John Bonnes

Sponsored by Switch My Trip May arrived three days late, but Saturday The Sun found clouds it could occasionally hurdle. The gloom passed and Twins Territory awoke from abad dream, one filled with wind and rain and Dodgers and losing baseball stacked on top of losing baseball on top of desperate roster moves and game-winning line drives that die an early death, suffocated by leather. But on Saturday The Sun shone, warming the fans who sat down the third base line, which was almost all of them, because SUN. It warmed Twins bats and fueled the ongoing transformation of Trevor Caterpillar to Butterfly Plouffe, who sprung forth and staked the Twins to an early 1-0 lead in a very unbutterfly-like way, because butterflies don't know what a gapper is, let alone how to hit one. The Twins are looking to switch things around this year. Every week, Metro Transit recognizes a Twins player who successfully switched the outcome of a game for the better. The Sun softened Brian Dozier's glove and quickened his twitchy wrists which offered a sacrifice in the form of white horsehide, launched to the upper facing of the left field bleachers. And Dozier's sacrifice pleased The Sun. The Sun relieved the bilateral weakness from Joe Mauer's manhood, empowering all 6-feet 3-inches of man muscles to slug an opposite field home run that delivered Dozier and Pedro Florimon and a lead incapable of dissipation. But mostly The Sun shone brightest on Kevin Correia, who reflected it and dazzled Orioles batters for seven innings. It warmed his hands and it strengthened his grip and his pitches played with The Sun, darting away from lefties bats... and even further away from right-handers. The Sun brought back memories of last year, when Correia was younger and effective and a bargain and – dare I say – the staff leader. And it dissolved last Friday’s nightmare of artillery shots bouncing off outfield walls and an overmatched Chris Colabello in right field, running for his life. And it melted the 7.33 ERA over a full point - still a bad dream but a dream in which Correia still has a major league career, which is not an unpleasant slumber. And the Twins won and spring returned and Byron Buxton was healthy again and reporting to the home of The Sun, Fort Myers. For who better to entrust with his future? And who better to provide our Big Switch? Why fight traffic and parking? Say Switch My Trip for the next Twins game. Metro Transit can provide you and your whole family a train ride to the game. Planning your trip is as easy as clicking on this link.

~~~ sponsored by Ticket King ~~~ OK, you can come out now. The bad weather has (mostly) passed. It’s going to be 60 degrees, one of the best young players in baseball will be visiting and Mike Pelfrey will not be pitching. That sounds like a pretty fair weekend to grab some great seats at Target Field. In fact, it sounds like a pretty fair weekend to all the Twins Daily guys, who will be attending Saturday’s game. (Say “Hi.”) Slogging Along It’s been a sluggish start for the Orioles who entered May with a .500 record, the first time they’ve started that “poorly” over the last three years. By May 1st last year, they were already five games over .500, just like they were the previous year. But in the AL East, it hasn’t hurt them. They are in second place in the packed division because the entire division is sluggish. As of Thursday, not a single team in the division had scored as many runs as their opponents. While the records for the teams vary between four games over to five games under .500, the run differential of all the teams are between -6 and -12. None have been good; none have been terrible. Slippage The same can be said about the Orioles pitching and hitting. Neither is necessarily a dire problem, but neither is quite as effective as they were last year. Last year’s offense ranked fourth in the American League with 4.6 runs per game; this year’s lineup has slipped to seventh (4.5 runs per game). Last year’s pitching was sixth overall (4.38 runs against per game) while this year’s arms have slipped to ninth (4.75 runs per game.) And remember: last year’s Orioles didn’t make the playoffs. The team got a mix of good news and bad news this week offensively. The positive news was the activation of Manny Machado on Thursday. The 21-year-old is a rising superstar in major league baseball, a mix of power, speed, defense and youth that might be the most coveted third baseman in baseball right now. However, on Sunday, slugger Chris Davis was placed on the DL with an oblique injury. Davis crushed 53 home runs last year, including one at Target Field. Barring a postponed game, he won’t go yard here this year; this is the Orioles only scheduled trip to Minnesota. Sloppy Starts Baltimore’s offense could use a boost because a few players in the lineup are really struggling. Twins fans might be surprised to hear that one of them is JJ Hardy, who the Twins traded to the Orioles three years ago to make room for (cringe) Tsuyoshi Nishioka. (And if you think I mentioned Nishi just so I could include this picture on the right, you could not be more correct. Let's admire it again, shall we?) Anyway, Hardy's hitting just .242 with no home runs and a .258 on-base percentage. He’s also been battling a hamstring strain that kept him out of the lineup last week. He should play this weekend, but hopefully his turnaround will wait until after the Orioles leave town. Ditto that sentiment for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez was signed to a $50M contract this offseason to help anchor the top of the rotation. He’s been an anchor alright: 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA entering Friday’s night’s start versus Ricky Nolasco. Jimenez’s control has been brutal this year, walking seventeen batters in 27 innings. That’s also led to relatively early exits: he has yet to get more than six innings of outs. ~~~ If you would like to see Manny Machado up close, I see row 2 and row 3 seats right be third base available for Friday’s game. Saturday you can bake in the sun for the whole game in Section 125. And on Sunday, I’d consider the $17 tickets in Section 240, so I can watch the Twins for two hours and then retire to the nearby Town Ball Tavern to watch the Wild at 3:00. All are an even better deal if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, which will get you 10% off and supports Twins Daily. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help. ~~~

