Court's Sports

A look at the 2009-2010 Timberwolves

2009-06-26T19:59:00.003-05:00

With the completion of last nights draft, we now have a little bit clearer view of what the potential roster could look like for the '09-'10 Wolves (A quick aside - even in writing this, I said in my mind "Oh-ten", much like I have for the years '01-'09. When January first rolls around, I along with many others will be saying "Oh-ten" for months. Despite how wrong it is, it sounds right. Something about shortening it to "ten" just sounds wrong. Anyways, back to the Wolves). With the first round selections of Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, and Wayne Ellington, the Wolves have at least two and possibly three (in the case that Rubio gets out of his Euro contract) players to add to the list of players for sure on next year's roster.

Here is the Wolves current roster (In alphabetical order)-
Corey Brewer
Bobby Brown (FA)
Brian Cardinal
Rodney Carney (FA)
Jason Collins (FA)
Wayne Ellington
Jonny Flynn
Ryan Gomes
Al Jefferson
Kevin Love
Mark Madsen
Henk Norel
Kevin Ollie (FA)
Oleksiy Pecherov
Ricky Rubio
Craig Smith
Darius Songaila
Sebastian Telfair
Etan Thomas
Sheldan Williams (FA)

First, we can eliminate Norel. We will hold onto his rights, but he won't be here this year.

Next, we can safely say that certain free agents won't be back.

Brown is a restricted free agent, so we have the right to match any offer for him. His return depends mainly on Rubio. If Rubio stays in Europe for the year, we may extend an offer to Brown. If Rubio signs for this season, Brown is a goner, since Telfair is already under contract and Flynn was drafted at the PG spot as well.
Carney, Collins, Ollie, and Williams are all unrestricted free agents. Out of this group, only Carney should be considered to return to the team. Collins and Williams are surely goners, while Ollie has a slim hope of returning, depending on how much Kahn values veteran leadership. Carney averaged 7.2 PPG last season, and was stellar in transition. With the addition of two point guards who are great in a fast break offense, Carney could be a valuable asset to this team

Assuming they bring back Carney, the list of players is now at 15. Now, the best way to evaluate who could stay and who could go is to look at the depth chart.

PG- Flynn, Telfair, Rubio (if he signs) or Brown (if Rubio doesn't)
SG-Ellington, Gomes?, Carney?
SF-Gomes, Carney, Brewer
PF-Jefferson, Love, Smith, Songaila, Madsen, Cardinal
C- Thomas, Pecherov

Obviously, our strongest positions are at PG and PF. However, those strong positions are countered by an obvious deficiency at SG and C. Ellington is our only true shooting guard, and he is undersized. Carney, if re-signed, could play SG, as well as Gomes. Despite their ability to play the two, their best position is the 3.

There is no way we go into the season with 6 players at power forward. Though I have Jefferson listed as a PF, he obviously could play C like he did much of last season. Another concern is whether Big Al is even ready for the season.

Time for some guesses-
There will be at least 1 or 2 buyouts. It won't be Songaila, as he has 2 years and millions left on his deal. Thomas is in the last season of a 6 year, 36 million dollar deal. However, he could be of value to the Wolves at the center position. The Wolves can chose whether or not to pick up Pecherov's 1.55 million dollar option for this season, but I can't envision the Wolves letting a 23-year-old 7-footer leave when they only have to pay him just over 1.5 mil.

This means we are down to Craig Smith, Mark Madsen, and Brian Cardinal. Cardinal, despite playing a lot of minutes last year, would most likely take a back seat to Big Al, K-Love, Songaila, and possibly even Thomas. Cardinal is owed 6.75 million this season, the last of his contract. He either could be bought out or traded, but I don't see Cardinal remaining on the roster. Smith is a valuable role player, and could very well stick with the team. Smith is only owed 2.7 million this year, so he isn't hurting the team financially. Who knows what the team will do with Madsen. He is the only holdover from the Garnett Regime.

It is obvious we need to trade or do something to reduce our frontcourt options, as they are great in quantity but short on quality outside of Love and Jefferson. Expect Kahn to trim the fat somehow.

Expect a shooting guard signed this offseason, or one to arrive through trade. We need a big shooting guard, one who can guard the bigger and more talented shooting guards in the league. This could come if we are forced into dealing one of our new PGs, or it could easily come through free agency, since we have some money to spend. Ben Gordon is the best SG on the market, but won't come to the Wolves. Allen Iverson is available also, but again won't want in on the Minnesota situation. Maybe Keith Bogans is an option? Maybe Kyle Korver? Who knows, but the Wolves need help at shooting guard and standing pat is NOT an option.

Regardless of moves made, it is obvious that the Wolves are in for a rough ride this season. They have some talented pieces, but the talent is pretty shallow. We don't have the traditional role players that help make good teams great, and lack some of the talent that at the very least makes bad teams good. Whatever happens, at least there is some interest back in this team following the drafting of Rubio and Flynn

Timberwolves Draft 2009

2009-06-26T17:23:00.011-05:00

Suffice it to say that I, like many other devout T-Wolves fans, was utterly surprised at numerous things during the draft last night. Most obviously surprising was the fact that the Timberwolves selected back to back point guards with their lottery picks.

