Article: Where To Find Great Twins Content

[Nick Nelson]

'Here are the people you should and shouldn’t listen to when it comes to the Twins.'

 

With that, Jim Souhan laid out his rigid directive in a scattered rant about the pitfalls of independent blogging and new media. I won't respond to the post (John did so with eloquence yesterday), but I thought I'd offer up a more comprehensive and balanced guide to quality Twins content, with the team giving us plenty to discuss late in the season.For starters, let's get this out there: You don't need me to tell you what to read. You're smart enough to make that decision for yourself. These are simply my suggestions, with the underlying current being this: read everything! We are lucky to have access (er, Access?) to so many different perspectives and voices in this market.

 

I consider myself an enthusiast of writing even more so than baseball, so I tend to evaluate the craft as much as the analysis/reporting when I read. Maybe that's why Souhan's clumsily constructed diatribe struck me in an especially bad way.

 

But Souhan is, in most cases, a pretty dang good writer. So I'll lead with him.

 

Jim Souhan, Star Tribune: He was right about this much in his blog post: Souhan has been covering the team intensively for decades. He's written many great columns. That, much more than having Tom Kelly's phone number, earns him credibility. He also has his occasional off-days and whiffs, as we all do. The profile linked below is undeniably stellar work.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Twins' Corrigan a Hall of Fame scout who can't quit the game

 

Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune/1500ESPN: Like Souhan, Reusse has been around the game forever and his writing is colored by a depth of experience few can match. One of the most enjoyable parts of being in the Hammond Field press box is Reusse occasionally passing through and announcing his latest hot take to whomever will listen. He's an entertaining guy and a quality scribe, even if he falls into the vitriol-stirring trap a bit too often.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Falvey's smartest move? Bring back Molitor

 

Phil Miller, Star Tribune: I have had the chance to read a lot of different beat guys and gals regularly since first taking an interest in baseball as a kid. I truly don't think I've ever encountered a better pure writer than Miller. His words capture the magic and spirit of the game so effectively. It's always a joy to read game stories and longform pieces.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Talented Twins outfield trio has finally come together

 

La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune: The longest-tenured Twins beat writer and an institution in the press box. A veteran journalist and a pro's pro.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Rebuilding White Sox waiting for tide to rise

 

Mike Berardino, Pioneer Press: Mike's a hustler who grinds all day, and serves the hardcore baseball junkie like no one else on this beat. The amount of content he churns out, on his own, is truly amazing to me, and he has strong writing chops as the Bartolo Colon column below illustrates.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Bartolo Colon provides levity, wisdom in Twins clubhouse

 

John Shipley, Pioneer Press: I haven't seen many people talking about Shipley this summer. Maybe it's because he doesn't go out of his way to attract attention. I hope he's not being overlooked because I believe he's been writing some of the best Twins columns of anyone in the mainstream press.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Twins are ticked. They should be, says Derek Falvey

 

Derek Wetmore, 1500ESPN: Derek does a nice job covering the beat in a full-digital format, and manages to find unique story lines others miss. His article linked below – discussing a delivery flaw that Byron Buxton spied while standing in against Kyle Gibson – uncovers a great nugget. Buxton went from being unable to recognize any pitches in April, to diagnosing critical issues in Twins pitchers in September. That tells you how far he's come.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Byron Buxton may have helped Kyle Gibson take the next step

 

Jake Depue, 1500ESPN: You may know him better by his old moniker, "Curse of Punto." Depue is a success story for the blogging age: he toiled anonymously to hone his craft and develop an audience, then eventually found a prominent platform. He deserves it, and his presence gives 1500ESPN's minor-league coverage some teeth. Jake is currently in Tampa covering the Twins/Rays series so keep an eye on his stories.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Zack Littell, prospect in Jaime Garcia trade, prides himself in command, durability

 

Rhett Bollinger, MLB.com: Rhett is pretty much everything you could ask for in a team-employed beat writer. He tweets a bunch. He's very interactive with fans. He provides useful insights, routinely supplementing the viewing experience with Statcast measures and other tidbits. He doesn't dogmatically toe the company line (evidence). We're lucky to have him.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Buxton returns, records fastest triple in 2017

 

Aaron Gleeman, Baseball Prospectus: His days of churning out daily Twins content on his own site are long gone, but AG still frequently focuses on the team in his columns at Baseball Prospectus, and he's got a book coming out next spring. Forever one of the most skilled writers and sharpest analysts on the local scene, he's a must-read for the hardball intellectual. [insert Cinnabon joke.]

