So This Is The New Year...

*strums guitar*

"...and I don't feel any different."

Seriously--how else was I going to start my first post of 2008? Besides, Death Cab for Cutie deserve my advertising--and they've got a new album set to release in May of this year.

Lots of other things to say, many of which could fill a post of their own..but who's got the time? So, without further ado, here's another edition of the Speckled Mind's often-imitated but never duplicated "Bits and Pieces."

1. Jess and I celebrated our five year anniversary yesterday. She makes me happy in ways I can't express in words. My speechlessness should be evidence enough of how remarkable a woman she is.
2. Speaking of Jess, she was typing an email the other day that referenced 'Bethel.' The dictionary didn't recognize that word, and in its place suggested she change it to 'Brothel.' This confirms many of the suspicions I had about the undergrad female dress code while I was employed there.
3. I got a lot of comments on my post about meeting Bono. But none of them funnier than this one from Peter:
   

   tim - i don't know you, i'm friends with matt glatzel. but i have to say that meeting bono is cool, even if you did end you post with some of the worst writing bono's ever done. that's the shittiest u2 song ever.
   

   Well, 'Peter whom I don't know', there were a number of U2 song titles that just didn't make the thematic cut. "Where the Streets Have No Name" seemed silly because it happened on the corner of F and 2nd. "Mysterious Ways" was also a bad choice--Bono seemed like a pretty normal guy. "With or Without You" seemed a bit melodramatic for the occasion. "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" would have been odd because the incident happened on a relatively peaceful Friday afternoon. I could go on and on here Peter. The point is that the title fit the theme I was shooting for, regardless of the song's relative 'shittiness' in comparison to others Bono has written.
   
4. Thanks to all who read and commented on my Best of 2007 music blog. I enjoyed all of your comments immensely and appreciated those of you who took time to craft a list of your own. 2007 was a great year for music; I'm looking forward to many new releases in 2008; among them--Anathallo, Death Cab for Cutie, and Counting Crows (first new LP in 6 years!).
5. I really hope the Twins trade Santana soon so I can get on with the rest of my life. Please, please, please don't blow this, Bill Smith. Please.
6. Speaking of Baseball, The first Twins spring training game is less than 8 weeks away. Not that my favorite squad will necessarily be a contender this year. I'm just glad it's gonna be baseball season again soon.
   
7. I bought a new battery for my laptop while I was in Minneapolis. It makes me smile--I went from 12 minutes of battery life to 5 1/2 hours of battery life.
8. Call it 'Tapas,' call it 'Dim Sum' or call it anything else you like. It's a fantastic way to have a meal. We had tapas with some friends tonight in Alexandria at a restaurant called 'La Tosca' and it was sublime.
9. The Daily show and The Colbert Report are coming back with new episodes (minus their writers, of course) on Monday. As luck would have it, Jess and I get comedy central in our apartment for free. It's good that something is free in this city.
10. Congrats to all my recently engaged friends, including Brad and Christine, Chris and Tara, Andrew and Emily, Rob and Mindy. Seems like a good summer for weddings. I *really* appreciate you all waiting until I moved thousands of miles away to plan an event those events...
11. I hope to do a 'New Year's Resolution' blog sometime soon, so I won't pull back the curtain on those just yet.
    

I guess that'll do for now. If you stop by here and read the posts, I'd love to get your feedback. Just say hello if nothing else. It's good to know who's on the receiving end of these blogs.

Hot Stove Update

Apparently the Red Sox are starting to see things my way.

Ladies and gentlemen, we may be getting a new center fielder from Boston very soon.

And his name won't remind you of a breakfast cereal.

Drop It Like It's Hot Stove

Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports (consider yourself warned, Brad).

Even though the new season of MLB is three months away, it has been on the forefront of my interests lately. A big part of that is the central place the Twins have in Hot Stove discussions in all corners of the country right now.

Torii Hunter? Gone. Is it a big deal? Maybe not. I'll be very interested to see the kind of numbers Torii puts up this year for the Angels. Usually guys like Torii see a major downturn in production the year after signing a big free agent contract (Copyright Alfonso Soriano). And my guess is that he doesn't make it the whole season without an extended DL stint (ditto Copyright Alfonso Soriano). We'll see about that.

The Twins big trade with the Rays was both surprising and refreshing for long time fans of the club. It was good to see the long time "we don't trade pitching prospects" stance soften under the leadership of new G.M. Bill Smith. The fact of the matter is that it doesn't do you a lot of good to have a team with Santana, Liriano and Garza if you're going to lose every game 2-1 due to a lack of offensive production.

Delmon Young is an intriguing young player...when he's not throwing bats at umpires.

Hopefully he's got that out of his system. I just think it's a beautiful thing to have a young outfielder that has the potential to put up genuinely huge offensive numbers. Not to mention his durability--he's one of the youngest players ever (22) to play all 162 games in his rookie season. Hopefully that will continue. Though, I'm a little worried about him roaming the Metrodome outfield, as he's known to be a below -par outfielder. Hopefully we won't see another Lew Ford style 'giving a fat guy an inside the park homer' situation this year. One of those is enough for a lifetime.

And now on to the granddaddy of Hot Stove speculation--what about Johan Santana? My inkling is that we have seen Santana pitch his last game in a Twins uniform. With the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, Dodgers and Angels all seeking his services, it's likely that one of those teams will do what it takes to land the two-time Cy Young award winner. A few people have asked me if I think it's 'good' or 'bad' that the Twins are going to trade Santana, but I don't think you can put it in those categories. It's just a fact; the Twins often have to trade off marquee players at the peak of their careers because Carl Pohlad is the stingiest billionaire in the country. But it's hard to blame the Twins on this one. Santana will be looking for a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 years/$120 million. That's a lot of coin.

The best trade scenario for the Twins would be to work a deal with the Mets that would bring Jose Reyes to Minneapolis. Mets GM, Omar Minaya, has balked at the idea whenever it's discussed, but that doesn't mean it's out of the question. The fact is, the Mets DESPERATELY need a top shelf starter--far more than any of the other teams listed. I still think it's a very long shot, but anything can happen at the winter meetings next week.

The next best option would be to trade him to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes. Not only would that send two great young pitchers to Minneapolis, it would also guarantee that, between Cabrera, Cuddyer and Young, the Twins would have the best stable of outfield arms in all of MLB.

The Boston deal is out of the question unless it includes Jacoby Ellsbury, whom the Red Sox seem completely unwilling to give up. Their loss. If they want the best pitcher on the planet to be a Yankee, their blood is on their own heads.

I guess that's about all for now. The GM winter meetings start on Sunday in Nashville, so the few of you who made it to the end of this post should stay tuned for more information. With any luck, there will be much more Twins news to discuss in the coming days.