Topperanton

This is the 8th story in "Those Damn Yankees" series, stories about Twins-Yankees rivalry by some of our favorite Twins Daily writers, leading up to the Bombers visit July 1st to the 4th. I used to be the worst kind of person in the world: a Yankees fan that didn't live in New York. As lewd and annoying as they might be, you can't blame a New Yorker for being a Yankees fan -- let's face it, their other option is the Mets. But if you don't live in New York, and your family isn't from there, it's a serious character flaw that makes a person cheer for that team. But I did. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It all started because the Twins broke my heart by trading Rick Aguilera -- twice --and fell into self-inflicted mediocrity for my entire teenage years. I swore off them about the same time I decided I was going to move to New York and attend NYU. Down came the Twins paraphernalia and up went a DJ Turns 2 poster (Derek Jeter turning a double-play, in layman's terms). I rocked a navy Mariano Rivera shirsey and Yankees cap with pride and buried my head in my hands with shame when some stupid expansion team from Arizona knocked my new boys out in the World Series. Download attachment: jeter00nike-1.jpg ----- This Article originally published on Curve For a Strike ----- Right before I went to college, in 2003, I got a dream gig: working freelance for the YES Network on a visit to the Metrodome. I got to be a production assistant/runner for their videographers, hanging out on the field during batting practice, standing there for pregame interviews, running tapes up to the truck, hanging out in the concourse during the game, and going into the visitor's clubhouse for the postgame interviews. I hung out with my heroes: Alfonso Soriano, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, and Roger Clemens. I distinctly remember telling Soriano that I wanted to see him a hit a home-run and then he blasted a grand slam the next inning. It was amazing; the Yankees swept the series. Then came my salvation -- high school graduation and my predestined move to the heart of Yankeeland. I packed away my #42 shirsey and hopped a plane to New York, never looking back. Surrounded by own kind. I've been here 10 years and things should never have been better. Except I can't stand the Yankees anymore. It's nothing about the team. I still admire Derek Jeter and I think Mo is the only person I'll consider a better closer than my beloved Rick Aguilera. It's all about living in New York and being surrounded by Yankees fans. Download attachment: yankeestadium.jpg The first time my family came to visit me in college, we went to Yankee Stadium for a Twins and Yankees game, sitting in the upper right field deck. My brother, a naive 11 years old at the time, bravely wore a Johan Santana jersey into the middle of enemy territory. By the 6th inning they were slinging curses and slurs at my 11-year old brother: "Santana you f****t" -- "Turn around kid, can't you f*****g hear us?" -- "What's a'matter, busy crying you f*****g p***y?". That was probably the end of my love of the Yankees. I couldn't be part of that. Later that year I remember the floor of my freshman dorm shaking from everyone jumping up and down when the Yankees beat the Red Sox on Aaron Boone's historic shot. My Rivera shirsey is collecting dust in my closet. I started a Twins blog (which has since become somewhat defunct), subscribed to MLB extra-innings to catch my favorite team out of market, and taken every opportunity to see the Twins when they make it out east (this time sporting a custom-made Rick Aguilera Twins jersey). Now it's my turn to take abuse. It becomes tough to watch your team constantly and heartbreakingly lose whenever they come to town. I've grown so accustomed to hearing Sinatra's "New York, New York" blaring over the loudspeakers while I lower my head and take the long walk back to the 6 train. The toughest were Joe Nathan's 2009 game-tying homer to A-Rod in the 9th leading to our loss in extras -- and the 2010 team in Game 3 when I got beer poured on my head and got a "Christina Aguilera" chant started against me simply for sitting there and trying to ignore them. Let's face it -- the Yankees don't consider this a rivalry. Not even close. I've seen headlines in the Post where their wonderful scribes describe the Twins as a warm cleansing bath to dispel their previous losing streak -- a break in the season where they didn't need to worry about playing quality baseball to win. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Yankees fan in New York who knows anything about the team other than that Joe Mauer missed his opportunity to join a contender, and Justin Morneau robbed Derek Jeter of his rightful MVP award. I remember one game where a Yankees fan asked me why Wisconsin needed two teams. He was genuinely under the impression that Minnesota was the capitol of Wisconsin and shocked when I gave him a quick geography lesson. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU EXIST. And we haven't really given them reason to notice. But, in stark contrast to the disappointment, the heartache, and the wondering why we seem to choke whenever we see pinstripes, are the few times when we win. And I've seen them. And it's not as unlikely these days as it once seemed. Last year we took two of four in New York. A series split. But the best moment came three years ago. We sat in the upper deck behind home plate and we were losing as always. But somehow, in the 8th, we loaded the bases and threatened to take the lead. The Yankees were scared enough the Twins might win, they brought in Rivera, #42, the greatest closer in baseball history, in the 8th inning to try to shut us down. Download attachment: marlboroman.jpg Enter Sandman blared over the speakers -- the super fan lovingly known as the "Marlboro Man" started head banging and air-guitaring in time to the music; the excitement of all the Yankees fans trusting in their beloved closer was enough to slightly dampen my excitement that Jim Thome was due up. It wasn't Thome that was the hero though. He walked in a run with the bases loaded, fans everywhere groaning and complaining about awful umpiring. And then Kubel stepped into the batter's box and launched what would be a game-winning grand slam off of the greatest closer in the world. Every fan I could see in Navy or pinstripes was shocked. Silence. More silence than I've ever heard from Yankee fans. Mo never blows a save. The Yankees never lose to the Twins. Download attachment: jason-kubel-twins-grand-slam-mariano-rivera-yankees-21fde044850ae2ff_large.jpg But it happened. And I was there. And it will happen again. I walked out of there in my favorite closer's jersey -- Aguilera -- with my head held high and knowing there's no reason we can't beat Those Damn Yankees. ~~~ For more of Those Damn Yankees, check out.... The Cuzzi Call by Nick NelsonThe Twins and Yankees Go Way Back by ThrylosConfessions Of A Twins Fan by Brad SwansonChuck Knoblauch by Cody ChristieDealing with Yankee Fans by PeanutsFromHeavenDerek Jeter Gift Baskets by Twins Fan From AfarDon't Blame Those Damn Yankees by E Rolf Pleiss Click here to view the article

