pelfrey as a starter only, and the difference between live radio and recorded podcasts with a drunk, show-crashing woman. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

After a disappointing 1968 season that included a hamstring injury to Harmon Killebrew in the All-Star Game and a seventh-place finish, changes were made for 1969. Billy Martin, who had managed the AAA team in Denver the year before, was installed as manager. Martin’s aggressive style would make headlines on and off the field.On the field, the Twins, a team known for its power, displayed a renewed interest in running wild on the bases. In the second game in which Martin managed, he had Rod Carew steal home. Carew would do so another six times that season, which at the time apparently tied a major league record. The Twins four triple steals that year did tie the major league record. In one game on May 18th, both Carew and Cesar Tovar stole home in the same at-bat. More astounding? Killebrew was the batter. Part 2 of a 12-part series that breaks Twins history into fun-sized chunks.You can find more here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Martin’s well-known aggression off the field boiled over in early August, when it was revealed that he had become involved in a bar fight in Detroit–against his own player. And not just any player, but Dave Boswell, who would go on to win 20 games that season. Both Boswell and Martin required stitches from the incident. But there is no question that the team responded to Martin. They finished with 97 wins, capturing the newly formed West Division by nine games. The postseason was not as kind. In the first American League Championship series, the Orioles swept the Twins, who lost two extra-inning affairs in Baltimore. When they came back to the Met, Martin started journeyman Bob Miller over Jim Kaat. The Twins lost that game 11-2, and Martin was fired at the end of one exhilarating season amid media and fan outrage. Replacing Martin was Bill Rigney, a former player and manager for the Minneapolis Millers. He could rely on several outstanding performances in his first year as manager. Oliva (.325 batting average) and Killebrew (41 home runs) finished 2nd and 3rd in 1970’s AL MVP voting and Jim Perry won the Twins first AL Cy Young award with a 24-12 record, throwing 278.2 innings with a 3.04 ERA. Together, they would lead the Twins to another division in 1970, despite several significant injuries. Most detrimental were the torn ligaments in Rod Carew’s knee, limiting him to just 51 games. A different injury led to the debut of a future Hall of Fame inductee. Bert Blyleven, only nineteen years old, was called up to replace the injured Luis Tiant in the rotation. Blyleven would win that first game (despite giving up a home run to the first batter he faced) and nine more that year while throwing 164.1 innings. It was the last time he would not throw 200 innings for the rest of the decade, and he exceeded 270 innings each year he was with the Twins until he was traded in 1976. He would retire 22 years later with 287 wins, a career ERA of 3.31, and the third most strikeouts in baseball history. The Twins won the division comfortably by nine games, but again couldn’t take the pennant, which they lost in three games to the Orioles for the second year in a row. It wasn’t obvious at the time, but the team would not make another postseason appearance for 17 years. Next up: Gene Mauch, Rod Carew and the Lumber Company Click here to view the article

