What might have been? It has often been asked of Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle, who belted a not-too-shabby 536 home runs during his career with the New York Yankees. But it was also a career that saw him miss significant playing time because of injuries and an unwillingness to take care of himself,... Continue Reading »

I’m working my way through Jane Leavy’s memoir/biography of slugger Mickey Mantle, tilted “The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the end of America’s childhood.” I enjoyed her book on pitcher Sandy Koufax, so I thought I would give this a try, although Koufax as a person is much more to my liking than Mantle ever... Continue Reading »

Among the many Twins promotions and events this season, there is one that stands out: On Aug. 16, the team will recognize the 60th anniversary of the 1965 AL Pennant-winning Twins. I’m not sure who will be on hand for that celebration — Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva come to mind — but how about... Continue Reading »

Camilo Pascual, who pitched for 18 big league seasons, most of them with the Washington Senators and Twins, and who still holds a significant major league record, turned 91 last week on Jan. 20. Congratulations to him and happy birthday. Pascual recorded 174 wins and racked up more than 2,100 strikeouts, including four straight seasons... Continue Reading »

The Twins have produced their share of players who have won the Rookie of the Year award. There’s Tony Oliva, of course, and his incredible 1964 debut. It was so amazing (look it up, newbies) that he also finished fourth in the AL MVP vote that season. He was followed by Rod Carew (no surprise)... Continue Reading »

The Washington Senators had many a lean year before they moved to Minnesota and 1958 was no exception as the team lost 93 games, including 13 straight to end the season. As if the losing needed to get any worse, the Sens also were blanked four times from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22. All four... Continue Reading »

The Twins outscored the Kansas City Royals 21-6 over the first two games of their three-game series, but on Wednesday the lumber took the day off as the club scored only one run on seven hits, including just two extra-base hits. That made a tough-luck loser out of Twins starter Louie Varland, who, despite making... Continue Reading »

The Twins rallied to tie the game 4-4 on Tuesday, then watched as the bullpen coughed up an additional run late to lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 in Game 1 of a three-game set in the desert. Starter Joe Ryan got into trouble early and the Twins found themselves down 4-0. But Byron Buxton... Continue Reading »

It’s a good thing the Twins earned a series win over the Houston Astros on Sunday because there’s a better than average chance they are going to get swept in the Bronx when they start a three-game set Tuesday versus Gotham, also known as the New York Yankees. The Twins were swept at home by... Continue Reading »