Minnesota Twins Off-Season Roster

The Minnesota Twins, who are well known for their silent and patient off-season approach, have rebuilt their middle infield and added some interesting (not in a bad way) arms to the bullpen. Below are the moves made by the Twins thus far. I'm sure there will be more to come as there are existing questions for the Twins off season, but take a look at the current roster changes.

Who Left Minnesota:

JJ Hardy (SS): traded to the Baltimore Orioles
Orlando Hudson (2B): signed free-agent contract with the San Diego Padres
Jose Morales (C): traded to Colorado Rockies
Matt Guerrier (RP): signed free-agent contract with Los Angeles Dodgers
Jesse Crain (RP): signed free-agent contract with the Chicago White Sox
Brendan Harris (IF): traded to Baltimore Orioles

Who Came to Minnesota:

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (SS/2B): signed as a transfer from Japan for three-years and $9 million
Brett Jacobsen (RP): acquired in trade from Baltimore Orioles
Jim Hoey (RP): acquired in trade from Baltimore Orioles
Scott Diamond (RP): selected in Rule 5 draft

To Be Determined:

Brian Fuentes (RP)
Jon Rauch (RP)
Nick Punto (IF)
Carl Pavano (SP)
Jim Thome (DH)

The Twins are still extremely interested in signing Carl Pavano while he is interested in making bank off a season in which he won 17 games.

Nick Punto still has a shot at re-signing with the Twins, but would likely have to take a pay cut. If money were not an issue I would definitely keep Punto at the $4 million he made in both the 09 and 10 seasons because, well he works very very hard and never has a clean uniform after playing a game. I like him.

Jim Thome also has a good chance of returning to Minnesota, though he will undoubtedly be more expensive and, with Justin Morneau back, Michael Cuddyer will move back to right field and Jason Kubel to the starting DH position. Basically, I love Jim Thome and would love to have him back. I would pay almost anything for him, if not anything.

Fuentes and Rauch are unlikely to sign with the Twins again because the Twins have already committed $18 million to Matt Capps and Joe Nathan. I sure will miss Rauch's tattoos and Russian-mafia mentality and looks.

Happy hunting Twins!

Chicago White Sox Sign Jesse Crain

Jesse Crain, who has played all 7 years of his career for the Minnesota Twins, has just signed with Sox for a three-year, $13 million dollar contract. My best guess is Mr. Crain might feel a bit odd playing for the AL Central rival. Not to mention the bad guys.

Crain came up with the Twins, has never been anywhere else, and will be forced to play against his baseball family, but has commented that the rivalry should be fun and that he is excited for the challenge.

Crain is expected to fill the void left by Bobby Jenks, who will be putting on Sox of a different color this season. Jenks signed a $12 million, two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.

On behalf of the Minnesota Twins and Twins Territory, I would like to thank Jesse Crain for all his hard work in his 71 appearances this 2010 season. Good Luck, you're gonna need it!!

My Holiday Plans

Holiday Break <3!>

As of right now, 12:21 pm on 12/22, all that stands between me is about 11 hours of work, 3 hours of my LSAT course, 4 hours of LSAT homework, packing, moderate cleaning, and about two hours of travel across snow blanketed Minnesota. I can't wait!

My favorite part of the Holidays is spending time with my family. While that is obviously cliche, it is very true. This year my entire family will be congregating at my Grandpa's house. While we have family Christmas at my Grandpa's every year, this is the first year in... 5 or so years where everyone will be there. We are talking about 20 or so people.

This means that all the cousins, myself included, will probably play ruthless games that involve insults and extreme ridicule for the losers (I'm glad I always win. It is basically a fact). It means that Grandpa will fall asleep with his arm in his shirt while everyone else is obnoxiously loud -- and we love him for it because it is obviously a super power. It means everyone will love the food that Mom makes, yet there will be leftovers for weeks. It means screaming kids for a while, but then, after the storm, comes the calm of naps, movie marathons, present exploration and more naps.

Another favorite part of the Holidays is getting to see my favorite puppy in the world, Dopey. I have uploaded pictures of my ridiculous creature for your entertainment. This is the dog that, when I come home from school and haven't seen him in a month or so, I have to ignore his excitement when I walk in the door or he will wet himself... all over the house. He will actually lay on his back and... well then Dopey become Ol' Faithful.

If he could read this, he would most definitely be embarassed. But I love him so much and this is the best way I know how to show that.