Surprising enough by itself, the fact that Ricky Rubio dropped into their hands at number five was pretty astounding. Rubio was considered the second best player in the draft by some. Rubio ended up dropping with the selection of Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, and Tyreke Evans above him. Rubio has the chance to be a special talent, but whether we see him in a Wolves uniform is yet to be seen. Getting out of his current contract is tricky enough, but now it is compounded by the fact that he really doesn't have any desire to leave Spain for Minnesota. Ultimately, I expect Rubio to either be here this season, or the following. I don't believe that a multi-year holdout in Spain or a trade is a possibility.

Point guard Jonny Flynn was taken with the Wolves second pick. This was an utter surprise, as most everyone expected a shooting guard or at the very least a combo guard selected in this spot. Instead, GM David Kahn selected Flynn, an energetic, tiny point guard who is NBA-ready. The pick was almost universally torn apart by most, however I do believe that the Timberwolves made a smart pick. It is possible that Flynn was the best player left on the Timberwolves board at pick 6, and with a team in this much need of talent, they should be in best-player-available mode.

The selection of both Flynn and Rubio allows for a few different things to happen. First off, if Rubio does hold out for the season to take another in Spain, the Wolves will be able to start Flynn at the point. This reduces Rubio's negotiating power (not that he has much to begin with, with the slotted contracts in the NBA). With Flynn, they can more easily absorb the blow of not having their number 5 pick immediately. Second off, if Flynn doesn't succeed while Rubio is in Spain, we have a new PG ready to step in. Third, if Flynn does succeed, and Rubio remains in Spain, we now have a potential trade chip in an NBA caliber point guard, as we won't need two.

The fourth, and best-case scenario, is that both Flynn and Rubio play for the Wolves next season. Despite both playing the same position, there is definitely enough minutes for both of them next season. Flynn is ready now, and Rubio would be able to play a little bit less as he learns the NBA game. Plus, in the instances with both Flynn and Rubio on the floor at the same time, the Wolves could have one of the most exciting fast break offenses in the league.

Finally, we took shooting guard Wayne Ellington with the 28th pick in the first round. With the jettison of both Mike Miller and Randy Foye, the Wolves were suddenly extremely thin at the shooting guard position. Ellington is NBA ready after playing for the National Champion UNC Tarheels this season, and could very well step into a starting role for this team. To find a starting caliber shooting guard at this point in the draft makes this another solid pick for Kahn. Ellington, though undersized, just became the best outside shooter on an NBA team.

(All above pictures were photoshopped by the Court's Sports team)

Timberwolves draft predictions 1.0

2009-06-23T21:02:00.003-05:00

With the news today that the Timberwolves have traded away Randy Foye and Mike Miller for Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov, Darius Songaila, and the number 5 pick in the 2009 draft, Wolves GM David Kahn has added yet another pick for Thursday's draft. The Wolves now hold the number 5, 6, 18, and 28 picks in the draft (courtesy of the Wizards, Heat, and Celtics). What begs to question is what to do with all these picks? Here is a likely scenario for Thursday's draft, and who I believe the Wolves should take in the event that the Wolves stand pat with their current picks.

Picks 1 through 4-
Obviously Blake Griffin is the top pick. This is not even a question at this point in time. While the next three picks may be jumbled around, I think it is safe to say that center Hasheem Thabeet, point guard Ricky Rubio, and shooting guard James Harden will be the next three players taken. These three could be in any order, but they should be the players taken leading up to the Wolves number 5 pick. In the case that Thabeet, Rubio, or Harden drop, they WILL be the Timberwolves selection at number 5.

Pick 5-
The likely target, assuming that the players listed above are off the board, is Tyreke Evans. By all accounts, Evans had the best workout for the Timberwolves during Pointguardapalooza that happened over the weekend at the Target Center. Evans would fill the role of point guard that is now in more need than ever for the Wolves with the departure of Foye. If Evans gets selected in the top 4, the Wolves will draft whoever drops.

Pick 6-
With the selection of Evans at 5 to play point, the Timberwolves likely will target shooting guard with this pick. Considering the three players they acquired in their trade (all three are capable of playing center), the Wolves need to acquire another guard to help to fill out their roster. The pick also will be a guard because the best players available here are all guards. There are a few players that would be considered with this pick - Jonny Flynn, DeMar DeRozen, Brandon Jennings - but ultimately I can't see them passing up Stephen Curry at this pick. The Wolves need to improve their outside shooting, and Curry is the best shooter in the draft.

Pick 18-
A few guys will be considered here as well, and its much harder to predict the tail end of the draft, but there are a few guys that have been associated with this pick. B.J. Mullens has been rumored with this pick, along with a number of other guards. Assuming that the Wolves take Evans and Curry, the Wolves will pick 6'11'' small forward Austin Daye out of Gonzaga with this pick. Daye has links to Kahn through his father, has huge upside, and has the size. They would take Daye with the hopes that he turns into a Tayshaun Prince-type player.

Pick 28-
Assuming that we keep pick 28, we would likely pick a player that we can stash in Europe for at least a year, so that we don't have 4 rookies on our roster. This will likely be either Omri Casspi or Jonas Jerebko, both of whom are small forwards.

