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.