GameChat – (ST) Twins @ Phillies

ok – MLB is being slow about posting their lineups so here’s a temporary lineup to get us going.. then I’ll update the table with the links when they are here.   UPDATE:  Player Links active

Minnesota @ Philadelphia
Span, CF   Rollins, SS
Hudson, O, 2B   Polanco, 3B
Morneau, 1B   Utley, 2B
Thome, DH   Howard, 1B
Cuddyer, RF   Werth, RF
Ramos, W, C   Ibanez, LF
Young, D, LF   Victorino, CF
Hardy, SS   Francisco, B, DH
Punto, 3B   Ruiz, C
  Pavano, P     Happ, P

 

Twins Pitching: Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn, Jose Mijares, Clay Condrey, Pat Neshek, Anthony Slama.

Phillies Pitching: J.A. Happ, Jose Contreras, David Herndon, Antonio Bastardo.

Click DiscussNow below to join the live GameChat

TwinsCentric Viewing Party

(courtesy of the StarTribune)

If you would like to talk about Joe Mauer and any other Twins-related topics, please join the TwinsCentric Guys at Majors  Sports Café in Apple Valley TODAY (March 13th) during the Twins/Phillies spring training game (noon until To Be Determined). All four TwinsCentric members will be there. There will be drink and appetizer specials for those there for the Viewing Party. There will also be several drawings for prizes, including copies of the Twins 2010 Annual, the SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook, and even tickets to Twins games at Target Field. So, if you can make it, be sure to stop by and talk Twins with a bunch of Twins fans!

Followup:  Wow, it was a great time!  Fabulous turnout and lots of fun – even got to get most of the TwinsCentric guys’ autographs on my MN Twins Annual!  We’ll definitely share all the info whenever they choose to do this again!

GameChat – (ST) Baltimore @ Minnesota, 6:05pm

Baltimore @ Minnesota
Reimold, N, DH   Span, CF
Andino, 2B   Hudson, O, 2B
Markakis, RF   Mauer, C
Scott, LF   Morneau, 1B
Atkins, G, 1B   Cuddyer, RF
Bell, 3B   Kubel, DH
Salazar, Je, CF   Young, D, LF
Moeller, C   Hardy, SS
Florimon Jr., SS   Punto, 3B
  Millwood, P     Baker, S, P

 

Click DiscussNow below to join the live GameChat

** remember that clicking on any name above will give you access to their MLB stat page **

GameChat Twins@Orioles (ST)

Click the “Discuss Now” button below and choose the GameChat channel to join our live chat during today’s Spring Training game vs the Orioles.

(NOTE: I forgot that the chat program doesn’t work for me from the office… so I won’t be able to join the chat myself. – JC)

You may need to use your mlb.com account to get the Orioles’ radio broadcast, however, since I don’t believe Gordon and Gladden are making the trip up to Sarasota for a local broadcast. In any event, here are the lineups (from Kelly Thesier at mlb.com). (CB – if you are radioless like I am, you can follow along with the game in limited fashion by clicking the MLB boxscore & play by play link in the sidebar)

Twins (2-3)
Ben Revere, CF
Nick Punto, 3B
Michael Cuddyer, RF
Jason Kubel, DH
Brendan Harris, SS
Jacque Jones, LF
Luke Hughes, 2B
Chris Parmelee, 1B
Drew Butera, C
Pitching: RHP Kevin Slowey

Others scheduled to pitch: Nick Blackburn, Jose Mijares, Jeff Manship, Clay Condrey, Anthony Slama

Orioles (1-4)
Felix Pie, LF
Adam Jones, CF
Miguel Tejada, 3B
Luke Scott, 1B
Matt Wieters, DH
Lou Montanez, RF
Cesar Izturis, SS
Craig Tatum, C
Robert Andino, 2B
Pitching: LHP Brian Matusz

Others scheduled to pitch: Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara, Armando Gabino, Frank Mata, Ross Wolf

GameChat – (ST) Yankees @ Twins & Twins @ Pirates

ok – it’s actually a split squad day so here’s both lineups just in case your radio is playing the Pirates game!

NY Yankees   Minnesota  
Gardner, CF   Revere, CF  
Swisher, DH   Punto, 3B  
Teixeira, 1B   Mauer, C  
Cano, 2B   Cuddyer, RF  
Thames, LF   Kubel, DH  
Hoffmann, RF   Peterson, Br, 1B  
Rivera, Mi, C   Jones, J, LF  
Pena, R, SS   Tolbert, SS  
Laird, 3B   Casilla, A, 2B  
  Mitre, P     Baker, S, P  
       

 

Minnesota   Pittsburgh  
Span, CF   Iwamura, 2B    
Hudson, O, 2B   Cedeno, SS    
Morneau, 1B   Jones, G, RF    
Thome, DH   Doumit, C    
Young, D, LF   Pearce, DH    
Hardy, SS   Alvarez, 3B    
Valencia, 3B   Moss, LF    
Ramos, W, C   Crosby, 1B    
Tosoni, RF   Raynor, CF    
  Duensing, P     Ohlendorf, P    
             

 

My God, isn’t it Friday yet!? Oh… it is? COOL!

