Name: Aaron Gleeman
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Town I Currently Live In: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Profession: Hand model
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Positions: Second Base
Greatest Career Achievement in Baseball/Softball/T-ball: I once got beaned in the forehead by a pitch, dropped into an unconscious heap at home plate, woke up to a couple dozen people standing around me, took a concussion test administered by a parent who claimed to be a doctor, and took my base.
Hobbies: Writing, baseball, poker, movies, television, music, Diamond-Mind
What are you known for around the WGOM? Doom and gloom, doom and gloom, doom and gloom, and Jessica Biel.
If you could have a nice, polite dinner with any 3 people - dead or alive - who and why? Howard Stern, Adam Carolla, and Bill Simmons. Among people I've never met, those are my three favorite.
If you could pick any 3 people - again, dead or alive - to go out and party, who and why? Jessica Alba, Elisha Cuthbert, and Jenna Fischer. Let's settle this thing once and for all.
Sports Allegiances: Twins, Timberwolves, Vikings, Gophers basketball, Gophers football
Favorite Books: Ball Four, followed in some order by The Professor, The Banker, and The Suicide King, Moneyball, Positively Fifth Street, Killing Yourself to Live , The Blind Side, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, and The Hardball Times Baseball Annual
Favorite Baseball Movies: Major League, Bull Durham, The Sandlot
Favorite Non-baseball Movies: Seven, The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Memento, Boogie Nights, Blue Chips, Hoop Dreams, Dog Day Afternoon, Fight Club, Caddyshack, Pulp Fiction
Favorite Music: Al Green, Susan Tedeschi, Van Morrison, AC/DC, Bill Withers, John Legend, Jonny Lang, John Mayer, Tupac, Amos Lee, Mike Doughty, James Morrison, Bob Seger, Paolo Nutini, Ben Harper, James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Allman Brothers, Anthony Hamilton, Counting Crows, David Gray, DMX, Lauryn Hill, Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins
Favorite Food & Drink: Chinese food, vodka
Favorite TV Shows: Anything involving poker, The Sopranos, The Office, Big Love, Rescue Me, Flight of the Conchords, 30 Rock, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, Scrubs, NYPD Blue, The Wire, Lucky Louie, CSI, The Daily Show
Favorite Twins Player, historically: Matthew LeCroy
Favorite Twins Player, currently: Johan Santana
Best Twins Memory: "And we'll see you ... TOMORROW NIGHT!"
Favorite Sport to Play: Basketball (or poker, if you're willing to believe that's a sport)
Favorite Sport to Watch: Baseball (with MMA a distant second)
If I could live anywhere in the world, I'd live in: Arizona in the winter, Minnesota in the summer
If I was commissioner for a day, I'd: Hire a hair stylist
If I had Terry Ryan's job for a day, I'd: Find some fucking hitters
Favorite Ballpark: Safeco Field
Favorite blogs: What's a blog?
With so many projects, how do you manage your time? Horribly. I wake up at 7:00 a.m. and often go to sleep after 2 a.m., which makes for a lot of "wow, I really need to take a nap before I pass out" at noon on random days. And on the rare nights when I actually have something to do, like a party or a concert or something, I'm ruined for a week.
What are some of the best and worst things about your work? The best thing is being paid to do what I love, which is write for an audience, and the next-best thing is being paid to do what I love about sports. Working from home is about 99 percent positive, although occasionally it'd be nice if I were forced to actually shave or get dressed or interact with other human beings. In terms of negatives, there really aren't many. As I tell people all the time, "It beats the hell out of a real job."
What would you do if you were trapped in an elevator with Joe Morgan? Three words: Truth or Dare.
What's your opinion on "The Gilmore Girls"? I'm vaguely aware that such a show exists, or has existed in the past, but I've yet to see a single second of it.
And now, it's time to update the map...
It's nice to finally know the real you, Gleeman!
Gleeman?! I was hoping for someone big here at WGOM, like Homke Rifding.
'bout time we got you profiled here, AG. Settle a few rumors, eh? Did you really grow up with the lights of the old Met visible from your bedroom window? Only strike out once in HS? Shot a man, just to watch him die?
(btw, nice blog) (seriously)
I heard he once punched a hole in a cow just to see what was coming up the road.
Aaron Gleeman: the next Chuck Norris?
Watch out for the iron, Aaron. Could be disastrous to your budding modeling career.
Now, The Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham would be a Gleeman Girl this older reader could get behind. (cough.)
Three queries and a tip: What kind of vodka? What sort of drink? What's your favorite Chinese Restaurant? If you haven't eaten there, get over to Rainbow Chinese at 27th and Nicollet. Just up the block you'll find the best soups in town at Quang Deli. Grab a couple bánh mì sandwiches on your way out. Mmmm.
Very much enjoy your writing, sir.
Little Szechuan on University and Western in Saint Paul is spectacular. Quang's is Vietnamese, right?
The awning says Vietnamese and Chinese, but I believe the proprietors are Vietnamese. Heard that about Little Szechuan from others (City Pages Dara M included). Looks like I should cart my gullet over to St. Paul.
Used to be a nice pair of Viet. joints on University in St. Paul (Kim Long, Mai Village) w/ great spring rolls, Bun Bo . Not sure if still there, tho.
Gleeman strikes me as a Tea House type of guy.
Funny stuff, Algonad.
Although a quickie Wiki sweep procured these nuggets:
In China, a teahouse (茶馆, "cháguăn" or 茶屋, "cháwū") is traditionally quite similar to the American "cafe", albeit centered around tea rather than coffee. People gather at tea houses to socialize, drink tea, and often gamble. Today, young people often meet at tea houses for dates.
Gambling? Dates? Maybe it's not so funny after all. ;)
I was actually serious. The Tea House is in St. Louis Park.
What kind of vodka?
Sheesh. colorless, odorless, tasteless. Does it really matter??? It's just frippin' everclear!
:-)
Did you really grow up with the lights of the old Met visible from your bedroom window?
As I tell girls all the time, the world is visible from my bedroom window.
Only strike out once in HS?
Unlike that bum Mauer, I struck out zero times in high school.
Now, The Gilmore Girls‘ Lauren Graham would be a Gleeman Girl this older reader could get behind.
Thanks, I'll look into this matter.
What kind of vodka?
I like Kettle One and Grey Goose, but actually naming my favorite brands suggests that I'm picky enough to really care much. It all leads to drunk in the end.
What sort of drink?
Very boring stuff. I used to drink strictly vodka-and-sevens, but now I've moved on to screwdrivers.
What’s your favorite Chinese Restaurant?
Without question, Yangtze (http://www.yangtze.us/). If you call up and order "hunan chicken, with just carrots and baby corn," they will assume it's me and give you small talk.
Grey Goose guy myself. I suggest trying a Grey Goose Tonic with a slice and squirt of lime or lemon. Wonderful stuff. (Sapphire Tonics [gin] are also excellent.)
As I tell girls all the time, the world is visible from my bedroom window.
Damn, and all I can see is a parking lot.
I guess this is where a smartass would wonder just how much time SBG has spent in Gleeman's bedroom.
Ouch. Lucy will NOT like that.
+10.
Aren't you a little young to be a snowbird?
And also, Scarlett Johansson. Your thoughts.
Matt LeCroy?!
I would have thought it was Bobby Kielty.
How often do you go out to Canterbury to play cards, if at all?
Matt LeCroy had a certain non-sexual appeal.
I'm heading to Canterbury on Thursday for my first-ever visit. My brother has been going all summer and has talked me into it.
Canterbury can be a very harsh mistress. Are you going there to play poker or blackjack?
I will be gambling on the horses. I swore off playing poker in a casino after losing 3 different Full Houses in ONE HOUR in Atlantic City about 2 years ago.
Ah yes, the sport of kings. I almost forgot they have that there, as I have only ever gone for the cards. The cards are terrible by the way. I hate everyone that plays there, and yet I find myself returning again and again. The ponies should be fun though.
Aaron, did you get an invitation to meet with people from Ballhype in town recently? I saw that they had some sort of get together to discuss sports blogging in MPLS. I was wondering if they'd contacted you.
Aaron, did you get an invitation to meet with people from Ballhype in town recently? I saw that they had some sort of get together to discuss sports blogging in MPLS. I was wondering if they’d contacted you.
Yeah, they contacted me. But it was at the last minute (they sent me a note at like 2 a.m. the morning of the event) and I was across town doing a radio show like an hour before the get-together was scheduled. Incidentally, did anyone hear me on KFAN Sunday night? I thought it went reasonably well, all things considered, but I'd be curious to here some reviews. I've been told that audio of the show should be available later this week.
I heard the first half hour and I thought that you were pretty good. I couldn't take in the second half. Doogie gave you some crap and you handled it pretty well.
I heard the first half hour and I thought that you were pretty good. I couldn’t take in the second half. Doogie gave you some crap and you handled it pretty well.
Someone just informed me that the portion of the show where we talked to LEN3 is now available online:
http://www.kfan.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=KFAN_Hartman.xml
It's mostly just me and Doogie asking him questions, but I think I got in a subtle jab at Souhan and also asked LEN3 about the blogging experience.
Nice L**3 gaff.
"Lavelle?? You there??"
*L3 looking behind milk carton for leftover pizza, not there!*
AG covers nicely.
Gleeman strikes me as a Tea House type of guy.
I have no idea what this means, but I'm willing to assume those are fighting words.
Aren’t you a little young to be a snowbird?
I became a huge fan of Arizona while going there 6-7 times for spring training and the Arizona Fall League during my teens. I haven't been there in the Summer though, which probably explains why I liked it so much.
And also, Scarlett Johansson. Your thoughts.
I'm a fan, certainly, but for some reason she doesn't do it for me as much as various other girls. Her look strikes me as inconsistent from picture-to-picture and movie-to-movie.
I would have thought it was Bobby Kielty.
I liked Kielty an awful lot, but someone who made me look so silly can't possibly be my all-time favorite player! By the way, if anyone's curious, my all-time favorite player, Twins or otherwise, is Ted Williams (followed by Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson, so make of that what you will).
How often do you go out to Canterbury to play cards, if at all?
I haven't been there for months and months. I went a half-dozen times or so a while back, but eventually found it to be sort of boring and a bad atmosphere, with annoying people and a crappy selection of games. They don't offer no-limit cash games (which is what I play) and their no-limit tournaments have horrible structures designed to end things way too quickly and give way too much of the prize pool to the card room.
Plus, it's just so much easier to play online. I'm still planning to host some sort of "card night" at my house, but given my laziness about setting stuff like that up the Twins' new ballpark may open first.
By the way, if anyone’s curious, my all-time favorite player, Twins or otherwise, is Ted Williams (followed by Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson, so make of that what you will).
Gleeman likes 'em surly.
Or in left field.
yet Rondelle didn't make the list. Weird.
Not surly enough.
He's got the arm, though.
Teahouse Restaurant review
http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/5615801
At least I have one thing in common with Mr. Gleeman---I also was once beaned in the forehead with a pitch. I also once got hit in the head with a pitch while sitting on the bench, which isn't easy to do.
AG, why do I have this feeling that "Gloom and doom, gloom and doom, gloom and doom, and Jessica Biel" may be what gets inscribed on your tombstone?
That might show up on someone else's tombstone, actually, if you get my drift.
I took it off the left cheekbone once, but didn't stay in the game.
Aaron, I see you listed "Lucky Louie" as one of your favorite TV shows. I've never had a chance to watch it myself, but Louis CK is my favorite stand-up comedian. I had a chance to go see him live at the Acme Comedy Club back in the spring. It was pure gold. Did you manage to catch one of his shows?