rogrulz30

It is hard to question what gardy does on the field in comparison to other mgrs, I m not sure what that looks like in the clubhouse, but I go back and forth with how ibwould feel w/ gardy out. If we were to get a more aggressive manager like a Larussa or maddon type of guy, I would be in. I love Paul molitor, just not sure what he brings as a manager. If gardy can somehow have a competitive team this year I don't see the point in letting him go.

2 more @ Tigers 3 @ Indians 4 @ Red Sox 3 vs Orioles 3 Vs White Sox 3 @ Braves 3 vs Red Sox Combined Record 65-64 .504 Looking at what has happened so far this year being 11-11, I find the next 21 games very important on a lot of ways in my opinion. We have a .500 record now, we play decent teams with a combined record of what we do. I think a lot can happen good or bad. I really want the Twins to play meaningful games in the months of August. I am encouraged in a few ways watching the first 22 games and being .500. I have a tough time thinking we can compete against anybody from the AL East for a Wild Card, and I have a tough time thinking we can beat the Tigers record. One thing is you never know though. Here are a couple of things that are going to make or break the chances of playing meaningful games this year, or build our value for the next few years. 1. Justin Morneau, yes he is my favorite Twin, my hope for him sometimes subsides reality I guess. I was really hoping he would have a good year this year for 2 reasons, we either get great value for him for the deadline, or he helps carry the team to contention this year. He has missed some HR pitches in the first games of the season, a lot of them. He finally hit a hanging breaking ball for a HR on Sunday. I hope he finds it and has a good May, as 17th in the AL for 1B in slugging percentage isn't what you want from that spot. 2. Chris Parmelee-- Goes hand in hand w/ #1. 16th in the AL in batting AVG, 20th in SLG for RF in the AL. He isn't producing yet, I don't know how long you give him. I was excited to see him start the year with the Twins, he has been impressive in the field, at the plate he is less than desired. He was supposed to be the guy that replaces Morneau. What happens if he can't live up to either spot, we put a lot of time into this guy not to pan out. Times a ticking I think, the next 3 weeks could be interesting for Parmelee. 3. Trevor Plouffe 12th among 3B in SLG, 16th in RBI in the AL. This certainly isn't going to cut it. Is Escobar really going to be the 3B over Plouffe. How do you not play Escobar right now. Escobar is batting .438 in 32 AB, including more RBI than Plouffe. I was looking forward to Plouffe being an everyday 3B for the Twins, I thought if he was healthy he could produce, this hasn't happened, defense has been suspect, plate appearances have not been very good. 4. Lineup: Brian Dozier 7/10 among 2B in Batting Avg. .243 Joe Mauer 3/10 among Catchers in Avg batting .289 Josh Willingham 4/16 among LF in RBI 2/16 SLG Justin Morneau 13/17 among 1B in SLG 9/17 in RBI Trevor Plouffe 8/13 among 3B in SLG 16/16 in RBI Chris Parmelee 12/13 among RF in SLG 12/13 in RBI Ryan Doumit batting .197 in 66 AB Aaron Hicks 14/14 among CF in Batting Avg. .113 Pedro Florimon batting .250 in 40 AB This lineup is really losing its luster, especially with Mauer struggling. Our best batter isn't even in the starting lineup. The only player living up to his reputation may be Willingham. Gardy is having a tough time finding the right mix to get this thing going. This trend has started to get ugly, and I am not seeing anything getting better soon, except for the hope of Morneau, and Hicks is looking a lot better. Arcia and Escobar are going to probably get some good playing time. 5. Starting rotation-- Question mark coming in, Question mark going forward. Pelfrey yet to have a quality start. Worley hasn't looked good at all. Hendriks already sent down. Hernandez has looked good, small sample size. Diamond, right where he left off. Gibson 3.5ish in AAA. Correia is the only bright spot in the rotation, as this has been well documented. This rotation has 7 people 5 spots, this will be interesting with Hernandez pitching well, Gibson coming up. 1. Correia 2. Diamond 3. Worley 4. Pelfrey 5. Hernandez 6. Gibson 7. Hendriks. Who are the ones left out if Hernandez keeps pitching well, Gibson coming up. I am looking at the next 21 games and I am not looking optimistic. I have a bad feeling we are going to be 18-25 after 43 games. I think the only way I will be wrong is if Morneau gets confidence back after Sundays HR, the middle of the lineup is just average, the back of the rotation starts getting quality starts. I think the next 2 games at Detroit set the tone for the next 19, and when the Twins play in Detroit as of late, I am not feeling confident.

2 more @ Tigers 3 @ Indians 4 @ Red Sox 3 vs Orioles 3 Vs White Sox 3 @ Braves 3 vs Red Sox Combined Record 65-64 .504 Looking at what has happened so far this year being 11-11, I find the next 21 games very important on a lot of ways in my opinion. We have a .500 record now, we play decent teams with a combined record of what we do. I think a lot can happen good or bad. I really want the Twins to play meaningful games in the months of August. I am encouraged in a few ways watching the first 22 games and being .500. I have a tough time thinking we can compete against anybody from the AL East for a Wild Card, and I have a tough time thinking we can beat the Tigers record. One thing is you never know though. Here are a couple of things that are going to make or break the chances of playing meaningful games this year, or build our value for the next few years. 1. Justin Morneau, yes he is my favorite Twin, my hope for him sometimes subsides reality I guess. I was really hoping he would have a good year this year for 2 reasons, we either get great value for him for the deadline, or he helps carry the team to contention this year. He has missed some HR pitches in the first games of the season, a lot of them. He finally hit a hanging breaking ball for a HR on Sunday. I hope he finds it and has a good May, as 17th in the AL for 1B in slugging percentage isn't what you want from that spot. 2. Chris Parmelee-- Goes hand in hand w/ #1. 16th in the AL in batting AVG, 20th in SLG for RF in the AL. He isn't producing yet, I don't know how long you give him. I was excited to see him start the year with the Twins, he has been impressive in the field, at the plate he is less than desired. He was supposed to be the guy that replaces Morneau. What happens if he can't live up to either spot, we put a lot of time into this guy not to pan out. Times a ticking I think, the next 3 weeks could be interesting for Parmelee. 3. Trevor Plouffe 12th among 3B in SLG, 16th in RBI in the AL. This certainly isn't going to cut it. Is Escobar really going to be the 3B over Plouffe. How do you not play Escobar right now. Escobar is batting .438 in 32 AB, including more RBI than Plouffe. I was looking forward to Plouffe being an everyday 3B for the Twins, I thought if he was healthy he could produce, this hasn't happened, defense has been suspect, plate appearances have not been very good. 4. Lineup: Brian Dozier 7/10 among 2B in Batting Avg. .243 Joe Mauer 3/10 among Catchers in Avg batting .289 Josh Willingham 4/16 among LF in RBI 2/16 SLG Justin Morneau 13/17 among 1B in SLG 9/17 in RBI Trevor Plouffe 8/13 among 3B in SLG 16/16 in RBI Chris Parmelee 12/13 among RF in SLG 12/13 in RBI Ryan Doumit batting .197 in 66 AB Aaron Hicks 14/14 among CF in Batting Avg. .113 Pedro Florimon batting .250 in 40 AB This lineup is really losing its luster, especially with Mauer struggling. Our best batter isn't even in the starting lineup. The only player living up to his reputation may be Willingham. Gardy is having a tough time finding the right mix to get this thing going. This trend has started to get ugly, and I am not seeing anything getting better soon, except for the hope of Morneau, and Hicks is looking a lot better. Arcia and Escobar are going to probably get some good playing time. 5. Starting rotation-- Question mark coming in, Question mark going forward. Pelfrey yet to have a quality start. Worley hasn't looked good at all. Hendriks already sent down. Hernandez has looked good, small sample size. Diamond, right where he left off. Gibson 3.5ish in AAA. Correia is the only bright spot in the rotation, as this has been well documented. This rotation has 7 people 5 spots, this will be interesting with Hernandez pitching well, Gibson coming up. 1. Correia 2. Diamond 3. Worley 4. Pelfrey 5. Hernandez 6. Gibson 7. Hendriks. Who are the ones left out if Hernandez keeps pitching well, Gibson coming up. I am looking at the next 21 games and I am not looking optimistic. I have a bad feeling we are going to be 18-25 after 43 games. I think the only way I will be wrong is if Morneau gets confidence back after Sundays HR, the middle of the lineup is just average, the back of the rotation starts getting quality starts. I think the next 2 games at Detroit set the tone for the next 19, and when the Twins play in Detroit as of late, I am not feeling confident.