Download attachment: los-angeles-angels.jpg Buyers or Sellers It’s somewhat unusual these days to see the trade deadline looming and the Angels not making any moves, but in all likelihood that’s what’s going to happen this season. Los Angeles is mired in mediocrity while Texas and Oakland appear to be running away with the division. Of course Arte Moreno (a more likeable imitation of a George Steinbrenner) could continue to spend money in an attempt to right the ship immediately, but this year seems like a lost cause, and he has to keep something in the bank to hand over to Mike Trout in the next few years.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] What They Need The biggest problem on the Angels right now is their pitching. Their pitching staff, especially the starters, ranks near the bottom of the league in ERA and BA – right alongside the Twins. So there’s not much help we could provide there. In all likelihood they’ll just wait for Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas to come off the DL instead of looking for outside rotation help. The Angels have a strong bullpen anchored by 2nd year closer Ernesto Frieri, who has converted 24 of 26 save opportunities this year. They also have Kevin Jepsen and Scott Downs as righty and lefty set-up guys and another lefty – Sean Burnett – set to come off the DL soon. In terms of offense the Angels are doing OK and mostly have well established position players. Catcher has been a bit of an offensive void for them though, and Alberto Callaspo doesn’t appear to be a long term fixture at 3B. They recently DFA’d the infamous Brendan Harris (!!!) and called up prospect Tommy Field to back-up around the infield. What Might Work Joe Mauer? Probably not. But Ryan Doumit could be of interest to them behind the plate. Perhaps Trevor Plouffe could draw some interest for 3B, but that could be a long-shot as the Angel’s consensus #1 prospect is Kaleb Cowart, a third baseman currently at AA. It’s doubtful that they’d have any significant interest in bullpen arms, as their bigger problem has been anyone in the rotation not named CJ Wilson or Jered Weaver. In terms of starting pitchers, the Angels would likely want a long-term rotation option and not just another stop-gap (they have one already in Joe Blanton) – which probably takes Pelfrey and Correia out of the mix. Maybe Diamond or Deduno? Maybe Jamey Carroll would make a better utility infielder/spot starter for them but that seems like a bit of a reach. Sleeper Targets Alex Yarbrough – 2B – A+ – 21 years old Yarbrough was drafted by the Angels in the 4th round in 2011. He played for them last year at Cedar Rapids and put up a .287/.320/.410 line, and after graduating to High A for them this year has produced to a .315/.339/.480 clip. Eric Stamets – SS – A+ – 21 years old Stamets was taken in the 6th round of the 2012 draft. Paired up with Yarbrough last year at Cedar Rapids, Stamets put up .274/.323/.347 and while, also in High A this year, he’s posting a similar .286/.344/.369. He’s got a bit of speed and hardly any power, but Baseball America tabbed him as the best infield arm in the Angels system this year. A.J. Schugel – RHP – AAA – 24 years old Schugel is currently having a horrible season in the Pacific Coast League, his first year in AAA, but in 2011 he had a good year for Cedar Rapids before a late-season promotion to High A, and last year he held his own in AA. Perhaps this year is an aberration or the Twins might see something they could fix in him. Dream Target C.J. Cron – 1B/DH – AA –23 years old Cron is a power-hitting 1B prospect who recently played in the Futures game with two of our own top prospects. He’s not particularly dazzling with his glove and in that case he could eventually end up filling the DH role. But the power potential is tantalizing, and currently he’s blocked by Pujols and Trumbo at 1B, so the Angels would probably love to get something for him. Cron should be a part of any big deals that the Angels make this year, and with 1B as a big question mark for the Twins right now he could be an appealing target. Click here to view the article

Buyers or Sellers It’s somewhat unusual these days to see the trade deadline looming and the Angels not making any moves, but in all likelihood that’s what’s going to happen this season. Los Angeles is mired in mediocrity while Texas and Oakland appear to be running away with the division. Of course Arte Moreno (a more likeable imitation of a Steinbrenner) could continue to funnel money in an attempt to right the ship immediately, but not only does that seem like a lost cause this year, but he has to keep something in the bank to hand over a huge contract to Mike Trout in the next few years. What They Need The biggest problem on the Angels right now is their pitching. They rank near the bottom of the league in ERA and BAA (especially among starters) – alongside the Twins. So there’s probably not much help we could provide there. In all likelihood they’ll probably just wait for Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas to come off the DL instead of looking for outside rotation help. The Angels have a pretty strong bullpen anchored by 2nd year closer Ernesto Frieri, who has converted 24 of 26 save opportunities this year. They also have Kevin Jepsen and Scott Downs as righty and lefty set-up guys and another lefty – Sean Burnett – set to come off the DL soon. In terms of offense the Angels are doing ok and have pretty established players at most positions. Catcher has been a bit of an offensive void for them though, and Alberto Callaspo doesn’t appear to be a long term fixture at 3B. They recently DFA’d the infamous Brendan Harris (!!!) and called up prospect Tommy Field to back-up around the infield. What Might Work Joe Mauer? Probably not. But Ryan Doumit could be of interest to them behind the plate. Perhaps Trevor Plouffe could draw some interest for 3B, but that could be a long-shot as the Angel’s consensus #1 prospect is Kaleb Cowart, a third baseman currently at AA. It’s doubtful that they’d have any real significant interest in bullpen arms, as their bigger problem has been anyone in the rotation not named CJ Wilson or Jered Weaver. In terms of starting pitchers, the Angels would more likely want a long-term rotation option and not just another stop-gap (they have one already in Joe Blanton) – which probably takes Pelfrey and Correia out of the mix. Maybe Diamond or Deduno? Maybe Jamey Carroll would make a better utility infielder/spot starter for them but that seems like a bit of a reach. Sleeper Targets Alex Yarbrough – 2B – A+ – 21 years old Yarbrough was drafted by the Angels in the 4th round in 2011. He played for them last year at Cedar Rapids and put up a .287/.320/.410 line, and after graduating to High A for them this year has produced to a .315/.339/.480 clip. Eric Stamets – SS – A+ – 21 years old Stamets was taken in the 6th round of the 2012 draft. Paired up with Yarbrough last year at Cedar Rapids, Stamets put up .274/.323/.347 and while in High A with him this year he’s posting a similar .286/.344/.369. He’s got a bit of speed and hardly any power, but Baseball America tabbed him as the best infield arm in the Angels system this year. A.J. Schugel – RHP – AAA – 24 years old Schugel is currently having a horrible season in the Pacific Coast League, his first year in AAA, but in 2011 he had a good year for Cedar Rapids before a late-season promotion to High A, and last year he held his own in AA. Perhaps this year is an aberration or the Twins see something they could fix in him. Dream Target C.J. Cron – 1B/DH – AA –23 years old Cron is a power-hitting 1B prospect who recently played in the Futures game with two of our own top prospects. He’s not particularly dazzling with his glove and in that case he could eventually end up filling a DH role. But the power potential is tantalizing, and currently he’s blocked by Pujols and Trumbo at 1B, so the Angels would probably love to get something for him. Cron should be a part of any big deals that the Angels make this year, and with 1B as a big question mark for the Twins right now he could be a surefire target.

Buyers or Sellers It’s somewhat unusual these days to see the trade deadline looming and the Angels not making any moves, but in all likelihood that’s what’s going to happen this season. Los Angeles is mired in mediocrity while Texas and Oakland appear to be running away with the division. Of course Arte Moreno (a more likeable imitation of a Steinbrenner) could continue to funnel money in an attempt to right the ship immediately, but not only does that seem like a lost cause this year, but he has to keep something in the bank to hand over a huge contract to Mike Trout in the next few years. What They Need The biggest problem on the Angels right now is their pitching. They rank near the bottom of the league in ERA and BAA (especially among starters) – alongside the Twins. So there’s probably not much help we could provide there. In all likelihood they’ll probably just wait for Tommy Hanson and Jason Vargas to come off the DL instead of looking for outside rotation help. The Angels have a pretty strong bullpen anchored by 2nd year closer Ernesto Frieri, who has converted 24 of 26 save opportunities this year. They also have Kevin Jepsen and Scott Downs as righty and lefty set-up guys and another lefty – Sean Burnett – set to come off the DL soon. In terms of offense the Angels are doing ok and have pretty established players at most positions. Catcher has been a bit of an offensive void for them though, and Alberto Callaspo doesn’t appear to be a long term fixture at 3B. They recently DFA’d the infamous Brendan Harris (!!!) and called up prospect Tommy Field to back-up around the infield. What Might Work Joe Mauer? Probably not. But Ryan Doumit could be of interest to them behind the plate. Perhaps Trevor Plouffe could draw some interest for 3B, but that could be a long-shot as the Angel’s consensus #1 prospect is Kaleb Cowart, a third baseman currently at AA. It’s doubtful that they’d have any real significant interest in bullpen arms, as their bigger problem has been anyone in the rotation not named CJ Wilson or Jered Weaver. In terms of starting pitchers, the Angels would more likely want a long-term rotation option and not just another stop-gap (they have one already in Joe Blanton) – which probably takes Pelfrey and Correia out of the mix. Maybe Diamond or Deduno? Maybe Jamey Carroll would make a better utility infielder/spot starter for them but that seems like a bit of a reach. Sleeper Targets Alex Yarbrough – 2B – A+ – 21 years old Yarbrough was drafted by the Angels in the 4th round in 2011. He played for them last year at Cedar Rapids and put up a .287/.320/.410 line, and after graduating to High A for them this year has produced to a .315/.339/.480 clip. Eric Stamets – SS – A+ – 21 years old Stamets was taken in the 6th round of the 2012 draft. Paired up with Yarbrough last year at Cedar Rapids, Stamets put up .274/.323/.347 and while in High A with him this year he’s posting a similar .286/.344/.369. He’s got a bit of speed and hardly any power, but Baseball America tabbed him as the best infield arm in the Angels system this year. A.J. Schugel – RHP – AAA – 24 years old Schugel is currently having a horrible season in the Pacific Coast League, his first year in AAA, but in 2011 he had a good year for Cedar Rapids before a late-season promotion to High A, and last year he held his own in AA. Perhaps this year is an aberration or the Twins see something they could fix in him. Dream Target C.J. Cron – 1B/DH – AA –23 years old Cron is a power-hitting 1B prospect who recently played in the Futures game with two of our own top prospects. He’s not particularly dazzling with his glove and in that case he could eventually end up filling a DH role. But the power potential is tantalizing, and currently he’s blocked by Pujols and Trumbo at 1B, so the Angels would probably love to get something for him. Cron should be a part of any big deals that the Angels make this year, and with 1B as a big question mark for the Twins right now he could be a surefire target.

I used to be the worst kind of person in the world. A Yankees fan that didn't live in New York. As lewd and annoying as they might be, you can't blame a New Yorker for being a Yankees fan -- let's face it, their other option is the Mets. But if you don't live in New York, and your family isn't from there, it's simple douchebaggery that makes a person cheer for that team. But I did. It all started because the Twins broke my heart by trading Rick Aguilera -- twice -- and fell into self-inflicted mediocrity for my entire teenage years. I swore them off about the same time I decided that I was going to move to New York and attend NYU. Down went the Twins paraphernalia and up went a DJ Turn 2 poster (Derek Jeter turning a double-play, in layman's terms). I rocked a navy Mariano Rivera shirsey and Yankees cap with pride and buried my head in my hands with shame when some stupid expansion team from Arizona knocked my new boys out in the World Series. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4583[/ATTACH] ----- This Article originally published on Curve For a Strike ----- Right before I went to college, in 2003, I got a dream gig: working freelance for the YES Network on a visit to the Metrodome. I got to be a production assistant/runner for their videographers, hanging out on the field during batting practice, standing there for pregame interviews and running tapes up to the truck; hanging out in the concourse during the game; and going into the visitor's clubhouse for the postgame interviews. I hung out with my heroes: Alfonso Soriano, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, and Roger Clemens. I distinctly remember telling Soriano that I wanted to see him a hit a home-run and then he blasted a grand slam the next inning. It was amazing; the Yankees swept the series. Then came my salvation -- high school graduation and my predestined move to the heart of Yankeeland. I packed away my #42 shirsey and hopped a plane to New York, never looking back. Surrounded by own kind. I've been here 10 years and things never should have been better. Except I can't stand the Yankees anymore. It's nothing about the team. I still admire Derek Jeter and I think Mo is the only person I'll consider a better closer than my beloved Rick Aguilera. It's all about living in New York and being surrounded by Yankees fans. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4584[/ATTACH] The first time my family came to visit me in college, we went to Yankee Stadium for a Twins and Yankees game, sitting in the upper right field deck. My brother, a naive 11 years old at the time, wore a Johan Santana jersey bravely into the middle of enemy territory. By the 6th inning they were slinging curses and slurs at my 11-year old brother: "Santana you f****t" -- "Turn around kid, can't you f*****g hear us?" -- "What's a'matter, busy crying you f*****g p***y?". That was probably the end of my love of the Yankees. I couldn't be part of that. Later that year I remember the floor of my freshman dorm shaking from everyone jumping up and down when the Yankees beat the Red Sox on Aaron Boone's historic shot. My Rivera shirsey is collecting dust in my closet. I started a Twins blog (which has since become somewhat defunct), subscribed to MLB extra-innings to catch my favorite team out of market, and taken every opportunity to see the Twins when they make it out east (this time sporting a custom-made Rick Aguilera Twins jersey). Now it's my turn to take abuse. It becomes tough to watch your team constantly and heartbreakingly lose whenever they come to town. I've grown so accustomed to hearing Sinatra's "New York, New York" blaring over the loudspeakers while I lower my head and take the long walk back to the 6 train. The toughest were Joe Nathan's 2009 game-tying homer to A-Rod in the 9th leading to our loss in extras -- and the 2010 team in Game 3 when I got beer poured on my head and got a "Christina Aguilera" chant started against me simply for sitting there and trying to ignore them. Let's face it -- the Yankees don't consider this a rivalry. Not even close. I've seen headlines in the post where their wonderful scribes describe the Twins as a warm cleansing bath to dispel their previous losing streak -- a break in the season where they didn't need to worry about playing quality baseball to win. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Yankees fan in New York who knows anything about the team other than that Joe Mauer missed his opportunity to join a contender, and Justin Morneau robbed Derek Jeter of his rightful MVP award. I remember one game where a Yankees fan asked me why Wisconsin needed two teams. He was genuinely under the impression that Minnesota was the capitol of Wisconsin and shocked when I gave him a quick geography lesson. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU EXIST. And we haven't really given them reason to notice. But in stark contrast to the disappointment, and the heartache, and the wondering why we seem to choke whenever we see pinstripes, are the few times when we win. And I've seen them. And it's not as far-fetched these days as it once seemed. Last year we took two of four in New York. A series split. But the best moment came three years ago. We sat in the upper deck behind home plate and we were losing as always. But somehow, in the 8th, we loaded the bases and threatened to take the lead. The Yankees were scared enough that the Twins might win, that they brought in Rivera, #42, the greatest closer in baseball history, in the 8th inning to try to shut us down. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4585[/ATTACH] Enter Sandman blared over the speakers -- the super fan lovingly know as the "Marlboro Man" started head banging and air guitaring in time to the music and the excitement of all the Yankees fans trusting in their beloved closer was enough to slightly dampen my excitement that Jim Thome was due up. It wasn't Thome that was the hero though. He walked in a run with the bases loaded, fans everywhere groaning and complaining about awful umpiring. And then Kubel stepped into the batter's box and launched what would be a game-winning grand slam off of the greatest closer in the world. Every fan I could see in Navy or pinstripes was shocked. Silence. More silent than I've ever heard Yankee fans could be. Mo never blows a save. The Yankees never lose to the Twins. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4586[/ATTACH] But it happened. And I was there. And it will happen again. I walked out of there in my favorite closer's jersey -- Aguilera -- with my head held high and knowing that there's no reason we can't beat those Damn Yankees.

I used to be the worst kind of person in the world. A Yankees fan that didn't live in New York. As lewd and annoying as they might be, you can't blame a New Yorker for being a Yankees fan -- let's face it, their other option is the Mets. But if you don't live in New York, and your family isn't from there, it's simple douchebaggery that makes a person cheer for that team. But I did. It all started because the Twins broke my heart by trading Rick Aguilera -- twice -- and fell into self-inflicted mediocrity for my entire teenage years. I swore them off about the same time I decided that I was going to move to New York and attend NYU. Down went the Twins paraphernalia and up went a DJ Turn 2 poster (Derek Jeter turning a double-play, in layman's terms). I rocked a navy Mariano Rivera shirsey and Yankees cap with pride and buried my head in my hands with shame when some stupid expansion team from Arizona knocked my new boys out in the World Series. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4583[/ATTACH] ----- This Article originally published on Curve For a Strike ----- Right before I went to college, in 2003, I got a dream gig: working freelance for the YES Network on a visit to the Metrodome. I got to be a production assistant/runner for their videographers, hanging out on the field during batting practice, standing there for pregame interviews and running tapes up to the truck; hanging out in the concourse during the game; and going into the visitor's clubhouse for the postgame interviews. I hung out with my heroes: Alfonso Soriano, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, and Roger Clemens. I distinctly remember telling Soriano that I wanted to see him a hit a home-run and then he blasted a grand slam the next inning. It was amazing; the Yankees swept the series. Then came my salvation -- high school graduation and my predestined move to the heart of Yankeeland. I packed away my #42 shirsey and hopped a plane to New York, never looking back. Surrounded by own kind. I've been here 10 years and things never should have been better. Except I can't stand the Yankees anymore. It's nothing about the team. I still admire Derek Jeter and I think Mo is the only person I'll consider a better closer than my beloved Rick Aguilera. It's all about living in New York and being surrounded by Yankees fans. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4584[/ATTACH] The first time my family came to visit me in college, we went to Yankee Stadium for a Twins and Yankees game, sitting in the upper right field deck. My brother, a naive 11 years old at the time, wore a Johan Santana jersey bravely into the middle of enemy territory. By the 6th inning they were slinging curses and slurs at my 11-year old brother: "Santana you f****t" -- "Turn around kid, can't you f*****g hear us?" -- "What's a'matter, busy crying you f*****g p***y?". That was probably the end of my love of the Yankees. I couldn't be part of that. Later that year I remember the floor of my freshman dorm shaking from everyone jumping up and down when the Yankees beat the Red Sox on Aaron Boone's historic shot. My Rivera shirsey is collecting dust in my closet. I started a Twins blog (which has since become somewhat defunct), subscribed to MLB extra-innings to catch my favorite team out of market, and taken every opportunity to see the Twins when they make it out east (this time sporting a custom-made Rick Aguilera Twins jersey). Now it's my turn to take abuse. It becomes tough to watch your team constantly and heartbreakingly lose whenever they come to town. I've grown so accustomed to hearing Sinatra's "New York, New York" blaring over the loudspeakers while I lower my head and take the long walk back to the 6 train. The toughest were Joe Nathan's 2009 game-tying homer to A-Rod in the 9th leading to our loss in extras -- and the 2010 team in Game 3 when I got beer poured on my head and got a "Christina Aguilera" chant started against me simply for sitting there and trying to ignore them. Let's face it -- the Yankees don't consider this a rivalry. Not even close. I've seen headlines in the post where their wonderful scribes describe the Twins as a warm cleansing bath to dispel their previous losing streak -- a break in the season where they didn't need to worry about playing quality baseball to win. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Yankees fan in New York who knows anything about the team other than that Joe Mauer missed his opportunity to join a contender, and Justin Morneau robbed Derek Jeter of his rightful MVP award. I remember one game where a Yankees fan asked me why Wisconsin needed two teams. He was genuinely under the impression that Minnesota was the capitol of Wisconsin and shocked when I gave him a quick geography lesson. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU EXIST. And we haven't really given them reason to notice. But in stark contrast to the disappointment, and the heartache, and the wondering why we seem to choke whenever we see pinstripes, are the few times when we win. And I've seen them. And it's not as far-fetched these days as it once seemed. Last year we took two of four in New York. A series split. But the best moment came three years ago. We sat in the upper deck behind home plate and we were losing as always. But somehow, in the 8th, we loaded the bases and threatened to take the lead. The Yankees were scared enough that the Twins might win, that they brought in Rivera, #42, the greatest closer in baseball history, in the 8th inning to try to shut us down. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4585[/ATTACH] Enter Sandman blared over the speakers -- the super fan lovingly know as the "Marlboro Man" started head banging and air guitaring in time to the music and the excitement of all the Yankees fans trusting in their beloved closer was enough to slightly dampen my excitement that Jim Thome was due up. It wasn't Thome that was the hero though. He walked in a run with the bases loaded, fans everywhere groaning and complaining about awful umpiring. And then Kubel stepped into the batter's box and launched what would be a game-winning grand slam off of the greatest closer in the world. Every fan I could see in Navy or pinstripes was shocked. Silence. More silent than I've ever heard Yankee fans could be. Mo never blows a save. The Yankees never lose to the Twins. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4586[/ATTACH] But it happened. And I was there. And it will happen again. I walked out of there in my favorite closer's jersey -- Aguilera -- with my head held high and knowing that there's no reason we can't beat those Damn Yankees.

I used to be the worst kind of person in the world. A Yankees fan that didn't live in New York. As lewd and annoying as they might be, you can't blame a New Yorker for being a Yankees fan -- let's face it, their other option is the Mets. But if you don't live in New York, and your family isn't from there, it's simple douchebaggery that makes a person cheer for that team. But I did. It all started because the Twins broke my heart by trading Rick Aguilera -- twice -- and fell into self-inflicted mediocrity for my entire teenage years. I swore them off about the same time I decided that I was going to move to New York and attend NYU. Down went the Twins paraphernalia and up went a DJ Turn 2 poster (Derek Jeter turning a double-play, in layman's terms). I rocked a navy Mariano Rivera shirsey and Yankees cap with pride and buried my head in my hands with shame when some stupid expansion team from Arizona knocked my new boys out in the World Series. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4583[/ATTACH] ----- This Article originally published on Curve For a Strike ----- Right before I went to college, in 2003, I got a dream gig: working freelance for the YES Network on a visit to the Metrodome. I got to be a production assistant/runner for their videographers, hanging out on the field during batting practice, standing there for pregame interviews and running tapes up to the truck; hanging out in the concourse during the game; and going into the visitor's clubhouse for the postgame interviews. I hung out with my heroes: Alfonso Soriano, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, and Roger Clemens. I distinctly remember telling Soriano that I wanted to see him a hit a home-run and then he blasted a grand slam the next inning. It was amazing; the Yankees swept the series. Then came my salvation -- high school graduation and my predestined move to the heart of Yankeeland. I packed away my #42 shirsey and hopped a plane to New York, never looking back. Surrounded by own kind. I've been here 10 years and things never should have been better. Except I can't stand the Yankees anymore. It's nothing about the team. I still admire Derek Jeter and I think Mo is the only person I'll consider a better closer than my beloved Rick Aguilera. It's all about living in New York and being surrounded by Yankees fans. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4584[/ATTACH] The first time my family came to visit me in college, we went to Yankee Stadium for a Twins and Yankees game, sitting in the upper right field deck. My brother, a naive 11 years old at the time, wore a Johan Santana jersey bravely into the middle of enemy territory. By the 6th inning they were slinging curses and slurs at my 11-year old brother: "Santana you f****t" -- "Turn around kid, can't you f*****g hear us?" -- "What's a'matter, busy crying you f*****g p***y?". That was probably the end of my love of the Yankees. I couldn't be part of that. Later that year I remember the floor of my freshman dorm shaking from everyone jumping up and down when the Yankees beat the Red Sox on Aaron Boone's historic shot. My Rivera shirsey is collecting dust in my closet. I started a Twins blog (which has since become somewhat defunct), subscribed to MLB extra-innings to catch my favorite team out of market, and taken every opportunity to see the Twins when they make it out east (this time sporting a custom-made Rick Aguilera Twins jersey). Now it's my turn to take abuse. It becomes tough to watch your team constantly and heartbreakingly lose whenever they come to town. I've grown so accustomed to hearing Sinatra's "New York, New York" blaring over the loudspeakers while I lower my head and take the long walk back to the 6 train. The toughest were Joe Nathan's 2009 game-tying homer to A-Rod in the 9th leading to our loss in extras -- and the 2010 team in Game 3 when I got beer poured on my head and got a "Christina Aguilera" chant started against me simply for sitting there and trying to ignore them. Let's face it -- the Yankees don't consider this a rivalry. Not even close. I've seen headlines in the post where their wonderful scribes describe the Twins as a warm cleansing bath to dispel their previous losing streak -- a break in the season where they didn't need to worry about playing quality baseball to win. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Yankees fan in New York who knows anything about the team other than that Joe Mauer missed his opportunity to join a contender, and Justin Morneau robbed Derek Jeter of his rightful MVP award. I remember one game where a Yankees fan asked me why Wisconsin needed two teams. He was genuinely under the impression that Minnesota was the capitol of Wisconsin and shocked when I gave him a quick geography lesson. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU EXIST. And we haven't really given them reason to notice. But in stark contrast to the disappointment, and the heartache, and the wondering why we seem to choke whenever we see pinstripes, are the few times when we win. And I've seen them. And it's not as far-fetched these days as it once seemed. Last year we took two of four in New York. A series split. But the best moment came three years ago. We sat in the upper deck behind home plate and we were losing as always. But somehow, in the 8th, we loaded the bases and threatened to take the lead. The Yankees were scared enough that the Twins might win, that they brought in Rivera, #42, the greatest closer in baseball history, in the 8th inning to try to shut us down. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4585[/ATTACH] Enter Sandman blared over the speakers -- the super fan lovingly know as the "Marlboro Man" started head banging and air guitaring in time to the music and the excitement of all the Yankees fans trusting in their beloved closer was enough to slightly dampen my excitement that Jim Thome was due up. It wasn't Thome that was the hero though. He walked in a run with the bases loaded, fans everywhere groaning and complaining about awful umpiring. And then Kubel stepped into the batter's box and launched what would be a game-winning grand slam off of the greatest closer in the world. Every fan I could see in Navy or pinstripes was shocked. Silence. More silent than I've ever heard Yankee fans could be. Mo never blows a save. The Yankees never lose to the Twins. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4586[/ATTACH] But it happened. And I was there. And it will happen again. I walked out of there in my favorite closer's jersey -- Aguilera -- with my head held high and knowing that there's no reason we can't beat those Damn Yankees.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BKtuV2B9hr8/T3Yn1MWTiUI/AAAAAAAAA0o/3fD4mX7yvXM/s400/20111107_terry-ryan_33.jpg Twitter and the Blogosphere broke with the news today that the Twins had acquired Matt Rizzotti from the Phillies for "cash considerations". This move is in lieu of the minor leagues being one first baseman short now that Chris Parmelee is likely to break camp with the Twins due to his inspired play that's carried over since late last year. The bigger news however, is what's to come. At a press conference after the acquisition of Rizzotti, with reporters peppering Terry Ryan with questions about their latest acquisition, Ryan made a bold assertion: "When a team has holes, we will do anything in our power to help fill them. This isn't only true when it comes to minor league depth." This statement has been leading to wild speculation that the Twins might look to acquire middle infield help, bench depth, one or two starting pitchers, and some veteran arms for the bullpen. While this is a major breakthrough for the Twins front office -- that a player who can fill a needed position can be acquired for cash considerations -- some sources are criticizing the Twins for not coming to this realization earlier. Other players such as Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle, Todd Coffey and even Nick Punto could have been acquired for "cash considerations" (sometimes known as free agency) earlier in the offseason. When questioned about their tendency to not seek out players for cash in recent history, Ryan countered: "We've been exploring all the normal channels for acquiring players. All options such as waivers, the Rule 5 Draft, etc. have been utilized. Now that we see the simplicity of a cash acquisition, perhaps that could change our stance going forward, but let's take one step at a time." While the front office won't readily admit to being amendable to opening up the checkbook, word out of the other side of Fort Myers is that Twins scouts and personnel have been loitering around the Red Sox minor league fields with calculators and wads of one dollar bills, but that most of their players won't go near them without their agents present. The Twins front office has declined to comment on this.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BKtuV2B9hr8/T3Yn1MWTiUI/AAAAAAAAA0o/3fD4mX7yvXM/s400/20111107_terry-ryan_33.jpg Twitter and the Blogosphere broke with the news today that the Twins had acquired Matt Rizzotti from the Phillies for "cash considerations". This move is in lieu of the minor leagues being one first baseman short now that Chris Parmelee is likely to break camp with the Twins due to his inspired play that's carried over since late last year. The bigger news however, is what's to come. At a press conference after the acquisition of Rizzotti, with reporters peppering Terry Ryan with questions about their latest acquisition, Ryan made a bold assertion: "When a team has holes, we will do anything in our power to help fill them. This isn't only true when it comes to minor league depth." This statement has been leading to wild speculation that the Twins might look to acquire middle infield help, bench depth, one or two starting pitchers, and some veteran arms for the bullpen. While this is a major breakthrough for the Twins front office -- that a player who can fill a needed position can be acquired for cash considerations -- some sources are criticizing the Twins for not coming to this realization earlier. Other players such as Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle, Todd Coffey and even Nick Punto could have been acquired for "cash considerations" (sometimes known as free agency) earlier in the offseason. When questioned about their tendency to not seek out players for cash in recent history, Ryan countered: "We've been exploring all the normal channels for acquiring players. All options such as waivers, the Rule 5 Draft, etc. have been utilized. Now that we see the simplicity of a cash acquisition, perhaps that could change our stance going forward, but let's take one step at a time." While the front office won't readily admit to being amendable to opening up the checkbook, word out of the other side of Fort Myers is that Twins scouts and personnel have been loitering around the Red Sox minor league fields with calculators and wads of one dollar bills, but that most of their players won't go near them without their agents present. The Twins front office has declined to comment on this.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AWuzukRAjw/T3U98ygxs2I/AAAAAAAAA0c/35CeOK2Rl0g/s400/DSC00727.JPG Well, nothing better than Spring Training to get me back here to write something. Despite arriving in Florida on Wednesday in time to head straight from the airport to catch the game against the Phillies, I decided to head down to Naples, get some Cuban food, and just relax on the beach instead. Thursday, however, I got up early and went to check out camp first thing. I got there at 9am, before the players had even hit the field. (Overhearing Gene Glynn & Tom Brunansky chatting later it sounds like there was a nutrition meeting that morning and it set their schedules back a bit.) Since the Twins were out of town playing the Pirates, my day was just spent bouncing around from field to field watching exercises, fielding practice and BP. Not the same as a game of course, but for someone deprived of baseball for months on end it was like a dream come true. And with the team out on the road it's always nice to have the sports complex almost completely to yourself. My recap probably is best served as just an amalgamation of bits and pieces -- it's really the only way to describe Spring Training -- for anyone who hasn't been there in person it's almost a sensation overload and it's just enough to keep a few coherent thoughts in order: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gR3P3jjcbBc/T3U9JnS6vpI/AAAAAAAAAzg/2mE4LB6tkuU/s400/DSC00644.JPG - The first thing that struck me was when I was watching Morneau take BP over on the main field near the Stadium. He was taking cuts in the same group as Willingham and Span. But the thing that I noticed was that he was wearing a batting helmet in BP. Not a huge surprise, I suppose, but considering the guys on the big league side of things tend to just wear hats in the cage, it struck me as a little odd. Down in the minors everyone was wearing helmets, but it seems like once you're in the bigs you get a little swagger and don't want to make your head any sweatier in the Florida sun than necessary. But