John needs absolutely no introduction -- but I'm going to try anyway. Despite being one of the first blogs I ever read, his MN Gameday website is such a must-bookmark for any Twins fan on the internet that it has been my browser's homepage at work and home for over a year now. He has his finger in seemingly every Twins-blogger-generated book or publishing adventure and has done more to raise awareness of all of us other startup blogs than anyone else I can think of. And to top off this he still manages to raise a family and run his own blog supplied with better posts than I could ever hope to replicate.
So, there. But I'm sure you knew most of that already. So let's just get to know him:
Personal-
NAME: John Bonnes
WEBSITE: TwinsGeek.com
BIRTHDAY: May 9th
HOMETOWN: Minneapolis
WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: I'm a senior business systems analyst. Good luck figuring out what that means.
FAVORITE COLOR: White
FAVORITE FOOD: All of the above
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Razor's Edge
FAVORITE BOOK: The Fountainhead
FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: All over the map
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Football
FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Softball or soccer
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD:
Vikings - I'm possibly as big a Vikings fan as a Twins fan, but not as big a football fan as a baseball fan.
Wild - I pull for them and love to go to games. I could see myself becoming a big hockey fan someday.
Wolves - I used to have season tickets for them, so I like them.
Gophers - I love going to all their (football/hockey/basketball) games. Used to be a pretty big Gopher hoops fan.
General Baseball-
WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: I can't express it. Or rather any attempt to do so has always been incomplete. It's such a part of my life, and the magic in it happens so frequently, it's impossible not to love it.
IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: Phillies. I lived in Philly for a few years while courting my wife and had season tickets with her in '93 when they went to the World Series. I still hate Joe Carter a little bit for that home run.
BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: My son's middle name is "Wrigley". My first date with my wife was a double-header there.
OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: I like it. If anything, I'd like to expand it. I like seeing those teams.
OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: I also like that. I like playing teams in our division that often. Usually the team in the division that has the best record in head-to-head matchups wins the division, and that's the way it should be IMHO.
FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: It would probably be Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton or John Kruk. And believe me, I understand how goofy that is given their post-baseball "careers".
MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Drew Pearson. And it matters not a bit to me that he played football, and not baseball. That was the best Vikings team ever.
DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: Baseball - I don't remember. Softball, I play wherever I can help the most. I'm a good hitter/fielder, but I have a weak arm.
Twins Generic-
WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: There weren't a lot of kids my age on my block, and at some point in the summer when I was driving her crazy, she turned on a day game on the radio for me in the early 70s. That was all it took.
BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. Game 163 is close to it because my kids were there with me for that one.
EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST? HOW WAS IT: I like Twins Fest more in theory than in practice. It's usually a nice time, and I like an oasis of baseball in the middle of January. But I don't often spend too much time there, and I rarely get autographs.
EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING? HOW WAS IT: Yes, a couple of times. I love it. L-O-V-E it. When I retire I will spend spring training in Florida every year, I think. I don't now because kids are in school and don't love going to baseball games.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT?: No. But I gulp hard, get up every morning, and try to make it through the day.
HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME?: Caught? No. Saved the life of a co-worker two rows behind the visitor's dugout from a screaming line drive with my bare hand inches from his face? Yes. Dropped said ball as my hand swelled up in pain? Yes. Watched co-worker WHOSE LIFE I HAD SAVED grab said ball off of ground? Yes. But caught? No.
Twins Player Specific-
FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: It's gotta be Kirby. Though it's worth noting that Carew was my boyhood idol. I basically lost interest in the Twins for several years when they traded him.
FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Probably Mauer, but I like Span an awful lot.
FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Bombo Rivera!
ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY TWINS PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: Hell yes. Ron Davis tops the list for me, and is probably at the top of the list for all Twins fans from the 80s.
FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER, PLEASE DESCRIBE: I honestly can't think of one. I've never had a bad experience with one, but I can't think of one that blew me away either.
EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: I want a ballpark. Not a stadium, not a facility - a ballpark. I want to sit outside for batting practice on a Sunday morning and watch the clouds float by me and feel the sun on my neck and a gentle breeze on my face and sip a beer while the pitchers horse around in the outfield, shagging fly balls.
EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: A World Series appearance where the rest of the nation complains about the weather here in late October.
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I can't thank Twins Geek enough, both for taking the time to help out with this survey and also for all the help he's given this blog since its inception! I highly recommend you make MN Gameday a homepage, it's handy, and it's the very least we can do to recognize all that John's poured out into our blogosphere over the years!
Make sure to stop by again tomorrow! I'll be profiling Jeff over at 108 Stitches tomorrow, one of my lucky finds on Nick Punto Day! If you stop by Friday, you'll be treated to a special Get to Know 'Em from none other than the great Pat Neshek! And I've caved to peer pressure and I'll be answering my own annoying questions and posting that up this next Monday (so no need to stop by for that one...)
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