Short Notes - Feb. 19

Nick Punto Day Recap
Wow! I can't believe it's already been a week since Nick Punto Day. It was a ton of fun to participate in, and it was a blast to read all the various opinions and takes on our own #8.

I'd like to give a shout out to everyone who linked to my entry, specifically Seth Stohs in his StarTribune Our Voices blog and Howard Sinker in his StarTribune A Fan's View blog.

How Can I Watch Winter Sports When Spring Training Is So Close?
It's hard, but I'm managing to keep two seemingly mutually exclusive notions in my head at once. So while I'm anxiously awaiting baseball, I'm quite entertained with snow and ice events. Besides, what else am I going to watch? I really enjoy the Winter Games; I always have.

A year ago, I wrote a poem-like piece about Pitchers and Catchers Reporting. I'm pretty proud of it, so it's hard to top. If you want to check it out, it's here. 

Hello Old Friend?
Last week, the Twins signed Jacque Jones to a minor league contract. Yes, the same Jacque Jones we all were in love with in 2002.

So we'll see if he makes the squad as a 4th outfielder. I'm rooting for him -- not necessarily because he's still good at baseball, but because he's still cute as a button. Now we just need Dougie, Corey, and Torii back, and it'll be a reunion party.

Comparing Nick Punto to a Good Ol' Pair of Shoes

 

Note: This post is part of the Twins Blogisphere Nick Punto day, started by Andrew Kneeland of Twins Target. Many blogs are participating; be sure to check out the blogs listed in the sidebar for more Puntoliciousness. Or click the links in the live Twitter feed on the right.

Good ol' Nick Punto. In many ways, he reminds me of my good ol' Reeboks -- for better and worse (but mostly better).

• Shoes: I call these my "utility shoes." I can wear them most days I wear jeans. And in a pinch, I could even wear them with black chinos if I really need my feet to be comfortable.
• Nicky: Well, he's the utility player. He can play most infield positions. And in a pinch, he could even go to the outfield if the Twins really need a substitute.

• Shoes: They demonstrate that, because they fit perfectly, comfortable feet are at least as good as stylish feet.
• Nicky: He demonstrates that, because he has awesome defensive skills, saving runs is at least as good as driving in runs.

• Shoes: They're not the best shoes in my closet. However, they do a nice job as walking shoes, which is all I ever expect of them.
• Nicky: He's not the best player on the team. However, he does a nice job hitting in the 9th spot, which is all the Twins ever expect of him.

• Shoes: I have a lot of great memories with them both here and abroad. There's a story behind why I took them to Germany (apparently Europeans think it's odd that Americans wear white shoes).
• Nicky: He's made a lot of great memories both on and off the field. There's a story behind why he makes slushies for Justin Morneau (apparently Canadians think it's necessary to drink slushies made by a player for Team Italy in order to play baseball better). 

• Shoes: They can be maddening -- the laces come spontaneously untied. A lot.
• Nicky: He can be maddening -- he dives spontaneously head-first into first base. A lot.

• Shoes: For what I got, they were kind of expensive. There's nothing high-tech about them, but they cost more than comparable shoes.
• Nicky: For what the Twins get, he's kind of expensive. There's nothing Type-A about him, but he costs more than comparable players.

• Shoes: They're very hardworking and reliable.
• Nicky: He works very hard and has a lot of hustle.

• Shoes: They're wearing out. They don't have the cushion they used to. I wouldn't be surprised if they rip out very soon. This is probably their last season with me, so I'd better enjoy them while I can.
• Nicky: He's wearing out. He doesn't have the defense he used to. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets seriously injured very soon. This is probably his last season with the Twins, so we'd better enjoy them while we can.

• Shoes: You could try all day long to try to tell me why they're no good, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for them.
• Nicky: Ditto.

Short Notes - Feb. 8

So, hey...there's something to actually talk about. Good stuff too.

The Missing Piece
For the entire off-season, everyone's been talking about how the Twins needed one last piece in order to make an awesome roster. Would it be a pitcher? Well, not really, since Francisco Liriano has been showing some real stuff in the Dominican Winter Leagues. Would it be a third-baseman? Well, since the Twins gave Brendan Harris a two-year deal, it's easy to guess that he's the answer to that. Would it be a second-baseman? Someone who can hit number two in the order between Span and Mauer? Yes! That's the missing piece.

