Hello, Jon Rauch

The Minnesota Twins were marching into the 2010 season and excitement was at a high level. The Twins were coming off a Central Division title and had signed home town hero, Joe Mauer, to an extension that should have Mauer retiring as a Twinkie. The new outdoors stadium, Target Field, is set to open. Expectations were out the roof. Get that one? Baseball was good in the Twin Cities.

KABOOM. That sound was Joe Nathan’s right arm. Nathan announced that he will undergo “Tommy John” surgery to replace the ligament in his elbow. The Twins will be without one of the best closers in the game and now have a gaping hole in the bullpen.

Fret not Twin fans; meet your new closer, Jon Rauch. Rauch is the 6 foot, 11 inch tall monster that Minnesota picked up in a trade with the Diamondbacks last August and he just happens to be the tallest player in MLB history. He’s a journeyman reliever that was originally drafted in 1999 out of Morehead St and won a Gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games. The guy has so many tattoos, they all have special meaning by the way, that Sports Illustrated did a story on him in 2007. Here is the link. Rauch has turned a question mark into a major strength this first week of the season. With some scruffy facial hair and his visible neck tattoo, which happens to be two wedding rings intertwined that symbolize his marriage, Rauch has turned up the intimidation factor. Great results have followed. Rauch leads the Major Leagues with 4 saves in 4 chances, has allowed only one run, and has no walks in 4 innings of work. If Rauch can keep this up, Joe Nathan might be looking for a new home.