Assuming that they keep these picks, this what the Wolves should do with their four picks. If the Wolves make another move (which I believe has a very high chance of happening) or something else changes that will affect who the Timberwolves select, check back for updates on who the Wolves should select on Thursday.

A sign of things to come?

2009-06-22T17:55:00.002-05:00

Here are your guaranteed Minnesota Timberwolves next year, courtesy of ESPN.com.

An odd computer glitch, yet it accurately suggests that huge changes are coming next year and that only Big Al and Corey Brewer are safe, due mainly to injuries sapping their trade value (though Big Al probably wouldn't get traded anyways). These changes will begin on Thursday, when the Timberwolves could add as many as 5 new players in the 2009 draft. They have 3 first round picks along with two second rounders, but most expect them to deal away at least one of those picks.

Getaway Day

2009-06-04T08:43:00.002-05:00

Today is Getaway day here in the Twin Cities for the Twins afternoon game against the Indians.

The Twins bats were stymied by Cliff Lee last night and Anthony Swarzak was hit hard in his 3rd major league start as the Twins lost 10-1.

The only run came in the 7th when Carlos Gomez hit a single that scored Jason Kubel. Gomez was also involved in a little jawing with pitcher Cliff Lee.

Early in the game, Gomez bunted with 2 strikes and raced to first but the ball went foul which resulted in a strikeout for Gomez. He did the same thing last year against Lee and Lee had some words for Gomez after a fly out in the 5th.

"Why didn't you bunt that time?" was what you could read Lee saying during the replay

After the game, Gomez defended his choice to bunt with two strikes:

"He can say whatever he wants to say. This is my game. The bunt put me here, and I have to work every day to get better and keep bunting."

This was the most spark the Twins had all night.

Today's starters are Francisco Carmona (2-5) vs. Scott Baker (2-6) and the game time is 12:10 pm. All the representatives from here at Court's Sports will be at the game today...cheap seats of course.

Check back tomorrow for a game recap.

source: ESPN.com

Twins New Logo - update

2009-05-30T12:23:00.002-05:00

Well, it is Saturday, so it only makes sense that the Star Tribune breaks the story that I first reported on here on Tuesday.

They have a picture of the full updated logo, and while it is still obvious to the keen observer that it is an updated logo, it is not as big of a change as I would have expected after making my initial report on the two letters shown during the broadcast.

Of course, there was no mention of this blog or the fact that it was first mentioned here on Tuesday, but oh well. LaVelle E. Neal III is a great reporter and does a great job with the Twins, and I'm sure that if he used the information on this site at all for this report, he would have mentioned it.

The full logo is below, with a comparison to the old one.

Like I initially guessed, the end result is an "edgier", pointier logo.

Fantastic Five-Hundred

2009-05-28T09:59:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the Boston Red Sox pitching staff doing their best pre-glasses impression of "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn, the Twins were able to defeat the Red Sox 4-2 last night to climb back to .500.

The Twins, at 24-24 now, were able to capitalize on a MLB record 6 wild pitches and also got a strong outing out of Kevin Slowey (7-1). Slowey struck out 5 batters (all swinging) and scattered 6 hits over his 6 innings pitched.

Denard Span went 4-4 with 2 runs and a stolen base. With is 4-4 performance, Span is now batting .316 and with his speed on the bases is becoming a strong leadoff hitter for the Twins.

With his 1-3 night, Joe Mauer's batting average dropped to a mild .425. He's spoiled us all so far this year that 1-3 almost looks bad...but then we also remember that Punto would probably use all 3 wishes with a genie to have a 1-3 night.

Today's match-up is Josh Beckett (4-2, 5.01) vs. recent call-up Anthony Swarzak (1-0, 0.00) at 12:10. It will be interesting to see where Papi hits or even if he hits at all today. He went 0-4 last night to drop his BA to .193

Outside of the Dome

- Detroit RedWings defeated Chicago 2-1 in OT to win the series 4-1 and will now meet the Pens in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. It is the first repeat finals in 25 years and pits two of the NHL's best goalies against each other. Let's hope that if Detroit wins the cup again this year, that a certain player refrains from breaking it during the summer Cup tour...

- LA Lakers defeated the Nuggets 103-94 to take the series lead 3-2. Kobe only took 13 shots and scored 22 points prompting Skip Bayless to wonder whether Kobe was sending a message to LeBron that less is more. Well when you're "less" is Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum compared to LeBron's "less" (a non-existent Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Wally, and "Big Z") then there really is no option for "less is more". Look for the Cavs to win tonight and the Lakers to close things out in Denver on Friday.

Thanks to those of you who enjoyed our disclosure of a possible new Twins logo coming with the new ballpark next year. If this change does indeed come about, remember where you heard it first!

Twins New Logo

2009-05-26T20:39:00.006-05:00

There have been articles written in the local newspapers discussing whether a Twins uniform and logo overhaul should happen for next year, and if so, what it should look like. Turns out, the decision as already been made (no surprise there). During the FSN North broadcast of the Twins-Red Sox game on Tuesday, the Twins showed the logo being assembled above the new scoreboard. However, a closer look shows that the logo being put up above the scoreboard isn't their current logo, but what one must assume will be the new logo that they are adopting for next season.

