John Bonnes

sponsored by Freehouse Download attachment: Beer.JPG When it comes to bars and restaurants around their ballpark, baseball fans like their institutions. There is something comforting about finding a place that fits them, a place they can share with their kids, both now and later, the same way they share their favorite game. In short, they’re looking for a sense of community. We’re proud to welcome Freehouse as a new entry to the pregame and postgame scene and sponsor of Twins Daily and Gleeman & the Geek. I’ll be shocked if they don’t become one of those institutions. Indeed, judging by the crowd on a recent Saturday when there wasn’t a Twins game, they may already be. Their name implies they get the community focus; a “free house” is a neighborhood pub in England that isn’t tied to the beers of just one brewery. (Freehouse, despite having a brewery on site, is a “free house.” They also serve other commercially available beers on tap, including locals like Summit.) The layout retains that focus; as you walk in the door, a large rectangular bar is the first area you encounter. However, there’s lots of room for lots of areas of focus, because it’s a big place. Behind the bar is a large dining area. Behind that is a large kitchen. On the side are the tanks where they brew their (as of a month ago) seven types of beers. This is the largest and most ambitious restaurant opened by Blue Plate Restaurant Company, which also owns The Lowry, Edina Grill and Groveland Tap. Aaron and I visited about a month ago for our “Baseball is Back!” episode and reviewed their food and beer “live” as it was placed in front of us by manager Dave Wohlforth. Admittedly, we're their target market. Freehouse’s tagline is “Breakfast to Beer” which could just as easily be the motto of a mashup of Aaron’s and my Twitter feeds. We mostly sampled pumped up traditional favorites. For brunch, Aaron ate the lion’s portion of the Ciabatta French Toast, which had a sweetness accentuated by a touch of cayenne. Their most popular item is the $1000 Burger made with short rib, brisket and duck fat. And my favorite was the Roto-Bird, which is “just” a perfectly prepared rotisserie chicken. When I go back, I want to bring some risk takers, so I can taste a few of their more adventurous offerings. Like Lobster Mac n Cheese that includes Cheez-its. Or the Bone Marrow or Oxtail appetizers. Or the entire section of their menu titled “Jars.” We also made our way through the beers. The four originals are solid examples of traditional styles: a kolsch, an IPA, a brown and a stout. The brown was my favorite. I’m partial to that style, but this went beyond my personal preferences; it was a smooth, rich, toasty draught without being too heavy. Beyond those, Freehouse is extending their range with a wheat, a hoppy amber, a west-coast IPA and a Bock, which wasn’t ready when I was there. I’m not a wheat guy, but I’d recommend the other two for someone who wants to be challenged beyond the basics. Freehouse opened back in December and has already demonstrated the ability to stick around and please a crowd, whether they happen to be near a ballpark or not. Fortunately for Twins fans, they are. And fortunately for Twins Daily members, they’re one of the first bars and restaurants, along with Mason’s to support Twins Daily’s efforts to build a community around the independent voices following Twins baseball. Please welcome them, follow them on Twitter and stop by before or after your next Twins game and thank them for their support of Twins Daily. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: AL+Central+2010+1.jpg Let's do our division picks, poll style. Today I'll post a poll for who will win the AL Central. Tomorrow we'll eliminate the winner and post a poll for who will finish second and we'll repeat on Thursday and Friday. Don't just vote - give your reasons. You can find the poll and the thread for comments here. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Fotolia_16304314_S.jpg You would think that when Twins Daily hits a milestone like one million views over a month, as we did yesterday, it would cause a elation. And usually you would be right. But this time, it was a little overwhelming. Because while I forget details about the beginnings of blogging I still vividly remember certain feelings. I remember the emptiness of hollering into the void. I remember the elation of finding an audience. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]I remember the backlash, the anger at cowardly throwaway attacks. The disbelief at shameful obstacles. The frustration. The hopelessness. The resignation. For the better part of a decade, the naysayers had the louder voice. They used it to tell you that nobody will listen. That your passion is of no interest. That your voice belongs in your mothers basement. To them I'll reply: 1,000,000. One million times per month people want to read your thoughts. One million times per month, people want to read your research. One million times per month, people want to share your passion. To me, that is a dream come true. To the naysayers, it is a fad or a lark or an insignificant detail. They are making the same mistake they made ten years ago: they underestimated you. They didn't think you were passionate enough to find us, kind enough to share, civil enough to discuss, or talented enough to write. And you are all those things and there are millions of you and now we know this, can show this. Which is a very long way of saying two words: Thank You. I don't pretend to know everyone's motivations for visiting Twins Daily, but whatever the reason, it feels like a miracle. Elation isn't enough. Click here to view the article

Well, that was brutal. Instead, let's focus on something else: tonight marked the start of the Twins second turn through the rotation, and their seventh spring training game. The roles for players are clearer as are the spring training battles. So what do several Twins positional hopefuls need to do to make it to Chicago for Opening Day?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] THE LINEUP Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Kurt Suzuki, Alex Presley What they need to do: Stay healthy. Pedro Florimon What he needs to do: Get healthy. For what it's worth, he took grounders with the rest of the infielders today. He looks like he's getting close to returning. Jason Kubel What he needs to do: Stay healthy and show he's not completely done. He hasn't done the latter yet, but there's a lot of time. Oswaldo Arcia What he needs to do: Last week, I would have said just be normal. As in, don't struggle too much, don't get too angry, don't go too cray-cray. The job in right field is his job to lose, but he can lose it. (Boy, can he lose it.) That was last week. Today, I'm not so sure. If Arcia does NOT win that spot, he will not be on the bench. He'll be in AAA. That takes care of he starting nine. If the Twins carry 13 position players, which would seem likely, it leaves four spots. Interestingly, assistant GM Rob Antony wasn't committing to that yesterday, saying "it hasn't been determined." If they only carry three spots, those spots are going to a backup infielder, catcher and outfielder. More to the point - a backup shortstop, catcher and center fielder, since there is nobody in the starting nine that can back up those spots. Keeping that in mind, let's look at some other names: BACKUP INFIELDERS Eduardo Escobar What he needs to do: He's the default choice, because of his age and flexibility. Bartlett hasn't demonstrated that he can play third base, and the Twins haven't tried him there this year yet, either. Doug Bernier can play second base, shortstop and third base like Escobar, but he's also eight years older than him. Doug Bernier What he needs to do: Escobar would need to get hurt or do something else for the organization to completely lose confidence in him. Jason Bartlett What he needs to do: First, he needs the Twins to carry at least 13 position players because if he's the shortstop, the Twins are going to need to also bring up either Escobar, Bernier, Deibinson Romero or Brandon Waring to back up third base. However, He makes a somewhat intriguing 13th player in that he can be a backup infielder AND could theoretically be a bat off of the bench. It's not totally clear the 34-year-old can do either, but he might at least be able to get on base. He also looks pretty good as a possible substitution for Florimon late in the game. Chris Colabello What he needs to do: There might be a couple of ways he makes the team: At DH - He needs two of Kubel, Arcia and Parmelee to look very, very bad while he looks very, very good. Even then, I'm not sure it's enough. He likely needs two of them to be unable to play, frankly. He makes another interesting 13th man candidate. With as many left-handed bats as the Twins have, it makes sense to have a right-handed bat that they can plug in occasionally. To win that spot, he needs to look quite a bit more appetizing than Jason Bartlett and Wilkin Ramirez, who we'll get to in a second. James Beresford, Deibinson Romero, Brandon Waring, etc. What they need to do: There needs to be a series of small miracles. It was interesting that Bereford started tonight at second base when most of the other starters were going to be in the Opening Day lineup. Dozier got to sit because he made the long trip to Jupiter yesterday, but that doesn't explain why Escobar and Bernier weren't there. Beresford also played third base yesterday. He would likely be option C as the utility infielder. BACKUP OUTFIELDERS Darin Mastroianni What he needs to do: Ideally, he would show he still has the wheels, if not the instincts, to play center field. He would show he has the wheels to do something when he's on base. He would show that he can get on base. But he doesn't need to do any of these things. He just needs to play center field passably enough that nobody panics. The center field situation is petty dire until Hicks finds himself or Buxton charges up here. Mastroianni is the default fix for now. Wilkin Ramirez What he needs to do: Ramirez is an interesting contrast to Mastroianni. He's less of a center fielder, but more of a hitter. If Mastroianni can't outplay him defensively, he could theoretically be the backup "center fielder," though I'm not totally sure the Twins would want to do that to him. He did play several games there for the Twins last year. But Ramirez has another way to stick on the roster if Mastroianni beats him out. He could be the 13th man. He's right-handed, has some power and gives the Twins a fifth outfielder. His primary competition would be Colabello. Aaron Hicks What he needs to do: Defensively, he's superior to everyone on this list including the starter Alex Presley. But the Twins would need to be desperately worried about Mastroianni's and Ramirez' defense to limit Hicks' playing time to that of a backup (or short-side of the platoon) in the majors. They have to want him playing every day in AAA. Chris Parmelee What he needs to do: Parmelee's best chance to make this roster is probably to beat out Kubel or Arcia at a spot in the lineup. It's not as far-fetched as I might have thought. Gardenhire has batted Parmelee higher in the lineup than Arcia and Kubel a couple of times. Tonight, Parmelee started in right field while Arica came off the bench. It's clear that Gardenhire has confidence in Paremelee - provided Parmelee has confidence in himself. "I don't worry about where I put him in the lineup," Gardy said after a recent game. "If he's confident, he can hit. It's all about a confident thing with him and not getting too deep into his own head and just going up there and swinging. When he does that, he's got no problems. And right now, he's not worried about a thing. He's just up there swinging. If we can keep that, we've got a good player." Parmelee has one other thing going for him: he's out of options. If he doesn't make the roster the Twins could lose him to another team, especially if he has a nice spring. He can't play center field, so his only other option is to be the 13th man. Even being out of options, that's an uphill battle because he bats left-handed and a right-handed hitter makes a lot more sense with this lineup. Perhaps if Ramirez is the right-handed center fielder, then maybe Parmelee would be an option. But maybe not even then. BACKUP CATCHERS This comes down to the Twins deciding which of three values they want to embrace? Josmil Pinto Value = development. It's hard to tell if Pinto holds his own destiny in his hands this spring, but there is no doubt he does long-term. His goal right now is to show the Twins that he's ready, primarily defensively, or at least that he can continue to learn on the job from Suzuki. Even then they might want to keep him in AAA to play every day. I would think his odds go up if Kubel struggles, since Pinto could play there when he's not catching and learn defensively from Suzuki. If he does make it, he could also be the right-handed bench bat the Twins would like, which is a nice benefit. That might open a door for Bartlett (for another right-handed bat with defensive chops) or Parmelee (as a left-handed bat who is out of options) to be the 13th man. Eric Fryer Value = Veteran defense. On the one hand, they might think they already have this with Suzuki on the roster. On the other, I would never underestimate the Twins to value veterans who play strong defense. Chris Herrmann Value = Flexibility. If only he could also play center field. He can play first base or corner outfield, so keeping him opens the door to all kinds of mix and match possibilities with Bartlett, Colabello or Mastroianni and Ramirez as the 13th man. It would likely be bad news for Parmelee, because they would still need a right-handed bat. If I had to guess right now, I think I'd say that if Parmelee wins right field, the bench is Escobar, Mastroianni, Fryer and ... let's go with Bartlett. And if not, maybe they try to stash him as the 13th man. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: ST-PATRICKS-DAY2.jpg Aaron and John talk about Glen Perkins' contract extension, St. Patrick's Day craziness, what the plan is for Josmil Pinto and Aaron Hicks, unwanted apartment guests, drinking and eating at Mason's downtown, Ricky Nolasco starting Opening Day, running into KFAN producer Ryan Donaldson and his crew, waitresses in short shorts, out-of-options Twins, and getting too excited about spring training stats. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it atGleemanAndTheGeek.com.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: iPhone+015.jpg There are great rewards and great risks in doing something new. We know a thing or two about that at Twins Daily. We also know a thing or two about passion and experimentation and rejecting the limitations older corporate entities might embrace. (Or try to enforce.) I think these are core values with which our members empathize. If they didn't, I think they'd get their Twins fix someplace else. It has been harder to find local sponsors that embrace that same attitude. But today we welcome our first, and given their history, I wonder what took us so long to find each other. In 1986, Summit tackled a stodgy industry by trusting consumers to get past old habits by brewing new experimental products of exceptional quality. They took great risks and we've all received the great rewards. In the brewer’s interview for their new Unchained series beer, brewer Gabe Smoley talked about the impressive measures he took to make sure that his beer would really be 100% organic: I think that’s the DNA of Twins Daily too, and I think it’s the DNA or our community. So, please raise a glass and welcome Summit to Twins Daily. I'm glad we found each other. Click here to view the article

