Minnesota Twins

Jeff Trout tries never to miss a Los Angeles Angels game since his son, Mike, is a fixture in the outfield. And Jeff Trout enjoys seeing his old manager, Charlie Manuel, guide the Phillies, a team the elder Trout has been following his entire life. Jeff Trout is a former minor-leaguer who reached as high as double A. After finishing second in the nation in batting at Delaware in 1983, he was drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins. He began his pro career with the single-A Wisconsin Rapids, where his manager was Manuel.

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel is the favorite to be the first manager fired this season, according to online sportsbook Bovada . Although Manuel was beloved during the Phillies run of five straight division titles, topped by the World Series win in 2008, he's now 69, in the last year of his contract, and the team's off to another slow start, falling to 6-9 after getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds. This morning, sports yakker Angelo Cataldi led a call for Manuel's ouster, saying, "We would really love it to happen," promoting a poll and getting lots of agreement from callers.

They won the World Series fair and square. No one can say that, when their postseason time came, the Minnesota Twins didn't rise to the magnitude of the moment. It is only when you start to call them the best team in baseball that you run into trouble. They won the games they had to win, but the Minnesota Twins got to those games in the most unusual manner of any World Series winner in history. You could look it up. What follows are the eight reasons the Twins are the worst Best Team in Baseball of all time: They won fewer games during the season (85)

Here's a Monday score: Mother Nature 2, Major League Baseball 0. The game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies in Denver Monday night was postponed by a snowstorm - the third time in eight days that the white stuff has frozen out the summer pastime at Coors Field. In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins were proactive, preemptively postponing their game against the Miami Marlins seven hours before game time, while it was still 45 degrees and way before a single flake could fall at Target Field.

As usual when the Minnesota Twins have a monster night, Kirby Puckett was right in the middle of things. "I feel like every time I go up to the plate I'm going to get a hit," said Puckett, who had three hits and a career-high seven RBI to help the Twins clobber the visiting Boston Red Sox, 21-2, for their sixth straight win. "I feel if I get a good pitch I'm going to get a hit. But I'm just the same old Kirby. I'm just up there hacking. " The Twins raked six Boston pitchers for a club-record 21 runs, including a record-tying 11 in the fifth and a season-high 22 hits, including 10 in the fifth, eight of which were consecutive.

On Monday, the Puck stopped here. And all Kirby Puckett did for the next three days was tell everyone he talked to how much he sure did love what he saw of Philadelphia. Then, of course, yesterday he went out and signed with somebody else. Puckett, 31, went back to his old team, the Minnesota Twins, for $30 million for five years. And once again, the Phillies were left to ponder how close they may have come to reeling in one of the biggest free-agent fish ever. "He just called me and said, 'I really was leaning your way,' " Phillies president Bill Giles said late yesterday afternoon.

Mike Pelfrey once was a promising prospect for the New York Mets, a ground ball-inducing machine who chewed up innings and bats with a hard sinker that tumbled out of his 6-foot-7 frame. He's 28 years old now, coming off of Tommy John surgery and was sitting in the free-agent bargain bin, which is where the Minnesota Twins have been shopping for starting pitchers this offseason. The Twins agreed to terms with the righthander on a one-year, $4 million contract on Tuesday, adding him to the mix that includes Scott Diamond, Vance Worley, and Kevin Correia.

IN 1984, Charlie Manuel was the manager for the Orlando Twins, the Minnesota Twins' Double A affiliate. The team wasn't very good - it finished 21 games under .500 - but then-40-year-old Manuel had a savvy, experienced starter in 27-year-old Jay Pettibone. "Sinker, slider [guy]," Manuel recalled on Monday afternoon. "He was smart. " In 1983, Pettibone had pitched in four games with the major league Twins. He also made 25 starts that summer and won 13 games. Thirty years later, Manuel would love to have the same dependability from Pettibone's son. Jonathan Pettibone, called up to fill John Lannan's place in the rotation this weekend, was that kind of pitcher on Day 1 of his big-league career.

Alex Rodriguez doesn't feel ready to join the New York Yankees' lineup anytime soon. Rodriguez said after his final minor league rehabilitation game with the Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in Moosic, that he will not play for the AL-East leading Yankees today when they open a series at Minnesota. Rodriguez was noncommittal about tomorrow's game as well. "Offensively, I feel like I'm there," Rodriguez said last night. "The next day or two are the last final stages.

Here's a Monday score: Mother Nature 2, Major League Baseball 0. The game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies in Denver Monday night was postponed by a snowstorm - the third time in eight days that the white stuff has frozen out the summer pastime at Coors Field. In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins were proactive, preemptively postponing their game against the Miami Marlins seven hours before game time, while it was still 45 degrees and way before a single flake could fall at Target Field.