fragility supersedes style. Morneau did have some powerful shots in his BP session, drilling a few back-to-back shots over the right field fence in one round and then in the next hitting a homerun on a rope, pure line drive (also to right). Willingham had as much pop as advertised as well, and not just when he was pulling the ball -- it seemed like for awhile he was trying to drive it and he ended up launching one way over the 405 ft. centerfield fence and high off the green backboard beyond. Morneau, Span, Hendricks, Willingham, and Carroll all took time to sign some autographs along the rail after their workout. Morneau didn't seem down, tired, lackluster or anything. He was laughing, joking, and making plenty of fun small talk with fans and if anything it was just good to see him in good spirits. - In complete contrast with Morneau was Nishioka. Relinquished to the backfields but still followed around by Ryo, Nishi just didn't look happy to be there at all. He kept to himself, he went through his drills, and as soon as fielding was over he went straight to the enclosed batting cages to take some swings instead of staying on the field with the rest of the team. I overheard Bruno say something to Gene Glynn about Nishi going inside and I couldn't tell if there was any subtext to it or not. Best not to read into it too much I suppose, but hard not to. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcUgy6-cOXM/T3U9ihxX5PI/AAAAAAAAAz4/VF_3beRXTug/s400/DSC00697.JPG - Watching Bruno run BP was great. He really has a great way with the players and they seemed to listen to him and actually respond to his instruction. In one instance, he was working with Aaron Bates and he stood in front of him, positioned his bat, adjusted Bates's hands, and gave him some direction on driving the ball. The next time he stepped into the cage he checked his hands and just drilled the next pitch. He spent time with everyone on that practice field, talking in Rene Rivera's ear while he was hitting, demonstrating adjustments for Ray Chang in his stance, etc. Later, Matt Carson was taking some hacks with Rene Tosoni and Joe Benson and Bruno was actually throwing the BP session. Carson took a strong swing at a pitch well over the far side of the plate and Bruno tsked him and said "Just because it's out there doesn't mean you need to be aggressive... stay back, wait for your pitch. Sit on the fastball in or wait for that hanging slider." Carson took the next pitch which Bruno tossed a little high and then Bruno hung one right over the heart of the plate and Carson belted it deep to the warning track with nodding approval from Bruno. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KXY_dIWY_cM/T3U9VyZz3LI/AAAAAAAAAzs/a-4y8D7pzLg/s400/DSC00670.JPG - There was a lot of PFP going on today as always. There were 3 fields running, one of which I didn't spend much time at was the lower levels of the minors. There was one group of AAA pitchers working with Glynn, Bruno and Cuellar while another group that seemed like a mix of AAA and AA worked with Cliburn, Smith, and Hernandez. Wimmers was in Cliburn's group and seemed very at ease, which is a good sign that hopefully he's in for a good season. Steve Hirschfeld was also in that group and above everyone else he stuck out as a TALL pitcher, with long arms and a big frame. His minor league success isn't fluky it seems and he's definitely someone to keep an eye on as a future major leaguer. In the AAA group there were a ton of former non-roster invitees (PJ Walters, Brendan Wise, Daryl Thompson, etc.) along with some familiar faces like Scott Diamond and Jeff Manship. One guy in particular it was pretty great to see on the field: Kyle Gibson. While the other pitchers would throw a live ball in the drills he just mimed the action, but still went through the routines. Hopefully he can make it back to throwing soon. Gibson's wife was there as well, along with their adorable Alaskan Malamute (who must have been baking in the sun). Their puppy got a lot of attention from the players as they ran to the field. I think I heard Tyler Robertson saying something about how he'd be their mascot for later in the game and a bunch of the other guys chuckled. - Pedro Florimon was fun to watch as he took practice. He was pretty smooth with the glove in the field and has a decent size that I imagine could generate some line drive power if he makes more contact with the bat. He's also got a very easy going nature, very jovial. Glynn told him he'd be playing shortstop in the game today and he smiled and shook his head and said "No, no, segundo," which drew some laughs. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JEL0umQnIm0/T3U91EVYX-I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/46uynq92iys/s400/DSC00688.JPG - Smith threw some BP to a group that included Aaron Hicks, Marc Dolenc, Evan Bigley and Darin Mastroianni. He went through a few rounds and then began going through situations with them, telling them to drive one shot to left, followed by center, followed by right. If someone could get all three to the right direction he'd give them a bonus situation. Hicks really seemed to struggle with directional hitting and wasn't getting good cuts. Mastroianni actually nailed all 3 and so Smith called out a bonus situation for him: "Bases loaded, 2 outs, take a shot" and Mastroianni proceeded to lay down a bunt and sprinted out of the batting cage which seemed to amuse everyone on the field. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fvT_ca3f9ok/T3U9su0_W0I/AAAAAAAAA0E/-GgAiBPUbC8/s400/DSC00713.JPG - As great as it was watching Bruno teaching the AAA players about their hitting, it was fun to watch Paul Molitor and Tom Kelly strolling between the 3 active fields and jumping in to offer pieces of advice, or sitting down on a bench or a folding chair and taking in some of the practice. When everyone finally broke to go in for lunch before their minor league games that afternoon, I wandered by the little half field near the clubhouse and saw Molitor hitting grounders to Mastroianni -- who for some reason was getting reps at second base -- to practice ranging to his left and ranging to his right while Molitor would shout out advice between each grounder. Eventually TK and James Beresford wandered by as well and Beresford asked if he could join, so TK ended up shooting the grounders and Molitor stood by the two of them and gave them some pointers. That's about all I can remember from my sensory overload today. I'm going to the Twins/Red Sox game Friday and I'll also catch the game against the Pirates on Saturday.