"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em!" presents For the Love of the Game

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for stopping by the past few days to read my Matt Guerrier article. Thanks to John Bonnes for plugging it on Gameday and Seth Stohs for plugging it again on his website - I really appreciated the great comments on it and the site traffic.

Second, thanks again to Jack Steal for inviting me on his podcast! We had more call-ins and also a great special guest: Nick Nelson, of Nick's Twins Blog, one of the most respected Twins bloggers out there and a great source of discussion. If you haven't already listened to the podcast you can listen to it here.

Third, and MOST important, it's Friday. And that means we continue my weekly offseason series:

For my fourth installment of "Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em", I'm pleased to be able to introduce Betsy of For the Love of the Game. Easily one of my favorite Twins blogs, she's also one of the first bloggers I ever met and went to a game with! In fact, along with Katie from KC's Baseball Blog, we scaled a parking garage wall to scope out the great views of Target Field. Betsy always has witty and well-thought-out content about whatever is going on in the Twins universe, and she also is quite adept at making signs. So, without further ado, on to Betsy's answers!

General-

NAME: Betsy

WEBSITE: http://girllovesbaseball.blogspot.com, or http://fortheloveofthegame.mlblogs.com

BIRTHDAY: 10/16/80

HOMETOWN: Austin, MN

WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: Administrative Assistant

FAVORITE COLOR: Hot pink

FAVORITE FOOD: Italian

FAVORITE MOVIE: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: I like most kinds of music

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Hockey

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: haha ... I dance

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD: I don't follow basketball, but for football, I prefer the Chargers, and I LOVE the Wild!

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: I grew up watching baseball ... and when I was really little I'd play baseball with the boys in my neighborhood.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: The Rays, because Jason Bartlett is still a favorite of mine.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: I've only been to Petco Park other than the Dome, so I don't have much experience, but I LOVED Petco Park! It's beautiful!

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: I love watching the pitchers hit ... it's amusing. Plus Milwaukee is a great rival of the Twins!

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: I think it makes sense considering these are the teams you need to beat in order to get to the World Series!

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: ummm...?? Maybe Albert Pujols... I have a high amount of respect for him and he is an outstanding player, and I know he's very much into his faith, which I think is so cool

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Nick Swisher... his on field attitude drives me crazy!

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: Well when I played baseball, we just played, no positions were picked.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: Sometime in the 80's ... I don't remember when exactly!

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: During signings (back when Kent Hrbek was on the team), the players would stand on the field and kids could go around and meet them ... When my brother and I got to Kent Hrbek, he saw that my brother had an Oakland A's hat on ... Kent took the hat off my brother's head and threw it on the ground as my brother got his picture taken with him.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST? HOW WAS IT?: Yes, I've been to Twinsfest several years! It's always fun ... it can get kind of expensive for autographs, but I enjoy the picture line A LOT!

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING? HOW WAS IT?: Never been to Spring Training ... some day.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT?: Well, technically it was just my "Yankees = Evil Empire" sign that got circled ... I don't know that I ever have been with one of my signs.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME?: Nope, just have gotten two balls thrown to me after warm ups or batting practice.

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: I always had a soft spot for Kent Hrbek growing up, so I have to go with him.

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Kevin Slowey

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Haha ... Joe Crede? I never thought I'd like him when he signed with us in the off-season, but he's grown on me.

ARE THERE (WERE THERE) ANY PLAYERS YOU DISLIKE: Juan Rincon for sure ... I'm sure there were others too, but he was the first to come to mind.

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER: Meeting Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the bar I worked at a couple years ago. I got to talk to both of them and got pictures with them. Plus I got to serve Justin a beer (I worked at the beer tub)

CURRENT PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO WATCH A GAME WITH: Kevin Slowey

GO TO A BAR WITH: Kevin Slowey

BE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH: Kevin Slowey

HAVE DINNER WITH: Kevin Slowey

BE THE FRONT MAN OF YOUR NEW BAND: Joe Nathan! (or Mauer! Lol)

THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Joe Mauer

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: I think it'll be great ... a little cold in April and not looking forward to rain delays or cancelled games, but overall it should be great!

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: I hope the "rebuilding" stages are finally over and Bill Smith gets his act in gear and signs Joe Mauer long-term.

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Thanks so much to Betsy for answering my questions and letting us profile her this week! Make sure to check out her site and add it to your daily reads! And next Friday we'll be back when Josh Johnson of Josh's Thoughts takes the stage for us!

Live Podcast Pt. 2

I'm joining Jack Steal to co-host his second live podcast tonight! You can listen to it live or on archive here. If you're around between 11EST (10CT) and Midnight (11CT) definitely check it out and call in! We'd appreciate your support!

A Piece the Twins SHOULD Trade

By now, enough other bloggers have expounded on the fact that the Twins will probably only have around $20 million dollars or so at most to spend this offseason, and that will have to cover any restructuring of Joe Mauer's contract and plug all the leaks that have sprung in the infield and rotation. This could be a tall task for a Twins front office that hasn't displayed much in the way of creativity over its short tenure.

Consequently, one of the off-season options we could potentially expect to see again would be a significant trade. Twins Fix poses Jason Kubel as a potential tradable asset in a very well-thought out article. While I'd have to agree that if Kubel were able to net us a gold-mine, we should be willing to part with him, I'm not sure if he's the most likely candidate.

Kubel's position on our offense has been invaluable. And we have him at a relative bargain for at least the next two years if the Twins pick up their option (and I don't see how they wouldn't). After endless seasons of not having much power in the middle of our lineup, Kubel's presence has solidified a punch that I don't think we would be able to easily replace for a decent value on the free agent market or in our farm system. Without him, our potent lineup takes a big knock.

I'd like to pose that the Twins should deal from an area where they have overabundance. That area, believe it or not, is in our bullpen.

The Twins are going to have a massive group of pitchers lining up for a spot in their bullpen this year, and one area that practically every team in the majors is always looking to address (and always willing to overpay for) is in the bullpen.

Don't scoff. It's true that this past offseason, and up until our acquisition of Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay at the waiver deadline, the bullpen was a major achilles heel for our team as well. But with all the major players from this last year returning, in addition to Boof Bonser, Pat Neshek, and several people knocking on the door in Rochester, we might just have too few spots for all the available arms.

I am not advocating trading Joe Nathan.

Joe Nathan is one of the best closers in baseball, and no untimely misfortune in a high-pressure series against the Yankees will convince me otherwise. Give me one relief pitcher I want to see trot out of a bullpen in a close game and 5 out of 5 times I'll take Nathan.

I think we need to trade Matt Guerrier.

I love Guerrier. I think Guerrier is a quality bullpen arm and has been the second most reliable person out of our pen the past few years. I also think he performed well over his head this past year, and his value will never be higher.

The old adage is that it's better to trade a player too soon than too late. The ideal would to be trading that player right after they've peaked. Matt Guerrier is 31, his prime is just behind him, and he just posted a career year, with a 2.36 ERA and a 0.969 WHIP (well below his 6-year career numbers of a 3.41 ERA and 1.269 WHIP). He also was tied with Jeremy Affeldt for the most "Holds" (a meaningless stat but a stat nonetheless) with 33 on the season, 5 more than the next best of the set-up men.

I think Guerrier still has several solid years as a set-up man, but I would be willing to wager almost anything he doesn't post numbers like these again. (See Erin's article at Plunking Gomez for more on Guerrier's sustainability.)

Consider for a minute that next year we will have 6-7 spots open in the bullpen. You can assume that Joe Nathan, Jose Mijares and Jon Rauch will occupy 3 of those spots. Unless Jesse Crain is non-tendered, he is also a lock, and the way he pitched since coming back from his demotion to Rochester I have to believe that Crain will remain on our team. As frustrating as he's been, he's not been all that bad of a relief pitcher compared to many others.

I believe that that both Neshek and Bonser will be members of the bullpen as well. And between Liriano, Perkins, and Duensing, only one of them will likely make the rotation while the other two will either be traded or moved to the bullpen.

That's at least 7 good-to-serviceable arms in the pen, not counting Guerrier's. Top that with the fact that Gardenhire is strongly pushing to bring Mahay back under contract, and we have those vaunted prospects of Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama waiting for their shot down in Rochester. We have too many options!

Guerrier is entering his third year of arbitration after making nearly $1.5M in '09. In 2011 he'll hit free agency and the Twins will certainly not retain him. By all means the Twins should see how much somebody would be willing to overpay in a trade.

Perhaps the Angels or Dodgers, who both have suffered this past post-season from ineffective bullpens? Or perhaps Guerrier could be packaged with someone like Delmon Young or Glen Perkins to make a sweeter offer for an infielder like JJ Hardy or Yunel Escobar?

Truth be told, I don't know what kind of package we could get in return for one year of Guerrier, but I imagine that there are many teams looking for a solid reliever, and Guerrier is coming off his best year while the Twins suddenly find themselves with a surplus of bullpen arms for 2010. Some things just make sense.