What was the fan reaction in Hammond Stadium following the gut-punching news about Miguel Sano? Honestly, it was smiles. Basking, wondrous smiles expressed with the eyes and shoulders moreso than the lips. Or at least that what I saw as I walked up to the Hammond Stadium gates. Yes, the Twins had received the worst possible news for one of their cornerstone prospects. But it was still a home opener, still 80 degrees and sunny, still a record-sized crowd watching a baseball game. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The first couple innings helped the mood. The Twins lineup jumped all over Red Sox starter Allen Webster, who is fighting to keep his wildish mid-90s fastball out of Pawtucket this year, and being opposed by the Red Sox crowded rotation. The Twins didn't help his cause. If only you really could tell everything you wanted to know about a season by that first game, first at-bat, first pitch. If so, we'd know that Brian Dozier's power last year was real. His first at-bat concluded with a double off the left field gap's wall, missing a home run by a couple of feet. If so, Joe Mauer's move to first base would turn him into an RBI machine. He immediately drove Dozier home. If so, the concerns about the Twins offense this year would be baseless. They plated three and knocked Webster from the game before he could finish his second inning. That's not how it works, of course. The real omen of the day was the Sano news. It's another delay for a rebuild that's going into it's fourth year. It always hurts to lose a year of player development, but it's worth noting that Sano's important clocks haven't begun ticking. He's only 20, and this doesn't impact his "option" years, let alone his player service time. Historically, the Twins have seen much worse. The Twins lost Francisco Liriano for a year within months of him making the team. They lost Mauer for most of his first full year in his first game. And Jason Kubel in his first offseason. And Morneau when he was hit by Ron Villone.... Sigh. Talk about an angle that doesn't get enough talk. How come so many of the Twins top prospects have been injured just as they are reaching the majors? Does that happen to any other franchise? How different could the last decade have been? And how about we hunt down the White Sox fan with the little voodoo doll and beat the snot out of him. For that job, I nominate just about anyone except Tony Oliva. As I left Hammond stadium, I saw an older man tussling in the grass with a couple of toddlers. He stopped long enough for their Mom to take an photo with his head upside down on the short grass. He got up and laughed and told his friends it was time to go It was Oliva. The kids had no idea who he was. The dad didn't either. The mom suspected it was Oliva but admitted that when he stopped while he was walking past the kids, she thought he was going to scold them for wrestling and tearing up the grass on the concourse. Nope. Instead, a day that started out with incredibly depressing (and seemingly inevitable) news ended with an impromptu joyful moment between rugrats and a Twins legend on the walkway to Hammond. Short of finding the Sox voodoo guy, maybe this is how we shake ourselves from this Minnesota sports funk. If not, at least it uncovered some smiles. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: grass.jpg The beginning of the Grapefruit Season means more baseball talk, and we saw it on the forum board yesterday: The live thread of the game was a little weird because most people heard the game two hours later. That led to some talk about the limitations of MLB.TV. Also, Seth recapped the game the game which led to more discussion.Gardenhire surprised some of us by playing Trevor Plouffe in left field along with all the other starters. Does that mean Revere could be on the bench? And if that's the case, should Willingham play left field after all?Finally, just the concept of watching baseball live had members reminiscing about their favorite ballparks. This was by far our most popular thread of the day. Ah, spring.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Tigers Soccer Jersey.JPG Aaron and John talk about Super Bowl festivities, breaking down the other four teams in the AL Central, last week's star-studded Twins Fest get-together, Matt Capps staying in the division, Aaron's chances with Kate Mara, feeling sorry for Carl Pavano, Dave St. Peter's dimples, the latest on Joe Saunders, meeting people from Twitter, "IAMACEO" by Starflyer 59, and the beauty of Andrew Dice Clay. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Pelfrey_Mike_walking_US_720.jpg The latest casino project in Las Vegas is going to cost seven billion dollars. That is an incredible gamble (*1), but there are reasons that investors make it. The first is that in the long run, the house always wins. But the second is equally important: in the short run, anyone can win. If that wasn’t true, nobody would go to the casino, and there would be no reason to invest. Mike Pelfrey, who the Twins will be signing for $11 million over two years, is an investment too. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]In the long run, he’s averaged out to a 4.48 ERA return, but that's like saying a roulette spin will come up blackish-red. He’s thrown about five-and-a-half seasons in the majors, and only once (4.74 ERA in 2011) has he ever come anywhere near that career ERA. Instead, he’s crushed it twice (3.72 in 2008 and 3.66 in 2010) and been crushed three times (5.57 in 2007, 5.03 in 2009, 5.19 last year). It doesn’t take a lot of advanced analysis to tell you that the Twins are betting against the house. But the advanced stats tell us the same thing. Pelfrey’s success or failure each year has been almost entirely based on how many home runs he has given up. Home runs are highly dependent on whether or not a pitcher tends to be a ground ball pitcher or a fly ball pitcher, and Pelfrey is the latter. It’s hard for any pitcher to control what percentage of those fly balls turn to home runs, but there is some long-term trend to it, and Pelfrey has been very good at keeping fly balls from turning to home runs. Every year he has pitched in the majors, Pelfrey has been in the top half of pitchers in home run to fly ball ratio (HR/FB). But the two years he was really good, he was elite in HR/FB, ranking 4th among qualified pitchers in 2008 and 9th in 2010. The other years, he wasn’t bad, but merely slightly above average. When Pelfrey has been successful, he’s been elite at doing something in which pitchers have very limited control. I don’t like to call that “luck,” but I also don’t like to call a good run at a blackjack table “luck.” I go with “secret sauce.” But whatever I call it, I don’t rely on it. If this was a one-year deal, I