On The Mark

PItching Wins Championships

2010-03-23T10:27:00.004-05:00

Every season comes down to pitching. If pitching weren’t so important the Yankees wouldn’t have spent $243.5 Million on CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett last season. If pitching weren’t so important the Red Sox wouldn’t have signed John Lackey for $82.5 Million. If it weren’t so important the Phillies wouldn’t have traded for Roy Halladay and the Mariners for Cliff Lee.

The Twins have their largest payroll ever and are poised to make a serious run in 2010. They have their most dangerous line-up since 1987. They have a line-up 1-9 that can compare with any line-up in baseball. Denard Span and Orlando Hudson should personify what the top-2 hitters in a line-up should do with their ability to get on-base. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel have proven themselves as bona fide power hitters. The Twins are hoping for breakout and bounce back seasons from Delmon Young and JJ Hardy Respectively and that Nick Punto/Brendan Harris can produce solid numbers. Offense should not be an issue for the Twins (sans the fact that they always hit into a high-number of double-plays), but this season will come down to pitching.

In the past we have been told that the Twins have “Five #1 Starters”. That line hasn’t been presented this season, but we have been told that the Twins are solid 1-through-5. I think the Twins may be solid 1-through-5. Every pitcher in the Twins rotation (Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Carl Pavano, Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano) has shown flashes of brilliance, but they have also shown the ability to become easily rattled and many have been injury prone.

In 2006, the Twins had breakout seasons from Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto and Jason Bartlett. Many questioned if those players could play like that season-after-season or if it would be a one-year thing. The first 3 have proven consistency and now the Twins need these pitchers to have breakout seasons. If they do, there is no telling what this Twins team could do.

Scott Baker

Recap: Baker was slated to start opening day for the Twins in 2009, but a shoulder injury pushed his debut back a week and he got off to a rocky start. After four starts last season, Baker was 0-4 with a 9.15 ERA and had given up 8 HRs. Baker would go 2-2 over his next four decisions and then go on a tear. Baker would end the season going on a 13-3 stretch. He finished last season 15-9 with a 4.37 ERA.

Outlook: Baker will be the opening day starter this year for the Twins. He will frequently be matched up with the opposing teams “ace”. Baker has shown flashes of brilliance, winning 15 games last year and going 11-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 2008. If he can stay healthy all season long, Baker has the potential to be a 20 game winner.

Nick Blackburn:

Recap: Nick Blackburn has been in the majors for 2 seasons. In each season he finished 11-11 with an ERA that has averaged 4.04. Nick’s biggest issue has been consistency. Many thought his Game 163 start in 2008 was going to be a step towards consistency. Nick started off the season 6-2 and climbed as high as 8-4. Blackburn lost his release point and went on to lose 7 of his next 8 starts. We can only hope that winning his last 2 decisions and going 7 innings in his last 3 starts are a sign of things to come. Nick showed poise in his postseason start in Game 2 versus the Yankees and left with the Twins in the lead.

Outlook: Nick signed a nice 4-year contract this Spring Training and has said all the right things. He just found out he is going to be a father and when Scott Baker became a father, it was a turning point in his career. We can only hope for the same for Blackburn. Nick will be asked to carry a larger load for the Twins and I think he can handle it. I think the Twins would be plenty happy to take a Baker-esque 15-9 season from Nick Blackburn.

Carl Pavano:

Recap: Oh Carl! Pavano was once the prize-prospect in a trade that brought Pedro Martinez from the Montreal Expos to the Boston Red Sox. Pavano could never break through until 2004 when he went 18-8 for the Florida Marlins. Pavano parlayed that season into a $40 Million contract with the New York Yankees and only made 26 starts in 3 seasons for the Yankees. Carl regained his composure with the Indians last season and was brought over to the Twins in August to steady an injury-plagued rotation. Pavano went 5-4 for the Twins down the stretch and offered veteran guidance to the young starters that helped the Twins make a push for the playoffs. I feel that Carl’s best start came in the postseason when he gave up 2 ER in 7 Innings against the Yankees.

Outlook: Carl accepted arbitration from the Twins and that could wind-up being a fantastic thing for the Twins. Pavano is still realistically only on a 1-year contract, so he will be playing for another contract. The most important thing that Carl can provide to the other starters is veteran guidance. Think what you like about his past with the Yankees, Pavano has had to pitch through adversity. He pitched for a team whose fans rightfully so, hated him. He pitches better when he knows money is at stake (see 2004 numbers) and Carl has a real chance to win 13 or 14 games for the Twins.

Kevin Slowey:

Recap: When you have a starting pitcher go 26-15 with a 4.39 ERA over the last three years, you see that he has the potential to breakout and contribute big time. To me, the biggest positive about Kevin Slowey is that he went from having a 12-11 2008 season, to going 10-3 before injuries took care of his 2009 season. He has always been compared to Brad Radke for his spot-on control and his looks have also drawn comparisons to Orel Hershiser. Much like Scott Baker, it took Slowey time to improve in the minors before he took off. At one point last season, Slowey was 8-1 with a 3.97 ERA. He was being mentioned as a real candidate for the All-Star game and then he needed surgery on his wrist.

Outlook: If Slowey can stay healthy, he will be the next Twins starter to secure a long-term contract. He was on his way to winning between 15-20 games last year and that was basically as a #2 starter. He will not need to carry the load this year and may be matched up with a good number of back-end-of-the-rotation guys throughout the season. He has #1 stuff and a #1 mentality and if he can stay healthy, Kevin Slowey could be this years' American League Comeback Player.

Francisco Liriano:

Recap: Francisco burst on the to scene in 2006. He was one of those players that the Twins didn’t want in the rotation, but didn’t want to leave off the roster either. He entered the rotation in May and helped push the Twins back into the division race. Liriano was 12-3 with a 2.19 ERA before he hurt his fragile elbow. He went through Tommy John Surgery, missed the entire 2007 season and thought he would be his same old self in 2008. He was wrong. Liriano came up with the Twins in April and went on to pitch 10.1 Innings and had an 11.32 ERA. He spent most of that year in AAA, but came back the Twins late in the season and went 6-1 and lowered his season ERA to 3.91. The Twins fell one game shy of the postseason that year, but Liriano looked like he had found his stuff. Once again, Liriano was wrong. Liriano finished 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA and the Twins chose Jeff Manship to start a meaningful game down the stretch over Liriano.

Outlook: I think Liriano will start the season in the rotation, but there are some who feel he would be better suited as our closer. I don’t think we will ever see the Liriano of 2006, but I would like to see the 2008 Liriano this year. He has looked sharp in Spring Training and I think 10 wins is something we should expect. He may even surprise us and deliver more wins. If he can find his mojo, Liriano could be that “ace” the Twins have needed.

As I said above; The Twins have the hitters, but this season will come down to pitching.

Saints vs. Vikings

2010-01-22T08:47:00.002-06:00

I have had a lot of time to think and after collecting thoughts from the experts this week... I think the Vikings have a chance to win this game. They need to get healthy and I think if they follow this game plan they will be in good shape.

1. Chad and Ben Need to Step Up: When EJ Henderson was lost against Arizona, the Vikings lost their defensive leader. While all Jasper Brinkley needed to do was be an adequate replacement, it was vital that Chad Greenway and Ben Leber step up their games. In the 3 games that followed the Arizona game Leber and Greenway combined for only 27 tackles (Greenway 16, Leber 11) and 2 dropped picks. They were able to turn it around against the Giants as Greenway recorded an interception. Now, they have started to get on a roll as they combined for 12 tackles against the Cowboys, Greenway had a sack and Leber recovered a fumble and had an interception. The way that Pat Williams stuffs the middle it is just as important for the linebackers to make their tackles so that Reggie Bush doesn’t get lose. If they can repeat the performances they had last year in NO (Leber 6 Tackles, 1 INT Greenway 5 Tackles, 1 FF) the Vikings will win be in position to win this game.

2. Winfield is an advantage: With Antoine Winfield being injured it allowed Benny Sapp to gain valuable experience. Benny will be matching up with one of the top-2 receivers on the Saints leaving Winfield to cover the slot. I have heard that the Saints may go hurry-up to take advantage of Jasper Brinley. However, the way Winfield plays, you can leave him in as almost a LB/DB hybrid. He can cover a TE, tackle a RB and fight his own. It is essential for the Vikings to get Winfield in when needed to take advantage of his skills.

3. Keep Momentum Going: Coming into last week’s game with the Cowboys, the “experts” were pointing out all of the Vikings glaring weaknesses. They didn’t think OT would be able to block Ware and they pointed at our safeties as people Romo could pick apart. McKinnie, Loadholt and Tyrell Johnson all played fantastic games. Jasper Brinkley didn’t make any big mistakes and Madieu Williams kept his name out of the announcers’ mouths, which are good things. They showed once again that they can play and they need to keep their momentum going and roll into NO and play big again. The hope for the Vikings is to play their best game this week. Everyone needs to step up.

4. Frazier Payback: Going into last weekend many were calling the game vs. Dallas “Leslie Frazier’s interview with the Buffalo Bills.” On Tuesday, the Bills hired former Dallas HC Chan Gailey, which means Frazier, will be back in Minnesota next year. You often wonder if coaches on good teams have a disadvantage because they are coaching later into the season. Coach Frazier called a great game against Dallas and look for his players to step up for him and show the Buffalo Bills what they missed out on. His players all commented on how Coach Frazier put them in a position to win. The only negative to come would be if the players are trying too hard and make small mistakes.

5. Favre being Favre: If there is one thing I have seen Brett Favre improve upon during this season it has been knowing when to take a sack. Early in the year he would take big hit, after big hit. As the season progressed, Brett has started to slide down and minimize impact when he sees someone coming. He has learned when to step up and when to move around in the pocket. If Brett continues to protect the ball and deliver the ball when and where it needs to go, the Vikings will be in good shape.

6. Doesn’t it Just Make No Sense? This will be the 3^rd NFC Championship game for the Vikings since 1998 and in the previous two they left the Minnesota fans wanting more. So, here we go. We have a team that is known for not spending money in a small-market, spending a boatload of money. After having no offense for years, we finally have an offense led by our former arch-nemesis who is making “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” saying take on a story of its own. The whole year has been crazy and why not cap it off with a win on Sunday?

Vikings vs. Saints

2010-01-18T11:50:00.003-06:00

This will be the Vikings third NFC Championship Game in the last 11 years. The first one was heartbreak and the second one was an embarrassment. Do I hope that in my lifetime, that "Third Times the Charm"? I try to stay even keel, because I have been let down by my Minnesota sports teams so many times, but it is getting tougher as I see the most complete team in the NFL taking the field against the Saints next Sunday.

Here are some thoughts on the game that was:

1. Cowboys Missed Field Goals and Field Position: I heard Dilfer on ESPN comment how if Suisham makes 2 FGs, its 17-9 instead of 17-3. I love how "experts" think they're "experts" but the key to those missed FGs wasn't just the points. If Suisham makes those kicks, Dallas is able to send David Buehler onto the field and pin the Vikings back at their own 20. Suisham missed them both and the Vikings were able to parlay the field position into points. The same thing holds true on the opening drive Fumble by Romo. Instead of punting and pinning the Vikings deep in their own zone, the Vikings reversed the field and negated the Cowboys ability to move the ball.

2. Brooking needs to shut his yap: I won't get into the Cowboys running up the score on the Eagles or Brooking leading the Dirty Bird after the '98 win (he was on the Falcons). Brooking said, "This is the NFL, that's not what this is about. I don't think there's a place for that... I was looking for Childress. I didn't think that was right." Did Brooking think it was right when his DL and LB had late hit after late hit on Favre that wasn't called? I remember one replay they showed over and over where Brooking nailed Favre WAY after he released the ball. Hey Keith... I don't think there's a place for that... I didn't think that was right.

3. Penalty Flags: Vikings had 7-51 and the Cowboys had 4-35. I will once again refrain from pointing out Michael Jenkins is a Defensive-Pass-Interference Master, but point out that 3 of the Viking penalties were on Special Teams, 2 of those came on basically the same play and a third was a phantom "running into the kicker" penalty. I don't think if the Punter lands on you, it should be a penalty. As much as I never like to see a player get injured, Flozell Adams is the biggest cheater I have seen (holdings, hands to the face) and I was glad to see him out of the game. The Vikings ability to not penalize themselves was huge.

4. Linebackers step up: Jasper Brinkley is successful when we don't hear his name. Ben Leber and Chad Greenway had struggled in previous weeks but to see Greenway get a sack and Leber pick one off gives them confidence.

What do we need to look for next weekend?

1. Reggie Bush being Percy: Are these two players the same type of player or what? Funny however that the Vikings use Percy at WR and the Saints use Bush as a RB. They finally used Bush like a Harvin and he succeeded. I don't see Bush getting the same amount of yardage next week against the Vikings, but he needs to be stopped.

2. Contain Sharper: Darren Sharper is a great safety, but I remember when he was on the Vikings, playing against Favre. They had replays of Sharper eyeing Favre and Favre just dominating Sharper by decoying him into biting. The same thing will need to happen.

3. Vikings Can Win: The Vikings have the best defense that the Saints will see. It will be up to pressuring Brees. The D-Line needs to play like they do at home and get pressure. When they don't get any pressure the Vikings get torched. That is the early key to the game.

Vikings-Cowboys: Final Thoughts

2010-01-15T11:42:00.002-06:00

I have had a lot of time to think and after collecting thoughts from the experts this week... I think the Vikings have a great chance to win this game. Here are things they must do to win.

1. Run Delays towards DeMarcus Ware: We know that DeMarcus Ware (11 sacks) is an amazing pass rusher. To neutralize Ware, I think it would make sense to run some delays towards his side. Like a screen pass, the delay will bring the pass-rushers downfield and create large running lanes for the RB. My advice would be to use Chester Taylor in these situations as I see him as our best delay-rusher.

2. Big Game from Bernard Berrian: We have heard all week that Terence Newman and Orlando Scandrick will be key in stopping Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin, but Michael Jenkins is a rookie and Bernard Berrian is making #1 receiver money. Bernard has been quiet all year, but with the emphasis being put on Sidney, Percy, AP, Chester etc., this could be the big stage for Bernard Berrian.

3. Percy Runs: What is the only way to make sure your WR gets the ball? Hand it off to him. Percy has had some very good runs, where he motions into the backfield and runs to the right. It’s a way to get him involved early without going against a pass rush and he can run away from Ware. DeMarcus Ware is fast, but if he is rushing up the field, he cannot catch Percy Harvin. It also gets Percy’s juices flowing and makes him that much more effective in the passing game.

4. Benny Sapp: When Antoine Winfield went out with an injury, the Vikings played very well. The competition may not have been great, but they had to face Hines Ward (1 rec- 3 yds), Santonio Holmes (2-59), Greg Jennings (8-88), Donald Driver (6-63), Calvin Johnson (8-84) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (4-36). They did eventually collapse against the Cardinals, but the Cowboys WR, while good do not compare with Fitz, Boldin, Breaston and Co. Benny Sapp is physical and quick. He has a chance to step up and make his payday sweet this offseason.

5. Leslie Frazier Coaching Gig: They talked about this on KFAN this morning, but Leslie Frazier is the leading candidate for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job and this game could be his shining moment. If he creates schemes to beat what many are calling the “Hottest team in the NFL” he will land the job. If his defense comes out lacking energy and lets the Cowboys run all over them, he will be back in Minnesota next year. His players know that in the back of their heads and want Leslie to succeed.

6. Home-Field Advantage: As I learned yesterday, since the 1991 World Series, the Vikings are 3-4 and the Twins are 2-9 in home playoff games. Brett Favre has been great at drawing other teams offsides. I think that his ability to do that may be a big difference in the game. With the crowd noise the Vikings will hopefully force the Cowboys to false start. If Brett can give the Vikings some “free-plays” they could turn them into big plays and change the entire complexion of the game.

Pick: Vikings 27 Cowboys 17 (but this could go either way)

Can it be Sunday at Noon yet?

Reason Why College Football is Horrible

2010-01-12T19:48:00.003-06:00

Lane Kiffin is leaving Tennessee after one year to become the new head coach at USC. First, let me be the first to say... Good for you Steve Sarkisian for sticking to your guns and staying at Washington. Second, Lane Kiffin you should be ashamed of yourself for leaving after one year. How can you look at yourself in the mirror and not be ashamed of the fact that you went into the homes of 18 year olds and told them and their parents that you would be there for them for 4 years.

We have seen this before, coaches leaving the players that they made promises to. In many of the cases, the coach had been at the school for more than one year (Rich Rodriguez WVU->MICH, Brian Kelly CIN->ND), but not in this case. I have always felt that College Football, more than the other sports is a system-based sport and when a coach leaves it can have a profound impact on the players he recruited. My main example is a guy like Ryan Mallett, who is now at Arkansas. Mallett was recruited by Lloyd Carr at Michigan. Mallett and his family chose a system that would put Ryan in the best position to make the NFL. Out goes Carr (to retirement, so it is a little different) and in comes Rodriguez, who looks for a QB that can run. Mallett transfered and was required to sit out for a year.

There are now a number of players who were Freshman last year at Tennessee and players that have already committed that will now be in a system that may not fit their skill set. I have set it before and I will say it again. Either coaches should have to sit out a year or players whose coaches leave should be allowed to transfer freely. Let's be honest, players choose a college football team for the coach, not for the school.

I backed Lane Kiffin when he was fired from the Oakland Raiders. Maybe he was fired for cause.

Cowboys vs. Vikings

2010-01-10T11:23:00.003-06:00

Do I hope that the Vikings win? Yes. Do I think they will win next Sunday against the Cowboys? Unfortunately not. I didn't get to see much of Saturday night's Cowboys/Eagles game, but the parts I did get to see were dominated by the Cowboys. I will say that I was more surprised that the Cowboys won last week, as the Eagles were playing for a #2 seed. This week, I just felt that the Eagles were down and out.

While the Vikings are coming off of a big win over the Giants and have home-field advantage, here are 5 reasons that I believe the Vikings will unfortunately lose.

1. Tony Romo vs. Vikings Secondary

Before this season, Tony Romo couldn't win a December game to save his life. This season he has found a way to change his fortunes. In his last 4 regular season games he had a 101.3 QB Rating, with 6 TDs and 2 INT. Those numbers don't include a solid game on Saturday night. Since Antoine Winfield's injury in Week 6 against Baltimore, the Vikings secondary has looked overmatched. When EJ Henderson was lost for the season, the secondary hurt even more because it meant the safeties would have to play an even bigger role. They have failed. Madieu Williams has dropped 3 potential interceptions and Tyrell Johnson has been pulled twice for Jamarca Sanford. I think Cedric Griffin will step up his game, especially when he is matched-up against former Texas teammate Roy Williams, and Winfield and Sapp have played alright. Jason Witten and Miles Austin are pro-bowlers and if the Vikings safeties don't improve quickly, Romo will be able to slice and dice the Vikings secondary.

2. DeMarcus Ware vs. Bryant McKinnie

Brett Favre has been sacked 34 times this year. That includes 4-times in Carolina (vs. Julius Pepper) and 3-times in Chicago (vs. Mark Anderson). The good news for Minnesota is that he was only sacked 11-times at home. Ware has looked like an animal, especially since he was injured in the San Diego game. If McKinnie can't stop Ware on his own, and the Vikings don't slide help over to him, Brett won't have time to find his receivers and may find himself with a lot of Turf-Burns.

3. Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, Marion Barber

Felix Jones is a speed back. Tashard Choice is a smart back and Marion Barber is a power back. Recently, we have seen the Vikings struggle with their rush defense. They haven't faced a rusher like Felix Jones yet this season. He has speed. Ray Rice is the most similar back and he made the Vikings look silly. These backs don't get tired and they don't come down easily.

4. Dallas is on a role

Dallas has won 4 games in a row with 3 of those wins coming against playoff teams (2 over Philly and 1 over NO) and 6 of their last 8. In 2006 the Pittsburgh Steelers won 6 games in a row and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys seem to be clicking on all cylinders. The Vikings strength may be at home, but the Cowboys are rolling.

5. The Vikings are the Vikings

I have never seen the Vikings play in a Super Bowl and have been let down many times. I am wondering why things will change this year. I am already envisioning ESPN talking about how Brett Favre can't get it done, how Adrian Peterson isn't the same rusher and how the Vikings defense is losing a step. Until they actually win, I just can believe that they will.

Now, saying that... I will be cheering for the Vikings. I also am aware that while the Cowboys are the talk of the town right now, if the Vikings come out and beat the 34-17, the entire media network will change gears and all of a sudden ESPN will be Viking and Favre town.

