Morning Notes: March 22, 2026

**I need some suggestions for what you'd like to see covered in the coming week as the season approaches.

**The Joe Mauer deal got done. As a Twins fan, I wasn't too nervous about it, but it is definitely a good feeling to have the greatest catcher of our generation and the face of the franchise locked up.

**Yes, the discussion question yesterday was Zach Stewart vs. Kyle Drabek. I didn't want to give too much information away when I asked the question, and I know it would have been a lot closer if I had mentioned the names. The point of the exercise was not to diss Drabek, but to demonstrate exactly how strong Stewart's profile (statistical and otherwise) really is. The guy is seriously underrated in my view, and I buy into the opinion that he can be a starter.

**We now have a dedicated Facebook page for Minor League Ball.

That's just getting started, but go ahead and sign up so that you don't miss anything. More on that below the fold.

**A lot of you have signed up as "friends" for my John Sickels Facebook page. One of the disadvantages of running a business is that if I express myself on something non-baseball related, I lose customers. I have strong opinions about matters political and otherwise, and I've lost customers because of this over the years.

    As a capitalist businessman, I don't want to lose customers, but at the same time I think that engaging in political debate and expression is a key part of being an active citizen in a democracy. I've decided that I'm tired of holding back such expression, but at the same time I don't want to alienate people who just want to read about baseball. Therefore, my personal John Sickels Facebook page is for personal expression and opinions, while the Minor League Ball Facebook page will be for baseball matters. 

     If you've already friend-ed me at John Sickels but don't want to read my personal blithering about non-baseball things, you can stick with the baseball stuff at with the new Minor League Ball Facebook page. Baseball is something that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on.  I've always wanted to have a good baseball discussion with George Will, even though I disagree with him about most other issues.  

   Please sign up at Minor League Ball on Facebook!