2 more @ Tigers 3 @ Indians 4 @ Red Sox 3 vs Orioles 3 Vs White Sox 3 @ Braves 3 vs Red Sox Combined Record 65-64 .504 Looking at what has happened so far this year being 11-11, I find the next 21 games very important on a lot of ways in my opinion. We have a .500 record now, we play decent teams with a combined record of what we do. I think a lot can happen good or bad. I really want the Twins to play meaningful games in the months of August. I am encouraged in a few ways watching the first 22 games and being .500. I have a tough time thinking we can compete against anybody from the AL East for a Wild Card, and I have a tough time thinking we can beat the Tigers record. One thing is you never know though. Here are a couple of things that are going to make or break the chances of playing meaningful games this year, or build our value for the next few years. 1. Justin Morneau, yes he is my favorite Twin, my hope for him sometimes subsides reality I guess. I was really hoping he would have a good year this year for 2 reasons, we either get great value for him for the deadline, or he helps carry the team to contention this year. He has missed some HR pitches in the first games of the season, a lot of them. He finally hit a hanging breaking ball for a HR on Sunday. I hope he finds it and has a good May, as 17th in the AL for 1B in slugging percentage isn't what you want from that spot. 2. Chris Parmelee-- Goes hand in hand w/ #1. 16th in the AL in batting AVG, 20th in SLG for RF in the AL. He isn't producing yet, I don't know how long you give him. I was excited to see him start the year with the Twins, he has been impressive in the field, at the plate he is less than desired. He was supposed to be the guy that replaces Morneau. What happens if he can't live up to either spot, we put a lot of time into this guy not to pan out. Times a ticking I think, the next 3 weeks could be interesting for Parmelee. 3. Trevor Plouffe 12th among 3B in SLG, 16th in RBI in the AL. This certainly isn't going to cut it. Is Escobar really going to be the 3B over Plouffe. How do you not play Escobar right now. Escobar is batting .438 in 32 AB, including more RBI than Plouffe. I was looking forward to Plouffe being an everyday 3B for the Twins, I thought if he was healthy he could produce, this hasn't happened, defense has been suspect, plate appearances have not been very good. 4. Lineup: Brian Dozier 7/10 among 2B in Batting Avg. .243 Joe Mauer 3/10 among Catchers in Avg batting .289 Josh Willingham 4/16 among LF in RBI 2/16 SLG Justin Morneau 13/17 among 1B in SLG 9/17 in RBI Trevor Plouffe 8/13 among 3B in SLG 16/16 in RBI Chris Parmelee 12/13 among RF in SLG 12/13 in RBI Ryan Doumit batting .197 in 66 AB Aaron Hicks 14/14 among CF in Batting Avg. .113 Pedro Florimon batting .250 in 40 AB This lineup is really losing its luster, especially with Mauer struggling. Our best batter isn't even in the starting lineup. The only player living up to his reputation may be Willingham. Gardy is having a tough time finding the right mix to get this thing going. This trend has started to get ugly, and I am not seeing anything getting better soon, except for the hope of Morneau, and Hicks is looking a lot better. Arcia and Escobar are going to probably get some good playing time. 5. Starting rotation-- Question mark coming in, Question mark going forward. Pelfrey yet to have a quality start. Worley hasn't looked good at all. Hendriks already sent down. Hernandez has looked good, small sample size. Diamond, right where he left off. Gibson 3.5ish in AAA. Correia is the only bright spot in the rotation, as this has been well documented. This rotation has 7 people 5 spots, this will be interesting with Hernandez pitching well, Gibson coming up. 1. Correia 2. Diamond 3. Worley 4. Pelfrey 5. Hernandez 6. Gibson 7. Hendriks. Who are the ones left out if Hernandez keeps pitching well, Gibson coming up. I am looking at the next 21 games and I am not looking optimistic. I have a bad feeling we are going to be 18-25 after 43 games. I think the only way I will be wrong is if Morneau gets confidence back after Sundays HR, the middle of the lineup is just average, the back of the rotation starts getting quality starts. I think the next 2 games at Detroit set the tone for the next 19, and when the Twins play in Detroit as of late, I am not feeling confident.

2 more @ Tigers 3 @ Indians 4 @ Red Sox 3 vs Orioles 3 Vs White Sox 3 @ Braves 3 vs Red Sox Combined Record 65-64 .504 Looking at what has happened so far this year being 11-11, I find the next 21 games very important on a lot of ways in my opinion. We have a .500 record now, we play decent teams with a combined record of what we do. I think a lot can happen good or bad. I really want the Twins to play meaningful games in the months of August. I am encouraged in a few ways watching the first 22 games and being .500. I have a tough time thinking we can compete against anybody from the AL East for a Wild Card, and I have a tough time thinking we can beat the Tigers record. One thing is you never know though. Here are a couple of things that are going to make or break the chances of playing meaningful games this year, or build our value for the next few years. 1. Justin Morneau, yes he is my favorite Twin, my hope for him sometimes subsides reality I guess. I was really hoping he would have a good year this year for 2 reasons, we either get great value for him for the deadline, or he helps carry the team to contention this year. He has missed some HR pitches in the first games of the season, a lot of them. He finally hit a hanging breaking ball for a HR on Sunday. I hope he finds it and has a good May, as 17th in the AL for 1B in slugging percentage isn't what you want from that spot. 2. Chris Parmelee-- Goes hand in hand w/ #1. 16th in the AL in batting AVG, 20th in SLG for RF in the AL. He isn't producing yet, I don't know how long you give him. I was excited to see him start the year with the Twins, he has been impressive in the field, at the plate he is less than desired. He was supposed to be the guy that replaces Morneau. What happens if he can't live up to either spot, we put a lot of time into this guy not to pan out. Times a ticking I think, the next 3 weeks could be interesting for Parmelee. 3. Trevor Plouffe 12th among 3B in SLG, 16th in RBI in the AL. This certainly isn't going to cut it. Is Escobar really going to be the 3B over Plouffe. How do you not play Escobar right now. Escobar is batting .438 in 32 AB, including more RBI than Plouffe. I was looking forward to Plouffe being an everyday 3B for the Twins, I thought if he was healthy he could produce, this hasn't happened, defense has been suspect, plate appearances have not been very good. 4. Lineup: Brian Dozier 7/10 among 2B in Batting Avg. .243 Joe Mauer 3/10 among Catchers in Avg batting .289 Josh Willingham 4/16 among LF in RBI 2/16 SLG Justin Morneau 13/17 among 1B in SLG 9/17 in RBI Trevor Plouffe 8/13 among 3B in SLG 16/16 in RBI Chris Parmelee 12/13 among RF in SLG 12/13 in RBI Ryan Doumit batting .197 in 66 AB Aaron Hicks 14/14 among CF in Batting Avg. .113 Pedro Florimon batting .250 in 40 AB This lineup is really losing its luster, especially with Mauer struggling. Our best batter isn't even in the starting lineup. The only player living up to his reputation may be Willingham. Gardy is having a tough time finding the right mix to get this thing going. This trend has started to get ugly, and I am not seeing anything getting better soon, except for the hope of Morneau, and Hicks is looking a lot better. Arcia and Escobar are going to probably get some good playing time. 5. Starting rotation-- Question mark coming in, Question mark going forward. Pelfrey yet to have a quality start. Worley hasn't looked good at all. Hendriks already sent down. Hernandez has looked good, small sample size. Diamond, right where he left off. Gibson 3.5ish in AAA. Correia is the only bright spot in the rotation, as this has been well documented. This rotation has 7 people 5 spots, this will be interesting with Hernandez pitching well, Gibson coming up. 1. Correia 2. Diamond 3. Worley 4. Pelfrey 5. Hernandez 6. Gibson 7. Hendriks. Who are the ones left out if Hernandez keeps pitching well, Gibson coming up. I am looking at the next 21 games and I am not looking optimistic. I have a bad feeling we are going to be 18-25 after 43 games. I think the only way I will be wrong is if Morneau gets confidence back after Sundays HR, the middle of the lineup is just average, the back of the rotation starts getting quality starts. I think the next 2 games at Detroit set the tone for the next 19, and when the Twins play in Detroit as of late, I am not feeling confident.

