Minnesota Twins Talk

Pavano's shoveling accident was nearly fatal | StarTribune.com People can joke all they want about the fragility of former Twins SP Carl Pavano. Plenty of jokes were made recently about his shoveling accident, but when you read just how serious it was, hopefully people take a step back.

The Orioles acquired from the catcher-rich Rangers via waiver claim, Catcher, Luis Martinez, back in January and just put him through the waiver process again, which after he cleared, placed him at their AAA affiliate. Martinez is 27 and is said to have a plus arm. He has some 32 games of MLB experience and has hit terrifically at AAA (for a Catcher, albeit in the PCL) the last 2 seasons, with a .757 OPS. This compares to Butera's 2 year AAA OPS of .582. The next 2 catchers on the Twins depth chart, Hermann and Pinto, only have experience at the AA level (less Hermann's Twins September cup of coffee) , with Pinto putting in just 12 games at New Britain in late 201…

There is still some things in flux, but there are a few things that have been decided for sure. Concession stand 141 (I don't remember what it was) is being converted to a bar, and will carry Surly, I believe Fulton, and other craft beers. Most of the beers offered there will not be available anywhere else in the stadium (that means the surly cart is going away, and no more fulton in Townball Tavern) There will be a few more walleye food items, and all walleye in the stadium will now be shipped fresh to Target Field, instead of that iffy frozen stuff they've used before. Fried Pickles will be available in many more locations, including townball tavern. Milkshakes…

Zulgad: Newcomer Alex Meyer excited to make his pitch for Twins | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins Meyer had some roadblocks in his way to getting to the Nationals (Strasburg, Zimmerman, Gonzalez, Detwiler and now Haren), so he is excited to get a shot with the Twins organization.

When he came to camp earlier today he told reporters there will be no contract discussions with this team during this new season. This was a smart move coming from him. Talking about a contact now during the final year of his contract is the worst thing that could happen to any team. this kinda of talk in a clubhouse would have a terrible effect on other players. rumors and bad feelings can only generate more bad feelings among team members. And if it continues some of those players will lose there focus and cannot help there team win. By saying what he did today tells me two things #1 He came to camp with one purpose to prepare him self for this upcoming season.. He w…

Oof. At least we have Mauer.. Offseason report card: Twins - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN

Saw on the main page someone said Twins are interested. I would love a move like this.

Second story we've seen in a week that basically points out that Ryan got the big stuff (high-upside high-minors starting pitching) right even if 2013 looks kind of dismal. I guess. I'd still maintain it wasn't an either/or scenario. Zulgad compares the Twins to football teams, as is his want.... I think it's becoming en vogue to swim against the stream when it comes to being pessimistic about the 2013 season. Maybe that's just spring talking. Or maybe it's the Vikings season that just ended. Or maybe it's just the pivot that sportswriters like to take to keep things fresh. But I gotta say - I think this is going to be one pretty dismal season if one focuses on …

Neal runs through the options for Opening Day starter, stating a case for each. If I had to guess right now, I'd go with the dark horse - this guy.... Who pitches for the Twins on Opening Day? | StarTribune.com

Brian Murphy provides some specifics on how Scott Diamond is recovering and what he has left to do. He also hints at why this surgery didn't happen until December: Minnesota Twins: Anxious pitcher Scott Diamond 'in limbo' while elbow heals - TwinCities.com

With the season nearly here, it's about time to start throwing out our best wild guesses of what's going to happen before Spring Training gets a chance to change the crazy theories. Last year we had Scott Diamond coming out of practically nowhere to have a really good season. Josh Willingham posted the best season of his career. Who's the guy you think is going to have a better season than most people are expecting? Is Plouffe gonna hit 35 dingers? Is Morneau gonna post an OPS over .900? Is Glen Perkins going to lead the league in saves? Is Kevin Correia gonna win the Cy Young? Pick your player and tell us what you think their season might look like and why. My…

Does anyone know the status of Wimmers? I know he struggled and then was hurt last year but we've all seem to have forgotten about him. He was an excellent pitcher, regardless of how hard he did or did not throw. Will he pitch this year? What is his upside? He's only 24 years old so it's not like he's old yet.

Phil Mackey gives five things to watch/opinions about the Twins spring training. The two that struck me were: Mackey is a little more bullish than I am on this pitching staff. Given that, it makes sense. I was also a little surprised to see this: I gotta say, I think it's a real mistake to push Dozier to the majors again. Let the guy get his feet under him in AAA for chrisakes. Mackey: Pitcher injuries, Joe Benson among things to watch in Florida - Minnesota Twins news | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins

Just read Jonah Keri's assessment of the 15 worst MLB contracts fully expecting to see Mauer's name on the list. It wasn't. There was, however, some discussion of one Mr. Correia, in connection with John Danks. Jonah Keri on the worst contracts in MLB - Grantland

We all passionately care about the Twins. If we did not care, we would not be here and we would not bother to debate about almost every aspect of the Twins universe. Lately, there have been a lot of threads where people took diametrically opposing views. I like the debate, but I keep getting turned off by the personal attacks. I urge people to keep their passion but cut back on the personal attacks. Often, I think that both sides are making worthwhile points that would be more persuasive if not for the personal attacks. And I come to this website for baseball talk, not drama. I think of all of you as brothers (with the occasional sister). Please keep your passi…

