Paul Pleiss

YET. Joe didn't eat his own new born babies, but have you seen the infant death rate in Minnesota since his arrived with the big league ball club? It's up, WAY UP! I suspect bi-lateral leg weakness was a result of not eating enough new born babies, but I've been unable to confirm or deny through my network of sources.

ISWYDT. "Well played Mauer."

Thanks for the info fellas. I'm getting the best prospect ever.

It used to be easy for me. I never really had to think about it. When I was little my favorite player was Kirby Puckett. Puck retired after the 95 season and I got away from the game a bit while I was growing up. Radke was my favorite, but I wasn't close to the game. And as I got older, and came back to baseball as an adult, I fell in love again; Michael Cuddyer was my favorite Twin, year after year from 2004 until his departure following 2011. #5. And then he was gone. In the years since Cuddy has been out of Minnesota, it's been hard for me to settle on a favorite player. in 2012 I was all excited about Brian Dozier and that silky smooth head of hair, but I soured on him a bit, even after he moved over to the right side of the infield and started showing some skills with his bat. I've never been a Joe Mauer guy, and as much as I like Glen Perkins, it's hard for me to get excited about and latch onto a relief pitcher. In 2013 I again put my faith in a young exciting player and Aaron Hicks didn't do much to keep my affections (I am, however, still a big Aaron Hicks fan, i expect big things from him in 2014). This season I've settled on Mike Pelfrey. I can't explain it. I'm excited for Big Pelf. He's like a miniature sasquatch. I want him to do well. I like how quick he's been pitching this spring, and I just feel like I can compell him to do well in 2014. Who's your favorite this season?

Why am I watching? Because it's baseball, and it's my hometown team and I'm rooting for the uniforms. This year I'm watching becase I'm enamored with Mike Pelfrey, a baby sasquatch. I think he's a fun guy and I like the idea of him coming back, an underdog. I watch because, unlike the NFL franchise in Minnesota, I believe the organization has a plan for future success, and I want to watch the plan come to fruition. I find myself more and more following players, than specific teams, or finding different teams I want to follow each season, but the Twins will always be MY team. My Twinkies. They are the team that will put me in a bad mood over a bad loss, or over joyed after a gritty win against a dominant opposing pitcher. I am a Twin. And my twin brother and I share a love of the Twins, and that makes it a little bit sweeter. It's baseball. It's darn good baseball, even when it's bad. It should also be noted that it's not just about watching the game, it's also about listening. Cory Provus, Dan the magic man Gladden and the rest of the radio crew do a great job, and most of the time I prefer their game calling to the TV crew. Having the game on the in the background while I'm laying out on the lake, working in the garden, or going into/out of an afternoon nap is pretty darn great. I watch/listen becasue I'm a fan. A FANATIC.

9AM, central standard time.

I'm a little confused. How will I know if I have CONFIRMED that I have a player? I've never done the adopt-a-prospect, so I'm not sure how it all works. Do I just comment with a player name, and then first comment with that name wins?

Optimism, I've got optimism. I think this team can win 76 games. That's considerably better than the last 3 seasons. That's optimism. I've also got negativity. This team needs to score more runs. Except for Kurt's motorcyle shop in the two spot, he (at least for today) found his bat and plated some runs.

No Tumblr? No Linkedin? Proposterous! Joking aside, you guys are all over the internet, and I love it. I'm not even actually sure what a tumblr blog is, except for a collection of photos. The internet is a magical place.

It just seems strange to me that there can be a podcast which opening encourages drinking to excess and general drunkenness, but if someone mentions "boobs" in a post, WHAMMY, it's moderated. I don't know where the line is for Twins Daily. Grand Drunk Railroad is okay. Throwing up in a cab and laughing about it is okay. Boobs are not. Unless maybe I'm in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Then maybe it's okay. Or maybe it's not. I'll make sure to let the moderators censor me to find out.

My fault I suppose, I wasn't aware that mentioning that moderation exists in the course of a comment was thread-jacking. I also didn't realize there was 10 comments going into minute detail of what the simple rules were. My appologies for only looking at the original post. A rube like me has no palce on Twins Daily.

I was recently told by a moderator that comments about moderation are against comment policy, but I went and read the latest comment policy and see no mention of commenting about moderation. I made an off-hand comment about moderation "Oh joy, moderation already" or something to that effect and my post, along with relevant content, was deleted. I think the moderators are generally doing a good job, but deleting anything that is "borderline" offensive is going to far. This isn't Disneyland. It's the internet. Jeesh.

WE WON! WE WON! Wait. No. I'm sorry, I was confused. But, "If you had fun, you won" so I guess we, as baseball fans, won. Nolasco didn't look like a 48 million dollar man and Kurt's Motorcycle Shop managed a set of 2-out RBI's from the 2-spot. I don't support a man with a career .280 OBP hitting number 2, but it worked out for Gardy today. Hey, we had baseball today. Baseball that mattered. Or maybe nothing in 2014 matters for the Twins, but hey, BASEBALL!

The Twins struggled against everyone last season, RHP/LHP, everyone. I look for them to struggle again this season. They would have set an all time record for strikeouts last season if not for the Astros, and they may give that number a run for it's money this season as the youngsters continue to find their groove in the big leagues and guys like Florimon and Suzuki continue to get regular ABs. The pitching will be improved, but the lineup is worse than 2013 and they struggled to score runs last season. Hope for better, prepare for the worst.

Koobs! Rhymes with a word I can't use on the TD forums because I'll be moderated. I love them both. I hope Kubel finds his power stroke again this season; this team needs offense.

