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Article: Winter Meltdown Recap

Nick Nelson

By Nick Nelson
in Twins Daily Front Page News

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Nick Nelson GOAT

Nick Nelson

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On Saturday night, more than 200 baseball fans assembled at The Pourhouse in Downtown Minneapolis for Twins Daily's third annual Winter Meltdown event.

 

We're still three weeks away from the official commencement of spring training workouts, but the season felt a lot closer than that over the weekend.This was our first year holding the event at The Pourhouse, which proved to be a perfect venue thanks to its proximity to Target Field, its spacious confines, its excellent stage and audio set-up, and its friendly and accommodating staff.

 

Carl Pavano, who was the planned first speaker, unfortunately did not make it into town for TwinsFest due to a family matter, but Mike Pagliarulo stepped up as a pinch-hitter and delivered in a big way.

 

Pagliarulo was a very fitting guest, given that 2016 marks the 25-year anniversary of the 1991 World Championship he helped win. Speaking with John Bonnes and guest emcee Paul Lambert (aka "Meatsauce") of KFAN, Pags shared stories about that team, and reflected on the evolution that the game has undergone in a quarter-century since.

 

Pagliarulo was followed by another World Series champ: Tim Laudner, who served as catcher on the 1987 club. Laudner is a natural on stage and in the spotlight, so he had no trouble captivating the audience with memories of that classic group. As a current Fox Sports North analyst, he also had plenty of thoughts and insights on the current club. He didn't miss the opportunity to make a few snarky remarks about sabermetricians.

 

Download attachment: meltdownlaudner.jpg

 

After the two featured guest speakers, Lambert moderated a blogger panel in which Bonnes, Seth Stohs, Aaron Gleeman and myself answered questions submitted by the audience. The topics ranged from Miguel Sano's transition to the outfield and the state of the bullpen to the real killer of Theresa Halbach and the quality of John's dance moves.

 

The panel, and both former player Q&A sessions, were recorded and will be available on a special edition of Gleeman and the Geek this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

 

In addition to the speaker sessions, we enjoyed delicious beers from the folks at 612 Brew and gave away a ton of great prizes, including starter kits from Harry's Razors, a unique art piece from S. Preston, big bags of 612 Brew swag, and Twins tickets courtesy of the Star Tribune's Howard Sinker.

 

The turnout was amazing, the enthusiasm was palpable, and the setting was ideal. Huge thanks go out to The Pourhouse for hosting; to 612 Brew for supporting in so many ways; to Meatsauce for lending his skills on the mic; to our distinguished guests for sharing their stories and insights; to Gleeman for helping drive the event; and most of all to everyone who came out and made it such a good time.

 

Twenty-one days until pitchers and catchers report.

 

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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Can't say it enough ... this was a great event! I think I liked it better than the Pub Crawl, and that was a lot of fun, too, so tough to beat. Great venue, great speakers, fun all around. Too many of you missed it! Oh, and I saw Eduardo Escobar at my hotel after. We were on the elevator together.

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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I thought it was great. It's too bad that illness struck Pavano's family, so he wasn't able to make it, but Pagliarulo was terrific. Laudner was a lot better than I expected. The venue was great.

 

Any feedback from those who were there would be much appreciated! We're love to hear your thoughts. 

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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I thought it was great. It's too bad that illness struck Pavano's family, so he wasn't able to make it, but Pagliarulo was terrific. Laudner was a lot better than I expected. The venue was great.

 

Any feedback from those who were there would be much appreciated! We're love to hear your thoughts. 

I want to know whose factoid was whose on the scavenger hunt. I only found out 6 or 7. But have to say, I really didn't need to know John played naked softball ... just sayin.

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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Ha! Maybe we can get Bonnes to post the scavenger hung on here somewhere.

And I think I signed only one person's sheet. If you do a scavenger hunt again, I think it might be better to at least point out who people are, or have those who are being 'hunted' have special name tags or something, or have us doing some specific tasks to mingle, like you did by having us passing out the shots at the pub crawl. (I'm a horrible mingler by nature, but am more than happy to answer questions when approached.)

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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And I think I signed only one person's sheet. If you do a scavenger hunt again, I think it might be better to at least point out who people are, or have those who are being 'hunted' have special name tags or something, or have us doing some specific tasks to mingle, like you did by having us passing out the shots at the pub crawl. (I'm a horrible mingler by nature, but am more than happy to answer questions when approached.)

 

Completely agree.

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Craig Arko Wichita Wind Surge

Craig Arko

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And I think I signed only one person's sheet. If you do a scavenger hunt again, I think it might be better to at least point out who people are, or have those who are being 'hunted' have special name tags or something, or have us doing some specific tasks to mingle, like you did by having us passing out the shots at the pub crawl. (I'm a horrible mingler by nature, but am more than happy to answer questions when approached.)

You should all wear funny hats.

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Guest

Guest

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And I think I signed only one person's sheet. If you do a scavenger hunt again, I think it might be better to at least point out who people are, or have those who are being 'hunted' have special name tags or something, or have us doing some specific tasks to mingle, like you did by having us passing out the shots at the pub crawl. (I'm a horrible mingler by nature, but am more than happy to answer questions when approached.)

 

I had you beat. I signed three of them. However, that included BOTH of  he winners, so obviouslly the secret to winning in the future is to make sure you find me for my signature!

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DocBauer St Paul Saints

DocBauer

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Soooo jealous! Maybe one of these days I can put in a little PTO ahead of time and make the journey up there.

 

How did Launder look? How are his knees? His arm? We could still use a little help behind the dish. Maybe a 1 year deal deal for $3M plus incentives?

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