I got the data from ESPN Minnesota Twins 2012 Pitching Statistics - ESPN, sort by team/year. I just did the math on my own. Obviously games started, and QS. I was curious the other day remembering watching every game last year on how I would just hope we get through 5, and then this year how much more innings our starters have the potential of throwing. Makes the hope for twins winning much better. I was very surprised doing the math it turned out the way it did, I have to admit I was getting tired, so I only did about half the teams.

Think about last year watching the Twins pitching staff. What comes to mind right away? 1. Injuries 2. What are we going to get from Liriano tonight? 3. Who? 4. OMG!!! Capps is coming in!! 5. Our 3rd catcher is showing us how to pitch? Every start was a circus it seemed. The only positives all year on the Twins pitching staff was Jared Burton, Glenn Perkins, Scott Diamond. Liam Hendriks had the chance of all chances, he started 16 games and got 1 win, 5 quality starts. At the beginning of last year, I honestly thought we had a chance to be competitive. Liriano was going to be the X factor, what happened was Gibson out, Baker out, Pavano out, Liriano traded. This lead to people we have never heard of going out there and starting games. If you don't get quality starts it doesn't help putting anyone on ease. Joe Mauer had a good year, he had to learn these guys coming in to pitch. He had to teach these guys things. He had it tough, I give him credit for those things, and having a great comeback season. So far this year the Twins are 7-7, 5/14 in quality starts for the rotation so far. 35% of the starts have been "quality". This is without Scott Diamond who last year had 60% of his starts "quality". The rest of our rotation moving to a new league/new team. Mike Pelfrey in 2011 had 45% of his starts as "quality". Kevin Correia in 2012 had 57% of his starts "quality". Vance Worley in 2012 had 56% of his starts quality starts. I am guessing Kyle Gibson will be our 5th starter soon this year, which you go down the line and puts you in a much better position to win games. Quality start, good offense, quality relief pitching gives you a good chance to win games. The San Fransisco Giants won the world series last year, 57% of the starts by the starting rotation were quality starts. Compare that to the Minnesota Twins (38%). Giants won 58% of there games, Twins won 40% of there games. I just want to put things in perspective around baseball records and quality starts. Then, look at how much our rotation has a chance to keep the Twins above .500. All Division winners Nationals 59%, won 60% Reds 60%, won 60% Giants 57%, won 58% Yankees 50%, won 58% (3rd in MLB in runs scored) Tigers 55%, won 54% A's 55%, won 58% All Division last place teams Boston 44%, won 42% Minnesota 38%, won 40% Seattle 55%, (Vargas/Felix), won 46% (27th in the MLB runs scored) Miami 56%, won 42% (29th in the MLB runs scored) Houston 45%, won 34% Colorado doesn't count San Diego 46%, won 47% There are a few exceptions which make sense, Seattle couldn't score runs, had Vargas and King Felix who always put up quality starts, you have Miami, who had good starting pitching, had team issues and couldn't score runs. Reality is it is pretty close to compare QS to overall record. As I watch the Twins this season so far, I have a lot more confidence when our pitchers go out there that they can last more than 3,4, 5 innings. I want to give some extra hope to the season, as we are 14 games in, and the Twins are still relative. If you go with the premise that QS = Win %, this is what our top 4 starters would give us this year. Between Pelfrey in 2011, Worley, Diamond, Correia in 2012 60/111 starts were quality. 54% Detroit won the central last year winning 54% of there games. Just saying, sometimes it is hard to find hope with the Minnesota Twins projections, but watching some of the starts by our rotation is giving me some hope.

Think about last year watching the Twins pitching staff. What comes to mind right away? 1. Injuries 2. What are we going to get from Liriano tonight? 3. Who? 4. OMG!!! Capps is coming in!! 5. Our 3rd catcher is showing us how to pitch? Every start was a circus it seemed. The only positives all year on the Twins pitching staff was Jared Burton, Glenn Perkins, Scott Diamond. Liam Hendriks had the chance of all chances, he started 16 games and got 1 win, 5 quality starts. At the beginning of last year, I honestly thought we had a chance to be competitive. Liriano was going to be the X factor, what happened was Gibson out, Baker out, Pavano out, Liriano traded. This lead to people we have never heard of going out there and starting games. If you don't get quality starts it doesn't help putting anyone on ease. Joe Mauer had a good year, he had to learn these guys coming in to pitch. He had to teach these guys things. He had it tough, I give him credit for those things, and having a great comeback season. So far this year the Twins are 7-7, 5/14 in quality starts for the rotation so far. 35% of the starts have been "quality". This is without Scott Diamond who last year had 60% of his starts "quality". The rest of our rotation moving to a new league/new team. Mike Pelfrey in 2011 had 45% of his starts as "quality". Kevin Correia in 2012 had 57% of his starts "quality". Vance Worley in 2012 had 56% of his starts quality starts. I am guessing Kyle Gibson will be our 5th starter soon this year, which you go down the line and puts you in a much better position to win games. Quality start, good offense, quality relief pitching gives you a good chance to win games. The San Fransisco Giants won the world series last year, 57% of the starts by the starting rotation were quality starts. Compare that to the Minnesota Twins (38%). Giants won 58% of there games, Twins won 40% of there games. I just want to put things in perspective around baseball records and quality starts. Then, look at how much our rotation has a chance to keep the Twins above .500. All Division winners Nationals 59%, won 60% Reds 60%, won 60% Giants 57%, won 58% Yankees 50%, won 58% (3rd in MLB in runs scored) Tigers 55%, won 54% A's 55%, won 58% All Division last place teams Boston 44%, won 42% Minnesota 38%, won 40% Seattle 55%, (Vargas/Felix), won 46% (27th in the MLB runs scored) Miami 56%, won 42% (29th in the MLB runs scored) Houston 45%, won 34% Colorado doesn't count San Diego 46%, won 47% There are a few exceptions which make sense, Seattle couldn't score runs, had Vargas and King Felix who always put up quality starts, you have Miami, who had good starting pitching, had team issues and couldn't score runs. Reality is it is pretty close to compare QS to overall record. As I watch the Twins this season so far, I have a lot more confidence when our pitchers go out there that they can last more than 3,4, 5 innings. I want to give some extra hope to the season, as we are 14 games in, and the Twins are still relative. If you go with the premise that QS = Win %, this is what our top 4 starters would give us this year. Between Pelfrey in 2011, Worley, Diamond, Correia in 2012 60/111 starts were quality. 54% Detroit won the central last year winning 54% of there games. Just saying, sometimes it is hard to find hope with the Minnesota Twins projections, but watching some of the starts by our rotation is giving me some hope.

3 games in a row. My comfort after work is to come home and watch baseball w/ my daughter. When I got married I made the deal that when the Twins were on, I get control over the remote and I get to watch TwinsBaseball. Let me tell you the last week, Duluth has had the worst April weather since I have been alive I think. Windy, snowy, cold, not one good thing that brings spring into summer. No golf, going to Mondays Twins game at Target Field at 35 degrees, and horrible business due to bad driving conditions. I would love it to come home and relax and watch the Twins. Hell Joe Mauer is really fun to watch right now, Hicks was starting to look more comfortable, and the Twins won 2 games in a row, or I could say that Anaheim had no care of being in Minnesota and playing those games. The Twins have won 4 of the last 16 games vs the Sox I believe, and I was hoping to watch the series. Sox/Twins was a good rivalry back in the day. When the Twins were winning the Central, Guillen was managing the WhiteSox, I used to love when they came to the dome. They hated the dome, and we dominated them. When I was a kid I got WGN, and I had the choice of watching Cubs games, Sox games, or on MSN, Twins games. I couldn't stand listening to the Sox games, the announcers I wanted to punch in the face, I loved Steve Stone and Haray Carey. I have hated the White Sox ever since I was a kid. I hate the Yankees, which lead me down the path of being a Red Sox fan. I want a rivalry!!! I want the Sox to be the rivalry it was 5-8 years ago. Obviously it takes winning seasons to get good rivalries, right now we haven't been good, so the rivalry has gone away. I have written about this before, the Twins need to stir things up, not sure who to do that w/, if it was me it would be the Yankees or the White Sox. A.J. Pierzynski helped create the rivalry, we need more characters like that in baseball. We have pieces to the puzzle coming up, at some point they need to have a little swag. Again, I have said this before, Joe Maddon made the Rays what they are today. They didn't take anything from the Yankees in preseason games and started showing people they aren't afraid. I would love to rial some things up with the Sox this weekend. I can't help myself but write about my favorite show ever. "Survivor" I love that show more than any other show I have watched. I get made fun of because people think the show is about "surviving". It is totally not what it is, even though the conditions help make the show. There is soooooo much strategy that goes on in that show, I wish all my friends would give it a shot so I can talk strategy with them. I encourage every person, if you haven't watched the show, you love strategy, and you start understanding all that goes into the game, you would have to love it. This is my one attempt to just have at least 1 person more to watch this show, as I have probably seen most seasons, and the show never lets me down.