~~~ sponsored by Ticket King ~~~ The Dodgers have been to Target Field before; just three years ago the Twins (despite a dismal year) took two of three, serving as dismal hosts. With Minnesota in the middle of a week-long rainstorm, the Dodgers might be back quite a bit sooner. There is no point in avoiding it: the story for this series is the weather, so let’s break it down…. The Possible Makeup Dates There are three dates this year that the Dodgers and Twins both have open and they’re all on Mondays: May 19 – The Twins will be wrapping up a homestand against Boston and Seattle and the Dodgers will be leaving Arizona and be on their way to New York City to play the Mets on the 20th. Also, both teams (at least right now) have an off day earlier that week, so it wouldn’t be such a hardship. This date seems like it would work best. July 28 – The Twins will be concluding a nine-game homestand and the Dodger will be finishing a nine-game road trip. This one doesn’t work out quite as well because the Dodgers would need to fly from San Francisco on Sunday and back home on Tuesday, but it’ll work. August 25 – The Twins will be ending a 10-game homestand against AL Central teams and the Dodgers be wrapping up their own homestand too. Again – this game isn’t exactly on the Dodgers flight path. They would leave LA, fly to Minneapolis, play a game and then go back to Phoenix to face the Diamondbacks. Actually, “a game” might be optimistic. If two games are cancelled, I suppose one of these days could host a doubleheader. I also suppose this presents a unique opportunity for those people who are buying Twins tickets on the open market (such as at TicketKingOnline.com). All of these dates generally have a lot nicer weather then you’ll see right now. Why not buy some seats super cheap and wait to see which game you get? I can think of three significant risks to that plan: 1) The game might be played as scheduled in really miserable conditions. 2) The game might be part of a doubleheader on Thursday, when there is a slightly lesser chance of rain. 3) The rescheduled game could be on a Monday afternoon, which could be good or bad depending on your work schedule. An Unbelievable Story Oh yeah, you might want to know a thing or two about the Dodgers. First: Yasiel Puig. Puig’s stats this year aren’t quite as gaudy as last year, when he was called up as a 22-year-old, hit .319 with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, garnered votes for the National League MVP and led the Dodgers from last to first in the NL West over the last 100+ games of the season. His was easily the most exciting story in baseball last year. And yet his story may have already been topped. Recently, the story of his escape from Cuba was detailed in Los Angeles Magazine by Jesse Katz. A quick summary: drug lords, Cuban informants, double-crossing HVAC contractors, threats with machetes, lawsuits, chicken blood and a dead boat captain. I dare you not to click the link. Anyway, you’ll find him in right field, so you might want to shoot for something in Section 103, where I see $15 tickets. (Which is coincidentally in Target Field’s craft beer corner. Just saying.) No matter how his story ends, it might be able to tell your grandkids someday that “you saw him when….” Pitching Matchups Your guess is as good as mine as to how the pitching matchups will look if there’s another rainout. Kyle Gibson is up next and will likely get a chance to bounce back after his first rough outing and after having a couple of extra days of rest. Mike Pelfrey should pitch the second game, but if either of those first two games are cancelled, might the Twins just stick with Ricky Nolasco on Thursday and skip one of Pelfrey’s starts? The Dodgers rotation is bringing some star power, as they are wont to do. They’ll start with Zach Greinke, who is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA lifetime in Target Field. Then comes Dan Haren, who is sporting a 3-0 record and a 2.03 ERA so far. If they get all three games in we’ll see Josh Beckett, who has recovered from a thumb injury and has a 2.45 ERA in four starts. ~~~ Obviously, this is a chance for some bargains, especially considering the drawing power of the Dodgers. There are $4 tickets for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If you’re a Dodgers fan, the seats around their dugout are a little more scarce, but I see a pair right next to the dugout for each game for $55-$62. That becomes an even better deal if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, which will get you 10% off and supports Twins Daily. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help. ~~~

Aaron and John talk about th Twins' no-swing approach, Alex Meyer's new pitch, car problems, dumping Mike Pelfrey, waiver wire madness, Josmil Pinto's first 40 game, ugly rotation numbers, seeing each other out in the wild, Paul McCartney, and how not to party. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com.