Here is the new logo atop the scoreboard, courtesy of DirecTV DVR-

and here is the current Twins script logo-

A keen eye will notice that, though there are only two letters on the 'new' logo, both are different than that of the current logo. The 'S' is strikingly different and edgier, while the 'N' is similar to that of the Twins script that has been used since ~~1997~~ 1987.

Basically, what this means is that those hoping for a huge overhaul, or a return to the beautiful 2009 throwback jerseys as the new home jerseys, is that the decision on the Twins script for next season has already been made. While they will market this as a huge change, all it is is simply a font change. I can picture the words now- "We wanted to update the Twins brand to 2010." While the uniforms, pinstripes and all, may still be overhauled, it looks as though the Twins will be going with a familiar script logo next season.

Should the Twins sign Crede?

2009-02-09T01:54:00.003-06:00

Despite an extremely quiet offseason for the Twins, there is still a chance that they could make one semi-large move before the start of the 2009 season. This past week, the Twins made the first move in months, and added their first new major league player of the offseason in Luis Ayala, a righthanded relief pitcher. With Ayala, the Twins helped to shore up one of their weaknesses, which was the bullpen. However, there is still a hole at third base, and there is really only one free agent left that could fill that void – Joe Crede. Question is: should the Twins take the chance on him?

Sign Crede
There are numerous reasons the Twins should take a chance on Crede. First off, he is only 30 years old. Despite having back injury problems the last two seasons, Crede is still young enough that he could bounce back and still be a productive hitter. He was hobbled by a bad back during the ’07 season, but the surgery to fix it failed. He had a similar procedure after the back shut him down in ’08, and he has recently claimed that he is fully healthy. The Twins were willing to sign Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake earlier in the offseason, who was 35 and not getting any better. A healthy, 30-year-old Joe Crede is a much better option than a 35-year-old Blake.
Second, Crede would only be a one-year deal. While Crede certainly could be deserving of a multi-year contract, this offseason is one in which owners simply aren’t committing much to players (unless you are the Yankees). Crede himself is only looking for a one-year deal, so that he can go out, prove himself, and try to cash in next offseason. A player that is willing to sign a one-year deal means that he has something to prove, and usually works well two-fold for the team. First, they aren’t guaranteeing much money to the player, and second, the player feels the need to try and make his case for a big contract.
Third, Crede is relatively reasonably priced, for between five and seven million dollars. Crede made $5.1 million as an All-Star last year with the White Sox (despite an injury shortened season). He is looking for a deal with a base salary upwards of seven million dollars, with incentives that would pay him like an elite third baseman ($11-12 million in total contract value). Those who say that committing seven million dollars to Crede would be a mistake should look at what the Twins were willing to commit to Mike Lamb last season. The Twins signed Lamb, an unproven veteran, to a two-year, $6.6 million deal. He was subsequently cut, and the Twins were on the hook for all of that money, despite Lamb playing in only 81 games for the club. Crede, if he doesn’t pan out, would cost the Twins about the same as they lost with Lamb last year. The difference, however, is that Crede offers much more potential to the Twins than Lamb ever could have.
Even for the Twins, seven million dollars wouldn’t be a huge commitment this year. The Twins are currently at $60.15 million, $14 million less than two years ago with Torii Hunter and Johan Santana. At $67 million, the Twins would be done with their offseason, still below budget, and seven million dollars less than what they were willing to spend two seasons ago.
Fourth, Crede, when healthy, is actually among the top third basemen in the league. Despite playing in only 97 games last season, Crede hit 17 home runs. That total, from a clearly injured Crede, would have been good enough for third on the Twins, seven homers in front of current third place power man Delmon Young. In his last healthy season for the White Sox, Crede hit .283 with 30 home runs and 94 RBI, primarily as their six or seven hitter. If Crede were to hit for a similar average with similar power for the Twins, his RBI total would increase, mainly because he would hit directly behind Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

Stand pat
There are some good arguments for standing pat, although they aren’t as numerous. First, there is the fact that we have two capable third basemen in Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher. The righty/lefty combo would be able to platoon and thus matchups wouldn’t be an issue. As a nearly full time player last season, Harris hit .265 with seven homers. Buscher hit .294 with four homers in 70 games. The two combined would be a respectable duo at third base, and a cheap option at that, since both are making less than $500,000
Second, Crede isn’t guaranteed to be 100 percent. Crede has had back issues the last two seasons despite having corrective surgery, so there is reason to believe that the same injury could hobble him this season. His back limited him to 144 games the last two years, and the Twins would be risking a lot in hoping that he doesn’t miss any time this season. They are especially worried that the Dome’s FieldTurf would be a catalyst to his injury.
Third, his agent is Scott Boras. Boras is a scary agent, doing anything and everything to get a top contract for his guys. Boras has stated that Crede is fully healthy despite reports of him being 75-85 percent, and that Crede would be ready to play in 10-14 days. He also stated that Crede wouldn’t be affected by what surface he plays on, a direct nod to the Twins that their turf isn’t an issue. Boras could be telling the truth, or he could be just trying to convince the Twins to sign a player that he knows is still rehabbing.

