We’ve moved one important step closer to having baseball in Cedar Rapids… the players have arrived! The 2013 Kernels roster arrived at Eastern Iowa Airport shortly before noon Tuesday. It’s pretty safe to say the weather was just a bit cooler than it was when they took off from Fort Myers. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com.) Manager Jake Mauer said the trip went well, though he did mention that there was a long line at the security ...
There were a few surprises on Opening Day at Target Field but for the most part, the game went according to plan. Justin Verlander pitched well. Joe Mauer got his hits. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder know how to get RBI. The inexperienced Minnesota bats didn't know how to get an RBI. This all led to the Tigers coming out on top. One interesting move made was actually a player left on the bench. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ron Gardenhire turned to his bench and ...
Before the opener on Monday morning, Glen Perkins sat at his locker, lacing up a new pair of cleats. His locker’s location – one of four corner spots in the spacious clubhouse reserved for the pillars of the team like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, a spot that once was home to Joe Nathan’s garb – is standing as a reminder of his status with the team. It is hard to envision now but not long ago it appear that his time in the Twins organization was nearing an ...
"Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he is never disappointed." – Alexander Pope Have you ever gone to see a movie that was hugely hyped, only to walk out of the theater underwhelmed after deeming it just OK? Conversely, another film that was “just OK” might have impressed you if your friends had all told you it was completely awful. Expectations can have an enormous impact on the way we perceive things. Which brings us to this year’s Minnesota Twins. Reality ...
The Twins season began on Monday. The season of the Twins full-season minor league affiliates will begin on Thursday. Below are the rosters of the Rochester Red Wings, the New Britain Rock Cats, the Ft. Myers Miracle and the Beloit Snappers. The rosters were sent to the affiliates first, but here is a complete look at the Twins full-season affiliates. Rochester Red Wings Pitchers: Andrew Albers, Kyle Gibson, Pedro Hernandez ...
In 2010, the Red Wings finished 46 games below .500 with a record of 49-95, their worst record since 1920. 2011 was not much better for Rochester. The team won four more games than the previous year; however they lost 90+ games in two consecutive seasons, the first time that had happened since 1903 & 1904. It was time for a change, manager Tom Nieto was let go and Gene Glynn was hired to take the job. In 2012, his first season as manager, the Red Wings ...
I DVRed the game yesterday and watched most of it last night. While I didn't see some key events, I heard about them on the radio. The Twins had a chance to beat the Tigers but came up short in key at-bats. They also were hurt by bases advanced by the plodding Tigers. What went right: 1) Worley outlasted Verlander. Even though he was the losing pitcher he managed to go six innings and reached the threshold for a "Quality Start". 2) Fien struck out the side ...
I don't want to give anyone the impression that I'm hung up on one or two solitary moments in what will be a series of moments as the long season marches on. Some moments will go our way and some moments won't. That's baseball in a nutshell. With that said... I would like to revisit the 8th inning of the season opener yesterday to make a broader point. The Twins were in position to win the game. Vance Worley was out dueled by Verlander but the Vanimal did ...
I tried to study the impact of the batting order change using ZIPS projections. I was a little disappointed in the results. I used the average plate appearances by batting order position in the AL last year. The second spot had 103 more plate appearances on average than the 8th spot. That made sense as it is close to 6x18. I then compared a Dozier with 735 plate appearances to a Dozier with 632 plate appearances. (Yes... I know he is not going to play 162 games and neither ...
I'm not going to write about every game or every day of the season. However, I watched a lot of baseball yesterday and I have some thoughts to share. I thought the Twins game went about as would have been expected, and I was happy that they made it close near the end. I don't like to get too caught up in one game, but it's just too much fun to write about baseball, so here are some thoughts. Aaron Hicks Aaron Hicks had a tough debut. Justin Verlander is the best pitcher ...
Also posted at wgom.org Reggie Smith (1945) Tom Johnson (1951) Billy Sample (1955) Curtis Leskanic (1968) Denny Hocking (1970) Outfielder Carl Reginald Smith did not play for the Twins, but spent his first year, 1963, in their farm system. Smith was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, went to high school in Compton, California, and signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 1963. He played in Wytheville in the rookie-level Appalachian League, hitting ...
The last two Aprils have been rough for Twins Territory. Slow starts out of the gate meant the club would only accumulate single digit wins in 2011 and 2012. As fans know, the team never recovered from those slow starts and Minnesota finished at the bottom of the American League for two consecutive years. It's a new year and the Twins are hoping not to repeat the slow starts of the last two season. For some people, there is plenty riding on the start by the Twins. Ron Gardenhire is ...
John and Aaron talk about loving Opening Day at the ballpark and on the couch, the Minnesota Twins' lowest expectations ever, moving Joe Mauer up and Brian Dozier down in the batting order, what to do with Justin Morneau, appreciating the greatness of Johan Santana, bullpen and bench usage issues, finding what you need on Ticket King, exactly how bad the rotation can get, and why baseball is so damn comforting. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe ...
It's been a few years since I did this. You'll either love it or hate it. Here are some anagrams of the 25-man roster. I don't claim a lot of creativity, and I used a program to generate possibilities. I spared the mods some grief by leaving out the dirty ones. Some names are pretty barren (had to cheat and use Mauer's given name Joseph), while others give an embarrassment of riches and you might think up better ones. Or you might even spot some typos/errors, ...
Updated 04-02-2013 at 12:30 AM by ashburyjohn
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