With Baker getting pushed back and Santana starting on Friday, I'm left a dilemma.  Do I run 360 degrees with only four pitchers, or do I include two Santana starts in one 360 Degrees report?  Oh, the difficulty of it all!  Well, I've decided to wait and include two Santana starts and keep 360 Degrees [...]

From ESPN.COM:
Kyle Lohse's place in the Minnesota Twins' rotation may be at stake Wednesday, when he starts the rubber game of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers at Ameriquest Field.
Will the Twins actually make a move in the rotation if Lohse fails?  Could happen.  Here are today's lineups.  Castillo may have gotten a little [...]

Of course, the Twins won handily last night, but the big thing at my house was that Lucy got her hair cut and colored last night.  I suppose it's good thing, but you know what?  I'm pretty happy being a man.  I don't need the aggravation that women put up with when it comes to [...]

I'm here watching the game and online.  It's the top of the first and the Twins have two runs already -- and Hunter is red hot with an RBI single.  And believe it or not, Cuddyer(!!!!!!!!!!!) doubled in a run, too!  This is an open chat.
And Morneau homers and it is 5-0!
What about this lineup?  [...]

Elias provides this little tidbit for Twins' fans ongoing angst.
Rangers rookie John Koronka pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowed three runs and earned the win in Texas' 6-4 victory against Minnesota. Over the past two seasons, rookie starting pitchers are 10-4 with a 3.11 ERA against the Twins. That's the highest winning percentage and lowest ERA [...]

Welcome to the fourth edition of EIGHT PACK, SBG's regular feature that analyzes the hitters in 5% chunks of the season. The Twins have now played almost exactly 20% of the season. As you know, the last "EIGHT PACK" was pathetic. The Twins hit .215/.276/.287/.563 and scored 16 runs. The good [...]

Watching the Twins game today, you had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, Johan Santana was going to get the no-hitter.  He was absolutely overpowering the Tigers today -- not just retiring batters but striking them out.  And not just striking them out, but overmatching them.  The one ball that was hit hard in the [...]

Just write Cuddyer's name in the lineup.  Watch the offense improve.  Listen to the announcers tout him.  Wonder why we ever signed Tony Batista.  Wonder if L-Rod shouldn't be written in every day at third.

I absolutely don't get this.  From ESPN:
Kobe Bryant scored 24 points of 8-of-16 shooting, but the rest of the Lakers starters were 17-for-50. Bryant scored only one point and took just three shots in the second half.
Three shots in the second half of a seventh game.  I didn't see the fourth quarter, but I did see [...]

That's a heckuva good win right there.  Two in the ninth to finally beat the Tigers.

Welcome the the sixth edition of 360 Degrees.
This trip around the rotation started rather promisingly, with three starts in a row in which the starter went seven innings and gave up one run.  Of course, those starts were against Kansas City and Seattle.  The question, of course, was how the starting rotation would do when [...]

Here's what separates Reusse from Top Jimmy.  While TJ writes about wanting to love athletes and almost gets teary-eyed about the prospect of Hunter leaving this team, Reusse properly recognizes and writes that the Twins need to clean house -- and that means Hunter has to go.  It's not about love and emotion, it's about [...]

"I don't think anyone is disappointed that Juan Castro is hitting .230."
It's not just that he's hitting .230.  It's that he's hitting .230/.269/.284/.553.  Or he was until he struck out.  It's now .227/.266/.280/.546. 
One encouraging sign is that I've heard more and more favorable stuff about Michael Cuddyer.  I think we could be seeing the shackles [...]

When the topic of ScruFi comes up, those who would defend him point to the three consecutive AL Central Championships as evidence that ScruFi is a good manager.  Okay, fine.  The Twins won three consecutive division championships from 2002-04.  So therefore, he must be a good manager, right?  Count the rings, right?
I personally get driven [...]

Although it wasn't as embarrassing as last weekend, a 9-6 loss is more of the same.  The story coming from the Twins camp is that the Tigers are hot and true enough, they are.
Kyle Lohse got beat like a rented mule, but there were some positives.  Torii Hunter seems to be on his annual hot [...]

A dispute is brewing over Kirby Puckett's ashes.
Here's an idea.  Bury them.  Or spead them out somewhere during a private gathering of those closest to him.  But, for God's sake, don't fight over them.

