John Bonnes

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.

Aaron and John podcast from Freehouse and discuss the Twins final roster decisions, Kyle Gibson’s opportunity, losing Vance Worley and Alex Presley, distinctive Fanny Bay oysters, Byron Buxton’s injuries, gimpy knees, expectations for the Twins lineup, roto-bird, Aaron’s new iPhone and the magic of Tinder. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Here's the breakdown:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]0 Aaron’s Knee 4 KFAN 8 Freehouse 11 25-man roster 12 Kyle Gibson 13 Wrong Aaron 14 Sam Deduno 17 Losing Worley 21 Losing Presley 23 Oysters 28 Keeping Bartlett 33 Bullpen moves 35 More Barltett 40 Keeping Guerrier 41 Powered by Cheese Curds 42 Buxton’s injury 46 Embracing “youth” 49 Lineup over-under 50 Brian Dozier 54 Kurt Suzuki 56 Joe Mauer 60 Josh Willingham 64 Oswaldo Arcia 68 Jason Kubel 70 Trevor Plouffe 73 Aaron Hicks 75 Pedro Florimon 77 Josmil Pinto 78 Losing kids 81 $1000 burger 85 Aaron’s iphone 94 Tinder

Aaron and John talk about picking over/under win totals for each team, Kyle Gibson vs. Scott Diamond and Aaron Hicks vs. Alex Presley, Sam Deduno moving to the bullpen, drinking Hammerheart beer and eating all kinds of good stuff at New Bohemia, Vance Worley clearing waivers, how not to get an iPhone, Josmil Pinto and the catcher situation, Padres fan bartenders, and succulent sausages. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Here's the breakdown...[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]1:30 – Australian Twins 4:30 – Hammerheart/New Bohemia 7:45 – Running Sap 11:30 – Starter Race 22:30 – Assembling dreck 25:00 – Hicks return 31:00 – Batting 2nd 35:30 - Succulent Sausages 39:00 – Fattening up 40:30 – Vance Worley 43:00 – Twins catchers 43:50 – Bench speculation 48:00 – Shaving letters 49:00 – Aaron’s iphone 53:45 – Over-unders 57:25 – Houston Astros 58:30 – Beer flights 1:05:00 - Seattle Mariners 1:08:30 – LA Angels 1:13:00 – Texas Rangers 1:16:30 – Oakland A’s 1:20:30 – Blue Jays 1:24:30 – Baltimore Orioles 1:27:00 – Yankees 1:30:30 – Red Sox 1:32:00 - Tampa Bay 1:33:30 – White Sox 1:35:00 – Cleveland Indians 1:37:00 – KC Royals 1:39:30 – Detroit Tigers 1:42:00 – Minnesota Twins 1:46:00 – San Diego Padres 1:47:00 - Next week

The Twins Greatest All-Stars Countdown is sponsored by Wendy's Prior to being named to the American League's All-Star squad last month, Joe Mauer would not have ranked above our #5 choice, Tony Oliva, on this list. It's still a close call. Mauer is tied with Oliva with six All-Star game apperances and if Mauer gets a hit, he'll tie Tony O in that category, too. Mauer gets the edge because he accumulated a RBI (on a two-out hit, no less) and a run, neither of which Oliva was able to do. Mauer also has his four hits in just 11 at-bats while Oliva had nineteen to get his five hits. But the separator is games started: Mauer has started four game while Oliva only started three. Those four games ties Mauer with the other Twins catcher on this list, Earl Battey, but that's a little misleading. Battey started two of those All-Star games in the same year. From 1959 to 1962, MLB held two All-Star games, adding a second one to raise money for the players' pension fund. Battey also didn't have particularly productive All-Star Game appearances...

