A total of 19 former players are on the ballot for the 2009 class of the Twins Hall of Fame.

After receiving increased support in each of his first 11 years on the Hall of Fame ballot, Bert Blyleven is hoping this will be the year he's enshrined in Cooperstown.

Little by little, Hall of Fame support has quietly grown for Jack Morris, whose credentials as the winningest pitcher of the 1980s and a hero in the postseason have received more attention each winter. As a result, what had been the case of a ballot also-ran now could be changing towards an eventual Hall of Fame dark horse.

In this week's mailbag, Kelly Thesier fields questions regarding the Twins' rotation, Loek Van Mil's injury status, and Matthew LeCroy's new career.

The deadline for teams to offer salary arbitration to their free agents is Monday, and the Twins face a decision on one of their four free agents.

Coming off a stellar season on the field, the Twins are hoping their run at a division crown gives them momentum to accomplish good things off the field.

More than 50 current, former and future Twins players are expected to be in attendance throughout the course of TwinsFest 2009, set for Fri., Jan. 23 through Sun., Jan 25 at the Metrodome.

At a rally on Monday to kick off the final season of the Metrodome, Justin Morneau spoke of his hopes to say goodbye to the ballpark by winning another championship there.

Twins new and old gathered on Monday to kick off the 2009 season, in which the ballclub will say goodbye to the Metrodome, the place they've called home since 1982.

Which Minor League prospects didn't make the 40-man roster? Why didn't Pat Neshek immediately have surgery when he injured his arm this season? Beat reporter Kelley Thesier answers these questions and more in the latest edition of the mailbag.

The plastic sheeting covering one-third of Target Field and the large heaters found throughout the work site are a clear sign that winter has arrived in Minnesota.

Twins outfielder Denard Span had some stiff competition when it came to earning Rookie of the Year honors for his own team in 2008. But on Thursday, Span was recognized as one of the best rookies in the Major Leagues last season.

The Twins took precautions Wednesday to avoid losing some of their prospects in next month's Rule 5 Draft, adding eight players to their 40-man roster.

Twins right-handed reliever Pat Neshek can now begin his long road to recovery after undergoing Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery on Tuesday morning.

Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer finished second and fourth, respectively, in voting for the American League MVP Award.

Jim Rantz, the Twins' director of Minor League operations, was named the inaugural winner of the Sheldon "Chief" Bender Award by Minor League Baseball on Monday. The recipient of the Bender Award is someone with distinguished service who has been instrumental in player development.