John Bonnes

John and Aaron talk about the Twins signing Rafael Perez, which arms will be healthy, stuffing seven relievers into two bullpen spots, how much a person is allowed to like Brian Dozier, ornery insomnia, casting CSI:GATG, why Joe Benson should be left-handed, unprofessional bathroom breaks, Liam Hendriks vs. Kyle Gibson, snowshoes and the Vinland Center's "winter walkabout" charity, and the importance of spring training. the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Aaron and John talk about braving the blizzard in the name of podcasting, Anthony Swarzak's horseplay, Scott Diamond's setback, the Twins' pitching curse, Joe Saunders choosing "dollars and years" somewhere else, where the Twins' farm system ranks, reaching 500,000 downloads, bad mug shots, The Voice of Reason's evil twin, Lifetime Hockey's annual camp, and drinking vodka like water. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. Or listen by clicking below....[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

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

Aaron and I go to TwinsFest where we interview Dave St. Peter about the international signing limits, the challenges the team faces with TV revenue, the drop in payroll and Twitter. The we discuss Brian Dozier and Aaron Hicks roles in 2013 and several other topics. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. Or, just click below... [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Aaron and John talk about Drew Butera and evaluating catcher defense, Brian Duensing starting or relieving, pursuing Joe Saunders, drinking at noon, gay athletes, online dating, the vetting process for weirdos, talking prostitution during a haircut, interviewing Dave St. Peter, the arbitration process, preparing for TwinsFest, Nick Blackburn's wrist surgery, Elliott Gould's chest hair, grading the Twins' offseason, and playing hooky. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

John and Aaron are reunited to talk Minnesota Twins. But the podcast starts with the two catching up: John's trip, the death of Aaron's youth, John's Bar Mitzvah adventures, how Aaron picks up waitresses and how cricket teams could use a sabrmetric intervention. Then they move onto the Twins, catching up on the moves John missed, wondering how anyone can justify the Twins payroll and starting rotation, the disappointing Hall of Fame votes and the BBWAA's ongoing (an largely successful) struggle to make itself irrelevant. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

You only have two choices: will he be better or worse in 2013? 2012 Recap Given the clustermess that was 2011, most Minnesota Twins fans would have been happy just to see Joe Mauer on the field last year. They did - kinda. Mauer not only stayed healthy, but set a career high with 647 plate appearances and 147 games played. However, exactly half of his starts were at catcher (72 games), with the rest happening at designated hitter (42 games) and first base (30 games). I'll leave you to debate how that impacts his value. What is not debatable is the he returned to being elite offensively. He was in the AL batting race until the last weekend. His .416 on-base percentage led the league. He hit double-digit home runs (albeit barely) for the first time since his MVP campaign. And he posted an 861 OPS, tops for AL catchers. Why He'll Be Worse Don't look now, but like a certain blogger, our boy Joe turns 30 this year. That's even more ominous because he was also remarkably healthy last year. Furthermore, so was Ryan Doumit, which meant Mauer's body had the luxury of rarely being forced into multiple consecutive starts. Finally, there is the whole regression to the mean thing - how long can we expect him to stay at this level? Why He'll Be Better Believe it or not, that 861 OPS he posted is below his career 873 average. So was his .319 batting average. He'll also be a year further away from the injury problems that torpedoed 2011. Finally, both he and the Twins seem to have found (and accepted) a recipe for keeping him healthy by moving him around the diamond a little. So which is it? Click on this link to see our official thread AND take the survey. Then leave us a comment saying why. Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)

Aaron and John podcast about the Minnesota Twins signing Kevin Correia for $10 million, Jared Burton's contract extension, how the podcast will cope with John halfway across the world, why Aaron wants to get punched in the face every day, Doug Mientkiewicz's return to the organization, more changes in the team's newspaper coverage, Ben Revere's power plan, thinking Nick Punto wasn't so bad after all, and predictable rejection. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.