John Bonnes

Aaron and John preview the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown, featuring Carl Pavano, Meatsauce and 612 Brew at The Pourhouse, and then proceed to meltdown at each other about the Twins starting rotation, and answer Family Feud questions. 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

In a special mid-morning podcast, Aaron and John preview the Twins hitters by debating ZIPS projections, cover the news around Twins arbitration eligible players, cringe at Aaron’s apartment/petri dish, note how Harrys.com is affecting your football commercials, and speculate what Aaron would do for $400,000. 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 most depressing losses in Minnesota sports history, project the Twins' rotation and bullpen, check in on Denard Span and Ben Revere, wonder where Josmil Pinto will wind up, sleep well on Casper mattresses, debate arms versus legs, and answer mailbag questions from listeners. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below.Just click below! Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' continued lack of moves, projecting the Opening Day roster, a hangover-causing birthday party, why the Twins can't have an announcer like Jim Petersen, Major League vs. Bull Durham, shaving with the help of Harrys.com, Oswaldo Arcia's remaining window, Aroldis Chapman to the Yankees, New Year's resolutions, and whether Kent Hrbek liked to party. 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 Trevor May being bullpen bound, Fernando Abad possibly joining him, all the AL Central teams going for it in 2016, projecting Byung Ho Park from numbers and scouting, when to swear on a podcast, Johnny Cueto's big but reasonable contract with the Giants, eating way too much food at Iron Door Pub, and preparing for New Year's Eve with Harrys.com. 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 through a quiet week at the Winter Meetings, the escalating cost of relievers, new signs that Trevor Plouffe might stay a Twin, Aaron finally getting rid of his old mattress for his Casper's mattress, Danny Santana's future, beer & jewelry at LynLake Brewery, losing a Rule 5 flamethrower and mailbag questions. 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

Following their 1970 Division Championship, the Twins would remain marginally competitive over the next decade or so, but injuries and age would chip away enough to lower them from elite to mediocre. Killebrew turned 35 in 1971 and would never again hit even 30 home runs in a season. Oliva hurt his knee on a shoestring catch in June 1971 and would never again garner MVP votes, which he had done for eight straight years. Killebrew departed the Twins after the 1974 season and retired a year later. A year after that, Oliva played his last major league game. Rod Carew, however, bounced back from his 1970 injury and resumed his Hall of Fame career. He won batting titles every season from 1972 through 1978, except for 1976, when he missed out by two hits. Read that last sentence again. He was also an All-Star every year from his rookie year in 1967 through 1984. 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 The clubhouse was handed to manager Frank Quilici who guided the team to nearly a .500 record from 1972 through 1975, but they never finished higher than third in the division, and never fewer than eight games back. The results took their toll on attendance. The Twins did not break the 1,000,000 attendance mark for the first time in 1971, but it wouldn’t be the last. The Twins wouldn’t reach that mark again until 1977, thanks to Carew’s stellar season, a new manager, and a “Lumber Company.” The manager was Gene Mauch, a veteran manager from the National League who also happened to be a former member of the St. Paul Saints and Minneapolis Millers. He took over the Twins in 1976, and, despite the midseason trade of Bert Blyleven, the Twins posted a winning record for the first time since 1970. The next year was even more exciting, and over 1,100,000 Twins fans watched it live. The Twins offense, known as the “Lumber Company,” scored 867 runs and featured career years from Larry Hisle (119 RBI) and Lyman Bostock (.336 batting average). That level of run support helped make a 20-game winner out of Dave Goltz, who posted a 3.36 ERA. On August 23, the Twins were 18 games above .500 and a game back of the Royals. A late season fade to fourth place and 84 wins didn’t tarnish the return of interest to the franchise. That interest was further fueled by Carew’s remarkable 1977 season. He entered June hitting .365 but proceeded to gather hits in every June game save one on the 18th. On July 1st he was hitting .411 and would keep his average above that level through July 10th. His story broke through sports and into mainstream news, even being featured on the cover of Time magazine (shown above). He would not reach .400 again, but finished the year with a .388 average, eight hits shy of the magical mark. It would be the zenith of Carew’s career with the Twins. But things turned sharply downhill that offseason. Next up: Bottoming Out Click here to view the article

I'd like to echo Nick's well-written story. Thank you everyone who contributes their passion to this site.