But, lo and behold, the Twins went out and got that missing piece. And a good one too.

It looks like a nice fit, doesn't it?

Welcome to the Twins O-Dog. We're thrilled you're here.

Speaking of Orlandos
The guy who wound up being the missing piece for the end of the '09 season, Orlando Cabrera, signed with the Reds. I'm happy for him. Gardy mentioned that he wanted to bring Cabrera back as the second-baseman, but it just seemed like Cabrera wanted to remain a shortstop.

Good luck, O-Cab.

New Twins Commercial
It's become a tradition for the Twins to introduce their first new commercial of the year during the Super Bowl. This year's is clever, but not as funny as ones in the past. It did have the distinction of being one of the few that didn't offend me in one way or another (a note to future Super Bowl advertisers: women watch the game too, so you might want to dial back on complaining about or exploiting them -- but that's a conversation for another time, and probably another blog).

Look at it here: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/fan_forum/commercials_2010.jsp 

My Kids are Mad
As I sit here and write this, mini-bro just ran down the stairs to tell me that the White Sox acquired Omar Vizquel (I knew), and that they are un-retiring Luis Aparicio's number to give it to him. This news made my kids mad. "How can they un-retire a Hall of Famer's number to give it to a short-timer?" Good point, guys. And I can't disagree with the argument.

According to the story, Aparicio is cool with it, but he could just be acting classy.

I'm just proud that my boys know who Luis Aparicio is. And that they feel strongly about baseball traditions and stuff.

Seth Writes
I just pre-ordered my copy of Seth Stohs's Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook. It sounds like it's going to be great; I'd like to learn more about the minor leaguers and prospects the Twins have in the organization. And I expect it'll help me with my annual "who is this guy?" moment I get whenever someone gets called up.

Go to Seth's site to order yours.

Nicky Punto Day - Save the Date
The Twins blogging community has chosen Feb 12th to be "Nick Punto Day," and many blogs are participating. We're going to write pieces about our own super-utility #8, whatever our opinions of him are. No other player on the team elicits such wild variations of opinions; it should be interesting to see all the points-of-view. 

Be sure to check back here on the 12th, and then be sure to check out the blogs listed on the sidebar. Many of those blogs are participating too. And then, to keep the fun going, be sure to check out the blogs on their sidebars. Oh, don't forget the comments sections on all those blogs -- I bet there'll be even more opinions there. It's a Puntolution.

This great event is the brainchild of Andrew Kneeland of Twins Target. What a great idea.

The One In Which k-bro Gives 'CCO the Stink-eye

So you might have heard by now that WCCO reported Monday that Joe Mauer and the Twins agreed to a 10-year contract. "Agreed." Well, that's what I saw yesterday at about 3:00 via Twitter.

You can imagine my glee. I immediately re-tweeted it and crossed my fingers in hopes that it was true. And then refreshed my BlackBerry about 80 bazillion times awaiting confirmation. I also fired up the web stream of XM Radio 175 Home Plate so I wouldn't miss the announcement when it finally came.

As expected, I was not the only one who was excited about this potential news. Home Plate had the tweet in their update within minutes. If they heard about it so quickly, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, FOX, StarTribune, Pioneer Press, and Gus's Bait Shop Newsletter heard about it too.

With that, I imagine that several phones started ringing off the hook -- Bill Smith's, Joe Mauer's, Ron Shapiro's, Dave St. Peter's, Twins staffers's, anyone's whose last name is Mauer, and probably anyone's whose last name is Smith. But after all those phone calls, the other sources did not do what fans were looking for and confirm the story. Nope. The information coming back kind of denied it. It was more like "things look good, but we're still talking and nothing's done yet." And the tweets of that nature rolled in like waves.

By the five o'clock newscast, Rosen had dialed back on the wording. He was then talking of a "basic framework" being in place and the negotiations were proceeding. I'm sorry? "Framework?" That's about 359 miles away from "agreed." To me, "agreed" means, well, agreed; the contract's all done but the signatures. On the other hand, "framework" is an outline, a plan, a beginning.

