John Bonnes

I hope you’ve gathered your friends and such because we’ll post the link tomorrow morning at 8AM for the Pub Crawl and we have one last legendary announcement to make. This is over $50 worth of stuff – game ticket, parking, t-shirt, beer, brewery tour plus prizes – for only $30. Oh, and we’re running the mascot race at the game.That’s right, you’ll be able to cheer on your favorite member of the Twins Daily crew as they race in the mascot race at Target Field. We do not know which mascots each of us will be, which brings us to the contest portion of the event… During the crawl, each person will get to pick who (the mascot, not the Twins Daily member) will win. During the race, you’ll have something real to cheer for, because from we'll give this 1987 World Series Championship replica ring to someone who picks the winner! Download attachment: RING_1987_WS_900.jpg Again, get you tickets fast. They go on sale at 8AM, we routinely sell out, and in any case the offer ends Monday. It is Saturday, 9/24, a beautiful September Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, from noon to late. And you get: 1. A high-quality men’s/women’s triblend Twins Daily Pub Crawl t-shirt (value $15) with our official tongue-in-cheek “Crawl to 100 Losses” logo (below). 2. A free brewery tour (value $6) at Modist Brewery (1st stop, noon-2:00 PM) at 12:30, 1:00, or 1:30. 3. Free parking (value ($10) at The Freehouse (2nd stop, 2:00-4:00) for the duration of the event and game. 4. A free craft 612 Brew (value $6) at Darby's (3rd stop, 4:00-6:00) 5. Entrance into our raffle of Twins sports memorabilia (value ~$200) from AME Sports, including player plaques and a replica 1987 World Series ring! 6. A ticket to the 6:00 Twins game (value $14), where you’ll watch the Twins Daily gang race in the mascot race. We are also offering a package where you get everything except the Twins ticket (if you have your own) for $15 and a package where you get just the t-shirt ($20, includes shipping). The link will be posted in this story first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll see you then AND on the 24th. Click here to view the article

Here's your link! Best of luck on getting your tickets before they sell out! This is over $50 worth of stuff – game ticket, parking, t-shirt, beer, brewery tour plus prizes – for only $30, plus we just got several sweet 612 Brew sweatshirts to give away! Oh, PLUS we’re running the mascot race at the game. That’s right, you’ll be able to cheer on your favorite member of the Twins Daily crew as they race in the mascot race at Target Field. We do not know which mascots each of us will be, which brings us to the contest portion of the event…During the crawl, each person will get to pick who (the mascot, not the Twins Daily member) will win. During the race, you’ll have something real to cheer for, because from we'll give this 1987 World Series Championship replica ring to someone who picks the winner! Download attachment: RING_1987_WS_900.jpg Again, get you tickets fast. They went on sale at 8AM, we routinely sell out, and in any case the offer ends Monday. It is Saturday, 9/24, a beautiful September Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, from noon to late. And you get: 1. A high-quality men’s/women’s triblend Twins Daily Pub Crawl t-shirt (value $15) with our official tongue-in-cheek “Crawl to 100 Losses” logo (below). 2. A free brewery tour (value $6) at Modist Brewery (1st stop, noon-2:00 PM) at 12:30, 1:00, or 1:30. 3. Free parking (value ($10) at The Freehouse (2nd stop, 2:00-4:00) for the duration of the event and game. 4. A free craft 612 Brew (value $6) at Darby's (3rd stop, 4:00-6:00) 5. Entrance into our raffle of Twins sports memorabilia (value ~$200) from AME Sports, including player plaques and a replica 1987 World Series ring! 6. A ticket to the 6:00 Twins game (value $14), where you’ll watch the Twins Daily gang race in the mascot race. We are also offering a package where you get everything except the Twins ticket (if you have your own) for $15 and a package where you get just the t-shirt ($20, includes shipping). The link will be posted in this story first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll see you then AND on the 24th. Click here to view the article