I am very, very excited for my upcoming Holiday plans. I hope you enjoy yours as well. You will hear from me again after the first of the year... well... I may have some surprise posts for you. Check back! Happy Holidays!

New Minnesota Vikings Stadium Gains Momentum with Mark Dayton

Mark Dayton met with Roger Goodell, who visited Minnesota on Monday, and they discussed the need for a new Vikings Stadium.

Dayton expressed conditional support for the project that would be at least partially publicly funded. He stated, "If it's a good deal for the people of Minnesota, I'll support it. If the financial benefits of 8,000 construction jobs, the taxes they pay, the additional revenues from contractors, subcontractors, all of the financial gains to the state of Minnesota exceed the costs, then it's a good deal for the people of Minnesota."

Now, maybe this is just me being an Economics major, but... that means if the profits exceed the costs by only $1, or even $0.01, then Dayton would support the partially publicly funded project. That seems highly inefficient given the opportunity costs (and by costs, I mean benefits) that the Vikings organization could achieve by simply taking out a very large loan from National Football League.

If the Vikings were to foot the entire bill for the new stadium, they would be able to avoid many political figures and outraged tax payers. In addition, they would keep the revenues and have total control of the construction. As a tax payer, I find it hard to rationalize the justification of a multi million dollar, if not billion dollar, new stadium proposal. Public involvement seems to be a huge migraine all around.

Plus, it would be nice to have LA stop breathing down our necks. For that to happen, we need a decision made.

Favre Tracker

Leslie Frazier told reporters yesterday that Brett Favre will NOT be placed on the Injured Reserve list, which would end his 2010 season play, after suffering a concussion on Sunday against Chicago. Frazier maintains that Favre has always been some sort of super human with super-healing powers so he can heal super fast. Frazier went on to say that the team has yet to dismiss Favre for even the upcoming game against Philly; he still may play. It wouldn't surprise me if he returned and it shouldn't surprise anyone, frankly.

But is Favre's return the best thing for the organization?

I don't think so. I am not a Favre critic. I love him actually, but if he is truly the competitor he continually shows us, he should know that now is the time the Vikings need to utilize younger and less experienced quarterbacks to promote future wins. Now is the time to train and develop -- we need to rebuild the program so we are (somewhat) ready for post-Favre play. With Jackson on IR, it is Webb's turn to illustrate why he is in the NFL and why he should be a starting QB. Thus far we have not seen either of those two criteria met.

With nothing to lose, no playoff spot on the line, the Vikings should humbly admit that this season isn't much to brag about, but set the stage for 2011 bragging rights by early QB development.

As a reminder for those who have been entranced by the Brett Favre whirlwind, Joe Webb is a rookie from Alabama-Birmingham. He was a sixth-round pick the Vikings had intended to convert to wide receiver. That plan was scrapped after the discovery of Webb's impressive arm in addition to his freaky atheltic talent.

I thank you, Favre, for you great work ethic, outstanding performance in 2009 and commitment in 2010, but now is the time to take your talent off the field and transfer it into wisdom -- wisdom that can be passed on to another Vikings QB. That is how your legacy will survive.

Ticket King and the Holidays

As a friendly reminder, the Ticket King offices will be open Monday-Thursday this week, making it a great time to stop in and pick up last minute Holiday Gifts!

Gopher tickets are becoming a hot item for this holiday season. The Minnesota Gophers Men's basketball team is off to a winning start with only one loss on the season! Upcoming home games include Indiana, Purdue, and Iowa. Don't miss out on this winning season at Williams Arena. Trust me, Gopher Men's Basketball tickets would make any Gopher fan happy this season.

Gopher Hockey tickets are also great gifts and are becoming more popular every year! The Gopher Hockey team kicks off the Mariucci Arena Classic at Mariucci Arena on December 31st. Purchase your Gopher fan some Classic Tickets and help them relax over winter break. I know I'd like some!

The Mariucci Classic features the University of Minnesota- Minneapolis, Bemidji State, Union, and Ferris State. Don't miss out!

Vikings Season Collapses are surely as the Metrodome

The Minneapolis Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings season, and Brett Favre. What do they all have in common? They've collapsed. "The bigger they are, they harder they fall," surely comes to mind.