~ Sponsored by Switch My Trip ~ From condemnation to redemption. Trevor Plouffe traveled that path over the span of three innings in Wednesday’s win over the Rays. It also appears he may be well along that path in his Twins career. It isn’t often that a player goes from goat to hero in the same game, but Plouffe did Wednesday, and thus wins our Big Switch award this week. Plouffe had the most damaging at-bat and the most valuable at-bat for the Twins – and believe it or not, we can measure these things. Sabrmetrics has come up with a nifty statistic called Win Probability Added (WPA) that never would have been practical in a world before computers. It’s easiest to understand if you start at the back of the acronym and work forward: it measures how much a player ADDS to the PROBABILITY of a WIN. Here’s how it works: ~ The Twins are looking to switchthings around this year. Every week, Metro Transit recognizes a Twins player who successfully switched the outcome of a game for the better. ~ Something like 30 years of baseball games were broken down at-bat by at-bat. Each situation was noted: the difference in score, the inning, the outs, and which bases are occupied. The total number of games that ever had that situation was counted. And then the total number of times the team that was in that situation won was counted. The result is a very precise percentage that indicates historically how likely a team is to win a game given a situation. Let’s use Plouffe’s at-bat in the ninth inning to show you how it works. You can follow along on the Fan Graphs site, which elegantly tracks games this way, play by play and in a summary. When Plouffe strode to the plate in the top of the ninth inning, the Twins had lost a 4-4 lead but were threatening to push the deciding run across the plate. Sam Fuld had opened the inning with a double and had advanced to third base on Brian Dozier’s ground ball. Joe Mauer had been walked to set up the double play. Teams in that situation – tie game, top half of the ninth inning, runners on the corners, one out – had won 69.2% of their games. But when Plouffe obliged with a sharply hit ball to the shortstop that turned into an inning-ending double-play, the scales turned completely. Historically, the chances of winning a game going into the bottom of the ninth tied are only 37.4% Plouffe’s double-play had cost the Twins 32% of Wednesday’s game. But it didn’t cost them the game. Because Casey Fien escaped a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth. He then held the Rays without a hit in the tenth and eleventh innings. Fien, by the way, is the unheralded hero of that game. Nobody contributed more to that win. His heroics also gave Plouffe another chance in the 12th inning. This time Plouffe came through. Mauer led off the 12th with a soft infield single to start the rally. Colabello got the accolades two batter later, finishing off a four RBI night that tied a record for the most RBI in April by a Twins player. But it was Plouffe’s double in between the hits that most helped the Twins win. That knock moved the needle from the Twins having 58% chance to win to an 82% chance. While Colabello provided four RBI and a viral video, it was Plouffe’s double that turned the 12th inning from interesting to inevitable. Plouffe has become far more interesting, too. We’ve seen a hot streak from him before; he hit 13 home runs in the span of a month in 2012. But we’ve never seen this combination of power, average and plate discipline from him before. Most encouraging is that he’s hitting right-handed pitching. Over his career, he’s flashed power against right-handers, but holds just a .232 batting average, including 234 strikeouts compared to just 77 walks. This year? He’s hitting .327 with as many walks as strikeouts (12). Plouffe entered the year with a question hovering over his career: how soon before uber-prospect Miguel Sano takes third base from him? If Plouffe continues to hit like this, the same question exists, but it’s no longer a threat; the way Plouffe is hitting now, his bat would play at just about any spot on the field. From condemnation to redemption – in a game, and maybe in a career. That is indeed A Big Switch. ~~~ Why fight traffic and parking? Say ‘Switch My Trip’ for the next Twins game. Metro Transit can provide you and your whole family a train ride to the game. Planning your trip is as easy as clicking on this link.