3 games in a row. My comfort after work is to come home and watch baseball w/ my daughter. When I got married I made the deal that when the Twins were on, I get control over the remote and I get to watch TwinsBaseball. Let me tell you the last week, Duluth has had the worst April weather since I have been alive I think. Windy, snowy, cold, not one good thing that brings spring into summer. No golf, going to Mondays Twins game at Target Field at 35 degrees, and horrible business due to bad driving conditions. I would love it to come home and relax and watch the Twins. Hell Joe Mauer is really fun to watch right now, Hicks was starting to look more comfortable, and the Twins won 2 games in a row, or I could say that Anaheim had no care of being in Minnesota and playing those games. The Twins have won 4 of the last 16 games vs the Sox I believe, and I was hoping to watch the series. Sox/Twins was a good rivalry back in the day. When the Twins were winning the Central, Guillen was managing the WhiteSox, I used to love when they came to the dome. They hated the dome, and we dominated them. When I was a kid I got WGN, and I had the choice of watching Cubs games, Sox games, or on MSN, Twins games. I couldn't stand listening to the Sox games, the announcers I wanted to punch in the face, I loved Steve Stone and Haray Carey. I have hated the White Sox ever since I was a kid. I hate the Yankees, which lead me down the path of being a Red Sox fan. I want a rivalry!!! I want the Sox to be the rivalry it was 5-8 years ago. Obviously it takes winning seasons to get good rivalries, right now we haven't been good, so the rivalry has gone away. I have written about this before, the Twins need to stir things up, not sure who to do that w/, if it was me it would be the Yankees or the White Sox. A.J. Pierzynski helped create the rivalry, we need more characters like that in baseball. We have pieces to the puzzle coming up, at some point they need to have a little swag. Again, I have said this before, Joe Maddon made the Rays what they are today. They didn't take anything from the Yankees in preseason games and started showing people they aren't afraid. I would love to rial some things up with the Sox this weekend. I can't help myself but write about my favorite show ever. "Survivor" I love that show more than any other show I have watched. I get made fun of because people think the show is about "surviving". It is totally not what it is, even though the conditions help make the show. There is soooooo much strategy that goes on in that show, I wish all my friends would give it a shot so I can talk strategy with them. I encourage every person, if you haven't watched the show, you love strategy, and you start understanding all that goes into the game, you would have to love it. This is my one attempt to just have at least 1 person more to watch this show, as I have probably seen most seasons, and the show never lets me down.

How many times this year are we going to see this. Minnesota Twins 4-2, 1st in AL Central Division Reality is that the White Sox have the same record, but this picture looks nice. How did the Twins get to 4-2? Let's look Aaron Hicks batting leadoff batting .077 . Our best hitter Joe Mauer batting in the 2 hole .231 Josh Willingham batting .231 Justin Morneau 3 RBI in 6 games, 2 of those were on a routine fly ball to center that wasn't fielded correctly. Ryan Doumit batting .200 2 RBI Trevor Plouffe batting .235 Brian Dozier batting .176 Wait a second, the Twins are 4-2??? Yep, lets take a closer look Vance Worley 2 starts 0-1 5.73 ERA Kevin Correia 1 start 0-0 2.57 ERA 2 K's Mike Pelfrey 1 start 1-0 0.00 ERA 1 K Liam Hendriks 1 start 0-0 7.71 ERA 1 K Pedro Hernandez (who?) 1 start 0-0 5.40 ERA 3 K's WAIT A SECOND, the TWINS ARE 4-2??? Who did we play?? 1. Detroit Tigers, won the AL Central in 2012, expected to win the Central in 2013 (2-1) 2. @ Baltimore Orioles, AL Wild Card team in 2012, hottest hitter in the League Chris Davis (2-1) Not only those things are going on, but Florimon and Mauer are tied for 2nd in the league w/ Errors at 2 each. I am just looking for answers to see if this what Terry Ryan was putting together, sly, sly guy, we were confused by all the off season moves. [TABLE=class: stats_table data_grid, width: 734] [TH=class: dg-rank]RK[/TH] [TH=class: dg-name_display_last_init]Player[/TH] [TH=class: dg-team_abbrev]Team[/TH] [TH=class: dg-pos]Pos[/TH] [TH=class: dg-g sortable, align: right]G[/TH] [TH=class: dg-ab sortable, align: right]AB[/TH] [TH=class: dg-r sortable, align: right]R[/TH] [TH=class: dg-h sortable, align: right]H[/TH] [TH=class: dg-d sortable, align: right]2B[/TH] [TH=class: dg-t sortable, align: right]3B[/TH] [TH=class: dg-hr sortable, align: right]HR[/TH] [TH=class: dg-rbi sortable, align: right]RBI[/TH] [TH=class: dg-bb sortable, align: right]BB[/TH] [TH=class: dg-so sortable, align: right]SO[/TH] [TH=class: dg-sb sortable, align: right]SB[/TH] [TH=class: dg-cs sortable, align: right]CS[/TH] [TH=class: dg-avg sortable active, bgcolor: #DCDCDC, align: right]AVG▼[/TH] [TH=class: dg-obp sortable, align: right]OBP[/TH] [TH=class: dg-slg sortable, align: right]SLG[/TH] [TH=class: dg-ops sortable, align: right]OPS[/TH] [TD=class: dg-rank]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-name_display_last_init] Escobar, E[/TD] [TD=class: dg-team_abbrev]MIN[/TD] [TD=class: dg-pos]2B[/TD] [TD=class: dg-g, align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ab, align: right]7[/TD] [TD=class: dg-r, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-h, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-d, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-t, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-hr, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-rbi, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-bb, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-so, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-sb, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-cs, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-avg active, bgcolor: #F5F5F5, align: right].429[/TD] [TD=class: dg-obp, align: right].429[/TD] [TD=class: dg-slg, align: right].571[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ops, align: right]1.000[/TD] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: stats_table data_grid, width: 734] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: dg-rank, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-name_display_last_init, bgcolor: #E1E1E1] Florimon, P[/TD] [TD=class: dg-team_abbrev, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]MIN[/TD] [TD=class: dg-pos, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]SS[/TD] [TD=class: dg-g, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ab, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]10[/TD] [TD=class: dg-r, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-h, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]4[/TD] [TD=class: dg-d, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-t, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-hr, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-rbi, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-bb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-so, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-sb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-cs, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-avg active, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].400[/TD] [TD=class: dg-obp, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].538[/TD] [TD=class: dg-slg, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].500[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ops, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1.038[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: stats_table data_grid, width: 734] [TD=class: dg-rank, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-name_display_last_init, bgcolor: #E1E1E1] Ramirez, W[/TD] [TD=class: dg-team_abbrev, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]MIN[/TD] [TD=class: dg-pos, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]LF[/TD] [TD=class: dg-g, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ab, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: dg-r, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-h, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-d, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-t, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-hr, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-rbi, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-bb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-so, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-sb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-cs, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-avg active, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].400[/TD] [TD=class: dg-obp, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].400[/TD] [TD=class: dg-slg, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].600[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ops, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1.000[/TD] [/TABLE] This is kind of an eye opening blog post due to the fact, I didn't intend this to be a negative nancy blog, cuz the Twins fans have too much of that right now. I really wanted to take a blind look at stats compared to record. I have watched all of the games the Twins have played, the games have been exciting, we have gotten some key hits, the opponents have made some keys errors. Those things happen, we are not used to seeing the Twins on the right sides of those things for the last 2 years. I don't, and didn't have high hopes for the Twins this year, but I was excited to see them play. It becomes exciting to see them win games. The Twins left a lot of runs on the table with the middle of the lineup in the last 6 games, a lot of things could have resulted differently, the fact of the matter is after 7 days of baseball, it was fun to see some different results regardless of how we got there. I hope we can continue our luck, and the great thing about all of this, Mauer, Willingham, Morneau are going to get better,and are going to start hitting the ball. We are going to get healthier in the pitching department with DeVries and Deduno coming off injury. Lets see if we can stay healthy and win games the way they are supposed to be won. Go Twins!!! [/color]