What should they do?
The Twins would be best off taking a chance on Crede. He is high risk, but he offers much greater potential than the Twins current platoon. The Twins have some flexibility with payroll, and a Crede signing would do a lot to get fans excited about the team with less than two months to the start of the season, especially after their extraordinarily quiet offseason to this point.
Crede, if healthy, would be a middle of the lineup righthanded power hitter, the exact kind that the Twins have been in search of for a few seasons now. It is obvious that Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young aren’t capable of being that guy after their recent failures, but Crede has the potential to hit 25-30 homers. He would provide good protection for Morneau and Mauer, and with Kubel hitting behind Crede, the middle of the Twins lineup would be quite scary.
Crede obviously would need to first show the Twins that he is fully healthy before they offer him a contract, but that is what pre-contract physicals are for. San Francisco has already offered a deal to Crede, so the Twins have to act fast if they want to take a chance on him. Weighing the positives and negatives, a Crede signing only makes sense.

Happy Holidays

2008-11-27T13:02:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Hopefully you all have been enjoying a wild NFL season as well as the early stages of our NHL and NBA seasons.

We have been on hiatus for a while here due to some busy schedules between Owen and I but due to some requests and inquiries as to where we have gone, Court's Sports may see a re-birth here in the next few weeks.

As you may already know, Owen and I are finishing up our schooling currently which does require most of our time. So bear with us as we try and balance our classes (or class if you're me) as well as please the true fans of this site.

To treat those of you who have faithfully checked in here to see if we had come back or not...here is a Thanksgiving gift from Youtube/Us to all of you.

Enjoy watching the Titans remind us all that the Lions are...well...the Lions.

Game 48: Twins 9, Tigers 4

2008-05-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Kevin Slowey picked up his first win of the season and the Twins got back on track with a big win against the Tigers who are arguably most disappointing team in the MLB.

The Twins pulled back to .500 (24-24) while the Tigers fell to 20-28.

Highlights of the game include:

- Third baseman Mike Lamb hit his first home-run of the season in the 6th inning off of starter Armando Galarraga.

- Justin Morneau and Lamb combined for the Twins extra base hits. (2 doubles for Morneau and a triple for Lamb)

- Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the 7th inning.

- Michael Cuddyer only left two men in scoring position.

Tonight's game will feature Boof Bonser (2-5, 5.25) vs. Nate Robertson (1-5, 6.08). Be prepared as the game may break several MLB scoring records with the quality of pitching put out by both teams.

Start time is 6:05 CT.

Remembering...

2008-05-20T04:00:00.001-05:00

Today is the 8th anniversary of the incredibly unfortunate death of former Timberwolf Malik Sealy.

It was 8 years ago today that he was killed by a drunk driver while on his way home from celebrating Kevin Garnett's birthday in Minneapolis.

It was a shocking and utterly depressing occurance to happen to someone as great a player and person as Sealy was. It is still something that daily affects the lives of Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith.

“It was a tough situation to get over when you lose a teammate, especially in that fashion,” said Smith. “Everybody was close with Malik. That was the type of person he was."

During the Cavs/Celtics series, Garnett and Smith would bump arms before they entered the game. The reason? That is where their tatoo's to honor Malik are located.

That final season for Sealy was a special one. He had been around the league a little bit after being a standout player at St. Johns during his collegiate career. He hit several game winning shots and was a great person to have in the locker room.

I will never forget being at a game that season against the Indiana Pacers. My dad and I had season tickets at the time but had moved to the 4th row behind the hoop where the Wolves finished the game shooting on.

The Wolves were down by 2 with about a second left and Sealy got the ball just to the left of the key and put up a prayer. The ball hit the backboard and went in to give the Wolves a win. To this day, I remember everyone going nuts and Sealy's teammates mobbing him on the ground and celebrating their last second win. It was a great night for the Wolves and for Sealy.

He will always be remembered by fans in Minnesota as a great guy and a great player. He will surely be with Kevin as he makes his march towards his first NBA title. We, like Kevin, should always keep "MS2" in our hearts.

5/20/00....

Remembering...

2008-05-19T22:17:00.001-05:00

Game 37: Twins 7, Red Sox 3

2008-05-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Things continue to fall in place for the first place Twins. This series against the Red Sox brought about many thoughts about how the teams have changed, mainly the Twins, in the last year. The Red Sox made a push for Johan Santana but Sox GM Theo Epstein did not want to part with any of his youngsters.

Any of you who caught some of the games know who I'm talking about. Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury namely. Instead, the Twins traded Santana to the Mets for Carlos Gomez and change. They also picked up Craig Monroe, Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Livan Hernandez, Delmon Young and Brendan Harris.

The Twins took 3 of 4 from the defending World Series champions and did so handily. Strong pitching and timely hits did it for the Twins in the 3 wins they picked up. Other than the 3 homeruns on Sunday, the Twins scored all of their runs off singles and doubles.

Last night was no different. Craig Monroe hit a big double in the 5th that scored two runs and helped the Twins to jump ahead 6-3.

