"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em" presents Emily from Chatter From the Cheap Seats!

Thanks for stopping by for another edition of Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em! I've had a great time getting to know some of my favorite bloggers better and also discovering new blogs. One of the great things about this past Nick Punto Day was discovering some voices I hadn't heard yet in the Twins Blogitory (trademarked by Andrew Bryz-Gornia). One such voice was Emily over at Chatter From the Cheap Seats.

At the time of this entry, Emily's written two posts so far, one of which was in honor of Nick Punto Day. But they're quite well thought-out and well written, and her blog's Twitter account is far more prolific than mine will be, so if I'm qualified to post these, she's more than qualified to be represented. If you haven't checked out her site yet, do the Twins blogosphere a favor and follow her blog so that we can help support a great addition to our online reading.

So below, check out Emily's Get To Know 'Em, and then after that go read and follow her site!

Personal-

NAME: Emily Jipp

WEBSITE: http://www.cheapseatschatter.com

BIRTHDAY: January 27

HOMETOWN: I grew up in Aurelia, Iowa and moved to the Twin Cities for college in 2001.

FAVORITE COLOR: Green

FAVORITE FOOD: Cheesy tots from Burger King, but they just discontinued them. I should have stocked up. So instead I'll say ... Mexican food.

FAVORITE MOVIE: American Movie. No one has made me laugh as hard as Mike Schank has.

FAVORITE BOOK: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Americana/Folk Rock

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Football

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Basketball

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD: I've recently become a big Vikings fan. Growing up in northwest Iowa the focus was always on the Hawkeyes, Cyclones and Huskers - not so much any NFL teams. A friend talked me into playing fantasy football a few years ago and my competitiveness made me watch as many games as possible which ultimately led me to watching all of the Vikings games. Sadly, I've kind of stopped caring about the Timberwolves. I check their scores occasionally, but that's about as far as my interest level goes. I know nothing about the Wild. I wouldn't even be able to name one player on the team if not for seeing some of their names in people's tweets. I went to my first game last year and it was a ton of fun even though I had no idea what was going on. I also like the Iowa State Cyclones. They've been pretty awful for awhile now, but they had some great years when I was growing up (when I cared the most) so at least I had that.

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: It's complex. There's so many things that are fun to discuss - pitching changes, situational at-bats, defensive positioning ... There will always be something more that you can learn and the more you can learn, the more you love and respect the game.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: The Cubs. I grew up in the country so there were rarely and Twins games televised. My brother and I would often go to our grandparent's house in town so we could watch the Cubs games on WGN. I liked watching Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Sammy Sosa and Andrew Dawson.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Kauffman Stadium. Our family used to plan our summer vacations to any cities where we could see a game. I think we made it to eight or nine stadiums. We went to Kauffman in '89 or '90. There was something special going on that day where they let fans come on to the field to take pictures of the players. We got a lot of good pictures of Bo Jackson. I remember Tom "Flash" Gordon pitched, Mike Macfarlane hit a home run and Kevin Seitzer made an error and was bouncing the ball like a basketball afterwards. (I was only six or seven at the time, so my brother had to refresh me on some of these memories).

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: I like it.

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: It'd be nice to play the AL West and AL East more in a season, but I can understand why it is the way it is.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Ozzie Smith.

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Alex Rodriguez.

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: I played through my sophomore year of high school. I played both pitcher and shortstop but after a pretty nasty concussion (during basketball season), I was nervous about getting hit in the face so my coach moved me to center field which quickly became my favorite position to play.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: I actually didn't start to like the Twins until I was in high school. I liked the Braves when I was younger. When the Braves weren't playing I had a tendency to cheer for whoever my brother was rooting for and any team that had one or more of my favorite players on it (Cubs, A's, Cardinals and Royals). I was cheering for the Braves against the Twins in '91.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: Game 163 last year. I was a nervous wreck. I think there's a video of me going nuts at the game on Facebook.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST, HOW WAS IT: I just went for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty fun. I think if I choose to go again it will be more just to see and talk with friends.

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING, HOW WAS IT: I was vacationing in Florida with my family in 2006 so we went to St. Petersburg to watch a game between the Rays and Red Sox. I was seriously considering going this year, but the timing is kind of bad. I'm going to shoot for next year.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT: I don't think so.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME: No way. I'm sure if I tried to catch a foul ball I'd end up taking a tumble and making Sportscenter's Not Top 10 Plays.

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Kent Hrbek

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Denard Span

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Luis Tiant. I think he only played eighteen games before he fractured his right scapula. I mostly just like him because he was kind of a weirdo. I always tend to like the eccentric players.

ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY TWINS PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: Dislike? No. But Nick Punto is probably my least favorite on the team.

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER: I got a picture with Michael Cuddyer a few weeks ago, but he's really the only player I've ever met. He was nice enough.

CURRENT PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO WATCH A GAME WITH: Jim Thome. I'm guessing he'd have a lot of good stories to tell.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO BE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH: Pat Neshek. He'd be entertaining.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Denard Span. He's pretty funny and he seems to be a really nice guy.

YOU'D WANT TO BE THE FRONT MAN OF YOUR NEW BAND: Michael Cuddyer.

YOU THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Kevin Slowey.

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

YOU'D LIKE TO START A BUSINESS WITH: Joe Mauer.

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: Can't wait! I plan on having A LOT of memories there.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: Division title, 92-70 record. I'll say they clinch the division in Kansas City on September 28th.

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Again, a huge thanks to Emily at Chatter From the Cheap Seats! If you haven't seen her blog, acquaint yourself now and check her for updates because she's definitely got good insight (and we also want her to keep from switching her allegiance back to the Braves, right?).

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another Get To Know 'Em! I'll be featuring one each day this last week. Tomorrow I'm honored to be able to profile the Twins Geek himself, John Bonnes, so be sure to stop back and check that out.

"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em" presents: Darren "Doogie" Wolfson

Spring Training is right around the corner! Today's example: I was watching the Winter Olympics at a bar in downtown Manhattan, and one of the TVs had on the YES Network. It kept showing shots of Spring Training and bright, sunny Florida, and it was so exciting that I couldn't even focus on the Olympics. Anyway, to celebrate its imminent arrival, I'm going to be unleashing a slew of Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em profiles this week (as it's been my offseason series and this is, kind of, the last week of the offseason).

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing Darren Wolfson. Darren is probably one of the better known sports personalities in the Twin Cities scene and is also one of the people behind some of the best local media coverage of our favorite local teams (via KSTP). In addition to his televised work, he's also one of the bloggers over at Star Tribune's Your Voices, where he provides us with his insights into our local sports world (and the Twins in particular!). So, enough from me...

Personal-

NAME: Darren Wolfson

WEBSITE: http://www.startribune.com/yourvoices/83726397.html?elr=KArks47cQiUdcOy_9cP3DiU47cQUU (Star Tribune Your Voices Blog)

BIRTHDAY: Jan. 20, 1980

HOMETOWN: Was born in Philadelphia, and have been in the Twin Cities since 1987. Currently reside in Golden Valley.

WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: KSTP-TV Sports Producer/Reporter; cbssports.com freelance writer; gopherhole.com writing; St. Paul Saints TV

FAVORITE COLOR: Green

FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza

FAVORITE MOVIE: Office Space/The Hangover

FAVORITE BOOK: no real favorite ... currently reading Bill Simmons' book on the NBA ... thoroughly enjoying

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Anything but Country

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Basketball

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Basketball

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD: Enjoy them all ... have to for my full-time job ... actually most passionate about Gophers basketball and football.