It was hard to miss the symbolism on Monday night as Brett Favre, who was just sacked by the Bears' Corey Wootton, laid on the freezing turf of TCF Stadium in a game where the Vikings moved to a tear-jerking 5-9. The game was their first outdoor game in 29 years, to the date, that was supposed to honor the "50 Greatest Vikings" -- I'm sure they were proud.

The Minnesota Vikings were officially out of the playoff hunt when they lost last week to the New York Giants in a home game played in Detroit because the Metrodome collapsed. Brett Favre ended his record-setting career start streak that game. What a bad vibe. The Vikings are surely being kicked while they are down. And are getting kicked hard.

Who really knows what to say about the Vikings Season? It has been a cornucopia of mistakes, baffling events, and disappointed plays. Scratch that, people may know what to say, but they know we've beaten a dead horse (no disrespect meant, PETA). This Vikings file is closed.

On a related note, Bud Grant, who is 83 years young, was the toughest son of a gun to be at the game on Monday. He wore short sleeves at a game with an 8 degree wind chill. Wowzaa.

Ticket King had Successful Toys for Tots Campaign

Ticket King would like to thank all the Toys for Tots supporters. We had many donated gifts; the whole campaign was a huge success. There is absolutely no way we could have brightened so many lives this holiday season without your generous donations.



The Toys for Tots organization is a noble one and appreciates the outpouring of support from year to year. If you couldn't donate a gift this year, we understand times are tough, but keep Toys for Tots in your mind for next year -- the need is always there.

May you have a happy holiday season from Ticket King!

Justin Morneau Voices Displeasure About Target Field

In 2009, the Minnesota Twins were tied for tenth in the majors with 96 home runs. This year, 2010, the Twins slipped to 28th place with just 52 homeruns hit in the brand-spanking new Target Field.

Just Morneau is not a happy hitter.

Morneau sent an email to the Star Trib of Minneapolis complaining about the right-center to left-center field fences at Target Field making it nearly impossible to hit opposite-field home runs at Target Field. The Twins organization recently spent $4-6 million dollars on Target Field renovations and left the outfield fences untouched.

Morneau continued that players have a tendency to develope poor hitting habbits when it is deemed too difficult to hit opposite field balls over the fence; they opt to pull the ball instead. These habits then transfer to road games.

Will unfriendly home run dimensions continue to irk players? Probably. Dave St. Peter, the Twin's team president, pointed to the fact that the Twins had the best record in the American League... so why help the team out anymore, right? Wrong.

Finals and Holiday Break

As a reminder, I will be heading home over Holiday Break! But you should stay tuned for 2 special posts I have planned for this week... think of this as my Holiday gift to you.

After my three final exams next week, I will be hanging around St. Paul for a couple days and then will be on my way home!

I hope you all enjoy your Holidays... spend this time with your family and friends; the people who matter. Adios!

University of Minnesota Gopher Blogger

When doing some everything-Gopher research, I stumbled across this U of M student who is, as he puts it, "an aspiring sports journalist from South Saint Paul". Here at Ticket King we love supporting everything local. Do him, and yourself (Lukas has some great content!) a favor and check out his blog. I really enjoyed reading it and I'm sure you will too. I give Lukas my blessing.

Here is Lukas' Blog: Confessions of a Gopher

Sarah Palin Reads?

In the 2008 Presidential Election, Sarah Palin faced the most difficult question; a question harder than any proposed to other candidates: "What newspapers do you read?" She floundered.


Now on Barabara Walters' Ten Most Fascinating People, Palin is talking about the copeous amounts of reading she does. Right. Everything from C.S. Lewis to the Wallstreet Journal. She is attempting to put an end to any lingering thoughts that she is not ready for national office, that were fueled by Katie Couric's question.


Palin maintains she was offended by Couric's question. Scoff. The question was a give-me and she screwed it up. Keep pouting. If she stopped talking about it and blaming the media for every mistake she makes, people would forget about them. There is a new tragedy everyday.


Bottom line: I didn't know Sarah Palin could read so... unless all her reading material comes with 'book-on-tape' material, I doubt her statements.

Minnesota Twins Make Moves in Winter Meetings

The Minnesota Twins lightened the roster by trading shortstop J.J. Hard and Brendan Harris, along with $500,000 straight cash homie (I miss Moss), to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. In the trade, we picked up minor league right-handers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson.

These two trades indicate that the Twins are likely closing in on a contract with Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a Japanese infielder. (I don't know how that name will fit on the back of a jersey!). It is doubtful that the club would have moved Hardy unless they were in a position to finalize a deal with Nishioka. The Twins would then be set-up to have a middle-infield combination of Nishioka and Alexi Casilla, with Casilla likely playing shortstop.

