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This week, Twins Daily checks in on a veteran starting pitcher with an injury history who actually worked out for the Minnesota Twins. Subject: Carl Pavano Why You Remember Him: Oh, man. Carl Pavano. Won a title with the Marlins, signed a big free agent deal with the Yankees, then promptly spent the entirety of that deal plagued by injuries (145 innings over four years!). He acquired tabloid nicknames like “American Idle” and “Crash Test Dummy” for his trouble, a helpful reminder that the Twin Cities media is a like a soft, cozy blanket compared to New York’s. The Twins, who have been playing the reclamation project lottery for starting pitchers as long as I’ve been alive, scooped him up in a trade with Cleveland in 2009. Unlike Sidney Ponson, he thrived in Minnesota. Sporting an exquisite mustache from which he likely acquired the strength to build this late-career surge, Pavano was a horse in 2010, finishing 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA, seven complete games, and two shutouts over 221 innings pitched. Would people wear fake Pavano mustaches to Target Field? Yes. Yes, they would. Because this is Minnesota and because they’re New York, he also lost two ALDS games to the Yankees in 2009 and 2010. (If you need a reminder, the 2009 loss was the game after Phil Cuzzi ruined Christmas and America and it was the final Twins game in the Metrodome; the 2010 loss was at Target Field to Andy Pettitte.) Although not quite as effective in 2011 (9-13, 4.30 ERA), he still managed to eat 222 innings. If Dylan Bundy throws 200 innings with that ERA in 2022, we should name a suburb after him. Columbia Heights? Pavano retired in 2014. What You Don’t Remember: The PTBNL traded to Cleveland for Pavano? Yohan Pino. Five years later, he would make his first major league start for…the Minnesota Twins. What You Might Remember: After a rough 2011 outing, Pavano beat the living hell out of a garbage can. If he’d only waited a few more years he could have been a valuable addition to the Houston Astros. What’s He Up To: He did some TV work for the Marlins upon retirement. Most recently, he put his very fancy home on the market. The status of the mustache is unclear at this time, but Twins Daily hopes for the best. View full article

The Twins Daily Winter Meltdown has officially sold out. I hope you got yours. If you have not, and still want to get in the door, we are looking for a few volunteers to help check people in and such. You can find details on how to sign up for that here. Former Minnesota Twins catcher and current Fox Sports North Analyst Tim Laudner has been added to the lineup for the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown this Saturday from 5-8 at The Pourhouse, just two blocks from Target Field and Twins Fest. Laudner will join pitcher Carl Pavano and KFAN's Paul "Meatsauce" Lamber on stage for Q&A and meet attendees. You can still get tickets at a special price right here, but even the additional tickets are running out, so don't delay. Laudner is best known to Twins fans as being the starting catcher of the 1987 World Champion Twins. In that seven-game Championship series versus the Cardinals, he started every game, hitting .318 (with a .444 OBP). He played nine seasons with the Twins, and has since worked as a project manager, run a Big League Baseball Camp and works as an analyst at Fox Sport North and Fox Sports Wisconsin. Not only is the Meltdown going to be a great opportunity to get excited about the 2016 Twins season, and not only will you get a chance to meet Laudner, Pavano and Meatsauce, but there are fantastic door prizes and each ticket is good for two craft beers from get those tickets! Monday Update: Tickets have been added for the Twins Daily Meltdown this Saturday from 5-8 PM. Following Twins Fest, you can walk a couple of blocks and join the Twins Daily community, former Twins pitcher Carl Pavano, KFAN’s Meatsauce and 612 Brew at the Pourhouse in Downtown Minneapolis to get revved up about the 2016 season. Every attendee will get two free craft 612 Brews, a limited edition Twins Daily Meltdown pint glass and be eligible for an array of door prizes including Twins tickets, gift cards and ten Truman Shaving Sets from Harrys.com. Download attachment: PINT GLASS.jpg Starting at 5:30, we’ll have a Q&A session with Carl Pavano, who won division championships with the Twins in 2009 and 2010 and a World Series with the Marlins in 2003. It will be followed by a panel discussion with John Bonnes, Seth Stohs, Nick Nelson and Aaron Gleeman, when they will take your questions about the 2016 Twins. The event will be hosted by Paul “Meatsauce” Lambert, from KFAN’s #1 rated Powertrip Morning Show. You’ll get a chance to meet them all, and while tickets will be $35 at the door, they’re just $25 right now. Click here to grab them. You can’t attend the event without a ticket! Twins Daily’s mission is to build a community of fans passionate around the Twins, so if you’re a regular reader who hasn’t attended one of our events, you’re really only getting a fraction of the experience. Is there a better time to talk baseball than the dead of winter? Is there a better place to do it? (A: Nope.) Gather your friends and grab your tickets now. Thursday Update: Half of the limited tickets for the Meltdown sold on Day One! Click here to order your 2016 Winter Meltdown tickets! Today we're happy to announce the best package of door prizes in the event's history. They include Twins tickets, ten(!) Truman Shaving Sets from Harrys.com, gifts from The Pourhouse in Downtown Minneapolis and 612 Brew and copies of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, plus some other miscellaneous prizes like some rare pint glasses from previous years' Meltdowns. Download attachment: Harrys_Truman_Set.jpg Of course, every attendee gets this year's Winter Meltdown Pint Glass and two free 612 Brew craft beers with which to fill (and refill) it. Plus, meet former Twins pitcher Carl