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: A Child Shall Lead Them

 

Twinkie Town Team: Myjah runs the show and fosters a playful, light-hearted atmosphere with TT's big stable of writers and commenters. Stu's weekly satirical submissions (like the one linked below) are always worth your time. Louie Opatz also does really nice work.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: Area woman realizes how many of her kids she likes less than Byron Buxton

 

Zone Coverage Team: Tom Schreier's venture into New Journalism has produced Zone Coverage, which functions as a hybrid of the modern and traditional media models. It's access-driven beat-style coverage without the space constraints of print, and with heavy multimedia infusion. Schreier and Brandon Warne work hard.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: 9/3 GAME NOTES: Swing, Swing, Swing — Twins Drop Game, Series to Royals with 5-4 Loss on Sunday

 

Twins Daily Team: You're already here, so if you're new I'll encourage you to explore the articles, blogs and forums, and judge for yourself. We take a lot of pride in the community we have here – smart, passionate baseball fans from all over the globe. It makes engaging with people on TD a truly enriching experience. Plus, there is simply a ton of high-caliber writing to be found virtually every day. Whether it's Seth, Jeremy, Cody, Ted, Steve, Tom or one of our many other frequent contributors, you're going to find something worthwhile. I highly recommend staying up on Mr. Froemming's daily game recaps and all of the minor-league reports.

 

Piece Worth Checking Out: The Perfect Crime: A Look Back at the Twins' Trade for Joe Nathan by Dan Wade

 

I'm surely still missing some (and would love if you all added them in the comments section below) but this is a quick-and-dirty list I put together of prominent local people writing regularly about the Minnesota Twins. They've all earned their platforms and there's no need to bicker about hierarchies or velvet ropes.

 

There are a lot of content sources out there. The good news is that there's a hungry audience, and it's likely to grow in the coming years if the product on the field continues to trend the way we all hope.

 

The guiding mission of Twins Daily has always been to highlight and promote great Twins writing, wherever it resides – whether a downtown skyscraper or mom's basement. Here's to more and more talented folks entering the scene and adding to the well.

 

If you'd like to try your hand, I can't urge you enough to utilize the blogging feature on our site and get your own thoughts out there. There's never been a better time.

 

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[Thrylos]

I'd add where Brandon Warne is currently writing, Pucketts' Pond, where Doogie Wolfson is tweeting and podcasting. Mackey's and Wettmore's touch em all podcast. 

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I'd add where Brandon Warne is currently writing, Pucketts' Pond, where Doogie Wolfson is tweeting and podcasting. Mackey's and Wettmore's touch em all podcast. 

 

I'll echo your thoughts on Doogie's The Scoop podcast and Mackey and Wetmore's Touch 'Em All podcast... Both are tremendous. 

[Tom Froemming]

I love this. Thank you for the kind words. I have a few things to add. I understand if people had written off Puckett's Pond. It seemed for a really long time the content there was inconsistent. But I gotta tell you, Benjamin Chase is The Truth. I had caught some of his minors stuff at FanSided before he joined PP, so I was really excited about him covering the Twins more in depth. He has not disappointed. Puckett's Pond is alive and in good hands.

 

Also, Myjah deserves a lot more credit than she gets. Those inconsistency issues at PP haven't been prevalent at Twinkie Town because she's been there steering the ship. Just took a look at her SB Nation profile. Looks like she has over 1,400 articles. She also has over 32,000 comments. Holy crap. There's no denying TT leads the town in fun. There's something to be said for that.

