La Velle E. Neal III has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs, attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago, and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star (post-strike era). He also can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, educating the hosts about all things baseball.

Check out La Velle's blog on your phone at startribune.com.