Kubel has a long leash. He's having a bad spring, but he's only a season removed from a successful year in Arizona. I don't expect Gardy to give up on him quickly. Hammer has all the leash he needs and then some. If he doesn't hit early the Twins will give him time to rebound. You can't trade him if he's not hitting. I don't think the Twins will be taking lumps wil Colobello. I think he stays hot and figures out MLB pitching this season. We've all seem Parm. He's a busted first round talent. He's really good at baseball, but it seems his bat just isn't quite good enough for the big leagues. I'd like to see him get claimed and catch on with another team where maybe he can find success.

On this week's show there is a lot of discussion about recent subtractions (and an addition) to the Twins roster as they continue to trim down to their 25-man roster. Jason Kubel will make the team and both Scott Diamond and Vance Worley will be pitching elsewhere in 2014. We discuss who is the last man in/out as the Twins trim the roster to 25 and then we take a look ahead at who will be the division winners and playoff contenders for 2014. You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here. We take a closer look at Twins pitching prospect and Eden Prairie native, Madison Boer before wondering aloud how Max Scherzer could possibly turn down $144 million. This week's show is brought to you by Hangout and Talk Twins with Seth Stohs and Jeremy Nygaard. Make sure to check out their show! http://puckettspond.com/files/2014/03/8310376-300x600.jpgMike Pelfrey is all smiles after Gardy and Glen Perkins prank him in the clubshouse. Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs, and you can find Jay Corn on twitter @Jay__Corn! If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes. Ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers that will help Jason Kubel remember how to hit a baseball. __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-392x392+0+40_9407575.jpg On this week's show there is a lot of discussion about recent subtractions (and an addition) to the Twins roster as they continue to trim down to their 25-man roster. Jason Kubel will make the team and both Scott Diamond and Vance Worley will be pitching elsewhere in 2014. We discuss who is the last man in/out as the Twins trim the roster to 25 and then we take a look ahead at who will be the division winners and playoff contenders for 2014. We take a closer look at Twins pitching prospect and Eden Prairie native, Madison Boer before wondering aloud how Max Scherzer could possibly turn down $144 million.This week's show is brought to you by Hangout and Talk Twins with Seth Stohs and Jeremy Nygaard. Make sure to check out their show! Source

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-213x213+0+66_9383836.jpg On Episode 75 the gang talks about Cody's basketball coaching prowess, the recent rounds of Twins Spring Training cuts that have more solidified the roster, and try and break down any remaining position battles. Eddie Rosario is still absent from Minor League Spring Training, and Eric is a little worried about what this means about Rosario as a person. Cody tries to find a downside to Glen Perkin's contract extension, and then we bring back the long defunct Hitter/Pitcher of the Week segment. Down on the Pond we take a look at Dan Rohlfing (TEAM ROLF!) and then we talk beer and general baseball news. Almost 100 minutes of fun. Source

Eddie may get a chance to go for the Eddie 400. If Flo can't figure out the bat this spring (and he's looked lost in limited duty since surgury) Eddie may very well be the opening day starter, and I for one hope he holds onto that spot for a spell. I'd like to see him split time with Plouffe at 3B once Flo is back and healthy as well. More Eddie, more often.

Buxton seems almost a surefire hit when he reaches the MLB level, but as great as I think he can and will be, one player cannot save a franchise. Barry Bonds doesn't have a WS ring and he is arguably the greatest position player to play the game. The Twins don't need saving. The organization is moving in the right direction. It's taking longer than some hoped, but they're headed back towards contention. They fell off abruptly from their AL Central dominance, and we have suffered as fans the last couple years. Byron Buxton will be a big part of the Twins remergence into contention, but he can't "save" the franchise. I hope Bux rakes this season and gets a September call-up. There is a lot of happy baseball in Minnesota to come.

When Eric Fryer was sent down my head exploaded with joy. When Gardy made comments that confirmed his irrational fear of using his backup catcher as DH (which seems like it would make sense if Pinto backs up Suzuki) my eyes bled tears of blood. If Ron Gardenhire is such a rube, why does he still have a job? Will you start a white house petition to have Rick Anderson fired?

The Eddie 400 is a real posibility. 400 AB's for the super utility man. If Flo can't find his swing or range in the next couple weeks Eddie starting the season opener and holding onto the job for awhile if his bat stays hot. This team needs to find a way to score runs, and while Flo provides better ability defensively, a hot bat from Eddie would go a long way to shoring up the bottom of the lineup.

The Detroit Tigers look to be the best team in the division, and it's not close. They're offense will beat you into submission and their pitching will have you doing all you can to scratch and claw a measly run or two across the plate. They are the team the Twins wish they were. This week on the podcast we are joined by Bryan Craves (@DisplacedTgrFan) to recap what's been happening in Motown since the Tigers were bounced out of the playoffs last season. You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here. http://puckettspond.com/files/2014/03/8368648-300x600.jpg (Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports) In Twins news, the Talk to Contact gang discusses some prop bets for the upcoming season, review the first round of cuts coming out of Twins camp and somehow get sidetracked into a lengthy discussion of the Houston Astros. Come for the banter, stay for the beer. Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs, and you can find Jay Corn on twitter @Jay__Corn! If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes. Ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers that will help Jason Kubel remember how to hit a baseball. __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_9354951.jpg The Detroit Tigers look to be the best team in the division, and it's not close. They're offense will beat you into submission and their pitching will have you doing all you can to scratch and claw a measly run or two across the plate. They are the team the Twins wish they were. This week on the podcast we are joined by Bryan Craves (@DisplacedTgrFan) to recap what's been happening in Motown since the Tigers were bounced out of the playoffs last season.In Twins news, the Talk to Contact gang discusses some prop bets for the upcoming season, review the first round of cuts coming out of Twins camp and somehow get sidetracked into a lengthy discussion of the Houston Astros. Come for the banter, stay for the beer. Source