could say that the Twins won’t need to rely on it either. But a multi-year deal changes how teams react. If Pelfrey isn’t effective, whether it’s luck or skill or the wind blowing out in Target Field (*2) this spring, it’s going to be hard to push him out of the rotation. Nobody is going to be anxious to give up on a player with that contract, especially given that Pelfrey is by all accounts a good guy and hard worker. So the Twins are making a bigger bet than they should have against the house. They might have been emboldened to do so by their success with Kevin Correia, who paid off handsomely in his first year. The Twins have responded by doubling down instead of walking away with their winnings. That’s a natural, human reaction. It’s also why they still keep building casinos. ~~~ *1) We tend to read numbers and blow right past them, but think about what it means to build a seven BILLION dollar casino. That’s the value of thirteen of MLB teams, including the Twins, combined. And that money needs to be raised and paid UP FRONT in cash. And it’s not like casinos never go bust – several of them have over the last decade or ended up being partly built and then stalled out. Just what kind of return do you have to anticipate to make a seven billion dollar bet like that? *2) Target Field is probably worth addressing. HR/FB rate is also influenced by ballpark, and it would make sense that Target Field would help pitchers, especially right-handed pitchers, in that regard. But it’s worth noting that Pelfrey’s team, the Mets, also have a home ballpark that has suppressed home runs. For instance, in 2010, the Mets and their opponents hit 110 home runs in CitiField, but 153 home runs on the road. Click here to view the article

Five weeks. Just five weeks. Here's what you magnificent people have been doing in the five weeks since pitchers and catchers reported: We’re up to 1100 registered members, and nearly 500 of them have contributed to the community. The forum holds 500 discussion threads that have generated over 5000 individual posts, or about 100/1000 per week. 321 individual blog posts by our members on 62 blogs, or about nine every day. Those have been read by 34,765 unique visitors who have stopped by 134,000 times. Last Thursday we had 621 people visiting the site all at the same time. And finally, the benchmark that drove us to do this research: over half a million page views. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Download attachment: twins-daily h169.jpg The goal of this site was to make it easier for Twins fans to find great independent Twins writers and thinkers. But having 35,000 people discover posts and blogs of hundreds of our members over half a million times in a little over a month? I’m pinching my PC screen. This can’t be real. So again THANK YOU all for coming together and doing this. PLEASE: read, join, post, write and share with your friends. You have something to give. We’ll do our best to make sure we do our best to help people find it. Time for a couple of important notes… Ads You’re going to start seeing ads on TwinsDaily. Believe it or not, this is a good thing. For a community to thrive, it needs to be able to pay for itself, and all this activity (not to mention the initial investment in the web site) costs money. Ads are the last cornerstone to keep this community self-sufficient. It also reflects how thriving this community is - nobody advertises where there aren’t people. We’ll try and keep them from being overwhelming and hope you’ll support them the way they’re supporting all of us. By the way, the implementation of those ads might not be totally seamless. We’re feeling our way through this thing. As always, let us know if you think we’re screwing up. Spam The spambots have found us. Every morning Nick, Seth, Parker and I scour the site trying to stay on top of them, but it’s mostly reactive. So if you see one we’ve missed or haven’t found, please click on “Report” and we’ll get on it (and ban the user) as soon as we can. Play Nice Communities do a lot better when people show each other a level of respect. So we’re enforcing no vulgarity and no personal attacks. If you find a post that you think violates that, rather than lash out yourself, report it to us. Avatars Finally, let’s all get avatars, ok? Here’s how: When you’re logged in, click on “Settings” in the upper right hand corner (or here.) Click on Edit Avatar on the left-hand side. Thanks again everyone. As always, let us know your thoughts below or in the Questions About Twins Daily Forum. I don’t know exactly how the Twins season is going to go, but I’m sure glad we found each other and can share it together. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: plouffe%u0025252Ctrevor.jpg Aaron and John talk about the Twins' youth-led turnaround, Byron Buxton and the power arm-filled draft class, Trevor Plouffe's homer binge, Scott Diamond's ace impression, Chris Parmelee's return from Rochester, Ben Revere's long-term upside, Liam Hendriks' impending re-arrival, the wisdom of re-signing Ryan Doumit, Jason Marquis in pitcher heaven, Brian Dozier's struggles, and the exciting life on Aaron's balcony. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Beans.jpg Aaron and John talk about Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire's future, the latest with Jim Thome, Tom Kelly's opinion of Brian Dozier, Liam Hendriks' place in Australian history, late-night World Baseball Classic watching, storming the court, Joe Mauer's twins, questionable television viewing habits, one half of the podcast's "official couple" looking for new league members, going global, and being full of beans. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes or click on the link below.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] . Click here to view the article

(Editors note: Updated at 10:30 with additional information from Joe Christensen's blog.) The Twins announced via Twitter this morning that they had optioned backup catcher to Rochester, reassigned utility infielder Mike Hollimon and placed relief pitcher Kyle Waldrop on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26th. Furthermore, Butera told Star-Tribune beat reporter Joe Christensen that the Twins told him they were only taking two catchers north, leading Joe to believe that Sean Burroughs has won the last spot on the Twins bench.Download attachment: drewbutera.jpg [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Butera has served as the primary backup catcher for the Twins the last two years, relying on stellar defensive skills, but struggling offensively to a historical degree. His demotion means that JR Towles, a minor league free agent who came to the Twins from Houston, is the lone remaining option who could be added as a 3rd catcher. However, it appears now the Twins are at least leaning toward carrying only Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit as catchers. If so (and provided Alexi Casilla's knee is ready in time), it appears that Sean Burroughs would win the last spot on the Twins roster. Burroughs was a top prospect with the Padres who fell out of the major league, struggled with substance abuse issues and returned to the majors last year with the Diamondbacks. He is a left-handed hitting 3rd baseman who would likely primarily be used as a pinch-hitting option. He was signed as a minor league free agent, so he would need to be added to the 40-man roster, but that doesn't appear to be a serious limitation. Hollimon was also a minor league free agent with little chance to come north with the team, but a tremendous spring performance kept him in the running for a utility infielder spot until this last weekend. Waldrop was in the race to make the Twins bullpen but has been out several days with elbow discomfort. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Half Full Half Empty.jpg Aaron and John talk about the Minnesota Twins' odds of contending or rebuilding in 2013, where Chris Parmelee eventually fits into the lineup, a possible minor league affiliation shuffle, exactly how bad Tsuyoshi Nishioka looked, whether Nick Blackburn should stick around with a 7.50 ERA, Liam Hendriks' and Brian Dozier's long-term outlook, which of them would make a worse Olympian, Bert Blyleven vs. Patrick Reusse, and why Gleeman won't go to Las Vegas with Bonnes. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe andthe podcast on iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