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: Everything can be dissected. In football, we have no idea what truly is going on most of the time. That is not the case in baseball.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: Have been a subscriber to the DirecTV baseball package for seven years ... participate in fantasy leagues ... my best friend has a good gig with the Red Sox, so I pay a lot of attention to them.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Bachelor party in the Wrigley Field bleachers this past August

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: Love it

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: Don't love it ... instead of 18-games vs. KC, Cle., etc. would rather see 12 ... space out the remaining games vs. the East and West.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Mike Schmidt

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Mark McGwire

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: Yes ... left-handed pitcher/First baseman

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: 1987 ... moved here in Aug '87 as a 7-year old and instantly gravitated toward the Twins for obvious reasons

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Game 163

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST? HOW WAS IT: I have ... doesn't do anything for me, but I am jaded ... have been for 14 years working in this business.

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING? HOW WAS IT: I have ... love the loosey-goosey atmosphere ... guys are very approachable ... I have been 5 or 6 times, most recently last year for the MLB Network. Produced some of their 30 clubs in 30 days series.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT: NO, and never want to ... one of the dumbest bits in all of sports.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN BALL AT THE DOME: At the Dome = NO ... elsewhere = YES

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Tony Batista ... kidding ... Kent Hrbek

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Denard Span

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: David Ortiz (people around the country forget that he played here).

ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY TWINS PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: If I had to cover them everyday, many would irritate me, but overall for what I do = NO

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER, PLEASE DESCRIBE: Torii Hunter is a very good friend of a good friend of mine. We used to have dinner, the three of us, or sometimes a few others as well, after games occasionally.

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

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

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO BE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH: Pat Neshek

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Jim Thome

YOU'D WANT TO BE THE FRONT MAN OF YOUR NEW BAND: Joe Mauer (for the groupie hoochie)

YOU THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Michael Cuddyer

YOU'D ASK FOR HELP ON A SCIENCE LAB: Scott Baker

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

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: I took a tour in mid-November. It will be phenomenal.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: Not needing the last week of the reg. season to clinch a playoff spot. In other words, being able to set-up their postseason rotation heading into the ALDS.

-----

A huge thanks to Darren "Doogie" Wolfson for taking the time to help out in this series! Check him out over at the Star Tribune Your Voices page and be sure to look for his work on KSTP as well his other outlets!

This week is going to be jam-packed with great bloggers for you to get to know so be sure to keep stopping by. Tomorrow (Tuesday), Emily of Chatter From the Cheap Seats will be gracing us with her survey to introduce us to her new blog, so be sure to stop by for that!

Nicky On the Bases (Long-Form Epic poetry)

Ok, so, in my opinion Nick Punto Day should have come a long time ago. Back when I started this blog one of my first real posts was focused on the Nick Punto/Matt Tolbert dynamic duo, and I really wish I hadn't written something like that until today. So, my real contribution came back on September 22, 2009. (I like to be way ahead of the game...)

That being said, rather than exhaust my futile knowledge of advanced statistics and in-depth player analysis only to be shown up by people like Parker Hageman and Andrew Bryz-Gornia and etc. etc. etc., I'm going to break out the epic poetry. Yes, that's right, Little Nicky Punto gets an ode...

Punto On the Bases

The ball game was a must-win for the Minneapolis nine that day;

The score stood two to one, with but two innings left to play,

If they were to lose that night, the post season lived no more,

And so the Yankees took the field and Phil Hughes hit the floor.

Minnesota fans know more than most how to lose a game,

If only the New York Yankees could now just do the same;

They sat in the Dome watching the outs slip further ever down

And fans back in New York waited for triumph and a crown.

To liven up the depressed crowd, the organist did sound

A lively tune to announce that Nicky Punto led off this round.

Punto was a legend, and his speed was non-paralleled,

As he stepped up to the plate the crowd's fears were all dispelled.

His bat was none to speak of but he could play good ball,

And shortly after Punto came Mauer (who will one day reach The Hall).

A ball, a strike, a ball, a strike, the count stood two-and-two,

The fans watched this and held their breath, their faces turning blue.

Hughes bent forward at the waist, his mouth curling to a sneer,

Punto simply tapped his bat and on his face he showed no fear.

Winding up upon the mound, Hughes quickly released a pitch

The fans all prayed silently and prepared themselves to bitch.