The Twins are also making a strong push to re-sign veteran starter Carl Pavano. I am definitely hoping for this contract to work because I love Pavano and his stache. Very attractive. The Twins are considered a front-runner for Pavano, but there are at least three other teams interested.

On a side note that actually may be more exciting to Twins fans, Jim Thome wants to play for two more years!!!!!! Love him.

Ticket King: Toys for Tots and Holiday Gifts

The Holiday Season is the time of year were giving is the thing to do. Show someone you care this Holiday Season by donating a new, unwrapped toy to Toys for Tots. Ticket King, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, is an official drop-off location for Toys for Tots. If you drop off a toy, you will get a free Vikings Helga Hat!!

In other Ticket King news, tickets make great Holiday Gifts! Not sure what to get the person that has everything? Call Ticket King (612-341-4131) and purchase a gift certificate that can be used on any event and never expires! Sounds like a great deal to me!

However, my suggestion would be to give some Gopher Basketball tickets. The Gopher Men's BBall team is doing very well this season and are currently ranked No. 22! We have tickets for all your Gopher Basketball needs. Call, shop online, or stop on in to check out our Gopher Ticket inventory.

Happy Holidays for me and everyone at Ticket King!

Top Searches of 2010-- My Thoughts

I love creeping on the news, no matter what site its on -- I do it all day. I wanted to see how I compared to the 'normal' or 'popular' top searches of 2010.

AOL Top 10 Most Searched

#10- Wikileaks
#9- Chelsea Clinton Wedding
#8- Anna Chapman
#7- Chilean Miners
#6- Kyron Horman
#5- Tea Party
#4- Toyota Recall
#3- Haiti Earthquake
#2- Unemployment
#1- BP Oil Spill

Yahoo's Top Ten Most Searched

#10- Britney Spears
#9- American Idol
#8- Justin Beiber
#7- Megan Fox
#6- iPhone
#5- Lady Gaga
#4- Kim Kardashian
#3- Miley Cyrus
#2- World Cup
#1- BP Oil Spill

WOW AMERICA! There is only one commonality between these lists and thats the BP Oil Spill earning a No.1 spot on both lists. That is a big ol F-U to BP. Absolutely. Mostly, I suspect this is a top search because people are concerned about their pockets and paying for higher-priced gas. While that is admirable, has anyone seen the impact the spill has had on Ocean Life? Thought so.

As for comparing the two lists, my basic summary is that people that use AOL searches are much smarter than those that use Yahoo. From the Toyota Recall to the Chilean Miners to the Haiti Earthquake, AOL searchers are concerned with day-to-day and global news. For the life of me, I can't believe Yahoo searchers haven't searched WikiLeaks in to the top ten yet! Are you serious? WikiLeaks will only affect how the world views the United States for DECADES to come. Ya... brush it off, nothing too big to worry about. GET. A. CLUE.

And really Yahoo searchers? Britney Spears. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, has changed about this girl for the last 5 years. Consider a hobby.

I was pleasantly surprised the Tea Party was on AOL's top searches instead of Sarah Palin. I suppose people just searched "hunting for dumbies" to find her.

Based on these two sites, I would definitely affiliate myself with the AOL crowd... meaning I have a brain. Megan Fox? Miley Cyrus? SERIOUSLY.

Some of you may wonder why I did not include Google on this blog. Well, Google does something a bit different. They do a video of 2010 in review. Furthermore, they have a site called Zeitgeist that generates the 10 fastest-rising U.S. searches of the year. So... they don't necessarily have a top ten list. As far as I can find. I would have been very interested to discover what Google searchers were interested in as Google is my primary search engine. Last year, Michael jackson was a top search of Google. How that applies? I don't know. Just sayin'.

Mathematically Possible for Vikings to Make the Playoffs =)

Now that the Vikings have strung together a couple of wins to be at 5-7 going in to week 14 against the NY Giants, I asked myself, "can the Vikings still make the playoffs?".