~ Sponsored by Ticket King ~ [TABLE=width: 645] DATE TIME (CST) OPPONENT TICKETS RESULT Monday, Mar 31 3:10 at Chicago Sox [/TD] L 5-3 Wednesday, Apr 02 7:10 at Chicago Sox L 7-6 Thursday, Apr 03 1:10 at Chicago Sox W 10-9 Friday, Apr 04 2:05 at Cleveland L 7-2 Saturday, Apr 05 12:05 at Cleveland W 7-3 Sunday, Apr 06 12:05 at Cleveland W 10-7 Monday, Apr 07 3:10 Oakland L 8-3 Wednesday, Apr 09 12:10 Oakland L 7-4 Thursday, Apr 10 12:10 Oakland Ticket King L 6-1 Friday, Apr 11 7:10 Kansas City Ticket King W 10-1 Saturday, Apr 12 1:10 Kansas City Ticket King W 7-1 Sunday, Apr 13 1:10 Kansas City Ticket King W 4-3 Tuesday, Apr 15 7:10 Toronto Ticket King L 3-9 Wednesday, Apr 16 7:10 Toronto Ticket King W 7-0 Thursday, Apr 17 12:10 Toronto Ticket King W 9-5 Friday, Apr 18 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King L 0-5 Saturday, Apr 19 1:10 at Kansas City Ticket King L 4-5 Sunday, Apr 20 1:10 at Kansas City Ticket King W 8-3 Tuesday, Apr 22 6:10 at Tampa Bay Ticket King L 3-7 Wednesday, Apr 23 6:10 at Tampa Bay Ticket King W 6-4 Thursday, Apr 24 12:10 at Tampa Bay Ticket King W 9-7 Friday, Apr 25 7:10 Detroit Ticket King L 6-10 Saturday, Apr 26 1:10 Detroit Ticket King W 5-3 Sunday, Apr 27 1:10 Detroit Ticket King PPD Wednesday, Apr 30 7:10 LA Dodgers Ticket King L 4-6 Thursday, May 01 12:10 LA Dodgers Ticket King L 4-9 Thursday, May 1 6:10 LA Dodgers Ticket King L 3-4 Friday, May 02 7:10 Baltimore Ticket King L 0-3 Saturday, May 03 1:10 Baltimore Ticket King W 6-1 Sunday, May 04 1:10 Baltimore Ticket King W 5-2 Monday, May 05 6:05 at Cleveland Ticket King W 1-0 Tuesday, May 06 6:05 at Cleveland Ticket King L 2-4 Wednesday, May 07 6:05 at Cleveland Ticket King L 3-4 Thursday, May 08 11:05 at Cleveland Ticket King L 4-9 Friday, May 09 6:08 at Detroit Ticket King W 2-1 Saturday, May 10 12:08 at Detroit Ticket King L 3-9 Sunday, May 11 12:08 at Detroit Ticket King W 4-3 Tuesday, May 13 7:10 Boston Ticket King W 8-6 Wednesday, May 14 7:10 Boston Ticket King L 4-9 Thursday, May 15 12:10 Boston Ticket King W 4-3 Friday, May 16 7:10 Seattle Ticket King W 5-4 Saturday, May 17 6:10 Seattle Ticket King W 4-3 Sunday, May 18 1:10 Seattle Ticket King L 2-6 Tuesday, May 20 9:10 at San Diego Ticket King W 5-3 Wednesday, May 21 9:10 at San Diego Ticket King W 2-0 Friday, May 23 9:15 at San Francisco Ticket King L 2-6 Saturday, May 24 9:05 at San Francisco Ticket King L 1-2 Sunday, May 25 3:05 at San Francisco Ticket King L 1-8 Monday, May 26 1:10 Texas Ticket King L 2-7 Tuesday, May 27 7:10 Texas Ticket King W 4-3 Wednesday, May 28 7:10 Texas Ticket King L 0-1 Thursday, May 29 12:10 Texas Ticket King L 4-5 Friday, May 30 6:05 at NY Yankees Ticket King W 6-1 Saturday, May 31 12:05 at NY Yankees Ticket King L 1-3 Sunday, Jun 01 12:05 at NY Yankees Ticket King W 7-2 Monday, Jun 02 7:10 at Milwaukee Ticket King L 2-6 Tuesday, Jun 03 7:10 at Milwaukee Ticket King W 6-4 Wednesday, Jun 04 7:10 Milwaukee Ticket King W 6-4 Thursday, Jun 05 7:10 Milwaukee Ticket King L 8-5 Friday, Jun 06 7:10 Houston Ticket King L 4-5 Saturday, Jun 07 1:10 Houston Ticket King W 8-0 Sunday, Jun 08 1:10 Houston Ticket King L 5-14 Monday, Jun 09 6:07 at Toronto Ticket King L 4-5 Tuesday, Jun 10 6:07 at Toronto Ticket King W 4-0 Wednesday, Jun 11 11:37 at Toronto Ticket King W 7-2 Friday, Jun 13 6:08 at Detroit Ticket King W 2-0 Saturday, Jun 14 3:08 at Detroit Ticket King L 9-12 Sunday, Jun 15 12:08 at Detroit Ticket King L 3-4 Monday, Jun 16 6:10 at Boston Ticket King L 0-1 Tuesday, Jun 17 6:10 at Boston Ticket King L 1-2 Wednesday, Jun 18 12:35 at Boston Ticket King L 1-2 Thursday, Jun 19 7:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King W 4-2 Friday, Jun 20 7:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King W 5-4 Saturday, Jun 21 1:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King W 4-3 Sunday, Jun 22 1:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King W 6-5 Tuesday, Jun 24 9:05 at LA Angels Ticket King L 6-8 Wednesday, Jun 25 9:05 at LA Angels Ticket King L 2-6 Thursday, Jun 26 2:35 at LA Angels Ticket King L 4-6 Friday, Jun 27 7:05 at Texas Ticket King L 4-5 Saturday, Jun 28 3:05 at Texas Ticket King L 0-5 Sunday, Jun 29 2:05 at Texas Ticket King W 3-2 Monday, Jun 30 7:10 Kansas City Ticket King L 1-6 Tuesday, Jul 01 7:10 Kansas City Ticket King W 10-2 Wednesday, Jul 02 12:10 Kansas City Ticket King L 0-4 Thursday, Jul 03 7:10 NY Yankees Ticket King L 4-7 Friday, Jul 04 2:10 NY Yankees Ticket King L 5-6 Saturday, Jul 05 1:10 NY Yankees Ticket King W 2-1 Sunday, Jul 06 1:10 NY Yankees Ticket King L 7-9 Monday, Jul 07 9:10 at Seattle Ticket King L 0-2 Tuesday, Jul 08 9:10 at Seattle Ticket King W 2-0 Wednesday, Jul 09 9:10 at Seattle Ticket King W 2-0 Thursday, Jul 10 9:10 at Seattle Ticket King W 8-1 Friday, Jul 11 7:40 at Colorado Ticket King L 2-6 Saturday, Jul 12 3:10 at Colorado Ticket King W 9-3 Sunday, Jul 13 3:10 at Colorado Ticket King W 13-5 Friday, Jul 18 7:10 Tampa Bay Ticket King Saturday, Jul 19 6:10 Tampa Bay Ticket King Sunday, Jul 20 1:10 Tampa Bay Ticket King Monday, Jul 21 7:10 Cleveland Ticket King Tuesday, Jul 22 7:10 Cleveland Ticket King Wednesday, Jul 23 12:10 Cleveland Ticket King Thursday, Jul 24 7:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King Friday, Jul 25 7:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King Saturday, Jul 26 6:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King Sunday, Jul 27 1:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King Tuesday, Jul 29 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King Wednesday, Jul 30 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King Thursday, Jul 31 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King Friday, Aug 01 7:10 at Chicago Sox Ticket King Saturday, Aug 02 6:10 at Chicago Sox Ticket King Sunday, Aug 03 1:10 at Chicago Sox Ticket King Tuesday, Aug 05 7:10 San Diego Ticket King Wednesday, Aug 06 12:10 San Diego Ticket King Thursday, Aug 07 9:05 at Oakland Ticket King Friday, Aug 08 9:05 at Oakland Ticket King Saturday, Aug 09 8:05 at Oakland Ticket King Sunday, Aug 10 3:05 at Oakland Ticket King Monday, Aug 11 7:10 at Houston Ticket King Tuesday, Aug 12 7:10 at Houston Ticket King Wednesday, Aug 13 1:10 at Houston Ticket King Friday, Aug 15 7:10 Kansas City Ticket King Saturday, Aug 16 6:10 Kansas City Ticket King Sunday, Aug 17 1:10 Kansas City Ticket King Monday, Aug 18 7:10 Kansas City Ticket King Tuesday, Aug 19 7:10 Cleveland Ticket King Wednesday, Aug 20 7:10 Cleveland Ticket King Thursday, Aug 21 12:10 Cleveland Ticket King Friday, Aug 22 7:10 Detroit Ticket King Saturday, Aug 23 