Nick’s Twins Blog

Nick’s Twins Blog is an unofficial journal featuring updates and analysis of the Minnesota Twins by 24-year-old Minneapolis resident Nick Nelson. A lifelong baseball fan, the site began in March of 2005 as Nick & Nick’s Twins Blog, a joint venture with fellow Twins fan, Nick Mosvick. When Mosvick moved to Virginia to pursue a law degree, the blog changed to its current incarnation. Through the blog, Nick discusses player performance, game strategy, team moves, prospect analysis and a wide range of other topics relating to the Twins as well as the rest of Major League Baseball. Nelson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2008 with a Journalism degree. In addition to Nick’s Twins Blog, his writing can be found at Rotoworld.com, BaseballDigest.com, Heater Magazine, GameDay Magazine, and other publications.

What was the inspiration behind starting Nick & Nick’s Twins Blog, which would eventually become Nick’s Twins Blog?

While going to school at the University of Minnesota, I sat next to a guy named Nick Mosvick in one of my freshman political science courses. It was a night class during the 2004 playoffs, and eventually we came to notice one another incessantly scanning the internet on our laptops for updates on the Twins/Yankees ALDS game that was taking place. Realizing a shared passion, we started talking Twins each week in class (often to the chagrin of our professor and surrounding classmates). At the time, I was just starting to get into early Twins blogs like Twins Geek and Aaron Gleeman, and being that I’ve always loved to write it was something I’d considered picking up. I pitched the idea to Nick, figuring we could co-author the blog and keep the workload reasonable by posting on alternating days. Thus, the blog was born.

Who or what are your top resources for Twins and general baseball news and information?

My top resource when it comes to Twins news and analysis is the vast and diverse blogosphere dedicated to the team. There are a lot of wonderful writers from all different genders, age groups and backgrounds giving their own takes on the team, and I find that by frequenting a large number of these blogs I’m able to get a very comprehensive look at the events unfolding over the course of the season. Of course, the beat writers from the local newspapers do a great job and provide us bloggers with all kinds of fodder; I can’t say I envy their jobs (the difficulty of having to objectively analyze the subject that you’re covering — not only covering, but immersed in — all year long is widely underrated, in my opinion), but I really appreciate what they do. Statistical resources like Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs.com are also invaluable.

You try to “provide a balanced look at the team without being overly positive or negative,” but no one blogs about a team for five straight years without being a serious fan. What is one of your best/favorite memories regarding the Twins that you have?

I can’t deny that I’m emotionally attached to the team. Like any hardcore sports fan, I get ticked off when the guys play poorly or when the manager makes a boneheaded decision. Some folks find it therapeutic to mash those emotions out on their keyboard, and that’s fine (it can be very entertaining to read, in fact), but I find it more prudent to take a deep breath and look at things from a broader perspective. With that being said, I don’t think I’ve ever in my life been through such an emotional roller coaster as last year’s AL Central tiebreaker between the Tigers and Twins at the Metrodome. I lucked myself into some good seats and was on pins and needles for four and a half hours as the two teams seesawed back and forth in the most thrilling sporting event I’ve ever taken in live. It was a game full of blemishes, blunders and missed opportunities, yet all it did was serve to remind me why the game is so beautiful.

What do you like/dislike about the sports blogosphere, and what would you say its role is in the sports world?

If I had to pick one thing I dislike about sports blogs, and specifically those of the stats-driven baseball analysis variety, it’s the air of conceit surrounding people’s online personalities. Too many people think it’s “cool” to be cynical of everything, and I’m often shocked with the disrespectful manner in which writers I admire address people in their comments sections. In the end, this is discourse about a game and blogs can certainly help advance that discourse, but people ought to be more respectful toward one another.

How has blogging changed your life?

In a lot of ways, really. I’ve always loved to write and now I’m being paid to do it through several side jobs. I’ve come across all of them by networking through my blog. Gleeman, who has already lived out the dream by turning his own blogging passion into a full-time profession, became a friend after he took notice of my blog several years ago and helped lead me to some great writing opportunities. Through him, I got a writing gig at Rotoworld.com (which I’m now doing for a third season), and he also referred ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer to my site, ultimately leading to an affiliation between my blog and Neyer’s SweetSpot Network. In addition, I teamed with three fellow Twins bloggers a year ago to create the TwinsCentric brand, and together we’ve produced several profitable publications while also being given the opportunity to blog on StarTribune.com.  If you’d told me back in the spring of 2005, when I started this little experiment, that it would eventually lead to my work being featured on ESPN.com and StarTribune.com, I don’t think I’d have believed it. More significant than the modest money I’ve made and the prominence my writing has gained, though, are the friendships I’ve forged through this little community.

What other blogs do you enjoy reading? Who are your favorite local Twin Cities bloggers?

Naturally, I read Gleeman , as well as my fellow TwinsCentric authors John Bonnes, Seth Stohs and Parker Hageman. I also make sure to regularly check in on my friends over at Twinkie Town, Phil Mackey/Tom Pelissero on the 1500ESPN SportsWire, Josh Johnson and countless others. I think my favorite blog of all, though, has to be that of Joe Posnanski, who is for my money the finest sportswriter alive.

What do you love the most about the Twin Cities / Minnesota and why?

I just think Minneapolis is a great city. It’s modern, progressive, clean and full of friendly people. The summers in Minnesota are unbeatable and the majority of my family and friends call this place home. Plus. I kind of like the baseball team that plays here.