Staring at that hat for too long hurts my brain.n Farm ReportSatire Reggie Sanders Jersey , Irreverence, & Other HumorGame RecapsOpinionTwins vs. Vikings: The ultimate battleNew,35commentsStaring at that hat for too long hurts my brain.ByZach KoenigSep 23, 2018,8:00am EDTShareTweetShareShareTwins vs. Vikings: The ultimate battleA couple of Sundays ago, the Minnesota Vikings kicked off their football season. Yes, I realize I’m writing this for TwinkieTown and not Daily Norseman. But being Minnesota born-and-raised, I have almost an equal affinity for both clubs. Almost.Before I get too much further here, let me also say this to head off potential comments: Despite actually living a year or two of my life in Roseau, MN, I have never been a hockey fan. Despite standing 6’8” tall, basketball hasn’t really done much for me http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , either. I don’t begrudge anyone who loves those two sports (except maybe when the damn Wild game is on FSN so I have to find FSN+), but they just aren’t for me. No, I am strictly a baseball/football guy.My initiation into baseball came much sooner (early 1990s), what with my Dad teaching me the sport, taking me to games, enrolling me in little league, and my love for baseball literature. But then, in 1998, the Vikings drafted this guy named Randy Moss and suddenly watching him catch those long, arching passes seemed fun too. From that point, 20 years ago, I’ve been a fan of both Minnie & Paul and the Purple & Gold.One thing I’ve often thought about is how to quantify my fan-ship of each team. Sure Joe Morgan Jersey , my TV is switched to football on Sundays through September, but that is as much a function of a 16 game season vs. 162 baseball games: I will easily trade my Twins Sunday afternoon special for the Vikings once a week.This is a stupid distinction at its core, much like the “Star Wars vs. Star Trek” debate that endlessly swirls around science fiction fandom...I grew up enjoying both franchises equally, so my response is always:But of course, where better (besides the comment section of a Facebook article) to have a completely irrational and pointless discussion than a sports blog? The only scenario I’ve ever been able conjure up to even come close to the matter of deciding my ultimate Twins/Vikings loyalty is this:If the Twins were playing in Game 7 of the World Series at the same time as the Vikings were playing in the Super Bowl, which one would you be watching? For the sake of argument here, let’s say that no split-screen technology can be used. You can flip over to one or the other “on commercials”, but ultimately you have to pick one entire contest to watch and the other gets short-shrift.Generally-speaking, Minnesota has a reputation of being more of a Purple town...and we aren’t talking Prince here. But I’ve always thought that the contingency of Twins fans is larger than most people realize. The fact that I’m posing this question on a Twins blog is obviously priming the pump for one answer, but I’d encourage you to be completely honest in how you respond (I won’t judge).Personally, though it would be an agonizing choice, I’d be tuning into Game 7. Despite all the emotion (usually tears) invested in the Vikings Dave Concepcion Jersey , baseball is still overall my favorite sport and thus the Twins my favorite team. CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox made their pitch for Bryce Harper and took a big swing at landing Manny Machado.Though they went 0 for 2 trying to sign the superstar sluggers, the White Sox enter the season still believing they are setting themselves up for success. The big reasons for that are the promising young players on the roster and in the pipeline.“We got a great group of guys in the farm system, some great arms and some great bats,” shortstop Tim Anderson said. “I think we’re gonna be just fine.”The White Sox have had six straight losing seasons and their only playoff appearance since the 2005 World Series championship season was in 2008. They went 62-100 in finishing fourth in the AL Central for the fourth year in a row and wound up with their highest loss total since the 1970 team dropped a franchise-record 106 games. They also set a major league record by striking out 1,594 times.Adding Harper or Machado would have accelerated a rebuilding project entering its third season. But either way, the White Sox are counting on young players such as infielder Yoan Moncada and right-hander Lucas Giolito to take a few steps forward. And if prized outfielder Eloy Jimenez performs as advertised, that will go a long way toward easing the sting of the disappointment in free agency.“At the end of (last) year I saw a team that was full of good players playing the game the right way, playing clean,” newcomer Yonder Alonso said. “I saw a lot of good.”Chicago opens the season at Kansas City on March 28 and its first home game is April 4 against Seattle.NEW FACESWhile Machado won’t be calling the South Side home, Chicago acquired his brother-in-law Alonso in a trade from Cleveland and signed his good friend Jon Jay. Both players figure to bring some stability to the lineup as well as leadership to the clubhouse. Jay is a.285 career hitter in nine seasons. Alonso, who is expected to share time at first base and designated hitter with Jose Abreu, has a .265 average http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , 90 homers and 389 RBIs in nine seasons. The White Sox also added right-hander Ivan Nova to their rotation and righties Kelvin Herrera and Alex Colome to their bullpen.ROOKIES TO WATCHThe door at least might be open for Jimenez to start the season in the majors. A person familiar with the situation said Wednesday the White Sox are nearing a $43 million, six-year contract with their highly regarded prospect. The contract would include team options for 2025 and 2026 that if exercised would make the agreement worth $77.5 million over eight years. Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on March 13. Without the deal, the White Sox would have to keep him in the minors for the first 20 days in order to push back his free agent eligibility by one year until after the 2025 season. Jimenez was a key part of the trade that sent pitcher Jose Quintana to the crosstown Cubs during the 2017 season. And he tore it up at Double-A and Triple-A last season, combining for a .337 average, 22 homers and 75 RBIs.NEXT STEPSThe White Sox hope a switch to third base will help Moncada cut down on the errors after he led all second basemen with 21 in his first full season. He also retooled his approach at the plate after striking out 217 times — more than anyone else. A big chunk came with him keeping the bat on his shoulder rather than swinging at a borderline pitch. Giolito’s development will also be critical. He was 10-13 with a major league-worst 6.13 ERA in 32 starts in his first full season.HEALINGOne big bummer for the White Sox is Michael Kopech won’t be available this season. The 22-year-old right-hander got called up last season and made four starts before having Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow in September. He is expected to be ready for the 2020 season. Kopech was drafted by Boston in 2014 and was a key figure along with Moncada in the trade that sent Chris Sale to the Red Sox in 2016.REGROUPAbreu is looking to bounce back in his final season before becoming eligible for free agency. Though he made his second All-Star team, he got hurt in the second half and finished with 22 homers, 78 RBIs and a .265 average — all lows since arriving from Cuba in 2014. He had at least 100 RBIs in each of his first four seasons.