Wednesday, April, 14th

Twins Talk
6-2 tied for first place

• The Twins had yesterday off and will continue their series with Boston today as Kevin Slowey makes his second start of the season today against Red Sox hurler John Lacky with gametime at 12:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis

Rochester Wrap

Scranton 4 Rochester 3 (2-4)

• The Red Wings for the second consecutive day had a heartbreaking loss to the Barons as they took a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning only to see Scranton score two runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose the game 4-3. Anthony Swarzak got the start for Rochester and was much better than he was on opening day as he worked six innings and only gave up two runs on only five hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 7.00 on the year. Jose Lugo then came on and did well in the 7th, but fell apart in the 8th inning. Lugo worked two innings and gave up two runs on four hits along with a walk and three strikeouts to raise his era on the young season to 4.15. His record dropped to 0-1 on the year.

• The Red Wings had another solid day offensively, but couldn't get many runs across because they left seven guys on base. Wilson Ramos led the offense going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average on the young season to .263. Trevor Plouffe had a good game going 1-4 at the plate with his first homerun of the year, a two run shot that gave the Twins a short lived 3-2 lead in the 8th inning. He also drove in his fifth and sixth runs of the year and brought his average up to .280 on the young season. Erik Lis, Matt Tolbert, Luke Hughes, Jacque Jones, and Danny Valencia each contributed a hit in the game. Valencia also drove in his second run of the year for the Red Wings.

• Tonight, the Red Wings begin a series with Lehigh Valley as Ryan Mullins is scheduled to get the start tonight for Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 in Lehigh Valley.

New Britian Business

Portland 8 New Britain 0 (0-5)

• The Rockcats continued their struggles in the young season with yet another lopsided loss this time to Portland by a score of 8-0. The game started off so well as David Bromberg made his season debut and was very good in this one. Bromberg went the first five innings without giving up a run on only three hits along with two walks and two strikeouts. It was a very encouraging start for Bromberg who has really jumped up the prospect charts the last year plus who some thought might struggle with the new level of competion and we shall see,, but it was a good start to the season for Bromberg. Joe Testa then came on for the Rockcats and it did not go so well for him. Testa went one inning and gave up five runs on four hits to raise his era on the year to 16.88 on the year. Steve Hirschfeld then came on and did not fare very well either. Hirschfeld worked 1.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits along with a walk to raise his era to 4.91. Santos Arias pitched a scoreless inning for relief along with a walk.

• Even though the relief pitching let the Rockcats down in this one it would not have mattered as New Britain was only able to muster six hits in this one and could not push a run across. Danny Lehman led the hitting going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average on the year to .357. Mark Dolenc also went 2-4 at the plate to raise his average to .286 on the year. Esterlin De Los Santos added his first hit of the year a double to raise his average to a unsightly .067. Chris Parmelee also added a single along with Ben Revere and Joe Benson each stealing their second bases of the year.

• This Morning the Rockcats finish their series off with Portland as they play a early afternoon game. Carlos Gutierrez gets the start for the Rockcats with gametime being at 10:35am today in New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 2 (1-4) Port Charlotte 0

• The Miracle finally got in the winning column after losing the first four games of the year. The reason they were able to get the win was the pitching of uberprospect Kyle Gibson who was trying to make people forget about his less than stellar start on opening day. In this one Gibson showed everything that has the Twins so excited about. Gibson worked 6 innings and gave up no runs on only 4 hits along with 6 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.79. That is the kind of start that Twins fans will be hoping to see out of Gibson next season when he is possibly pitching for the Twins. Veteran Ron Mahey then came on as he tries to round into shape and pitched a perfect 7th inning to lower his era with the Miracle to 1.93. Billy Bulluck then came on and blew away Charlotte in two shutout innings to pick up his first save as a member of the Miracle. Bulluck pitched two perfect innings along with four strikeouts in this one.

• It was a good thing that the pitching staff took care of business in this one as the hitters did not help much as they only collected five hits, but were able to push two of those hitters across for runs. The Miracle were led offensively by Yangervis Solarte who went 2-3 at the plate and drove in both runs to bring his rbi total up to two and collected his first double of the year to bring his average up to .545 on the young season. Drew Thompson also went 2-3 at the plate to bring his average up to .333. Nick Romero also added a single for the Miracle.

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Port Charlotte as Michael Tarsi is scheduled to pitch for the Miracle with gametime at 6:00 in Port Charlotte.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 1 Beloit 0 (2-3)

• The Snappers wasted another great pitching performance from Liam Hendriks as they went down last night to Peoria by a score of 1-0. Liam Hendriks got the start and pitched 6 shutout innings on only one hit along with a walk and five strikeouts. Hendricks has not allowed a run in 11 innings so far this season. If he continues to pitch like this he won't be in Beloit for very long as he appears ready for a promotion, but we shall see as it is only two starts in. Kane Holbrooks then came on and gave up an unearned run along with three hits in two innings of work to take the loss. Matthew Tone then came on and pitched a scoreless inning of relief on two hits along with three strikeouts for the Snappers.

• The Snappers season long hitting slump continued in this one as they were only able to five hits in this one and waste the great pitching performance from Hendriks. Steve Liddle led the offense going 2-4 at the plate to raise his average on the year to .318. Brian Dozier, Anderson Hidalgo, and James Beresford each contributed a single for the Snappers in this one. However, that was not enough to get the job done for the Snappers in this one as they continue to struggle with the bats.

• Tonight, the Snappers start a series with Kane County as Dan Osterbrock is scheduled to pitch for the Snappers. Gametime is at 6pm in Kane County.

• I hope everyone heard the second edition of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast as we had Fort Myers catcher Dan Rohlfing on the show. Seth Stohs and I talked about all the affiliates and what we expected out of everyone in the organization. If you missed it you can download it at http://blogtalkradio.com/twinsminorleagueweekly and make sure you tune in next Tuesday night for another edition of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast with your hosts Travis Aune and Seth Stohs.

Tuesday, April, 13th

Twins Talk
Twins 5 Red Sox 2
WP: Pavano 2-0 LP: Lester Save: Rauch (5)

• Before we get into the game I thought I had to talk a little bit about Target Field and my impressions watching on television. I thought Target Field was as good as advertised as the beauty was breathtaking. The people walking around on a bright sunshine filled afternoon is something to behold. I really can't wait till this summer when I get down there and can get the sights and the sounds along with the smells and the tastes. I can't wait to try one of those Murray's Steak Sandwhiches because everything that I have heard is they are awesome. The dimensions of the park also I find very interesting as they hitter friendly to left field and right field. However, if you plan on hitting a homerun to centerfield you better pack a lunch because you have to totally crush the ball to go out especially to left center just ask Mike Cameron.

• Now onto the game as the Twins put together a very solid effort in their opener to pull out a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox at Target Field. Carl Pavano got the start for the Twins and man was he good. Pavano went 6 innings and only gave up a run on 4 hits along with one walk and four strikeouts to lower his era to a very good 1.38. Pavano kept the Red Sox off balance all game as he got ahead and stayed ahead with plenty of strikes. Brian Duensing came in and gave up a run on two hits along with two strikeouts in two innings to raise his era to 2.70. Matt Guerrier then came on and after allowing a hit got three straight outs. Jon Rauch is quickly quieting the naysayers who said he could not be an effective closer by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning to pick up his fifth save in as many chances.

• The Twins hit Jon Lester all over the park yesterday and I was shocked it was only five runs that were scored. The main reason was even though they had 12 hits they left 11 guys on base. That is something that has been a recurring theme early in the season and something they are going to have fix quick. Jason Kubel led the attack going 3-4 with his 2nd homerun of the season and what happened to be the first homerun ever hit at Target Field. Kubel also added two rbi's to bring his total to five on the season. Joe Mauer had what you would call a Joe Mauer day going 3-5 at the plate with his forth and fifth doubles of the year. He also contributed his fifth and sixth rbi's of the year to bring his average up to .423 on the young season.

• The Twins have their first off day of the year today and will continue their series with the Red Sox tommorrow afternoon with Kevin Slowey getting the start against John Lackey for the Red Sox. Gametime is at 12:10 at Target Field.

Rochester Wrap

Scranton 6 Rochester 5 (2-3)

• The Rochester Red Wings suffered what was a norm last season and that was a heartbreaking loss. Hopefully this does not become a regular occurance because they have the talent to be players in the International League. Anthony Slama came on in the 9th with a two run lead and after a leadoff walk gave up a two run homerun to tie the score. Rob Delaney gave it up in the 11th to get the loss. Veteran Mike Maroth made his first start for the Red Wings and did fairly well. Maroth went 3.1 innings and only gave up an unearned run on two hits along with three walks and three strikeouts. Jose Lugo then came on and got hit hard but found a way to not give up any runs in 1.2 innings on 4 hits. Matt Fox then came on and was not very effective giving up two runs on two hits along with a walk and a strikeout in his inning of work. Kyle Waldrop then came on and pitched two shutout innings on only one hit along with a walk and a strikeout. Anthony Slama then came on a gave up two runs on one hit along with a walk and four strikeouts in two innings of work. Rob Delaney then came on and gave a run along with a walk in only 1/3 of an inning to move his record to 0-1 on the season.

• The Wings had plenty of hits in this one, but what is becoming a recurring problem early in the season is leaving guys on base. The Wings had 15 hits in this one, but also left 10 guys on base. Trevor Plouffe led the offense going 3-5 with his first and second doubles of the year and his third and fourth rbi's. Brian Dinkelman went 3-6 at the plate with his first double of the year and his 2nd rbi. Wilson Ramos went 2-5 at the plate with his first double of the year. Erik Lis went 2-5 at the plate. Danny Valencia and Jason Repko each contributed two hits apiece. Repko collected his first rbi and his first sb as a wing as well.

• Tonight, the Wings continue their series with Scranton as Anthony Swarzak gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 in Scranton.

New Britain Business

Portland 8 New Britain 2 (0-4)

• The Rockcats continued their rough start to the season with their fourth consecutive loss this one to Portland as their record dropped to 0-4 on the season. Deolis Guerra made his season debut and if you take away his first inning it was a pretty solid start, but you can't do it so his line doesn't look so good. Guerra went 5 innings and gave up four earned runs all in the first inning on six hits along with two strikeouts to drop his record on the year to 0-1. Chris Province then came in and got drilled giving up three runs on two hits along with three walks and three strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Spencer Steedley then came on and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings on one hit along with a walk and two strikeouts. Steve Hirschfeld then came on and pitched a perfect inning along with a strikeout.

• Offensively, the Rockcats continued their struggles swinging the bat as they were only able to put up seven hits in the game and only score two runs. Joe Benson led the attack going 2-3 at the plate along with a walk. Steve Singleton went 2-4 at the plate to raise his average on the year to .231. Chris Parmelee added his second homerun of the year and drove in his third rbi of the year.

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as David Bromberg makes his 2010 debut for New Britain. Gametime is at 5:35pm in New Britian

Fort Myers Minutes

Bradenton 6 Fort Myers 2 (0-4)

• The Miracle continued their season long struggles as they lost their fourth straight game to Bradenton to complete the four game sweep over the Miracle. Bruce Pugh got the start for the Miracle and did ok. Pugh went three innings and gave up two runs on five hits along with three walks and also three strikeouts. Blake Martin then came on and went two innings and gave up a run on two hits along with two strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 5.40. Ron Mahey then came on and pitched a perfect inning of relief along with a strikeout. Henry Arias finished the game and to be all honest he really struggled. Arias worked two innings and gave up three unearned runs on two hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 21.00.

• The Miracle's offense was again offensive as they were only able to put up two runs on eight hits and against that offense it wasn't nearly enough. Michael Harrington led the attack going 2-4 at the plate with his third rbi of the year to raise his batting average to .333 on the young season. Yangervis Solarte also went 2-4 at the plate to increase his average to .500 on the year. Chris Hermann drove in his second run of the young season for the Miracle. A bright spot early on has been Paul Kelly after missing two years because of injuries went 1-5 at the plate to bring his average to .462 on the young season.

• Tonight, the Miracle begin a series in Port Charlotte as Kyle Gibson makes his second minor league start as he tries to rebound from a rough opening start for the Miracle. Gametime is at 6:05 in Port Charlotte.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 3 Peoria 0

• The Snappers broke out of a three game losing streak with a nice and clean 3-0 victory over Peoria last night. After making an appearance out of the bullpen on opening day Tom Stuifbergen got his first start of the year for the Snappers. Stuifbergen showed the form that we got used to seeing out of him last year in Elizabethton. Stuifbergen went six innings without giving up a run on only four hits along with five strikeouts in the excellent outing for the Snappers. Peter Kennelly then came on for the Snappers and worked 1.2 scoreless innings on only one hit along with a walk and three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.25. Edgar Ibarra then came on and got one out along with a hit to lower his era to 21.60. Steve Blevins worked the ninth to pick up his first save of the year. In his inning of work he gave up two hits and no runs along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 3.00.

• The Snappers continued their season long slump offensively as they only were able to score three runs even though they had 11 hits. The main reason they were unable to score more runs is they left seven guys on base. Anderson Hidalgo led the attack going 2-3 with his first and second doubles of the year. Steve Liddle went 2-4 at the plate with his first homerun of the year. Brian Dozier also went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .308 on the year. Derek Mccallum went 1-3 at the plate with his second double and first rbi of the year. Aaron Hicks continued his struggles going 0-3 and is now 1-17 on the young season.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Liam Hendriks will try to build on his very good start he had on opening day where he threw five shutout innings. Gametime is at 6:30 in Beloit.

• Join Seth Stohs and myself for the second edition of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast tonight at 10pm. We will be joined by Fort Myers catcher Dan Rohlfing and we will talk about all the affiliates.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

I will be bringing you another action packed edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm central. I will be having on Fanatic Jack Steal and we will talk about the Twins home opener. We will take your questions in the chat room or you can call in with your questions. So join us tonight at 9pm for another edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Monday, April 12th

Well today is the day that Twins fans have been waitiing to see for almost 3 years. Ever since it was announced that there would be a new stadium most Twins fans have been clamoring for this day. Well the day is here and if mother nature allows it today will be on of the most anticipated days in not only Twins history, but also in Minnesota sports history. Today, April 12th 2010 is the day that Target Field opens and the days under the metrodome roof are over. As a Twins fan I am beyond excited and can't wait for this summer when I will be able experience it first hand. So until that happens I will talk about the things that are happening on the field with the Twins and all their affiliates.

Twins Talk

Chicago 5 Minnesota 4(5-2 0.5 games back)

• The Twins continued their stellar play offensively and pitching wise, but on this day it was not quite enough as they lost the finale to the White Sox 5-4. However, it was a good road trip as they went 5-2 and won both series from the Angels and White Sox. Nick Blackburn got the start in this one going 7.2 innings and giving up 5 runs on 8 hits to take the loss his first of the year. The game was 4-4 when Blackburn left the game after back to back singles by Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko. Blackburn pitched a pretty good game expect the three homeruns that he allowed made it look not so good. Jose Mijares came on to face Andruw Jones and gave up the go ahead hit to put the White Sox up 5-4. Matt Guerrier then came on and got the last out for the Twins.

• Offensively, the Twins did enough that you would think they would be able to get the win especially against a pitcher like Mark Buerhle as they scored 4 runs on 10 hits. They left four guys on base. Joe Mauer led the attack going 2-4 with his 2nd and 3rd doubles of the year and drove in his fourth rbi of the year. Orlando Hudson seemed to be coming out of his early slump going 2-4 also to bring his average to .233. Justin Morneau went 1-4 with his 5th and 6th rbi's of the year as he has put the end of last year behind him. Michael Cuddyer went 2-4 with his 1st rbi of the year, but he is hitting .310 in the early going.

• Much has been said and will be said about third base coach Scott Ullger decision to send J.J. Hardy on a Jim Thome double against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. He probably shouldn't of done it but I can see why he did. It took a heads up play by White Sox 3rd baseman Mark Teahan to go cut the ball off and a perfect carem for Juan Pierre to get him out. Also if you hold him I don't like the Twins chances against Jenks with Nick Punto coming up with only Casilla and Butera left on the bench. So maybe Ulger was thinking this was their best chance to tie the game and I probably wouldn't disagree with him.

• Today, the Twins open up Target field as Carl Pavano gets the start for the Twins against the Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester. Gametime is at 3pm central.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 4 Pawtucket 3

• The Red Wings after losing their first two games evened their record with a nice late inning comeback to beat the Paw Sox. Yoslan Herrera got the start for the Wings and was effective except he walked 5 batters in only 3.2 innings of work. Herrera gave up a run on only 3 hits and without all the walks he could have went longer in the game. Ryan Mullins then came on and had his second consecutive rough outing as he gave up 2 runs and 3 hits along with a strikeout in his one inning of work. Tim Lahey then came on and really saved the game pitching 3.1 great innings on only one walk and two strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year. Kyle Waldrop worked the 9th for his first save as a Red Wing on only one hit.

• The Red Wings were led by of all people in this game by Matt Tolbert who went 3-4 at the plate with his first double of the year. The big hit though was brought by Erik Lis who came to the plate in the 8th inning with the Wings trailing by a score of 3-2. With a runner on Lis connected for his first homerun of the year to put the Wings ahead 4-3. Brian Dinkelman also went 2-3 at the plate with a walk to bring his average up to .400 on the young season. Trevor Plouffe went 1-4 with his first two rbi's of the year.

• Tonight, the Wings head to Scranton-Wilkes Bare to take on the Yankees. Mike Maroth makes his first start as a Red Wing tonight with gametime at 6:05 in Scranton.

New Britain Business

New Hampshire 7 New Britain 4

• The Rockcats suffered their third straight loss to start the season with a tough to swallow 7-4 loss to New Hampshire yesterday. Tyler Robertson got his first AA start yesterday and was decent going 4.2 innings and giving up 3 runs on 7 hits along with a walk and a strikeout. Cole Devries then came on and pitched an effective 2.1 innings of relief giving up an unearned run on two hits along with 2 strikeouts. Santos Arias then came on and things did not go well for him. In two innings of work he gave up three unearned runs on two hits along with a walk and a strikeout. The rough part was he gave up a three run homerun that turned a 4-4 tie into a 7-4 New Hampshire lead. The Rockcats need to tighten things up as they had two errors which led to four unearned runs.

• The Rockcats offense continued to struggle as they were only able to put 4 runs on the board even though they had 9 hits. The main culprit was leaving 10 guys on base and your not going to win many games when you leave 10 on base and give up 4 unearned runs. The Cats were led by Rene Tosoni who went 2-5 with his first double of the year. Chris Parmalee went 1-4 at the plate with a walk and his first stolen base. Danny Lehman and Yancarlos Ortiz each added an rbi apiece.

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their homestand as they welcome in Portland as Deolis Guerra gets his first start of the year. Gametime is at 5:35pm in New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

• The Miracle had yesterday off before continuing their series with Bradenton as they try to get their first win of the year. Bruce Pugh gets the start for Fort Myers with gametime at 6pm in Bradenton.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 2 Beloit 0

• The Snappers after getting off the season with a win lost their third straight Midwest League game. Brad Stillings got the start for Beloit and was very good in this one even though he ended up taking the loss. Stillings went 5 innings and gave up a run on only 3 hits along with one walk and a strikeout. Matthew Tone then came on and worked an inning and gave up one run on three hits along with a walk and three strikeouts. Dakota Watts then came on and pitched two shutout innings on only one hit. Ben Tootle pitched a perfect inning in relief. The pitching has n ot been the problem this year as they have done their job most of the time so far this year.

