John Bonnes

Aaron and John are at TwinsDaily's Winter Meltdown, interviewing Michael Cuddyer and Twins beat writers Dan Hayes, Betsy Helfand and Do-Hyoung Park. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/Ep_409_final.mp3?dest-id=74590 View full article

It was an incredible event at Brothers Bar & Grill on Saturday night as Twins Daily readers were joined by Michael Cuddyer to talk Hot Stove and start gearing up for the 2019 season. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and to all our sponsors for making it happen. It was an incredible event at Brothers Bar & Grill on Saturday night as Twins Daily readers were joined by Michael Cuddyer to talk Hot Stove and start gearing up for the 2019 season. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and to all our sponsors for making it happen. This year’s Winter Meltdown included two free 612 Brew craft beers, a free Winter Meltdown pint glass, drink specials, a Pick & Shovel prize pack, autographed prizes and swag from Pizza Luce. We also had a panel discussion with our new Twins beat writers - Betsy Helfand of The Pioneer Press, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com and Dan Hayes of The Athletic. But Michael Cuddyer was the headliner and lived up to every kind word that was written about him over his 15-year major league career. He entertained on stage, wandered through the crowd, had endless pictures taken with fans and even performed a magic trick for some of Twins Daily's forum moderators. If you want to be part of the fun, you can download the Gleeman and the Geek podcast of the event and start looking forward to next year. You can also participate in Fan Duel's Winter Meltdown Contest and win an autographed picture of Justin Morneau. Thank you to all those who came and all those who continue to support Twins Daily with their work and attention. We could not do any of this without you. View full article

The tickets were won by Rick Trueman. Congrats Rick! You have an email waiting for you.

Many of you may know of Julian Loscalzo, who used to throw a Hot Stove Banquet and was one of the original Save the Met guys. He also does ballpark tours every year, and I got the flyer today. Sounds like he's going to Kentucky (which is cool) and Cuba (which is very cool). Here's the info from the flyer for anyone interested: BLEACHER BUMS XXXVII Kentucky Bourbon Tour June 7–16, 2019 Chicago (Cards/Cubs) • Lexington Legends (A) Louisville Bats (AAA) Indianapolis Indians (AAA) • Kane County Cougars (A) • 5 Cities • 9 nights (3 in Windy City) 8 ballgames • Bourbon Tour(s) Louisville Slugger Factory • Fireworks & BPT Quirks & Hoopla Don’t miss this leisurely jaunt across the Midwest to the land of baseball and bourbon. (There will be beer for traditionalists.) You get 3 nights on Chicago’s Gold Coast plus 2 Cards/Cubs tilts. We settle into downtown Lexington and Louisville for 2 nights each, within easy striking (and sipping) distance of numerous distilleries. We then meander off to downtown Indianapolis and wrap up our trip with fireworks at Kane County. There will be side jaunts to breweries and distilleries along the way, as well as time to explore the attractions, culture and cuisine of each city on your own! Hop on the bus now. It’s already half full! $1995 (dbl.) ($400 deposit/person) $1965 Full Pay Discount CUBA Diamonds TO OUR South III November, 2019 Hey Folks, if Cuba is on your list of do’s, then do get on our DIAMONDS mailing list now! We are planning another 8 or 9 day trek to our closest island neighbor for next fall. We’ve discovered on our previous trips that baseball remains the language, heart, and soul of the Cuban people and provides a unique link between our countries & cultures. Our partners at TRANSEAIR, have been traveling to Cuba for over 20 years and know how to get you there in style. We expect this trek to be as memorable as our past Cuban excursions. You’ll be getting a full dose of the passion and joy the Cuban people bring to their music, food, libations, art, culture, and, of course, baseball. And you’ll experience it all with a lively group of fellow fans and friends. FOR MORE INFO email Julian@ballparktours.net BALLPARK TOURS 2019 TREKS Rates for each trek are per person (double occupancy) and include travel by air-conditioned coach bus, rooms, tickets, commemorative tour shirt, and traditional BPT Hoopla! Send your email to get notices electronically. Julian@ballparktours.net Make your check payable to: Ballpark Tours 1141 Portand Ave. St. Paul 55104 E-mail: julian@ballparktours.net 651-227-3437 www.ballparktours.net

Just because you didn’t attend the Winter Meltdown, doesn’t mean you can’t join in some of the fun and win some cool stuff. Meltdown sponsor Fan Duel has opened up a private Twins Daily contest around the big game, exclusive to our readers, and not only can you win money but you can win this Justin Morneau signed picture. Just because you didn’t attend the Winter Meltdown, doesn’t mean you can’t join in some of the fun and win some cool stuff. Meltdown sponsor Fan Duel has opened up a private Twins Daily contest around the big game, exclusive to our readers, and not only can you win money but you can win this Justin Morneau signed picture. Just click on this link to head over to our private Twins Daily contest. You’ll pick the five players you think will have the biggest impact in next Sunday’s big game and then get: A $10 bonus for signing up, Big cash prizes if you win (and remember, it’s a game only for Twins Daily readers and Gleeman and Geek listeners) Bragging rights on Twins Daily Plus, we’ll randomly pick someone to send the Justin Morneau-signed picture. It does not get any better than this, and Fan Duel makes it so fun and so easy to play. If you like analyzing sports, you’re going to love Fan Duel. So join the party and Enter our private contest View full article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins signing Martin Perez just seconds before the show started, the nearly empty free agent reliever shelves, why the Twins' lack of spending should leave fans disappointed, returning to KFAN for another season on the radio, selling out the Winter Meltdown, and Willians Astudillo finishing runner-up to Delmon Young. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/Ep_408_final.mp3 View full article