Friday is the day! At 8:00 AM, limited tickets will be released for the Twins Daily Touch Em All Pub Crawl, and today we get to announce the final stop and giveaway, plus the great prizes you can win and the crazy price. Our final stop will be Darby’s Pub, just one block from the stadium, who will be providing each attendee with a free craft 612 Brew (a $6 value). We’re also very happy to announce that AME Sports is providing great raffle prizes at each stop, including plaques gorgeous plaques of some of your favorite Twins players AND a replica 1987 World Series Champion ring!So just to recap, here are all the things included: 1. A high-quality men’s/women’s triblend Twins Daily Pub Crawl t-shirt (value $15) with our official tongue-in-cheek “Crawl to 100 Losses” logo (below). 2. A free brewery tour (value $6) at Modist Brewery (1st stop, noon-2:00 PM) at 12:30, 1:00, or 1:30. 3. Free parking (value ($10) at The Freehouse (2nd stop, 2:00-4:00) for the duration of the event and game. 4. A free craft 612 Brew (value $6) at Darby's (3rd stop, 4:00-6:00) 5. Entrance into our raffle of Twins sports memorabilia (value ~$200) from AME Sports, including player plaques and a replica 1987 World Series ring! 6. A ticket to the 6:00 Twins game (value $14), where you’ll see a special event that we’ll announce tomorrow. We care about getting everyone together, so we've negotiated all this for $30 (or $15 if you don’t need the Twins ticket). But tickets are only available through Monday night, and may not last that long given you’re getting about $50 worth of stuff for $30. Plus, of course, you’ll get to meet a ton of great Twins fans and writers and drown our sorrows in our beers together. Darby’s is an especially great place to gather before the game when the weather is nice, as they have an enormous hidden deck just a block from the ballpark. They’re going to be providing a keg of 612 Brew, which has supported several of the Twins Daily events, for our group. And AME sports is providing plaques like the one below featuring Harmon Killebrew, Miguel Sano and Brian Dozier. We’ll raffle one off at each stop. Download attachment: plaque_Killebrew_Harmon_900.jpg Finally, we have a 1987 World Series Champion replica ring that will be awarded to the attendee that … well, you’ll need to check early tomorrow to get in on that action. We’ll see you tomorrow and hopefully on September 24th. Download attachment: 2016 T-Shirt Logo.jpg Click here to view the article

Geez, have a little faith, wontchya?

Sometimes, things get so bad that you either have to laugh or cry. We’re choosing the former for our logo and T-shirts for our 2016 Twins Daily Touch Em All Pub Crawl. The complimentary T-shirts will be high-quality triblend Bella + Canvas, in both men’s and women’s styles, perfect for wearing ironically during the Twins 2017 postseason run. You can only get them at the Pub Crawl, which we announced yesterday will by 9/24. Remember, tickets go on sale this Friday, 9/9 at 8:00 AM. Order immediately, since they’ll no longer be on sale after Monday the 12th, and may sell out before that.Our first stop, announced yesterday, will be Modist Brewing, who will provide free brewery tours (a $6 value) to our attendees at 12:30, 1:00 and 1:30. Today we’re happy to announce our second stop will be The Freehouse, who will provide us FREE parking (~$15 value) throughout the day, during the game and even overnight. Plus, they have an excellent mix of craft beer and food, including The Voice of Reason's favorite: Roto-bird. Tomorrow we’ll announce our third participating sponsor, along with some fantastic raffle prizes and an unbelievable price. And let’s not forget the game itself. Friday morning, we’ll have a very special announcement about Twins Daily and the Twins game that you are not going to want to miss. Hint: our T-shirt’s Herbie isn’t going to be the only one hiding their face. So that’s free parking, free brewery tours, another freebie from the third bar, a high-quality, timeless T-shirt, awesome raffle prizes and a ticket to the game all for…. stop by tomorrow to find out. (You might want to start contacting friends and set your alarm for 8 AM Friday.) Click here to view the article

I just saw Brock's final design for the t-shirt. I'm so excited about this. We're going to have people begging us to mail them to them even if they can't attend the pub crawl.