6:10 Detroit Ticket King Sunday, Aug 24 1:10 Detroit Ticket King Tuesday, Aug 26 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King Wednesday, Aug 27 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King Thursday, Aug 28 7:10 at Kansas City Ticket King Friday, Aug 29 6:05 at Baltimore Ticket King Saturday, Aug 30 11:00 at Baltimore Ticket King Sunday, Aug 31 12:35 at Baltimore Ticket King Monday, Sep 01 12:35 at Baltimore Ticket King Tuesday, Sep 02 7:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King Wednesday, Sep 03 7:10 Chicago Sox Ticket King Thursday, Sep 04 7:10 LA Angels Ticket King Friday, Sep 05 7:10 LA Angels Ticket King Saturday, Sep 06 6:10 LA Angels Ticket King Sunday, Sep 07 1:10 LA Angels Ticket King Tuesday, Sep 09 6:05 at Cleveland Ticket King Wednesday, Sep 10 6:05 at Cleveland Ticket King Thursday, Sep 11 11:05 at Cleveland Ticket King Friday, Sep 12 7:10 at Chicago Sox Ticket King Saturday, Sep 13 6:10 at Chicago Sox Ticket King Sunday, Sep 14 1:10 at Chicago Sox Ticket King Monday, Sep 15 7:10 Detroit Ticket King Tuesday, Sep 16 7:10 Detroit Ticket King Wednesday, Sep 17 7:10 Detroit Ticket King Friday, Sep 19 7:10 Cleveland Ticket King Saturday, Sep 20 6:10 Cleveland Ticket King Sunday, Sep 21 1:10 Cleveland Ticket King Monday, Sep 22 7:10 Arizona Ticket King Tuesday, Sep 23 7:10 Arizona Ticket King Wednesday, Sep 24 12:10 Arizona Ticket King Thursday, Sep 25 6:08 at Detroit Ticket King Friday, Sep 26 6:08 at Detroit Ticket King Saturday, Sep 27 6:08 at Detroit Ticket King Sunday, Sep 28 12:08 at Detroit Ticket King [TD] [/TABLE] Download attachment: TK-logo.jpg Click here to view the article

Download attachment: kfan-booth.jpg Aaron and John are back on the radio at KFAN and talk about the Twins' opening week, Ron Gardenhire's milestone win and place in history, getting home opener tickets, Chris Colabello's great story, choosing Derek Jeter's career, Twitter slap fights, trading producers, the changing bullpen roles, college tours, and The Church of Mase. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ~~~ Thanks to the Twins win over Cleveland on Sunday, Monday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

Sponsored by Snyder Gislason Frasier LLC [/hr]Download attachment: 743px-Minor_League_Baseball_Logo.jpg Starting at 6 PM today, hundreds of "kids" (I'm 47. I can say that.) will be drafted by MLB teams and begin their dream career but before they get to The Show, they’ll be serving time in a economic system that is being called into question in federal court. At issue is whether MLB teams are using those players' dreams to conduct unfair – and even illegal – labor practices in the minor leagues. I learned more about this when I joined Chad Snyder and Mike Frasier of Snyder Gislason Frasier at a Twins game last week. That question is being raised in a California federal court by three ex-minor leaguers bringing a class-action suit against Major League Baseball, the Office of The Commissioner, Commissioner Bud Selig, and all the teams in MLB. At issue is whether MLB is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which was FDR’s landmark legislation that governs the length of work week, minimum wage, overtime pay and child labor laws. Certainly, it’s not hard to find evidence that minor league players are treated as serfs by the baseball industry. American minor leaguers do not get to pick their teams; they’re distributed via a draft. While a few get a big bonus, the vast majority get something closer to a couple thousand dollars to sign. Before they play for an organization they need to sign a Universal Player Contract (UPC) which grants MLB exclusive rights to the player for seven seasons, not even allowing them to play for a team outside the United States, or even retire. And while, in theory, the player can negotiate a salary during that time, in reality they can’t; many MLB organizations have a no-negotiation policy. This has resulted in salaries that, according to the lawsuit, range from $1,100/month in rookie and short-season leagues to $2150/month in AAA. In a recent story on Cedar Rapids Kernels players, catcher Alex Muren said he takes home about $660/month. And Twins players are some of the luckier ones. The Twins, unlike many teams, arrange housing for their players with local families. The Kernels also feed players before and after games. But the players are at the ballpark 10-12 hours per day, often six or seven days per week. And there is no provision for overtime. Simple division shows the players aren't earning anything close to minimum wage. But that’s the least of the extra time players put in. The UPC also dictates that those salaries are only paid for the months of the season. The players are not paid for spring training, extended spring training, instructional league, winter ball or winter training. And unlike their major league counterparts, the minor leaguers don’t belong to a union. In fact, the Major League Baseball Players Union (MLBPA) and MLB have collectively agreed to limit many aspects of compensation for the minor leaguers, including signing bonuses for players in the draft or who are signed internationally. The suit concludes: “Since minor leaguers do not belong to a union, nothing has prevented the defendants from artificially and illegally depressing minor league wages. Indeed, MLB's exemption from antitrust laws has only made it easier. Given that MLB carefully controls the entryway into the highest levels of baseball, and given the young minor leaguer's strong desire to enter the industry, MLB and the defendants have exploited minor leaguers by paying salaries below minimum wage, by not paying overtime wages, and by often paying no wages at all." Because of this, the suit is asking for damages and an injunction against the defendants for continuing these practices. But since the class-action suit was filed this winter, the teams and MLB have answered and given some hints as to the defenses they might use: Break It Down Some teams are asking that some of the charges get tried in different states. At the same time, the teams are arguing that different facts and different law should apply to each player. This could be a strategic move by which MLB breaks this class-action suit into separate lawsuits, none of which would be as damaging. Exemption One of the most common defenses for a FLSA suit is that the employer or employee is exempt, as there are many exemptions in the law. You might be surprised to find out that one of these is NOT baseball’s antitrust exemption. That covers a lot of things, but monopolies still need to pay their employees a fair wage. However, there is an exemption for seasonal “amusement or recreational” employees. Certainly, the “Boys of Summer” stereotype of baseball players would seem to support that category. But the suit was very careful to anticipate this defense, showing that players are working, or at least serving, their organization year-round. This could be one of the key points the federal court would need to decide. “Courts have been presented with this argument before, and have gone both ways,” explained Mike Frasier, who specializes in employment law. One court determined that bat boys for the Detroit Tigers fell under this exemption and another court found that the groundskeeping staff at the Sarasota White Sox facility does as well. On the other hand, another court determined that maintenance employees of the Cincinnati Reds do not qualify for the exemption. But none of those decisions were in California, which