I’ve never been to TwinsFest, and I’m not a big autograph hound, but a chance to get together with other internet/twitter/blogger Twins fans at the dome to drink beer and talk baseball seemed to good to pass up, so I’m leaving warm sunny Seattle (I know, you’re shocked, but sometimes the sun does come out here in Seattle) to head to Minnesota to visit with family and friends, but mostly to talk baseball with people who know far more about the game than me. I’m excited, did I mention that yet?

Twins related news and notes from the minor leagues

If you haven’t stopped over to Twins Daily to read about the meet-up Saturday night, I encourage you to take a look, and there will be free beer until the keg runs dry, and what’s better than baseball talk and FREE BEER?

Whether you’re a TwinsFest veteran or a newbie like myself, check out K-Bro’s Baseball Blog for a list of 10 things to do and see while you’re visiting the dome. I also encourage you to print out a copy of the schedule and map to keep handy while you’re walking around the dome relieving old memories and making new ones.

If you’re a regular reader here on the Pond you know that I have an affinity for the minor league guys, prospects and minor league veterans alike.  I forsee myself posting up near autograph station 6to get my copy of Seth Stoh’s prospect handbook signed by the prospects who will be around, and BONUS all those guys are signing for free, no wristband lottery required! I’m especially excited to get a chance to see so many of the Twins top prospects in one place over the weekend since I will not be able to get down to spring training this year. I’m looking forward to seeing what Oswaldo Arcia, Miguel Sano, Kyle Gibson and so many of the Twins top prospects look like in person, up close and personal. New Twins minor leaguers Ryan Pressly, Trevor May and Alex Meyer will also be on hand, so feast your eyes on the new guys in the system as well.

The hardest part of this trip for me was deciding which jerseys I would be bringing along for the weekend.  Friday I’ll be sporting my throw back powder blue Kirby Puckett jersey (and a name tag with my Twitter handle (@BaseballPirate), Saturday I’ll be immitating Corey Koskie and Sunday Mike Redmond; if you see me walking around please say hello, I really look forward to talking baseball with anyone and everyone around. It should be a lot of fun.  I hope to see many of you there.

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Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com

Waiting for baseball to come back…

For the first time in my life I joined a fantasy hockey league and I would like to give a big thanks to the guys at TSN for putting together some great pre-draft information to get me started.

Stop over to the Platoon Advantage and take a look at some interesting pitching stats or visit TC Huddle to see some hillariously terrible lip-readings of Adrian Peterson

Dave Schoenfield of the Sweet Spot blog continues to produce quality content, this week he took a look at one-hit wonders throughout the league, including this post focused on the AL Central.

Have you ever wondered why baseball players always seem to injure themselves in odd and awkward ways?  Visit Baseball Prospectus to learn more.

Glen Perkins avoided arbitration and did an interview with ESPN 1500, both were good news for my eyes to read. The Twins also avoided arbitration with Drew Butera, and while this was less exciting for me to read, Butera does have some qualities worth mentioning, but I think the Twins Rubes said it best when they called Drew Butera “The Necessary Evil“.

FanGraphs has a stat to measure just about everything that happens on a baseball field, but what about BEER?  The newest, and best stat ever created, BEERS ABOVE REPLACEMENT!

Smart baseball fans should be reading Beyond the Box Score.  Some of their stuff is a bit over my head, or rather at least more involved that I’m willing to get with the numbers, and I love numbers. This week Matt Hunter wonders if teams should be stealing more, and it’s a read we can all enjoy, number geeks and otherwise.

Knuckleballs is easily one of my favorite Twins blogs, and then they went and added my brother to their staff.  Jim Crikket has written a series of articles sharing information and insight about players that will be spending all of some time with the Twins new low-A Affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels. Also over at KB my brother Eric wonders aloud what’s going on with the Twins bullpen.

The World Baseball Classic rosters have been released, and Cody Christie, the NoDakTwinsFan, asks the question “Should the Twins players compete in the WBC?”

The New Enthusiast is one of my favorite non-baseball blogs, and it’s complete hilarity and nonsense.  This week you can read lines from LL Cool J repurposed to invoke snacks.

Finally go read 10 stray thoughts from Dustin Parkes.
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Follow me,  @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com

This and other Burt meme’s available here http://thebookofbert.tumblr.com/

If you complete a Google image search for “twins” the first item to show up is this. If you keep scrolling through the pages, you’ll find the first Minnesota Twins related image on page eight. Not very exciting if you’r a Twins fan. However, this mindless search did remind me of a great movie by the same name.

Prospects are all over the web these days, here at Puckett’s Pond I released another section of my top 20 list, the Bright Futures series continues, and Brad gave us a look at the beginning of his top 25. Joe Posnanski got in on the fun too, he took a look back at some of the top prospects from 2006. He also had another gem in which he discussed what he’s calling “The Tango Option” concerning Hall of Fame voting.

Over at ESPN 1500 they reported that Justin Morneau is miles ahead of where he was last season. This could be the first of many Twins players rumored to be in the best shape of their lives.

Twinkie Town took a look at all the happenings in the AL Central this off-season, definitely a must read for those looking to see what’s been going on this winter all around the division. And if you’re curious how the Twins and the rest of the AL Central stack up against the rest of MLB, over at the Sweet Spot Blog they’ve given us the first Power Rankings I’ve seen since the World Series ended. Also over at Twinkie Town, Jesse wonders where the Twins will look for a fourth outfielder.

The Angels have a true superstar in Mike Trout, but what is it exactly that makes him so amazing? Getting Blanked gives us a look at what makes him so great.

Every week I post links to what’s been happening over at Knuckleballs Blog, and with good reason, Jim Crikket and the rest of the staff over there consistently produce some of my favorite Twins content week in and week out. This week Mr. Crikket gives us several gems to enjoy; Spending the Twins Money… Or not, Why do we care about the Twins, and a look at who is Cooperstown bound in 2013. If you haven’t book marked their site, now is the time!

Over at Beyond the Boxscore, a must read for any analytically minded baseball fan, Alex Kienholz helps us appreciate the knuckleball, Ari Berkowitz wonders if Miguel Cabrera’s shift to third base will result in a quicker decline and James Gentile takes a closer look at when giving up a free pass is the right move..

Did your parents get you something baseball related for Christmas? If they didn’t, are you sure they really know and love you? Patrick Dubuque of NotGraphs knows his parents love him.

Over at the Star Tribune they’ve been listing off their top 12 sports related stories of 2012, my favorite so far came in at #6.

Brian Duensing took a few moments of his holiday time to answer some questions for MLB.com, Rhett Bollinger has the details.

Brad Johnson of the Hardball Times wrote at open letter to this off-seasons free agents, it’s worth taking some time to read, even if you’re not looking to sign a contract this winter. Also at Hardball Times Glen DuPaul tries to find out if going for broke is an recipe for success.

“There’s nooooooooooooo smoking in the metrodome” and over at their tumblr account we get to see some amazing pictures from photo day at Metropolitan stadium, circa 1962. They also shared a preview of the Twins new batting practice caps.

The NoDak Twins fan tells us a little bit about a strange but true feat accompished by the Twins Ryan Doumit this past season.

Baseball America released their top 50 baseball related twitter accounts, sadly I did not make the list, but one hard core Twins blogger did, to find out who, follow the link.

That’s all I’ve got for this week; which blogs, baseball or otherwise, are your favorite week in and week out? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Follow me,  @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact)