AL Central

Justin Morneau to return to Twins lineup on Friday

​One of the Twins' biggest bats is about to return to their beleaguered lineup. Justin Morneau is set to join the team tomorrow in their opening game against the Cleveland Indians. According to the Star-Tribune's La Velle E. Neal III, Morneau's taking some cuts today at AAA Rochester before hopp ... More >>

Twins celebrate '91 championship by throwing season away

​ There was a lot of fun at Target Field this weekend, from bizarre bobbleheads to championship reunions to kids running the bases on perhaps the nicest day of the summer. Too bad the game on the field was so damn bad. The Twins were swept by the formerly reeling Chicago White Sox, dropping the h ... More >>

Twins celebrate '91 World Series with cheatin' bobblehead

Deadspin​The Minnesota Twins are partying like it's 1991 this weekend, celebrating that year's World Series champions in grand style. Hopefully, it will make fans forget that the current team will probably lose the game that follows. Without question, the acme of this weekend's fun is the Kent Hr ... More >>

Twins bats get hot against powerful Angels

​Last night, the Twins unleashed a rare offensive lightshow, as Delmon Young and Michael Cuddyer smacked two homers apiece, in an 11-4 victory over the surging Los Angeles, California, Angels of Anaheim. Cuddyer's second dinger was a grand slam, giving the lone hero of 2011 five RBIs for the night ... More >>

Twins avoid trading; hope AL Central concedes

​ As the trade deadline came and went, the Twins chose to do... nothing. This lack of news has everyone talking, almost literally--nearly every blog, every paid scribe, ESPN, etc. have weighed in on the Twins failing to move. Or successfully avoiding a trade, if that's how you choose to spin the ... More >>

Cuddyer takes the mound in Twins' lopsided loss

The Twins' new ace?​ As the Twins slip farther and farther down the AL Central ladder, Michael Cuddyer's name keeps popping up in trade talks. There's a few contenders out there that could use the guy's bat, his glove, and his clubhouse leadership. But who woulda thought that Cuddyer might just ... More >>

Twins drop three of four to Tigers

​Last Friday I wondered if the Minnesota Twins could possibly beat the Detroit Tigers over their remaining three games. They proved that yes, when facing the Tigers' mediocre Brad Penny, that they could, in fact, piece together enough runs to win Saturday's game. Unfortunately, that means that t ... More >>

Twins hoping to beat Tigers for first time in 2011

​Yes, the Twins have lost ten in a row to the first-place Detroit Tigers, dating back to last season. Numero ten came last night against perhaps the AL's best pitcher, Justin Verlander, who struck out nine Twins with his freaking 97-100 mph fastballs. Among other pitches. The Twins have to play t ... More >>

Twins now powering through weak AL Central

​ Five games under, five games back. On June 1, when they were 20 games under and 16.5 behind of the Cleveland Indians, would you have thought it possible the Twins could close the gap this much? I certainly didn't, though I was having a blast trying to figure out a way to conveniently pigeonhole ... More >>

Minnesota gayer than ever

The person wearing this shirt is now 50 percent more gay.​Minneapolist-St. Paul might rate as the gayest metro area in the country in acceptance and lifestyle, but that doesn't mean much if there aren't actually gay couples enjoying the gay-friendliness. Turns out, there are. Minnesota's number of ... More >>

Twins are second worst team for your buck in MLB

You'd be happy too if you got paid $23 million.​The Minnesota Twins are the second worst team in Major League Baseball on value-per-dollar, according to a new Forbes Magazine study. The rankings, which compare payroll and success, put the Twins 29th out of 30 teams, ahead of only the Chicago Cubs. ... More >>

Minnesota Twins organist Sue Nelson a game-day mainstay

Carrying the team through good times and bad

Gay Minnesota teens report rampant school harassment

​Given the the vehemence with which anti-gay activists oppose anti-bullying measures in our schools, the results of a new survey hardly sound surprising: Straight Minnesota teenagers think it's fine to bully their LGBT classmates. What's worse, some teachers are leading the way with homophobi ... More >>

Twins offer lesbian kissers more apologies, free tickets after guard harassment

The Twins say they're re-evaluating policies to make sure this was an isolated incident.​Taylor Campione and Kelsi Culpepper -- the two lesbian women who were scolded by a Target Field security guard for kissing -- met with Twins administrators last week to talk about preventing future harassm ... More >>

Twins unravel, bicker, then stumble into basement

Imgur via RedditAt least someone appreciates Joe.​After going 15-3 in June, easily the best record in the majors' in that time, our gimpy Twins have fallen back to earth in a big way, dropping the last five games, including a three game sweep at the hands of the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers. The ... More >>

Twins eight-run first dooms Giants

​Single. Double. Single. Double. Single. Double. Single. Double. Strikeout. Double. That's the Twins first inning recipe for eight straight runs with only one out--and that "K" was the result of Carl Pavano trying desperately to join the chorus with three straight hacks. This off the normally ... More >>

Twins sweep Padres, are literally best team in the Majors ...

