Twins: Camp report | 
Miller's report
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Five things to know about the Minnesota Twins:
1. The happiest man on earth at spring training might just be Twins general manager Terry Ryan. Though it wasn't totally a bad problem to have because it meant the team was so successful, he had to work contracts this winter with Justin Morneau, AL MVP; Joe Mauer, the first catcher to win a batting title in AL history; and outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who only hit 24 homers and knocked in 109 runs, among others. The end result mostly was good -- Mauer signed a four-year, $33 million deal through 2010; Morneau signed for one-year, $4.5 million; Cuddyer for one year, $3.575 million; and reliever Jesse Crain for three years and $3.25 million. The Twins likely will attempt to sign Morneau long term, though a drained Ryan isn't going to talk about that. "I'm done talking contracts," he says. "If I kept talking contracts, it could engulf this camp."
2. The rotation is as unsettled as the positions around the diamond are settled. Brad Radke retired and Francisco Liriano is out for the season following arm surgery. Cy Young winner Johan Santana is a lock, lefty Carlos Silva is on a mission to prove last year's struggles were a fluke and Ramon Ortiz likely will be in as well. After that? Boof Bonser, based on the way he pitched last season and was slotted behind Santana in the playoffs, is almost a certainty. Which leaves Sidney Ponson and prospects Matt Garza, Scott Baker, J.D. Durbin and Glen Perkins as the most likely candidates to win the fifth starter's job.
3. Early signs in camp are that Silva is on a mission after going 11-15 with a 5.94 ERA last season and, worst of all, leaving a key Sept. 6 start with a stomachache. It was as if Silva quit on the team, and several players spoke with him about it. "He told me at the end of the year, 'I'll make people like me again next year, you'll see,'" Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson says. "He worked hard over the winter." Part of last season's struggles can be attributed to Silva missing key time while being away from camp during the World Baseball Classic. But even later in the year, he couldn't get it going. This spring, he has added a split-fingered fastball as he looks for a strong comeback.
4. The club's new stadium is still on track for 2010, but as usual, nothing is easy in that regard for the Twins. There is an ongoing dispute over the land price the county is supposed to pay the private owner, and if that isn't settled soon, it could wind up costing the club a year, pushing the new stadium's opening back to 2011. Groundbreaking is supposed to take place this summer, and the ballclub is hoping the dispute is settled before then, so plans can proceed as scheduled. "That's another reason that there's a certain energy in this organization right now," Ryan says.
5. Radke's retirement is off to a rough start. His house in Florida was discovered to have mold in it, and so the Radkes lost all of their possessions -- including every bit of his baseball memorabilia. Game balls, photos, equipment, some sentimental Kirby Puckett items, everything. The Twins are in the process of helping him to replace as much of it as possible. Meantime, Radke, an avid fisherman, is building a 14,000-square foot home in the Clearwater area of Florida.
underwonder 
