Red, Cream and Blue Colored Jerseys

AS I WAS WATCHING Stephen Strasburg pitch against Cleveland on Sunday, it occurred to me how much of a throwback feel the Indians home alternate jerseys have. Part of it is the simple block letters in the front as well as the red-on-blue "C" logo on the cap. But the back of the jersey also stands out to me because of the absence of the nameplate. So the only two things you see are the small MLB logo at the top and the number. It's dead simple, yet has that old-fashioned, All-American look to it.



It made me wonder if there were any other jerseys out there like this one with red and blue, and the only other one you'll find is the Minnesota Twins home jersey which includes pinstripes. The Phillies, Giants and Mets also make use of the cream-colored jersey, just that they also have nameplates and/or an alternate color such as orange in the MLB logo.

Joe Mauer Dips into Mr. Pohlad's Wallet

WOW, THAT'S A HUGE CONTRACT the Twins just gave Joe Mauer. $182 million for only eight years! But you know what's even more amazing? That the Pohlad empire has finally loosened the purse strings after so many years of creative bookkeeping and supposed negative cash flow. All money talk aside, this easily trumps the bad news about the other Joe (Nathan) in the Twin Cities.

Vintage Joe Mauer: A.L. MVP '09

A MUCH DESERVED AWARD for Minnesota Twins backstop and hitter extraordinaire Joe Mauer. Whenever I think about Mauer, the first thing that comes to mind is the vintage Twins catcher's helmet he wears. So in honor of his MVP award, I've chosen this view for this sketch.

Jake Peavy and the Twins Deny the White Sox

TALK ABOUT A DOWNER OF A DAY, it doesn't get much worse for a team to get thumped by a division rival and then turned down on a trade approval, but that's exactly what happened to the White Sox today. The Twins had been struggling, especially after those three consecutive walk-off losses to the Yanks, so they pretty much took it out on the Sox, crushing them 20-1. Then the Sox get the news that Padres ace Jake Peavy rejects their trade offer. It makes you wonder how it all unfolded. Was Peavy sitting in the clubhouse watching Sportscenter replay highlights of the Twins/Sox blowout and taking a sweet-talk call from White Sox GM Kenny Williams? Probably not, but today's news was nothing short of comical genius.

Three Consecutive Yankee Walk-offs

THE ONLY THING that would have been more incredible about the three consecutive Yankee walk-off victories over the weekend is if it had happened during a postseason. Even so, with all the shenanigans that have occurred off the field in the Bronx this year, this is one of those series that you talk about for a long time like the '78 Boston Massacre. Hats off the Girardi for navigating the team through a tough series, and if you're human, you can't help but feel for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, one of the most respected and even-keeled skippers in the game.

Twins Battery Mates Still Recharging

BOOF BONSER'S TRIP TO THE DL might not be as big a blow to the Twins as losing Joe Mauer, not to mention Scott Baker as well. Not only is Mauer (the Twins best hitter outside of Justin Morneau) out to start the season, but nobody knows when he'll be back. And with all that bending over, I've gotta think that the back is the last kind of place you want your catcher to be injured. Hopefully it won't be for too long because Mauer is a special hitter.