5 Twins You May Not Remember From the 00s

2009-12-30T17:43:00.011-06:00

I wanted to find 10 moments that we would want to forget, but then something hit me, why not prod my brain for some unbelievable moments from the different sports? Here are 5 Minnesota Twins you may not remember, and moments that you may laugh at.

1. TONY FIORE: Fiore made appearances for the Twins from 2001-2003 but had his only impact season in 2002. 2002 was the Twins first division championship since 1991 and 10 of their 94 wins came from "The Vulture" or Tony Fiore. Fiore only made 48 appearances, yet finished with a 3.18 ERA and 10 wins, all while relying on a Palm Ball. That means he won 20% of the times he appeared. He won more games than Brad Radke (9), Johan Santana (8) and Jake Peavy (6). Unfortunately, he could not duplicate his success and was ultimately released in 2003. Fiore has yet to appear in a Major League game since.

2. MIKE TROMBLEY: Mike Trombley is more well known for his appearances for the Twins in the 90s. Trombley was a consistent reliever with the Twins and became their closer in 1999. He saved 24 games and used his new found success to leave Minnesota for "greener" pastures in Baltimore. He was traded to the Dodgers in 2001 and then came back to Minnesota for a short span in 2002. He made 3 appearances and one of them was memorable. The Twins were in New York playing the Yankees. Rick Reed was pitted against Mike Mussina. Reed gave up 6 runs in 4 innings, Mussina 7 runs in 5. The Twins led 9-8 going into the Bottom of the 9th before Eddie Guardado blew the save. In the 12th, the Twins broke through with 3 runs. Mike Trombley came in to get 3 outs. Unfortunately he followed Jack Cressends 3 shutout innings by giving up a game winning Grand Slam to Jason Giambi (who we found was juiced) and the Twins lost 13-12. Trombley never played baseball in the majors again.

3. MICHAEL RYAN: Mike Ryan makes my list for two separate incidents. The first, I cannot even find documented, but I promise it happened. In a late 2002 game against Detroit the Twins came out flying. Ryan, making his Major League debut led of the game with a hit and before the Tigers could get out of the inning he came up again and got another hit. Unfortunately, it started to rain. The game was called and when it was replayed Ryan went 0-for-4. The other Ryan moment came in 2004 against the New York Mets. The Twins and Mets were playing into the 15th inning. It was 11:05 PM and I was sitting right above first base. Mike Ryan came up and drove in the game winning run by diving head-first into the bag. He jammed his elbow and never played for the Twins again. Ryan also has never played in the big leagues again, but has an invite to Spring Training with the Marlins.

4. MICHAEL RESTOVICH: Restovich, along with Ryan and Michael Cuddyer were supposed to be the future outfield of the Minnesota Twins. Restovich only made 61 appearance for the Twins over 3 years, but had one memorable moment. In the 2003, Restovich was having the game of his life against the Baltimore Orioles. He finished the game 2-6 with 2 R, but he will be remembered for his game-ending strikeout. Restovich swung through a Travis Driskill pitch defensive replacement Brook Fordyce misplayed the ball. Restovich hesitated and then ran to first base, beating the throw and giving the Twins a 10-9 win. Restovich has surfaced with other teams in the majors, including the Nationals in 2007.

5. ADAM JOHNSON: Adam Johnson was the 1st-round pick of the Twins in 2000. He made a quick rise through the minors making his debut in St. Louis during the 2001 season. An American League pitcher making his debut in a National League park. Sounds fun, huh? Johnson pitched well, 6 Innings and 3 ER. He also came up to bat with the bases loaded twice. Jason Maxwell was intentionally walked TWICE (probably the only times he was intentionally walked in his life). Johnson bunted once and struck out once. Johnson was one of 3 major busts of that time (BJ Garbe, Ryan Mills). He appeared in 9 games with the Twins and established a 10.25 ERA. What a career.

6. GLENN WILLIAMS: I know I said 5 Twins, but this last one is my all-time favorite story. Glenn Williams signed with the Braves in 1993 and spent over 10 years in the minors with the Braves, Twins and Blue Jays. The Twins gave him his shot in 2005. Williams came up and produced. Williams' debut was in Arizona and he pinch hit for Brad Radke. He got a hit. His next game, 4 days later allowed him to go 2-for-4. His 4 days streak continued on June 15th as he went 1-for-4. Wililams' streak ended on June 28th with an injury. He got a hit in his only at-bat 5 times in his 13 game streak and has not played in the majors since. Williams' streak is still alive.

10 Sports Moments of the Decade

2009-12-29T11:34:00.016-06:00

There is no rhyme or reason to the order of these sports moments, but to me these are some of the biggest Minnesota Sports moments of the last decade.

1. Jacque Jones vsKansas City Royals (2002): In 2001 we went through an off-season that was centered around one word; Contraction. Carl Pohlad had given Bud Selig to okay to dismantle his club and it looked like that would be the end of the Minnesota Twins. A team that finally showed life after 8 losing season in a row by finishing 85-77 was going to just go away. After Judge Harry Crump ruled that the Twins had to fufill their lease in 2002, Jacque Jones started the season off the right way. Jacque took Jeff Suppan deep and started the Twins on their way to their first division championship since 1991.

2. Kevin Garnett vs. Sacramento Kings (2004):

After failing to advance out of the first round of the playoffs every year starting in 1997, the Minnesota Timberwolves finally got over the hump in 2004. They ousted the Denver Nuggets 4-1 and were finally ready to take their #1 seed to the conference finals. All that stood in their way were the Kings. After going down 1-0, they fought back and stayed one game up until Game 7. Tied at 3-3, KG had these famous words "I'm loadin' up the pump. I'm loadin' up the Uzi. I got a couple M-16s, a couple 9s. I got a couple joints with some silencers on them. I'm just loading clips ..." While the analogy was not taken kindly by

everyone, he backed up his words and led the Wolves with 32 points and 21 rebounds in an 83-80 victory. The Wolves however would lose to Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

3. Andrew Brunette vs. Colorado Avalanche (2003): What do you get when you take a young team and combine them with a Hall-of-Fame coach? You get the 2003 Minnesota Wild. In just their 3rd year of existence the Wild over-achieved and finished with 95 points. They entered the playoffs against the veteran Colorado Avalanche, fell behind 3 games to 1 and never looked back. In Game 7 (in Colorado) the Wild scored the tying goal in the last 5 minutes, and then Andrew Brunette took the puck down the ice, made a juke and beat Patrick Roy for the most memorable goal in Wild history. The Wild would advance to the Conference Finals, beating the Canucks in similar fashion, before falling to the Ducks.

4. Lindsay Whalen and her Gophers (2004): The Gopher women were the definition of a terrible team, in a terrible town, with terrible fans, in a terrible stadium. Until they fired Cheryl Littlejohn and hired Brenda Oldfield. Oldfield turned the program around, left it in the hands of Pam Borton and the team gave Minnesota a wild ride in 2004. Moving from the Sports Pavilion to Williams Arena was just the start. The Women secured the #7 seed in the East Region but were lucky to have Williams host the first two rounds of the Tournament. After beating #10 UCLA they upset #2 Kansas State. Next was #3 Boston College and then #1 Duke. They met the eventual Champion Connecticut Huskies in the Final Four, losing by 8. The team has continued to be a consistent tournament team.

5. Grant Potulny vs. Maine (2002): On April 6, 2002 Minnesota Fans were treated to their first Championship of any kind since 1991. The Gopher hockey team, ranked #2 in the West region knocked off Colorado College and Michigan to face Maine in the final. After blowing a lead late in the Game, Grant Potulny, the only player not from Minnesota shot the puck and scored, giving the Gophers a 4-3 OT victory over Maine. Potulny was a member of the 2003 Championship team and is now an assistant coach with the team.

6. Torii Hunter vs. Jamie Burke (2004): After 8 losing season (1993-2000) the Twins started a streak of division championships. In 2004, their top competition came from the Chicago White Sox. On a late July night, Torii Hunter put an exclamation point on the season by running over Jamie Burke. The White Sox were upset with Hunter's collision decision at the plate, but the Twins took off and won the division by 9 games. That moment, was the unofficial change of power in the Central Division.

7. Brett Favre (2009): I saved it until here, but yes, Brett Favre coming to Minnesota is a huge sports story. After a semi-disgusting flirt between Favre and the Vikings, Favre decided to come out of retirement to suit up for the team that his former team hates. What would be better than a lifetime Packer leading the Vikings to the Super Bowl? Things started off nicely for the Vikings. Favre led them to a 6-0 record, a 10-1 record and now an 11-4 record. By winning in their finale, the Vikings will continue to improve 2 games every year under Childress (6-10, 8-8, 10-6, 12-4?). This sports story still has an ending to write...

8. Vikings vs. Giants (2001): The Vikings were the #2 seed, beat the Saints in Round 2, and had the look of a Super Bowl team. That was until they faced the New York Giants in the NFC Championship. I remember it liked yesterday. The Giants scored on their opening drive and then BOOM, the Vikings fumbled the kick off. The Giants scored quickly, went up 14-0 and never looked back. It was one of those forgettable games. Randy Moss may have said it best, ""It's going to be hard for us to win a Super Bowl in Minnesota. I don't want to say Minnesota will never win a Super Bowl, but it is going to be hard." Maybe he was right.

9. Blake Hoffarber vs. Indiana (2008): Tubby Smith came to Minnesota and things changed from bad to good. Led by Tubby, the Gophers had won 18 games in his first season. The Gophers finished 6th in the Big Ten, beat Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament and had a date with the Hoosiers in Round 2. Up 2 points with 4 seconds left the Gophers had hope. Eric Gordon had two free throws, missed the first and was forced to miss the second. He did, and DJ White beat the Gophers to the ball. He tipped it in somehow got fouled and had a chance to give Indiana the lead. He went on to miss his free throw, the Gophers grabbed the rebound called a timeout and history was about to be made. After the Timeout, little used Travis Busch heaved the ball down-court. Blake Hoffarber caught the ball with his off hand, turned and shot the ball. It went in and the Gophers beat the Hoosier. What a game. Big-Shot Blake was reborn.

