"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em" presents: Andrew Kneeland

My time in Minnesota was excellent -- so much so in fact that I really want to come back again soon for Twins Fest. We'll see if that works out... In the mean time, I really need to work on blogging again. Sadly, there's so little activity on the Twins front this offseason that blogging can get kind of uninspiring at times. Temporary writer's block. I'll get through it, but in the meantime:

It's Friday, and we return with another addition of "Twins Bloggers: Get to Know' Em"! This week, I have the pleasure of profiling one of the most talented bloggers I've had the pleasure of reading. I started reading Andrew's posts when he wrote for his old blog, and since his transition over to Twins Target, he's maintained a great readership and a keen mind for analyzing and breaking down our favorite team. Andrew just finished up his series on the Top 15 Twins prospects (and I heartily agree with his choice for number 1), and he does a marvelous job going above and beyond just a one paragraph description by instead taking the time to craft a very detailed and intricate profile of each of his choices. If you haven't already, take the time to go back and read through them because there's a good chance you'll see many future Twins in his prospect write-ups.

Without further ado:

Personal-

NAME: Andrew Kneeland

WEBSITE: TwinsTarget.com

BIRTHDAY: October 22

HOMETOWN: Born in Temecula, CA, where I lived for a few months before moving to North Dakota. I spent many years in both Kalispell, MT and Sioux Falls, SD before moving to where I live now: southern Arizona.

WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: I'm a student, but I work for the local newspaper part-time.

FAVORITE COLOR: Orange

FAVORITE FOOD: Honolulu Chicken

FAVORITE MOVIE: Pretty much any action/thriller flick. I'm easily entertained.

FAVORITE BOOK: Any Grisham novel, preferably The Rainmaker.

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Don't really listen to music.

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Football.

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Extremely tough question. I love to play catch with any type of ball, shoot hoops, and even play tennis. If you want to torture me, you'd take away my football and baseball glove.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD: Huge Vikings fan, interested T-Wolves fan and love their direction, but not too big into hockey.

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: The multitude of individual matchups and how the game can be broken down into so many ways. I also love that statistics and probability drive the game and the fact that most of the fun of baseball is had between games.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: Probably the Arizona Diamondbacks because of proximity, but I wouldn't be opposed to "becoming" a Royal's fan, if for no other reason than the plethora of intelligent fans.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Enjoyed a game with my dad and siblings at Chase Field.

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: Like it.

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: It works the way it is, but a change is worth looking into.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Does Jack Morris count?

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Probably someone like Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire.

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: Nothing above grade school rec teams, but I love to play the outfield when I can.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: Born into a family with many generations of Twins' fanhood under their belts.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: Can't single one out, but they all combine to form one pleasant memory with family and friends.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST, HOW WAS IT: Never been, but would love to.

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING, HOW WAS IT: Never been, but would love to.

EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT: Never been, but would love to.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME: Not at the Dome, but I've caught a few foul balls in other places.

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Kirby.

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Mauer.

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Does Tom Brunansky count?

ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY TWINS PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: Not especially.

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER: Many moons ago I had the opportunity to meet Harmon Killebrew at the Mall of America by his plaque. My age was well below the decade-mark back then, and I don't remember much, but a few things stick out in my memory. I remember plopping on Killebrew's lap for a picture (I was very young, remember), and a very large plastic container of soda placed precariously on a ledge. Apparently that's all I took from the event.

CURRENT PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO WATCH A GAME WITH: Joe Mauer

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO GO TO A BAR WITH: Joe Nathan

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO BE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH: Jason Kubel

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Justin Morneau

YOU'D WANT TO BE THE FRONT MAN OF YOUR NEW BAND: Orlando Cabrera

YOU THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Brendan Harris

YOU'D ASK FOR HELP ON A SCIENCE LAB: Kevin Slowey

YOU'D LIKE TO START A BUSINESS WITH: Kevin Slowey

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: Should suit our 2010 team well.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: Win the Central again, and win a series or two in the playoffs.

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Again, a big thanks to Andrew at Twins Target! If you haven't checked out his blog yet, do yourself a favor and make it one of your daily reads. Next Friday I'll return with another Get to Know 'Em, and I'll be profiling Brian Pietrzak of BP's Baseball Blog, so be sure to stop by!