• The Snappers offensive slump continued in this one as they were only able to get five hits off Peoria pitching. Danny Rams went 1-4 at the plate with his second double of the year. Aaron Hicks got his first hit of the year going 1-4 to bring his average up to .071. James Beresford continued his struggles going 0-3 with a walk and still does not have a hit. Beresford and Hicks two of the best players on the Snappers team have started out very very slow. Between the two of them they are 1-29 at the plate a .034 average. I am not worried at all about them but it would be nice to get those guys going as soon as possible because they are key guys for the Snappers.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Tom Stuifbergen gets his first start of the season tonight with gametime at 6:35.

Travis Talks NFL Mock Draft 1.0

As anyone that has followed this site the last couple years know I am a huge football fan as well as a baseball fan. I like to follow the NFL draft and try to pick the draft and see how close I get. So I welcome your comments either in an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com or in the comment box if you think i am way off or close on. The draft is still a couple weeks away and I will be bringing a few more of these so I hope you like it.

• 1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

• 2. Detroit Lions- Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

• 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Gerald Mccoy DT Oklahoma

• 4. Washington Redskins- Russell Okung OT Oklahoma St.

• 5. Kansas City Chiefs- Eric Berry S Tennessee

• 6. Seattle Seahawks- Trent Williams OT Oklahoma

• 7. Cleveland Browns- Dez Bryant WR Oklahoma St.

• 8. Oakland Raiders- Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa

• 9. Buffalo Bills- Anthony Davis OT Rutgers

• 10. Jacksonville Jaguars- C.J. Spiller RB Clemson

• 11. Denver Broncos- Earl Thomas S Texas

• 12. Miami Dolphins- Dan Williams DT Tennessee

• 13. San Francisco 49ers- Joe Haden CB Florida

• 14. Seattle Seahawks- Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame

• 15. New York Giants- Rolando Mcclain LB Alabama

• 16. Tennessee Titans- Derrick Morgan DE Georgia Tech

• 17. San Francisco 49ers- Mike Iupati OG Idaho

• 18. Pittsburgh Steelers- Maurkice Pouncey C/G Florida

• 19. Atlanta Falcons- Jason Pierre-Paul DE South Florida

• 20. Houston Texans- Kyle Wilson CB Boise St.

• 21. Cincinnati Bengals- Jermaine Grisham TE Oklahoma

• 22. New England Patriots- Sergio Kindle DE Texas

• 23. Green Bay Packers- Charles Brown OT USC

• 24. Philadelphia Eagles- Kareem Jackson CB Alabama

• 25. Baltimore Ravens- Demaryius Thomas WR Georgia Tech

• 26. Arizona Cardinals- Sean Weatherspoon LB Missouri

• 27. Dallas Cowboys- Taylor Mays S USC

• 28. San Diego Chargers- Ryan Matthews RB Fresno St.

• 29. New York Jets- Jared Odrick DE Penn State

• 30. Minnesota- Terrance Cody DT Alabama

• 31. Indianapolis- Jerry Hughes DE TCU

• 32. New Orleans Saints- Everson Griffen DE USC

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast

Happy opening day everyone hope all are enjoying some baseball today. After a one week hiatus due to a family emergency I am returning tonight with a jam packed show of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast. Due to the Twins starting at 9 tonight for opening day I am having a one time only start time of 7pm central tonight. I will first be joined by DW The Great and we will talk about all things twins. Then I will be joined by Seth Stohs and we will get some minor league baseball talk in. Also you don't want to miss it as I will have a very special announcement at the end of the show tonight so you definatly don't want to miss tonights show so tune in at 7pm central. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Liriano a starter or closer

First off I want to get something off my chest about the Twins media reporting. I want to give a disclaimer about this though. Lavelle E. Neal III is a good beat reporter for the Twins and I enjoy reading his column everyday to find out Twins information and lineups. However, after reading his column this morning I am a little disappointed in him. In a regular article in the Star Tribune website today Lavelle promotes the Twins using Francisco Liriano as the closer for the Twins. That is after Ron Gardenhire explicitely said that Liriano is a starter and that they will run the closer role by committee. That is pretty clear that Liriano is not going to be a closer so that is what caught me off guard about the piece. Seems to me the only person still toughting Liriano as a closer is Lavelle. Honestly, that is not the job of a beat reporter as his job is to report the news that happens. If this had been in his blog I would have less of a problem with it because people want to hear his opinion in there, but not in a regular article. In a regular article I don't want to see the word I in any article not written by guys like Patrick Reusse or Jim Souhan who are paid to give their opinions. If he wants to give his opinions on this Lavelle should of done it in his blog and not in a regular article that is all I am saying. Now that I am off my soapbox the question begins should Liriano be a closer or starter.

There is no doubt in my mind that Francisco Liriano has the stuff to be an effective closer for the Twins. However, I think it would be a waste of talent as Liriano has the ability to be an ace of the staff as a starter. I think the Twins would rather have someone pitch 180-200 good innings than have a guy pitch 60-70. I really think with his line of 2 walks and 26 strikeouts this spring that his control is back along with his wicked slider. What the Twins need just as bad as a closer is an ace that you can hand the ball to who will dominate. The Twins havea bunch of number 2's and 3's in their rotation, but what they are lacking is a dominate ace that the Twins' competitors like Justin Verlander and Jake Peavy have. I think guys like Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch can do the job until Pat Neshek is ready to take the job and run with it midseason so I think it would be a huge mistake for the Twins to force Liriano into the closers role as he obviously would rather start. Here is hoping that the Twins do the right thing with a guy that could be the ace in the hole for the Twins division winning formula.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight, I will be bringing you another jam packed edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports podcast. I will have 2 guests on tonight as first I will be having Shawn Berg from the excellent blog http://ontheroadwithshawn.blogspot.com. We will talk Twins topics everything to the Mauer signing to position battles to the injury to Joe Nathan. Following Shawn will be Seth Stohs of http://sethspeaks.net where we will talk about one of my favorite topics and that is the minor league system for the Twins. Tune in tonight for another great show that we should be in store for. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Please join me for the return of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast as I have a jam packed show as I welcome a regular contributer to the podcast in Seth Stohs. You can read his awesome blog at http://sethspeaks.net. He also is part of the Twins Centric group that did the Twins annual for the Maple Street Press. They also have a daily column on Startribune.com and you can't forget his 2010 Seth Speaks Minnesota Twins prospect handbook that I have had the pleasure of reading and it is wonderful and I insist that if you have not gotten your copy of the handbook get it now. You can order your copy over at Seth's website. So tonight is going to be a fun night so i welcome everyone that reads Seth's site or listens to my podcast to tune into tonight should be fun. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast cancelled for tonight

Due to Mid Term exams I will not be able to have the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight. However, expect a big show next Monday as I try to make up for not being on tonight. So come back next Monday, the 15th for the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight at 9pm I will be bringing you another jam packed edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast. I will begin the show with up and coming minor league relief pitcher Joe Testa which should be very exciting. Following Joe I will be bringing back the godfather of podcasting the Twins Geek himself John Bonnes and we will talk about the twins and get you ready for the exhibition season on Thursday. You can read John's every popular blog along with reading him on the star tribune page. Here is John's blog. http://twinsgeek.blogspot.com. So be sure to tune in tonight at 9pm. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight I will be bringing you a very special edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast at 9:00 pm. It will be a jampacked show tonight as I will have another minor leauger that I think you all will enjoy in Matt Fox. Matt Fox has overcome quite a bit to become a very good starting pitcher in the organization. After Matt I will have Jack Steal on and our very differing opinions on the Twins will be on stage. You can find Fanatic Jack's interesting blog at http://fanaticjacktalkstwins.blogspot.com. So join us tonight at 9 pm for another great edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

I am very excited to have another jam packed edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm. I will start out the show with the very well respected Twins blogger Seth Stohs of the ever popular website Seth Speaks that you can find at http://sethspeaks.net. We will be discussing the Minnesota Twins offseason as I continue my look at the American League Central. Following Seth I have a very special guest in Twins minor league pitcher Steve Blevins. He is one of the nicest guys your ever going to meet and I am priviledged to have him on the podcast tonight. So I invite everyone to listen to the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

In one of the biggest Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast in history I have a huge show planned for tonight at 9 so you don't want to miss out. I will start with Will Mcdonald who does a very good Kansas City Blog and we will talk about everything Royals as I continue my look at the American League Central. Followed by him is a very highly thought of prospect in the Twins minor league system. I will be joined by Starting Pitcher Tyler Robertson and we will talk about how he has gotten to this point and what he looks for going forward. I really invite everyone to tune in because I think its going to be a phenomenal show tonight and I really hope you tune whether you listen every week or if this is your first time visting my blog I really hope you will give me a shot tonight because you won't be disappointed. If you want to listen to the show just go to this site. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

AL Central Preview

With the Twins signing of 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson last night to a 1 year 5 million dollar contract it appears the Twins are pretty much done for the offseason. All that still needs to be done is to finalize the Joe Mauer contract and I am very confident they will get that done before spring training. With that I think it would be fun and interesting to take a look at the AL Central and am doing an unscientific way to evaluate the division. So here is how it is going to work I will rank 1-5 for every position with 1 being the best and 5 being the worst. At the end I will add up all the numbers and the team with the fewest points is the favorite to win the 2010 AL Central. Point totals are pretty simple in that 1= 1 point, 2= 2 points, and so on. So give me some feedback on this to let me know what you think. You can either send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment in the comment box. With that lets get started.