How many times this year are we going to see this. Minnesota Twins 4-2, 1st in AL Central Division Reality is that the White Sox have the same record, but this picture looks nice. How did the Twins get to 4-2? Let's look Aaron Hicks batting leadoff batting .077 . Our best hitter Joe Mauer batting in the 2 hole .231 Josh Willingham batting .231 Justin Morneau 3 RBI in 6 games, 2 of those were on a routine fly ball to center that wasn't fielded correctly. Ryan Doumit batting .200 2 RBI Trevor Plouffe batting .235 Brian Dozier batting .176 Wait a second, the Twins are 4-2??? Yep, lets take a closer look Vance Worley 2 starts 0-1 5.73 ERA Kevin Correia 1 start 0-0 2.57 ERA 2 K's Mike Pelfrey 1 start 1-0 0.00 ERA 1 K Liam Hendriks 1 start 0-0 7.71 ERA 1 K Pedro Hernandez (who?) 1 start 0-0 5.40 ERA 3 K's WAIT A SECOND, the TWINS ARE 4-2??? Who did we play?? 1. Detroit Tigers, won the AL Central in 2012, expected to win the Central in 2013 (2-1) 2. @ Baltimore Orioles, AL Wild Card team in 2012, hottest hitter in the League Chris Davis (2-1) Not only those things are going on, but Florimon and Mauer are tied for 2nd in the league w/ Errors at 2 each. I am just looking for answers to see if this what Terry Ryan was putting together, sly, sly guy, we were confused by all the off season moves. [TABLE=class: stats_table data_grid, width: 734] [TH=class: dg-rank]RK[/TH] [TH=class: dg-name_display_last_init]Player[/TH] [TH=class: dg-team_abbrev]Team[/TH] [TH=class: dg-pos]Pos[/TH] [TH=class: dg-g sortable, align: right]G[/TH] [TH=class: dg-ab sortable, align: right]AB[/TH] [TH=class: dg-r sortable, align: right]R[/TH] [TH=class: dg-h sortable, align: right]H[/TH] [TH=class: dg-d sortable, align: right]2B[/TH] [TH=class: dg-t sortable, align: right]3B[/TH] [TH=class: dg-hr sortable, align: right]HR[/TH] [TH=class: dg-rbi sortable, align: right]RBI[/TH] [TH=class: dg-bb sortable, align: right]BB[/TH] [TH=class: dg-so sortable, align: right]SO[/TH] [TH=class: dg-sb sortable, align: right]SB[/TH] [TH=class: dg-cs sortable, align: right]CS[/TH] [TH=class: dg-avg sortable active, bgcolor: #DCDCDC, align: right]AVG▼[/TH] [TH=class: dg-obp sortable, align: right]OBP[/TH] [TH=class: dg-slg sortable, align: right]SLG[/TH] [TH=class: dg-ops sortable, align: right]OPS[/TH] [TD=class: dg-rank]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-name_display_last_init] Escobar, E[/TD] [TD=class: dg-team_abbrev]MIN[/TD] [TD=class: dg-pos]2B[/TD] [TD=class: dg-g, align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ab, align: right]7[/TD] [TD=class: dg-r, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-h, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-d, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-t, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-hr, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-rbi, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-bb, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-so, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-sb, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-cs, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-avg active, bgcolor: #F5F5F5, align: right].429[/TD] [TD=class: dg-obp, align: right].429[/TD] [TD=class: dg-slg, align: right].571[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ops, align: right]1.000[/TD] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: stats_table data_grid, width: 734] [TR=class: odd] [TD=class: dg-rank, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-name_display_last_init, bgcolor: #E1E1E1] Florimon, P[/TD] [TD=class: dg-team_abbrev, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]MIN[/TD] [TD=class: dg-pos, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]SS[/TD] [TD=class: dg-g, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ab, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]10[/TD] [TD=class: dg-r, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-h, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]4[/TD] [TD=class: dg-d, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-t, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-hr, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-rbi, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-bb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-so, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-sb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-cs, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-avg active, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].400[/TD] [TD=class: dg-obp, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].538[/TD] [TD=class: dg-slg, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].500[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ops, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1.038[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE=class: stats_table data_grid, width: 734] [TD=class: dg-rank, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-name_display_last_init, bgcolor: #E1E1E1] Ramirez, W[/TD] [TD=class: dg-team_abbrev, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]MIN[/TD] [TD=class: dg-pos, bgcolor: #E1E1E1]LF[/TD] [TD=class: dg-g, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]3[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ab, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: dg-r, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-h, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]2[/TD] [TD=class: dg-d, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-t, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-hr, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-rbi, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-bb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-so, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1[/TD] [TD=class: dg-sb, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-cs, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]0[/TD] [TD=class: dg-avg active, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].400[/TD] [TD=class: dg-obp, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].400[/TD] [TD=class: dg-slg, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right].600[/TD] [TD=class: dg-ops, bgcolor: #E1E1E1, align: right]1.000[/TD] [/TABLE] This is kind of an eye opening blog post due to the fact, I didn't intend this to be a negative nancy blog, cuz the Twins fans have too much of that right now. I really wanted to take a blind look at stats compared to record. I have watched all of the games the Twins have played, the games have been exciting, we have gotten some key hits, the opponents have made some keys errors. Those things happen, we are not used to seeing the Twins on the right sides of those things for the last 2 years. I don't, and didn't have high hopes for the Twins this year, but I was excited to see them play. It becomes exciting to see them win games. The Twins left a lot of runs on the table with the middle of the lineup in the last 6 games, a lot of things could have resulted differently, the fact of the matter is after 7 days of baseball, it was fun to see some different results regardless of how we got there. I hope we can continue our luck, and the great thing about all of this, Mauer, Willingham, Morneau are going to get better,and are going to start hitting the ball. We are going to get healthier in the pitching department with DeVries and Deduno coming off injury. Lets see if we can stay healthy and win games the way they are supposed to be won. Go Twins!!! [/color]

I was one of the people not happy with Parmelees ab's in Detroit, he was up in big spots and didn't produce. I said it then, and now, I like Parmelee, I was just frustrated at the way he approached the AB's, he hit a big HR vs Baltimore, he had a good game, I myself just need to be patient with the ups and downs of Parm. I would give him the longest leash of anybody. Hendriks is probably going to have the shortest leash due to the fact he had plenty of shots last year, and Deduno and DeVries earned there way to the rotation.

It was another fun Minnesota Twins game to watch!! You had everything from both teams, and it just so happens the big blunder was made on the opposing team. I am not going to make this long by any means as we all watched the game, but I did want to point out some observations that I am a bit worrisome about, and some observations that I am excited about. 1. Josh Roenicke was fricken awesome!! He was in control every batter for 3 innings. He looked like he was a machine, same delivery, same set up to the hitters, got ahead in counts. He was very good out there, and I really enjoyed watching him keep the Twins in the game. Very nice job Josh Roenicke!! 2. Justin Morneau is still taking very good at bats, and of course he did miss a meatball curve ball that he was sitting there waiting for. He went 3-5, and if he would have connected on that meatball, the game would have been in a different place. He is way more confident and is just seeing the ball very well. 3. Why did Carroll hit for Florimon? I believe that is what happened, Florimon had no right to be taken out of the game for Carroll, correct me if I am wrong on this, but I thought that is what I saw. 4. Dozier went right back to his bad place trying to pull fastballs that he can't connect with, he swung at bad pitches, I hope that is was just a tough day out there, we need Dozier this year. 5. Joe Mauer, I really believe the umpire got to him. I think he swung at 2 first pitches in the game, I know of one for sure that was at his eyes. He looked bad out there except when a meatball 3-2 pitch went for a base hit. Looked like in a few at bats he was swinging for the fences, in those swings he was behind in the count, very odd AB's for Mauer in the game. 6. Aaron Hicks I believe is batting .042 for the season now. Oh, and 1 caught stealing. I know you can't be too hard on him after 5 games, but where is his eye at. He is getting behind in counts and the pitchers are just eating him up. I think he has a couple games left in that spot, who do you put there if it doesn't work. I know my choices, Joe Mauer or Trevor Plouffe, yep I said it. Hell Detroit is throwing Hunter in the 2 spot in the lineup. You roll with Plouffe, Mauer, Willingham, Morneau, Doumit, Parmalee, Hicks, Dozier, Florimon. I know the ordinary 1 man is a basehit OB guy, we don't have an OB guy in the lineup, go against what it sometimes. I would give it a shot, it would look interesting that first inning every time. 7. C'mon Twins win 2 series in a row, that would be exciting!!