IN 1984, Charlie Manuel was the manager for the Orlando Twins, the Minnesota Twins' Double A affiliate. The team wasn't very good - it finished 21 games under .500 - but then-40-year-old Manuel had a savvy, experienced starter in 27-year-old Jay Pettibone. "Sinker, slider [guy]," Manuel recalled on Monday afternoon. "He was smart. " In 1983, Pettibone had pitched in four games with the major league Twins. He also made 25 starts that summer and won 13 games. Thirty years later, Manuel would love to have the same dependability from Pettibone's son. Jonathan Pettibone, called up to fill John Lannan's place in the rotation this weekend, was that kind of pitcher on Day 1 of his big-league career.

Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel is the favorite to be the first manager fired this season, according to online sportsbook Bovada . Although Manuel was beloved during the Phillies run of five straight division titles, topped by the World Series win in 2008, he's now 69, in the last year of his contract, and the team's off to another slow start, falling to 6-9 after getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds. This morning, sports yakker Angelo Cataldi led a call for Manuel's ouster, saying, "We would really love it to happen," promoting a poll and getting lots of agreement from callers.

Mike Pelfrey once was a promising prospect for the New York Mets, a ground ball-inducing machine who chewed up innings and bats with a hard sinker that tumbled out of his 6-foot-7 frame. He's 28 years old now, coming off of Tommy John surgery and was sitting in the free-agent bargain bin, which is where the Minnesota Twins have been shopping for starting pitchers this offseason. The Twins agreed to terms with the righthander on a one-year, $4 million contract on Tuesday, adding him to the mix that includes Scott Diamond, Vance Worley, and Kevin Correia.

Jeff Trout tries never to miss a Los Angeles Angels game since his son, Mike, is a fixture in the outfield. And Jeff Trout enjoys seeing his old manager, Charlie Manuel, guide the Phillies, a team the elder Trout has been following his entire life. Jeff Trout is a former minor-leaguer who reached as high as double A. After finishing second in the nation in batting at Delaware in 1983, he was drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins. He began his pro career with the single-A Wisconsin Rapids, where his manager was Manuel.

RIGHTHANDER Jered Weaver threw his first no-hitter as the Angels pounded the Minnesota Twins, 9-0, Wednesday night. The only two baserunners for the Twins were Chris Parmelee in the second inning when he struck out and ended up on first on a passed ball by catcher Chris Iannetta and a seventh-inning walk to Josh Willingham on a 3-and-2 count. The Angels collected a season-high 15 hits. Howie Kendrick went 4-for-4 with a three-run home run. Weaver (4-0) struck out eight and walked just nine on his way to the near-perfect game.

The Manny Ramirez sweepstakes (and it's hard not to think of it as a sweepstakes when you're talking about a fellow with 555 career home runs) ended Monday with his decision to join the Oakland Athletics. Officially, he agreed to a minor-league contract. Unofficially, he signed for about $500,000, according to ESPN. Also officially, Ramirez will have to serve a 50-game suspension for his second positive drug test before he can play for the A's, meaning that, barring rainouts, his first game could be May 30 - on his 40th birthday.

JAMIE MOYER has been offered a minor league contract by the Colorado Rockies, a source confirmed to the Daily News. The source also said Moyer was awaiting an offer from another team. Moyer, who turned 49 in November, spent the last 4 1/2 of his 24 major league seasons with the Phillies. Moyer, 267-204 lifetime with a 4.24 ERA, was 56-40 for the Phillies, including 16-7 when they won the World Series in 2008. Moyer was 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA in 2010 but had elbow ligament surgery and missed last season.

Well, that was a magical first half of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Buccos got a glimpse of first back in July, before fading (something they usually do in, oh, April or May). At least their fans have the yellowing clipping of the midsummer standings (or is it a screen-shot these days?) to show to future generations who don't believe it can be done. No so fast, though. Good times may still be in the offing for the future. Tough-nut Clint Hurdle is still the manager, and something tells us he won't be taking the Iron City's baseball status quo without a fight.

EVEN WITH Alex Rodriguez back in the lineup for the first time in more than 6 weeks, the New York Yankees still found themselves needing an offensive spark in the later innings against Minnesota. And manager Joe Girardi wasn't surprised that Curtis Granderson was provided it. Granderson flew around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to help the Yankees to a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis yesterday in A-Rod's first game back since July 7. "Nothing he does really surprises me anymore," Girardi said of Granderson.