• Catcher

1. Joe Mauer(MN)- .365 avg 28 hr 96 rbi's .444/.587/1.031
2. AJ Pierzynski(CH)- .300 avg 13 hr 49 rbi's .331/.425/.756
3. Gerald Laird(Det)- .225 avg 4 hr 33 rbi's .306/.320/.626
4. Jason Kendall(KC)- .241 avg 2 hr 43 rbi's .331/.305/.636
5. Lou Marson(Cle)- .246 avg 0 hr 4 rbi's .347/.361/.708

• 1st Base

1. Miguel Cabrera(Det)- .324 avg 34 hr 103 rbi's .396/.547/.942
2. Justin Morneau(MN)- .274 avg 30 hr 100 rbi's .363/.516/.878
3. Paul Konerko(CH)- .277 avg 28 hr 88 rbi's .353/.489/.842
4. Billy Butler(KC)- .301 avg 21 hr 93 rbi's .362/.492/.853
5. Matt Laporta(Cle)- .254 avg 7 hr 21 rbi's .308/.442/.750

• 2nd Base

1. Gordan Beckham(CH)- .270 avg 14 hr 63 rbi's .347/.460/.808
2. Orlando Hudson(MN)- .283 avg 9 hr 62 rbi's .357/.417/.774
3. Alberto Callaspo(KC)- .300 avg 11hr 73 rbi's .356/.457/.813
4. Luis Valbuena(Cle)- .250 avg 10 hr 31 rbi's .298/.416/.714
5. Scott Sizemore(Det)- .308 avg 8 hr 33 rbi's 10sb .378/.473/.851 in minors

• Shortstop

1. Asdrubal Cabrera(Cle)- .308 avg 6 hr 68 rbi's 17sb .361/.438/.799
2. Alexei Ramirez(CH)- .277 avg 15 hr 68 rbi's 14sb .333/.389/.723
3. J.J. Hardy(MN)- .229 avg 11 hr 47 rbi's .302/.357/.659
4. Yuniesky Betancourt(KC)- .245 avg 6 hr 49 rbi's .274/.351/.625
5. Adam Everett(Det)- .238 avg 3 hr 44 rbi's .288/.325/.613

• 3rd Base

1. Brandon Inge(Det)- .230 avg 27 hr 84 rbi's .314/.406/.720
2. Mark Teahen(CH)- .271 avg 12 hr 50 rbi's .325/.408/.734
3. Alex Gorden(KC)- .232 avg 6 hr 22 rbi's .324/.378/.703
4. Jhonny Peralta(Cle)- .254 avg 11 hr 83 rbi's .316/.375/.690
5. Nick Punto(MN)- .228 avg 1 hr 38 rbi's 16sb .337/.284/.621

• Left Field

1. Carlos Quentin(CH)- .236 avg 21 hr 56 rbi's .323/.456/.779
2. Carlos Guillen(Det)- .242 avg 11 hr 41 rbi's .339/.419/.757
3. Delmon Young(MN)- .284 avg 12 hr 60 rbi's .308/.425/.733
4. Scott Podsednik(KC)- .304 avg 7 hr 48 rbi's 30 sb .353/.412/.764
5. Michael Brantley(Cle)- .313 avg 0 hr 11 rbi's .313/.358/.707

• Center Field

1. Grady Sizemore(Cle)- .248 avg 18 hr 64 rbi's 13sb .343/.445/.788
2. Denard Span(MN)- .311 avg 8 hr 68 rbi's 23sb .392/.415/.807
3. Juan Pierre(CH)- .308 avg 0 hr 31 rbi's 30sb .365/.392/.757
4. Rick Ankiel(KC)- .231 avg 11 hr 38 rbi's .285/.387/.672
5. Austin Jackson(Det)- .300 avg 4 hr 65 rbi's 24sb .354/.405/.759 in minors

• Right Field

1. Michael Cuddyer(MN)- .276 avg 32 hr 94 rbi's .342/.520/.862
2. Shin-Soo Choo(Cle)- .300 avg 20 hr 86 rbi's 21sb .394/.489/.883
3. Alex Rios(CH)- .247 avg 17 hr 71 rbi's 24sb .296/.395/.691
4. Magglio Ordonez(Det)- .310 avg 9 hr 50 rbi's .376/.428/.804
5. David Dejesus(KC)- .281 avg 13 hr 71 rbi's .347/.434/.781

• DH

1. Jason Kubel(MN)- .300 avg 28 hr 103 rbi's .369/.539/.907
2. Travis Hafner(Cle)- .272 avg 16 hr 49 rbi's .355/.470/.826
3. Jose Guillen(KC)- .242 avg 9 hr 40 rbi's .314/.367/.681
4. Clete Thomas(Det)- .240 avg 7 hr 39 rbi's .324/.385/.709
5. Andruw Jones(Chi)- .214 avg 17 hr 43 rbi's .323/.459/.782

• Bench

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals

• #1 starter

1. Zach Grienke(KC)- 16-8 2.16 era 229.1 inn 242 k's 1.07 whip
2. Justin Verlander(Det)- 19-9 3.45 era 240 inn 269 k's 1.18 whip
3. Jake Peavy(Chi)- 9-6 3.45 era 101.2 inn 110 k's 1.12 whip
4. Scott Baker(MN)- 15-9 4.37 era 200 inn 162 k's 1.19 whip
5. Jake Westbrook(Cle)- 1-2 3.12 era 34.2 inn 19 k's 1.15 whip in 2008

• #2 starter

1. Mark Buehrle(Chi)- 13-10 3.84 era 213.1 inn 105 k's 1.25 whip
2. Rick Porcello(Det)- 14-9 3.96 era 170.2 inn 89 k's 1.34 whip
3. Carl Pavano(MN)- 14-12 5.10 era 199.1 inn 147 k's 1.37 whip
4. Gil Meche(KC)- 6-10 5.09 era 129 inn 95 k's 1.57 whip
5. Fausto Carmona(Cle)- 5-12 6.32 era 125.1 inn 79 k's 1.76 whip

• #3 starter

1. Gavin Floyd(Chi)- 11-11 4.06 era 193 inn 163 k's 1.23 whip
2. Kevin Slowey(MN)- 10-3 4.86 era 90.2 inn 75 k's 1.41 whip
3. Brian Bannister(KC)- 7-12 4.73 era 154 inn 98 k's 1.37 whip
4. Armando Galarraga(Det)- 6-10 5.64 era 143.2 inn 95 k's 1.57 whip
5. Justin Masterson(Cle)- 4-10 4.52 era 129.1 119 k's 1.45 whip

• #4 starter

1. John Danks(Chi)- 13-11 3.77 era 200.1 inn 149 k's 1.28 whip
2. Nick Blackburn(MN)- 11-11 4.03 era 205.2 inn 98 k's 1.37 whip
3. Max Scherzer(Det)- 9-11 4.12 era 170.1 inn 174 k's 1.34 whip
4. Aaron Laffey(Cle)- 7-9 4.44 era 121.2 inn 59 k's 1.62 whip
5. Kyle Davies(KC)- 8-9 5.27 era 123 inn 86 k's 1.53 whip

• #5 starter

1. Francisco Liriano(MN)- 5-13 5.80 era 136.2 inn 122 k's 1.55 whip
2. Jeremy Bonderman(Det)- 0-1 8.71 era 10.1 inn 5 k's 2.32 whip
3. Freddy Garcia(Chi)- 3-4 4.34 era 56 inn 37 k's 1.21 whip
4. Luke Hochevar(KC)- 7-13 6.55 era 143 inn 106 k's 1.49 whip
5. Jeremy Sowers(Cle)- 6-11 5.25 era 123.1 inn 51 k's 1.51 whip

• Closer

1. Joe Nathan(MN)- 2-2 2.10 era 47 saves 68.2 inn 89 k's 0.93 whip
2. Joakim Soria(KC)- 3-2 2.21 era 30 saves 53 inn 69 k's 1.13 whip
3. Jose Valverde(Det)- 4-2 2.33 era 25 saves 54 inn 56 k's 1.13 whip
4. Bobby Jenks(CH)- 3-4 3.71 era 29 saves 53.1 inn 49 k's 1.28 whip
5. Kerry Wood(Cle)- 3-3 4.25 era 20 saves 55 inn 63 k's 1.38 whip

• Bullpen

1. Minnesota
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland

• Manager

1. Minnesota
2. Detroit
3. Chicago
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland

• Final Totals:
• Minnesota 37 points
• Chicago 41 points
• Detroit 54 points
• Kansas City 66 points
• Cleveland 72 points

• After doing this unscientific experiment based totally on my opinion things turned out how I felt they would going in. The Twins and White Sox are going to battle all year long for the division title in my opinion. The Twins have a superior offense, while the White Sox have a better starting rotation. I have Detroit a step below with all the inexperience that they will send out there on a daily basis. I have Kansas City and Cleveland battling to stay out of the cellar this year so it should be exciting. Did I mention lately it is 15 days until pitchers and catcher report to spring training. I would like to get some feedback on this experiment so let me know what you think.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast

I want to thank Larry from http://southsidesox.com for a very interesting interview talking about the White Sox and how much of a threat they will be in 2010. Then I had Nick Nelson on and we had a good conversation about the Twins and what is going on with them. I was pretty happy with the 48 live listeners that I had. I appreciate everyone for listening to the show as I felt it was a very fun show. If anyone missed the show you can download the show by going here. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk/2010/02/02/travis-talks-weekly-minnesota-sports-podcast

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight, at 9pm I will be bringing you another action packed edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast. I have a couple of very interesting guests on the show. First, I will have Larry from http://southsidesox.com/ as he will continue my look at the American League Central with his take on his Chicago White Sox. Then I will have Nick Nelson of the world renown http://nickstwinsblog.com. We will be discussing Baseball and more Baseball. So tune in tonight at 9 for the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast as I will have an action packed show and you dont want to miss. http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast Tonight at 9

Tonight at 9pm tonight I will be bringing you another exciting edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast. I will start out the show with the return of Gonzo of a very popular Vikings blog at http://dailynorseman.com and we will break down the heartbreaking loss last night. We will also look ahead to the off season and look forward to the 2010 season. Following him I will be having Seth on to talk some Twins. Seth has a phenomenal Twins blog at http://sethspeaks.net where he has all kinds of good stuff. We will be talking about the Twins offseason and look ahead to Twins Fest which will be happening this weekend. Hope to talk to you tonight at 9 pm at http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk.