But of course, they didn't really need to invest heavily in multi-year contracts. They could have added any number of solid relievers or starting pitchers with a one or two-year commitment. It may be that they tried and failed, similar to a roto owner realizing he has way too much of his budget leftover and very few desirable players left. I don't know if screwing up is better than being cheap, but a sub-$100M payroll is just embarrassing for a team whose core players are not into their arbitration years.

The Winter Meltdown sold out of $40 tickets, but Fan HQ can still set you up, and for FREE! Just enter the Fan HQ Giveaway here and you can win four free tickets to our big winter event. You'll be in town anyway for Twins Fest, so just walk over to Brother's Bar & Grill on Saturday (1/26) at 5 and join us, Michael Cuddyer, .... The Winter Meltdown sold out of $40 tickets, but Fan HQ can still set you up, and for FREE! Just enter the Fan HQ Giveaway here and you can win four free tickets to our big winter event. You'll be in town anyway for Twins Fest, so just walk over to Brother's Bar & Grill on Saturday (1/26) at 5 and join us, Michael Cuddyer, .... ....the new Twins beat writers, and revel in two free 612 Brew craft beers, a free pint glass, drink specials, Pick & Shovel prize pack, autographed prizes, and pizza swag. Giveaway ends 10 PM CST on Tuesday 1/22. This is the last way you can get tickets to the Meltdown. Enter now! View full article

We're sorry, but we're sold out! Thank you to those who bought tickets and we'll see you along with Michael Cuddyer, the new Twins beat writers, two free 612 Brew craft beers, the free pint glass, drink specials, Pick & Shovel prize pack, autographed prizes, and pizza swag. This is going to be the best Winter Meltdown yet. We're sorry, but we're sold out! Thank you to those who bought tickets and we'll see you along with Michael Cuddyer, the new Twins beat writers, two free 612 Brew craft beers, the free pint glass, drink specials, Pick & Shovel prize pack, autographed prizes, and pizza swag. This is going to be the best Winter Meltdown yet. Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown will be January 26th from 5:00-7:30 at Brother’s Bar & Grill. You’ll be in town going to TwinsFest anyway, so stop by and bask in the warm glow of the hot stove with other Twins fanatics. Again, we're sorry, but tickets are sold out. View full article

Aaron and John talk about Blake Parker joining the Twins' bullpen, Miguel Sano and Willians Astudillo making winter ball headlines, announcing Michael Cuddyer as the Winter Meltdown special guest, arbitration settlements, Brian Dozier's new home, and the earliest over/under lines. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. Sponsored by Away Travel and Harry's Razor's. http://traffic.libsyn.com/gleemangeek/ep_407_final.mp3 View full article

Twins Daily is very happy to announce that Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins slugger, All-Star and magician, will be joining us as our special guest at the Winter Meltdown. Remaining tickets for the event go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, the 15th) at 8 AM and are expected to sell out fast. Cuddyer is a fan favorite, but there will be a lot of fan favorites at this year’s meltdown. Twins Daily is very happy to announce that Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins slugger, All-Star and magician, will be joining us as our special guest at the Winter Meltdown. Remaining tickets for the event go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, the 15th) at 8 AM and are expected to sell out fast. Cuddyer is a fan favorite, but there will be a lot of fan favorites at this year’s meltdown. This year’s Winter Meltdown includes two free 612 Brew craft beers, a free Winter Meltdown pint glass, drink specials, a Pick & Shovel prize pack, autographed prizes and swag from Pizza Luce. We’ll also have a panel discussion with our new Twins beat writers - Betsy Helfand of The Pioneer Press, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com and Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Plus, we are very excited to have Michael Cuddyer join the Meltdown as our special guest. Cuddyer played in the major leagues for 15 years, including 11 with the Minnesota Twins from 2001 through 2011. He was a two-time All-Star, Silver Slugger Award winner and even received MVP votes. He ranks 12th all-time in home runs for the Twins. He was elected to the team's Hall of Fame in 2017 and now serves as a special assistant in the front office. You won’t want to miss this event. Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown will be January 26th from 5:00-7:30 at Brother’s Bar & Grill. You’ll be in town going to TwinsFest anyway, so stop by and bask in the warm glow of the hot stove with other Twins fanatics. Again: tickets go on sale at Twins Daily at 8:00 on Tuesday the 15th right here for $40. View full article