10. Game 163 (2009): I did save this one for last, so I hope you're still reading. The most amazing game I have ever been to. Emotions were quickly changing as this game entered the late innings. In the Top of the Third, Miguel Cabrera put the Tigers ahead 3-0 on a 2 run HR off Scott Baker. The Twins played small ball, scored on an error and were down 3-1. Jason Kubel powered a HR to RF to cut into the lead. Then Orlando Cabrera sent the Metrodome into a frenzy. A HR to LF giving the Twins a 4-3 lead. Magglio Ordonez hit a game-tying HR in the 8th and then the game started.

Ninth Inning: Ramon Santiago dribbled a bunt down the 1B line, slid under Michael Cuddyer and was safe. Curtis Granderson singled to RF and PR Adam Everett took 3rd. Placido Polanco struck out looking and then the Metrodome went crazy again. Magglio lined a ball at Orlando Cabrera who somehow was able to catch Granderson leaning and doubled him off 1st.

Tenth Inning: Aubrey Huff was hit by a pitch. Don Kelley PR and scored from 1st on a Brandon Inge double. However, in the Bottom of the 10th, Michael Cuddyer hit a sinking liner that Ryan Raburn misplayed. Cuddyer ran to 3rd as the ball got by Granderson. Delmon Young grounded out and Brendan Harris was walked (Casilla pinch-ran). Matt Tolbert walked to the plate needing to just hit the ball deep to the OF to tie the game. He bounced it near 2nd and the ball got by Polanco. Twins tied the game and had Casilla at 3rd with only 1 out. Nick Punto came up, lined it to left, Rayburn caught the ball and was able to throw a lazy Casilla out at home.

Twelfth Inning: The Tigers loaded the bases in the inning against Bobby Keppel. Brandon Inge with his baggy jersey, leaned over the plate and took a pitch that hit his jersey. The Umpire didn't see it and he was not awarded 1B. On the next pitch he chopped on to Nick Punto who came home to get Miguel Cabrera on the force out. The next batter, Gerald Laird worked a full count. Now why anyone would not take a pitch against the wild Bobby Keppel is beyond me, but Laird swung through Ball 4 and the Twins had life. Carlos Gomez lined a single to lead off the inning. Michael Cuddyer grounded to 3rd but Gomez advanced. Young was walked, and he came Alexi Casilla. Casilla had big hits before but had been thrown out at home 2 innings earlier. Ground Ball.. Right Side... Base Hit... Twins win the Central. What a Game!

So there are my Top moments of the Decade. What're some of yours?

The Telephone

2009-12-23T22:35:00.007-06:00

I was in a recent conversation where I realized that the Caller ID was the greatest invention of the last however many years. While yes, the Caller ID can backfire (people not picking up when you call) and can also make you look like a weirdo (calling a girl numerous times and she knows it was you). But, in all seriousness, the Telephone may be the most inefficient mode of communication that exists.

Think about it. We can now e-mail, text, instant message, video chat and more. With many of these modes, you can do more than one thing or talk to more than one person at a time. With e-mailing, you can e-mail a group of people one message, or e-mail one person one message. Most of us check our e-mail multiple times throughout the day so it is pretty efficient. With Text Messaging, you can contact someone without interrupting them to talk on the phone and they can respond at their own convenience, determining if the text should be responded to quickly or if it is not as important. Instant Messaging is great because you can talk to multiple people at multiple times and also pay attention to people you are with and watch a TV show or movie. Video Chatting is much like the telephone, except your hands are free and you can do other things while chatting. With all of these, when your topic is complete, you just end the communication and move on.

This brings me to the telephone. When someone calls you... you better not be with a group of people or somewhere important. You better hope that you didn't leave your ringer on in a place where it shouldn't ring. Often times it looks rude to be talking on your phone when doing other activities (checking out at Target, eating dinner at a restaurant, driving). When you are on the phone, you have to be listening to the conversation and cannot let your attention wander because you will miss something important and be behind. You cannot follow a TV show or a movie and because you have to hold the phone you can't type, write or play a game. Finally, unlike the other modes of communication, there is also that awkward end to a conversation. You never want to seem like you are out of things to say because what if the other person isn't?

Let's try to retire the phone like the telegraph and focus on great ways to communicate.

Who'd You Like to Face?

2009-12-14T13:21:00.002-06:00

The Vikings did exactly what they needed to do yesterday to prove that they are a team that is "for real". After losing 30-17 to the Cardinals and losing EJ Henderson, Cedric Griffin, Phil Loadholt, Bryan McKinnie and Tyrell Johnson to injury during the game, many including myself thought, "uh oh, here we go." The Vikings answered their critics and destroyed a very good Bengals team 30-10. The score wasn't as great as I'd like, but the Vikings defense stepped up and the offense did what we have been told a championship team must do: Run the Ball and chew up the clock.

By clinching a spot in the playoffs, it means it may be time to look ahead at who we might face. To create simplicity I am going to assume that the Vikings are going to get the #2 seed. Even if they feel to #3, they would not be able to face the Saints in Round 2. (The #1 seed has to play either #4,#5 or #6). I think it is time to see who I would like to face.

5. Green Bay Packers:

Of the teams that we could play, I feel that it is a toss-up between the Packers and Cowboys as to whom I would rather face. We have had the Packers number this year and I think playing them at the Dome would almost guarantee a spot in the NFC Championship Game. The Packers could pull off the upset, but the Vikings were able to move the ball against Al Harris and Charles Woodson and due to injuries... Al Harris would no longer be an issue. The Packers have shown that they struggle when they rely on Aaron Rodgers passing the ball and the Vikings just don't allow 100-yard rushers.

4. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are unbelievably bad in December and January. After yesterday's loss to the San Diego, Tony Romo fell to 5-10 in December and they also haven't won a playoff game under Wade Phillips and Romo. For some reason the Cowboys scare me (it could just be because of their Stadium), but at the same time I do not fear MBIII, Felix Jones and Miles Austin. I think at the Dome, the Vikings could beat the Cowboys by two touchdowns.

3. Arizona Cardinals

I know that the Vikings lost to the Cardinals 30-17, but this game would be played at the Dome. Antoine Winfield, as we saw yesterday, has the ability to take over games. The Vikings struggled to stop the Cardinal Wideouts, but I feel much better about our chances with Antoine manning his side of the field.

2. New York Giants

Brandon Jacobs scares me. Eli Manning doesn't scare me, but the 38 points they put on the Eagles scares me. The Giants are the most up-and-down team I have ever seen. They Cowboys are up-the-down, but the Giants can play well or poorly and you never know because it changes after every quarter. They have the ability to score points and I think Week 17 could show us what they're all about.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

This would be the match-up I would dread. The Eagles have our number. Andy Reid has Chilly's number. The cornerbacks of Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown scare me. Donovan McNabb scares me. DeSean Jackson really scares me (and helps my fantasy team). The Eagles have a way of outsmarting you. This is the team that I would hate to have us face in Round 2 in the playoffs. Let's hope they get the #6 seed so that they would have to face the Saints in Round 2. Go Giants and Cowboys!!

Kevin Love... The Right Trade

2009-12-09T19:56:00.003-06:00

I went to bed on a warm June night in 2008 thinking that the Minnesota Timberwolves had drafted and kept the most dynamic scorer in the 2008 NBA Draft... OJ Mayo. Of course, I woke up and found out that the team had traded Mayo to the Grizzlies for Kevin Love (and Mike Miller...whoo hoo). I wasn't too happy that we traded a dynamic scorer for a guy who specialized on outlet passes.

I will admit when I am wrong. Kevin Love may be the best player to come out of that years draft. Look at some of the names that came out of that draft. Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Russell Westbrook, Jason Thompson, Danillo Gallinari, Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin, Anthony Randolph, Courtney Lee, and Nicolas Batum. Love may wind up being the best player.

After watching him play 3 games with the Timberwolves this season, I see a player that may get 75+ double-doubles each year. Before Love, the Wolves were losing games by 20 points. I had decided not to give the Timberwolves anymore money this year. Now, they are doing what any fan can hope for. They are being competitive. Love's outlet passing leads this team on quick breaks. He makes it easier on Al Jefferson. He makes everyone around him better.

That's all for now. Watch Kevin Love and maybe you'll see me at a game in the future.

Twins Rumblings, Crouching Tigers and other dumb moves

2009-12-08T12:54:00.005-06:00

Update: Boof Bonser designated for assignment to make room for Carl Pavano

The Twins have 10-days to sign, release or trade Bonser. I think the most sense for Boof would be to come back as we see feel he has potential. Otherwise, he will go to the NL.

Twins Rumors I have heard:

-Mark DeRosa has been contacted and there is mutual interest.

-Will not believe it until I see it: Josh Johnson and Dan Uggla for a package containing Blackburn, Perkins and prospects.

Bad Week for Tigers: First Mr. Woods and now this. I read late last night and re-read this morning that the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Tigers are "very-close" on a trade that will have the following outcomes:

Yankees: Curtis Granderson

Diamondbacks: Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy

Tigers: Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer and other prospects

I almost feel bad for the situation the Tigers have been put into. They are in a similar situations to what the Twins have gone through (not having any money to spend) except that Detroit is in this situation due to the economy, not because of low revenues and minimal spending by an owner. They may really have to try to model what the Twins have done. I just don't see this trade working for them. Austin Jackson is an unknown and Max Scherzer struggled at time in the NL. We have seen what happens to pitchers who come to the AL from the NL (they go back).

On the other hand, the Yankees and Tigers really made good deals. The Yankees get a left-handed hitter who can hit anywhere in the line-up and plays superb defense. I know that he has looked lost a few times in Comerica Park, but that CF is 420 feet deep and if you play in and someone (Nick Punto) actually hits a ball hard, then obviously you will look silly. Remember that his catch versus Chicago saved Detroit's 2009 season and forced game 163.

The Diamondbacks now have a pretty formidable pitching staff. Dan Haren, Brandon Webb and Edwin Jackson are more dangerous that Verlander, Jackson and Porcello were. Many pitchers who go from AL to the NL put up better numbers. Jackson started with the Dodgers, struggled and was traded to Tampa. He learned how to be a pitcher and became successful in the AL. He will flourish in Arizona. Ian Kennedy has the potential to be a very good #4 starter in the NL as well. Can Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton carry the offense? Do they have enough of a bullpen?

What are they thinking? The Washington Nationals signed Ivan Rodriguez to a 2-year, $6 million contract. This makes zero sense. Pudge can't hit anymore. The Nationals have a young catcher in Jesus Flores and signing Pudge for 2 years takes away playing time from him. Signing Pudge eats up his playing time and the key factor is that it does not MAKE THEM ANY BETTER AND PROBABLY SETS THEM BACK. I liked what I saw last year when teams went young.