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]

~~~ Sponsored by Great Clips ~~~~ A seventeen year career that included pitching in 694 games with a career ERA of 3.37 – and the poor guy will always need to live down this disastrous haircut. Bob Miller came to the Twins just before the 1968 season. It was not a small deal. The Twins gave up two of their more reliable players – pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant and 1965 MVP award winner Zoila “Zorro” Versalles to acquire Miller, fellow reliever Ron Perranoski and aging catcher John Roseboro. Miller did his part to make the trade a success. In 1968 he worked exclusively out of the bullpen, posting a 2.74 ERA. The following year, new manager Billy Martin also had him start eleven games over the second half of the season. Despite his success patching up the starting rotation, the Twins moved Miller following the 1969 season for a more permanent solution. They traded Miller along with a package of players to the Cleveland Indians for starting pitcher Luis Tiant. Miller struggled that year and was traded two more times before he was released by the Cubs. He was never again as effective as he had been with the Twins, but kept pitching through 1974, eventually pitching for eleven different major league teams.

You're standing waiting to be chosen for kickball. Randy Stevens is picked first, of course, because everyone knows he's got a foot made half of lead, I swear to gawd, half-lead. Then Keith Miller is chosen, and then speedy Liz Oster, and then Tim and Chris and Pat and near the end, you. A lot of us know that feeling - the sense that people are misjudging you. That you're better than they think. That YOU, at least, believe. Now imagine being picked 342nd. Jason Kubel doesn't need to imagine. He was chosen in the 12th round by the Twins in the 2000 draft out of high school. In the video above, Kubel reflected on his bounceback year with the Twins, why he came back to Minnesota and what it took to overcome the odds and have a successful major league career.

~~~ Sponsored by the Minnesota Lottery ~~~ It may be the ultimate dream - the only way some of us will ever really compete in the big leagues: owning your own baseball team. Turns out, you don't need to win the Mega Millions jackpot (currently at $400M) to own your own professional baseball team. You can become a partial owner of a minor league team for as little as $100,000 according to the Sports Advisory Group. If you don't play well with others, your very own minor league team can range from $20 million for a well-established AAA or AA team to as little as $250,000 for an independent minor league team. You can even stay close to home. Apparently one of the Low A Midwest League teams, located mostly in Iowa and Wisconsin, is for sale. Even closer to home is most of the Northwoods League, which has franchises in Alexandria, Willmar, St. Cloud, Mankato, Rochester, and Duluth. You don't even need to pay professional contracts to these guys: they feature college players performing for scouts and dozens of Major League players are alums, including

Contract extensions are usually popular with fan bases, which is not the norm for financial transactions. It’s easy to see why – all the ingredients are there. People love to emotionally project a popular and productive player to be popular and productive for years. An extension does that, provided you don’t think too hard about the financial side of it. That’s the actuarial department's job. All the ingredients are also certainly there for the contract extension Glen Perkins signed with the Twins. Perkins has been awesome since moving to the bullpen, including being named an All-Star last year. He’s a hometown guy and media and fan-friendly. As Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony said, “I think there's a premium value for a closer that's 31, that's done a pretty good job for us, that fits in very well in this clubhouse, and means a lot to this team.” With that background, why wouldn’t a deal get done? The more interesting question for both sides might why a deal did get done, considering Perkins was already under team control for the next three years at a bargain rate. Here are how the deals compare: Perkins The deal gives Perkins a raise over what he would make the next couple of years and guarantees another $14M in future earnings. It costs him a chance to hit the free agent market in 2017, when he might have made almost twice as much as he will get paid over the last two years. Of course, he would have been be 34 at that point. The security was worth the big payday. That’s why Perkins approached the Twins about the deal. There is also an interesting provision that gives a subtle nudge to the Twins to NOT trade him. If he is traded, that option year changes from a team option to a player option. That makes him not quite the tradeable asset that he would be otherwise. Twins The Twins take on the risk of a 31-year-old getting hurt and being on the hook for another $14M. But the savings they could reap if he stays healthy are considerable. You’ll recall that as Joe Nathan approached free agency, the Twins signed him to a four-year deal that paid him $11.25 million starting when he turned 34 through turning 36. (That didn’t turn out so well.) This five-year deal tops out at about half that much money and ends when Perkins is 35. It also keeps Perkins anchoring a bullpen in those years when the Twins believe they’ll return to being competitive. “We believe that he’s going to be part of turning this thing around,” said Antony. Sweet Spot It is somewhat unusual for a team that already has a good contract to risk an extension. It’s also unusual for a premier player to seek one out. Perhaps in this case, the hometown ties played a part in overcoming those traditional obstacles. Antony concluded, “We know that this contract, [Perkins] signed, because he wants to be in Minnesota. We signed because we want to keep him here.” Together they found a deal that the team, the players, the fans and even the actuarial department can support.

Aaron and John talk about going to Twins spring training in Florida, Byron Buxton and the first batch of Twins cuts, drunken women debating the quality of their butts, Johan Santana signing with the Orioles, hanging out at Mason's Restaurant downtown, housewarming gifts, singing bartenders, the Miguel Sano aftermath, giving shoutouts, and Twitter tabs.You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com.