February 7

Tom Daly (1866)
Pat Moran (1876)
Charlie Jamieson (1893)
Earl Whitehill (1899)
Paul Owens (1924)
Dick Wiencek (1926)
Al Smith (1928)
Juan Pizarro (1937)
Burt Hooton (1950)
Benny Ayala (1951)
Dan Quisenberry (1953)
Damaso Garcia (1957)
Carney Lansford (1957)
Ralph Citarella (1958)
Endy Chavez (1978)
Brad Hennessey (1980)

Dick Wiencek was a minor league infielder from 1947-1949,  He then became a scout, working at various times for Washington/Minnesota, Detroit, and Oakland.  Among the players he was responsible for signing are Jim Kaat, Graig Nettles, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, and Mark McGwire. 

Right-hander Ralph Citarella was drafted by Minnesota in the first round of the January draft in 1978, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Mrs. AMR.

Right-hander Brad Martin Hennessey has not played for the Twins, but appeared in fourteen games for Rochester in 2010.  Born and raised in Toledo, he attended Youngstown State and was drafted by San Francisco in the first round in 2001.  He made nine solid starts in Class A that year, but then missed all of 2002 with an injury.  He came back in 2003 and had a solid year in 2004, mostly in AA.  He made his major league debut that season, making seven starts for the Giants.  He spent most of 2005 in San Francisco, making twenty-one starts, but was not particularly good.  The next year he made a transition to the bullpen and pitched better from 2006-2007.  He got off to a poor start in 2008, was sent to AAA in early May, and was converted back to starting.  He did not do particularly well but got a September call-up anyway, not doing badly in four starts.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Baltimore for 2009, but was injured and then was released on June 1.  He was out of baseball the rest of the season, but signed with Minnesota in March of 2010.  He made one start and thirteen relief appearances in Rochester, going 1-3, 7.76, 2.03 WHIP in 26.2 innings.  The Twins released him in August and he was out of baseball until May of 2011, when he signed with Houston.  He pitched poorly in seven AAA appearances and was released again in August.  In his major league career, he is 17-23, 4.69, 1.49 WHIP with 20 saves, nineteen of them in 2007.  He has appeared in 148 games, 44 of them starts, and pitched 360.2 innings.  He is currently a free agent.  It’s too early to say definitively that his playing career is over, but that's sure the way it looks.