John Bonnes

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' decision to fire Paul Molitor, the good and bad of his four-year tenure as manager, what the front office might be looking for in his replacement, and names to watch as the interview process begins. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Sponsored by Bombfell and Harry's Razors. Click here to view the article

Well, it certainly isn't scapegoating. The purpose of scapegoating is to take pressure off oneself. This is going to add additional pressure to Falvine. There are no more excuses in year three now.

I'm surprised nobody is mentioning Scioscia

USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting that Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor has been fired and a press conference this afternoon has been scheduled to announce it. Molitor managed the Twins for four seasons, two of which they exceeded expectations and two of which they did not. They finished this year 78-84, a disappointment after making it to the postseason last year with an 85-77 record.The team's 2017 season earned Paul Molitor Manager Of The Year Award honors, and a winner for this last season has not yet been announced, meaning he is still the reigning Manager of the Year. But his position as the Twins manager has been in doubt each of the last three seasons. In 2016, the Twins dismal start led to the dismissal of General Manager Terry Ryan, which would often mean a change in manager as well. But Twins ownership announced that any new GM would need to retain Molitor as manager. Which, of course, meant that questions emerged during the 2017 season as to whether new CBO Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine would retain Molitor after their inaugural season was over, especially since Molitor's contract would also conclude after the 2017 season. A strong finish in 2017 and the resulting Manager of the Year award convinced both sides to extend the contract through 2020, though the amount of the contract was not announced. This year's disappointing start led to a trade deadline selloff when the Twins were out of the race by mid-summer, but there had been very little speculation that a coaching change was imminent. Comments from the Twins: “I would like to thank Paul for his tremendous dedication to the Minnesota Twins over his last four years as manager of this club,” said Twins Executive Vice President, Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey. “Paul’s roots here run deep and his commitment to the organization, his staff, and the players is special. I have every hope and desire that he remains a part of this club for many years to come.” “The importance and contribution of Paul Molitor to the Twins, our community and Major League Baseball cannot be diminished,” said Twins Owner Jim Pohlad. “On behalf of our family, I offer thanks to Paul for his four years as Twins manager and look forward to the continuation of our relationship with him.” Comments from Paul Molitor: “I was informed today that the Twins will seek a new manager for the 2019 season and I fully respect that decision. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity they gave me to serve in the role as manager for these past four years. I’m going to consider their genuine offer to serve in a different capacity to positively impact the Twins from a different role. Special thanks to my coaches and players I have had a chance to manage and I certainly appreciate the tremendous support I received from all of Twins Territory.” Click here to view the article

The Twins are facing the most pivotal offseason they've had in ... well, maybe ever. They have a team still young and on the verge of taking a next step, and they have unprecedented payroll room – maybe as much as $60 million – to help that team take that next step. The ninth annual Twins Daily Offseason Handbook will help you chart the decisions the team will be making to get ready for the 2019 season you can preorder now and receive it as soon as the World Series ends.Last year over 1,000 readers downloaded the Handbook to get a jump on the offseason. This year, we'll release it following the last out of the World Series. You can preorder now for whatever you think is fair (including zero, but recommended donation is $10), and you'll get it delivered to your inbox as soon as the Fall Classic concludes. *** CHECK OUT THIS OFFSEASON HANDBOOK FAQ FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS *** The Handbook includes everything you would need to know to rebuild the Twins into a championship contender. We'll break down the payroll and salaries, so you'll know how much you have to spend. We'll list free agent targets and trade options. We'll review the arbitration decisions you need to make. We'll give our opinions on blueprints the team could follow, and you'll have a place to show your own vision. Still not sure? You can download last year's here. We're sure you're going to love it, so preorder it right now. At Twins Daily, the offseason can be as much fun as the regular season. Preorder the 2019 Offseason Handbook Click here to view the article

Aaron and John head to Target Field to see Joe Mauer's (probable) final game, and talk about Mauer's great Twins career and the Twins' not-so-great season. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. Sponsored by Robinhood and Simple Contacts. Click here to view the article

Aaron goes solo to talk about The Legend of Willians Astudillo and the Twins' catching situation for 2019, plus lots of mailbag questions from listeners and a roundtable discussion featuring Baseball Prospectus and Twins Daily writers. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.http://traffic.libsy...3?dest-id=74590 Sponsored by Bombfell and SeatGeek. Click here to view the article

Here is the link for the tickets to the pub crawl. And here is where you can get Twins tickets to sit with us after the crawl. The Touch-Em-All Pub Crawl is next Saturday, September 29th, starting at noon. The $10 ticket includes $15 in free drinks from the three bars, so you're really just prepaying a little to reserve your spot. Here are the details:We’ll start at First Draft Taproom and Kitchen, where each ticket holder will get a $5 credit toward their pour-your-own beer. About 1:45, we’ll head to The Basement Bar, where each ticket holder gets their Red Solo Cup special, a rotating tap that’s always just $4. About 3:45, we’ll head to Brothers Bar & Grill, who has hosted the last two Winter Meltdown events. There, a keg of 612 beer will be awaiting us. After that, we’ll all head to the Twins game. You've invited to buy your own ticket from the link above and below. (This price does NOT include a Twins ticket.) If you can’t commit, you can also just join us the day of the crawl, but then you can’t get the free drink tickets; you can only get those if you order this ticket before it sells out. Again, here is the link for the tickets to the pub crawl. And here is where you can get Twins tickets to sit with us after the crawl. Click here to view the article