It was another fun Minnesota Twins game to watch!! You had everything from both teams, and it just so happens the big blunder was made on the opposing team. I am not going to make this long by any means as we all watched the game, but I did want to point out some observations that I am a bit worrisome about, and some observations that I am excited about. 1. Josh Roenicke was fricken awesome!! He was in control every batter for 3 innings. He looked like he was a machine, same delivery, same set up to the hitters, got ahead in counts. He was very good out there, and I really enjoyed watching him keep the Twins in the game. Very nice job Josh Roenicke!! 2. Justin Morneau is still taking very good at bats, and of course he did miss a meatball curve ball that he was sitting there waiting for. He went 3-5, and if he would have connected on that meatball, the game would have been in a different place. He is way more confident and is just seeing the ball very well. 3. Why did Carroll hit for Florimon? I believe that is what happened, Florimon had no right to be taken out of the game for Carroll, correct me if I am wrong on this, but I thought that is what I saw. 4. Dozier went right back to his bad place trying to pull fastballs that he can't connect with, he swung at bad pitches, I hope that is was just a tough day out there, we need Dozier this year. 5. Joe Mauer, I really believe the umpire got to him. I think he swung at 2 first pitches in the game, I know of one for sure that was at his eyes. He looked bad out there except when a meatball 3-2 pitch went for a base hit. Looked like in a few at bats he was swinging for the fences, in those swings he was behind in the count, very odd AB's for Mauer in the game. 6. Aaron Hicks I believe is batting .042 for the season now. Oh, and 1 caught stealing. I know you can't be too hard on him after 5 games, but where is his eye at. He is getting behind in counts and the pitchers are just eating him up. I think he has a couple games left in that spot, who do you put there if it doesn't work. I know my choices, Joe Mauer or Trevor Plouffe, yep I said it. Hell Detroit is throwing Hunter in the 2 spot in the lineup. You roll with Plouffe, Mauer, Willingham, Morneau, Doumit, Parmalee, Hicks, Dozier, Florimon. I know the ordinary 1 man is a basehit OB guy, we don't have an OB guy in the lineup, go against what it sometimes. I would give it a shot, it would look interesting that first inning every time. 7. C'mon Twins win 2 series in a row, that would be exciting!!

Last year, based on the 2011 season, I was looking at the preview to 2012. http://twinsdaily.com/blogs/rogrulz30/328-twins-first-35-games-some-futures-bets-mlb.html I couldn't help but look at how tough the schedule was, but we got to open against the Orioles, which I thought we could compete against. 0-3 NOOOOOOO, now we play the next 18 games against teams that are better than us, and it went into a tailspin after the first 21 games. This year after one series is refreshing. Very small sample size looking at the first series, but look at the difference of last year to this year. Twins lose first series going 0-3 vs a team I thought we were better than, this year we go 2-1 in a season we are picked to finish last in the AL Central, the Tigers picked to take 1st. The Twins opening series was fun in a lot of ways, look how many negative thoughts are gone right off the bat. I am way more optimistic, (just because I am a Twins fan) than if the Twins would have even went 1-2. It was the way they won the games, quality starts, bottom of the order production, Mauer batting in the 2 hole. I was at the bowling alley watching the walkoff, I was with my bowling team (all Twins fans) the only one we could remember was the passed ball walk off which I believe Span scored, that is sad. So as I write this watching Dozier knock in the go ahead run 5-4, I am much more optimistic about this year than last year, and I really hope the Twins can prove the nay sayers wrong, which I am one of them, based on other experts, cuz I tend to be too much of a homer, and I have to put down reality. Random Thoughts Justin Morneau has had very good at bats so far, he looks more confident, he is taking pitches, very uplifting to see. Aaron Hicks has not taken enough pitches, from what happened in Spring Training to now, he needs to be more patient. Mauer in the 2 hole I have said for 3 years has finally happened and I hope it stays that way. Dozier hitting the ball the opposite way, he is an above avg hitter if he can start shooting the ball where it is pitched. 3 newcomers vs guys like Cabrera, Martinez, Fielder and the rest of Detroit lineup 2.45 ERA, pretty impressive. Can somebody help Hendriks pitch with a lead!!!!!!

Last year, based on the 2011 season, I was looking at the preview to 2012. http://twinsdaily.com/blogs/rogrulz30/328-twins-first-35-games-some-futures-bets-mlb.html I couldn't help but look at how tough the schedule was, but we got to open against the Orioles, which I thought we could compete against. 0-3 NOOOOOOO, now we play the next 18 games against teams that are better than us, and it went into a tailspin after the first 21 games. This year after one series is refreshing. Very small sample size looking at the first series, but look at the difference of last year to this year. Twins lose first series going 0-3 vs a team I thought we were better than, this year we go 2-1 in a season we are picked to finish last in the AL Central, the Tigers picked to take 1st. The Twins opening series was fun in a lot of ways, look how many negative thoughts are gone right off the bat. I am way more optimistic, (just because I am a Twins fan) than if the Twins would have even went 1-2. It was the way they won the games, quality starts, bottom of the order production, Mauer batting in the 2 hole. I was at the bowling alley watching the walkoff, I was with my bowling team (all Twins fans) the only one we could remember was the passed ball walk off which I believe Span scored, that is sad. So as I write this watching Dozier knock in the go ahead run 5-4, I am much more optimistic about this year than last year, and I really hope the Twins can prove the nay sayers wrong, which I am one of them, based on other experts, cuz I tend to be too much of a homer, and I have to put down reality. Random Thoughts Justin Morneau has had very good at bats so far, he looks more confident, he is taking pitches, very uplifting to see. Aaron Hicks has not taken enough pitches, from what happened in Spring Training to now, he needs to be more patient. Mauer in the 2 hole I have said for 3 years has finally happened and I hope it stays that way. Dozier hitting the ball the opposite way, he is an above avg hitter if he can start shooting the ball where it is pitched. 3 newcomers vs guys like Cabrera, Martinez, Fielder and the rest of Detroit lineup 2.45 ERA, pretty impressive. Can somebody help Hendriks pitch with a lead!!!!!!

Very well written and cool tradition, I just had my first child in November, she will b right next to me on Monday!!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3614[/ATTACH] This has been an exciting part of the year every year I can remember. I have always loved playing baseball, watching baseball. I remember every year growing up in Babbitt, when the NCAA tournament was going, opening weekend of baseball, and the Masters told me that I could go out and play some catch, and hit some golf balls. I would say it has been about 20 years of this that I could probably remember. This year is a unique year because now I have a child. I am going to bring Lucy to her first Huskies game, and her first Twins game hopefully. Does it matter to her if the Twins are good, or the Huskies are relevant, NO! But do the sights and sounds of baseball make us all excited, it sure does. I am excited to introduce my daughter to summer itself, she hasn't seen summer, and to me summer starts now, the anticipation of the Twins opener, the anticipation of the sounds of CBS and the Masters, the sounds of CBS "One Shining Moment". The Twins have Vance Worley as the opening day starter this year vs Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. Not a very favorable matchup for our Twins. I am very excited to watch Monday, because everyone has a shot, hell last year did we give the Orioles a chance. For the first time I can remember the AL Central has really passed the Twins in talent, KC is legitimately better this year for the first time, Cleveland has a new manager and they are getting healthy and talented, and the White Sox surprised me last year, they are better. Key thing here is you never know. As Twins fans we had the hardest beginning 21 games of anyone last year and we failed miserably and we were out of it after 4 weeks of the season. Please Twins, (Morneau, Mauer, Willingham, SP's) don't let that happen again. My daughter is going to hear the voices of Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven this year, I want those to be exciting words this year. We are going to sit on the couch in the evening and maybe watch the first few innings before she has to go to bed, I am excited about this summer, baseball, fishing and being a parent. In the 90's we were underdogs, the group of youngsters brought us to the 2000's and we won some central championships. As a fan I hope we can keep Morneau, he can be the pathway like Radke was for the Minnesota Twins for the youngsters that are coming up that make us exciting. I hope we can be competitive into August this year. In baseball terms this is what I am looking forward to: 1. 1st pitch, beginning of a season of a sport I love 2. Aaron Hicks, Brian Dozier- I am excited to see how these two guys play out for us. I have been excited to see Hicks for awhile. 3. Justin Morneau, I want to see if he can get back to 1st half of 2011 4. I am the only person I know that wanted Kevin Correia, I didn't want him for that much money, but I thought he had some good talent in Pittsburgh. 5. Mauer batting in the 2 hole, or starts hitting for more power. 6. The Yankees starting off and ending in last place in the East. I guess every year I have made predictions at the beginning of every baseball year. I want to make those now. AL Central Tigers Royals White Sox Indians Twins 71-92, (I wish I could find it better) World Series matchup Reds vs Toronto I really like the Reds rotation, I think the Blue Jays are ready to have there run, a lot of talent of offense, and above avg rotation, I just have a worry arround Dickey, can he do this again in the AL. I am picking the Reds to be the 2013 Championship team. Predictions for the Twins Correia 15 wins for the MN Twins Samuel Deduno finishing the season in the rotation, #3 guy in 2014 Morneau a Blue Jay in August Dozier batting .280, stays at 2B, long term answer at 2B Plouffe, my guy for 2 years, hits 24 HR, 90 RBI Mauer competing for another batting title bats .341 Willingham plays only 90 games this season, the Ben Revere trade limits our OF depth this year, becomes a big problem. Good Luck Minnesota and be a successful 1st year for my daughter.