sponsored by Ticket King Your first place Minnesota Twins? Not yet, but with Detroit coming to town retaining a one-game lead, you could be hearing that phrase as early as tonight. In fact, if you don’t hear it Friday night, you might need to wait a while, because the Tigers are bringing out their big guns for games two and three. Granted, it's a pitifully low standard, but a game for first place, even in April, allows a guy to fool oneself that it means something. That’s my #5 reason to grab a great seat to tonight’s game at Target Field . But there are more: #4 – Get ‘Em BEFORE They’re Hot The Tigers scored the second most runs in MLB last year. This year they’re 27th on that list. Read that last sentence again. To be sure, they had some defections from their lineup, starting with Prince Fielder, who was traded to Texas for Ian Kinsler - but Kinsler really replaces Omar Infante, who signed with the Royals. The Tigers also lost Jhonny Peralta and then lost his replacement, Jose Iglesias, for the season with stress fractures in both of his legs. Their team OPS is almost 50 points lower than they finished last year. But that OPS is still 732, which is slightly higher than the Twins 730 OPS, and would be good for eighth in MLB. Detroit’s real problem is that they have only hit .212 with runners in scoring position. Coincidentally (or not) that also ranks 27th in MLB. That’s not likely to continue. A team that’s hitting .265 overall (6th place) is likely to see their clutch hitting progress to the mean, and with it, their offense. A turn against the Twins starting rotation might be just the thing to spark them. So I'm getting a ticket for Friday, before the Tigers get hot. #3 – Avoid the Aces The Tigers have a hell of a poker hand, getting dealt three aces in Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander. The latter two will take the hill on Saturday and Sunday vs. Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson. I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but criminy…. Friday night’s game is a little more reasonable. Kevin Correia, who is the heavy favorite to win “Twins Man-crush Who They Will Angrily Justify Re-signing To A Stupid Contract This Offseason” Award, will face Rick Porcello. Porcello is no slouch – he’s sporting a nifty 3.15 ERA this year – but he also hasn’t won a Cy Young Award or ERA title yet. I’ll choose the game he starts. #2 – Sun > Rain I wouldn’t mind seeing Verlander pitch on Sunday, but there is no guarantee that we would see him pitch. Paul Douglas is describing it as “Cloudy and Soggy. I’ll take the highs of 65 on Friday and Saturday instead, thank you very much. #1 – The Offseason In Minnesota Is Long No, I’m not talking about the fact that the Twins season has basically been over by mid-August for the last three years. I’m talking about the insanely long and bitter winter, when wearing a Twins cap for any extended period of time leads to your ears CLIMBING INSIDE OF YOUR HEAD TO BEAT YOU ABOUT THE BRAIN REPEATEDLY. The Twins have a solution and it’s being given to the first 10,000 fans who show up to the Friday night game where the Twins take back the AL Central, however briefly. We’ll see you there. ~~~ It seems like Minnesota agrees with me. You're going to want to get your tickets early, because tickets are scarce for Friday's tilt, with the cheapest being $19 at TicketKingOnline.com. Saturday, you'll find a lot more, with tickets starting at $12, with plenty on the lower level. Or, if you're a gambler by nature (or happy to come back later in the year for a possible rainout) you can find tickets for Target Field on Sunday for just $7. Plus, if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, you’ll be supporting Twins Daily and get 10% off. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help. ~~~

sponsored by Freehouse 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.

You know how in between innings, sometime the mascot comes out with a pneumatic gun and shoots t-shirts or hot dogs or whatever into the crowd? Have you ever seen him shoot out pizzas? Want to know why? Because there’s a lot better way to give away free pizzas. By now you’ve noticed that the Twins and Papa John’s have teamed up to offer 50% off pizzas using the ‘TWINSWIN’ promo code the day after a Twins win. What you don’t know is that Papa John’s is also giving away a few hundred pizzas this year to the Twins Daily community. And in a far less messy manner than having TC launch them out of a potato cannon. We’re going to start giving them away with this story. We’re going to give away 10 pizzas to Minnesotans who comment on this story, with the rules below. But as I am wont to do, I‘m going to make a broader heartfelt point. Hang in there. Pizza’s on its way. Twins Daily believes in the power of community. We believe we’re stronger as a group than we are individually, which is why Parker, Nick, Seth, Brock and I ditched our individual sites to make Twins Daily. We further recognize that this community is stronger because of all the individuals making contributions to it – writers, moderators, commenters, editors, contributors, supporters AND sponsors like Papa John’s. Furthermore, we believe that gifts like several hundred pizzas should support efforts to build that community, and to reward those who continually do so. Today, let’s work on getting people to join the community. To enter, just leave a comment below with a) your favorite Twin and your favorite kind of pizza. Unfortunately, the codes are only good for MN Papa John’s stores; apparently this potato cannon also has its limits. But if you win one and want to give it away to a friend in Minnesota (or a fellow Twins Daily member you want to honor), that’s fine. We’ll let it run through the weekend and then pick 10 participants randomly and send the winners a promo code for a free large, 2-topping pizza from Papa John’s. I’d like to thank Papa John’s for their sponsorship, and I’d like to thank our members who cooperatively work to make this a community which adds a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment to our lives. Now get after it. The pizza party starts now. (Sans the pneumatic potato gun.) ~~~ Also, since the Twins beat the Blue Jays in the first game of Thursday's double-header, you can get 50% off a L or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com if you use the 'TWINSWIN' promo code. ~~~

