It’s been cold as hell outside lately, but spring is right around the corner. No, chances are it won’t be warm in Minneapolis for at least another month, probably two. But pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Fort Myers in just over a week, and the baseball season will finally be underway again.

Baseball’s offseason is a time for teams to evaluate and restock talent, for players to look for greener pastures or accept that they’ve lost a step. It’s also a time for fans to dream of seeing superstars in the home team’s colors and decry the idiocy of owners and general managers.

But does baseball really have an offseason? We even have a name for the period where rumors swirl, players move around and teams get rebuilt or dismantled. The Hot Stove Season is perhaps my favorite time of year, where we get to play armchair GM and imagine all the possibilities for the coming season. Next year can always be better.

I don’t even know how many fall and winter leagues there are around the world, but there’s a ton of them, and they seem to run right up to spring training. Just this week, we’ve got the Caribbean Series taking place in Mexico, and the playoffs are winding down in Australia. The World Baseball Classic heats up in less than a month.

The Super Bowl is today, if you’re into that sort of thing. I for one am going to scour the Internets for baseball news, hang out with my chick and pit bull, and play some Super Mario Brothers 3. I’ll watch Super Bowl highlights tomorrow.

John Dillinger Played Baseball

Dillinger was a stud shortstop and second baseman for the Martinsville, Indiana Athletics in 1924, starting as a rookie. He was awarded a $25 bonus as the team’s top hitter, as the Athletics finished the season in first place in their semi-pro league. He later starred on a number of prison teams. Dillinger is the player top right with the arrow pointing at him in the photo at the top of this article.

This Week’s Number: 9

That’s the number of days until Twins pitchers and catchers report to spring training. It’s almost here.

This Week’s Fact: MLB teams may have spring training in other cities, but Japanese baseball plays spring training games in foreign countries, including South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Herb Washington, Designated Pinch Runner

I mentioned a player in an article a few days ago that played in 105 MLB games without a plate appearance. Washington was a world record-breaking sprinter signed by the Oakland Athletics to do one thing and one thing only: run. Over the course of one-plus seasons, he never picked up a bat or glove, but stole 31 bases as a pinch runner and won a World Series ring in 1974. His 1975 Topps card is the only one ever issued by the company with the position designation of “Pinch Runner.”

Hot Twin of the Week: Brendan Wise, whose Perth Heat team won in Australia.

Not Hot Twin of the Week: JaDamion Williams and the Sydney Blue Sox lost to the Heat.

Who I Wish was Hot Twin of the Week: Australian Brad Thomas, a former top pitching prospect for the Twins who never panned out.

Barely Legal Twin of the Week: Prospect Daniel Ortiz is playing for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series. He finished last season in Fort Myers.

What I did this week: I fell on my ass on the ice twice late Monday night, saw a metal show last night, and went to the Country Bar for the first time in over a year. I also finally got around to watching Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Funny stuff.

Here’s a video of Minor Twins Signing Brandon Boggs talking about spring training a couple of years ago. Seems like a good dude.

Later this week, we’ll start to delve into a position-by-position spring training analysis of the Twins, take a look at a couple of pitchers who could be this year’s Jared Burton, catch up with Brian Buchanan, and I’ll tell you why I think the Kevin Correia signing makes sense. You’ll probably still disagree with me, and that’s totally cool.

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The leaves are changing to their beautiful fall foliage, coffee shops are increasingly busier while brisk breezes chill the air, and football dominates the sports world.  But for a few hard-working and lucky teams in baseball, their season has just begun.

Baseball managers who’s teams have locked a spot in the 2012 postseason are setting up their pitching rotations and making tough decisions on who has worked hard and proven their self-worth enough to make the team for the World Series push. Some of the usual suspects are poised to make their annual postseason appearance again this year; New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. Yet, the most intriguing stories belong to the “Cinderella” teams, such as the Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, and the Baltimore Orioles. Nevertheless, once the playoffs begin, every team has the same chance to win the World Series. We throw regular season statistics out the window, standings do not matter anymore, it is all about who is playing the best baseball right now. Ten teams played 162 games better than twenty others in what is considered to be the most exhausting and rigorous regular season in all of sports.

As for the other 20 teams who did not have what it took to play deep into October and parts of November, Fall is a time to start the recovering process. Recovering from all of the scrapes and dings, the surgeries, and more importantly, a recovery of the mental toll a 162 game season can have on the human mind and spirit. Fall is also a time players not participating in the postseason can relax at home with their families, enjoy the playoffs as a fan while cheering on their friends, and hit the golf course. Apparently it is a rule that all athletes play golf as soon as their season has ended.

When the players and coaches left the Grapefruit League behind them and headed to Minnesota, their goal was to win a World Series. The Twins added Josh Willingham to provide much needed power from the right side of the plate. They brought in a revived Jason Marquis to fill in as a poor(er) man’s version of Carl Pavano to eat up some innings and help the bullpen stay fresh throughout the year. Brian Dozier emerged as the hopeful mainstay at short stop after an impressive Spring. Ryan Doumit was acquired via free agency to provide an offensive answer at catcher while Joe Mauer takes a day off behind the plate. Danny Valencia was expected to establish himself as a reliable, line-drive gap hitter at third. Jamey Carroll was brought in during the offseason to protect the middle of the field, platooning at second base and short stop. Chris Parmelee was slotted in at first base, allowing Justin Morneau to begin the season as the Twins designated hitter while still recovering from his concussion symptoms. All the moves made in the offseason seemed to make sense. There were not any major blockbuster deals, but the reasoning behind the acquisitions justified these players breaking camp with the team.

However, after an abysmal 2012 campaign and four of the a fore mentioned players not ending the season on the 25 man roster, the Minnesota Twins’ employees will be watching the postseason from the confines of their own homes. The Twins organization has not only let the fans down again, more importantly they have let themselves down. Winning a World Series is every player’s and owner’s ultimate goal. Being a part of a history making team must be one of the most rewarding and bonding experiences an athlete can achieve in their lives. Unfortunately, the Twins players will have to postpone their goals for at least one more season and try to take advantage of their extended leave to recuperate and recover in preparation for next year. Like the leaves floating to the ground during the Fall season, the dreams are broken of all ball players who do not get that enchanting opportunity to play with their teammates and compete for the one goal they all have in common, winning a World Series.

The Twins now have to take advantage of an early offseason and make the right moves to build a championship caliber team. The players need to properly train and prepare for the upcoming season more than ever. Hopefully, front office members already have a short list of players they plan on acquiring this offseason to glue the loose ends and bring a World Series to the much deserving Twins faithful.

September 25, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span (2) celebrates his 2-RBI double during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Target Field. The Twins deafeated the Yankees 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Anibal Sanchez might be an ideal fit for the Twins in free agency. Photo by Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

The Twins need to bring in at least two competent veteran starting pitchers if they plan to contend in 2013. We arrived at this conclusion Friday, after a thorough review of all of the in-house rotation options.