Besides prizes, this year’s Winter Meltdown will include giveaways, including swag from Pizza Luce, who will have a promotional table to check out. That’s on top of the two free 612 Brew craft beers, the free pint glass, drink specials, Pick & Shovel prize pack, and autographed prizes. Tickets go on sales Tuesday at 8AM on Twins Daily. You’ll also get to meet our new Twins beat writers and special Twins guest….. Besides prizes, this year’s Winter Meltdown will include giveaways, including swag from Pizza Luce, who will have a promotional table to check out. That’s on top of the two free 612 Brew craft beers, the free pint glass, drink specials, Pick & Shovel prize pack, and autographed prizes. Tickets go on sales Tuesday at 8AM on Twins Daily. You’ll also get to meet our new Twins beat writers and special Twins guest….. …who is going to be named on Monday. But here’s today’s hint, to go along with the ones from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and yesterday. Hint 5: He pitched for the Twins. With those five hints, you should be able to whittle down the Twins alumni to just one name, but if you don’t want to work that hard, we’ll announce him tomorrow. You won’t want to miss it. Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown will be January 26th from 5:00-7:30 at Brother’s Bar & Grill. You’ll be in town going to TwinsFest anyway, so stop by and bask in the warm glow of the hot stove with other Twins fanatics. Again: tickets go on sale at Twins Daily at 8:00 on Tuesday the 15th for $40. View full article

Every year the Winter Meltdown has included great prizes, and this year is no different, which is one reason we expect tickets to sell out fast after they go on sale here Tuesday at 8AM. This year, Fan HQ is providing both a Jose Berrios signed baseball and an autographed item from our Twins special guest, who is…. Every year the Winter Meltdown has included great prizes, and this year is no different, which is one reason we expect tickets to sell out fast after they go on sale here Tuesday at 8AM. This year, Fan HQ is providing both a Jose Berrios signed baseball and an autographed item from our Twins special guest, who is…. …going to be named on Monday. But here is today’s hint, to go along with the ones from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: Hint 4: He had Tom Kelly as a manager. You’ll not only get to attend the Meltdown with our special mystery guest, but could win an autographed item from him from Fan HQ. With two Twin Cities locations, Fan HQ has all the sports gear you need and the autographed items you want, plus great events like a chance to meet Bo Jackson next Saturday the 19th Plus, they’ll be also giving away an autographed Jose Berrios baseball. But there is much more. If you haven’t been following along, Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown will be January 26th from 5:00-7:30 at Brother’s Bar & Grill. You’ll be in town going to TwinsFest anyway, so stop by, have a couple of free 612 Brew craft beers, get a free pint glass, buy a Routine Pop Fly, win a Pick & Shove prize pack, meet the new Twins beat writers, hang with special guests, and bask in the warm glow of the hot stove with other Twins fanatics. Tickets go on sale at Twins Daily at 8:00 on Tuesday the 15th for $40. View full article

The Winter Meltdown is for gathering, and we especially appreciate those attendees that connect with others. So this year, we’ll reward some attendee with a monster gift basket from Pick & Shovel, just for finding the guts to talk to strangers. Plus, we’re happy to announce one of our baseball panels. But you can’t win if you don’t attend, so make sure you’re here on Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM to get some of the limited tickets. The Winter Meltdown is for gathering, and we especially appreciate those attendees that connect with others. So this year, we’ll reward some attendee with a monster gift basket from Pick & Shovel, just for finding the guts to talk to strangers. Plus, we’re happy to announce one of our baseball panels. But you can’t win if you don’t attend, so make sure you’re here on Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM to get some of the limited tickets. Attendees will be invited to play a mixer game. Those that complete the challenge will be entered for a Pick and Shovel Gift Basket, featuring well over $100 in free merchandise. Pick and Shovel is known for their creative and original designs organic to Minnesota sports, and baseball in particular. They'll also have a table at the event, so you can peruse and purchase your favorite items. And speaking of new people, besides our special Twins guest, we’ll have a panel of new Twins beat writers, so we can all get to know them. Betsy Helfand of The Pioneer Press, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com and Dan Hayes of The Athletic will all join us on stage to talk a little about how they became Twins beat writers and give us their insights on this year's team. Later, we’ll have our special guest. We dropped hints on Wednesday and Thursday who it is, so check those out. Today’s hint: Hint 3: He played at least one season with the Twins at Target Field. Twins Daily’s Winter Meltdown will be January 26th from 5:00-7:30 at Brother’s Bar & Grill. You’ll be in town going to TwinsFest anyway, so stop by, have a couple of free 612 Brew craft beers, get a free pint glass, a Routine Pop Fly, meet some special guests, and bask in the warm glow of the hot stove with other Twins fanatics. Tickets go on sale at Twins Daily at 8:00 on Tuesday the 15th for $40. We’ll announce more soon, so stop by Twins Daily to get all the news and collect all the hints. View full article