~ sponsored by Ticket King ~ Often Blue Jays don’t migrate, staying in cold weather most of the year. This year’s flock follows their example, coming to town during a cold snap, confident they can feast on a Twins team they beat five times in six tries last year. They shouldn’t count on it; unlike their namesakes, these Blue Jays live indoors. So for hardy Minnesota Twins fans, which game is the best ticket? The History The Blue Jays aren’t often listed among the ranks of MLBs most depressing clubs, but last year they “celebrated” 20 years since their last postseason appearance.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Management (and ownership) certainly did their best to end the streak prior to last season, buying half the Marlins team at a Miami fire sale. But instead of lifting them to the top of the division, age and injuries sunk them to the bottom of the AL East. They’re faring a little better this year, scratching their way to one game over .500. That’s a pretty fine record considering they’ve had to face the Rays, Yankees and Orioles already this season. But then again, since they’re in the AL East, they’ll be facing those team another 47 times. Oh, and none of them are the reigning AL East champions. Maybe it’s not so hard to see why it’s been 20 long years for Blue Jays fans…. The Offseason Last year’s uninspiring performance meant very few moves this offseason. You can hardly blame ownership, who already had $137 million dollars sunk into the payroll. However, the Blue Jays apparently came very close to signing to free agent pitcher Ervin Santana this spring when five veteran (and highly compensated) players – Jose Bautista, Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes – said they were willing to defer their salary to bring him aboard. It was so close to happening that the MLBPA (the players union) had been approached and approved the deferrals. The Ticket That didn’t happen, so the Twins won’t face Santana, and instead face the three starting pitchers with the worst ERA on the team. Don’t get too excited about that. As we count down to the best ticket, you’ll see there are plenty of challenges ahead…. #3 – Tuesday night – Brandon Morrow vs Phil Hughes. Morrow is the right-handed flame thrower and he struck out nine in his last game. He teased for years, seemingly broke through to stardom in 2012 and then suffered through a miserable and injury-filled 2013. This year his ERA is 5.73, but he sports a 13:2 strikeout to walk ratio. That bodes well for the Jays. If you like raw stuff, here’s your game. #2 – Wednesday night – R.A. Dickey vs Mike Pelfrey The former Mets teammates battle in the American League. Dickey (who you might have mercifully forgotten, played with the Twins in 2009), is a knuckleballer, so it was damn hard not to pick this as The Ticket. His ERA is 5.30, but he’s still just a little over a year removed from a Cy Young Award. Get seats as close as you can and watch that butterfly hiccup. #1- Thursday night – Dustin McGowan vs Kyle Gibson Who would choose Dustin McGowan over RA Dickey? The answer, of course, is “almost everyone, six years ago.” That’s when McGowan was 26 years old and looked like an upper-half-of-the-rotation talent. It was also the last time he won a game EXCEPT for last week, when he beat the Orioles to garner his first “W” since 2008. He’s 32 years old, now, has been through a litany of shoulder woes and is scrapping to stay out of the bullpen. I’ll be rooting for him, well, to lose, obviously, but to lose a tightly contested matchup to Gibson. Also, Thursday is a day game. And it’s supposed to snow on Wednesday. That might have had something to do with my ticket choice, too. ~~~ In past years the Blue Jays have traveled surprisingly well, but this is looking like a great series for bargain hunters. TicketKingOnline.com has $3 tickets for all three games – and I see four seats in the Champions Club for just $135 apiece on Tuesday night. That’s $100 less than I’ve ever seen those. Plus, if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, you’ll be supporting Twins Daily and get 10% off. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help.

Aaron and John's take a break from KFAN at Mason's and walk through the Twins various DL moves, review the trade for Eduardo Nunez, convince David Brauer to listen to the Talk To Contact podcast, wonder at the world going bat s*** crazy about Joe Mauer, notice Brian Dozier's power surge, call random strangers "Babygirl," consider surgery on Aaron's torn ACL, and find out how to sell Joe Mauer a car. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here's the breakdown: 2 Twins Game 4 Torn ACL 14 Rib Tips 18 DL Moves 26 Masons Food 27 Twins Trade 38 Bartlett’s Future 42 Babygirl 44 Trevor’s Defense 46 Aaron’s Stories 48 More Babygirl 56 Talk To Contact Podcast 64 Our Bar 68 Twitter’s Brand 74 Brian Dozier 76 Aaron Hicks 79 Return of Tanya 81 Buxton’s Wrist 83 Where’s Eddie? 84 Lou’s Return 86 Mauer’s Week 91 Mauer Buying A Car 98 Rioting Roommates 101 Hiring Randballstu 103 Why Taxis Stink ~~~ Thanks to the Twins win over the Royals on Sunday, it means that on Monday you can get 50% off a Large or Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com.

