Friday Links-N-Thinks

Everything was nice and fuzzy last Friday when the Twins had pulled off some nice wins and they had themselves near the top of the American League. Things have changed in the last week as the club got swept by the Kansas City Royals and the Twins are near the bottom of the AL Central.

It is still early in the year so there is plenty of things that could change. Joe Mauer wasn't hitting the ball very good for the first few games of the year but he has started to come around. Josh Willingham powered a couple of home runs over the fence and Chris Parmelee has been on quite the roll at the plate.

Pitching will continue to be the biggest wild card for the Twins. If the starters can keep the scores close, Minnesota's offense might be able to score enough to keep them in games. It also helps to have a strong bullpen to cover up a poor pitching staff.

There was plenty of good material across the web this week. Check out the latest edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" and have a fantastic weekend!

• Eduardo Escobar seems to have found a good niche with Minnesota.
  
• The Twins front office looked pretty silly after the $15 batting practice story came out.
  
• Miguel Sano is the youngest player in the Florida State League.
  
• Minnesota has the fourth most money to spend on the international market this year.
  
• Denard Span might have the whole beating traffic thing figured out.
  
• Vance Worley is an interesting character.
  
• Fans are going to have to be patient with the Twins youngsters.
  
• Jake Mauer has a new job and some interesting prospects to tutor.
  
• Supplemental draft picks have a tough decision between college and professional baseball.
  
• Is the glass half empty or half full for the Twins?
  
• We talked about this on this week's episode of Talk to Contact so here is Bryce Harper's older brother and his fantastic mustache. It's real and it's spectacular.
  
• One of the most powerful stories from this week looks at Ken Griffey Jr. and his attempt at suicide.
  
• It is hard to believe "The Sandlot" turns 20 this year. Here is a look at where the stars are now.
  
• The most valuable baseball card in the world was altered even though people suspected this for years.
  
• Vin Scully can make anything sound better even when he doesn't know the meaning of hashtag.
  
• A goat's head showed up on the doorstep of Wrigley Field.
  
• The Kansas City Royals almost ended up with a dome but thankfully they didn't.
  
• Who does this Justin Verlander bobblehead look like? My vote is for Jamey Carroll.
  
• Plenty of fans don't like the wave but these Nats fans are going to the extreme.
  
• Will there be an MLB International Draft for 2014?
  
• MLB is going to establish a training academy in Puerto Rico.
  
• Those fancy pink wireless phones haven't shown up in the dugout yet.
  

My Weekly Rundown

• Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 32
  
• Tuesday: Anthony Swarzak could be key to the bullpen
  
• Wednesday: Will the real Twins base stealers, please stand up?
  
• Wet Wednesday in the Minors
  

Video of the Week: A terrible strike call end a game with the Rangers and the Rays earlier this week. One of the biggest parts of this strike was the fact that it capped Joe Nathan's 300th save in the big leagues. Twins fans got to see Nathan climb the club's all-time list before he broke the record. He continues to rack up saves and it will be interesting to see how high he can get on MLB's all-time list.