Hernandez (6-1, 3.90) has been getting great run-support that Johan Santana never could seem to get. If Santana got this kind of run support (31-5 in runs scored to runs allowed this month for Hernandez) then he may have had a nice Cy Young streak going.

Monroe is coming up big in the DH role as well. Batting .290 with 4 HR and 15 RBI, he has shown the consistent big hitting that the Twins have lacked since releasing David Ortiz several years ago.

This team is staying true to its small ball roots and it is definitely proving to be worthwhile at the moment. Keep in mind though Twins fans, this team is pretty new and fairly young. Expect some more ups and downs this year but for the moment, enjoy what they are doing and let's keep cheering them on.

Next game: 5/13 vs. Toronto Blue Jays. 7:10 start time

Slowey (0-2, 6.48) vs. Jesse Litsch (4-1, 4.24)

ESPN Primetime

2008-05-11T13:31:00.003-05:00

Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN is featured in the Dome tonight as the Twins and Red Sox face off for the third game of their four game series.

Tonight will feature Tim Wakefield (2-1, 3.33) against Nick Blackburn (2-2, 3.65) and the game will start at 7:05 pm.

Check back tomorrow for the full recap of the game.

Neshek possibly out for season

2008-05-09T22:01:00.003-05:00

Twins reliever Pat Neshek, who was injured while pitching yesterday, got some bad results from his MRI that was taken today. According to Le Velle E. Neal of the Star Tribune, Neshek was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament (the one that is generally replaced in Tommy John surgery). He reports that Neshek will not be allowed to throw for at least three months, placing the time line at August 8th before he can even throw again, let alone pitch. This indicates that Neshek most likely will not pitch again this season.

This injury leaves an obvious hole in our bullpen, as Neshek was our top setup man. There are many people that could take over this role-

Juan Rincon - This is one of the most possible choices, as Rincon has a lot of experience and once held this role for the Twins. On the other hand, he has a 4.91 ERA and has allowed a run in 3 of his last 6 appearances. Though he will not be as trustworthy as Neshek, Rincon may be the Twins best option

Jesse Crain - Crain has been even less solid than Rincon in terms of his overall numbers this season. However, barring his 3-run inning against Detroit on April 15th, Crain has pitched pretty well this year.

Bobby Korecky - The former Triple-A Rochester closer, Korecky has shown that he can pitch a solid inning repeatedly. He could be a good option to hold the game until the Twins can get to Nathan in the ninth. With his lack of experience, though, Gardy will most likely keep him in a middle relief role.

Whoever gets the job, what's clear is that they will not be as dominating as Neshek has been the past few years. I have a feeling there will be a lot more frustrating 8th innings in the coming months than one would hope, and there is a small tear in an elbow ligament to thank for that. Get better soon Pat.

Game 32: Twins 13, White Sox 1

2008-05-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

The fortunes for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox traded places last night.

In Tuesday's game, the Twins were nearly no-hit by Gavin Floyd as the White Sox found a little pop in their offense. On Wednesday, the White Sox were the ones who struggled to find their offense and the Twins found plenty of offense in the most electric player in recent Twins history.

I, of course, mean the young spark plug named Carlos Gomez. Gomez went 4-5 with 3 RBI and became the first Twin to hit for the cycle since Kirby Puckett did it in 1986. Gomez raised his average to .282 and got the final single on an infield hit to acheive this great feat.

Livan Hernandez (5-1, 3.83) almost had the complete game shutout until Jermaine Dye hit a homerun with 1 out in the 9th. Hernandez has been a nice surprise to those outside of the Twins organization. I say this because not many people outside of the Twins clubhouse felt that Hernandez was really the answer to the departed Johan Santana. Last time I checked, the Twins and Mets had the same records and Hernandez has a 5-1 record to Santana's 3-2 record. Not a wash, but Hernandez is not doing anything to hurt the Twins.

Tonight's game features Lefty John Danks (2-3, 3.12) against Kevin Slowey (0-1, 8.10) who will be making his first start since pitching against the Los Angeles Angels on April 3rd.

Game time is 7:10 pm

Game 30: Twins 7, Tigers 6

2008-05-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Twins continue to find ways to win...even if they probably shouldn't.

After a 45-pitch, 6 run first inning for Boof Bonser, you would think the Twins would have folded. The great part was that they got right back on that horse in the second inning.

Bonser came out and had a 5 pitch second inning much to the joy of interim manager Scott Ullger

"You come in and say, 'There's a lot of game left,' " Ullger said. "Well, there's the whole game left. So just chip away." (Espn.com)

Bonser showed that Ullger made the right move and the Twins offense picked him up later in the game. Joe Mauer had a big 2-run single in the 7th to take the lead for good as Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless 9th for his 11th save in 11 chances.

The Tigers continue to struggle and manager Jim Leyland refused to comment on any changes that will surely have to be made

"I'm not talking about that. There will be changes tomorrow," Leyland said. (Espn.com)

The Twins (16-14) now have a 1 1/2 game lead on the White Sox (losers of 3 straight to the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend) , who they start a three game series with on Tuesday in the Windy City.

That game will feature Nick Blackburn (2-1, 3.52) going against White Sox righty Gavin Floyd (2-1, 3.16) Tuesday night at 7:10 pm.