But lo, behold, the crazy happened which most can scarce conceive:

Punto's bat connected, the hit deeper than any could believe!

It soared over the Dome's infield, and Jeter turned in awe

As Punto doubled to deep left-center and the fans began to caw.

The Metrodome was in an uproar, everyone in the stands

Had suddenly become the largest gathering of Punto's biggest fans.

Punto shook of faux-dirt and wore a broad smile across his face

And whooped and pumped his fist as he stood gloriously on second base.

Hughes, once proud and confident was now so clearly shaken,

Momentum in the game, by the Twins had now been taken!

He tried to settle in, shake off, for Span was his next fate

But none-the-less he quickly delivered a fastball off the plate.

Span was patient, eying the ball, he had the count all in his favor;

Punto on the other hand was overeager for a win to quickly savor.

Hughes wound up again and flung the ball with a loud snort,

Span connected downward, grounding the ball sharply to short.

It looked the perfect sacrifice, enough to move Punto along;

Span was hustling down the line, the crowd was a hollering throng;

But Jeter saw alertly that Little Nicky Punto had set himself to race

He'd set his eyes towards home while panic creased Gardy's face.

Instead of throwing to first, Jeter released it towards the plate

And in that fateful moment, Little Nicky had sealed his fate.

In all of the excitement he'd gone well off past the bag,

And set himself up for A-Rod to apply a gruesome tag.

Somewhere off in the east, the Empire State could cheer,

And steroid-users like A-Rod could grin from ear-to-ear.

But in the cold depressing realm of 'Sota's Metrodome

Twins fans cried and wept as Little Nicky tried 2nd-to-home.

"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em!" presents Jesse from Twinkie Town

Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em comes a day early! When a holiday landed on a Friday this past offseason we tried to move up our Get to Know 'Ems a day early, and this Friday is definitely a holiday ... it's Nick Punto Day! Be sure to check back here as well as all across the Twins Blogosphere Universe for all sorts of Little Nicky Punto related goodness!

Next week we are lucky to have pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training! I've decided that that will mark the official end of my offseason blog series. That being said, expect a loaded week next week with several Get to Know 'Ems. After you read Jesse's profile below, be sure to check out our lineup for next week!

Jesse is arguably the most prolific blogger over at Twinkie Town. If you've never checked out Twinkie Town then I don't know what more to say. It is the source for Twins info on the internet. Besides linking to almost every article that other websites publish, it offers some of the most educated and informational analysis on a variety of Twins topics. Even ignoring it's user-generated content from the many frequenters of the website and only focusing on Jesse's contributions, you can find everything from in-depth player analysis, to fun speculation. Without further ado:

Personal-

NAME: Jesse Lund

WEBSITE: http://www.twinkietown.com

BIRTHDAY: June 15 (Chant with me! GE-MI-NI, GE-MI-NI, GE-MI-NI...)

HOMETOWN: Breckenridge, MN

WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: I'm the marketing and promotions guru for an independent publishing company

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOOD: Meat & mashed potatoes

FAVORITE MOVIE: Just one? The Usual Suspects is great. Casablanca. Happy Gilmore. Bull Durham.

FAVORITE BOOK: Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is great, too.

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Not country. But again, I can't pick just one! My five favorite songs of this week:

Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More

BRMC: Weapon of Choice

Tiesto: Feel It In My Bones

Living Things: Bom Bom Bom

Muse: [Insert any song here]

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: American football

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Basketball

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD: Love the Vikings and I will until I die, I'm in so much pain over the quality of play with the Wolves that I haven't watched a game in over a year (although in the big picture I'm in favor of the direction the team has been heading under new leadership), and as much as I try I just can't get into hockey. I'd like to. Going to a game might help, but that might be difficult considering where I live now.

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: The nuances. The fact that the more you know about it, the more beautiful it becomes (a trademarked TwinsGeek phrase). To me, baseball can be a metaphor for life in a lot of ways.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: The Cubs. I'm not sure why. They epitomize baseball to me--in my mind, the Cubs always play under blue skies in Wrigley Field, and the sun reflects off those distinctive blue helmets.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Watching the F-M Redhawks beats out Yankee Stadium. But only because I hate the Yankees. Also, $1 hotdogs.

