Center Fielder Aaron Hicks recorded his first Big League hit against the Detroit Tigers

The Minnesota Twins ended their opening series against the Detroit Tigers with unexpectedly winning 2 of the 3 games. After losing their Home and Season Opener 4-2, they came back fresh two days later to continue battling the Tigers, who were swept in the World Series last October.

The Twins trailed for nearly the entire game on the April third contest. With a score of 2-1 in the Tigers’ favor going into the ninth, the Twins felt a little unsettled. Eduardo Escobar responded with a clutch walk-off, two-run double to end the game, boosting the Twins above their rivals in a 3-2 win. Whewfta! Their first win of 2013 is in the books.

The Twins recorded a breezy win the following day. Leading 3-2 into the eighth, the Twins rallied and scored a whopping more 5 more runs to end the game with an 8-2 victory. Now that is uncharacteristic of both teams, but it was certainly a nice change of pace.

Despite the fact that it was the opening series of the 2013 campaign, Target Field held a record-low attendance of just above 22,000 fans (the previous record was approximately 27,000. The average is approximately 30,000).

(Former) top prospect Aaron Hicks earned the starting center fielder position as he had a successful Spring Training. Hicks went 0-4 during his Major League debut, but ultimately got his first Big League hit on April 4 (Prince Fielder kindly gave Hicks the ball, too).

I’d say that the Twinkies had a solid first series. The Twins take on the Orioles at Camden Yards this Friday – Sunday.

Hopefully the Twins can regain their reputation they had in the early 2000s. I’m planning on sitting tight for a couple years while the guys in our farm system develop and progress. Then, we should undoubtedly be contenders.

View: Eduardo Escobar’s Walk-Off Double

Why I’m a Mike Trout Fan

Mike Trout is an animal. He is a 21-year-old superhuman. He had a breakout rookie year last season with the Angels, and continues to prove that he is not only worthy to be in the Bigs, but also that he can beat a lot of veterans in more areas than one.

At Spring Training weigh-in, Trout weighed in at 241 lbs which concerned a lot of “Trout Skeptics”. But I say – forget those people! He is nearly all muscle and will be fully capable to bring his A-game by Opening Day.

Trout graduated from Millville High School in New Jersey where he was a pitcher and catcher. However, he switched to outfield his senior year and landed a record-shattering 18 home runs during this campaign.

He was drafted by the Angels’ farm team, the Arizona Angels, in 2009 and quickly earned his way up to where he wanted to be. Throughout 2009-2011, Trout had a rocky start going up-and-down from the Majors to the Minors, but he truly broke ground during the 2012 season. As an Anaheim Angel, Trout set franchise and league records left and right.

Suffice to say, this guy is a beast. I watched him play against the San Diego Padres in Peoria, AZ. I knew I wanted to pick up a Cactus Leaguer, and I knew I wanted to see Trout play. It was perfection wrapped in a hot sunny day.

I walk in the back entrance of Peoria Sports Complex (ST home of the Padres and Mariners), and the first player in uniform I saw was the one and only Mike Trout. Stationed in left field, my dream had come true – I was finally seeing Mike Trout in person – he really does exist! 

You see, I’m not only a Trout fan, I’m a true baseball fan who appreciates the beauty of talented ballplayers. It takes a lot of skill and dedication to become Major League ready, and oftentimes it’s a kind of skill that hard work just cannot produce.

Mike Trout received the American League Rookie of the Year award for his 2012 season. Meanwhile, 20-year-old phenomenon Bryce Harper of the Nationals won the same award for the National League. It has been noted that Harper used to get home from school, exchange his school backpack for his baseball bag, and put in roughly 6-8 hours of baseball practice per night. The hard work is continuing to pay off as the monster is accomplishing similar feats as Trout on the opposite end of the country.

(Harper swings a .54 oz bat during batting practice)

And to explain this rare case of Extra-Terrestrial-Super-Human-Baseball-Stud-Syndrome, take a look for yourself: Bryce Harper – Mike Trout Phenoms

This is what it means to be a baseball player.

That’s shouldn’t be an insult anymore. We’ve all seen the timeless baseball movie, The Sandlot, when Ham Porter and his sandlot gang throw this insult at Phillips of the cocky neighborhood team.

Phillips stood there shocked that Ham Porter said this. His only comeback was to schedule a match-up and call Porter “Buffalo Butt Breath” Oooo, ouch.

What does this saying “You play ball like a girl” mean anymore? Well, quite frankly, it still has similar implications as it has always had. But, I think we are making strides in the right direction. I think enough girls are proving themselves on the diamond and dispelling this insult.

That’s great, BUT, it’s not where I want things to be. Girls are making a huge impact on the game of softball, but I see so much room for women’s growth and development in hardball. Currently there are roughly 150,000 girls who participate in youth baseball, but only about 1,000 of them actually go on to play for their high school team.

As a girl who played baseball until my senior year of high school, I have an undeniable passion for girls’ involvement in the game. If we start them young and provide the right opportunities, girls should have the right to compete in the best game on earth – baseball.

MLB’s fan base is currently 40% female. Imagine if women’s baseball was actually promoted and encouraged? Female’s involvement with baseball (on and off the field) would skyrocket!

This may sound silly. You may be thinking, but girls can’t play baseball like boys can, To that, I would say, in some cases you would be correct. Sure women develop differently, but I could show you plenty of hard-hitting females who can crank cheddar bombs with great ease.

Justine Siegal is the first woman to ever throw BP to an MLB team (Cleveland Indians, Oakland A’s, and Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros and New York Mets) and to coach first base in men’s pro baseball. She is the founder and CEO of Baseball For All, an organization that aims at promoting women in baseball.

Although women stopped playing in the Big Leagues after World War II, there are still opportunities for women to get involved. Like Justine’s mission suggests, women are increasingly showing more interest in the game, so her organization (among a few others) have begun to devote their careers to making a way for women to play hardball.

Enough with this softball talk. Girls like myself want to play baseball.

Oh, and enjoy a classic clip from the best movie ever made:

We’re about to get rolling here. But first, let me introduce myself. Name’s Chelsey Falzone, yes like the Italian inside-out pizza but with an F. I’m a little bit of a freak: for baseball and Jesus. For the most part, I will keep the two directly separate but of course they have everything to do with each other. Anyway, when people ask me what I’m interested in for mere conversational purposes, I say baseball.

“Oh really?” They always ask, “That’s so fascinating!”

Why? Why is that so fascinating? Is it because I’m a girl?

Growing up, I told people “I play baseball”, and their immediate response was usually, “Do you mean softball?”

HA! Oh, my mistake, I guess I don’t know the difference between the girl’s sport and the guys’.  

I played baseball with the boys and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I grew up studying the game. I know the ins-and-outs of how hardball came to be. Although I’m still learning, there’s not much you can stump me on other than the different types of beer drank by Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb; (although I don’t know if that’s documented anywhere).

As a woman in the game, I feel entitled and even required to form educated, well-informed and even original opinions about Big League happenings. I’m a St. Paul native with the intertwined TC logo branded on my heart. Having that said, my affinity for the Twins comes first, then for any team who beats the Yankees, White Sox, or Tigers.

I’m an unconditional supporter of Joe Mauer – not only because he’s freakishly fine – but also for having one of the most beautiful swings in baseball. Don’t tell me he’s a wuss, I don’t want to hear it. Oh, and for those who ride the A-Rod Bashing Bus, we will get along just fine.

Be sure to stay tuned for regular chatter about the game. I certainly won’t stay limited to the PED clinic revelations, or any one topic for that matter. I encourage you to test my knowledge.

I know the game.