Changing of the season

Being a lifelong diehard Minnesota Vikings fan it is a hard pill to swallow what happened last night. In case you were on mars during the game last night the Vikings had their season come to an end in the most cruel and tortuous way possible. The Vikings committed five turnovers and put the ball on the turn eight times including six fumbles to go down 31-28 in New Orleans to the Saints. Before I get too far I want to congratulate the city of New Orleans as they went from hell with Katrina to zenith with last nights victory. However, I can't help but wonder if the Vikings gave them the game as the Vikings outgained the Saints 2-1 by a total of 475-257 and in first downs by 31-15. When you dominate that totally you are going to win 9 times out of 10. There were a few reasons why Saints fans are waking up totally happy and Vikings fans are waking up totally miserable.
One word Turnovers: You are not going to win very many games when you turn the ball over five times. It could have been much worse as they put the ball on the turf an amazing eight times including 6 fumbles and 2 interceptions. The fact that the Vikings got to overtime with 5 turnovers just says how totally the Vikings dominated the game. The main culprit was Adrian Peterson who was the epitomy of feast or famine in this game. Adrian Peterson had 122 yards on 25 carries along with 3 touchdowns. Just looking at those stats you would have to say he had a wonderful game well nothing could be further from the truth as Peterson put the ball on the turf 3 times. The Vikings lost one of those fumbles and it was a big one as it was inside the Saints 10 yard line in a tie game. There came a time in the game where he was on the sidelines because the Vikings could not trust him to hang onto the ball. The bottom line no matter how talented he is if he doesn't get this fumbling under control he is no good to the Vikings and could see him going elsewhere. I really hope he can figure it out because he has the ability to be the best the game has ever seen. Hope yesterday is the wake up call that he needs to get that taken care of.
I have to admit that when the Vikings put all their chips in the middle of the table to get Brett Favre I was somewhat skeptical. I didn't believe all the hype that number four was getting and didn't think we needed him. On the field he was awesome because including playoffs he had 38 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. However, to me his legacy was enhanced on this night. Favre took a beating on this night after late hit after late hit were being thrust on him. However, he just kept getting up and completing the next pass to move the Vikings down the field. Then he took what I feel was a dirty hit as a Saint defender dove after his leg and made contact with his ankle. There was a new rule in effect this year called the Tom Brady rule where when a defender dives at the QB's legs it should be a penalty, but no penalty was called. Favre could barely get to his feet and had to be helped to the sidelines so you felt he was done and would see Tavarais Jackson finish the game. However, Brett Favre would not be denied and hobbled back into the huddle the next time out after having his ankle retaped. In the end it was not enough, but at the end of the day all the hype was not hype it was the truth. Brett Favre will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and definately the toughest quarterback I have ever seen. Some will say he should of run on that interception and I say he could barely walk and you thought he would of been able to run away from defenders I don't think so. If he would have thrown it earlier it would have been a completion and we are probably looking at a different result. No matter what we wish last night was Brett Favre's last game as you could see from him and his family's faces during the game. So here is one fan's thank you to Brett Favre for coming to the Vikings and giving me a very enjoyable season even though it didn't end like I wish it would have I still enjoyed it. The thing that I can't get over is how bad the officiating was last night. That is not an excuse and who knows how the game would of went if some calls had gone our way. However some of those calls were brutal. Brett Favre was getting drilled well after he got rid of the ball and no roughing the passer penalties were being called. Then a guy dove at Favre's knee on his first interception and there was no penalty. There was a new rule this year that said that if a defensive player dives at the quarterbacks knees it is a penalty. That was done for Tom Brady who had his 2008 season end on a hit just like that. Then you got overtime where I still don't think it should have been a first down after Pierre Thomas lost control of the ball. That was questionable so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. The last two calls though were atrocious and can't be explained. First was the phantom pass interference on Ben Leber. First off he didn''t touch the receiver and also the ball was uncatchable. Then the worst was that phantom catch by Robert Meachem that obviously hit the ground. I would have taken my chances on a 52 yard field goal compared to a 40 yard field goal. I don't think the refs showed favortism towards the Saints, but I do think they were intimidated by the crowd. They knew if they overturned some of those calls the crowd would of went nuts. Enough negatives about the game I just want to say it was an awesome year to be a Vikings fan as they brought more enjoyment to me than I could have imagined. Vikings fans the way you feel today is why we all enjoy sports so much. If you didn't feel the way you do today you wouldn't be able to enjoy when they get a big win. I remember how good I felt last Monday after their loss to the Cowboys and if you didn't put all the chips in the middle of the table you would not get to feel each emotion. This won't last forever because before you know it we will be talking about the Twins and enjoying another summer in the sun. By the way Spring Training begins in 27 more days.

Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast

I wanted to give you a small preview of what to expect on Monday's edition of the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast. With the Vikings big game tommorrow against the Saints in the NFC Championship Game I will be having Gonzo on once again from a very good Vikings blog called the http://dailynorseman.com. I have h ad him on once before and it set records for total downloads so I am expecting quite a show once again. We will be breaking down the game against the Saints and look forward to the Vikings opponent in the Super Bowl. After Gonzo I will welcome Seth from http://sethspeaks.net as I start a preview of the 2010 baseball season. In the following weeks I will have a blogger from each of the AL Central teams and start with the Twins next week where we will take a look at the 2010 AL Central defending champion Minnesota Twins. We will also preview the Twins Fest next weekend an event that I plan on being at so we will spend some time talking about that. It sounds like an exciting show so everyone try to join us at http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk for some great Minnesota Sports Talk on the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast so talk to you all Monday night at 9pm.

Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast

Tonight, I will bringing a new edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast as I will have a jam packed show tonight. First, I will have Anthony of http://dailynorseman.com a great Minnesota Vikings blog. We will be talking about the Vikings victory yesterday over the Cowboys and look forward to this weekends NFC Championship game against the Saints. I will then have Parker Hageman on from the popular Minnesota Twins blog Over The Baggy which can be found at http://overthebaggy.blogspot.com. I will even have a little talk about the Gophers, the Wolves, and the Wild so join me tonight at 9 tonight for a new edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast at http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk.

Twins Notes

• Twins fans can cross another name off their offseason wish list as 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff was dealt yesterday by the Padres to the Oakland Athletics as part of a four player trade. As most Twins fans have heard the Twins have been speculated as a home for Kouzmanoff the last couple years. This winter it was speculated that the Twins had made an offer to San Diego for Kouzmanoff. The reported offer is Kouzmanhoff and a minor leaguer for Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham. That far outweighs the Twins reported offer of Glen Perkins straight up for Kouzmanoff. That leaves a couple questions that need to be answered. First, is Kevin Kouzmanoff worth all the hassle that teams are paying to him. In 2009 Kouzmanoff hit .255 with 18 homeruns and 88 rbi's in 141 games. He also added 31 doubles and a triple for a split of .302/.420/.722. Another factor is in 529 at bats he whiffed 106 times which is a staggering number. However, the reason I am glad the Twins did not acquire Kouz is in the last three years he has committed 36 errors at third base. Also his range is pretty much non existant so as a defensive third baseman he is no better than Brian Buscher. So at the end of the day I think the Twins did the right thing in passing on Kouzmanoff. Especially what it would of taken to acquire him would have been Glen Perkins and Alexi Casilla. Even though I am not real him on either one of them that still is to much for an average third baseman with no range.

• In another piece of news recently the Twins have been linked to Doug Davis. As most Twins fans know the Twins offered Jarrod Washburn a 1 year 5 million dollar deal which he promptly turned down. So that pretty much means they have five million to play with and for some reason the Twins feel they would rather spend that on a 5th starter than a Felipe Lopez or Orlando Hudson type. Even with all the options available in Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, and Jeff Manship they still feel a need to go get another pitcher. With that being said Doug Davis is not a bad guy to look at if you want a 5th starter. In my opinion he is far more superior than Jarrod Washburn and his stats would support that assertion. In 2009 Davis went 9-14 with a 4.12 era in 34 starts. He worked 203 innings while giving up 203 hits along the way. His whip was not good in 2009 at 1.50 as he walked to many batters. For his career he has a 4.31 era and that is decent in todays game. He has average 33 starts a year so that shows he is versatile and if you are looking for a 5th starter that is going to go out there every game and give you a chance to win then I think Doug Davis is a good pitcher. He has thrown over 200 innings in 4 of the last 6 years so he is an innings eater that will help take pressure off a bullpen that was forced into too many early innings with all the injuries and ineffectivness that was prevelant on the 2009 staff. Don't get me wrong I would rather see the Twins spend their money on Felipe Lopez or Orlando Hudson, but I would rather see the Twins sign Doug Davis than Jarrod Washburn.
• If anyone has any comments or questions about this just leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Also I want to give everyone a heads up about my Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast on Monday night. I have made a permanent change to the time as it will be at 9 pm central every monday night from here on out. This week I have a jam packed show as I will be having on Anthony of the Daily Norseman http://www.dailynorseman.com. If you will recall I had Gonzo on a couple weeks ago and it was my most highly listened to podcast so far. He will be on to talk about the Vikings-Cowboys playoff game and preview the NFC Championship game. Also if that wasn't enough I will have on Parker Hageman of Over the Baggy an awesome Twins blog. You can visit his site if you want some great Twins knowledge at http://overthebaggy.blogspot.com.

Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast

Last night I had my best show to date as I had John Bonnes who is the Twins Geek on for 35 minutes last night. The chatroom was just blown up with so many questions from the live listeners. I really welcome you to download and listen to the show last night because we went over a lot of different topics from the Mark Mcgwire saga to the Joe Mauer negotiations. I thought it went over really well and again i welcome everyone to download the show and take a listen and see what you think. If you want to listen to the show just follow the link and let me know what you think of the show. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk/2010/01/12/travistalks-minnesota-sports-podcast

• In another piece of news it was announced that former Rochester right fielder and at one time top prospect for the Twins, David Winfree signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. That new was brought to you by Joel Sherman of the New York Post. You can read the whole article here if you would like. http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/hardball/yank_signings_and_damon_update_dwU4h9xyVizRGsgSMXP29M I know he was not perfect, but it seemed like he was coming into his own as a hitter so it is very disappointing to lose him. Winfree hit .270 with 82 homeruns and 389 rbi's in 7 minor league seasons with the Twins. When you lose any minor leaguer it is about the next guy stepping up and picking up the slack. That gives guys like Brian Dinkelman, Dustin Martin, and Rene Tosoni the chance to show what they can do so it should be interesting.

How much cash do the Twins really have?

With the Mauer negotiations starting to take shape it makes you wonder how much the Twins really have to spend. With the talks of possibly signing Felipe Lopez or Orlando Hudson it makes you wonder if the Twins have the flexibility to sign those guys to a multiyear contract. I am basing it on the most logical figures that Joe Mauer will sign a 7 year deal worth 150 million which is 21.4 million per. I am also basing it on a 95 million dollar payroll and a 100 million dollar payroll in 2011. But really I have no idea what the Twins payroll is going to be that just seems logical so I am going to base my figures on those totals. I am going to break down on those figures how much cash they have left. Here is the 2011 salaries with some arbitration estimates so we can see if there is room left over for Lopez and Hudson to get theirs.

Joe Mauer: 21 million

Justin Morneau: 14 million

Joe Nathan: 11.25 million

Michael Cuddyer: 10.5 million

J.J. Hardy: 8 million arbitration estimate

Jason Kubel: 5.25 million

Scott Baker: 5 million

Delmon Young 4 million arbitration estimate

Clay Condrey: 900,000 arbitration estimate

Brendan Harris: 2.0 million arbitration estimate

Nick Blackburn: 1.5 million arbitration estimate

Pat Neshek 1.5 million arbitration estimate

Kevin Slowey: 1.5 million arbitration estimate

Denard Span: 750,000 arbitration estimate

Francisco Liriano 2.0 million arbitration estimate

Alexi Casilla: 750,000 arbitration estimate

Jose Mijares: 750,000 arbitration estimate

Jose Morales: 450,000 arbitration estimate

Total: 91 million

That leaves Nick Punto, Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, and Carl Pavano as free agents. With the 100 million dollar payroll that leaves 9 million dollars to sign your own free agents along with guys to finish your 25 man roster. If the payroll is around 100 million there is no way in my mind that they can pay any 2nd baseman or 3rd baseman 4-5 million in 2011. Like it or not Twins fans the starting 3rd baseman in 2011 for the Twins will be Danny Valencia. The starting 2nd baseman will be from a group of Steve Singleton, Steve Tolleson, Brian Dinkelman, Trevor Plouffe, or Nick Punto if he is willing to take a discount to return at 2nd base. If their payroll is 105-110 then that is a different story, but everything the Twins have said about not wanting to offer more than a one year contract makes it likely they will be looking around 100 million. I welcome your thoughts on this issue if you disagree on this or agree on it let me know. Also of those 5 free agents which ones would you like to see the Twins resign and which would you like to see the Twins let go. You can either leave your comments in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast

I would like to invite everyone to join me tonight for the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sport Podcast tonight at 10 pm. Tonight, I will be joined by the Twins Geek John Bonnes and we will talk about the Twins, the Vikings playoff tilt this weekend, The Gopher Basketball team, the Timberwolves, and even a little talk about the Wild. So I invite everyone to join us tonight at 10 for the Travis Talks Weekly Minnesota Sports Podcast. Thanks and have a great day.http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Twins All-Decade team

With little in the way of news with the Twins lately that I find interesting. With the new decade beginning I thought it would be interesting to look back at the last ten years with some of the good things and also some bad things. Hope you all enjoy and will leave your comments in the comment box if you agree or disagree or you can shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com

• Positives

1. Twins win 5 division titles in 10 years which is most of any team in the division.



2. Twins after many years of trying accomplish the impossible and gain funding for Target Field.



3. Twins have 3 batting champions, 2 MVP's, and 2 Cy Young awards in the decade most awards by any one team in baseball.



4. Twins with the first pick in the draft acquire some local boy from Cretin-Durham Hall and turn him into the best player in the game.

• Negatives

1. The Polaids tired of trying for a new stadium try to sell the Twins to major league baseball so they can be contracted.



2. With 5 playoff appearances the Twins are only able to win one playoff series.



3. Losing the likes of Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, AJ Pierzynski, Luis Castillo to big market teams.

• Without any further adieu it is time for the Travis Talks all decade team from 2000-2009. I hope this will create some discussion and hopefully not everyone will agree with my picks.

Catcher-Joe Mauer- Easy choice as he won 3 batting titles, 3 gold gloves and an MVP in the decade

Average season with Twins during decade: .327 avg 17 hr 92 rbi .408/.483/.891 split

1st base: Justin Morneau- Another easy choice as Morneau won the 2006 MVP award and shown the durability Twins fans have been waiting for.

Average season with Twins during decade: .280 avg 30 hr 116 rbi .350/.501/.851

2nd base: Luis Castillo- To be quite nice the Twins have struggled at 2nd base since Chuck Knoblauch left the Twins in the mid 90's. Castillo was only a Twin for a year and a half, but he led the Twins to a division championship in 2006 when he hit .296.

Average season with Twins during decade: .300 avg 2 hr 34 rbi 17 sb .357/.361/.718 split

Shortstop: Christian Guzman- Guzy came over from the Yankees in the Chuck Knoblauch trade and played a steady shortstop. He was with the Twins for six years and appeared in three postseasons for the Twins along with an all star appearance.

Average Season as Twin during decade: .265 avg 6 homeruns 48 rbi's 17 sb .303/.379/.682 split

Third Base: Corey Koskie- Corey Koskie proved to be better than most Twins fans thought he was going to be by looking at him. Played a very good 3rd base and had some big hits for the Twins along with some good seasons as he helped the Twins get back on the map. If not for injuries he may have had a very good career, but anyways he had a solid career that he can look back on with pride.

Average Season as Twin during decade: .280 avg 14 hr 62 rbi's .375/.465/.840 split

Designated Hitter: Jason Kubel: Jason Kubel came up as a can't miss prospect as an outfielder and that all changed on an afternoon in Arizona. That is when he tore his knee up and ended his days as an everyday outfielder. He made the best out of that situation by embracing a job as a designated hitter. It took him a while to get his stroke back, but the last couple of years he has been as good a offensive power hitter in the Twins lineup as they could of dreamed.

Average Season as Twin during decade: .278 avg 23 hr 88 rbi's .339/.474/.813 split

Left Field: Shannon Stewart- I know all you Jacque Jones fans are going to be what about him and the biggest reason I went with Stewart is the fact that when he arrived in Minneapolis the Twins were floundering and coupled with his energy and skill he found a way to help the Twins to the division title. He was only a Twin for 3 and a half years but he was a part of 3 division champion teams even though in 2006 he only played in 44 games due to injury. His impact was enormous and that is why he made this team.

Average Season as Twin during decade: .298 avg 7 hr 35 rbi's .359/.418/.777 split

Center Field: Torii Hunter- Torii Hunter will go down as one of the greatest centerfielders in Twins history. He was one of the key cogs in the Twins rejuvenation in the early 2000's. With his stellar defense and power hitting the Twins always had a chance. If he wasn't getting rug burns from stealing basehits he was stealing homeruns. He never got the credit he deserved for his hitting ability. He had his negatives as he was a free swinger and would swing at his share of pitches in the dirt, but he would also hit his fair share of homeruns and be the clubhouse leader.

Average Season as Twin during decade: .271 avg 21 hr 79 rbi's 14 sb .324/.463/.787 split

Right Field: Michael Cuddyer- Cuddyer started out the decade playing all over from 3rd base to 2nd base to first base before finding a home in Right Field. When he found that home he took off and showed everyone why the Twins thought so highly of him. Cuddyer has it all he has a great arm in right field and can hit for average, hit for power and drive in runs.

Average Season as Twin during decade: .270 avg 21 hr 82 rbi's 7 sb .344/.457/.801 split

• Bench

Utility Infielder: Nick Punto- Nick Punto has done a good job when he has been asked to be the utility infielder. The problem is the Twins often have asked him to do things that he is just not capable of doing. He is not an everyday player and the Twins have often asked him to be one. If you look at his stats when he is coming off the bench and when he is expected to be the starter they are much better when not much is expected. So for this team I felt like he would be the perfect utility infielder for this team.

Average Season as Twin this decade: .250 avg 2 hr 32 rbi's 15 sb .325/.329/.654 split

Extra Outfielder: Jacque Jones- Jacque Jones was a solid competitor for the Twins in their hayday in the early 2000's. His career took a detour after leaving the Twins, but when he was a Twin he was a good outfielder that combined solid defense with a solid bat. He was not spectacular, but put up solid numbers. He was also very versatile as he played all three outfield positions when he was with the Twins. The memory I have of Jacque Jones was the first game of the 2002 season after the Twins were almost contracted against the Kansas City Royals when he hit the first pitch of the season out of the park. It just showed the mental toughness that the Twins showed in the decade as they would not give in whether it was contraction or a big deficit in the division.

Average season as Twin during decade: .278 avg 21 hr 72 rbi's 11sb .327/.453/.780 split

Backup Catcher: Mike Redmond- Mike Redmond was a good guy to have on the team. He kept the whole team loose and when called upon was a very good offensive catcher. He defense was never great, but it was adequate. However, his value to the team was more than hitting .300 every year and hitting those bleeders to right field. His true value to the Twins was that he was the heart and soul for some very good Twins teams. He was the one that would take the bullet on bad days and the one who would do the naked streaks through the lockeroom to keep everyone loose. Mike Redmond's value can't be judged by numbers as his true value was that he found a way to help the team win no matter the circumstances.

