Born in Austin MN, live in Hastings MN with stops in MPLS and Bloomington. I'm 41 years old with 3 sons ages 16, 7, 3. The oldest two play both baseball and hockey. The youngest dreams of playing baseball and hockey. My oldest has been working with Tanner Vavra this winter hoping to win the Varsity SS spot this year. If not, he will likely be the JV SS. Before WWII my grandfather played some baseball and after being injured in the war, he coached some town ball in northern Iowa. Watching him raise the flag at Target Field a couple years before his passing was a real joy for the family. I get my love for the game and eye for the game from him. I was always the same skinny lefty RF who batted second or ninth, I think my limited talent had me looking at the game diffferently from a young age. I've enjoyed coaching for the past 10 years and am back coaching the youngsters with my 7 year old. It is not the same game to be sure, but watching the pure joys of that age group is also very rewarding. I've followed the site for a while, but have been more active in posting since I've been checking the site daily. My favorite Twins are: Puckett, Mack, Ortiz (Junior not Joe..) Senior Smoke, Hale, Thome, Mauer, Lombardozzi, Perkins, and many others. I'm willing to acknowledge the metrics now popular, but not willing to speak to them as gospel. To me, it is more information to use in evaluation, not the only information.