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: I like it, it doesn't bother me. But I wouldn't miss it if it went away. It's a fun concept.

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: This doesn't bother me either. Playing teams in your division is good, it builds rivalries.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Ken Griffey, Jr.

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Derek Jeter

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: I did, I played third base and outfield. I struggled to make contact after Pony's, but I could take a walk. I'd probably be better now than I was then. Puberty isn't a good thing for coordination.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: Probably the mid 90's when I was old enough to really start understanding the game. These were dark times indeed, which is how I know I'll be a Twins fan forever.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: Watching Brad Radke's last regular season start. Seeing Johan Santana reach 1000 strikeouts, and watching him strike out 17 Rangers. Shannon Stewart's extra-inning homer on Opening Day, 2004. Jason Kubel's grand slam to beat the Red Sox. Joe Mauer's first game. My very first game in the summer of 1992.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST? HOW WAS IT?: I have, a couple of times. It's really fun, there's a lot to see and a lot of players to meet. If anyone ever tells you that you're too old to stand in line for an autograph, punch them in the face.

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING? HOW WAS IT?: I haven't but I'd love to. Maybe when I'm back living Stateside again.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT?: No, but I have been on television. It was a couple of summers ago in the Dome, and the Rangers were in the middle of demolishing the Twins. I was wearing my Torii Hunter jersey, and was shown on television a couple of times, apparently looking totally dejected. Sounds about right.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME?: I haven't, but my friend sitting next to me did. The amazing thing was that we actually slid over a couple of seats over to our left the previous inning. Had we not moved, I would have caught it. This was the now-infamous game with the Blue Jays fan who had "GO JAYS" shaved into his back hair. Blegh.

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Kirby Puckett. Brad Radke.

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Joe Mauer.

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Alex Cole. Or, if we're talking current Twins, then Rene Tosoni and Alex Burnett. I really want these two prospects to succeed, and I can't explain why it's those two and not, say, David Bromberg and Rob Delaney. I still want those guys to do well, but I'm always watching Tosoni and Burnett.

ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY TWINS PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: As in an actual dislike? No. Chuck Knoblauch came off as a jerk, but I didn't actually know the guy.

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER: I once ran into Torii Hunter in downtown Minneapolis. He was really nice, and never seemed like he was trying to escape. I didn't say too much anyway, just said I was a fan, asked him how his ankle felt, and wished him good luck.

CURRENT PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO WATCH A GAME WITH: Justin Morneau. He'd be good to talk to.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO GO TO A BAR WITH: Jon Rauch. He'd be good if I decided to start a fight.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO BE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH: Jim Thome. He's probably strong enough to throw me to safety.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Any of them, because they can pay. I'll pick Denard Span, he's pretty cool.

YOU'D WANT TO BE THE FRONT MAN OF YOUR NEW BAND: Scott Baker. We're starting a boy band.

YOU THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Kevin Slowey. I'll re-release Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and cast him as Cameron.

YOU'D ASK FOR HELP ON A SCIENCE LAB: Pat Neshek. Dude's a brain.

YOU'D LIKE TO START A BUSINESS WITH: Joe Mauer, we'd start a lingerie store. That's a self-sustaining business.

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: It'll be a beautiful sight, and I imagine our left-handed hitters should benefit.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: Division title, 91-71 record. Win 3 games to 1 over Boston in round one, win 4 games to 3 over Seattle in ALCS. Matchup against Phillies in the World Series. That's right my friends, I'm drinking the Kool-Aid!

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A huge thanks to Jesse over at Twinkie Town for taking the time to help out with this series. As next week marks the official end of the off-season in my mind, I'm going to release a slew of Get to Know 'Ems! On Monday check back for the infamous Darren "Doogie" Wolfson of KSTP and Star Tribune's Your Voices Blog. On Wednesday the unmatchable John Bonnes of Twins Geek will be featured. And to cap off our series with a bang, on Friday be sure to check out Pat Neshek's Get to Know 'Em for his On the Road with Pat Neshek blog! I can't even wait and I've already read all these interviews!