The tweet linked to this article, which also said "agreed," at least in the headline. For the record, the article has been changed since it first hit the web.

Tuesday, reports came out that Joe Mauer is surprised about the report and pretty much laughed off the whole thing.

Now, there's a very good chance that Rosen winds up being right, but we won't know for a while. He's very adamant that he trusts his source, and he is a respected journalist in the Twin Cities. Plus, this has happened to him before - he made a similar bold statement about Brett Favre coming out of retirement and joining the Vikings, and it turned out he was right. (I don't really remember how that shook out; I intentionally ignored all Brett Favre talk until I actually saw him in purple.)

All Twins fans hope something great happens. In fact, this whole kerfuffle kind of boosted optimism, because in all the phone calls they got, the Twins and Mauer did admit that talks continue and are going well.

Regardless of whether Joe does ink an extension soon, my beef is with 'CCO's wording and timing of that tweet and the article attached to it. I can't say if Rosen himself wrote any of it - probably not actually. But I really wish that whoever wrote it would have used that "framework" word from the start. And I wish they would have waited. They get the stink-eye from me for making me do all that fretting.

Be sure to read Nick Nelson's much more positive, and more interesting, blog post about the same topic.

The k-bro Twins Fest Report: 2010 Edition

I wasn't really planning on going to Twins Fest this year. I usually go every few years, and I went just last year. But it just so happened that I had nothing else going on, and I knew some of my Twitter friends would be there, so I figured "why not?" So Mom and I headed to the Dome and ultimately had a great time.

It was crowded. That shouldn't have surprised me, but I think it was more crowded than previous years. At least it felt like it.

First up was the Cuddyer photo line. We had a great time chatting with the gals in line near us. After a while of waiting, we got worried because the staff guy cut off the line right before us. But we stayed in line, and we were lucky enough to make it in just before Cuddy had to leave. Whew! And, boy, are we glad we made it! He couldn't have been a nicer, more polite guy -- super sweet. And, I have to tell you, he's better looking in person than any picture can do justice. But here's one anyway.

Next, it was time to buy grab bags. I love the grab bags because you can always get stadium-give-away items that they only give to kids. The kids' give-aways are always the best. The grab bags are great also because sometimes you can get an autographed item. I've never gotten a signed item before; I've got one now! Score! It was certainly worth the $15. 

Yeah, I don't recommend ever putting your stuff on the Field Turf -- all this was covered in little black pellets after I took this picture. And that stuff is static-y too, so it ain't coming off.

1. Joe Mauer and Mike Redmond "autographed" chest-protector-shaped backpack
2. Mother's Day give-away t-shirt 
3. Dan Gladden bobblehead
4. 2009 Team "autographed" bat
5. 2009 Stats and Information Guide
6. and the coup -- 2010 Target Field calendar with Pat Neshek's autograph. 

Oh, and when I was standing around near the Hall of Fame exhibit, Denard Span scurried by. When I told Mom, I nearly got flattened by a friend of my son's who was chasing him. I'm glad he did, because he led us to where Denard stopped and chatted with fans for a bit.

Then, we moved to the KSTP 1500 area to listen to Joe Mauer's interview. We weren't the only ones there. And no, he didn't say anything about a contract; nor did they ask him about it. Just the typical "feeling good...working out...ready for the season...like that JJ Hardy and Jim Thome are here...blah, blah, blah."

Joe's the one in the tan sweater.

After that, we headed down to the StarTribune booth because I wanted to meet Howard Sinker (A Fan's View). It was great to shake his hand; I was glad to meet him and thank him for linking to my food donation post back in September. I also got to meet Seth Stohs (SethSpeaks), John Bonnes (Twins Geek), and Topper Anton (Curve For a Strike) at the same time. It was a great few minutes -- I was pleased that I got to meet these guys because I admire their blogs so much. I wished I could just take our group and go have a beer or DQ or something and talk baseball. I think next year the Twins should set up a booth of all the cool bloggers. I'd visit.

We had a lunch break and ran into Betsy (For The Love of The Game) and Katie (KC's Baseball Blog) -- it was fun to see them again.