Game 29: Twins 4, Tigers 1

2008-05-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Twins pitchers continue to baffle the supposed to be powerful Detroit Tigers.

The Twins (15-14) moved into first place in the AL Central as Scott Baker lasted 3 innings, before re-aggrivating his right groin injury, and only gave up 1 hit and no runs with two strike outs. Releiver Brian Bass came up big with 4 innings pitched and only giving up 4 hits with no runs in relief for Baker.

Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless 9th for his 10th save in 10 attempts.

The Twins offense had big nights from Joe Mauer and Craig Monroe. Mauer went 3-4 with a double while Monroe went 2-3 with a 2-run home-run in the 7th inning.

Today's game will start at 1:10pm and will feature Boof Bonser (2-4) versus Kenny Rogers (2-3). Look for the regulars for both teams to get a good rest today.

Game 28: Twins 11, Tigers 1

2008-05-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Twins defeated the suddenly surging Detroit Tigers 11-1 last night.

They won the game by racking up 16 hits on 3 Tigers pitchers (4 were used overall), 5 extra base hits (4 doubles and a triple off the baggy by Jason Kubel) and a strong 7 inning, 8 hit and 1 earned run (a solo home-run by Magglio Ordonez) outing by Livan Hernandez.

The Tigers struggled to figure out Hernandez who baffled them with fastballs that barely made 90 mph and change-ups and curveballs that barely hit 65. He kept them off balance and did a great job getting out of jams. It came down to groundball outs and flyouts that Hernandez got.

Both teams left a good amount of runners on base (Detroit, 8 / Minnesota 9) but the Twins capitalized when they needed to.

All around it was a solid game by the Twins against a team, despite their sluggish start, who has been playing well as of late. The only concern was when Carlos Gomez was attempting to steal second in the 5th inning and was hit in the helmet by Ivan Rodriguez's throw. He was carted off the field but is reported to be okay.

Game two of the three game series will start at 6:10 pm tonight as Scott Baker, who returns from a groin injury last week against Texas, will face off against Justin Verlander.

Also, our thoughts go out to the entire Gardenhire family as manager Ron Gardenhire's brother suddenly passed away this week at his home in Oklahoma. Gardy will return in due time and until then 3rd base coach Scott Ulger will take over mangerial duties.

Check back tomorrow for a recap of tonight's game.

Land O' Links

2008-05-02T00:10:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday!

We here at Court's Sports want to apologize for the extreme delay between posts here. As you know, my partner and I here on the site are both finishing up our school year and things have been pretty hectic.

Needless to say, with Owen's year winding down soon and my tennis season having ended, we will be getting you your news and links on the regular.

To ease you all back into the swing of things around here...TODAY'S LINKS! We've got a nice mix of sports and entertainment for you today.

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- This is a touching story about one of the most famous voices in Professional sports. It will be a sad day in boxing when he no longer stands in the middle of the ring and gets everyone psyched.

- I continue to be involved in discussions (or arguments, depending on who you ask) with friends of mine who are Boston sports fans. No more than 10 years ago, just about every team in Boston was a complete embarassment to whatever sport they were in. Now all of a sudden with their success, articles like this are written. Let's get two things straight...1) Boston, you're welcome for your success (ex: Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett, David Ortiz, Lawrence Maroney) and 2) Keep in mind that 10 years ago, articles were written like this about you. Where's Belichek's humble pie when you need it? I want to see the Celtics win it all, but if they get upset by the Hawks...I'll move on.

- This made me throw up a little bit in my mouth. The early stages of Ashton and Demi. This is definitely one of those "we should have known..." sort of things. Referring to the eventual demise of Tom Cruise.

- The Miami Dolphins keep on adding to their pretty successful draft from last weekend. If you can, scroll down to the bottom right and click on the "Dolphins Draft busts/successes" slideshow. Some of the pictures are pretty funny and some are just the usual. By the end of it, I just thought "What would have happened had Ace not found Snowflake and Dan Marino?"

- I was just as happy as the next person to see the Rockies make their slightly improbable ( I say slightly because...well, come on...it's the National League. Even the Cubs have a chance) run through the playoffs last year. It's a tough break for them with Tulowitzki going down but I am sure that they will be able to find some more lightning in a bottle right? As long as they finish within five games above or below .500, they'll be okay.

- I wish that some day I can get to a point in my career where I can just start sending out text messages that make ESPN. I have a feeling that the next one will be from Deshawn Stevenson that reads "2day...im gonna beat Lebrawn N lern to read" On that note, I came across an interview where a sportswriter said that Deshawn Stevenson was "good" for the playoffs. Reasons? He brings excitement and edge to an otherwise boring NBA Playoffs. I agree that the playoffs have been a little boring but I can't stand watching this guy play. He's like a mix of J.R. Rider, Ron Artest and those kids who can barely get into community college.

- Two words: Who Cares?

- One word: Surprised?

- I think that Justin Timberlake put it simply: "Cry Me a River"

And finally, the article of the day. You know what? I think, whether you want to or not, that this really just sums up the state of Minnesota. Still stuck in the 70's & 80's for the most part and no one really seems to care. I hope that this kids parents keep every memory of this honor. The best part is that his brother won it a few years ago, so they are really running a dynasty right now. Hopefully they've got a little girl waiting in the wings for her shot at glory.