Aaron and John sample beers at Lynlake Brewery and talk about everyone (except themselves) being in the best shape of his life, Paul Molitor's new clubhouse rules, Torii Hunter's oft-discussed leadership, Johan Santana's latest comeback with the Blue Jays, the power of rhetoric versus analysis, Jordan Schafer vs. Aaron Hicks, the Twins trying to find a leadoff hitter, managing expectations for Miguel Sano, and mailbag questions. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' top 10 prospects, Ron Gardenhire's plans for 2015, the big Miguel Sano comeback, eating and drinking at New Bohemia, Nick Punto's retirement, billion-dollar TV deals, how to get a proper anti-social haircut, Jose Berrios going topless, moving day, and mailbag questions. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Most pieces for a contender were in place in 1964, but the Twins made a key addition to the coaching staff prior to the 1965 season. Manager Sam Mele and pitching coach John Sain were joined on the coaching staff by Billy Martin, who is credited with helping shortstop Zoilo Versalles win the American League MVP. But the pennant the team won was certainly a group effort; so many players were injured that the success required contributions from all available hands. The best remembered hit was provided by Killebrew, who hit a two-out, two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Yankees the day before the All-Star break. The Twins would not relinquish first place for the rest of the year. For 26 years that hit would be the considered the most dramatic home run in the organization’s history.The World Series pitted the Twins against the favored Dodgers. The Twins won the first two games handily in Minnesota, but scored just two runs in three games as they were swept in Los Angeles. Mudcat Grant, who led the club with 21 wins, pitched a one-run complete game to tie up the series, three games apiece. But the Dodgers prevailed in Game Seven when Sandy Koufax outdueled Kaat, throwing a shutout on two-day’s rest. Part 2 of a 12-part series that breaks Twins history into fun-sized chunks. You can find more here: Part 1 Part 2 The next couple of years would feature lots of success, but no return to the World Series. The next year, 1966, was a year of silver medals. Jim Kaat won 25 games–but lost to Koufax in the Cy Young voting, since there was only one award given between the two leagues. Meanwhile, Killebrew finished second in the American League in home runs and runs batted in, behind Frank Robinson who won the Triple Crown. The Twins also finished second in the American Leauge, though they were never closer than nine games back after mid-June. Finishing second was a lot tougher to swallow in 1967. As of September 6, four teams–the Twins, White Sox , Red Sox and Tigers–were in a virtual tie for the division lead. For the last month, those teams would battle in a ten-team league for a single postseason spot. As the final weekend approached, the Twins held a one-game lead over Boston and Detroit with two games to play against Boston. But in the third inning, while holding a one-run lead, Kaat tore a tendon in his pitching elbow, and the Red Sox rallied to win 6-4, helped by a 3-run home run from Carl Yastrzemski. The next day the Sox won the final game of the season 5-3, featuring more highlights from “Yaz.” The Twins finished second best again. After a disappointing 1968 that included a hamstring injury to Killebrew in the All-Star game and a seventh-place finish, changes were made for 1969. Billy Martin, who had managed the AAA team in Denver the year before, was instilled as manager. Martin’s aggressive style would make headlines on - and off - the field. Click here to view the article

The team that came to Minnesota included future stars like Earl Battey, Bob Allison, Camilo Pascual and Jim Kaat. But they were joined by an absolute killer. Harmon “Killer” Killebrew was hardly a giant, just 5’ 11” with a stocky build. That physique didn’t hide his power potential. He was valuable enough to be signed for a bonus above $4,000, qualifying Killebrew as a “bonus baby”. As a way of discouraging high bonuses, this classification required the young slugger to spend two years in the majors before being sent to the minors to begin his minor league training. His two-year stint riding the major league bench delayed Killebrew from playing full time in the majors until 1959, when he was 22 years old.When Killebrew returned to the majors, he burst on the scene with a league-leading 42 home runs. He would do so another five times before his career was over, and finish in the top five an astounding 12 times. He won the American League MVP in 1969 and received votes for the first 11 years of the Twins existence, with the exception of 1968, when he was hurt. Part 2 of a 12-part series that breaks Twins history into fun-sized chunks. You can find more here: Part 1 Killebrew had a quiet demeanor. He was known as a listener, not a screamer, someone who wasn’t comfortable setting himself apart from the other guys. But his performance couldn’t help but do so, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. With Killebrew leading an already talented club, it wouldn’t be long before the Twins escaped the American League’s second division. The team won 91 games in both 1962 and 1963, climbing to second in 1962 and then finishing third in 1963. When the club slipped back to 79-83 in 1964, despite Tony Oliva’s Rookie of the Year award, the players, fans and team management were all dissatisfied. That disappointment may have provided the fuel the team needed to finally reach the World Series. It didn't hurt that they made a key addition to their coaching staff. Joining manager Sam Mele and pitching coach John Sain was by Billy Martin, the fiery former second baseman of the New York Yankees, who had finished atop the Twins division since they had arrived in Minnesota in 1961. Martin would contribute to his former team's downfall, but the death blow to "The Damn Yankees" would be delivered by Killer. Next: Part III, A Quick Rise, A Quick Fall Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about Bovada's over/under line for the Twins' win total, James Shields finding a home, Andrew Wiggins vs. Byron Buxton, Jared Burton joining Scott Baker on the Yankees, how much the Twins rotation needs to improve, the best Twins rotations of the Ron Gardenhire era, the front office's expectations for 2015, Joe Mauer's past pitch-framing, and lots of mailbag questions. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article