Stuff to Check Out

Hello all. I don't have anything extremely interesting or thought-provoking to write about today, so I will just direct you to some good Twins links that likely will do so themselves. If anything is on your mind, feel free to comment.

*The Pioneer Press reported yesterday that the Twins stadium bill appears to have enough votes to pass. I tend to try to avoid this issue completely, in part because it seems like every tidbit of news relating to it turns out to be misleading or pointless and in part because the thought of anything involving possible Twins contraction or relocation scares me. This article puts a pretty positive spin on the situation, but we'll have to wait and see how it turns out as Tim Pawlenty has been tip-toeing around the issue for political reasons. All I know is, I really hope that the bill can get approved because, as Senator Dean Johnson states in the article, "I sincerely believe that after a 2006 that saw no action, that Major League Baseball will do something with the Twins — like let them be bought and moved to a new home."

*Dave Campbell wrote a nice article about Michael Cuddyer, who is aiming for the starting spot in right field this season. Campbell doesn't really make any assertations one way or another about Cuddyer's chances, but he notes that Cruddy has maintained his usual positive attitude. I liked the article, if only for the fact that Campbell doesn't seem to go out of his way to heap praise on Cuddyer, like much of the media tends to do.

*Justin Morneau was taking some early batting practice hacks to get his swing in tune for the upcoming season, notes La Velle E. Neal in his article in the Strib today. A rebound year for Justin is one of the biggest keys in the Twins' mission to significantly improve their offense from last season.

In the article, Gardenhire is quoted as referring to Morneau as "Mourny." Sigh.

*In the second entry of his new blog on ESPN.com, Jayson Stark linked to fellow Twins blogger Aaron Gleeman and responded directly to something that Aaron had mentioned in his entry from last Friday. This was very nice to see.

With John Bonnes, the Twins Geek, no longer around, I think that Gleeman is generally considered to be the representative Twins blogger. He has a huge readership and writes for several national publications. Anytime he is getting mention on a website like ESPN.com, it reflects well on the Twins blogosphere as a whole.

*I took part in a long comment war on Stick and Ball Guy's site yesterday regarding the Twins' offseason and how well Terry Ryan did. SBG and frightwig (author of the blog Sundappled Wood), among others, were critical of Ryan's offseason moves and feel that the offense will not see enough improvement in order for the Twins to be able to compete in the Central division this year. I maintain that Ryan did about as good a job as he possibly could have, considering his budget limitations. It is also possible that Ryan isn't done yet, as I mentioned a couple days ago.