Pavano, KFAN celebrity Paul "Meatsauce" Lambert, crabby Twins blogger Aaron Gleeman and the Twins Daily writers. And it's all just two blocks from Target Field right after Twins Fest on Saturday the 30th. Again, tickets are $10 cheaper online and are going fast. Get your friends together and get them now. You do not want to be shut out. Wednesday Update: In addition to an appearance by former Twins pitcher Carl Pavano, I’m very pleased to announce that Paul “Meatsauce” Lambert will be emceeing the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown next Saturday following Twins Fest. Meatsauce is the most twisted of the degenerates on KFAN's #1 rated Powertrip Morning Show. His hobbies include eating, making inappropriate comments and comparing Twins losing seasons to a dumpster fire. Meatsauce will be joining Pavano, Pavano’s mustache and the Twins Daily writers at the Pourhouse in Downtown Minneapolis from 5-8 next Saturday (January 30th), just one block from Target Field where Twins Fest will be winding down. Tickets go on sale at 8:00 AM tomorrow (Wednesday) and we have sold out quickly in the past, so please don’t mess around – we don’t want to shut anyone out. They’re $25 apiece if you order early versus $35 at the door (if we have any left), and include two free craft beers from 612 Brew AND a free Twins Daily Winter Meltdown Pint Glass that you can see below. Sauce and The Stache … and more special guests may be announced soon. But if you wait that long the tickets will likely be gone. We'll post the link to buy tickets here as soon as they're available. TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE! Click here to order your 2016 Winter Meltdown tickets! Download attachment: Meatsauce_900.jpg Download attachment: PAVANO_CARL_HATTIP_US_900.jpg Tuesday update: Carl Pavano, who pitched for the Twins from 2009 through 2012, will be a special guest for the 2016 Twins Daily Winter Meltdown, and you can join us. Besides modeling a killer mustache, Pavano helped the Twins win two AL Central championships and also won a World Series championship with the Florida Marlins in 2003. He was an All-Star in 2004 and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting with an 18-8 record and a 3.00 ERA. Finally, he was relatively famous before his MLB career even started, as he was traded for Pedro Martinez when Martinez went from the Expos to Boston. Pavano will join a several other special guests, answering questions about his professional career during the Twins Daily Meltdown Presentation and also meet and greet attendees. Additional guests will be announced over the upcoming days, but don’t wait to hear who they are before you grab your ticket. The limited tickets will be available Wednesday at 8:00 AM and we have sold out in previous years, so set an alarm and get them early! Tickets at $35 at the door, but just $25 for a limited time online. In addition to meeting Pavano and other special guests, attendees get a Twins Daily Winter Meltdown Pint Glass and two complimentary local craft beers from 612 Brew. The event will take place right after Twins Fest, from 5-8 on Saturday January 30th, just one block from Target Plaza at the Pourhouse in Downtown Minneapolis. Any questions? Comment below. And keep checking back at Twins Daily as we announce more special guests. Monday Update: "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~ Roger Hornsby Download attachment: 12508691_950385538361002_2926504929367154206_n.jpg How about we all stare out the window together? On Saturday, January 30th – from 5 PM to 8 PM – Twins Daily will be hosting the 3rd Annual Twins Daily Winter Meltdown. This year’s Winter Meltdown will be held at The Pourhouse in Downtown Minneapolis, less than a quarter mile away from the plaza at Target Field, and will feature the same Twins-related discussion and festive atmosphere that you have come to expect from the Twins Daily community. It is friggin' cold out so let’s fire up the hot stove and think baseball again. New to the Winter Meltdown experience? Here’s what you can expect… MINNESOTA TWINS GUESTS You will get exclusive insight to the game from a former Twins player -- an up-close-and-personal opportunity to pick the brain of someone who played in a Minnesota uniform. In 2014, Scott Erickson regaled the crowd with his tales of pitching in the 1991 World Series. Last year, Jacque Jones told stories from The Team That Saved Baseball. This year? Well, you will just have to wait a few days to find out who the guests will be in 2016. In addition to the special guest speakers, Twins Daily writers will be on hand to discuss and debate some of the hot topics involving the local nine. COLLECTIBLE PINT GLASS No one leaves the event empty-handed either as each Winter Meltdown ticket comes with a collectible Twins Daily pint glass, courtesy of our friends at 612 Brew. And (AND!) with each ticket comes two of 612 Brew’s delicious beers to quench your thirst while you consume baseball. A Twins Daily Winter Meltdown Pint GlassTwo (2) complimentary local craft beers from 612 BrewSpecial Twins guests.Twins talk. Pint glass. Two beers. A lifetime of memories. As a baseball fan, what more incentive do you need? (How about something that hits you right in the feels.) TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS WEDNESDAY And they are limited to be sure to be here on Wednesday morning when ticket sales go live. Check back at TwinsDaily.com or follow the event at Twins Daily’s Facebook page (here) to get the latest information on the details for the 2016 Winter Meltdown. Download attachment: 12508691_950385538361002_2926504929367154206_n.jpg Click here to view the article

Aaron and John preview the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown, featuring Carl Pavano, Meatsauce and 612 Brew at The Pourhouse, and then proceed to meltdown at each other about the Twins starting rotation, and answer Family Feud questions. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below. Click here to view the article