The final stop will be at Brothers Bar & Grill where a keg of 612 Beer will await the revelers of Twins Daily’s Touch-Em-All Pub Crawl. The event is Saturday, September 29th starting at noon. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 8 AM and are expected to sell fast, as the cost is minus -$5. That means you’ll get $15 worth of beers for the $10 ticket. We would do it for free, but we need to limit the sales.We already announced the first two stops Monday and Tuesday. We’ll start at First Draft Taproom and Kitchen, where each ticket holder will get a $5 credit toward their pour-your-own beer. About 1:45, we’ll head to The Basement Bar, where each attendees gets their Red Solo Cup special, a rotating tap that’s always just $4. About 3:45, we’ll head to Brothers Bar & Grill, who has hosted the last two Winter Meltdown events. There, a key of 612 beer will be awaiting us. (If you can’t wait that long, you might also want to check out their Oktoberfest party this weekend.) After that, we’ll all head to the Twins games. You’ll be able to buy tickets with us tomorrow morning, along with your Twins tickets. If you can’t commit, you can also just join us the day of the crawl, but then you can’t get the free drink tickets; you can only get those if you stop by tomorrow morning. Don’t hit snooze - Twins Daily’s events often sell out, and we’ve never charged a negative number for one before. We’ll see you tomorrow…... Click here to view the article

Tickets are on sale Thursday at 8AM for this year’s Touch-Em-All Pub Crawl and there will only be a limited number available. It’ll be next Saturday, the 29th from noon to 6:00, followed by the Twins game. Today we’re excited to announce that our second stop will be the new Basement Bar, and will include their free “Red Solo Cup” special.The Basement Bar, located under the swanky Nolo, has something to offer everyone: drinks, music, games, food truck. It's literally the ultimate fun party bar with lots of TV's for good sports viewing. Their special Red Solo Cup is a rotating tap that they always offer and its alwasy four bucks. This year’s pub crawl includes three stops with three different free drinks, and we’re offering at a price of minus five dollars. That means the tickets will be $10 but they include $15 worth of drinks, so you’re really just prepaying to reserve your spot, since they can only give away so much free booze. The first stop, announced yesterday, was First Draft Taproom and Kitchen, where each ticket holder will get a $5 credit toward their pour-your-own beer. Tomorrow we’ll announce the third stop. And Thursday we’ll give the link for tickets and an option so you can grab a ticket to join us at the Twins game after. Even if you don’t get a ticket on Thursday, you’re welcome to join us on the crawl, at one or all of the spots - you just won’t get the free drink at each place. So stop by tomorrow to find out our third stop and set your alarm for 8AM on Thursday to grab your tickets before they’re gone. We’ll have less than 100 tickets available, so don’t hit snooze! Click here to view the article

Twins general manager Thad Levine sat down with Aaron for an extended interview as part of Baseball Prospectus Night at Target Field, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. You can download it here.http://gleemangeek.l...com/episode-390 Sponsored by Sota Stick, RxBar, and Away Travel. Click here to view the article

It’s pub crawl time! Twins Daily’s annual Touch ‘Em All Pub Crawl will be next Saturday, Sept 29th, and will be the biggest one so far. Today we can provide two big announcements: we’ll start our crawl at the new pour-your-own-beer First Draft Taproom and Kitchen and the price will be minus five dollars*.What’s with the asterisk, you ask? Tickets will be $10, but they include a free drink at each stop that totals $15, so you’re really just prepaying a bit to reserve your spot. The first of those is a $5 beer credit at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen. It’s a brand new pour-your-own, pay-by-the-ounce taproom that acts as the craft beer, wine, and cider hub to downtown Minneapolis. You can pour local or national craft beer, wine or kombucha, and they have a unique menu full of locally sourced made-from-scratch shareable plates. We’ll start at noon at First Draft, make our way to two more bars and then head over to the Twins game at 6:00. On Thursday we’ll provide a link for tickets and a link so you can buy Twins tickets with our group, though I suspect we’ll continue crawling around Target Field. Even if you don’t get a ticket on Friday, you’re welcome to join us on the crawl, at one or all of the spots - you just won’t get the free drink at each place. So stop by tomorrow to find out our second stop and set your alarm for 8AM on Thursday to grab your tickets before they’re gone. We’ll have less than 100 tickets available, so don’t hit snooze! Click here to view the article

Cleveland's Progressive Field opened in 1994, one of the first wave of new ballparks in MLB, and fueled a dynasty that dominated the AL Central throughout the 90s. The only time I'd visited was shortly thereafter, so I'm way past due to see it again. I found a great park, especially impressive given its age. Want to visit with me? Great. Let's see what we find John and Chrissie will be visiting a few other ballparks over the next week or two, so follow them on Twitter at @TwinsGeek and @ChrissieTVOR. Click here to view the article