 

Lastly, Matt Anderson's @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter is great. Really interesting little Twins history lessons and super awesome pics old baseball cards.

[Darius]

IMO, this (including Gleeman and Bonnes podcast) is the best place to go for Twins content.

 

A lot of the stuff in the papers around here are full of fluffy PR quotes from team personnel which don't reflect reality, and a recap of the game. Then there's the opinion pieces (Souhan, Reusse), which don't provide much meaningful insight either, IMO. Lavelle works his tail off and reports things as they happen, and is great at it. But, my gosh, that guy has some terrible baseball takes sometimes.

 

It's a preference thing I guess, but I want brass tacks, not a short story from a pro that loves to do nothing more than show off their vocabulary. I want numbers, observations, trends, specifics etc. honestly, IMO, nobody does it better than Gleeman. When it comes to writing about baseball, Gleeman is Hammermade - meticulous, analytical, above and beyond in terms of detail. Souhan is a Big Johnson t-shirt - appeals to impulse and emotion, not much shame, not as funny as they think, cheaply made.

 

Who cares if Souhan has been covering the team for decades? It's a different game than it was 5 years ago. Who cares if he has Tom Kelly's phone number? Gleeman just had the team's GM for a lengthy interview and has access to some of the greatest analytical minds in the game.

 

I think Souhan is becoming increasingly angry that he's becoming the topical TMZ version. He's been grandfathered in, and knows the days are numbered. The real credibility is being shifted to guys like Gleeman.

[Dantes929]

Long time since I have read the Trib more because of the posters than the writers but I remember kind of liking Howard Sinker.   Is he still going?

[biggentleben]

 

I love this. Thank you for the kind words. I have a few things to add. I understand if people had written off Puckett's Pond. It seemed for a really long time the content there was inconsistent. But I gotta tell you, Benjamin Chase is The Truth. I had caught some of his minors stuff at FanSided before he joined PP, so I was really excited about him covering the Twins more in depth. He has not disappointed. Puckett's Pond is alive and in good hands.

 

Thanks a ton for the kind words, Tom! I've got a small group of writers that are eager to learn right now, but getting some writers will make that site really take off. I've put up 140 articles my first two months with PP, and with a growing family and starting a new full-time gig, even if it is a flexible schedule gig, that's not exactly the way to grow the site.

 

That said, there is a top 100 prospects list planned for this winter, some very fun interviews set up for the offseason with Twins fans in national roles in baseball or sports, and once the season is over, I can get into some video scouting, which is always fun for me personally!

 

I love catching articles here, and I really will say that I don't have great places to add, but what I have found is that outside of Twins Reddit, the Twins blogging community is incredibly open, helpful, and willing to help prop up a fellow writer putting out a good article. I will say that I've already had to have a discussion with my director with FanSided due to retweeting Twins Daily articles, Brandon's articles, and other pieces, and I was encouraged to stay "on brand". I took a screenshot of an article of PP that was retweeted by Twinkie Town, two TD writers, and LENIII to show him that I intended to participate in the Twins community the way that the Twins community participated in good content. I haven't had another issue since!

 

While I'm not dismissing anyone else on the TD team, I truly hope the TD readers realize how blessed they are with the minor league and draft coverage they have on this site. Best part is that the guys are open with their info and love talking the prospects. That's not the way it is across blogs for many teams around the game, so it's a pretty special thing in the Twins community.

 

BTW, I would never, ever deny anyone the opportunity to blog here, but anyone wanting a spot to write consistently can feel free to drop me a PM as I've always got spots, and I don't have plans on going anywhere anytime soon!!

[Vanimal46]

I'll stick with Twins Daily..... 

Everyone here does a great job writing content and getting several topics started. But I stay because of the community of members who comment on the stories. 

[PogueBear]

Aaron Gleeman is the reason I've posted some of my own content on Twins Daily.  Sometimes I wish the Twins would have hired him to help in the front office.  His content is still the best, IMO.