To say it has been a long week is putting it mildly, but we didn’t create this blog to give voice to our whining about our personal lives, so I’ll just say I’m REALLY glad this week is wrapping up.

So let’s talk Twins-stuff.

Yeah, I know the guys lost to Boston last night in their Grapefruit League opener and those four measly singles weren’t much to get excited about, but I’m very excited about the performances of Kevin Slowey and Pat Neshek! Slowey’s spoken openly about how his wrist feels “different”, so it was good to see him be very effective in his first two-inning stint of the spring. And, while he hasn’t posted anything yet on his blog, I can’t wait to see what “Sideshow” has to say about his first trip to the mound in almost two years, so I’ll be checking back there later.

It was interesting reading Gardy’s post-game comments, this morning, though. I get the very distinct impression than he considers his bullpen full, at this time, and he’s downplaying any expectations of having Neshek go north when camp breaks. (Although, technically, Rochester is also “north”, right?) All I know is that if Neshek is anywhere close to his old self, it’s going to be very tough to keep him off the roster.

We’ll probably try to do the GameChat thing again here today for the Red Sox’ return visit to Hammond Stadium. Since some of us actually work for a living during the day, I’m not sure how that will work out, but we’ll give it a go.

As much fun as it is to listen to games and chat a bit online as it unfolds, it’s even more fun to actually attend the spring training games! Nick Nelson of Nick’s Twins Blog will be doing just that today and mentions he will be doing some Tweeting in the process. Needless to say, I’m VERY jealous. I just keep reminding myself that my turn is coming. Less than two weeks from “JimCrikket’s Spring Training Vacation”!

I got my copy of the Twins Annual, put out by the TwinsCentric guys and Maple Street Press, in the mail this week. This is the magazine edited by “TwinsGeek” John Bonnes with articles contributed by a virutal “Who’s Who of Twins Blogging”. Nick Nelson, Seth Stohs, Parker Hageman, Howard Sinker, Josh Johnson and a number of other terrific local authors, in addition to the TwinsGeek, himself, contributed some terrific writing. If you haven’t bought your copy yet, what the heck are you waiting for???? Absolutely the best Twins magazine you’ll see all year.

Speaking of reading material, I’m patiently (OK, not so patiently) awaiting the arrival of my copy of Seth’s Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook. I see he was expecting to mail them out to those of us who pre-ordered yesterday, so perhaps my wait is about over. I did note that half of Twins Territory apparently have received their copies already and provided reviews, while I’m sitting here waiting for mine. But I’m not impatient. I can wait. And I even promise not to write him any more harassing emails asking where my copy is. After all, I now have a blog where I can express just how PATIENTLY I’M WAITING for my dang Prospect Handbook!!!

By the way, Seth’s got a nice interview with Jesse Crain on his site today.

I guess that’s enough ranting for this morning.  I feel better… even though I realize that just two days in to this whole blogging thing, nobody is listening. It’s still very therapeutic, I’m sure.

Rumor Addict!!!!

Hey Knuckelballs!

My name is Babs and I’m an addict…  Alright, as baseball fans, why are we so in love with the rumor mill?  I LIVE for hot stove news about my team.  I keep my eye out for news on other teams that might somehow change things in division competition.  I follow every player on my team on Twitter and when we add a new player, I add them.  Does Joe Mauer have a contract yet?  Do we know who is going to play 3B yet?  Did you see how excited Pat Neshek is to throw a ball?  I’m sure that the baseball writers are glad that we are like this because it keeps people coming to websites to keep reading even when there aren’t any games or scores to follow!  So when the Twin Cities rumor mill blows up because a sports reporter gets a little too excited that contracts are under discussion, is that a symptom that we are living with an unhealthy obsession?  Is it contagious???  I don’t know and most of the time I don’t care because I have a ready source of the news drug that fuels my addiction.  Of course, I think the obvious sensitivity to such over-reaction is most definitely a symptom of one thing – the off-season is TOOOOO long.  I’m hanging on by my fingernails until that first pitch is thrown. 

Of course, I don’t promise to watch the rumor mill any LESS once baseball season actually starts!  😉

Spring Training 2009, remembered

Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer waits for a pitch

Just because it’s that time of year again and seeing a Twin in home white unform with the sun shining down on him is almost enough to make me forget the foot of snow still on the ground around here.

Just thought I’d post a picture (or two) from last year’s Spring Training.

Tom Kelly and Paul Molitor on the Minor League fields