Mar 8, 2012; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe (24) chases a ground ball during the game against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park. The Twins shut out the Red Sox 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota Twins fans everywhere held their collective breath following the results of third baseman Trevor Plouffe‘s precautionary MRI on his calf on Monday. Rhett Bollinger of twinsbaseball.com reported that the team received positive news:

#MNTwins GM Terry Ryan said Trevor Plouffe’s MRI results came back “favorable.” Doesn’t think he’ll be out more than a week.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 11, 2013

However, fear strikes the hearts of many a fan follwoing any injury that could be labeled “day-to-day”, as Ryan’s less-than-a-week assessment sounds. Over the last few seasons, a player listed as day-to-day seems to turn into week-to-week, despite the most hopeful recovery expected. It’s difficult not to have a knee jerk reaction and worry Plouffe’s injury will spiral into missing Opening Day and some time beyond.

The timing of the injury is challenging for the 26-year-old player. While he isn’t fighting for an Opening Day job (if he’s healthy), Plouffe could be fighting for a longterm job. Plouffe had a mighty bat, at least for several months, during the 2012 season, chalking up 24 homeruns in 2012. His fielding, however, was not up to par. The Twins are hoping his fielding will improve, as Terry Ryan discussed with Dick Bremer at the end of the 2012 season:

Trouble with the video above? Watch it here.

Plouffe’s replacement at the hot corner was utility infielder Jamey Carroll. Phil Miller of The Star Tribune had an interesting entry in his blog about the last time Carroll played third base: September 29, 2002 for the Montreal Expos.

I had a pile of things to read for a book club and for work, but I was intrigued by his description of the novel. Obviously, the baseball angle interested me, as did the connection to my favorite team and the connection to Southeastern Minnesota, where I attended college and grad school.

Recently, I was finally able to read Chasing a Dream, and I was drawn in from the beginning of the story. The first portion of the book follows two storylines that seem to have no connection: an aging minor league pitcher, facing his demons as he strives to reach the big leagues, and a handful of brothers with terror on their mind. I was in the dark as the storyline of the brothers builds toward its crescendo, surprised and brought to tears when the connection between the two storylines is made. It was a moment that has a lifelong impact on main character Charlie Becker’s life. (The book actually brought me to tears twice. But don’t worry guys, I cry at TV commercials. It’s not a sappy book.)

Becker was once a pitching prospect who seemed to have no limit to his potential. The reason he is still soldiering through the minor leagues at 30-something unfolds over the course of the book, and it’s a heartbreaking story. Becker, however, is blessed with supportive family and a will to honor his father’s memory by making it to the major leagues. Having grown up in Spring Valley, MN, if he succeeded, Becker would do this with the team for which he grew up cheering.

“Chasing a Dream” author, CJ Boerger

If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that Becker’s view of the Twins has a lot of the author’s own view in it. It’s pretty hard to make up an authentic-feeling nostalgia for a sports team. Target Field is my favorite place, but I appreciated the sentimentality Becker has for the old Dome. And while the novel is engaging as a good story, Boerger is successful in making it a baseball story by painting a picture of baseball life – the grind of the season on players and their families, the drudgery of being on a minor league team, the juxtaposition of the up-and-coming player versus the veteran, team camaraderie – or tension – and what goes on in the mind of a pitcher.

By the end of the book, it becomes apparent that the title, Chasing a Dream, isn’t a simple task, nor is the goal as clear as one might think at the beginning of the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, but the closing sentence is what capped it. (Don’t flip to the back to read it first. Trust me.)

Is it a hit? I give it a triple. From a practical point, I appreciated that I could sit down and enjoying reading for long periods of time. Or, if I only had a few minutes, the chapters were short enough that I could read a short bit without feeling lost or that the story was too disjointed. Once I began the story, it was hard not to root for Charlie Becker. A first venture into published fiction, Chasing the Dream is proof that Boerger is a gifted storyteller.

For more information or to order Chasing a Dream, visit https://sites.google.com/site/chasingadreamcjboerger/home.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

One of the latest buzzes on the Minnesota Twins front is that third-string catcher Drew Butera might be playing his final days in a Twins uniform. Phil Mackey of 1500espn.com has brought this point up several times in the last week, citing Butera’s perennial lack of offensive production and Ron Gardenhire‘s approval of Eduaro Escobar, who the Twins acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the Francisco Liriano trade. Mackey writes about Escobar here.

Fans have often been critical about Butera’s offense in the past. A career .183/.232/.265 player, it can be hard to watch the man bat. in 2011 and 2012, Butera typically caught when Liriano started. Whether it was language, demeaner, style of calling the game, or just being the best psychologist who could play backstop for the Twins, Gardenhire had a reason to keep Butera on the roster, in spite of his lack of production at the plate. However, even though spotrac.com lists Butera’s 2013 base salary at a modest $700,000, the reasons to keep him on the roster are slipping away. In November, I suggested that catcher Chris Herrmann could replace Butera. It’s now looking like Herrmann won’t get that chance.

Ever since Butera pitched for the Twins in their May 20, 2013 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, I’ve advocated that he look into pitching as an option. As crazy as it sounds, I seriously wonder if he could eek out a few more years on his career that way. Ultimately, I hope the Twins grab his purportedly fantastic baseball mind for their minor league coaching staff before someone else does.

Butera is currently playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Where he lands when he returns to Spring Training will be interesting to see.