Twinkie Town

"Twins win totals, 2002-2006: 94, 90, 92, 83, 96. Four division titles in five years. You're tell...

dwintheiser — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:32:22 -0000

"Twins win totals, 2002-2006: 94, 90, 92, 83, 96. Four division titles in five years. You're telling me that a team that won four division titles in a five year stretch ending in 2006 is the seventh worst franchise in all of sports? Fire Joe Morgan's Ken Tremendous, refuting a claim by Fox Sport's Dave Golokhov.

"There were so many times over the course of the last 20 years - when we had Greg Gagne, he was s...

dwintheiser — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:36:15 -0000

"There were so many times over the course of the last 20 years - when we had Greg Gagne, he was so fast, and people said, 'Why doesn't he steal more bases?' And Tom Brunansky, 'Well, he hits for power, but he's only a .270 hitter,' " he said. "I've kind of quit looking at what (players) can't do and how you wish they could do this or that and kind of appreciate them for what they (can) do." Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony, in reference to Joe Mauer not yet hitting for power.

Indians Call Up Tyner

Jesse — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:53:43 -0000

Return of the Tyniest outfielder. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080511&content_id=2680421&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Punto Headed to 15-Day DL

Jesse — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:00:57 -0000

As the plague takes out yet another player, the Twins will this time look to Alexi Casilla to step into whatever void Punto had been filling. Casilla was scratched from his game Saturday night, and was hitting .219/.350/.250 in 96 at-bats with the Rochester Red Wings. He was only 4/7 in stolen base attempts, but had a perfectly even 1:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio. After initially injuring the arm Wednesday in Chicago, Punto tested the arm Saturday with negative results. With his injury and Brendan Harris out due to a tight hamstring, the Twins were limite to Craig Monroe and Mike Redmond off the bench Saturday night. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080510&content_id=2677343&vkey=news_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min

Joe [Mauer] just picked his nose. Now, what does that mean?

Jon Marthaler — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:09:45 -0000

Joe [Mauer] just picked his nose. Now, what does that mean? Bert Blyleven, following an on-air discussion of how runners on second base signal a batter about what pitch is coming.

Pitcher Analysis: Nick Blackburn

Jesse — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:20:36 -0000

Lots of content for everyone today! At the end of April, Driveline Mechanics posted their analysis and breakdown of Blackburn, his results and his mechanics. It's a superb look, and even though it takes a few minutes to get through it's worth the investment. It's really excellent work. http://drivelinemechanics.com/2008/04/26/pitcher-analysis-nick-blackburn/

Gavin Floyd, Really?

Jesse — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:33:17 -0000

Over at South Side Sox, The Cheat walks us through Floyd's great start to the season, and his ownership of the Twins offense Tuesday night. It's a good read. http://www.southsidesox.com/2008/5/7/481768/gavin-floyd-really

I'm tired of going out there and feeling the way I am on the mound. I haven't been comfortable in...

Jesse — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:04:01 -0000

I'm tired of going out there and feeling the way I am on the mound. I haven't been comfortable in awhile. It's frustrating. I'm ready for my stuff to start feeling right, and for me to start throwing pitches that I'm comfortable with; something that I can trust. Nick Blackburn, on recent frustrations with his feel on the mound.

Learn Spanish from baseball on the radio!

Jon Marthaler — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:32:48 -0000

The Latino Communications Network will broadcast 26 Twins games in Espanol this season, on KMNV AM 1400 and KMNQ AM 1470. Alfonso Fernandez has the call, with legend Tony Oliva providing color commentary. http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2008/04/21/lcn-partners-twins-increase-spanish-language-broadcasts.html

Baker to Miss Start, Have MRI

Jesse — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:32:09 -0000

Kevin Slowey will be brought up to make Thursday's start in Chicago. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080504&content_id=2639527&vkey=news_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min

Scott Baker and his tender groin

Jon Marthaler — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:23:38 -0000

This blog post starts "I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about Scott Baker’s groin." If you need a better reason to read it, then I don't know what to tell you. http://www.worldofb.com/wordpress/?p=782

"I've got to say this is one [home run] that's going to be on top of my list. Verlander is a good...

Jesse — Sun, 04 May 2008 12:09:25 -0000

"I've got to say this is one [home run] that's going to be on top of my list. Verlander is a good pitcher. We joked around in the clubhouse when we were on the same team about how he's going to just deal me up and I'm not going to get any hits. But [Saturday] I got to rub it in on him a little bit." Craig Monroe, on facing the Tigers

Gardenhire Will Not Be With The Team This Weekend

Jon Marthaler — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:57:03 -0000

According to La Velle E. Neal III at the Star Tribune, Ron Gardenhire will miss this weekend's series with Detroit due to the sudden and unexpected death of his brother Mike. http://ww3.startribune.com/blogs/neal/2008/05/02/twins-manager-ron-gardenhire-not-expected-to-be-with-the-team-this-weekend/

How Fast Should A Fastball Be?

Jesse — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:37:07 -0000

John Walsh of The Harball Times with, surprise surprise, an in-depth and fantastic look into the title topic. I'd love to have the time to dig into things like this...which of course means I'd need to be paid to dig into things like this, so I wouldn't have to work a full-time job. Runs allowed per 100 pitches, miss percentage, percentage balls, all lined up agaist pitch speed. It's a great look, and a solid read. Check it out. http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/how-fast-should-a-fastball-be/

Juan Castro Could Somehow Still Land A Job

Jesse — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:15:13 -0000

After being designated for assignment last week by the Reds, Castro will become a free agent this morning when they aren't able to find a trading partner. The San Diego Padres have shown interest, and are interested in plugging him in somewhere on their 25-man roster. The LA Dodgers have also taken a look, but would likely start him in triple-A. Castro, who turns 37 in June, was 0-for-10 with a walk this season with Cincinnati. http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_9101718

Highlights From 04/30/2008

Jesse — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:05:48 -0000

Rewind from the Twins 4-3 win, over at MLB.com. http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200804302617519

Bob Costas: Will Leitch VS Buzz Bussinger

Jesse — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:22:34 -0000

Essentially, this is a discussion of blogging (and commenting) on the internet. And it's zoo-ish nature. Wow. Just.....wow. Depending on how you look at it, it's a victory for both sides of the "discussion". It might have been a set-up, who knows, but at the very least it's entertaining to watch. http://macgsworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/leitch-entered-bissinger-saw.html

Botts On His Way Out of Texas?

Jesse — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:21:22 -0000

For those of you, like me, who thought the Twins could get Jason Botts for a song last year...do you still feel the same? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/baseball/rangers/stories/043008dnsporangbriefs.3c4c656.html

Highlights From 04/29/2008

Jesse — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:00:47 -0000

Catch Kubel's homer, Young's catch at the wall, some Boof highlights and more. http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200804292610561#

Sometimes Yankee Fans Are So Cute!!

Jesse — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:59:56 -0000

Over at WGOM, Ubelmann takes a swipe at BP columnist Joe Sheehan and his delusions of parity. Rainbows and ponies all around! http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2008/04/28/sometimes-yankees-fans-are-so-cute/