My calculations are as follows. (Disclaimer: I really don't know if I figured this out right)

The Minnesota Vikings will go to the playoffs if:

1. The Vikings win the rest of their games, finishing at 9-7.
2. The Bears lose to the Packers, Eagles, Patriots and Jets
3. Eagles sweep Giants
4. Packers beat the Giants
5. Eagles beat the Cowboys
6. Falcons beat the Saints
7. Bucs lose to the Falcons, Saints, Ravens, and Redskins
8. The three teams that didn't win the NFC West are all 8-8 or worse

The Division winners would be the Eagles, Packers, Falcons, and the West winner.
Saints would get the first wildcard.
The Vikings would get the second wildcard with the conference record tie-breaker.

There. Mathematically, it is possible for the Vikings to earn a wildcard. Theoretically, we would need to have... around 25 games swing our way. Now, I would like to analyze the possibility of 1-8 happening.

1. We have to assume this will happen or the rest is irrelevant. Sure, we will go 9-7 on the season.

2. This is possible. All of the teams the Bears will be playing are very strong. I suspect the Bears will lose at least one. However, that is not good enough as one Bears win would make the wildcard impossible.

3. Very possible. The Giants lost in NY.

4. The Packers will be coming off a game against the Lions, a very talented team with a terrible record. This is an iffy premise. Depends if the Giants are rallying to keep up with the Eagles.

5. Likely, but division rivalries always are indeterminate.

6. Falcons are a better team, but the Saint have been improving.

7. See #2.

8. The NFC West is schizophrenic and this is highly possible.

Well... what do you think? This took me a very very long time to figure out, and I am not truly sure if it is right, but I would enjoy your opinions anyway! Just remember, we wouldn't be Vikings if we weren't willing to fight our way to the top. This year, we are just asking others for a little boost.

Holiday Break

I can't wait for Holiday Break!!! While I won't really have much of a break with my LSAT class a couple times a week for hours and working 15-20 hours a week, I am still excited to see my family for Christmas. And my dog Dopey.

It has been a while since everyone was able to coordinate their schedules and come home to the small rural farm all on the same day. Yes, that's right! From Fargo, Rochester and the Cites my family will flock to the my small town southwest of Mankato, MN. I couldn't be more excited!!

What are your Holiday plans?

The only things seperating me and my family are a test, 4 final exams, two group projects, one quiz and all the presents I have yet to purchase! Ugh... always so busy. Once finals are over, I will be able to make the Holiday transition from student to santa's elf and buy those last minute gifts. However... just seems far away!

At least it is supposed to snow this weekend =]

While you may think this post was relatively useless, please consider the amount of information I am trying to cram in to my brain in prep for my tests and LSAT class. I don't have much room for a ludicrous, yet insightful posts. My bad.

Thanks, Hank!

I would like to give a little shout out to Hank from http://hanksportsblog.wordpress.com/. Hank is a random blogger, like myself, who helped out Ticket King with some advertising. Thanks Hank! You should really check out his blog, pretty good stuff!

Texas Fans Band Together In Support Of Andre Johnson

Ok guys, this is hilarious. Please, to get proper context view this YouTube.com video that I have provided the link for. Seriously, do it. HIIIIlarious. The video is the fight of Andre Johnson beating the crap out of Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

That fight, which took place during the Titans-Texans game has Texas fans taking time out of their busy days, usually consisting of killing snakes in their backyards with the spurs on their and proceeding to fry the animal in a vat of grease, to raise money for Andre Johnson's $25,000 fine that was awarded for the fight. Because he is obviously so poor.

I guess as the great state of Texas does consist of oil-rich billionaires (about 99.9% actually), they can afford to dig up the spare change buried next to Grandpa in the front yard, but really? It doesn't seem right to take a day off from drafting your own moonshine to dig up the safe when Johnson can afford the fine himself.

Besides, then all those Texas fans will be causing major conjestion on all the four-lane gravel highways with their gas-guzzling pick up trucks when they attempt to mail their checks from the big city. Not only will global warming continue to become more fact than fiction with the increased auto-emissions, but gun shot wounds will surely increase by 1000% as their guns discharge after falling out of the gun rack of their truck. This would mostly be caused by some Willie Nelson fiasco that I can't quite invent at this moment.

While I disapprove of Texas fans raising money to support Andre Johnson, I am fully aware that, though Texas does have the death penalty, they would never persecute one of their own. Meaning I am going to shut it before some horse-riding Texas makes his way up here with a sawed off shotgun. Enough is enough I say, my opinion has been heard.

Oops, sorry for the horse-riding stereotype, I realize trucks are now the number one travel choice of the everyday Texan. However, the rest of what I said is true. Cheers.