Lots more coming this week by the way.... Wednesday - the 2nd stop and t-shirt details. You're going to love them both. Thursday - 3rd stop, price and raffle prizes Friday - A last very special addition and tickets are on sale.

What will be the first stop on our Crawl To … 100 Losses? The Twins Daily Fourth Annual Touch-Em-All Pub Crawl will be September 24th, with tickets available Friday, 9/9. I don’t need to tell you that this has traditionally sold out, or the legendary stories of having a round bought by Twins closer Glen Perkins and … well, you’ll need to check-in on Friday to see this year’s momentous announcement. But for now, let’s reveal the first stop…We’ll be starting this year’s pub crawl at the brand new Modist Brewery taproom. For anyone wearing the Crawl’s designer t-shift (the design of which will be displayed later this week) there will be a free brewery tour (usually $6) at 12:30, 1:00 or 1:30. Modist has an array of beers, including some special infusions that you can only get at their taproom. The Voice of Reason’s™ favorite is the blond coffee lager, First Call. Check back tomorrow for the second stop, including more details. And set an alarm right now for Friday morning so you don’t miss out on tickets for The Crawl…. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about Byron Buxton's spectacular return weekend, Brian Dozier's spectacular three months, Paul Molitor changing his mind on Jorge Polanco, why the pitching staff remains the biggest problem, the upside and downside of finishing a book, Trevor Plouffe's future hanging on the balance, saying goodbye to KFAN for the season, and re-watching the 1987 and 1991 World Series. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' losing skid, six-year run of awful pitching, the planned front office regime change beyond just a new GM, similarities with Tom Kelly, Andy MacPhail, and Carl Pohlad, Tyler Duffey and Jose Berrios demotions, filling the roster with replacement-level talent, and Oswaldo Arcia's ongoing journey across baseball. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article

First, I'm really happy for Wimmers. His road here has been brutal. But ... are we really recalling a relief pitcher with control problems after sending down two guys who have control problems? It's not like Wimmers control has improved lately - he's walked five guys in his last four (all one-inning) appearances. I'm baffled as to what this organization is doing right now. I'm really not sure this move has Wimmers best interests in mind.

Owner Calvin Griffith responded to the Metrodome's dismal atmosphere by trading away all his veterans and rebuilding from scratch with a new wave of prospects. He responded to the Metrodome's dismal attendance with a different scorched earth policy.It was becoming clear that the 1.4 million attendance threshold included in the Metrodome lease was not going to be met, giving Griffith the option of breaking the lease and perhaps moving to another market. Local business leaders responded by mounting a ticket-buying campaign of the cheapest unused tickets available to artificially inflate the attendance. For instance, on May16, 1984, the paid attendance was 51,683, but the number of fans present was closer to 8,700. Flirtations with other markets, particularly Tampa Bay, were made, but instead local banker and business executive Carl Pohlad purchased the team in the summer of 1984. On the field, the team was growing – and experiencing growing pains. The promise of brighter days was apparent in 1984 when the Twins suddenly competed for the division, even though they had finished just 70-92 the year before. They led the AL West for all of August and found themselves tied for first place as late as September 23rd. But six straight losses, including blowing a 10-run lead versus Cleveland in the last series of the year, left them in second place. Those brighter days were also personified by a rookie call-up. Center fielder Kirby Puckett made his debut just 21 games into the season, hit .296 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year balloting. The next year he would collect his first MVP vote. These were previews. The feature presentation started in 1986 when Puckett hit .328 and added power to his resume, slugging 31 home runs. Over the next 10 years, he would finish in the top 10 of American League MVP voting seven times, make 10 straight All-Star teams, and win six Gold Gloves. His success endeared him to the fans, but not as much as his zeal for the game. The Twins would retire his number in 1997 and he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility. While Puckett signified an apparently brighter future, the Twins struggled in 1985 and 1986, in part due to an explosive bullpen. Closer Ron Davis became the symbol for the team’s failings, both supported and reviled by Twins fans. In 1985, after several blown games, a sympathetic newspaper story led to "I believe in R.D." t-shirts becoming fashionable in the Metrodome. But equally as popular was the trade that sent him and his 9.08 ERA to the Cubs in August of 1986. There were big changes off the field, too. Click here to view the article

