Oh, the papers are so filled with good quotes and delightful tidbits, it's hard for Batgirl to contain herself. Like this:
The coaching staff was all over designated hitter Matthew LeCroy on Tuesday.During batting practice, LeCroy popped up a pitch, causing bench coach Steve Liddle to quip, "It's really hard for Matty to concentrate with that concession stand so close."
Then, when a reporter jokingly suggested that LeCroy bat leadoff, Gardenhire said: "It takes three singles and a homer to score him. If he scores from first in the first inning, he's done. I have to take him out."
Poor LeRoy, if people aren't careful, they're going to give him a complex.
And then, there's the shocking revelation that Little Nicky Punto has somehow injured himself:
Nick Punto has a back strain, creating doubts that he will be ready to battle for the starting shortstop's job when position players begin official workouts on Saturday.Punto told club officials he felt something while swinging a bat Monday during a voluntary workout on a back field at the Lee County Sports Complex.
...Now his back strain is causing concern about his durability at such a demanding position.
"That's going to be the issue, if he can stay healthy long enough to play," Gardenhire said. "He plays hard. Unfortunately for us, he's gotten hurt the last year. Now he's starting off in spring with a little tweak. Hopefully we can get him back on the field. We'll have answers sooner than later."
Honestly. It must be hard enough to go through that without Gardy calling him a "little tweak."
Meanwhile, just as the two major newspapers run stories about how our pitching staff is, like totally set, every single member of the bullpen injures himself...:
Relievers Jesse Crain and Terry Mulholland have joined other ailing players in camp.Crain strained his right hamstring Tuesday during a fielding drill and is considered day to day.
"He made a kind of an unusual reach for the ball and when he did, he tweaked his hammy," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Mulholland, slowed by bronchitis, didn't work out Tuesday but is expected to be out a couple of days.
If you're keeping track, that makes three projected relievers who are sputtering out of the gate at camp. The third is Grant Balfour, who has a sore right forearm.
other than that, though, Terence John Mulholland in the twilight of his life
Terry Mulholland may be the oldest player in camp, but his pitching elbow doesn't look the part."I can feel a difference,'' said Mulholland, the left-hander who pitched last season with occasional discomfort in the elbow before having the joint surgically "cleaned out'' in November. "It moves normal now. No Rice Krispies or clicks or anything like that in there. And my extension is pretty much normal.''