~ Sponsored by Switch My Trip ~ Maybe the Twins knew what they were doing when they brought Kyle Gibson north from spring training. The Twins switched their plan by including Gibson on the roster and he switched around the direction of their homestand. They had signed four free agent pitchers over the last two years to fill the five spots in their starting rotation. That left one spot. Officially, Gibson was one of the candidates, but by no means the favorite.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The competition was supposed to be between three pitchers – Vance Worley, Scott Diamond and Sam Deduno – all of whom were out of options, meaning they would need to be offered free of charge to other teams if they didn’t make the Twins roster. Gibson was not out of options, so the Twins could send him to AAA without fear of losing him. Instead, by the last week of March, Worley had been traded, Deduno had been moved to the bullpen and Diamond had been been demoted to AAA-Rochester. Gibson and his 2.20 spring ERA were traveling with the club to chillier climes. The colder weather has suited him. He won his first start of the year in Cleveland when it was 36 degrees with a 24mph wind. ~ The Twins are looking to switch things around this year. Every week, Metro Transit recognizes a Twins player who successfully switched the outcome of a game for the better. ~ But it’s his second start that garners the “Switch of the Week” award. The Twins had started their opening 2014 homestand 0-3 with the starting pitcher shouldering most of the blame in each of the three losses. One by one the free agents had dug the team an early hole. Kevin Correia had given up five runs in the first three innings of the home opener. Phil Hughes had given up four runs before the Twins got their first at-bat in the second game of the season. Mike Pelfrey gave up five runs in his first four innings on Thursday afternoon. Gibson started down that road: a wild pitch led to a run in the first inning. But he limited the damage and then held the line for the next five innings while the offense rallied for seven runs to put the game safely away. He thus earned his second win in two starts, tying the total he earned over 10 starts last year. He also kicked off a string of quality starts through the remainder of the Royals series. Whether it a happy coincidence or not, the Twins starting rotation has looked totally different since Gibson took the mound on Friday. It’s easy to be optimistic about his future. Before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011, Gibson was a top pitching prospect in the Twins minor leagues. After a year of recovery, his arrival last year was highly anticipated, which made the 6.53 ERA he posted that much more disappointing. But he was still recovering from the surgery, and approaching the team's innings limit for him when was recalled at the end of June. This year his arm should be more prepared for the challenges of a long major league season. But there are also indicators the suggest some caution. It’s unusual for a starting pitcher to have long-term success with a below average strikeout rate. Through two starts, Gibson’s sits at just 4.8, far below the league average of 7. It’s also unusual for a pitcher to have success if he’s walking nearly as many batters as he is striking out. Gibson has walked more (8) than he has struck out (6). So another switch isn’t out of the question, and it could be a switch for the worse. On the other hand, Gibson is a sinker ball pitcher – strikeout rate isn’t quite as important for a pitcher who relies on hitters hitting groundballs at his infielders. Whatever the future, though March and April, Gibson has been one of the Twins most pleasant surprises and most consistent starters, which is a switch that we all can embrace. ~~~ Why fight traffic and parking? Say ‘Switch My Trip’ for the next Twins game. Metro Transit can provide you and your whole family a train ride to the game. Planning your trip is as easy as clicking on this link.

~ 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]

~ Sponsored by Ticket King ~ “And we'll never be Royals” - some singer on the radio For the last decade, Lorde’s lyric would have been a comfort to Twins fans; as bad as things would ever get, at least the Twins were never going to be the Royals. Minnesota dominated the matchup for the decade, even going 21-15 over 2011 and 2012 when they were struggling with just about every other team. The worm finally turned last year and did so with a vengeance. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The Royals' 15 wins in 19 games was their highest win total against any team by five full games. In fact, they were less than a .500 team against the rest of their schedule; they can thank the Twins for pushing them to 86 wins, their highest win total since Bo Jackson was roaming their outfield. Weather We’ve got a good news/bad news situation for this weekend’s games. The bad news is that there are supposed to be “spotty” showers throughout the weekend, so be prepared. The good news is that is that the warm weather should last through at least Saturday and possibly Sunday – and then it’s going to get cold when those freaking Canadians come to town. (Yes, Canada, I’ve figured out your little game. Turn off the top secret Polar Vortex machine you have apparently developed. You can make it as cold as you like; we’re never going to embrace hockey as our national sport. I think we’ve made that abundantly clear. Give it up.) Pitching I’ll give you your pitching matchup options and my opinion. Do as you will: Friday night you’ll get to see Kyle Gibson try to have a second excellent start. (Which is something he never did last year.) But he’ll face Bruce Chen, whose effective slop drives me and all Twins fans (and batters and coaches) insane. I don’t think I’m ready for that so early this year. On Sunday, Kevin Correia (who also tends to drive me insane) faces off against Jason Vargas. Last April when the Twins faced Vargas they absolutely destroyed him, knocking him out of the game after 3.1 innings. It was one of the more enjoyable games of a chilly homestand. So that might be fun to watch. But the game I like best is Saturday’s versus James Shields. Shields will be a free agent after this year and command huge money, so his time in KC could be near an end and thus his visits to Target Field will be less frequent. For Twins batters, that’s probably a good thing. Over his last three seasons, he averaged 235 innings per season and a 3.15 ERA. So far this year, it’s been more of the same: two starts, 13.1 innings and a 2.70 ERA. If you’re looking for a Twins win, this game might not be the best choice but I’ll opt for watching excellence. ~~~ Ticket King has all kinds of seats available for this matchup. I see a pair of tickets in the Champions Club for $291 apiece or you can sneak in with $9 tickets – there should be plenty of seating. Plus, if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, you’ll be supporting Twins Daily and get 10% off. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help.