Then we headed to the photo line again to see who was there. Brendan Harris. Ok. Turns out that he was super nice and friendly too. And he's better looking in person than I thought he was. So I was happy with this photo too.

And after visiting a few more booths, that was about all we could handle. I don't know how people play sports on that stupid, pellety Field Turf. My legs were killing me. But I had a great time.

Incredible?

Despite my doubts, the Twins went ahead and signed Jim Thome. Now that I think of it, though, I have to admit it's not such a bad deal.

• He comes cheap - one year, $1.5 million plus incentives. Everyone loves a bargain.
• He's planning on attending Twins Fest. He might have already had plans for the weekend, but no matter, he's going to be here. Everyone loves player who loves the fans.
• He admires Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau and says it's an honor to play with and learn from them. Everyone loves a team player.
• He's a legit threat. Imagine this: it's late in the game and we're down by a run. Nick Punto is due up, but Thome steps into the box instead. Do you like are chances now? I do. Everyone loves a winner.
• He's been saying all the right things about coming here. He's excited to come. He's excited that the Twins are excited. Everyone loves a nice guy.

There is one comparison that my younger son, mini-bro, has been talking about for years:

Note: At this time, the comparison to Mr. Incredible relates to his physical-appearance only. His hero-ness comparison is yet to be earned. Although his career speaks for itself; he's well on his way.

Welcome to Minnesota Mr. Thome. Be the Incredible.

Hmm...

A few notes on a couple of things that kind of made me scratch my head.

The Twins signed all eight of their arbitration eligible players
This is good. I've heard that neither the teams nor the players want to go into the arbitration room. The team tells the player how awful he is so that they don't have to pay him as much money as he wants, and then when it's all done, they have to convince him how much the love him. Can't be good for anyone.

So it's great that everyone (JJ Hardy, Carl Pavano, Delmon Young, Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Francisco Liriano all for one-year contracts and Brendan Harris for a two-year contract) signed so quickly -- all done on the very day when figures were exchanged. But it's curious that it was indeed that fast. The Twins and one other team (I forget which, Dodgers maybe?) were the only ones that had that many arbitration eligibles. So it would have been understandable if a few of them had taken a day or two.

Now, I haven't really followed Twins contract activities in the past, so I'm not sure about what to think of this. But I seem to remember when Cuddyer was arbitration-eligible, he and the Twins came to a "hand on the doorknob to the mediator's room" agreement.

So it seems odd to me that they'd knock off all eight in one swell foop. What does it mean? Are they opening the wallet freely? Are they just trying to get it over with and just saying "whatever" to whatever the players wanted? Were all the players extraordinarily reasonable with their demands? Huh?

The Twins are seriously interested in signing Jim Thome
Um, ok. The White Sox announced earlier this evening that they're not interested in him, so speculation is that he's deciding between the Twins and the Rays.

Now Thome's great. He's the kind of player you hate, only because he always beats you. I always like him a lot better when he's in the National League.

He's been described as the nicest guy in baseball. And that came from Mike Redmond -- after Thome cracked his skull when he forgot to hold on to his bat.

But, despite all that, the curious part is: why? We already have a left-handed, and much younger, DH in Jason Kubel. And it's not like we could put Thome out in the field to rest some guys.
I know the bench is a bit thin, but I seriously think they have other needs to address first. I don't know; bringing him in is like bringing beer to a wine tasting -- really good beer, but it still doesn't quite fit.


Ok, this is a no-brainer
The estimable Seth Stohs is planning a super-duper, action-packed, star-studded, pre-TwinsFest extravaganza podcast tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Ok, I exaggerate, but it's still going to be great.

Follow this link to listen live: www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks

Here's his tentative schedule (Central Time):

8:00-8:05 – Introduction

8:05-8:20 – John Sickels

8:20-8:35 – Pat Neshek

8:35-8:50 – Joe Benson

8:50-9:05 – Carlos Gutierrez

9:05-9:10 – Catch Up

9:10-9:25 – Kyle Gibson

9:25-9:35 – Open

9:35-9:45 – Denard Span

9:45-9:55 – Jeff Manship

9:55-10:00 – Wrap-Up

Be sure to tune in; it sounds like an awesome show.