Gophers to Phoenix Again

2009-12-06T17:23:00.003-06:00

According to this report from Texas Tech, the Gophers will not be going to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on January 2nd, but will once again ruin my New Year's Eve by playing in the Insight Bowl.

Besides the fact that now I will spend the hours of 5:00-8:00 watching the Gophers get killed against Iowa State (updated), I am pleased with the fact that the Gophers were not chosen to play in the Alamo Bowl. The Alamo Bowl is a 2nd rate bowl game that just happens to played on January 2nd this year. I could only imagine what Tim Brewster would do with that. He has always said it was his goal to play in a January bowl game. He almost got his chance in this scheduling abnormality. He would have eaten this up and fed us all another line of bull**** about how this is a sign of improvement. He should switch conferences so he can play in the International Bowl in Canada which is somehow always played in the first week of January.

Instead, the Gophers will play in Phoenix. In 2006, their first trip to the Insight Bowl they allowed Texas Tech to have the biggest comeback in NCAA history. In 2008, they had some "improved power running game" which included two TD runs for Jon Hoese. I don't think the Gophers have scored since then. It will be interesting to see what plays out until then. There are rumors (not sure if they are real or not as they are predominantly Sid Hartman rumors) that Marquise Gray will be a WR. That would be disappointing.

One highlight of going to the Insight Bowl is that the Music City Bowl in Nashville is no longer our most attended bowl game. It doesn't seem so bad to tell people we keep playing in a Fiesta Bowl Series game.

However, after the Gophers continued to stink up Nashville, they ended their affiliation with the Big 10. It will be interesting to see if the Insight Bowl follows suit.

Moves the Twins Should Make

2009-12-02T09:05:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, December 1 was the last day that teams could offer arbitration to players that were eligible. There was some potentially good news for the Twins as both Placido Polanco and Orlando Hudson were NOT offered arbitration. I don't care how many people think that Nick Punto has heart, passion and the will to win the game, both of those players would produce an immediate upgrade at the position. As Doogie Wolfson wrote on his twitter, "Bill Smith-Line 1" These two players should be the top priorities, but not the only priorities. There are other moves that this team needs to make (not including signing Joe Mauer), unfortunately I think we may make some that are not good ones.

Move 1: Sign Placido Polanco (or Orlando Hudson)

I have read many Twins fan clamor for Orlando Hudson. While it would be awesome to have the "O-Dog" and his batting averages of .294, .305 and .283 over the last three years, I still would prefer Placido Polanco over Hudson. We have seen in recent years how players that come over to the AL from the NL tend to struggle. Hudson, when playing for Toronto, posted his 4 lowest batting averages. My gut is that signing Placido Polanco would be a great

acquisition for three reasons. First, even though the Tigers no longer want him, if he comes over and hits .300 and fields like he can, it will be a slap-in-the-face to them. Second, Polanco has played in the AL since 2005, played in over 100 games every year and always hits right around .300. The third reason is personal. I don't care if Polanco is that good or not, he seems to get a hit and have a good at-bat every time I see him play. Imagine a line-up of Span (walking), Polanco (hit and run single) and then Mauer, Morneau, Kubel and Cuddyer coming up.

Move 2: Sign Carl Pavano, but do not sign Jarrod Washburn

Ok, I will admit it, Pavano was not great when he was a member of the Twins, but he was passable. He won just as many as he lost, but he seemed to have that "veteraness" that our pitchers seemed to need. If you sign Pavano, it will be a "you were on our team and we want you back." While I think that Pavano would be better served in the NL (See: Brad Penny and John Smoltz), I would be OK having him as a #3 starte

r. If you cannot sign Pavano, DO NOT sign Jarrod Washburn. We seem to have a crush on him, but if you noticed, when he moved from Seattle to Detroit, he was horrible. His best games seem to come against the Twins. He does not throw as hard as Pavano and seems to be an older version of Brian Duensing.

Move 3: Sign Pedro Feliz or Mark DeRosa. Only sign Crede if you must

Pedro Feliz would probably be the best option here. He would be a one or two year stop-gap before Danny Valencia and has the skill to do just that. DeRosa is looking for a longer term deal and while he has the skill-set to play multiple positions, we already have Punto and Tolbert to do that. Since 2004, Feliz has played over 130 games every year. By signing him, you would give the line-up a quality #8/9 hitter. He hits about 10-15 HRs and hits around the .260 mark. If no one else signs, then sign Crede. He could get healthy, but we all know that by signing

him you are looking at a Luke Hughes/Matt Tolbert platoon by August. One thing that may work... sign Crede and don't let him play until August so you get August/September/October as his three months where he plays.

Move 4: Blackball Mike Redmond so no one else signs and him and he becomes our new bullpen coach as Rick Stelmaszek decides to retire

Mike Redmond needs to become a coach. He was basically a coach last year that took up a roster spot and played one every 30 games. He seems to have something about him that gets the locker room going. I don't think he would ever do this (and I don't think this team needs him), but I would hate to see him go to the White Sox. Redmond has lost a step and I think that players like Mauer, Morneau and especially Cuddyer can pick up his loss in the clubhouse, but this would be an idea scenario in bringing him back.

Move 5: Use The Following Line-Up after following the above moves

CF Span

2B Polanco/Hudson

C Mauer

1B Morneau

RF Cuddyer

DH Kubel

SS Hardy

LF Young

3B Feliz

That line-up has the potential to lack holes. Delmon Young showed that he had something last year. If he can build on that for an entire year... watch out. By utilizing this line-up and not batting 3 lefties in a row, you have players that can protect one another. Line-ups are about protection. In this line-up Span is protected, 2B is protected, Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer and Kubel are protected. You can't really pitch around one player because there is another there to back them up.

Sometimes We Do Things Right

2009-11-30T12:13:00.008-06:00

As fans, we often decide to pick out the things that our teams have done wrong. We look at drafts we have messed up, trades and signings we did or didn't make and coaches we did or did not hire. In Minnesota, we definitely have many of those to pick out.

The Timberwolves have yet to have a productive draft, the Twins let free-agents walk or trade them away for nothing , the Vikings had their woes and the Wild didn't make their star happy. Today, I want to look at a couples moves that our teams have made that are sometimes overlooked and the one move that will probably be made that should benefit our teams.

Today: Twins and Timberwolves

Twins:

Bad Moves: Allowing Torii Hunter to leave. Trading Johan Santana to the Mets.

Good Move: Keeping Denard Span in the minors and starting Carlos Gomez in 2006.

Here's Why: Up until the middle of 2006, Denard Span had been nothing but a

disappointment. He was a .200 hitter and hadn't had a full consistent year in the minors. He had been taken under Torii Hunter's wing and felt that CF was his spot. Yes, the Twins probably felt obligated to start Gomez because of the Santana trade, but Span hadn't earned anything. This really was a smart move. Span went down and felt that he had something to prove. Up until this point he had coasted through each level of the minors. Because of the lack of depth at the time, Span kept progressing though the minor league levels, even though he hadn't produced the numbers. This move made him really think about the player that he was and what he had to become. Once he came up, he wanted to show that he belonged.

What's Next: Now, Span is a .300 hitter, a fantastic leadoff hitter and can play all outfield spots. He will take over in CF as Gomez was traded away. He continues to impress me and other fans with his hard work ethic and the skill he has displayed.

Timberwolves:

Bad Moves: Trading Ray Allen, Signing Joe Smith, Draft Ndudi Ebi, and on and on...

Good Move: Trading Sebastian Telfair and Craig Smith and Mark Madsen

Here's Why: We went out and drafted Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio (and Ty Lawson and Nick Calathes). Coupling that with the fact that Al Jefferson and Kevin Love are supposed to anchor the paint, these two players were not in the future plans and cleared a lot of cap room. We turned Q-Rich into Mark Blount and an expiring contract. Love has been hurt, but free agent Ryan Hollins has played so-so thus far. When Love returns this trade will really

reap benefits as they young guys get time to learn and progress.

What's Next: We are supposed to believe that all the trades David Kahn made have put us in a better position to succeed in the future. I think we are in a better spot now (REALL BAD) than we were under McHale (Mediocre). A team cannot rebuild when they finish with the #10 pick each year. Being stuck in mediocre isn't a good place to be. Maybe being bad will benefit us.

Weekend Re-Cap

2009-11-29T18:47:00.002-06:00

Quick Restaurant Update: I went to Al Vento last weekend. It's a small Italian Restaurant in South Minneapolis. It is well priced, you get pretty good sized portions and the food is outstanding.

1. Gophers Still Diggin' For Gold in California

The Gopher basketball team lost 2 out of 3 games in the 76 Classic over the weekend. After beating up on #10 Butler 82-73, they couldn't find the magic to win another game. I'm obviously not as confident as I was heading into this weekend, but one of the things that Tubby Smith said he was going to do when he got here was improve out non-conference schedule. The Gopher's lost their last two games by scores of 61-56 (Portland) and 66-65 (Texas A&M). They played both of those game tough. They were down big and fought back in both.

I still think that this team has the potential to win a lot of games in the Big Ten and be very succesful this season. They made too many mistakes, showed fatigue and committed too many fouls. I also feel that Portland (who beat UCLA) and Texas A&M (who beat #19 Clemson) are underrated. These losses will hurt, but not by as much as we think. The Gophers have a chance to make a run if they improve on their weaknesses.

2. Bear-ly a game as Vikings dominate again

The Vikings continue to amaze. I went into this weekends game fearing Jay Cutler. Yes, he has played poorly this year, but it seemed like a team that was committed to passing the ball would have a chance to tire out our secondary. I was wrong. Cutler made some nice plays, but Cedric Griffin made an outstanding INT and Jared Allen was in the right place for the second INT. Jared Allen was his outstanding self and I'm not sure if you can find any fault in a defense that gave up 169, only 2 of which came in the 2nd half.

I am on board with this offense. Adrian Peterson struggles, but it doesn't matter. Visanthe Shiancoe is the 2nd best TE in the game right now (Antonio Gates), Sidney Rice had another spectacular game and like I said last weekend Bernard Berrian had his break-out game. One thing that has really impressed me and is something that FOX's Tim Ryan has pointed out is that Harvin came from the spread offense at Florida and he does a great job of opening up to the QB. You can always see the great target he gives Favre. Off the top of my head I remember him making 3 spectacular plays and he had another great game even with the Bears kicking away from him.

