(Jesse's recap of last night's game can be found below this.)

I realize that neither you nor I care who the first person/media outlet will be to report that Joe Mauer has signed his extension or walked away from the bargaining table, but both local and national types are no doubt gunning to get the story first.  Despite the fact that  the only time anyone outside a newsroom cares about who broke a story is when the story is wrong, journalists are what they are, and you just hope that they're more Jay Glazer than they are Chris Mortensen. 

With that in mind, and the hope that writing this on Thursday afternoon means that it will be hopelessly outdated when Mauer signs his extension early Friday AM (EDITOR'S NOTE, FRIDAY 7:00 AM: dammit), here are my odds on who will break the Mauer story:

(NOTE TO FELLOW TWINKIE TOWN SCRIBES: Jesse has already said that if one of us gets the scoop, we get a freezer bag full of range balls from the Bois De Sioux Golf Course in Breckenridge.  SWEET!)

Mark Rosen (3-2): the longtime WCCO sports anchor has already stuck his neck out with the much-derided report that a 10-year "framework" is already in place. However, Rosie knows EVERYBODY, he did break the Favre signing, and I'm pretty sure he sleeps on a cot in the Mauer family's mud room.

LaVelle E. Neal III (4-1): Twins beat guy for the Strib since 1998, as plugged in as any of the print folks in town, knows how to operate the Twitter. Docked a point for being an unrepentant Chicago Bears fan.

Joe Christensen (9-2): LEN3's fellow baseball writer at the Strib. Not wearing glasses any longer, meaning sources are more likely to confide in him.

Buster Olney (6-1): omnipresent ESPN baseball reporter. I'd bump him up a few notches, but his name always makes me think of Buster Bluth, and then I start laughing about the seal biting off Buster's hand, and then I forget what I'm writing about and see if IFC is running an Arrested Development marathon.

Kelly Thesier (12-1): the MLB.com Twins beat writer has a distinct disadvantage: as a redhead, she is inherently untrustworthy. That's just a fact, Kelly. It's the same reason Rusty Staub is on the no-fly list.  I'm sorry.

Eric Perkins (25-1): a Perk at Play taping goes horribly wrong, Perk goes to the hospital and ends up sharing a room with Ron Shapiro's neighbor. Unlikely, but this is exactly how Watergate got started*.

The Field (35-1): Kelsie Smith, Joe Schmit, Mike Max, Vomit Guy--your time is now!

*Author went to a state school.  (GO HUSKIES!  WOOOO!!!!)