means the court hearing this case does not need to follow what those others did. Arbitration The federal court could rule that they shouldn’t be the ones to decide this case at all. One defense raised by MLB is that that the UFC has a provision in it for players and their organizations to resolve disputes: arbitration. Because of this provision, the players can't take the organization to court if MLB decides it should go to arbitration instead. But if MLB wants to play this card, they need to do so soon. If they engage in this lawsuit for very long without compelling arbitration, they may waive that right. MLB and the teams are asserting many other defenses, but these appear to be the strongest – or at least the ones that could most quickly win the case for them. There is a significant chance, given some of the defenses, that this case could head for a fairly quick dismissal. But if it becomes extended, it might raise some issues that MLB (and maybe the MLBPA) would be wise to consider. MLB was estimated to have revenue of 8+ billion dollars in 2013. Investing just 1% of that revenue would provide an extra $13,000 to each of their 6,000 minor leaguers, doubling or tripling their salaries. Perhaps it is time MLB considered that investment. [/hr]Snyder Gislason Frasier LLC is a Minneapolis-based law firm committed to providing personalized service to their clients while cheering for the Minnesota Twins. Their talented lawyers can help you find innovative solutions to legal issues in many areas, including general business law, litigation, contracts, family law, employment law, and entertainment law. Click here to view the article

As Minnesotans, we take no joy in kicking people when they're down. Isn't enough that the White Sox are in the AL Central cellar, 8.5 games back of the the 4th place (and rival) Minnesota Twins, against whom they are 3-9 this season? Isn't it enough that they're on pace to lose 100+ games for just the 3rd time in their 113-year history? Isn't it enough that their minor league system is a barren wasteland, providing almost zero hope for the future? Download attachment: Ventura_Robin_Standing_US_600.jpg Nope. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]This week is the last chance you have to let the White Sox know exactly how much you're enjoying their 2013 season, so lets' find the best Target Field seats and for spending quality time with the Pale Hose: Adam Dunn - Section 14 The tough part about heckling Adam Dunn is choosing where to start. Obviously, there is the last name, which comes in handy for signage. His nickname - Big Donkey - is ripe with possibilities. And his contract, which pays $15 million/year is painful in so many delightful ways. (I like to remind the Sox of that after he strikes out. Which he did 222 times last year, including 10 times at Target Field.) But my favorite is fact is that despite having not hit above .200 against left-handed pitchers since 2009, he not only is in the lineup vs. southpaws, he consistently bats 4th or 5th. I can hardly wait until he faces Andrew Albers with the bases loaded so I can yell "Dunn's up! THANK GOD!" Robin Ventura - Section 11 Taking over for Ozzie Guillen last year, Ventura drew rave reviews as the White Sox surprised everyone by finishing within spitting distance of the Tigers, though they still missed the playoffs. This year - not so much. The frequent camera shots of Ventura this last weekend showed a manager who seemed even less invested in winning games than his players. If you sit near him, you might want to check frequently with him to make sure he's still awake. Mark Buehrle - Bullpen seats in 131 Except you need to wait until the Marlins come back to town. Jake Peavy - Section 12 Except you need to wait until the Red Sox come to town. Ozzie Guillen - Section 10 Except you need to wait until the Cuban National Team comes to town. (Not really.) AJ Pierzynski - Section 334 (Boos carry.) Except you need to wait until the Rangers come to town. White Sox Fans - Any seat in Target Field I'm sure not every White Sox fan is a jerk, but if someone wanted to take that stance, there would be plenty of anecdotal evidence to support it. I suspect it comes from their second division standing in their own town (to a team that is nationally viewed as perpetual losers, no less). The Cubs are the hobbits, and so the White Sox and their fans have decided to play the role of the orcs. As such, it's probably best not to engage them, but if you're forced to, remember that we replaced Pierzynski with Joe Mauer. I wonder how their replacement, Tyler Flowers, is doing? Tyler Flowers - Section 8 and 9 For years, Flowers was the heir apparent at catcher for the White Sox - and yet they kept re-signing AJ Pierzynski. Now we know why. He's hitting .193. Sometimes heckling just takes care of itself. Paul Konerko - Section 3 Did you know that in 854 career at-bats versus the Twins, Paul Konerko has 917 hits? That's right - he has more hits than at-bats. You can look it up. (Editors note: Don't look it up. It's not true. It's not even possible.) This year the 37-year-old Konerko has been a shell of himself, injured and hitting just .241 with a 655 OPS. (Of course, the White Sox are still batting him 4th and 5th. See: Dunn, Adam.) So if you want to heckle him, this is the year. But personally, I'll refrain. To me, Konerko represents what the White Sox could be - confident enough to be brutally honest but productive enough to back it up. If this is the last time he plays at Target Field - and it could be, because his contract with them ends this year and there has been retirement talk - I'd like to be there. It would be worth the time to show up and maybe even respectfully acknowledge him sticking it to the Twins one more time. He's earned that. Click here to view the article

Signup has begun for the Touch 'Em All Pub Crawl, sponsored by Proximo Spirits, and you can join us by clicking on this link. Tickets are $60. The event starts August 23rd at noon and includes a $27 Twins ticket, a t-shirt, and a whole lot more as described below. Last year was legendary and we expect a much bigger crowd this year. Grab your tickets right now.And then I got to see Brock’s great t-shirt design, to the right. "Cappacino and Cream" is the color choice for 2014. So let’s put a pretty little bow on things. Tomorrow morning you’re going to want to click on this link (it'll be active tomorrow) to buy tickets. We’re selling them at cost for $50 on Friday only and go up to $60 after, and they’ll only be available for a week.It starts at noon on August 23rd at Barrio in Lowertown, includes stops and raffles at Campus Pizza, Di Nokio’s BarZia and Masons and of course the Twins game. More details are below.You can also buy just the shirt if you already have tickets to the game.Last year’s was legendary and I expect nothing less this year.We’ll see you tomorrow! Download attachment: Grad_drunk_railroad_hrbeks.jpg The details are coming together for the Touch ‘Em All Pub Crawl sponsored by Proximo Spirits. Remember, tickets are on sale on Friday at 8 AM at this link and not only will they be sold at a discount that day, we have a history of selling out early. Here is what we know so far…. First, since Proximo makes some damn fine liquors, we’ve been promised a couple of incredible drink specials throughout the trip from some high-end products like Maestro Dobel Tequila. I’m telling you this early in the story so you can start pacing yourself right now. We’ll meet up at noon at Barrio Tequila Bar