Average season as Twin during decade: .294 avg 0 hr 21 rbi's .336/.356/.692 split

Utility Infielder: Doug Mientkiewicz- In the early 2000's Doug Mientkiewicz was a key cog on three division champion teams for the Twins. With his stellar defense at first base he kept the Twins in some games. His hitting was sporatic, but his defense was the best in baseball at first base. During those years he was the heart and soul of the Twins and would sit on the dugout floor cheering on his teammates. That was his biggest contribution was how he kept the team together and that is not saying how he saved error after error at first base. His contributions will never be forgotten in Twins fans hearts that appreciate everything he did for the Twins.

Average season as Twin during decade: .278 avg 10 hr 57 rbi's .371/.417/.788 split

• Pitching Staff

Starter # 1: Johan Santana- Johan Santana turned out to be one of the best starting pitchers in Twins history. His combination of power as he threw 93-94 with a very good slider, but when he developed his killer changeup he developed into a great Twins pitcher. He won two cy youngs during the decade and showed how good he was as a Twins pitcher. Long after he is gone Johan Santana will be known as the greatest pitcher in Twins history.

Average season as Twin during decade: 15-7 2.94 era 197 innings 215 strikeouts 1.05 whip

Starter # 2: Brad Radke- Brad Radke was the epitomy of the overachieving Twins. By looking at him there was nothing special and his minor league numbers. With his great changeup he found ways to get hitters out. He was an awesome big game pitcher who got the job done when they really needed him. The memory I have of Brad Radke was pitching for weeks with a broken shoulder to keep the Twins in the pennant race. He is the epitomy of someone that you hope you can see again with the Twins. He was all guts and would not give in no matter the circumstance.

Average season as Twin during decade: 12-10 4.21 era 195 innings 115 strikeouts 1.25 whip

Starter # 3 Eric Milton- Eric Milton had a solid career with the Twins. He may not have lived up to the promise that we all thought he would be, but he did have a solid career with the Twins. He helped the Twins to the 2002 AL Central division championship. He also pitched a no hitter when the Twins were not very good. He had good stuff with a nice curveball and is one of the keys to the Twins turnaround in the early 2000's.

Average season as Twin during decade: 14-9 4.67 era 197 innings 146 strikeouts 1.24 whip

Starter # 4: Kyle Lohse- Most Twins fans really did not appreciate how good his stuff was as a member of the Twins. His inconsistancy led to his departure in the mid 2000's along with the incident where he punched a hole in Gardy's office door. However, he was one of the most consistant pitchers on the staff. Got as high as the number 3 pitcher in the 2004 playoffs. Even though he never lived up to his promise he was still a solid pitcher for the Twins and someone that Twins fans should remember.

Average season as Twin during decade: 9-10 5.19 era 130 innings 80 strikeouts 1.26 whip

Starter # 5: Scott Baker- Scott Baker got off to a rough start for the Twins as he was up and down in his early years with the Twins. Even though he had some good minor league numbers he just could not transfer it to the big leagues. However, the last couple years he has been the staff ace for the Twins which got him a nice 4 year contract with the Twins. If he can continue what he is doing and improve a little bit he will be higher on the list for the next decade.

Average season as Twin during decade: 9-7 4.36 era 131 innings 100 strikeouts 1.28 whip

• Relievers

Closer: Joe Nathan- When Joe Nathan arrived in the AJ Pierzynski trade in 2004 we had no idea how good of a pitcher he was. He had injury problems with the Giants so no one knew how good he could really be. Looking at him now we now know he is the best closer in Twins history. He has the Twins record for saves in a year with 47 and when he is all done he will hold the career record for saves. Not only is he the relief pitcher of the decade he would likely be the closer of the franchise.

Average season as Twin during decade: 4-2 1.87 era 41 saves 70 inn 86 strikeouts 0.93 whip

Reliever: Eddie Guardado- "Everyday Eddie" really came on in the decade after being basically a lefthanded specialist in the 90's to being one of the top closers in team history. He had a bulldog mentality that the fans enjoyed so much. With that being said it doesn't give him credit for the stuff he did have with that sweeping breaking pitch that many waved at. Eddie always made things interesting, but at the end of the day he got the job done and that is all that is important.

Average season as Twin during decade: 5-3 3.32 era 27 saves 66inn 62 strikeouts 1.10 whip

Reliever: Jesse Crain- Many Twins fans may not agree with Crain being on the team. However, all Twins fans have to admit that he was the most consistant relief pitchers during the decade for the Twins. He may not have lived up what most Twins fans were expecting going into the season, but in my mind he has been one of the most consistant pitchers in the bullpen during the decade.

Average season as Twin during decade: 6-4 3.30 era 57 games 60 inn 38 strikeouts 1.26 whip

Reliever: Latroy Hawkins: Even though Latroy Hawkins was not a very good closer he turned out to be a perfect set-up guy. For a 2-3 period he was absolutely dominating out of the Twins bullpen as he set-up Eddie Guardado. During those years if you were behind going into the 8th inning it was over. I don't think the Hawk gets the credit that he deserves for being as good of a set-up guy as he was.

Average season as Twin during decade: 5-3 3.34 era 67 games 74 inn 58 strikeouts 1.33 whip

Reliever: Dennys Reyes- Reyes was another guy that did not receive the credit he deserved. "Big Sweat" was one of the most consistant relief pitchers on some good Twins teams. He consistantly got big leftys out in the 7th and 8th innings. You could always count that Reyes would find a way to get the job done.

Average season as Twin during decade: 3-0 2.40 era 64 games 42 inn 36 strikeouts 1.35 whip

Reliever: Matt Guerrier- Matt Guerrier saw his role change through the decade. He started the decade as the long reliever that did not pitch very much. He then took on a middle innings role, and finally took on the 8th inning role the last couple years and has done a good job. I know he does not get the credit he deserves because he ran out of gas in 2008 and the fact that he doesn't throw 95 so people think he is not that good. However, the bottom line is Matt Guerrier might be the most consistant pitcher in the Twins bullpen this decade no matter what role you put him in.

Average season as Twin during decade: 3-3 3.33 era 62 games 76 inn 51 strikeouts 1.27 whip

Reliever: Francisco Liriano- Even though he did not spend a lot of time in the bullpen for the Twins he has made such an impace with the Twins I felt he needed to make the team. His 2006 season is one of the best rookie performances in team history. If he can get back to where he was he will be an ace for the future and even if he doesn't quite get to that level he has a promising future ahead of him.

Average season as Twin during decade: 8-7 3.96 era 24 games 111 inn 111 strikeouts 1.31 whip

Twins projected 2010 payroll

With the Twins headed into Target field in 2010 I thought it would be interesting to see where their payroll is projected to be right now. If the Twins have a projected 90 million dollar payroll going into 2010 how much the Twins really have to sign Free Agents. If anyone disagrees with the payroll i have projected just leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Joe Mauer- 12.5 million That is what he is scheduled and I project that they will put his extension on top of his 2010 contract.
• Justin Morneau- 14.0 million
• Nick Punto- 4.0 million
• J.J. Hardy- 6.0 million *
• Joe Crede- 1.5 million **
• Delmon Young- 2.0 million *
• Denard Span- 450,000 ***
• Michael Cuddyer- 8.5 million
• Jason Kubel- 4.1 million
• Jose Morales- 410,000 ***
• Jason Pridie- 400,000 ***
• Brendan Harris- 1.5 million *
• Alexi Casilla- 450,000 ***
• Carl Pavano- 8.0 Million
• Jarrod Washburn- 6.0 million
• Scott Baker- 3.0 million
• Kevin Slowey- 475,000 ***
• Nick Blackburn- 475,000 ***
• Joe Nathan- 11.25 million
• Jon Rauch- 2.9 million
• Jesse Crain- 2.5 million *
• Matt Guerrier 2.5 million *
• Francisco Liriano 1.5 million *
• Brian Duensing - 410,000***
• Jose Mijares- 410,000 ***

Total: 95 million

*: arbitration estimate

**: guess at signing

***: less than 3 years service time

• What does this all mean is the question. 95 million is a little high for the Twins to be spending. You need to look at Joe Mauer and if his 2010 salary is 18-20 million like many have suggested that puts the Twins over 100 million and I can't see that happening. Therefore I can't see the Twins giving 14 million dollars to Carl Pavano and Jarrod Washburn. So after looking at the numbers no matter what you hear I think a Jarrod Washburn signing is unlikely and really any signing that is more than a million or 2 is probably unlikely too. That probably puts Felipe Lopez, Orlando Hudson, Miguel Tejada, and Mike Lowell out of the Twins price range.

Jarrod Washburn a future Twin?

I saw something that I found mighty interesting yesterday over at www.mlbtraderumors.com. They are reporting that the Twins have made an offer to free agent pitcher Jarrod Washburn in the 6-7 million range. Most Twins fans myself including thought when Carl Pavano accepted arbitration that would put an end to the Twins pursuit of a veteran pitcher. The thought was with young pitchers like Francisco Liriano who is only 26 years old, and Brian Duensing at only 26 who each have major league experience. Then you have guys like Jeff Manship and Anthony Swarzak who got a taste of the major leagues last season. However, with that being said Jarrod Washburn is a solid major league pitcher who has a proven track record. Here are a few of important stats on Washburn for those that don't know much about him.

• Jarrod Washburn career stats: 107-109 record with a 4.10 era in 312 games including 300 starts. Those are ok numbers and that is what he has always been is a average pitcher. He will have some great starts, but he will also have some starts where he gets lit up. His velocity is down so he has to get by on guile and guts. His best season came in 2002 when he led the Anaheim Angels to a world series championship when he went 18-6 with a 3.15 era. But, since then his numbers have continually gone down hill until last season. He had his best season in many years in 2009 splitting his season between Seattle and Detroit.