I had written a post on this game last night and the cyberspace monster opened wide and chewed it up.  I'm not going to rewrite it, but here are some quick thoughts:

2-2 against about the worst two teams in the league at home isn't a whole lot to cheer about.
The pitching appears better with three [...]

I was listening to Mike & Mike this morning and they were talking with Marc Stein about last night's game between the Lakers and the Suns in LA, won by the Suns, despite Kobe Bryant's 50 points.  Stein said that Kobe shot out of necessity -- the other players weren't doing much (especially Smush Parker).  [...]

This guy talked the fool, telling the world his kid would do this and that.  He's the kind of guy who you would normally dismiss as a lunatic.  Except that everything he said came true.
Tiger Woods is easily the most intriguing athlete in the world for me.  You wonder where the drive comes from, where [...]

That looked a lot like the Brad Radke we've seen a lot of before.  Yes, it was the Royals, but I'll take it.
The fact is, I'd really rather write sunny stories about the Twins.  But, I won't do it unless they actually play well with respect to expectations.  The last two nights we saw what [...]

Back in 1985, I was a scrawny college kid (no, really) and I got a summer job working in the engineering department at Bobcat. It was quite a learning experience and I enjoyed the place so much that I worked there the rest of my college summers and after I graduated until 2001, when [...]

Regarding the Fran Foley situation over at Winter Park:
Those few of us in the local sporting press who don't start the day with a large glass of purple Kool-Aid have been trying to tell Vikings fans that nothing about Foley smelled right.
A large glass of PURPLE Kool-Aid!  To whom is Top Jimmy referring, exactly?  Grandpa [...]

Ol' Pat lays some smack on the soon to be departed center fielder.
David Ortiz has earned his right to take shots at the go-with-the-pitch approach to hitting that former Twins manager Tom Kelly pushed with his players. Torii Hunter endorsed Ortiz's shots at Kelly in a Star Tribune story last month.
The fact is, the worst [...]

I've spouted off about the Twins play in April.  A much cooler head than me has posted his monthly grades.  Go over and say hi to Seth Stohs and read his write up.  It's pretty "F"-ing good.

It's Brad Radke v. Joe Mays in a classic pitcher's duel tonight at the dome.  Will either team score?  Or will they play about 35 innings before just giving up and calling it a tie?

That was a starting pitcher for the Twins who actually went out there and shut the other team down.
That was a bona fide rally. That was a hit for Rondell White (although he struck out in one of the most pathetic at bats you are going to see).
That was a Joe Nathan sighting.
That was [...]

The Mariners are favored over the Twins tonight, who are sending Johan Santana to the mound.  I don't bet on games, but I'm almost tempted to put some money on that action.

I found think link in the comments section of Aaron's blog.  It is an e-mail sent to Top Jimmy and his purported response.
Unlike most, I actually think Souhan is a very good writer and I enjoy his columns.  He actually replies to emails so I thought i'd give it a shot, and he responded only [...]

It's one thing to get clobbered by Detroit. They have a flat out good team.  But, tonight, the Twins took it on the chin at home.  The blow was delivered by the Seattle Mariners, who improved to 12-15 on the season.  The Twins hit the ball a lot harder tonight, but nevertheless, Joel Pineiro gets [...]

It's the top of the sixth and I can write the fifth edition of 360 Degrees.  One would expect nothing less, as only one starter completed six innings this time around. Let's get this over with.
IP:  24 -- Only 4.8 Innings per start
R:   29
ER: 29
H:   44
K:   18
BB: 4
HP:  3
HR: 9
ERA: 10.87
WHIP: 2.00
FIP: 6.49
QS: 1
Things started promisingly [...]

Keith Richards is still hospitalized in New Zeeland after falling out of a palm tree.
What the hell was he doing in a palm tree?  I don't get it!
He also reportedly crashed a jet ski after falling out of the tree.  Keef, you are 62 years old!  Take it easy, buddy!

Top Jimmy weighs in after the fact and pronounces the Twins an embarrassment.  He writes some truisms and invokes Andy McPhail by saying that a team like the Twins (small market) should either be rebuilding or contending, but never in the middle.  And he almost heartbreakingly concedes that Torii Hunter is no leader. 
Hunter is lost [...]