 

I can also fondly recall, back in 2006, linking to "Nick's Twins Blog" after checking the weekly update to the MLB Power Rankings.

[Matt Johnson]

 

I love this. Thank you for the kind words. I have a few things to add. I understand if people had written off Puckett's Pond. It seemed for a really long time the content there was inconsistent. But I gotta tell you, Benjamin Chase is The Truth. I had caught some of his minors stuff at FanSided before he joined PP, so I was really excited about him covering the Twins more in depth. He has not disappointed. Puckett's Pond is alive and in good hands.

 

Also, Myjah deserves a lot more credit than she gets. Those inconsistency issues at PP haven't been prevalent at Twinkie Town because she's been there steering the ship. Just took a look at her SB Nation profile. Looks like she has over 1,400 articles. She also has over 32,000 comments. Holy crap. There's no denying TT leads the town in fun. There's something to be said for that.

 

Lastly, Matt Anderson's @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter is great. Really interesting little Twins history lessons and super awesome pics old baseball cards.

 

Thanks, Tom! Sorry I haven't been doing full write ups anymore. We had a beautiful baby girl, I played my first season of Minnesota townball this summer, and I've been playing around in the garden & wood shop. Twins history on Twitter is just the right length for me right now

 

https://twitter.com/TwinsAlmanac

 

[Steve Lein]

Love everything discussed here.

 

My favorite beat writers are Phil Miller and Rhett Bollinger. Might be because they've bought me beers on occasion, but that has nothing to do with the content they put out.

 

All the names listed here provide quality Twins content and differing perspectives. I don't read much of Souhan or Reusse anymore, but I have agreed with their takes and enjoyed many of their articles over the years.

 

All these guys have a place in the Twins reading community, and you'll find something to like about everyone, even if it's only like 5% of it/them.

 

All that said, don't undersell what Twins Daily has become! This is the best site out there, and I honestly believe there are several other places that have tried to emulate what is done here, to varying results. 

 

That's a sign you're doing pretty well! I'm grateful to be a part of it and the community at large!

[Doubles]

I think it's worth calling out Twins Senior Director of Communication, Dustin Morse.  Dustin was smart enough to recognize a site like Twins Daily providing outstanding content, whether they use access or not.  To that end, good on Twins Daily for building their brand by cranking out consistently high volumes of great content.  Dustin has recognized the Twins would be silly to discount the value Twins Daily brings to Twins fans, and therefore the ball club.

 

Also, good on the guys at Twins Daily. The TD spot as a legit outlet has been well-earned.  And good work in rewarding Dustin's faith in getting credentialed.  To me that says a lot.  

[Seth Stohs]

 

I think it's worth calling out Twins Senior Director of Communication, Dustin Morse.  Dustin was smart enough to recognize a site like Twins Daily providing outstanding content, whether they use access or not.  To that end, good on Twins Daily for building their brand by cranking out consistently high volumes of great content.  Dustin has recognized the Twins would be silly to discount the value Twins Daily brings to Twins fans, and therefore the ball club.

 

Also, good on the guys at Twins Daily. The TD spot as a legit outlet has been well-earned.  And good work in rewarding Dustin's faith in getting credentialed.  To me that says a lot.  

 

You make a great point. Dustin was willing to change their policy. And that's not to say that the Twins were wrong in there thinking previous to Dustin, just that media has changed in the last 5-10 years and that many teams have changed their thinking along with them. Dustin's been terrific.

[Doubles]

Yes, the access thing has been bantered about here.  No, I don't consider access to be the end-all, be-all.  But I definitely believe it to be a sign of legitimacy.  

 

In other words, you can crank out good content without access.  But you ain't gonna get access without proving you can put out quality content.

 

We tried for two years to get access to the Minnesota Wild.  Their PR Director was set in his ways and wouldn't budge.  Now that's not the reason our blog went under, but I firmly believe having access would have been additive to our product.

