ESPN's Jerry Crasnick picks the Twins to surprise in '06.

So why are the Twins dangerous? In a word, pitching. They've got Johan Santana, Brad Radke and Carlos Silva at the front end of the rotation, Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen, and enough arms in between to be competitive almost every night provided they catch the ball up to typical Twins standards.

In spring training they'll take a long look at rookies Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano, who has been labeled a young Santana. When the Brewers were shopping Overbay in November, Melvin tried to pry loose Liriano or Baker from the Twins only to meet with stone-cold resistance.

"He has great stuff," Melvin said of Liriano. "He has the ability to be a Dontrelle Willis."

Meanwhile, a judge freed the Twins of their obligation to play in the Dome in '07. BG hopes this lights a fire under everyone's buttocks, but it still makes her profoundly uncomfortable.

EDIT South Side Annie sends this old interview with Carl Pohlad from just before the contraction debate. And this is why Batgirl's so hard on Carl. He was a great owner for many years, but he tried to kill the team. It's just hard to get over that.