Extra Bases

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This is a blog devoted to the Twins' AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. It's maintained by the Democrat & Chronicle, the daily newspaper in Rochester.

Latest Content from Extra Bases

Raker, TPlouffe and Johnny Cakes: via Extra Bases June 14, 2013 at 10:09 PM; Did a long interview and shot some video of Red Wings first baseman Chris Colabello on Thursday. The piece will appear later next week in the Democrat and Chronicle. Colabello’s story is well-told by now: seven years in the independent leagues, a big-league callup at age 29. But there is much more to the story, [...]
Wings Are Downright Offensive: via Extra Bases May 31, 2013 at 10:09 PM; Baseball is a funny game. If the Red Wings had lost the past three games to Lehigh Valley 7-1, 7-1 and 10-2, panic would be at an all-time high. But because they won 8-7, 8-7 and 13-10, hopes are sky high. The moral of the story is: The offense saved the pitching staff big time [...]
Why Joe Had To Go: via Extra Bases May 25, 2013 at 10:09 PM; There are actually some fans on Twitter today who are ripping the Twins for losing former second-round draft pick Joe Benson on waivers to the Texas Rangers. And to that, I ask, “Why?” Benson played himself out of any chance of a future with the Twins. He hit .192 with 1 homer and 9 RBI [...]
Nice Guys Finish First: via Extra Bases May 23, 2013 at 10:51 PM; You don’t toil in the lower independent leagues to get rich or famous. You do it because you love the game of baseball, and you have faith in yourself. Chris Colabello is such a person. And Wednesday, a lifelong dream was realized when the first baseman was promoted to the Minnesota Twins. Chris was riding [...]
Chatting With Legends: via Extra Bases May 09, 2013 at 10:09 PM; I’ve had an interesting week of interviews leading up to the MLB PepsiMax Field of Dreams legends game at Frontier Field. So far, I’ve talked to Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Trevor Hoffman and Johnny Bench. Next week, I’ve got the Big Kahuna: Reggie Jackson. Now, what do you ask Reggie in 10 minutes? I’ve learned [...]
April Not So Cruel After All: via Extra Bases April 30, 2013 at 10:09 PM; The Red Wings are far from out of the woods, but they are breathing going into May. And after a 2-11 start, I wasn’t sure they would be. Here’s why fans and media shouldn’t overrate the start of the season: The Red Wings started out 8-0 in 2004 and finished 10-11 in April. That’s hard [...]
Slip Sliding Away, Again: via Extra Bases April 23, 2013 at 10:01 PM; You’ve heard the term “reinventing themselves?” The 2013 Red Wings are inventing new ways to lose in what has been an utterly frustrating start to (I thought) a promising season. Monday night at Frontier Field, the Pawtucket Red Sox used a rare 3-5 fielder’s choice to snuff out a Wings rally in the bottom of [...]
Don’t Give Up On Wings Yet: via Extra Bases April 17, 2013 at 10:19 AM; So fans are peppering me on Twitter with “world is ending” tweets about their beloved Red Wings. One accused me of predicting a playoff team (I didn’t). Another said the Wings will lose 110 games (they won’t). Many are accusing the Red Wings front office and the local media of not caring about winning. While [...]
Big Papi To Face Red Wings: via Extra Bases April 11, 2013 at 12:19 PM; The Red Wings will face Big Papi for four games beginning Thursday night at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. Red Sox DH David Ortiz will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with the Triple-A PawSox, Boston manager John Farrell said in a radio interview. Ortiz is out with right Achilles tendinopathy and completed three days of [...]
Time To Meet The Wings: via Extra Bases April 02, 2013 at 08:55 AM; Woke up this morning and saw snow covering the ground. And of course my first thought was, “It’s baseball week!” Media Day at Frontier Field starts in a few hours. I’ll be filing a report later, plus a video on the goings on at Frontier Field. In the meantime, I thought I’d pass along this [...]
Meet the 2013 Red Wings: via Extra Bases March 29, 2013 at 09:07 AM; OK, I’ve written my list and check it twice. We’ll find out this season who’s naughty and nice. Here is the unofficial 2013 Red Wings roster, compiled by me with a little help from my friends (and my talk with Wings skipper Gene Glynn). NOTHING is set in stone until the Twins break camp. The [...]
Walters To Start Opener: via Extra Bases March 28, 2013 at 12:07 PM; Red Wings manager Gene Glynn told me by phone this morning that he expects veteran right-hander P.J. Walters to start the season opener in Buffalo on Thursday. Walters split time between Rochester (3-3, 4.01 ERA) and Minnesota (2-5, 5.69) last year. Gene’s rotation (in no particular order) is expected to be Walters, Pedro Hernandez, Kyle [...]
Wings Nearly Off And Running: via Extra Bases March 26, 2013 at 02:19 PM; The Red Wings’ season opener is just nine days away, even though stubborn Mother Nature would like us to think otherwise. Here’s a look at what next week will bring: MONDAY – The team will break camp in Fort Myers, Fla., and fly together as a team to Rochester, arriving at the airport at 1:34 [...]
Brace Yourselves, Yankee Fans: via Extra Bases March 21, 2013 at 02:19 PM; Yankees fans have had a lot to brag about since Bill Clinton was in his first term. But your beloved Bombers could be entering the dark ages. The Yankees have made the postseason an astounding 17 of the last 18 seasons, a golden era which includes five World Series titles. But an aging, brittle roster [...]
Goodbye, Old Friend: via Extra Bases March 13, 2013 at 09:01 AM; When I was an aspiring sports writer in the early 1980s, I was afraid of Rick Woodson. I had never met the man, but I read his columns on the Bills religiously, and they often were filled with venom. I can understand it now; the Bills stunk. But back then, all I thought was how [...]
WBC Loaded With Ex-Wings: via Extra Bases February 27, 2013 at 11:19 AM; Tim Doohan, the Red Wings’ new director of media relations, sent along this interesting note about the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Tim, by the way, is a Webster Thomas graduate who played basketball for the great Bill O’Rourke Jr. I told him I’m a Webster Schroeder grad but hope we can still be friends. The [...]
Goodbye, Willie. Goodbye, Mark: via Extra Bases February 03, 2013 at 09:50 AM; One of my favorite former Red Wings is hanging up his spikes. Pitcher Willie Eyre announced last week he is retiring after a 14-year pro career that included big-league stints with Minnesota, Texas and Baltimore. Eyre pitched for the Wings from 2003-05 and turned in one of the great recent seasons from a reliever, going [...]
Three Legends Leave Us: via Extra Bases January 23, 2013 at 04:48 PM; I want to devote this blog to three people who passed away this week, all with Rochester ties. Stan Musial was here for a cup of coffee in 1941. Earl Weaver stuck around for two seasons in the mid-1960s. And the late, great Jean Giambrone? Well, she blessed us for 91 years. Stan Musial – [...]
HOF Writers Toss Shutout: via Extra Bases January 09, 2013 at 04:48 PM; And the winner is: Nobody. Not the media. Not the fans. Not the owners. And certainly not the star players from baseball’s infamous steroid era who were shut out in Hall of Fame voting Wednesday. It is only the eighth time since the Hall began in 1936 that no player has been elected by the [...]
Twins Moves Will Help Wings: via Extra Bases December 17, 2012 at 04:48 PM; I apologize for the length between blogs. I have been working on two major projects. One of them ran today – my piece on retiring Channel 10 legend Rich Funke. Check it out here: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20121217/SPORTS/312170023/Broadcaster-Rich-Funke-leaves-legacy-of-coverage-community-and-caring The other runs Dec. 30 – a retrospective on the 1987 Syracuse University footba