I haven't had much time to go through the forums and blogs as much as I like to with the new baby on board, I do get a chance on my smartphone during my lunch every day to read TwinsDaily, and I read the Star Tribune. I have to say right now there isn't much good going on in "loserville". As quoted from most of the KFAN guys, which I can't blame right now, nothing is going right. Wild can't get things together, the Gophers are showing who they really are, the Timberwolves aren't fun to watch, and we get to look forward to spring training for a team that has been one of the worst in baseball 2 years running. Well I guess it may be time to get a little positive, and just have some fun with the preview to what could be in 2013 for our MN Twins: 1. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well the Twins did change some things up in the coaching staff, Vavra is out and Brunansky is in. I can't say a thing bad about this move, something has to give in a potent lineup and switching things around there can only be a good thing. Gardy is in his last contract year, he may have to switch things up a bit too. I think the biggest switch up, which in a last year of a contract I can't see a better time to do it is making a major switch putting Mauer in the 2 hole. I think every blog post I make has something to do with this. Even if that doesn't happen, I think you are going to see some new things from Gardy this year. 2. Willingham coming off a career yr in HR, Mauer healthy, Morneau very healthy. This lineup should be able to produce more runs this season, we gave up some solid defense and front of the lineup guys for pitching, I think that was the right move, I also think we are going to really need a lot of help to fulfill what is missed at the top, but I am excited to see what the middle of the lineup can do, especially if Plouffe can get to where he was in July, and if Parmalee can gain success at the Major League level. 3. We may have pitching that can get us some innings to keep us in ballgames later. I know we didn't get the marquee guys, but hey, middle of the road guys that can get innings are much, much better than the guys we were throwing out there, that includes Liriano. Look what we had to throw out there the back half of the year. DeVries, Deduno, Duensing, Hendriks, look at the difference to this year. Diamond, Pelfrey, Correia, Worley, Gibson. That is a lot more consistent innings, even though they aren't the big names, we can be in more games, there is no question if we can score more runs with a healthy lineup, and keep us in games we can win a lot more games. 4. 2 way flexibility with payroll. I want to point out that we have a path to the future there is now doubt about it. Look at the marquee players we have on the team for this year and next year. There is a direction that we have to move to, and let me throw this out there. Morneau is an interesting player going into this year, if he plays well and the Twins are doing well, we have the money to add talent, whether that be pitching or offense, and no matter what they should be a future player. If he is doing well, and the team is doing bad, we have a big trade chip and even more future money to put in the following year. It obviously looks like the path to 2014/2015, Morneau is going to be a very interesting piece to that puzzle. Lets hope either way he plays very well, he is my favorite Twins player, I wish he could be a Twin for the rest of his career. 5. It is a new year and anything could happen in a baseball year. And YES I CAN BE A HOMER, AND YES I CAN AT LEAST DREAM THAT A MIRACLE CAN HAPPEN. That is what makes us fans, and I am hoping for a glimmer of hope going on in 2013 for the Minnesota Twins. We have harped on the payroll long enough, we have harped on not getting enough pitching help long enough, lets see if we can stay positive until the first week or two of the season anyway.

I haven't had much time to go through the forums and blogs as much as I like to with the new baby on board, I do get a chance on my smartphone during my lunch every day to read TwinsDaily, and I read the Star Tribune. I have to say right now there isn't much good going on in "loserville". As quoted from most of the KFAN guys, which I can't blame right now, nothing is going right. Wild can't get things together, the Gophers are showing who they really are, the Timberwolves aren't fun to watch, and we get to look forward to spring training for a team that has been one of the worst in baseball 2 years running. Well I guess it may be time to get a little positive, and just have some fun with the preview to what could be in 2013 for our MN Twins: 1. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Well the Twins did change some things up in the coaching staff, Vavra is out and Brunansky is in. I can't say a thing bad about this move, something has to give in a potent lineup and switching things around there can only be a good thing. Gardy is in his last contract year, he may have to switch things up a bit too. I think the biggest switch up, which in a last year of a contract I can't see a better time to do it is making a major switch putting Mauer in the 2 hole. I think every blog post I make has something to do with this. Even if that doesn't happen, I think you are going to see some new things from Gardy this year. 2. Willingham coming off a career yr in HR, Mauer healthy, Morneau very healthy. This lineup should be able to produce more runs this season, we gave up some solid defense and front of the lineup guys for pitching, I think that was the right move, I also think we are going to really need a lot of help to fulfill what is missed at the top, but I am excited to see what the middle of the lineup can do, especially if Plouffe can get to where he was in July, and if Parmalee can gain success at the Major League level. 3. We may have pitching that can get us some innings to keep us in ballgames later. I know we didn't get the marquee guys, but hey, middle of the road guys that can get innings are much, much better than the guys we were throwing out there, that includes Liriano. Look what we had to throw out there the back half of the year. DeVries, Deduno, Duensing, Hendriks, look at the difference to this year. Diamond, Pelfrey, Correia, Worley, Gibson. That is a lot more consistent innings, even though they aren't the big names, we can be in more games, there is no question if we can score more runs with a healthy lineup, and keep us in games we can win a lot more games. 4. 2 way flexibility with payroll. I want to point out that we have a path to the future there is now doubt about it. Look at the marquee players we have on the team for this year and next year. There is a direction that we have to move to, and let me throw this out there. Morneau is an interesting player going into this year, if he plays well and the Twins are doing well, we have the money to add talent, whether that be pitching or offense, and no matter what they should be a future player. If he is doing well, and the team is doing bad, we have a big trade chip and even more future money to put in the following year. It obviously looks like the path to 2014/2015, Morneau is going to be a very interesting piece to that puzzle. Lets hope either way he plays very well, he is my favorite Twins player, I wish he could be a Twin for the rest of his career. 5. It is a new year and anything could happen in a baseball year. And YES I CAN BE A HOMER, AND YES I CAN AT LEAST DREAM THAT A MIRACLE CAN HAPPEN. That is what makes us fans, and I am hoping for a glimmer of hope going on in 2013 for the Minnesota Twins. We have harped on the payroll long enough, we have harped on not getting enough pitching help long enough, lets see if we can stay positive until the first week or two of the season anyway.