Aaron and John eat Mac n Cheese from Mason's Barre and talk about adding Adam Brett Walker and other prospects to the 40-man roster, losing Josmil Pinto and A.J. Achter on waivers, Aaron's peanut butter preference, Paul Molitor getting Manager of the Year votes, Jacque Jones' new coaching gig, Ron Gardenhire possibly joining a front office, and the dangers of podcasting next to multiple Packers fans. 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 trading Aaron Hicks to the Yankees for John Ryan Murphy, whether Hicks will be another Carlos Gomez, the new odds of trading Trevor Plouffe or playing Miguel Sano in the outfield, Harry's coming in handy for Movember, other catcher options the Twins bypassed for Murphy, getting something for Chris Herrmann, and drinking beer at the new Able Brewery and Seedhouse in Northeast. 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 anything and everything Byung-ho Park and the Twins' winning $12.85 million bid for the Korean slugger over beers at New Bohemia. 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 Torii Hunter's retirement and place in Twins history, Ron Gardenhire finishing runner-up for a job and being a Halloween costume, Justin Morneau on the open market, Aaron's annual shave with Harry's Razors, why "general manager" has a new meaning, why Rick Anderson has been AWOL, shaving heads at Mason's Barre, and answering mailbag questions from listeners. 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

I love a good return story as much as the next guy. Plus, that goofy Canadian is better than you think. But the Twins need to steer clear of Justin Morneau. Yesterday the Colorado Rockies confirmed that they would not be picking up the $9M mutual option they had on Morneau, making him a free agent. The news has an even-steven feel for Twins fans; in the same week in which returning veteran team leader Torii Hunter retires, another beloved veteran team leader is suddenly available. If you believe in karma – and after this week, Minnesota sports fans are definitely due some - I won’t blame you for waxing nostalgic a bit.But maybe you don’t believe in karma. Maybe you don’t believe in any knowledge other than scientifically proven knowledge. The bad news is that makes it hard to meet girls. The good news is that there is still some evidence that Morneau wouldn’t be a terrible fit for the Twins. Morneau has been better than you remember. Over the last two years, he’s posted a .850 OPS. Yes, that’s with Coors field being his home ballpark, but his OPS+ (which adjusts for ballpark) was 120. The only Twins batter who exceeded that last year was Miguel Sano. And his health? Well, he missed a good chunk of last year with a combination concussion and cervical neck strain caused when he dove for a ground ball. He was on the shelf for three months, returning at the beginning of September. However, he seemed to have fully recovered, hitting .338/.423/.474 for that last month. So he’s a good fit spiritually. Maybe even theoretically. And he definitely is prosaically. It’s logistically that things get messy. First, signing him requires trading Trevor Plouffe. That might happen regardless of Morneau. First, the Twins have suggested they want Sano to begin his MLB career at third base. Second, with the paucity of free agent third baseman available, the market for Plouffe might never be higher. But there is no reason to force a Plouffe trade. If the offer comes, great. Second, even if Plouffe is traed, whatever flexibility that provides is immediately sacrificed. The Twins have plenty of question marks in both their outfield and at designated hitter, but they also have lots of possible answers. Bringing in a veteran team leader who expects to play full time – and can realistically play only at designated hitter and maybe first base - has the potential to block any prospects who break through next year. If a veteran must be brought in, he needs more positional flexibility than that. Specifically, he probably needs to be able to play in the outfield. If not, he becomes a roadblock to Kenny Vargas or Oswaldo Arcia. Both were a mess last year, but Vargas is just 25 years old and posted a .772 OPS in his first 234 plate appearances in the majors. Let’s not forget that at this time last year, the words “David” and “Ortiz” were those most commonly associated with Vargas. Arcia, despite a dismal year, is even younger. Also, despite numerous struggles, he still has a career OPS of .741 and a home run about every 22 at-bats. Versus right-handers, he’s been even better, with an .807 OPS in over 500 plate appearances. Finally, Morneau’s durability needs to be considered. When a 34-year-old gets a concussion diving in the infield… let’s just say there were some people this June wondering if he might need to be saved from himself. If you’re still hoping for Morneau’s return, that last point, oddly enough, could provide it. It is not inconceivable that Morneau, due to the health concerns, has trouble getting a full-time job with any MLB team because they just can’t trust him to stay healthy. As the offseason ends, maybe he’s willing to take a part-time role and part-time salary. Maybe the Twins have traded Plouffe. Maybe they’re worried about their depth a bit, and don’t want to ask too much from Arcia or Vargas too soon. (Or maybe they just didn’t find an outfielder they really liked on the free agent market.) So don’t give up hope in what has been a tough week. There might be a path toward a reunion. The path could be winding, and maybe not particularly wise, but Morneau has shown he’s still got some gas in the tank. Maybe enough to get him home. Click here to view the article