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AWuzukRAjw/T3U98ygxs2I/AAAAAAAAA0c/35CeOK2Rl0g/s400/DSC00727.JPG Well, nothing better than Spring Training to get me back here to write something. Despite arriving in Florida on Wednesday in time to head straight from the airport to catch the game against the Phillies, I decided to head down to Naples, get some Cuban food, and just relax on the beach instead. Thursday, however, I got up early and went to check out camp first thing. I got there at 9am, before the players had even hit the field. (Overhearing Gene Glynn & Tom Brunansky chatting later it sounds like there was a nutrition meeting that morning and it set their schedules back a bit.) Since the Twins were out of town playing the Pirates, my day was just spent bouncing around from field to field watching exercises, fielding practice and BP. Not the same as a game of course, but for someone deprived of baseball for months on end it was like a dream come true. And with the team out on the road it's always nice to have the sports complex almost completely to yourself. My recap probably is best served as just an amalgamation of bits and pieces -- it's really the only way to describe Spring Training -- for anyone who hasn't been there in person it's almost a sensation overload and it's just enough to keep a few coherent thoughts in order: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gR3P3jjcbBc/T3U9JnS6vpI/AAAAAAAAAzg/2mE4LB6tkuU/s400/DSC00644.JPG - The first thing that struck me was when I was watching Morneau take BP over on the main field near the Stadium. He was taking cuts in the same group as Willingham and Span. But the thing that I noticed was that he was wearing a batting helmet in BP. Not a huge surprise, I suppose, but considering the guys on the big league side of things tend to just wear hats in the cage, it struck me as a little odd. Down in the minors everyone was wearing helmets, but it seems like once you're in the bigs you get a little swagger and don't want to make your head any sweatier in the Florida sun than necessary. But fragility supersedes style. Morneau did have some powerful shots in his BP session, drilling a few back-to-back shots over the right field fence in one round and then in the next hitting a homerun on a rope, pure line drive (also to right). Willingham had as much pop as advertised as well, and not just when he was pulling the ball -- it seemed like for awhile he was trying to drive it and he ended up launching one way over the 405 ft. centerfield fence and high off the green backboard beyond. Morneau, Span, Hendricks, Willingham, and Carroll all took time to sign some autographs along the rail after their workout. Morneau didn't seem down, tired, lackluster or anything. He was laughing, joking, and making plenty of fun small talk with fans and if anything it was just good to see him in good spirits. - In complete contrast with Morneau was Nishioka. Relinquished to the backfields but still followed around by Ryo, Nishi just didn't look happy to be there at all. He kept to himself, he went through his drills, and as soon as fielding was over he went straight to the enclosed batting cages to take some swings instead of staying on the field with the rest of the team. I overheard Bruno say something to Gene Glynn about Nishi going inside and I couldn't tell if there was any subtext to it or not. Best not to read into it too much I suppose, but hard not to. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcUgy6-cOXM/T3U9ihxX5PI/AAAAAAAAAz4/VF_3beRXTug/s400/DSC00697.JPG - Watching Bruno run BP was great. He really has a great way with the players and they seemed to listen to him and actually respond to his instruction. In one instance, he was working with Aaron Bates and he stood in front of him, positioned his bat, adjusted Bates's hands, and gave him some direction on driving the ball. The next time he stepped into the cage he checked his hands and just drilled the next pitch. He spent time with everyone on that practice field, talking in Rene Rivera's ear while he was hitting, demonstrating adjustments for Ray Chang in his stance, etc. Later, Matt Carson was taking some hacks with Rene Tosoni and Joe Benson and Bruno was actually throwing the BP session. Carson took a strong swing at a pitch well over the far side of the plate and Bruno tsked him and said "Just because it's out there doesn't mean you need to be aggressive... stay back, wait for your pitch. Sit on the fastball in or wait for that hanging slider." Carson took the next pitch which Bruno tossed a little high and then Bruno hung one right over the heart of the plate and Carson belted it deep to the warning track with nodding approval from Bruno. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KXY_dIWY_cM/T3U9VyZz3LI/AAAAAAAAAzs/a-4y8D7pzLg/s400/DSC00670.JPG - There was a lot of PFP going on today as always. There were 3 fields running, one of which I didn't spend much time at was the lower levels of the minors. There was one group of AAA pitchers working with Glynn, Bruno and Cuellar while another group that seemed like a mix of AAA and AA worked with Cliburn, Smith, and Hernandez. Wimmers was in Cliburn's group and seemed very at ease, which is a good sign that hopefully he's in for a good season. Steve Hirschfeld was also in that group and above everyone else he stuck out as a TALL pitcher, with long arms and a big frame. His minor league success isn't fluky it seems and he's definitely someone to keep an eye on as a future major leaguer. In the AAA group there were a ton of former non-roster invitees (PJ Walters, Brendan Wise, Daryl Thompson, etc.) along with some familiar faces like Scott Diamond and Jeff Manship. One guy in particular it was pretty great to see on the field: Kyle Gibson. While the other pitchers would throw a live ball in the drills he just mimed the action, but still went through the routines. Hopefully he can make it back to throwing soon. Gibson's wife was there as well, along with their adorable Alaskan Malamute (who must have been baking in the sun). Their puppy got a lot of attention from the players as they ran to the field. I think I heard Tyler Robertson saying something about how he'd be their mascot for later in the game and a bunch of the other guys chuckled. - Pedro Florimon was fun to watch as he took practice. He was pretty smooth with the glove in the field and has a decent size that I imagine could generate some line drive power if he makes more contact with the bat. He's also got a very easy going nature, very jovial. Glynn told him he'd be playing shortstop in the game today and he smiled and shook his head and said "No, no, segundo," which drew some laughs. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JEL0umQnIm0/T3U91EVYX-I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/46uynq92iys/s400/DSC00688.JPG - Smith threw some BP to a group that included Aaron Hicks, Marc Dolenc, Evan Bigley and Darin Mastroianni. He went through a few rounds and then began going through situations with them, telling them to drive one shot to left, followed by center, followed by right. If someone could get all three to the right direction he'd give them a bonus situation. Hicks really seemed to struggle with directional hitting and wasn't getting good cuts. Mastroianni actually nailed all 3 and so Smith called out a bonus situation for him: "Bases loaded, 2 outs, take a shot" and Mastroianni proceeded to lay down a bunt and sprinted out of the batting cage which seemed to amuse everyone on the field. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fvT_ca3f9ok/T3U9su0_W0I/AAAAAAAAA0E/-GgAiBPUbC8/s400/DSC00713.JPG - As great as it was watching Bruno teaching the AAA players about their hitting, it was fun to watch Paul Molitor and Tom Kelly strolling between the 3 active fields and jumping in to offer pieces of advice, or sitting down on a bench or a folding chair and taking in some of the practice. When everyone finally broke to go in for lunch before their minor league games that afternoon, I wandered by the little half field near the clubhouse and saw Molitor hitting grounders to Mastroianni -- who for some reason was getting reps at second base -- to practice ranging to his left and ranging to his right while Molitor would shout out advice between each grounder. Eventually TK and James Beresford wandered by as well and Beresford asked if he could join, so TK ended up shooting the grounders and Molitor stood by the two of them and gave them some pointers. That's about all I can remember from my sensory overload today. I'm going to the Twins/Red Sox game Friday and I'll also catch the game against the Pirates on Saturday.