Goodbye Pridie... Welcome back Jacque!

Well, my last post is null and void. Good thing I posted it before he left, it was valid for about a day!

Goodbye Pridie, good luck with the Mets.

Welcome back Jacque Jones! More on this later...

The Pridie of the Twinkies

If you haven't had a chance to listen to Jack Steal's special Friday podcast you should check it out. I made it on about 10 minutes into the show, and we were also lucky to be joined by Seth Stohs. In addition to the great discussion, the show got me thinking about how many tough roster decisions the Twins are going to have ahead of them.

People talk about Perkins and Casilla being on the trading block, and that's very likely, but the most interesting decision I'm looking at now is the outfield.

Currently, the Twins have Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, and Denard Span slated for the outfield, with Jason Kubel as the go-to sub at the corners when he's not DHing. I think everyone still acknowledges that there's no apparent backup center fielder on the Twins roster -- no one, that is, except the mysterious Jason Pridie.

Pridie is in an interesting situation. The Twins seemed to take a shine to him when he was in the Rays' minor league system (but the Twins always seem to take a shine to slap-hitting rangy outfielders...), and after taking him -- and losing him back -- in the Rule 5 draft, the Twins finally got their man as a throw-in in the Garza-Young blockbuster a couple years ago.

Since then, Pridie has been the primary center fielder for the Rochester Red Wings, playing center in over 200 games in 2 seasons, and usually finding himself pencilled into the leadoff spot in the order. He's hit an uninspiring (but not awful) .270/.305/.435 in '08 and .265/.295/.382 in '09, which aren't far off from his career minor league numbers. He's got a little bit of speed (25 stolen bases each year), and Brendan Harris-like pop in his bat.

In the field, Pridie has pretty decent range and supposedly not too much of an arm. He can hold his own though, and other than him, there aren't many immediate options on our roster to fill Span's shoes if some sort of an injury were to occur and lead to prolonged absence. Pridie's Rochester teammate, Dustin Martin, could possibly step in, but he wasn't even shown the courtesy of a major-league invite in Spring Training, so I think Pridie has the upper hand.

Unless the front office goes out and gets someone like an Endy Chavez, it seems as if the 5th outfielder position is essentially going to be handed to Pridie on a silver platter. It's not as if his numbers or his performance indicate that he's banging on the door for this promotion, but they aren't particularly indicating that he couldn't handle the 5th outfielder role either. He's a cusper -- the fates have aligned and fortune has smiled on him.

When I was at Twins Fest, someone actually brought up this issue to Bill Smith -- "Who is our backup center fielder?" Quick on his feet, Smith replied that it was ultimately Gardy's decision, but that the way the Twins organization is constructed, we're built to stress versatility. That Punto and Tolbert are both capable of playing in the outfield if need be because they've taken reps there in the minors. (Don't balk, this was his answer.)

It is true, when I was in Rochester watching some games this past year, Tolbert played some left field (and made an amazing diving catch to essentially save the game once), but I think playing some corner outfield in AAA due to an infield logjam is a little different than being a backup center fielder in the majors. Sure Tolbert played center all of once in the minors, but to think that he's going to step in there except in an emergency pinch indicates someone is wearing rose-tinted glasses.

But at the same time, would it have been very inspiring for Bill Smith to say unequivocally that their backup center fielder is Jason Pridie? I think most fans would release a collective yawn, and others would probably cringe -- his first taste of the bigs came in the post-season drive of '08 when he miffed a simple fly ball as a late inning defensive replacement in Toronto, which ultimately led to us losing the game (and ending up in a one-game playoff with the White Sox, and you remember how that turned out...). In fact, after that miffed ball Pridie really only got pinch running experience because nobody wanted to see him in the field.

