Twins extend deal with ESPN 1500

August 10, 2010 – The Twins announced today that that they have extended their agreement with 1500 ESPN Twin Cities to be the team’s Twin Cities metropolitan area radio affiliate through the 2012 season. The two-year agreement with Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns the station, allows for 1500 ESPN to broadcast all Twins regular and postseason games and at least 25 Spring Training games.

I think it is a terrible decision to extend the contract with 1500 ESPN. Many Twins fans listen to the games on the radio and there are many more that would listen if the station could provide a signal that went out farther than 1500 ESPN’s property lines. As many others have said for years, the signal strength of the station is just plain terrible. I don’t understand why if the Twins want to be first class organization why they go with a second tier minor league radio station. They have a top notch ballpark and a very good team and still they go the cheap route and put their games on 1500 ESPN. Why not go back to WCCO were they belong? WCCO’s signal is so much better in quality and strength that there really is no comparison.

In addition to a bad signal, the pregame and post game announcers leave a lot to be desired. When I listen to 1500ESPN I feel like I am listening to a bunch of announcers that are still in broadcasting school learning how to become professional announcers. 1500 ESPN pre and post game announcers don’t seem to understand baseball at all, I have never seen a bigger bunch of band-wagon jumpers then at 1500 ESPN. If the team goes into a short slump, the announcers rip everyone in site, if the Twins win a couple of games in a row you would think the Twins are the best team that baseball has ever seen.

I can’t believe that the Twins did this, going from WCCO to 1500 ESPN a few years ago was a terrible mistake but here they had an opportunity to fix the problem and they still dropped the ball. I would love to hear why the Twins keep choosing 1500 ESPN over WCCO. The money can’t be that much different, what’s the real reason Mr. St. Peter?

How sad is it that less than 10 miles due west of Target Field and I can barely get a signal as I walk on the Luce Line trail?

Jose Manuel Morales

August 6, 2010 – The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a great organization and one of the wonderful projects they have going on is the Baseball Biography Project. One of the many biographies they have completed is about former Twin Jose Manuel Morales. Jose was born December 30, 1944 in Frederiksted, Virgin Islands. Morales was a catcher by trade but the bat and his ability to pinch-hit was why Jose spent all or part of 12 years in the big leagues with A’s, Expo’s, Twins, Orioles and the Dodgers. Morales was with the Minnesota Twin from 1978 – 1980 and was used primarily as a DH although he played a few games as a catcher, 1B, and even appeared in the outfield for one game. Take a few minutes and read about the Twins original Jose Morales by clicking here.

Delmon Young shares July AL Player of the Month award

August 4, 2010 – Major League Baseball announced that Twins left fielder Delmon Young has been named American League Player of the Month for July, along with Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista. It marks the first time since August of 1999 that the Player of the Month award has been shared, Young led the American League in hits, batting .434 (46-for-106) with six home runs, 12 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 17 runs scored and 30 RBI during the month of July. Delmon safely in 23 of 26 games and had 16 multi-hit games. Young finished just one RBI shy of Kent Hrbek’s July record of 31 set back in 1984. Source: MN Twins Presspass

Most games played by position in franchise history

Native Minnesotan Kent Hrbek

July 31, 2010 – I just wanted to take a look and see who the leaders for games played at each position by the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Senators. With the way things are in baseball today and players on the move through free agency it is hard to keep the same players for any length of time. The only current player that might have a shot at moving on to the list below in the near future is Joe Mauer and if all goes well that might happen late in 2011 or early 2012.

Position Games Name Games Name
Catcher 831 Earl Battey 874 Muddy Ruel
1B 1,609 Kent Hrbek 2,025 Joe Judge
2B 1,128 Rod Carew 1,339 Buddy Myer
SS 1,112 Greg Gagne 1,445 George McBride
3B 1,311 Gary Gaetti 1,625 Eddie Yost
LF 620 Dan Gladden 1,093 Goose Goslin
CF 1,432 Kirby Puckett 1,635 Clyde Milan
RF 1,138 Tony Oliva 1,592 Sam Rice
DH 406 Tony Oliva — —

 

Twins trade for All-Star closer Matt Capps

Matt Capps as a National

July 29, 2010 – The Twins have announced that they have acquired right handed closer Matt Capps (6’2” and 245) from the Washington Nationals in return for one of their top prospects, catcher Willie Ramos and LHP Joe Testa. Some reports also have the Twins getting $500K in the transaction.

The Twins have also announced that Jon Rauch will be moved to a set-up role and that Capps will take over closing duties. In 47 appearances with the Nationals this season, Capps was 3-3, 2.74 (46.0 IP, 14 ER), allowing 51 hits with nine walks and 38 strikeouts. His 26 saves (30 opportunities) were the fourth most in the National League and seventh most in all of baseball. Capps was also selected to the 2010 National League All-Star team.

Ramos, arguably the Twins best prospect has spent most of the 2010 season at Triple-A Rochester. In 71 games with the Red Wings, he batted .241 (67-for-278) with 14 doubles, five home runs and 30 RBI. Ramos did spend a few games with the Twins earlier this year. This is probably a good deal as Ramos will get a chance to take over as the Nats catcher versus being stuck in the minors behind Twins all-world catcher Joe Mauer who is going nowhere in the near future.

Most Games Played in a Twins Uniform

Rank Name Games played Plate appearances
1 Harmon Killebrew 2,329 9,462
2 Kirby Puckett 1,783 7,831
3 Kent Hrbek 1,747 7,137
4 Tony Oliva 1,676 6,879
5 Rod Carew 1,635 6,980
6 Bob Allison 1,541 5,921
7 Gary Gaetti 1,361 5,459
8 Torii Hunter 1,234 4,894
9 Randy Bush 1,219 3,480
10 Roy Smalley 1,148 4,675

 

According to Elias

July 23, 2010 – The Twins defeated the Orioles, 5-0 on Thursday, raising their record against Kevin Millwood to 9-0. That’s the most victories without a loss by any team against an active pitcher, breaking a tie with the Dodgers, who are 8-0 against Matt Cain. The Senators/Twins franchise won its first nine or more decisions against only three other pitchers: Sid Monge (their first 10, 1975-1981), Ted Blankenship (1922-1925), and Gordon Rhodes (1929-1933).

MIA

 

July 19, 2010 – Have you seen this man? Clay Condrey, otherwise known as the “Twins Invisible Man” was signed by the Twins back in January for about $900,000 to bolster the bullpen. The 6’3” right hander with a sinker, cutter, curve-ball, change-up, and a four-seam fastball was targeted for a key role in the Twins pen but to date the man has not fired a single bullet in a Twins uniform in a game that has counted. Now there is talk that he will have season ending surgery and may never appear in a Twins uniform. You spin the wheel on some of these free agents and sometimes you come up with a dud, I think Bill Smith has that sinking feeling.

Know your franchise history

HOF catcher Rick Farrell

July 18, 2010 – The Society for American Baseball Research is a great organization and one of the wonderful projects they have going on is the Baseball Biography Project. One of the biographies they have completed is about Hall of Famer Richard Benjamin Ferrell who was born on October 12, 1905 and passed away on July 27, 1995. In 1947, after 18 major league seasons with the Browns, Senators, and Red Sox, Rick Ferrell retired as the longest playing catcher in the American League. His record 1,806 games would stand for more than 40 years, surpassed finally by another Hall of Famer, Carlton Fisk in August 1988. A stout defender and choosy batter, Ferrell was an eight-time All-Star who caught a rotation of four knuckleball pitchers for the 1945 Washington Senators team that lost the American League pennant in the final week of the season. Take a few minutes and enjoy a trip back in time and read about this baseball catching great by clicking here.

Did you know?

 

1985 All-Star game logo

July 16, 2010 – That the first All-Star game Home Run Derby was held at the HHH Metrodome in 1985? The rules were way different back then. When the derby first began in 1985 each player received two turns at bat with five outs per turn at bat. Any swing that was not a home run was an out. This format allowed for the possibility of ties. The derby started out as a contest between the two leagues, with each league having an equal number of players. At the first derby there were ten players (five per league). The NL was represented by Dave Parker of the Reds, Dale Murphy of the Braves, Steve Garvey of the Dodgers, Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs, and Jack Clark of the Cards. The NL had 16 home runs with Parker leading the pack with 6. The AL was represented by Jim Rice of the Red Sox, Eddie Murray of the Orioles, Carlton Fisk of the White Sox, Tom Brunansky of the Twins, and Cal Ripken Jr, of the Orioles. The AL had 17 home runs with Rice, Murray, Fisk, and Bruno each hitting 4 and Ripken added 1.