Monday Morning Minnesota: Welcome to the new year, same as the old year edition

Arise from your holiday coma and dazedly amble your way into the year 2022, or as I like to call it, Year of Our Lord Nick Punto 0045. Welcome back to the MLB lock out, and even though absolutely literally (and figuratively) nothing has happened in the baseball world for like a month, I’ll attempt to scrounge up some good links for you fine, fine folks. And Joel.

Previously on Twinkie Town:

• Bob Engvall pleaded to Major League Baseball to stop this nonsense. Stop this nonsense right now or I will take away all of your toys! I’ll kill all of your dolls!
• JohnFoley with a little help from the staff, besides me who forgot to reply to the staff e-mail in a mistake I’m going to pull the “ADHD” card out for, gathered up Twinkie Town’s best pieces of 2021. (Or YoOLNP 0044)
• Our pal DJL44 is back with a recap of last years community prospect vote, and a preview of this years which comes out soon!
• We welcomed Benjamin Jones to the site as our new blog lord. He’s totally a nice guy and not a CIA plant here to find evidence of James Fillmore’s seditious plot! I, the real Tawny and not a government chat-bot impersonating her after she was unmarked-vanned away, promise!

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Puckett’s Pond’s Billy Porter wonders if 70 wins is realistic for the 2022 Twins. Oof, ouch. Owie kazowie. Too early into the year to be that pessimistic, Billiam. 75 wins!
• Old Friend Randball’s Stuart over at Twins Daily found out what Darin Mastroianni has been up to. I’ll always remember him due to this play. Also I met him at Twins Fest once!

• MLB.com has a piece on Johan Santana talking about his HoF chances. I’ll always plead his case for those glorious glorious peak years!

Around the World in Bases and Balls:

• The excellent-as-always Sunday Notes column over at Fangraphs starts with a very surprising look at if Bobby Abreu had a better MLB career than Ichiro. Put them both in the Hall, I guess!
• Hey look! MLBTR looked at how the Twins traded away a guy who instantly became productive in his new uniform! Wow! Whoa! What a surprise! That never happens! Exclamation points make me sound sarcastic online!!!!!

Today’s soundtrack is my favorite Man, Bubble Man.