3. Wild piecing it together

The Wild are probably just as good as they were last year. In the past the Wild started off the season with 5 or 6 homes games. They have always been a very good home team. They always played that to their advantage and used the early season run as a spring board. This year, they started off on the road and couldn't win. Now, we're seeing a team that is getting it. They scored 5 goals on Friday and 2 more on Sunday. They are piecing in the right players (Robbie Earl, Andrew Ebbet) and getting rid of those that don't have a future here (Pouliot). They are still in 5th place, but in a division that normally bunches together and one that is led by a young Avalanche team, anything can hapepen.

4. Wolves better have a plan

This team is horrible. Either ditch the triangle, teach the players the triangle or get new players. Corey Brewer cannot shoot (1-11 on Friday), Johnny Flynn is stuggling as the PG in this offense and Al Jeffer is not the player he once was. Each week we are sold on the fact that we have young pieces and lots of cap room. If Rambis really can teach Flynn how to play PG we may have a chance. I would love to see Joe Johnson and/or Travis Outlaw in Minnesota next year. It's going to be a long season folks.

Weekend Wire: Gopher Hockey split... Sid Hartman enjoys eating and reading his newspaper at Mort's Delicatassen in Golden Valley...All Vince Young Does is Win.

Fixing the BCS

2009-11-24T11:13:00.005-06:00

Every other sports writer has already taken a stance on this and in the past I have let it be known that I am not a huge fan of the BCS. However, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and propose, the best solution EVER for determining a champion.

1. Use a +1 System: The college football season is long enou

gh as it is so I don't think adding an 8-team playoff and three more games for each team is the right move. Take the Top-4 teams in the BCS rankings and have them play semi-finals and a final. This would keep the schedule on par with the current Bowl Schedule. These four teams would play in 2 of the BCS Games and then would meet in the BCS Championship, one week later. It would also fit into the NCAA Model. Almost every other sport has a Final Four and this would keep with that tradition.

2. Determine the Semi-Finals Based on BCS Standings and Tie-Ins: I don't think the BCS Committee would go for this, but it is the best plan. Only 2 o

f the 4 BCS Games would be used as semi-finals and those would be determined based on BCS Ranking. Each BCS Conference currently has a tie in. Here is my proposal. I would add Big East (Cincinnati) Mountain West (Utah), WAC (Boise State) and Other (Notre Dame) into the tie-ins. I added those in Italics. It would also be important to add one more bowl game (Cotton) to the BCS to keep it at 10 teams. The Cotton Bowl is moving to the new Cowboys Stadium so it is in a professional stadium and would make the most sense. It would get the BCS At-Large berths as it would be the youngest BCS Bowl Game.

Rose: Big Ten and Pac 10

Fiesta: Big 12 and WAC/MWC

Orange: ACC and Big East

Sugar: SEC and Conference-USA/Independents

Cotton: BCS At-Large Teams

Then I would look at the BCS Rankings. Currently, Florida is #1 and assuming they beat Alabama, Texas would be #2. In my system, that would make the Sugar and Fiesta as the two bowls for the semi-finals. #3 (TCU) would then play #2 and #4 (Cincinnati) would play #1. I would also propose that only one team from each conference can play in the semi-finals, meaning that Alabama would be out. In my scenario, Florida would have already beaten them in the SEC Championship and in my opinion that would have been their chance.

The other bowls would play as normal. We are supposed to believe that strength of schedule is taken into account in the BCS Rankings, so even if 2 teams are tied in record, you would assume the team with a tougher schedule would receive the edge through the BCS Rankings. This year's schedule would then look like this:

Semi-Finals:

Sugar: #1 Florida vs. #4 Cincinnati

Fiesta: #2 Texas vs. #3 TCU

Other BCS Bowls:

Rose: Oregon vs. Ohio State

Orange: Alabama vs. Georgia Tech

Cotton Bowl: Boise State vs. Iowa

The winner of the semi-finals would then play on January 8th in the Championship, creating only one more week of games. The Championship would then rotate as it currently does.

3. This will not ruin Tradition and Importance: Let's look at the Rose Bowl. Some would argue that it would not have the same importance if it isn't a semi-final Bowl. I disagree. The Rose Bowl has built up the tradition of Pac-10/Big Ten. This game would not either be a semi-final (if one of those teams finishes in the Top-2) or it would be a traditional match-up.

4. Get rid of Pre-Season Rankings: You would have to in order to give every team a fair chance. It wouldn't make sense to allow a team (Florida) to start at #1 and just stay there. Make them work for it. Is Florida really better than Texas? We don't know, but Florida started the year #1 and hasn't lost so they stay #1. That needs to change.

5. Why will this work? This would give every team a chance to make it in the Top 4. It would create only one more week of games and hopefully allow the semi-finals to change hands. I don't think the NCAA can expect fans to pay for 3 more games, but to pay to watch a semi-final and the finals, I think that is doable financially for die-hard fans.

We have seen parody over time. USC has been great (Rose Bowl), Florida has been great (Sugar), Texas and OU have been great (Fiesta) and Cincy is coming on (Orange). Each of those Bowl Games would have an equal chance to make the semi-finals.

What do we think?

MIDTERM TODAY

2009-11-23T22:55:00.002-06:00

Blog Closed Due to a Midterm:

Possible Post Coming Later.

Best Team in Football

2009-11-22T13:39:00.004-06:00

Being born in 1987, I didn't really follow the Vikings until 1998. I remember that year for many reasons. It was the first time I watched every game. It was a team that went 15-1 and it was a team that was fun to watch. That team had a pro-bowl QB, a pro-bowl RB and two pro-bowl WRs. Let's also not forget that the '98 Vikings also had a stellar offensive line, a rising offensive coordinator and a head coach that gave some fans headaches. Until this year I thought that was the best Minnesota Vikings team ever.

As I watch this years team play, I am finding it harder and harder to find a weakness. Many people said all this team needed was productive QB play to be a Super Bowl contender... I'm starting to believe them. The defense does not allow teams to run and they have been improving in the passing game week-in and week-out. I know that the Seattle Seahawks are not one of the better teams in the NFL but even so, the Vikings looked invincible.

Brett Favre dissected the Seahawk secondary. I remember finding open men or men that were about to be open on my TV and seconds later Favre would find them for a much needed gain or TD. 22/25 with 4 TD's? One incompletion was one where Sidney got hit helmet-to-helmet and dropped and another was a screen thrown at Visante's feet.

Percy Harvin continues to make catches, shift his feet and score. Visante Shiancoe has forgotten how to drop passes (even catching one from T-Jack) and Sidney Rice continues to amaze. Rice made two unbelievable catches including his jump-ball in the endzone. Even Bernard Berrian, a forgotten man has found a niche as a slant man. I think in time, Berrian will turn a short slant into a HUGE gain. If we really are looking at a championship team, we can't forget that even Nafu Tahi had a productive 6-yard catch this week.

Adrian Peterson had some more productive runs this week. He didn't reach 100 yards, but he doesn't need to in order for this team to win. I think we saw something that is so important to this team progressing in the playoffs that we often overlook it. Its name is Chester Taylor. When we bring in Chester it keeps the D honest. It allows for an easier passing game, it allows Chester to run and I think it makes Adrian Peterson even more productive. Chester makes defenses adjust their game plan and it allows AP to take advantage when he comes back in.

Brett Favre was sacked a couple of times early and there was a Phil Loadholt false-start to begin the game, but the O-Line is one of the best in the NFL. Bryant McKinnie didn't let anyone come near Favre and it almost allows Favre to pretend he has 12-men on the field with him.

Then there is the defense. In one of the worst-offensive, best-defensive plays of the year, the Seahawks brought in Seneca Wallace who ran into a wall of Viking defenders and he ran out-of-bounds for a 9-yard loss. The linebackers are running in coverage, and the secondary has improved. Karl Paymah led to the only Seattle TD and after that play I noticed a lot more Asher Allen. Asher Allen has a nose for the ball. Even Hussain Abdullah had a sack today.

This was the game that showed dominance. I watched a little bit of almost every game on NFL RedZone. Indy looks beatable. The Saints have struggled in the past. Cincy lost to Oakland, Dallas is a dud and the Steelers lost to the Chiefs. It's unfortunate that we lost, because we look like we could be the best team in the league. If I had to make power rankings they would be as follows:

1. Minnesota Vikings

2. New England Patriots

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Indianapolis Colts

Those are the four teams that should be in their respective Championships.

Mauer's Marketability

2009-11-19T14:05:00.006-06:00

Mark Rosen just reported on KFAN that he has heard that after the 2010 season, the Boston Red Sox are in position to offer Joe Mauer a 7-year, $175 Million contract and that the Twins have started negotiations at 4-years. He then followed it up by saying that he would be very surprised if Mauer DID NOT sign an extension with the Twins.

What don't the Twins understand? First, Joe Mauer is your future. With Joe in Minnesota, you will have crowds come watch the team. Second, Justin Morneau was given a 6-year extension. Scott Baker was just given a 4-year extension. You give 4-years to Scott Baker, you give 6 or 7 to Joe Mauer. Joe Mauer is the hometown boy.

Joe Mauer may be the most important sports figure to play in Minnesota since Kirby Puckett. I don't just mean the most important Minnesota Twin, but he is the most important sports figure in Minnesota. Over the last five years, we have seen an exodus of players form Minnesota. The Twins survived losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana. The Timberwolves survived the departure of Kevin Garnett. The Vikings made it though losing Randy Moss and the Wild are still playing despite losing Marian Gaborik. Losing Joe Mauer may be too much to handle.

I truly feel that Joe Mauer will give the Twins some form of "hometown discount", but they need to step up and make a play. You cannot let him leave. This team is built around Mauer and by letting him leave, you're just setting yourself up for failure.

Big Ten Bust

2009-11-19T14:00:00.008-06:00

After going to grab the mail today, I found an interesting note in The Sporting News. They were ranking the Top 25 Football Broadcaster. Their #1 Broadcaster was CBS' Gary Danielson. One thing he said was that he never thought any conference would pass the Big Ten in popularity, but that the SEC has already passed and will continue to pull away from the Big Ten.His reasoning was simple. The Big Ten created The Big Ten Network which led the SEC to a 15-year deal with ESPN. He said "recruits watch ESPN not BTN." He could not be more correct. Even fans enjoy watching ESPN more than BTN. It's also hard to forget that BTN had so many troubles starting up that fans couldn't even watch their teams in 2007.

