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Spring can't come too soon to the Upper Midwest. That's always true, of course, but especially this year, as the Minnesota Twins open their 2010 pennant drive in brand-new Target Field. Baseball fans here are giddy with excitement. ]]>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:58:00http://t.love.com/310088805
The 2010 season is almost upon us. Baseball season is getting much closer to being back. We're about two weeks away to Easter Sunday on April 4, when Opening Night will kickoff the season on ESPN, and what a game to open up with between the defending World Series Champions New York Yankees and rival Boston Red Sox. But there will be 29 other teams trying to do what the Yankees did this past November, which is win the World Series. ]]>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:47:00http://t.love.com/309705890Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:20:00http://t.love.com/309584784Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:50:00http://t.love.com/309362265
The Twins entered the 2009 season with Nick Punto as their starting shortstop and finished it with Orlando Cabrera there. If you're wondering how urgently they wanted to upgrade beyond those two, it should be clear from the fact that Bill Smith pulled the trigger on a trade for J.J. Hardy just days after the conclusion of the World Series, while other organizations were still drawing up their offseason plans. Many fans viewed the addition of Cabrera at the trade deadline last year as an integral part of]]>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 2:42:00http://t.love.com/309361996
"I want to be some place where I can play every day," Gomez says. "I don't think about who was in the position last season. I have fun playing, and I want a chance to do my thing — use my speed, get on base, make pitchers worry and make a lot of things happen." The Brewers are banking on Gomez, 24, entering his third full season, and rookie shortstop Alcides Escobar, 23, to establish themselves at key defensive positions as they take aim at improving their third-place finish in the National League Centr]]>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 2:41:00http://t.love.com/309295378Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:41:00http://t.love.com/308855084Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:03:00http://t.love.com/308697556Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:21:00http://t.love.com/308668721Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:19:00http://t.love.com/308581946Sat, 13 Mar 2010 1:29:00http://t.love.com/308576432Sat, 13 Mar 2010 1:01:00http://t.love.com/308478432
Rickie Weeks is eager to resume his career, but he's not exactly looking forward to opening day. The Brewers second baseman hasn't played since tearing the sheath of a tendon in his left wrist in May. When he takes the field next month, his double-play partner at shortstop, J.J. Hardy, won't be there. Hardy was traded in the offseason to the Twins for center fielder Carlos Gomez in a move that made way for Alcides Escobar. ]]>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:37:00http://t.love.com/308145782
Carlos Gomez is into fast things. The Brewers' center fielder quickly jumps from subject to subject, and has a bunch of hobbies that include watching world class sprinters. Gomez knows he's going to get every opportunity to succeed in Milwaukee after general manager Doug Melvin dealt popular former All-Star shortstop J.J. Hardy to Minnesota. ]]>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:49:00http://t.love.com/306545947
Bobby Crosby's work with Mark McGwire in the past three offseasons appears to be paying off. Crosby hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat a Minnesota Twins split squad 15-5 Sunday. "He's a good guy to have around," Crosby said of the St. Louis Cardinals' new hitting coach. ]]>Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:15:00http://t.love.com/305798500Fri, 5 Mar 2010 0:08:00http://t.love.com/305784642Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:55:00http://t.love.com/305781442Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:37:00http://t.love.com/305781128Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:35:00http://t.love.com/304988325Wed, 3 Mar 2010 1:27:00http://t.love.com/304595291Tue, 2 Mar 2010 1:23:00http://t.love.com/304424581
Once mentioned as a contraction candidate, Minnesota will christen its new outdoor Target Field on April 12 and will boast a payroll that suddenly ranks nowhere near the small-market range. However, the new ballpark won't include a money tree in the outfield. As a result, a cloud will hang over the franchise until it can lock up catcher Joe Mauer to a long-term deal. ]]>Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:18:00http://t.love.com/304376806Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:56:00http://t.love.com/304170021Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:49:37http://t.love.com/304101773Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:03:00http://t.love.com/304019420Sun, 28 Feb 2010 1:32:00http://t.love.com/303251131
In my previous look at the upgrades provided by some of this offseason's biggest player moves, I identified the Red Sox as the big winners, likely to gain at least four wins each from the additions of John Lackey and Adrian Beltre . Here, I'll look at some of the second-tier acquisitions around both leagues, including two more new arrivals in Boston. The difference here is that, while the upgrades in my last piece were often due to the quality of the incoming player, these upgrades have as much or more to]]>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:26:00http://t.love.com/302243621Tue, 23 Feb 2010 1:17:00http://t.love.com/301906537Mon, 22 Feb 2010 4:11:00http://t.love.com/301313127Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:54:00http://t.love.com/300681744Thu, 18 Feb 2010 2:13:00http://t.love.com/300467466Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:33:00http://t.love.com/300205792Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:00:14