To countdown the days til pitchers and catchers report, we're going to list the Twins with those numbers (thanks to this awesome list) and let you can reminisce about one of them. So who is the poster boy for day #1.... Reno Bertoia, 1961 Billy Martin, 1961 Bernie Allen, 1963-64 Billy Martin, 1965-68 (Coach) Billy Martin, 1969 (Manager) Eric Soderholm, 1971-72 Rich Reese, 1973 Sergio Ferrer, 1974-75 Jerry Terrell, 1975-77 Larry Wolfe, 1978 Jesus Vega, 1980 Tim Corcoran, 1981 Ray Smith, 1982 Houston Jimenez, 1983 Alvaro Espinoza, 1984-86 John Moses, 1988-90 Jarvis Brown, 1991-92 Alex Cole, 1994-95 Otis Nixon, 1998 Jay Canizaro, 2000…

Let me say right off the bat this isn't a thread for bitching about the state of the rotation. We have had many of those and don't need anymore. Instead I am curious about the thought process that lead to our current rotation. In essence, why did Terry Ryan bring in the players he did? I can think of several ways the Twins front office could have decided to go entering this years off season. 1) They could have decided to spend money to make significant upgrades. This is a fairly self explanatory and clearly didn't happen. 2) They could have decided the rash of injuries the last couple of years was too detrimental to the teams stability and they needed pitchers …

Phil Miller kicks off his baseball blog with a bizarre story about a White Sox fan who goes to TwinsFest every year to buy old Minnesota Twins ticket stubs - but only specific ones. The guy pays cash and needs 30 games more. You might want to search through your old stubs if you're the type that keeps them. 6-4-3 | StarTribune.com

In one of his notes, Judd Zulgad of ESPN 1500 talks about the new hitting coach situation: I like that it all goes through Bruno in theory. I do worry a little bit about this becoming a distraction. Too many cooks.... Notebook: Low-key approach is the name of the game as workouts begin - Minnesota Twins news | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins

My three best ideas on how to improve the Twins game day experience: #1: Get rid of the Mayo Clinic Dance Off - before I end out in a Mayo Clinic "rubber room!" #2: Get rid of the canned "Day-Oh" cheer (unless Samuel Deduno makes the team - then change it to "Day-Du-Noh, Day-Doo-oo-oo-noh"). Could someone explain the significance of the "Day-Oh" thing anyways???? #3: Bring back the trees in the center field batter's eye - End the curse that started when they were uprooted and help our pitchers accumulate some better stats, too. Just don't bring back the "Hormel Row of Fame" song (It's O.K. to bring back the Mexican Hat Dance)

It sounds like Jared Buirton is grateful for the string of health he had and hoping to step us his usage a bit.... With ink dry on extension, Burton grateful for health | twinsbaseball.com: News

I found the whole tone of this story reassuring. Mauer seems to understand he doesn't need to try and play hero and catch a lot early: I'm also glad Torre is reinforcing that message. Maybe it'll sink in and this 120 games nonsense will fade away quietly. Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer has a friend in Joe Torre with Team USA - TwinCities.com

This story is about Everyday Eddie, but has an interesting note at the end.... Minnesota Twins: Eddie Guardado brings new credentials to spring training - TwinCities.com I can't help but wonder - could this mean that Sano has a chance at starting the year at New Britain? Or back at Cedar Rapids? Isn't Fort Myers a foregone conclusion?

Dave Campbell of the Associated Press reviews the status of the three guys that the Twins are counting on to be competetive in the future: Kyle Gibson, Alex Meyer and Trevor May. For those looking for optimism, obviously it starts here. Gibson seem to be open to his role this year, at least publicly.... Personally, I wonder if we're not putting an awful big number of eggs in those 3 baskets. Twins have hope for future starting pitching surge | StarTribune.com

I like that he pays attention to the problems the Twins have had with their depth. He also doesn't pull any punches when talking about Chris Parmelee and Justin Morneau. http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_22562222/minnesota-twins-begin-rebuilding-lots-questions-few-answers

According to this guy anyway: Poor man's Ben Revere: Twins sign OF Antoan Richardson - Sporting Sota - A Minnesota Sports Site - Vikings, Twins, Grizzlies, Wild, and Golden Gophers Seems to have no problem drawing walks or stealing bases. Anyone know what Richardson's deal is?

Lots of talk on payroll and the relative salary of Mauer. Twins' Dave St. Peter: Team opens season with $80 million to $85 million payroll - TwinCities.com

Howard Sinker is trying to be optimistic today. He really is. It's just not coming that easy.... Section 219: Spring training opens so set aside the snark (for a day) | StarTribune.com

Not any big breaking news, but it's encouraging to hear that some of the more pivotal guys this season are either there early (Plouffe, Dozier) or already throwing bullpen (Hendriks). It's also neat that some of the minor leaguers which are inspiring hope are there, too, liks Sano and Vargas. Twins pre-camp notes: Toma, Mauer, Sano | StarTribune.com

The Twins couldn't have spun things better themselves. And I mean that as a compliment. Souhan argues that Terry Ryan and the Twins are solely focused on the future, even if he won't admit it. Through this lens, the year's blunderous free agent pitching strategy doesn't look that important. In fact, it looks like side concern, because the priority needed to be getting young players. (In fact, one could argue it's even a decent strategy, as it leads to a higher draft pick.) I'm still dissappointed in the free agent strategy this offseason, and I think Ryan really blew it on a couple of moves, but Souhan's paradigm is an enticing one. Souhan: Forbearance serves …