You too can pretend to dream up brilliant moves and imagine you're the Twins GM, and the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook is not only a useful tool for your musings, but it is packed with enough information to get you through the lonely winter months of the offseason. And it's only $9.95! That's a real deal, especially considering all the free blogging that John Bonnes, Seth Stohs, Parker Hageman, and Nick Nelson have supplied us with on a daily basis.

Anyway, that's all for now. Be sure to check back later this week. I'll be rejoining Jack Steal on his podcast Wednesday night for another go-round, and on Friday I'll be continuing my Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em segment focusing on Betsy of For the Love of the Game!

"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em" presents Jack Steal

Happy Friday everyone! In case you haven't heard it already, I helped Jack Steal co-host his first ever Twins podcast on Wednesday night. Check it out! We had a couple callers and some very good discussion about the postseason, use of instant replay, reviewing the Twins season, and some things to change and address this offseason.

Speaking of Jack Steal, this Friday's installment of our Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em series will be focusing on him! Jack started his website around the beginning of the '09 season and it has been going strong ever since. He always provides great game recaps during the season and has good insight and analysis on all aspects of the Twins team in his posts. You can find him at Fanatic Jack Talks Twins. Without further ado, let's give the floor to Jack:

Personal-

NAME: Jack Steal

WEBSITE: Fanaticjacktalkstwins.blogspot.com, Blogtalkradio.com/Jack-Steal

BIRTHDAY: June 11, 1971

HOMETOWN: Born in St. Paul, MN and reside in the NW suburbs.

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOOD: Lasagna

FAVORITE MOVIE: A Few Good Men, Pride of the Yankees, The Natural

FAVORITE BOOK: Profiles in Courage, Tale of Two Cities

FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Rock and Country. I like them both a lot.

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Football and hockey.

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Baseball as a kid, now softball.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/WILD/TIMBERWOLVES: I love the Vikings and was devastated when they lost to Atlanta in 1999. I am just starting to get into the Wild now. I was a huge hockey fan and when the North Stars moved to Dallas a part of me died inside. I like the Timberwolves and support them but am not really a big basketball fan. Too many THUGS!!

Baseball Generic-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: It is America's past time!! It is a beautiful game, the bases are 90 feet, the pitcher's mound is 60 feet 3 inches, and it is the only sport that does not have a time clock. The games finish when they finish.

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: My second favorite team is the Boston Red Sox. I of course was a Red Sox fan when it was not popular and they were getting their brains beat in by the Yankees every year. It is losing its luster now because they have such a high payroll. After going to St. Louis this year, I have become intrigued by the Cardinals.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: This year in St. Louis when we went to see the Twins play there. The best fans in the country!!! They were great to me even though I wore Twins stuff and rooted for them. Very affable.

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: I like it, how else could the Twins play Milwaukee and other teams we would never see.

OPINION ON UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: It should be more balanced and the Twins should play more games against the East and West division teams.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Growing up, my favorite players were Mike Schmidt, Darryl Strawberry, and Don Mattingly.

FAVORITE HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Jim Thome. (Glad he is back in the N.L.)

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: I played through my Sophomore year in H.S. I still play softball 6 months of the year. I pitched and played mostly outfield.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: Growing up in Minnesota they were the home team. I really appreciated them when it looked like Pohlad was going to move the team back in 1997. It has turned into an obsession.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: October 6, 2009. The tie-breaker with Detroit.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST: I have went the last three years in a row and it's awesome. I can hardly wait for it to come every winter.

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING: No, but some day.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT: No, and I don't want to either.

HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN AT THE DOME: No, but I would give the ball to my kid or another if it happened.

Twins Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Kirby Puckett, but Joe Mauer is climbing the charts.

FAVORITE CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: Joe Mauer.

FAVORITE OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Greg Gagne or Randy Bush.

TWINS PLAYERS I DISLIKE: Ron Davis and Jesse Crain.

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER: Shannon Stewart a couple years ago in left field before the game. Nice guy. Bert Blyleven seems nice as well.

CURRENT PLAYER YOU THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau.

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: It should be nice if they did not cut any corners. It will be cold and we might struggle in April and May until the players get used to playing outside. The scenery around outside needs to improve. Get rid of the garbage burner behind it.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: It will depend on the Pohlad family to spend money and Bill Smith to make some good moves to improve the team. We could be real good but only if Mauer/Morneau/Kubel/Cuddyer have a supporting cast around them.

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Thanks so much to Jack for answering my questions! If you haven't checked out the previous surveys of Katie from KC's Baseball Blog, or Seth Stohs, definitely go back and read those. Make sure to stop by next Wednesday night when I join Jack for another podcast talking more Twins baseball, and be sure to check out the next installment of Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em when Betsy from For the Love of the Game takes the hotseat!

Have a great weekend!

Live Podcast!

I'm helping Jack Steal of Fanatic Jack Talks Twins with his live podcast tonight. Check it out!

Rooting for the Yankees...

...is like rooting for the hunter that shot Bambi's mother.

And who could want to hurt this, it's adorable...

I'm really torn -- I have a lot of friends out here in New York that are obviously cheering for the Yankees. And, honestly, I want to see them all cry. But I really could care less about the Angels, and rooting against the Yankees out of spite just seems petulant. Usually, if I don't have any strong feelings about a team I'll cheer for the one that I have the most connection to through my friends -- and to be fair, that would be the Yankees.

But I can't cheer for them. They don't need any more encouragement.

A-Rod especially. Calm down.

Jeter is a class-act but he's just so overrated at this point in his career. (Don't flip out, he's still good.) Mariano Rivera has been the definition of consistency and dominance as a closer and I don't think anyone could honestly admit they wouldn't want him locking down their 'pen. But looking up and down the rest of their roster is stomach-churning. It's like looking at the worst tools on the cast of "I Love New York."

Waiting for their pinstripes...

That being said, I should stop wishing ill and hardship on the friends of mine that are unfortunate enough to be Yankee fans. I'm going to actually try to be happy for them. I'm going to try. But I'm not going to like it.

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On to happier topics! Tonight at 11PM EST, 10PM Central, I will be joining Jack Steal from Fanatic Jack Talks Twins as the co-host for his inaugural podcast. It should be a great time and there will be plenty to discuss.

Click here for the link to the podcast page on Blog Talk Radio, and if you're free around that time definitely call in with comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you!

"Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em!" presents Seth Stohs

In case you missed last week's installment of my weekly offseason series, I surveyed Katie over at KC's Baseball Blog. Her answers can be read here. This week, Seth Stohs is on the hotseat. Seth needs no introduction, but I'll try anyway: he runs one of the longest active Twins blogs on the internet, publishes a Twins Prospect Handbook, is a member of the elite Twins Centric group that is publishing its latest book, and is generally considered the person to speak to when seeking any information about the Twins' minor leagues.

So, without further ado, let's get to know a little bit more about Seth...

Personal -

NAME: Seth Stohs

WEBSITE: www.SethSpeaks.net, talkintwinsbb.wordpress.com, startribune.com/yourvoices, baseballdigest.com/twins, www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks

BIRTHDAY: June 25th

HOMETOWN: Born in Fargo, ND - raised in Perham, MN

WHAT KEEPS YOU EMPLOYED OTHER THAN BLOGGING: I am the Regulatory Product Planner for Marvin Windows & Doors

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FOOD: so many!

BOOK: Besides the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2009, I would have to say that Kirby Puckett: I Love This Game has been one of my favorites. Also enjoyed Bo Knows Bo, Jim Kaat's: Still Pitching, Moneyball, and Fantasyland.

TYPE OF MUSIC: Rap, and 80s songs, you know, like The Jets!

SPORT TO WATCH OTHER THAN BASEBALL: Probably Football.

SPORT TO PLAY: Ping pong

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE VIKINGS/TIMBERWOLVES/WILD:

Vikings - I'm excited about the upcoming season. I thought that with Sage Rosenfels as the QB, they could win 11-12 games. I think with Brett Favre as the QB they could win 12-13 games. I'm excited about that defense and think that having EJ Henderson back, and playing alongside Chad Greenway will be a lot of fun.

Timberwolves - I was a huge KG fan and watched most games when he was with the team. Have watched them very little since his trade. I am actually very excited about what David Kahn is doing. At least you can see some direction. I like watching the young guys get a chance, and for some reason, I really appreciate watching Ryan Gomes play the game the way he does.

Wild - nope.

General Baseball-

WHAT MAKES BASEBALL SO GREAT TO YOU: It's the good and the bad. I don't think there is a sport around where you can second-guess so much. GM decisions, manager lineup and in-game decisions, players, minor leagues. There is so much to this game that makes it so great. It leads itself to second-guessing which can be fun OR lead to frustration!

IF YOU HAD TO FOLLOW ANOTHER TEAM, WHICH AND WHY: I really like watching teams develop their own players, and build from within. I was a fan of the Rays before they became good last year because you could see the plan. The Brewers built a core from within as well a couple of years ago. I also appreciate a team like the Red Sox who not only have the financial means to be big players, but they also do things the right way in terms of player development.

BEST EXPERIENCE AT A BALLPARK OTHER THAN THE DOME: Sitting along the first base line on a 95 degree day at Coors Field was really pretty incredible. What an amazing facility and great atmosphere and the mountains in the background. Miller Park was very nice too, in my opinion. Again, on a Sunday afternoon on a warm day, sitting behind home plate.

OPINION ON INTERLEAGUE PLAY: I don't mind it, but I wish there was a way to truly balance the schedule. It's neat to see other teams, but this year, the Twins fans got to see Houston and Pittsburgh, so that doesn't generate a ton of excitement.

OPINION ON THE UNBALANCED SCHEDULE: I prefer the old way of playing everyone the same number of times. It makes the Wild Card more meaningful when teams from different divisions play the same schedule. That said, the Twins and White Sox have developed a nice rivalry.

FAVORITE NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HSITORY: Claudell Washington

MOST HATED NON-TWINS PLAYER IN BASEBALL HISTORY: Not really applicable. Maybe Mark Buehrle, if I have to pick.

DID YOU EVER PLAY BASEBALL/SOFTBALL, WHAT POSITION: Played all over the infield. I was a shortstop growing up. When I got to ninth grade, there was an opening on the varsity team at 3B, so I played there. I pitched a little too. I didn't want to catch, but after playing in college, I came home and played some amateur ball and because my brother got hurt, I said I'd catch a game. I loved it! Best position on the field. Played a little softball after that, but it's just not the same, not fun.

Twins Generic-

WHEN DID YOU BECOME A TWINS FAN AND WHY: I think on some level, I just always have. Being from Minnesota, it was my team. My earliest memories were through baseball cards of Bobby Mitchell and Lenny Faedo, and then a guy named Kirby Puckett was called up. Obviously, I was mainly intrigued by his name. I mean, I was 8!

BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE DOME: Lots of them. A few walkoffs, one a couple of years ago against the Brewers when Justin Morneau ended a game. Tom Brunansky hit a walkoff long before there was a term "Walk Off." Got a ball tossed to me by a Red Sox reliever John Henry Johnson. Dave Engle threatened to take it from me and put it in their batting practice ball bag. That was funny. Seeing Michael Cuddyer's cycle.

EVER BEEN TO TWINS FEST? HOW WAS IT?: Yeah, I have been there the last four years. I love it. I really enjoy it. Meeting people, the minor league area, the atmosphere, people watching, listening to radio interviews. It's all baseball in January. What's not to love!

EVER BEEN TO SPRING TRAINING? HOW WAS IT?: Went to a little spring training probably 8-9 years go. Again, great atmosphere, just fun watching what happens. Actually spent a little more time in Port St. Lucie at Mets camp a few years ago and that was fun.

EVER BEEN CIRCLED BY BERT: No.

EVER CAUGHT A FOUL BALL OR HOME RUN BALL AT THE DOME: Only in batting practice.

Twins Player Specific-

FAVORITE TWINS PLAYER IN HISTORY: Kirby Puckett

CURRENT TWINS PLAYER: easy answers are Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but I am a big Michael Cuddyer fan. And, obviously communicating with Kevin Slowey and Jeff Manship, two terrific people, put them high on my list too.

OBSCURE TWINS PLAYER: Matt Lawton, I think, is one of the most underrated Twins players.

EXPERIENCE MEETING A PLAYER: Lew Ford, Jason Bartlett, Gardy and Rick Anderson came up to Warroad, and I had the opportunity to meet them at the radio station before their Twins Caravan appearance. Lew Ford was always fun to talk to. Had several conversations with him. Just a very good guy. But there have been numerous. Denard Span telling me that he "likes my site" was pretty cool.

CURRENT PLAYER YOU'D MOST LIKE TO WATCH A GAME WITH: Michael Cuddyer

GO TO A BAR WITH: Jeff Manship

BE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH: I don't really know how to answer this one... :)

LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Brendan Harris. He's very smart and intellectual. And he's been in several organizations already, so I'm sure he's got a lot of stories and teammates to ask about.

THINK SHOULD BE A MOVIE STAR: Carlos Gomez, the man is hilarious and so energetic. He would be great!

EXPECTATIONS OF TARGET FIELD: It's going to be great! Outdoor baseball is incredible. Yeah, there'll be some questionable days, but seats that face the infield are a good thing. It's an incredible facility and baseball will be played where it is supposed to be!

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM NEXT YEAR: I think that there are a few holes that came out this year. But I also think that injuries really hurt the team, especially in the pitching staff. I think that with minimal changes/upgrades, this team can be a very good team.

Thanks so much to Seth for taking the time to fill out the survey so we can get to know him a little better! Next Friday check back for Jack Steal of Fanatic Jack Talks Twins as he takes center stage to answer my questions!