Ok, this entry is coming off as much more Pridie-bashing than originally intended. I would love to see him thrive and make it as our backup outfielder. In fact, I think he could do very well -- certainly better than some of our backup outfielders -- that fielding error in Toronto was surely a case of the jitters which has more than likely worn off, and his batting numbers certainly aren't bad for a last option outfielder off the bench. And his speed? Well, we'll need someone pinch running a lot next year.

Let's think of this article as simply venting out all the negativity against Pridie and hoping that he makes the roster out of camp and succeeds. That would be a heartwarming story for a guy who has been so close on the cusp of getting a major league position for a couple years now.

In fact, this could really be a good break for him. When the Twins break camp without any other options backing up Span, well, that day, he might just consider himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth...

"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em" presents: Phil Mackey

Well, I could spend a good amount of time talking about Orlando Hudson here, but I'll save that for tonight's special podcast with Fanatic Jack and Seth Stohs. Be sure to listen in and share your POV on Hudson and the Twins' offseason thus far. It's amazing, but with Thome, Hudson, and the optimistic outlook on a Mauer legacy contract, this offseason is quickly becoming one of the best I've ever seen. Kudos to Bill Smith. Sorry I ever doubted you.

Speaking of Seth Stohs, be sure to buy a copy of his 2010 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. I might be biased because I plan on going to Spring Training and having this book glued to my hand over at the minor league complex, but there is no doubt that this is one of the most thorough and complete reports on one of our team's major strengths: our farm system. Speaking with Seth he told me about scouting reports, organization insight, and special Prospect-Handbook-tailored photos that will be gracing this year's addition. Even if you're not a minor league afficionado, now's your time to become one. And if nothing else, it's ponying up $13 to thank someone who's provided us with so much material over the years is nothing.

Check out Wednesday's podcast as well, by the way. Jack and I had a great discussion and had lots of comments in the chat room. We spent a good chunk of time talking about Twins Fest, and since I haven't done a detailed account of that I'll just say that I had an amazing time meeting Jack, Seth Stohs, John Bonnes, K-Bro, Katie, Betsy, and Howard Sinker, as well as beefing up my Twins' shrine with more autographed balls than I can shake a stick at and a number of bobbleheads...

....I need a new mantle. Joe Mauer's the ball on the top. Audrey Hepburn was not on the Twins but I am allowed other wall decorations.

Anyway, I know you don't come here on Friday's to hear me ramble. So instead, I'm going to give the floor to Phil Mackey, this week's Get to Know 'Em. Phil holds a special place in my esteem, because besides being a fellow Twins blogger, he also happens to be passionate about my other favorite sport: poker. In fact, he's done more for poker in Minnesota than anyone else (you can't argue that). Recently he's been a pressbox staple for the Vikings in their amazing -- but ultimately disappointing -- season, and in a couple months he'll be turning his attention back primarily to poker and the Twins. But without further ado...

Personal-

NAME: Phil Mackey

WEBSITE: PhilMackey.com, MNPokerMag.com, MinnesotaStatePokerTour.com

BIRTHDAY: May 20, 1985

HOMETOWN: Born in Champlin, MN. Went to high school in Buffalo, MN.

WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: KFAN Radio since 2005, but the poker industry pays most of my bills these days. I co-own Minnesota Poker Magazine and the Minnesota State Poker Tour. I also play poker semi-professionally.

FAVORITE COLOR: Black

FAVORITE FOOD: I eat everything. And I rarely discriminate.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Rocky IV

FAVORITE BOOK: "A New Earth" - Eckhart Tolle

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Journey and pre-2000 Bon Jovi

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: NFL football

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: In my early days, baseball. Now, golf.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD: I'm pretty indifferent when it comes to the Wild. I love the Wolves, and I can't wait until they're relevant again. You can find me at the majority of Wolves home games. I cover the Vikings for KFAN, so sometimes they burn me out.