​ ...at least for the month of June. With the sweep of the lowly San Diego Padres this weekend, the Twins have gone 14-3 for June, the best record in both leagues during that time. On May 31, we were 17-36 and a seemingly insurmountable 15.5 games behind. Today? Still 8 games under .500, but ... More >>

Twins 'midgets' squeak out a victory

WikiOzzie's pissed that the Twins 'midgets' beat his Sox again.​It was a busy day in Twins Territory: our boys edged the White Sox in a 1-0 victory yesterday afternoon, their fourth in a row over the Chicago nine, and seven straight dating back to last season. The Japanese press was in full ... More >>

Twins take Rangers, beginning to play like it's 2006

​ After yesterday's commanding 6-1 victory over the Texas Rangers, our beleaguered Minnesota Twins have won three straight series, and are 9-3 thus far in June. This after taking only three series in the first two full months, and two of them were against a pair of the weakest-hitting clubs i ... More >>

Twins sign Tar Heels shortstop in 2011 First-Year Player draft

​As if expecting their middle-infield problems to continue into the distant future, the Minnesota Twins signed University of North Carolina Tar Heels shortstop Levi Michael as the 30th overall selection in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The man from ... More >>

Twins take my advice, start playing like '62 Mets

metstradamusAre the '11 Twins really the '62 Mets?​As if someone from the Twins' PR department read yesterday's blog and saw the proverbial lightbulb shining overhead, our basement-dwelling team took a page from those beloved Mets of old and threw away a winnable game against the Detroit Tiger ... More >>

Justin Morneau blasts two home runs, plays through pain...

The first of Morneau's two homers.​But the Twins still suck. Despite scoring seven runs last night, despite--again!--leading in the 7th inning (the tenth time they've blown that kind of lead), despite Justin Morneau's cracking two powerful home runs, including a two-run dinger, the Twins fell ... More >>

Gardenhire blows cool over Avila's controversial double. (Yes, the Twins lost again)

Gardy pops.​We wuz robbed. And with the utterly awful Twins scrounging for every run they can this season, is it any wonder Ron Gardenhire went crazy on the umps for allowing the Tigers' a double off Alex Avila's bat in the eighth? Avila knocked the ball off the ground-level stands on the lef ... More >>

Kevin Slowey becomes convenient scapegoat for the Twins

MLBTo read the Strib, this man's to blame for the Twins woes.​ After 48 games resulting in a 16-32 record, with the worst run differential in the majors, and sitting at the bottom or near the bottom of both leagues in nearly every measurable offensive and defensive statistic, our Minnesota Twi ... More >>

The Baseball Project

Twins swept this weekend as world comes to an end

MLBLiriano's got the best bat on the team.​ Despite what the mainstream media will tell you, the Twins actually achieved a sort-of baseball rapture this weekend, dropping three in a row to a truly resurgent Arizona Diamondbacks club, and perhaps watching the world come to an end as they fell f ... More >>

Twins bats come alive against the A's

Justin Morneau invokes the Killer with this towering home run.​As if to invoke the offensive fireworks of dearly departed Harmon Killebrew, the Twins scored in double digits for only the second time this season, unleashing an 11-1 onslaught against the nearly woeful A's. It was a great aftern ... More >>

Target Field named Best Sports Facility, but the Twins still suck

druminhands/flickr​If you're going to have the worst record in the American League wrapped around your neck, you may as well take the edge off by having playing in America's Best Sports Facility. And as humbled as the Twins must surely be by having their home base named with such an honor, t ... More >>

RIP Harmon Killebrew: Esophageal cancer claims Twins legend

Harmon Killebrew, the way we'll remember him.​Harmon Killebrew, the former Twins great who announced just last week that he had entered hospice care in Arizona after a months-long battle with esophageal cancer, died today. He was 74 years old. "I have exhausted all options with respect to contro ... More >>

Twins trying to make 2011 twice as interesting as 2010

Keith AllisonNick Blackburn was one of the few bright spots this weekend.​ Let me sum up the Twins' futility this way: After Toronto's Jose Bautista launched his fifth home run this series on Sunday (and third that game), he came within two of matching the Twins entire team output. The Twins ... More >>

Target Field's free parking is no more

The enemy on the prowl.​Sorry to all the Twins fans who have enjoyed free parking since Target Field opened, but your luck has just run out. That's right: Those insufferable money grubbers down at City Hall have finally caught on to the parking on 4th Street North, adjacent from the stadium.

Twins trading their best players?

WikipediaIf you dig long odds, bet it all on the Twins to hit the playoffs.​Feeling lucky? When you're gambling, do you dig long odds? Well, then the Minnesota Twins are the team for you. According to the geniuses at the online Baseball Prospectus (and I'm not being snarky--those guys are sh ... More >>

Minnesota Twins music director Dan Edwards works some Auto-Tuned Minnesotans into the mix

Photo by Andrea Swensson​With the criticism of the new Minnesota Twins music director Dan Edwards reaching a deafening roar on social media networks, it sounds like Edwards finally took note of some of the feedback that's been flung his way.Last night, as hail pelted down on the attendees at Targe ... More >>

Massive opposition to taxpayer-funded Vikings stadium

Minnesotans don't want to pay for a new Vikings stadium.​If this morning's Minnesota Poll is accurate, roughly 70 percent of Minnesotans are opposed to their tax dollars being used to help Zygi Wilf pay for a new Vikings stadium. Would the result have been different if Brad Childress and Bret ... More >>

Liriano is supposedly confident after his no-hitter, but the Twins still suck

Since the no-no, the Twins haven't exactly lit up the scoreboards.​So much for that. Francisco Liriano's no hitter last Tuesday was, in the minds of many, the champagne bottle smashing against the hull of the good ship Turnaround. Despite the fact that our boys squeaked out that victory, 1-0, ... More >>

Minnesota Twins phase out local music programming, amp up Top 40 hits

Photo by Andrea Swensson​With the first month of the Twins season completed, Minnesota baseball fans may have noticed something a little different about this year's home games: The music. That's because longtime music director Kevin Dutcher, who was with the team from 2000 up until last year's ina ... More >>

First look: Glory Days Bar and Grill

Glory Days Bar and GrillIn 2011, it's difficult to understand where the concept of the sports bar originated. With multiple and massive flat-panel HDTVs in just about every bar or restaurant in town--regardless of theme or philosophy--it's not easy to remember a time when the sports bar could ... More >>

Twins' Earth Day ball cap is a Green Monster

TwitPic​The Minnesota Twins are avowed tree huggers, unless you're talking about the trees in their own stadium. They didn't want to see those trees, so they dug 'em up and shipped 'em off to greener pastures. Now, this being Earth Day, the local nine are doubling down on their enviro street ... More >>

Ron Gardenhire, a curse, and the fate of the Twins

Things are far from OK for the reigning manager of the year.​Ron Gardenhire is facing, or should be facing, some serious heat with his Twins in the AL Central basement. After all, the local nine were picked to walk away with the division, or at the very least get into some serious fisticuffs w ... More >>

Bob Stalberger scalps Twins tickets to finance wedding

City PagesThe Twins need to win so a Wayzata couple can afford to tie the knot.​It's a simple law of baseball economics: No matter how new the stadium, the prices of a ticket on the black market--legal or otherwise--increases or decreases with the team's fortunes. When the Twins are doing we ... More >>

Top food and drink deals for Twins fans

Save $$ on food/beverage before or after the game. ​Have you seen what Twins tickets are going for on StubHub these days? Thirty-some bucks to watch them play the Brewers...and that's standing room only. After a rough loss to the Royal's last night, the Twins are hitting the road. But here a ... More >>

Twins, at home opener, to unleash gladiator tunes on unsuspecting opponents

​For the home opener, I could drone on about the new scoreboard, the new salty snacks, the lack of trees, or my take on whether or not the Twins have figured out their Target Field home run problems. Instead, I'm going to focus on the thing that bothered me most of last season: What is that ... More >>

Peter Schilling returns to cover the Twins in 2011

Photo: Bree McGeeThere's a million stories in the naked stadium.​Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Peter Schilling, a local sportswriter, and author of the novel, The End of Baseball. You may recall my writing about the Twins for the "Balls" blog in 2007, arguably the worst season of the last ... More >>

Harmon Killebrew battling cancer

WikiHarmon Killebrew has been diagnosed with cancer.​Sad news today for Twins fans, and baseball fans in general: Harmon Killebrew is battling esophageal cancer. In a statement, he called his condition serious, while remaining optimistic about his chances for recovery in the hands of Mayo Cl ... More >>

Minnesota YouTube vids: Best of 2010

Too much coffee, man.​What a year. Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey wanted to be our governor. We got a brand spankin' new Twins ballpark. Michele Bachmann took the tingle out of Chris Matthews. And the Metrodome roof collapsed in the Blizzard of 2010. All of that and more was caught on vide ... More >>

Minnesota Athletes of the Year

How does your list compare?

Ron Gardenhire Day helps us forget about Brad Childress

Brad who?​Gov. Tim Pawlenty, lately given to smacking fly balls into right field, has finally done something we can all agree with. He named today Ron Gardenhire Day in honor of the Twins' AL Manager of the Year.

Cliff Lee may have set Twins free from Yankee shackles

Were the Twins just an arm away from beating the Yanks?

Yankees happily face, erase Twins in ALDS

Conspiracy theory and lament herein. Join the frustration.

Pettitte masterful as Yanks take Game 2 from Twins

The Twins now try to become the fifth LDS team to come back from 0-2.