I will say that I enjoy the fact that every Gopher game is on TV (either carried by ESPN or BTN), but ESPN just seems to have a more professional form of broadcasting. ESPNs graphics look professional, ESPNs broadcasters sound more professional (aside from Wayne Larrivee and Gus Johnson) and they have things to watch when there aren't games on.

The best way for the Big Ten to catch up is to add a 12th team and create a championship game. This would draw more people to the Big Ten Network. It would create excitement and intrigue from a league that has been dominated by Ohio State and Penn State for the last few years. Some may argue that a Championship game would take away the importance of each game. I disagree. It is what makes Texas and Oklahoma so much more exciting. Whichever team wins doesn't just get the Big XII Championship, but instead gives them an advantage to get to the big game.

The Big Ten went out on a limb when they created this network. They will need to adjust to life as the #2 conference quickly or risk falling even further.

There is no "MOY" in Team

2009-11-18T14:41:00.026-06:00

Yesterday, Mike Scioscia was name AL Manager of the Year. I will not disagree that Scioscia did a fantastic job leading his team to the AL West Championship after the death of pitcher Nick Adenhart, but I want to know when Ron Gardenhire will get his due? As you read this, you may be surprised at who has won the award, how they finished and then what happened to them the following year.

In 2001, Tom Kelly led the Twins to a 85-77 record after 8 straight losing seasons. He didn't win the award because Lou Pinella led a steroid-filled Mariner team to 116 wins. That year, the award should have gone to Kelly. I think that 2001 may have hurt Gardenhire's chances of ever winning Manager of the Year. So you may ask...What has he done?

2002: In Gardenhire's first year he picked up where the 2001, Tom Kelly-led Twins left off. The Twins opened the season with a Jacque Jones HR in Kansas City and symbolically ended the season after Adam Kennedy's 3rd HR during the 5th Inning of ALCS Game 5 in Anaheim.

Gardenhire took a bunch of young players, who experienced winning for the first time in 2001 and led them to 94 wins and a Division Championship. He lost the award that year to Mike Scioscia. Scioscia led the Angels to the Wild-Card with 99 wins (and won the World Series). Assuming the award isn't given outbased on post-season success, we can assume he won the award based on the 24 game improvement from 2001. What Happened Next: In 2003, the Angels only won 77 games and missed the playoffs.

2003: The Twins won their 2nd consecutive AL Central crown with a 90-72 record. The award that year went to Kansas City Royals manager Tony Pena.

The Royals went from losing 100 games in 2002 to winning 83 in 2003. Interesting... In 2001 Kelly took a team that lost 93 games in 2000 and turned them around, yet he didn't win. What Happened Next: In 2004, the Royals lost 104 games and missed the playoffs. Pena was fired in 2005.

2004: The Twins won their 3rd consecutive AL Central Crown with a 90-72 record. Does this sound familiar? The Rangers Buck Showalter took

a team that lost 91

games in 2003 and transformed them into an 89 win team and a 3rd-place finish. What Happened Next: The pattern continues as the Rangers went 79-83 in 2005. Showalter was fired in 2006.

2005: The Twins finished 83-79 and in 3rd Place,

so based off recent history, you would think Gardenhire should have won Manager of the Year. He did not. That honor went to Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox. I can't really argue this one as the White Sox won the World Series and they had the best record in the league. What Happened Next: The curse continued as the White Sox won 90 games in 2006 and finished in 3rd Place.

2006: If there was one year that Gardenhire really deserved to win this award, then this would be it. The 2006 season started off with a horrible 25-33 record. Out go Kyle Lohse, Tony Batista and Juan Castro and in comes Nick Punto and Jason Bartlett to the rescue. By July 26 the Twins had won 44 of 52 games, but were still 8.5 games behind the Tigers. After being down by as many as 12 games, the Twins battled back, tied the Tigers and ultimately won the division on the lat day of the season (thanks to a KC sweep). Who won the award that year? Jim Leyland. He took the Tigers from 91 losses in 2005 to 95 wins in 2006. Gardy did his best managing job in 2006 and even though the Tigers were a surprise, it shouldn't matter who had a hotter start to a season because the Twins finished with a better record. What Happened Next: In 2007, The Tigers took a step backwards to 88 wins, and then saw 88 losses in 2008.

2007: This was not a good season for the Twins. Free Agent talks clouded the

entire season. It was the last season of Torii Hunter and Johan Santana and Gardy witnessed his first losing season as a manager. Eric Wedge who won the award, deserved it. What Happened Next: The Indians backtracked to .500 in 2008, and then to 97 losses in 2009. Wedge was fired after the season.

2008: The winner was Joe Maddon and he deserved it, but Gardy did turn his team around mid-season and took them to Game 163. What Happened Next: The 2009 Tampa Bay Rays went 84-78 and missed the playoffs.

Now we get to 2009. Gardy should get a medal for what happened to him this year. He lost his catcher for the first month and his MVP 1B for the last one. He was handed a bullpen with Sean Henn, Bobby Keppel and Jesse Crain and a rotation that included starts from Armando Gabino and Phillip Humber. He witnessed his franchise pitcher lose his mojo, his supposed ace become "Moon-Shot Scott" and dealt with countless injuries. Gardy and his troops fought back and took Game 163 from the Tigers, clinching his 5th Central crown in 8 years of managing.

As I wrote these little recaps, I realized that maybe it is better that he hasn't won the award. There may actually be a curse of AL Manager of the Year. The last manager to win the award and make the playoffs the following year was Joe Torre of the Yankees. Just so you are aware, the last time an NL Manager won the award and then made the playoffs was Bobby Cox who won the award in both 2004 and 2005. So what's more important... winning awards or making the playoffs? I guess I'll take the latter.

Filling the Gaps

2009-11-18T13:24:00.009-06:00

I know that I am not a defensive genius, but I really think the Minnesota Vikings will show their true colors when Antoine Winfield returns from injury this week against the Seahawks. Since Winfield exited the game against Baltimore, the Vikings pass defense has been sub-par at best. Many have blamed that on a lack of tackling and that our safeties are not that good. I will not disagree with the tackling part, but I would like to look at a different angle on the safeties.

When Winfield is in the game, Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson can stay in their gaps and zones. They don't have to try to cover for others, which I think they have been doing. Benny Sapp has played up from his normal level, but when Karl Paymah comes into the game, it is like watching the Golden Gophers try to stop Penn State on 3rd down. Karl Paymah is a quality special teams player, but he should NOT be on the field in any base or nickel defense. I would even play Asher Allen ahead of him. I have seen a number of replays of runs where Paymah either missed a tackle or just didn't get their fast enough. I think that his poor play makes the safeties look worse than they are. The safeties have to come from out of position to make a play because Paymah misses tackles that Winfield would make. They don't always make the play, hence getting beat or missing tackles. It's almost like when your closer goes down in baseball.

Everyone in the bullpen has to play a different role, a role that they are not used to. In this case, Winfield is the closer and the rest of the defensive backfield has to adjust. As I said before, Benny Sapp has played well and his increase in playing time will ultimately benefit this team in the end.

The "Wall of America" with Allen, Williams, Williams and Edwards are doing their jobs. EJ, Lever and Greenway are doing their jobs and Cedric Griffin is doing his job. I think when Antoine returns this weekend you will see an improved defense. Now, would TJ Houshmandzadeh rather be playing with Brett Favre, or against Antoine Winfield?

Barn-Storming

2009-11-17T16:09:00.013-06:00

Now don't get me wrong, I have no idea who or if Stephen F. Austin basketball lost anyone to graduation or the pros, but I will say this, the Minnesota Golden Gophers delivered a second half, Paul Bunyan-esque shellacking to the SFA Lumberjacks, a team that last year made the NCAA Tournament. I do not have Gopher basketball season tickets and no I did not pay $2.99 to watch the game on the Big Ten Network's website, but I followed Strib beat writer Myron Medcalf's tweets, read all the articles and saw some highlights. Ladies and Gentleman... This team is for real.

The Gophers came into the season as the #18/#25 team in the polls and have so far proven that they belong. This was going to be the same team as last year's NCAA team, but better. They had Royce White, Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams Jr. and Justin Cobbs coming in, Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson were going to be stronger and Lawrence Westbrook was lighter, quicker and supposedly better.

Everything has held serve, except for some of those recruits. Mbakwe is charged with assault and Royce White has been charged with theft (twice) and assault. I have split opinions on these two players. I feel that everyone deserves a chance to be proven innocent (and in White's case given a second chance after running into trouble in high school), but things are nearing the limit. Mbakwe to me has been put in a tough situation. It is his word against her word and we haven't been privy to any real proof. I feel bad for Mbakwe, because if he is innocent (which wouldn't surprise me), his whole season has been wasted. White on the other hand should be suspended for the season. I just can't fathom how a player who gets everything handed to him (a spot in a major university, NIKE clothing, a chance to play basketball) feels that he has to go shoplift at Macy's. I have always been a little perturbed by players getting spots in school when they display behavior like this, especially when people who are trying so hard to get into school get wait-listed. I wouldn't release him from the program just yet. If he is released he can go play at any school. They need to suspend him to teach him that he can't get away with these things. Tubby proved he can recruit the best talent in Minnesota and White should be ashamed that he is tarnishing the program.

On a different note, this is the best Gopher basketball team I have ever seen and last night the Gophers were outstanding. To put it in perspective, they were down 16-15 late in the first half. They then led at halftime 26-19 (a 14-3 run) and started the second half on a 16-0 run. They were up 7 at halftime and won by 40. That is insane. That is the killer instinct that this team has lacked since Bobby Jackson. Rodney Williams came off the bench for 14 points, Devoe Joseph had 15 and the other players are doing their roles. Blake Hoffarber hit a couple of 3's, Sampson and Iverson are patrolling and controlling the paint and I can't wait to see what Damian Johnson does as a Sr. I didn't even mention PG Al Nolen (widely considered the best defender in the Big Ten) or F Paul Carter (who could have a monster season).

One thing that I have really enjoyed seeing in these Tubby Smith years is that Tubby hasn't recruited players that are one-and-dones (White not included). Dan Monson used to take what he could get (Humphries), but Tubby is bringing in players that are good, but need work. Rodney Williams is a raw talent that should play 4 years at Minnesota. Ralph Sampson III should be here for at least 3 years and Colton Iverson will be here for 4. Last year I watched Goran Suton at Michigan State and I swear he had been there since 1994. This Gopher team has a chance to be like Goran Suton. Be a team that has grown up in the Big Ten. This team has real potential to finish in the Top 3 of the Big Ten and possibly win the conference.

In a state that has to deal with the ineptitude of their college football and the slow crumbling of the college hockey program, this is something to hold your head high on. It's amazing to me that when Tim Brewster came to Minnesota, he talked a big game. Tubby Smith came and went to work. I think you can see which is a real college coach.

More important to the U... TCF Bank Stadium to help a coach recruit who can't coach or a Basketball Facility for a legend? I think it's pretty clear.

Programming Note: Gophers play Utah Valley at Williams Arena on Thursday at 7PM. The game will be on the Big Ten Network.

Next week we will really see where the Gophers are at when they play in the 76-Classic in Anaheim. They are scheduled to play Butler in Round 1. They will then play either UCLA or Portland. They did alright last year on a neutral court out west.

Change for the Sake of Change?

2009-11-16T18:48:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about Tim Brewster and how I am not happy with the job he has done. I want to clarify one thing, I am not a fan of firing someone just for the sake of change. I would say that unfortunately,because we dealing with young athletes, college sports is the only place where firing a coach for the sake of change is the right decision. Every coach has their own style and system of play and because of their ability to attract recruits, the coach can make or break your program.
One thing that has always bugged me however is when people decide the team is playing poorly and it is time to fire the coach because something needs to be done. I have seen this happen in Minnesota with Flip Saunders. We saw this last week in New Orleans when the Hornets fired Byron Scott. It's like many fans and upper management forget what these coaches have done in the past and decide on a whim to make this change.

Let's look at Flip Saunders. Flip became Minnesota's head coach in the 1995-1996 season. Through some good drafting and trades, the Timberwolves built a nucleus of talent and in 1997 were on their way to their first ever playoff appearance. Yes, we know the rest of the story, about how the Timberwolves lost in the first round seven season in a row, but let's not forget who they played. They lost to a Rockets team that featured Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen. A Spurs team with David Robinson and Tim Duncan. A Sonics team with Gary Payton and then some very good Maverick and Laker teams. In 2003-2004, the Wolves finally gave Flip 3 All-Star players in Spree, Cassell and KG. They made that run to the Western Conference Finals. One season later, Sam is upset, Spree can't feed his family and Flip is sent packing.

What good did that do? The Wolves are now on their fourth coach, have not finished above .500 since 2005 and are on pace to be the worst NBA team ever. They have rebuilt, and re-re-built and now as their commercials say, they are re-re-re-re-re-re-building. If they had kept some continuity and Flip, this team may have reversed their funk.

The Hornets claim to have let go of Scott because they were 3-6, but let's look at the facts. Their GM moved to coach and Tim Floyd (their GM's buddy) was brought in as the Top Assistant. Looks fishy to me. It looks like a friend trying to give his buddy a job he doesn't deserve (See: Randy Wittman).
I look at baseball from last year. The Indians, for the sake of change fired Eric Wedge. Then they replaced him with perennial loser Manny Acta. What good will that do? The players grew under Wedge and now will have to adjust to all new coaches. The Twins were playing poorly last year, but what good would firing Ron Gardenhire have done? The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008 and didn't fire Joe Girardi. They won the WS this year.

You see this done in so many sports. I hope one day teams will realize that holding on to a good coach, who is just in a little funk is not the right move. The players are attached to them and the fans are attached to them. There are always fans calling for Ron Gardenhire to be fired... would they rather have Manny Acta?

Twins New Uniforms

2009-11-16T12:32:00.008-06:00

Bon Voyage Gopher Football

2009-11-15T11:34:00.007-06:00

I have read over the past few days that it doesn't make financial sense for the Gophers to fire head coach Tim Brewster. I agree with those opinions and have decided that if this year doesn't mark the end of the Tim Brewster era in Minnesota, then it may ultimately make the University of Minnesota football team a perennial bottom-dweller rather than middle-of-the-road Big Ten team.

In 1997 the Gophers brought in Glen Mason from Kansas. Mason had only two good seasons while at Kansas, but gained notoriety with his 1995 season, in which KU went 10-2 and finished #9 in the AP Rankings. Mason was the Gopher coach from 1997-2006. Those Gopher teams, unlike the ones under Brewster made improvements. Near the end of the Mason era, he started losing his team and the patience of the fans, but at least the team played hard. He didn't recruit the best players, but he recruited Marion Barber III, Laurence Maroney, Ben Hamilton and others. He also was able to get the most out of those medium-level players. Mason beat Penn State. Mason beat Ohio State. Mason beat Michigan. Mason beat Wisconsin. As far as I can tell, Mason beat every team in the Big Ten at least once, with Purdue being the toughest for him to beat.

Tim Brewster was brought in and deemed a savior. We were sold on his ability to recruit. There were obviously questions because he had never been a coach above the position level, but we were told to relax because this guy could recruit. Brew came to Minnesota and pushed "Gopher Nation." He did such ridiculous acts as growing Rose Bowl turf in the locker room. He was bringing the spread offense and finished with 1 win.

In year 2, we were sold on hope. The Gophers opened the season 7-1, the highlight being a road victory against Illinois (the team that made the Rose Bowl the previous season). Of course we then ended the season at 7-6. Our offense was able to put up points, but the defense couldn't stop anyone (55-0 vs. Iowa). Out goes Spread-OC Mike Dunbar, in comes Pro-Style- OC Jed Fisch. We were sold on power running, a new throwing motion for a good QB and a professional attitude.

How can a coach come in, sell you on the spread and run-and-gun, show improvements and then pull a 180? You could just feel that things were going to go south. The Gophers have been quite the disappointment this season. Players told us things such as "I don't see a loss on this schedule" but boy were they wrong. After winning the first two games and playing Cal tough, they have just crumbled. The offense can't score, the defense doesn't stop the other team and there hasn't been much on special teams either.

I think it says a lot when a coach comes in pushing a certain type of offense and then all of a sudden decides to change things. Especially when this coach has practically zero experience running a team. Adam Weber has gone from a productive college QB to a QB who looks like a deer-in-headlights.

We were sold this year on MarQuise Grey, the pro offense and Troy Stoudermire being the next Percy Harvin. None of those have blossomed. Troy Stoudermire is nothing more than an ego. This team escaped 16-13 over SDSU. They should have lost. I will say it was nice to see a team not cheer after every tackle, catch or run (that would be SDSU, not the Gophers).

Tim Brewster came in to Minnesota and sold hope but it seems he can't even sell winning to his team. Let's also not forget that Brewster has yet to beat Wisconsin, has yet to come close to Iowa and can't even beat Michigan when they are having their worst stretch of football ever. It is time to start over him.

Yes, Mason will probably be remembered more for losing to Michigan after leaded 35-7, losing to Wisconsin in the last minute of the 2006 game and losing to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl then he will be for beating #2 Penn State in 199, beating Penn State and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks in 2000 or being the first coach to beat Michigan since 1986. Glen Mason got his players to work hard. Tim Brewster has been a disappointment. With the way he coaches, we will be the laughing stock of the Big Ten by 2010, if we aren't already.

Lane Kiffin would've look good in Maroon and Gold a couple years ago, wouldn't he have?

Dissecting the Draft

2009-11-15T10:48:00.005-06:00

I have started posting on message boards again, but I feel that most people on there don't do a good job of showing respect to others opinions. So, once again, I find myself blogging a little bit. I feel that it is my only way to really write how I feel about sports. I'm thinking of also incorporating some other things as well, such as good restaurants I ate at, movies I saw or awesome TV shows to start watching.

Today, I wanted to discuss something in the NBA. As many of you know, the Minnesota Timberwolves (1-10) and New York Knicks (1-9) are both stuck on 1 win. They each had the opportunity in the draft to take a point guard name Brandon Jennings. They each passed. Many fans here in Minnesota are up in arms about the fact that we drafted Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn and passed on Brandon Jennings. I think that the only problem there was that the Timberwolves picked two point guards, not that the passed over Brandon Jennings.
Brandon Jennings was an unknown coming out of Europe. He was the first player to pass-up college for Europe and then go to the NBA. The Timberwolves drafted two players that in time should both either be very good (Flynn) or be very tradable (Rubio). Here is why I brought up the Knicks. They drafted Jordan Hill, a PF from Arizona. Jordan Hill was not what the Knicks needed. They already had Eddy Curry coming back (yes, I know he isn't exactly what they need), David Lee and Danilo Gallinari. Their point guard is Chris Duhon. The Knicks coveted Stephen Curry, but when Golden State took him at #7, the Knicks should have been on the Brandon Jennings bandwagon. Mike D'Antoni is credited with running a "European" style of basketball team. Isn't that where Jennings came from? Jordan Hill hasn't been a bust and it almost isn't fair to him to make comparisons. I however am not trying to make a comparison between the players, but just to point out the fact that the Knicks needed a PG and Jennings fit their style. I know it is easy to look back now, because hindsight is 20/20 and say a mistake was made, but seriously, what were the Knicks thinking? If they are serious at making a run at LBJ, they could've used a Brandon Jennings type of PG. Jennings is the type of player that LBJ has never played with. Someone that can create their own scoring opportunities and take over a game if LBJ isn't playing his best. I think drafting Jordan Hill will ultimately cost the Knicks LBJ. Who would you rather play with... Brandon Jennings or Jordan Hill?

Back to my Minnesota connection. I just can't understand why Minnesota fans are trying to compare Jennings to the players they drafted? I think we have seen a number of poor draft trades made in Minnesota (Foye-Roy) that we quickly jump to conclusions and point blame at the front-office. Jennings and Flynn were NOT traded for each other. I like most people were not on the Jennings bandwagon because of the unknown and I think we should be happy with Jonny Flynn. Jonny Flynn is an exciting player to watch and he doesn't seem like an ego-maniac that many athletes are. He actually looks like someone who could spend his entire career in Minnesota and I look forward to what he can bring to the table in the future.

Now, if you're going to complain about the Timberwolves missing out on a PG, look no further than Ty Lawson of the Nuggets... Would you rather have him, or the future 1st-Round pick we received?