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: I love how we can measure and quantify a million different things, and in many cases, accurately predict future performance. But I also love how the things we can't measure usually wind up making the sport so exciting.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: I've grown up a die-hard Cubs fan as well. My grandma lived in Kankakee, Illinois, so I made a couple trips to Wrigley Field as a kid. Still love the Cubs, despite their intense cluelessness.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Watching Kerry Wood pitch against the Giants at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco (circa 2001?) was pretty awesome. Doogie's bachelor party at Wrigley Field in summer, 2009 was epic. For different reasons.

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: Love it.

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: I like how it creates more rivalries (Twins/White Sox, Twins/Indians, Red Sox/Rays), but ultimately it probably hinders the process of deciding who the best teams are after 162 games.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: It used to be Sammy Sosa before I found out he corked his bats and did steroids. I also grew up on Mark Grace, who might be one of the most under-appreciated hitters in recent baseball history.

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Funny, I might have said Orlando Cabrera before he hit that home run against Detroit in game 163...

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: Played outfield through high school, but "retired" in 2003 after an unsuccessful tryout with the University of Minnesota.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: As early as I can remember (1990?). I don't know if I ever had a choice, being born in Minnesota and all.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: Game 163, hands down. I attended as a media member and left with champagne-soaked clothes. I was also at Eric Milton's no hitter in 1999. And Cal Ripken's 3,000 hit game. Good times.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST, HOW WAS IT: Yeah, I collected autographs until about age 17. TwinsFest was always a great way to add to that collection. I remember Al Newman once asking me a bunch of questions about my little league team, and I thought that was awesome.

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING, HOW WAS IT: Spent a week watching the Twins, Rays and Red Sox in Florida last year. It was amazing, especially hanging with buddies Doogie and La Velle E. Neal III at the bars every night.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT: lol, thankfully, no. He tried to in the press box bathroom once, but I called security.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME: No. In fact, I've probably been to 300 baseball games in my life and have NEVER caught a ball.

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Shane Mack. Wasn't here long, but that dude could rake.

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Denard Span. One of the nicest professional athletes I've ever encountered.

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Dan Van Dehey. Technically he wasn't actually a Twin, because he never made it above A-ball in the Twins' minor league system. But he was my boss at Play It Again Sports when I was 16 years old. And he was a town ball hero.

ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY TWINS PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: For fear of getting bludgeoned with a bat in the clubhouse, I'll keep this one to myself for now...

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER, PLEASE DESCRIBE: About three weeks after his call-up in 2008, I walked up to Denard Span in the clubhouse after a game and asked him what the key was to his massive success early on (hinting that he underachieved greatly in the minors). He didn't hesitate at all when he said, "Lasik, man."

CURRENT PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO WATCH A GAME WITH: Kevin Slowey. He offers a ton of insight.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO GO TO A BAR WITH: Now that Boof Bonser is gone, probably Brendan Harris.

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO BE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH: Do player wives count?

YOU'D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Do player wives count?

YOU'D WANT TO BE THE FRONT MAN OF YOUR NEW BAND: Alexi Casilla. And it would be a Mariachi band.

YOU THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Carl Pavano

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

YOU'D LIKE TO START A BUSINESS WITH: Joe Mauer. Does the Quick Swing still exist?

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: Glory times.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: They should be on pace for 90ish wins. Even if things go terribly wrong, I don't see the Twins winning fewer than 82 or 83.

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A huge thanks again to Phil Mackey. It goes without saying, but you need to add his blog to your daily reading, he's a great voice in our blogosphere and has plenty of stuff to read even when the Twins aren't in season. And listen to him on KFAN too!

The offseason as winding down as pitcher's and catchers are about to report. I still have a few excellent Twins bloggers to profile, but we're coming to a close on this series so savor these last few surveys! There's still many bloggers I haven't gotten to, and if you're one of them and are interested in participating shoot me an e-mail or leave me a comment and I'll make sure to get you up here, even if it's a special in-season post!

Next Friday, in honor of Andrew Kneeland's brainchild: Nick Punto Day, I will instead be posting on the LNP in question. But that just means you get your weekly dose of Get to Know 'Em a day early! Thursday I'll be showcasing the prolific Jesse from Twinkie Town, so be sure to stop by!