• In 2009 Washburn went 9-9 with a 3.78 era in 28 starts before going down with a knee injury that would prematurely end his season. He pitched 176 innings and walked 49 while striking out 100. You could split his 2009 season into the BKI and AKI as in Before Knee Injury and After Knee Injury. In 20 starts before his knee injury Washburn went 8-6 with a very good 2.64 era along with 33 walks and 79 strikeouts. Then after the knee injury he went 1-3 with a 7.33 era in 8 starts. The bottom line with him is look at his stats in July as in 6 starts he went 4-1 with a 1.44 era. Jarrod Washburn is a workhorse that will give you close to 200 innings every year and will keep you in the game most times. At this point of his career he is a backend starter who will give you some quality innings, but the question is it the right decision to not go with young guys instead go with a veteran. In years past decisions like this have blown up in the Twins faces. With the likes of Livan Hernandez, Ramon Ortiz, and Sidney Ponson those decisions have not worked out. I may be the only one out there that thinks Jarrod Washburn has life still in his arm. His 2.64 era in those 20 starts tells me there is some life still in his arm. I think he has the ability to be a good contributer to the Twins if they get the contract done. I really think it would be a good move for the Twins going forward.

• In a little surprising move the Twins released Bobby Keppel from the 40 man roster. Keppel was not expected to make the 25 man roster out of spring training, but most felt he would be released in spring training. The only logical reason for them to do this now is they are planning on replacing him on the 40 man roster soon. That could mean a Jarrod Washburn signing or it could be a Mike Lowell trade. Should be interesting month of January as the Twins likely finalize their team and hopefully get a contract extension with Joe Mauer done so it should be interesting.

NFL non playoff teams draft order

With the end of the regular season yesterday we now know who will be picking where in the first round of the NFL draft. The playoff teams order will be determined by how everyone does in the playoffs, but the non playoff teams are decided.

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Detroit Lions
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Washington Redskins
6. Seattle Seahawks
7. Cleveland Browns
8. Oakland Raiders
9. Buffalo Bills
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
11. Chicago Bears
12. Miami Dolphins
13. San Francisco 49ers
14. Denver Broncos
15. Carolina Panthers
16. New York Giants
17. Tennessee Titans
18. Houston Texans
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Pittsburgh Steelers

A few of the tiebreakers will be determined by coin flip so some of the spots will be changed a little bit but that is somewhat of the order.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast

I will be bringing you another edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 10 pm. I will have a special guest on the show this week as I will be joined by Chris Gates of http://www.dailynorseman.com a very good Minnesota Vikings blog. We will talk about his blog and the Vikings in general. We will also talk about the Twins, Gopher football, Gopher basketball, the Timberwolves, and even the Wild. So i invite everyone to join me tonight at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk for the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast tonight at 10 pm.

Projected Major and Minor league rosters for 2010

I thought it would be fun to project where I think everyone will be playing at this summer. With it just becoming 2010 there are still quite a few unanswered questions about free agent signings and trades yet to come. However, I thought it would be fun to speculate on how I think it will end up being with not only the Twins roster, but also all the Twins affiliates. You can keep track if you like and see how close I am to getting these right. If you want to let me know how many I got wrong you can email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Minnesota Twins Roster Bench

C- Joe Mauer

1b- Justin Morneau

2b- Nick Punto

ss- J.J. Hardy

3b- Joe Crede

Lf- Delmon Young

Cf- Denard Span

Rf- Michael Cuddyer

DH- Jason Kubel

Bench

Jose Morales

Rob Quinlin

Brendan Harris

Jason Pridie

Pitching Staff Bullpen

1. Scott Baker

2. Kevin Slowey

3. Nick Blackburn

4. Carl Pavano

5. Jarrod Washburn

Bullpen

Joe Nathan

Matt Guerrier

Jesse Crain

Francisco Liriano

Jose Mijares

Jon Rauch

Bobby Keppel

Batting Order

1. Denard Span CF

2. JJ Hardy SS

3. Joe Mauer C

4. Justin Morneau 1b

5. Michael Cuddyer Rf

6. Jason Kubel Dh

7. Joe Crede 3b

8. Delmon Young Lf

9. Nick Punto 2b

• Rochester Red Wings

C- Drew Butera

1b- Brock Peterson

2b- Steve Tolleson

SS- Trevor Plouffe

3b- Danny Valencia

Lf- Brian Dinkelman

Cf- Brandon Roberts

Rf- Dustin Martin

Dh- Luke Hughes

Bench

Danny Lehman

Matt Tolbert

Erik Lis

Matt Macri

Pitching

1. Brian Duensing

2. Jeff Manship

3. Anthony Swarzak

4. Jason Jones

5. Matt Fox

Bullpen

Cole Devries

Tim Lahey

Anthony Slama

Rob Delaney

Jose Lugo

Chris Province

Ryan Mullins

Lineup

1. Brandon Roberts Cf

2. Brian Dinkelman LF

3. Danny Valencia 3b

4. Luke Hughes Dh

5. Brock Peterson 1b

6. Steve Tolleson 2b

7. Trevor Plouffe SS

8. Drew Butera C

9. Dustin Martin RF

• New Britain Rockcats

C- Wilson Ramos

1b- Chris Parmelee

2b- Steve Singleton

SS- Estarlin De Los Santos

3b- Whit Robbins

Lf- Juan Portes

Cf- Ben Revere

Rf- Rene Tosoni

Dh- Rene Leveret

Bench

Allan De San Miguel

Toby Gardenhire

Mark Dolenc

Yancarlos Ortiz

Pitching

1. Mike Mccardell

2. Deolis Guerra

3. Tyler Robertson

4. David Bromberg

5. Carlos Gutierrez

Bullpen

Alex Burnett

Loek Van Mil

Spencer Steedley

Kyle Waldrop

Blair Erickson

Santos Arias

Steve Hirschfeld

Batting Order

1. Ben Revere Cf

2. Steve Singleton 2b

3. Rene Tosoni Rf

4. Wilson Ramos C

5. Chris Parmelee 1b

6. Whit Robbins 3b

7. Juan Portes Lf

8. Rene Leveret Dh

9. Estarlin De Los Santos SS

• Fort Myers Miracle

C- Jair Fernandez

1b- Jon Waltenbury

2b- Ramon Santana

SS- James Beresford

3b- Deibinson Romero

Lf- Evan Bigley

Cf- Joe Benson

Rf- Angel Morales

DH- Michael Harrington

Bench

Alex Soto

Chris Cates

Nick Romero

Dominic De La Osa

Pitching

1. Kyle Gibson

2. Bobby Lanigan

3. Brad Tippett

4. Michael Tarsi

5. Dan Osterbrock

Bullpen

Pat Neshek

Billy Bullock

Joe Testa

Matt Williams

Steve Blevins

Dan Berlind

Bruce Pugh

Batting Order

1. James Beresford SS

2. Ramon Santana 2b

3. Joe Benson CF

4. Jon Waltenbury 1b

5. Deibinson Romero 3b

6. Angel Morales RF

7. Michael Harrington DH

8. Evan Bigley LF

9. Jair Fernandez C

• Beloit Snappers

C- Danny Rams

1b- Michael Gonzalez

2b- Derek Mccallum

SS- Brian Dozier

3b- Anderson Hidalgo

LF- Steve Liddle

Cf- Aaron Hicks

Rf- Jon Goncalves

Dh- Josmil Pinto

Bench

Nathan Hansen

Chris Hermann

Tobias Streich

Reggie Williams

Pitching

1. Liam Hendricks

2. Tom Stuifbergen

3. Edgar Ibarra

4. Miguel Munoz

5. Brad Stillings

Bullpen

Kyle Carr

Zach See

Dakota Watts

Matt Tone

Kane Holbrooks

Ben Tootle

Tony Davis

Batting Lineup

1. Aaron Hicks CF

2. Derek Mccallum 2b

3. Brian Dozier SS

4. Danny Rams C

5. Josmil Pinto DH

6. Anderson Hidalgo 3b

7. Michael Gonzalez 1b

8. Dan Rohlfing Lf

9. Jon Goncalves RF

• Elizabethton Twins

C- Buddy Munroe

1b- Kenny Vargas

2b- Daniel Santana

SS- Jairo Perez

3b- Rory Rhodes

Lf- Matej Hejma

Cf- Oswaldo Arcia

RF- Daniel Ortiz

DH- Hyeon-roc Choi

Bench

Trayvone Johnson

Wang-Lei Lin

Fred Hanvi

Jhonatan Arias

Dan Rohlfing

Paul-Michael KLingsburg

Pitching

1. BJ Hermsen

2. Adrian Salcedo

3. Michael Tonkin

4. Blayne Weller

5. Shooter Hunt

Bullpen

Andrei Lobanov

Brian Kirwan

Jose Gonzalez

Peter Kennely

Matire Garcia

Jhon Garcia

Nelvin Fuentes

Everyone let me know what you think if you agree or disagree with my picks. Sorry about the Bold I just thought it would work better for names so they stuck out. If you like this or don't like this just let me know. You can either leave me a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and have a good one.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports podcast

I had a new edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast last night. I thought it went very well as I was joined by Seth of http://sethspeaks.net and we talked all about Minnesota Sports from the Twins, the Vikings, the Gophers, the Wolves, and even a little talk about the Wild. I really enjoyed having him on the show so i welcome everyone that did not listen to the show last night to download it and listen to it at your leisure. You can listen to it at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk/2009/12/31/travistalks-minnesota-sports-podcast. Also I welcome you to listen to Jack's year end podcast as it was his normal night, but I had to go on Wednesday due to unforseen occurences. I will be returning to my normal podcast time and night. I will be back on Monday night at 10pm for the next edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast.