Monday Morning Minnesota: The ol’ ball yard

• Jim Souhan thinks everything a certain subset of Twins fans think is absolutely demonstrably wrong, as exemplified by the Oakland Athletics. And yet the Twins beat the moneyball squad in the playoffs all those years ago with a team somehow containing both Denny Hocking and Tom Prince. Think about it. (Don’t actually think about it.)
• It also contained Michael Jackson apparently, who you think I would remember for being named “Michael Jackson.”
• Said subset of Twins fans also like to complain about a player they call “Nevertalk McBadleader” but Joe Mauer is still very much out there being Joe Mauer and saying very Joe Mauer things like “ball yard” as if he was born in 1853.
• Speaking of 1853: It isn’t 1870, but it is close. And 1870 is the year the first “important” professional baseball game was held, according to Jeffrey Steinberg of FoulTerritory. A good read if you are one of the 2 or 3 people who liked me blathering about old-timey baseballers previously.
• Michael Pineda, a pitcher I need to be constantly reminded exists, wanted to pitch this year in the bigs. That might not be happening.
• Yet more reasons owners should give a shit about Minor Leaguers!

This week’s random baseball video from my youtube favorites is:

This week’s soundtrack is Seicross.