Hall of Fame pitcher and knuckleballer, Phil Niekro, is no longer with us, joining a long and sad list of Hall of Fame baseball players who died in 2020. I guess you could say his death, to quote a Bloomberg news headline, “capped a hellish 2020.” Niekro, who spent most of his career in the... Continue Reading »

After I became a Twins fan (yes, there was a beginning), I suffered through a 102-loss season in 1982, another down year in ’83 and then, incredibly it seemed, the Twins began to show signs of life in 1984. They were helped by a young nucleus of rising stars, including Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Frank... Continue Reading »

It’s hard to imagine that 2020 could get any worse, but it has after losing some of the giants of the game. In a matter of weeks, it seems, we have lost Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Joe Morgan and longtime Yankees pitcher, Whitey Ford, the Chairman of the Board. Ford died last week... Continue Reading »

The Cleveland Indians just played spoiler. The Tribe swept a four-game series from the suddenly reeling Chicago White Sox on Thursday, increasing the Twins’ lead in the division to one game going into the final weekend of the 2020 season. The Twins host the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, while the White Sox host the Chicago... Continue Reading »

The Twins split a doubleheader with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, meaning they started the day 10 games over .500 after a Game 1 win, but ended the day nine games over .500 after a Game 2 loss. Will that nine-game cushion be enough? I ask that question because the Twins are about to... Continue Reading »

It’s a good thing the Twins won on Saturday because it keeps them just a step ahead of the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, two teams that are playing really well right now. The South Siders had no problems with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday and have now hit 27 home runs in seven... Continue Reading »

Perhaps this season the Twins will be known for their bullpen and not “bombas.” Reliever Tyler Clippard pitched two scoreless innings, five more relievers limited batters to one run on two hits, and the Twins quieted the Cleveland Indians again for a 3-1 win on Sunday. The Twins took three of four games from the... Continue Reading »

A good-hitting team like the Twins won’t go scoreless for long, and they showed that Friday by flexing their muscles early. Max Kepler and Alex Avila slugged home runs, Eddie Rosario added a bases-clearing double and the Twins held on for a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 2 of their four-game series.... Continue Reading »

Bob McClure, a former longtime relief pitcher who was named Twins bullpen coach this year (but who later had to step aside due to COVID-19 concerns), fell victim to a prank in the 1970s while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. McClure got his revenge by dishing out an all-timer after he released a dung-covered pig... Continue Reading »