Hello SBG fans, and welcome. This entry is actually being posted quite early, well before my regular Sunday night feature. I'm just so darned excited about this post that I can hardly stand it.

SBG hopes that you enjoyed Lucy's contribution to the website this weekend. Lucy loves our cats and was quite excited to put them out there and was thrilled with the positive response. Look for more from "The Boys" next weekend.

But now, on to the main event. SBG will reiterate that one of the great things about writing this blog has been the interaction with other bloggers. SBG loves being a part of the local blogging community. A while back, SBG asked a favor of one of the bloggers who isn't not part of the Twins blogging community per se, but part of the larger Twins family. The Fort Myers Miracle Gal works on two blogs, one for the Miracle and one for the New Britain Rock Cats. She lives down in the Fort Myers area.

SBG asked her if she would go to spring training and file a report. Being a good sport, she not only filed a report, but sent pictures. SBG gives Dianna a huge SHOUT OUT and many thanks for her hard work. Please go and visit her sites often.

And now, for her report in words and pictures.

The weather held Saturday, providing for a full day of workouts with all the team members present. The players were split off by position: outfielders, infielders and pitchers to work on various drills for about two hours. The outfielders worked out in the main stadium bowl, the infielders on the short little infield behind the bullpen and the pitchers in the auxiliary field with Chris Hinze and Corky Miller doing the catching duties. Mauer, LeCroy and the other catchers took their drills with the infield group.

Afterwards, the players split up for batting practice, either on the field, or in the batting cages. A good crowd showed up and the atmosphere was pretty festive. It's a bit like a three-ring circus and you pretty much have to decide what you want to watch, since you can't see it all. There were some people sitting in the stands cheering and hooting for the Twins as well, although most of the crowd was milling around watching.

Sunday started out rainy and standing water on the fields pretty much limited the work outs to batting cages and catch in the field. However, they did do a bullpen workout with 12 pitchers going at it in three sessions of four each.

Kyle Lohse eyed the four waiting catchers before asking "Who wants this?" "I'll take you," Matthew LeCroy answered. LeCroy is a big guy. He's even more impressive when he's in full catching gear, including some very colorful pieces. "I can't believe no one wants a piece of this!" he roared, much to the amusement of the small crowd.

The second group out including J.D. Durbin, Joe Mayes and "El Presidente" Johan Santana (SBG: or in these circles, Aaron�s Guy). Mays pitched a full work out and did very well although his control is still a litte off. Of the three Durbin was the most impressive. Reported to have hit 100 MPH in the Arizona Fall League, a report that Terry Ryan found questionable, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he'd managed to "bust a buck" as he was throwing hard and fast. Santana seemed to be taking it easy, perhaps because of Justin �Li�l Harmon� Morneau who was standing in as a batter during Santana's session.

Morneau looked substantially more energetic on Sunday, first taking some cuts in the batting cages and then doing a stand in during the bullpen session. Saturday he looked really pretty drugged out. "It's about all I can do," he said of walking around the complex. "I'm just so tired." He did however spend quite a bit of time signing autographs on Saturday, much to the delight of fans.

The Twins resume workouts with the opening game of the Grapefruit League Season coming Thursday at the City of Palms Park against the defending Mayor's Cup Champion Boston Red Sox.

(The Mayor's Cup is awarded to whichever team � Boston or Minnesota � wins the most games between the intercity rivals.)

My thanks go out to Dianna for a fantastic report down at spring training in Fort Myers, FL. Seeing the pictures and hearing the accounts make me quite jealous. I hope you can get out to many more spring training games, and enjoy the boys of spring before they become the boys of summer up here in Minneapolis.

Go Twins!

UPDATE: SBG headed over to Seth's site and saw a great interview with Twins' prospect and Minnesota native Pat Neshek. Go on over and read it. Seth does great interviews and is, without a doubt, the hardest working blogger I have ever read. Tell him I said hi!