¡VIVA RIVAS!

In the usually quiet period between the winter meetings and spring training, the Twins managed to brew up a storm of news over the weekend.

Joe Mauer signed a four-year, $33 million contract, and the Twins' stadium plans are in danger of falling through due to price haggling on the downtown ballpark site.

Let's break down the Mauer contract:

2007: 1 million Jimmy John's turkey subs ($3.75M)
2008: 1.66 million JJ's turkey subs ($6.25M)
2009: 2.88 million JJ's turkey subs ($10.5M)
2010: 3.33 million JJ's turkey subs ($12.5M)

As you can see, this is one of the most significant deals in Twins and Major League Baseball history. Mauer and his agent, Ron Shapiro, insisted on payment in Jimmy John's Turkey Tom sandwiches -- a bold, unprecedented move. Giving 3.3 million Jimmy John's sandwiches to one player in a single season is simply unheard of. What is there left to say other than, "Joe, can I come over for dinner?"

Notes:
--Apparently Joe and Read Deal are good friends.
--Pure speculation at this point, but St. Paul could get another shot at the Twins stadium if the current deal falls through.
--...or perhaps a suburb could be in the running. Nick Coleman gives us a hint: it rhymes with shroomington.
--Remember former Tigers pitcher C.J. Nitkowski? He's now playing in Japan, and just filed the first dispatch in a season-long series on his impressions of Japanese baseball. Interesting insider look into the game in the land of the rising sun -- check it out.
--In case you missed it on Kare 11 news or on BatGirl, Les Straker is missing. The Twins need him in August for the 20th anniversary of the 1987 team! Can you help find him?