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.

~ Sponsored by Switch My Trip ~ How big of a switch do you want? A game? A week? A team? A career? Our winner this week, Chris Colabello, represents all of the above. His bases-clearing double in yesterday’s 10-7 win over Cleveland rescued a game that was deteriorating fast for the Twins. And that was his second best performance of the week. His best was three days earlier, when the Twins were trying to bounce back from a disheartening extra-inning loss, avoid being swept by the dreaded White Sox and win their first game of the 2014 season. That’s when he drove in six of the Twins ten runs in a 10-6 win. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ~ The Twins are looking to switch things around this year. Every week, Metro Transit recognizes a Twins player who successfully switched the outcome of a game for the better. ~ A week that could’ve ended 1-5 is now 3-3. A team that had serious questions about their offense is now one of the top scoring teams in the majors. And their cleanup hitter is a 30-year-old rookie who was nearly sold to a South Korean team in December. Hollywood would turn down this script as too saccharine. Three years ago, Colabello wasn’t playing with an affiliated team. He was playing in the Can-Am league, an independent league similar to the league in which the St. Paul Saints play. As a 28-year-old he joined the Twins AA club and impressed. Last year as a 29-year-old he tore up AAA, earning a promotion to the majors as a very old rookie. That’s already a Disney movie. But cue the foreboding music, because after he was called up, Colabello fell flat. He started out 1 for 11. He bounced around a .200 batting average finishing with a .194 mark. He went to the Dominican Winter League where he was hitting just .190 when the opportunity arose to join a South Korean team. Colabello had every right to embrace that destiny. It was reported that he could have made upwards of a million dollars in salary overseas. With the Twins, he would be limited to about half of that – and that was only if he made the team, which was looking questionable. Joe Mauer was moving to first base, Colabello’s natural position. The Twins had signed Jason Kubel to be their designated hitter. Colabello was a long shot to make the roster even if he was hitting, which, of course, he wasn’t. The simple fact that the Twins were willing to sell his contract overseas spoke volumes about their evaluation of his future. But Colabello turned down the chance to go overseas. He started hitting early in spring training and never stopped. He leapfrogged several other candidates to make it onto the Opening Day roster for the first time as a 30-year-old. And through the first week of the season, he leads the team in RBI, total bases and OPS (on-base plus slugging). How much bigger can a switch get? ~~~ Why fight traffic and parking? Say ‘Switch My Trip’ for the next Twins game. Metro Transit can provide you and your whole family a train ride to the game. Planning your trip is as easy as clicking on this link.

~ Sponsored by Ticket King ~ There are lots of good reasons to go to any number of the Twins games versus the A’s this year, but … I mean, c’mon …. there is really only one game to go to. Monday is the home opener. You know where you need to be. The Long Winter We’ll start with the obvious – because you’ve been waiting for six months to watch a live baseball game. Actually, odds are that you’ve been waiting a lot longer than that, seeing as the Twins attendance in September was pretty dismal. The field is green, the weather is going to be relatively warm, it’s been a brutal winter and there are trees back in Target Field. Correia’s Return It would be nice if it featured one of the free agent pitchers the Twins signed, but instead it’s going to feature last year’s ace, Kevin Correia, who already had a roller-coaster of a game in his first start. He gave up only three runs over six innings, but when he threw his last pitch, the Twins were down 3-2 and had about a 30% chance to win the game. However, in the top of the seventh, the Twins scored three runs giving them an 80% chance to win and get Correia the “W” without throwing another pitch. It all evened out for Correia, much to Twins fans chagrin. Glen Perkins blew the save, allowing the White Sox to tie the game in the ninth and so Correia got a “no decision.” Then Sam Deduno and Kurt Suzuki teamed up to lose the game in the 11th on a wild pitch. You can see the FanGraphs.com chart that shows the Twins/White Sox chances of winning that game to the right. Tough Road The Twins should have their hands full this series. The A’s won 96 games last year, 94 the year before, won the AL West both of those years and took six of seven versus the Twins last year. For the opener, the A’s will have Scott Kazmir take the hill, who they signed this offseason to replace Bartolo Colon. Kazmir spent last year torturing the Twins when we was with the Cleveland Indians. He started five games against the Twins, threw 31 innings and had just a 1.45 ERA in those games. In fact, one could make a case that Kazmir should send the Twins a thank you note for the 2-year, $22 million contract he got. Without those games against the Twins, his overall would’ve climbed from 4.04 to 4.67. It’s Not Too Late There are still tickets available for the home opener, and they won’t break the bank – I currently see some for as low as $14 apiece. Plus, it’s not like you need to take even a half day off; the game is at 3:00 so just get permission to blow out of there a little early. And if it is too late – as in, you are reading this on Monday night, take a look at the afternoon games later this week. The second and third games of the year always have incredible bargains for seats, and Wednesday it’s hitting 70 degrees for the first time this year. All you have to do is find a way to get out there by noon. (Oh, and it’s dollar dog day, too.) ~~~ Ticket King has all kinds of seats available for this matchup. You can impress an important client in the Champions Club, or give your kids a memory, even if it's from the the upper deck. Plus, if you use the promo code DAILY DOUBLE, you’ll be supporting Twins Daily and get 10% off. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help.