The year has come and gone, and like every year it went by very fast. For me anyway it went by really fast because I got to bring in a new person to the world. I wanted to share the best and the worst of the year mostly in a sports perspective. I just got SI the magazine today in the mail and they had the moments of the year in sports. A lot of the year in sports had something to do with the Olympics. I don't understand why I have never really gotten into the Olympics, but I see why it is such a phenomenon. The Olympics can relate to the entire world. People can also relate to having a favorite story, or you can root for your favorite country. The sports are easy to understand, they are fast moving, they hold your attention level. I honestly probably watched 20 minutes of the Olympics this year. The one Olympic sports I enjoy watching is Hockey, but hey I am from Minnesota and hockey is something that is really enjoyable, and I was born in 1980, and every since I have been accustomed to hearing about the miracle on ice. Hell, I went to Babbitt-Embarrass High School and Buzz Schneider was from there, so I heard about it my entire life. Anyway, the Olympics didn't make my list. Here are the things that did. 1. AP coming back from injury and having a chance to break Dickersons record is a pretty amazing feat, let alone anybody trying to beat that record in a pass happy league. He is very exciting to watch every single time he touches the ball. The only person I can compare that too is Barry Sanders. 2. Minnesota Twins opening day, yeah that is pretty lame, but it will be on my list every year I am sure. I get excited to watch baseball. I, as well as the rest of us got frustrated after the first series. 3. Adam Greenburg gets an at bat after being away from the major leagues since 2005 after getting hit in his first AB ever. I still find this story touching, thinking about how exciting it would be to finally get your chance. You get your chance and you don't even get an official at bat, let alone wreck your MLB career. I was happy for him to get at least a chance, I found that as a very good story. 4. Minnesota Wild signing Parise and Suter. I remember checking twitter constantly on July 3rd and 4th, and finally not only did one sign, but both signed, too bad they haven't played a lick of hockey in MN yet. 5. MLB playoffs, I love the addition of the other wild card team, I may not love the 1 game playoff, but it is what it is. The last 2 years have been very exciting watching the teams go down, or win enough games against important opponents to get in. I couldnt help but root for the A's and Orioles. I want to get my last opinions in about the Twins offseason so far. After writing about what I would want Terry Ryan's priorities to be, I can now look at what happened, as nothing that I wanted has happened. Doesn't mean they were good or bad, but here is what I think. We didn't get a high profile guy this off season, but nobody really thought we would. In my opinion we have stregthened the ability to get our starting pitching more innings. #1 priority this off season would be keeping our starters in the game longer. We now have Diamond, Pelfrey, Gibson, Worley, Harden, Correia, Hendriks, May, Blackburn. OK, so Harden, Hendriks, May, and Blackburn aren't the ideal choices, but we have opportunity that could lend itself our way on the cheap. Looking at the last 2 seasons, we don't have to worry about the Liriano rollercoaster, Baker on the DL, Pavano on the DL, and painstakingly watching the combo of Duensing, DeVries, Walters, Blackburn go out there and not give ourselves a chance to win. The Twins didn't spend any money this year and we only lost a CFer. We have a 5 tool guy coming up and should be fun to watch. Did we really think we could go from worst to first in a year? Do you think at this point we can be competitive? The answers are no and yes. Why do I consistantly have optimism for the Minnesota Twins? I think it is because I have faith in Terry Ryan. Look we have pieces to a puzzle that could set us up to compete in the near future. Here is the deal for 2013. The Twins opening payroll is going to be about $85 million. Everybody wanted the Twins to spend money this year, but on what? Did we really need to spend money on way overpriced free agents? No, We have a big chunk of money going to my favorite Twins Justin Morneau this year, who will probably get traded in July, which we will get younger and have more money for 2014. Would it make more sense to spend that money then, of course it would. I don't want to box myself up and say I didn't want to contend in 2013, but I wanted to unload Mauer to the Red Sox and then spend. We didn't do that, so now I could be looking at the big picture to 2014, and 2015 and it could look really promising if the right things fall into place. There is not one thing that I am disappointed with this off season except not unloading Mauer. This season is coming up quickly, and I hope we play meaningful games at least til mid July. I don't have much optimism of us making the playoffs, but I do think the Twins are heading in the right direction. I don't think Terry Ryan is done this off season, I think we can still improve. All I can say is THIS IS MY TOAST TO THE NEW YEAR, I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT 2013 AND GO TWINS!!!!!

The year has come and gone, and like every year it went by very fast. For me anyway it went by really fast because I got to bring in a new person to the world. I wanted to share the best and the worst of the year mostly in a sports perspective. I just got SI the magazine today in the mail and they had the moments of the year in sports. A lot of the year in sports had something to do with the Olympics. I don't understand why I have never really gotten into the Olympics, but I see why it is such a phenomenon. The Olympics can relate to the entire world. People can also relate to having a favorite story, or you can root for your favorite country. The sports are easy to understand, they are fast moving, they hold your attention level. I honestly probably watched 20 minutes of the Olympics this year. The one Olympic sports I enjoy watching is Hockey, but hey I am from Minnesota and hockey is something that is really enjoyable, and I was born in 1980, and every since I have been accustomed to hearing about the miracle on ice. Hell, I went to Babbitt-Embarrass High School and Buzz Schneider was from there, so I heard about it my entire life. Anyway, the Olympics didn't make my list. Here are the things that did. 1. AP coming back from injury and having a chance to break Dickersons record is a pretty amazing feat, let alone anybody trying to beat that record in a pass happy league. He is very exciting to watch every single time he touches the ball. The only person I can compare that too is Barry Sanders. 2. Minnesota Twins opening day, yeah that is pretty lame, but it will be on my list every year I am sure. I get excited to watch baseball. I, as well as the rest of us got frustrated after the first series. 3. Adam Greenburg gets an at bat after being away from the major leagues since 2005 after getting hit in his first AB ever. I still find this story touching, thinking about how exciting it would be to finally get your chance. You get your chance and you don't even get an official at bat, let alone wreck your MLB career. I was happy for him to get at least a chance, I found that as a very good story. 4. Minnesota Wild signing Parise and Suter. I remember checking twitter constantly on July 3rd and 4th, and finally not only did one sign, but both signed, too bad they haven't played a lick of hockey in MN yet. 5. MLB playoffs, I love the addition of the other wild card team, I may not love the 1 game playoff, but it is what it is. The last 2 years have been very exciting watching the teams go down, or win enough games against important opponents to get in. I couldnt help but root for the A's and Orioles. I want to get my last opinions in about the Twins offseason so far. After writing about what I would want Terry Ryan's priorities to be, I can now look at what happened, as nothing that I wanted has happened. Doesn't mean they were good or bad, but here is what I think. We didn't get a high profile guy this off season, but nobody really thought we would. In my opinion we have stregthened the ability to get our starting pitching more innings. #1 priority this off season would be keeping our starters in the game longer. We now have Diamond, Pelfrey, Gibson, Worley, Harden, Correia, Hendriks, May, Blackburn. OK, so Harden, Hendriks, May, and Blackburn aren't the ideal choices, but we have opportunity that could lend itself our way on the cheap. Looking at the last 2 seasons, we don't have to worry about the Liriano rollercoaster, Baker on the DL, Pavano on the DL, and painstakingly watching the combo of Duensing, DeVries, Walters, Blackburn go out there and not give ourselves a chance to win. The Twins didn't spend any money this year and we only lost a CFer. We have a 5 tool guy coming up and should be fun to watch. Did we really think we could go from worst to first in a year? Do you think at this point we can be competitive? The answers are no and yes. Why do I consistantly have optimism for the Minnesota Twins? I think it is because I have faith in Terry Ryan. Look we have pieces to a puzzle that could set us up to compete in the near future. Here is the deal for 2013. The Twins opening payroll is going to be about $85 million. Everybody wanted the Twins to spend money this year, but on what? Did we really need to spend money on way overpriced free agents? No, We have a big chunk of money going to my favorite Twins Justin Morneau this year, who will probably get traded in July, which we will get younger and have more money for 2014. Would it make more sense to spend that money then, of course it would. I don't want to box myself up and say I didn't want to contend in 2013, but I wanted to unload Mauer to the Red Sox and then spend. We didn't do that, so now I could be looking at the big picture to 2014, and 2015 and it could look really promising if the right things fall into place. There is not one thing that I am disappointed with this off season except not unloading Mauer. This season is coming up quickly, and I hope we play meaningful games at least til mid July. I don't have much optimism of us making the playoffs, but I do think the Twins are heading in the right direction. I don't think Terry Ryan is done this off season, I think we can still improve. All I can say is THIS IS MY TOAST TO THE NEW YEAR, I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT 2013 AND GO TWINS!!!!!

I really feel free agency should only be used to set yourself up to position yourself to win a title soon, there is no sense to overpay these players if u aren't setting yourself up to win a title in the years u are signing the free agents for, if I were tr I would not go after a top tier guy right now, I wouldn't take the middle guys, I do think there is one guy I would get because he is young, and I would go for 3/30 and that is McCarthy. Developing the farm should be #1 priority and so far so good.