It's a special midweek all-mailbag edition as Aaron and John enjoy 30th anniversary beers at Summit Brewery and answer listener questions about the Twins, Bob Mould in concert, foul balls and their first lie with frequent interruptions by The Voice of Reason. Click here to view the article

The Twins appeared to be ascending in 1977. The 'Lumber Company' made a charge towards the division title and over a million fans watched Rodney Carew fall just eight hits shy of hitting .400. But the team was about to go sharply downhill - before the next season even began. Part 5 of a 12-part series that breaks Twins history into fun-sized chunks.You can find more here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 The roots of that decline could be traced back to late 1975, when an arbitrator’s ruling essentially struck down MLB’s reserve clause and granted players free agency at the expiration of their contracts. Griffith had a miserly reputation – the Twins built an advertising campaign around that very topic in 1976 - and baseball’s new economic reality hit the Twins hard. Before the 1978 season, both Bostock and Hisle signed with other teams and the offense suffered to the tune of 200 fewer runs. The team finished 16 games under .500 and attendance fell with it, down to just 787,000, which perpetuated the problem of retaining premier players. But even if the Twins had continued to draw fans, circumstances had deteriorated to the point where keeping a superstar like Carew with the club might have been impossible. For starters, Carew wanted more quality ballplayers around him to give the team better chance at winning. Moreover, the relationship between Carew and the Twins became irreparable after Griffith made several off-color remarks--some of a racial nature--at a Lions Club function in Waseca, Minnesota. Carew, due to become a free agent following the 1979 season, was traded for four players to the California Angels, where he would finish his career. Without their superstar, the Twins competed in two of the next three years. They finished above .500 in 1979 and had a surprise run at a division title in the second half of the strike-impacted 1981 season. But the focus was shifting from the present to the future, which would include overwhelming changes for the franchise. The first of those changes was a brand new indoor ballpark. The Metrodome was the result of a 1977 Minnesota Legislature stadium bill, but could only be built if the Vikings and Twins both signed a 30-year lease. Griffith, skeptical of the facility but intrigued by an increase in outstate attendance due to no rainouts, negotiated an out-clause: if the team failed to average 1.4 million in attendance over three consecutive years (a level the Twins had not averaged over a 3-year period in their history), he could break the lease. When the new stadium opened in 1982, the honeymoon lasted exactly one night. In its inaugural home opener, the Metrodome drew 52,279 fans amid much pageantry. The next night the club drew 5,213. By the end of the season, attendance would fail to reach the 1,000,000 mark. And by the end of the first week, Griffith started dismantling the team for a youth movement, trading quality shortstop Roy Smalley to the Yankees. Two more trades would complete the fire sale by the middle of May. The 1982 team, in their brand new home, would finish with 102 losses. But 1982 wouldn’t just be remembered for a record-setting number of losses for the Twins. It would also become known as the beginning of a new generation of Twins that would finally reach the mountaintop. Nineteen-eighty-two was the rookie season for Kent Hrbek (22 years old), Tom Brunansky (21) and Gary Gaetti (23), all of whom slugged at least 20 home runs. Starting pitcher Frank Viola (22) would also debut that season, pitching to battery-mate and rookie Tim Laudner (23). Griffith had put together the cornerstones of the next contending Twins team. But it wouldn’t be his Twins team. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' pitching and defense bringing them back to reality, Byron Buxton's latest stint in the minors, pitching staff comings and goings, Kurt Suzuki on trade waivers, Brian Dozier refusing to stop hitting homers, Miguel Sano's elbow problems, what to do with Trevor May, and the worst decisions you can make with food after the bar closes. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article