Sponsored by Snyder Gislason Frasier LLC Baseball, bourbon, great legal minds and the end of TV blackout rules as we know them. If that sounds like a pretty good night, well, you missed it. I however, did not. So, let's recap.... The partners of Snyder Gislason Frasier (a.k.a. The Law Geeks) - Chad Snyder, Adam Gislason and Mike Frasier - invited me out to share the finer things in life and parse through the broader implications of two class-action lawsuits. The suits were brought by fans against Major League Baseball,[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] the NHL, Comcast and DirectTV -- Garber et al v. Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball and Laumann et al v. National Hockey League -- which were consolidated in 2012. The plaintiffs (fans) claim that sports franchises, that should be in competition, conspire to establish territorial TV rights with television distributors. As a result, they can charge enormous fees for people who want to watch out-of-market games. There is no debate about whether this really happens - even MLB admits it - although the distributors claim to be bystanders in this process. In fact, this has been a topic on Twins Daily forums. For instance, Cedar Rapids is about a four-hour drive from Target Field AND the home of the Twins Low-A minor league club, the Cedar Rapids Kernels. But local residents there can't get Fox Sports North on cable so they are not able to watch Twins games that way. They are ALSO officially within the blackout area of MLB.TV, so they can't get those games as an out-of-market option either. The Kernels can't tune into a Twins game, either as in in-market or out-of-market option, in their clubhouse. (But it actually gets more ridiculous for Minnesota's southern neighbors. MLB.TV considers the entire state of Iowa to be "in-market" for SIX major league teams: the Twins, Brewers, Cubs, White Sox, Royals and Cardinals. Iowa residents are at the mercy of the few cable stations that want to extend that far.) But just because it's true, doesn't mean it's legal or illegal. Although the fans’ case against MLB is a unique one, in the past, MLB has killed suits brought against it before they got off the ground using a unique defense – the “baseball antitrust exemption” i.e., unlike most other businesses, federal and state antitrust laws don't apply to them. You may have heard that baseball is a legal monopoly, but that isn't entirely true. The truth is considerably more gray. In the 1920s, the Supreme Court ruled that MLB games were not subject to federal antitrust laws. This ruling was later affirmed in the 1950’s by the Supreme Court, which, to use a football term, punted the question to Congress. Since then, including the Flood case, courts have not shown a willingness to expand on that ruling. And both the NHL and NFL have been shot down when trying to get the Supreme Court to apply the same broad antitrust exemptions applied to them. It looks like MLB didn't want to risk something similar befalling its exemption, because it didn't hide behind that standard defense when the suit was filed in 2012. That may have been because its lawyers aren't sure the courts, including the Supreme Court if it gets that far, will follow the prior Supreme Court decisions this time around the bases. "There are indications that the Supreme Court, as it's currently comprised, might not feel restricted by previous rulings," says Chad. Choosing not to claim antitrust exemption backfired, as it meant the suit was not dismissed and instead has been involved in two years of discovery. Recently, though, MLB claimed that the antitrust exemption "includes its territorial league structure and live video rules." That opens the door for a much higher stakes game, one that could even include a trip back to the Supreme Court. Not that TV rights aren't high stakes all by themselves; between how local television contracts have recently changed the landscape of team revenues AND the rise in profits and valuation of MLB Advanced Media, this suit could radically change a multi-billion dollar revenue stream. However, its effect could go even beyond that if MLB's nebulous antitrust exemption is further defined. One of the last times any official ruling was made on baseball's antitrust exemption, it led to the federal Curt Flood Act of 1998, which helped solidify free agency. The Curt Flood Act changed baseball's business forever, limited MLB's antitrust reach, but also recognized that there was at least some antitrust considerations upon which to reflect. If both sides get to the point where a ruling on the antitrust designation of MLB is challenged, far more than just TV revenues is jeopardized. This is unlikely to happen. "Given what is at stake for both sides, the current class actions will likely end in a settlement," suggested Adam, a common conclusion for these types of suits. "But a settlement will likely include changing how the industry currently works," added Mike. Just what those changes could look like is anyone's guess. Baseball fans in several regions have been victimized by the momentum of the current system. It's likely time for an overhaul. Perhaps this suit will encourage baseball to face the challenge head on. ------ 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.