in Lowertown, which also has been awarded some of the best Mexican food in the Twin Cities. They’re hinting at an all-you-can-eat taco special to gear us up for the trip ahead and a raffle for some free pizzas from Papa Johns. Also, Aaron Gleeman has promised to show us videos of his cat. From there we’ll jump on the new Metro Transit Green Line to the U of M and Campus Pizza. There will be more food, drinks and a raffle for DiamondCentric t-shirts. Parker will also entertain us with outtakes from the Twins Daily photo shoot by Twin Cities Business Journal. Our third stop is DiNoko’s BarZia in downtown Minneapolis, home of Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza. There will be yet more specials for the t-shirt wearing crowd and a raffle of four highly sought after Twins Daily Winter Meltdown Pint Glasses. Nick Nelson will impress us all by not rapping. Finally, we’ll end where we did last year – at Mason’s Barre & Restaurant. If you were with us last year or at the Meltdown or at the Home Run Derby party, you know they always take care of us. We’ll also have a very special raffle….. At each bar, you’ll be able to get a stamp on your hand. Anyone who is at Mason’s and has all three of the other stamps will be eligible for a special drawing for two pairs of front row Twins tickets for a game later this year. Finally, you’ll be going to a Twins game with us all where we’ll watch Alex Meyer or Trevor May pitch a perfect game while various Twins players buy us rounds of cocktails*. So click on this page, bookmark it and then set an alarm for Friday morning. That day the price is just $50 which includes a $27 Twins ticket, the Pub Crawl t-shirt and various other incidentals. The price goes up on Saturday to $60 and sales are completely over by Friday the 1st. (We should also mention that if you already have a ticket to the game, you can still join us at a reduced price. Just buy the t-shirt for $25 and you’ll still be welcome on the crawl and enjoy all the specials and benefits of our members. You’re just on your own at the game.) We spend enough time online or listening to each other on podcasts. It’s time to meet up. Please get in early so we can make sure we see you there. *Not totally guaranteed. Hell, none of this it totally guaranteed. We’ll do the best we can. Download attachment: grand_drunk_railroad_threefriends.jpg It started as a bad pun. It ended as a legend. Last year Twins Daily and Gleeman and the Geek had their inaugural pub crawl to a Twins game, the inappropriately delicious #GrandDrunkRailroad. The idea was simple: start at one end of an LRT and pub crawl our way to a Twins game where we would sit together and share the love. Our organization skills might not have been the strongest, but our enthusiasm carried the day. I still remember the look on the unsuspecting first bartender’s face as 80 people in red t-shirts swamped his understaffed place on a Saturday afternoon. But like any good runaway train, it built momentum from stop-to-stop. It ended at Hrbek’s with Glen Perkins making national news by buying a round for the revelers during a rain delay. For those that missed it, I have good news: you’re getting a do-over. On August 23rd, starting at noon, the Touch ‘Em All Pub Crawl, sponsored by Proximo Liquors, will be rolling through the metro area. Once again we’ll be starting at one end of town (this time, St. Paul) and making our way, bar by bar, to the Saturday night Twins game versus the Detroit Tigers. I can promise a little more organization – for instance, the bars should actually be prepared for us this year – and several additions to the proceedings. But mostly what you can expect is revelry and community. We want as many people to show up as can, so we’re offering this at cost for one day. On Friday (7/25), we’ll start selling tickets at 8:00 AM for $50 per person ticket, which includes a $27 ticket, a $20 t-shirt (+ shipping) and several other bonuses. If we have any tickets left – and that’s a big “if” because we sold out the Winter Meltdown by noon – we’ll sell those at $60. One week from Friday (August 1st), we’ll need to cut off sales completely to get the t-shirts ordered and delivered in time for the event. Keep checking this space for more details throughout the week and for where to buy the tickets. On behalf of all the writers of Twins Daily and Aaron, we hope you can make it this time. You’re going to get to meet a lot of great people – I know dozens of people who travel to the Twin Cities for this event. Plus, there is something special about seeing a Twins game with 100+ people who love it as much as I do. This is one of our favorite days of the year. Join us and see why. And maybe be part of the next legend. Click here to view the article

Over All-Star weekend, the local SABR chapter had a series of panels on Minnesota baseball at Fan Fest. I was on one that covered the history of baseball in Minnesota, starting with the Nininger Nine in 1857 (before statehood) and going through the Twins.There is a lot of talk about baseball in the 1800s, the Millers and Saints, and the early days of the Twins. If you're looking for a one-hour overview of the history of baseball in Minnesota, you could do worse than to check out the video at http://m.mlb.com/vid...ll-in-minnesota Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins announced on Thursday afternoon that they have traded designated hitter Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Stephen Pryor. To fill Morales spot on the roster, they recalled Jorge Polanco from Single-A. Pryor was the Mariners right-handed “closer of the future” back in 2012 but has been sidetracked by injuries since. The most recent, a torn back muscle on his pitching arm side, cost him most of 2013 and meant a late start in 2014. He’s spent most of the year in AAA with only one relief appearance with the Mariners (against the Twins this month). In AAA-Tacoma, he’s had 27 strikeouts in 31 innings but has also had 18 walks. Control has been a bit of a problem for Pryor throughout his minor league career: he has walked 88 batters in 162 IP in the minors. In his major league career, he has 35 K in 32 IP with 16 BB and a 1.313 WHIP.Kendrys Morales was signed on June 7th by the Twins to help with their playoff push, but both he and the team struggled soon after. Overall, he’s hit just .234 with a .584 OPS for the Twins, and has seen only a slight uptick from that production in recent weeks. By trading him to the Mariners now, the Twins will only be responsible for a month-and-a-half of his $12M salary, or about $3M. It’s somewhat a surprise that the Twins traded for a reliever instead of a pure propsect, but while Pryor is a relief pitcher, he is also a power arm prospect that could play a significant role in the Twins bullpen for several years. Or, he could be damaged goods. He turned 25 yesterday and has over a year and a half of service time, so he’ll likely be eligible for arbitration after the 2015 season. It is doubtful the Twins could have received a significant prospect for Morales, who is not hitting enough to be in high demand, and that's not including his defensive limitation. This is a “sell-low/buy-low” trade for both teams, but the Twins will have more time to wait for Pryor to regain his form, and will spend less money while they wait. It also clears up any debate about the direction the Twins plan to take at the trade deadline. They are "sellers" and this could be one of several moves the team makes over the next week. Click here to view the article