 

Good on the Twins for being more progressive in giving legit media- mainstream, digital, or otherwise-  a look behind the curtain.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Doubles

[Steve Lein]

 

Thanks, Tom! Sorry I haven't been doing full write ups anymore. We had a beautiful baby girl, I played my first season of Minnesota townball this summer, and I've been playing around in the garden & wood shop. Twins history on Twitter is just the right length for me right now

 

https://twitter.com/TwinsAlmanac

 

Where'd you play townball, Matt?

 

Class B and C state tournaments just wrapped up at three stadiums part of the league (Crow River Valley; Norwood, Green Isle, Hamburg) I spent 13 years playing in.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Steve Lein

[Mike Sixel]

The OP is entirely too polite and mature to be on the internet. It must be fake.....

[KirbyDaisy]

Edward Thoma's Baseball Outsider is one of my daily reads.  Points things out that I miss.

[Craig Arko]

Like any other type of news content; check multiple sources and then think for yourself.

[Sssuperdave]

I have to agree with those saying not to sell Twins Daily short. The content on Twins Daily is phenomenal and has developed to the point where it has almost become my single source for Twins news. 

 

Seth provides player interviews and human interest stories that are much more in-depth than anything you can find in the MSM.

 

Parker provides analysis that is more technical and detailed than anything in the MSM.

 

And, most of the folks on Twins Daily are respectful about leads and giving credit where credit is due. I learn about trades and transactions on Twins Daily, but I never get the impression that Twins Daily "breaks the story." Every time a Twins Daily post or article refers to a trade it starts with the name of whoever broke the story, usually with a link to their tweet. This is definitely not what Souhan calls "Jabba the stat, sitting in his basement... acting like he broke the story".

 

Until now, the only big thing that was missing on Twins Daily was a "game story", something that broke down each game, and now Tom has expertly filled that void. I absolutely love the features Tom includes in his game reviews, like the current standings, WPA, and bullpen usage. And he includes a few highlights, so I get more out of Tom's write-ups than a full-blown game story by a beat writer.

 

Way to go Twins Daily!

 

[wsnydes]

 

I'll stick with Twins Daily..... 

Everyone here does a great job writing content and getting several topics started. But I stay because of the community of members who comment on the stories. 

I want to echo this.  I simply don't have the time that I used to to spend reading up on the Twins and this is the best place that I've found that I can get a plethora of content on a wide variety of topics.  I don't even have the time I used to for this site unfortunately, but it's definitely not because I don't want to be here more.  Between the writers & contributors here, the linked articles/blogs and the knowledgeable commenters (those I agree AND disagree with) this is a great place to get caught up and/or stay caught up on what's going on with the Twins and even the league.  I just wish that I had more time to keep digging through what I haven't already discovered.

 

Keep up the good work everyone!

Edited September 5, 2017 by wsnydes

[biggentleben]

 

I want to echo this.  I simply don't have the time that I used to to spend reading up on the Twins and this is the best place that I've found that I can get a plethora of content on a wide variety of topics.  I don't even have the time I used to for this site unfortunately, but it's definitely not because I don't want to be here more.  Between the writers & contributors here, the linked articles/blogs and the knowledgeable commenters (those I agree AND disagree with) this is a great place to get caught up and/or stay caught up on what's going on with the Twins and even the league.  I just wish that I had more time to keep digging through what I haven't already discovered.

 

Keep up the good work everyone!

 

So this is something that a potential writer is really interested in doing for Puckett's Pond - scouring the internet for a post multiple times per week that would highlight the best original Twins content around the internet. He's given me permission that if he is unable to pursue PP (he got a brand new job just after signing on to contribute, so he's figuring out what sort of time his job allows him before committing going forward, and I'll for sure respect that!), I could find a writer to pursue that idea, if even for one post per week. I think there are plenty in the same boat as you, who would love to have one post with a set of links to the best stuff out there to help focus your time if you do venture off TD!

[Monkeypaws]

TD = #1.

 

Bernardino deserves more love.

[Matt Johnson]

 

Where'd you play townball, Matt?

 

Class B and C state tournaments just wrapped up at three stadiums part of the league (Crow River Valley; Norwood, Green Isle, Hamburg) I spent 13 years playing in.

 

Nowthen. Class C. I live in Zimmerman. 33-year-old catcher. Moved back from Seattle last fall. Played one season of adult ball in Seattle a few years ago but it's nothing, nothing, nothing like here. Also 3x more expensive. 

[DocBauer]

While TD is absolutely THE place to be, overall, for content and information, I have and do continue to read both PP and Twinkie Town and find both of them to have good writing and interesting perspectives. My only complaint, trivial as it may be considering times change and I find a tremdous fill of milb daily content here at TD, was Twinkie Town used to have a very good daily write up as well from...forgive me if I'm wrong...Josh???

 

Regardless, I enjoy the other sites very much as well, but I do not post or comment at either location as this is "home" to me and a much more intimate format. I also do check out the PP, but look at the Trib less and less, though some of that is the pay wall situation, which I understand.

 

What I find truly amazing, (blowing the TD horn again), is the level of information, breakdown, evaluation and opinion. Even those I don't agree with have valid and intelligent opinions. I sometimes roll my eyes when Parker posts a breakdown piece, LOL, not because it's not outstanding but I can almost become lost at the intricacies of what he posts. (Swear the guy should be working for the Twins!)

 

While I know this piece is about the positives and not the negatives, I have to say, I am out off and borderline disturbed by the Souhan "attack" piece. IMO, I saw nothing innately wrong with his initial Sano weight-issue piece. He brought up a point worth at least considering. Though it could be debated the timing might not have been the best. What bothers me is, he's a columnist, right? So he posts opinion just as much, if not more, than fact. So people at TD did not agree? And he chooses to not only attack TD, it's writers, as well as those of us who share, comment and respond, but to actually belittle everyone involved.

 

In his response piece, he recites that he was responding to "informed" individuals within the Twins organization sharing concern. But as I recall, his original piece felt more like opinion. And if he is so informed, so astute and professional...as he clearly implies...then why is he so threatened by all us basement dwelling bloggers/fans/thinkers as to manifest such an attack/defensive piece of diatribe?

 

Maybe he had a bad day? OK. But while, professionally speaking, he does not have to be an actual Twins fan, (professional objectivity and all), can he not be a fan of writing, opinion and information from various sources other than his own?

 

Off my soapbox, kinda, isn't it interesting that a "professional" goes on a defensive attack while a basement dwelling blogger takes the time to respond by praising not only Mr. Souhan, not other writers and content related sites?

 

I will continue to read all sources available, as I am a lifelong Twins junkie and want to know all I can. But the class and character of TD, and it's "cousin" sites only re-inforces to me the wealth and depth of information and quality writing that is available for the Twins world.

[Steve Lein]

 

Nowthen. Class C. I live in Zimmerman. 33-year-old catcher. Moved back from Seattle last fall. Played one season of adult ball in Seattle a few years ago but it's nothing, nothing, nothing like here. Also 3x more expensive. 

 

That's because there is nothing like Townball here in Minnesota

[wabene]

TD = #1.

 

Bernardino deserves more love.

 

I agree if you read the various MSM daily reports Beradino's always has some nugget not found elsewhere. LEN3 needs more love IMO I like his tone and think he would be fun watch a game with and tip a few!

[wabene]

"but look at the Trib less and less, though some of that is the pay wall situation"

 

Achem, clear your browser history, oops did I say that out loud?

[Matt Johnson]

 

"but look at the Trib less and less, though some of that is the pay wall situation" Achem, clear your browser history, oops did I say that out loud?

 

The Star Tribune's website is utterly unusable. Pop-ups, and other ads constantly loading so that the text keeps shifting around on the page. If I click a link and realize it's a Strib article I just instantly close it and move on.