One final quick note, find your way over to ESPN and check out the story about former Tennessee point guard Chris Lofton's struggle with testicular cancer. This story should open all our eyes to the idea that there may be more to someone than meets the eye. We should all keep that in mind the next time we decide to criticize a player for not working hard enough, or missing even the easiest of shots.

Have a great Friday and enjoy the weekend!

Bring out the Brooms...and parka's

2008-04-13T11:26:00.003-05:00

The Twins today are going for the early season series sweep of the Kansas City Royals.

It's a special day for the Twins because Francisco Liriano will make his 2008 season debut. Liriano, who has spent the past year recovering from Tommy John surgery, has a lot to prove today.

He has to show that he can still be the dominant pitcher who was 12-3 in his rookie season before going down with the ruptured elbow ligament.

They Royals have a respectable offense but they are on a 26 inning scoreless streak. Liriano may not be the right man to try and get back on track against.

First pitch will be at 1:10. Check back here later for updates.

Twins Line-up:

1. Carlos Gomez, CF

2. Brendan Harris, 2B

3. Jason Kubel, DH

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Delmon Young, LF

6. Mike Lamb, 3B

7. Mike Redmond, C

8. Denard Span, RF

9. Adam Everett, SS

Brian Bannister will be starting for the Royals

A win in the Windy City

2008-04-10T08:30:00.002-05:00

The Twins, who have been struggling as of late (aka, the past 3 or 4 years) to score runs, finally showed off some of the power that they've been hoping to see.

Jason Kubel, filling in for the injured Michael Cuddyer in right field, had yet another big night at U.S. Cellular field as he went 2-4 with a grand slam and 6 RBI's. Leading the Twins to a 12-4 win and a 4-5 record and snapping the White Sox win streak at 4.

Kubel, who is known for having big games at U.S. Cellular against the White Sox, did it yet again last night.

"I love this place," Kubel said. "I feel like I can pretty much go anywhere on this field."

We are glad to see Jason Kubel excelling because any Twins fan knows that Kubel has the potential to be a 20+ home run hitter but his injuries and odd managing decisions have stunted him a little bit.

But promising words from Gardenhire makes it seem as if Kubel could see good time at DH when Cuddyer comes back or even consistent time in right as Cuddyer heals

"I really believe this guy can hit," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's going to get plenty of opportunities this year. ... I think he's healthy in his knees now, we don't hear about that anymore, and now it's time for him to get the at-bats and go. Run with it."

The Twins, this year, have the biggest potential for power that this team has seen in years. Mauer (not known for HR's but he has the ability), Morneau, Cuddyer, Young, Harris, Kubel, Lamb and even Craig Monroe has hit for power before. This, coupled with Carlos Gomez's blazing speed, could turn this team around offensively.

Tonight's game features Livan Hernandez vs. Jose Contreras. Hopefully the Twins can start getting consistent offense this year. If not, look for the Twins to struggle getting runs tonight.

On another note, the Wild lost in an OT thriller last night to the Avs on a Joe Sakic goal. This team has heart...but they need to start converting it into wins. They fell into a 2-0 hole early and battled back by scoring two goals in the 3rd period.

Sakic, who already owns the record for most OT goals in the playoffs at 8, may be in his final season. This is definitely a good way to start the playoffs for the Avs.

Game 2 is Friday at 8pm.

Things are starting to get hectic here at the end of the school year, so bear with us here as we will try and get you Twins updates as well as other updates from around the sports world.

Have a great Thursday!

Opening Day and Kubel not in the starting lineup

2008-03-31T17:39:00.002-05:00

Well, the time has come and Twins baseball is about to kick off for the '08 season. The Twins open the season tonight against the L.A. Angels of Anaheim. Your hometown team will be starting offseason acquisition Livan Hernandez against RHP Jered Weaver. The lineups were just released by both Joe Christensen of the Star Trib. and Phil Miller of the Pioneer Press. There is one questionable player in tonight's lineup, although it came as no surprise to me as earlier today I predicted that Gardy would make this move. Here are the lineups and I'll discuss the questionable move afterwards.

1. Carlos Gomez, CF

2. Joe Mauer, C

3. Michael Cuddyer, RF

4. Justin Morneau, 1B

5. Delmon Young, LF

6. Craig Monroe, DH

7. Mike Lamb, 3B

8. Brendan Harris, 2B

9. Adam Everett, SS

Well, since most of those names were expected to be there and in that order, the strange move by Gardy deals with Craig Monroe. While I don't doubt Monroe's ability to hit the ball and believe him to be a capable DH, starting him against the right-handed Jered Weaver goes against all baseball experience and knowledge. Monroe, a right-handed hitter, has a .249 career average against righties, while platoon-mate Jason Kubel (a keft-handed hitter) has .269 career average against righties. Combine that with the fact that Kubel has a better personal career history against Weaver and the choice for DH should have been easy tonight - Kubel. However, Gardy took the strange route, selecting Monroe to start tonight.

It boggles my mind that Gardy continues to hold Kubel back. He almost never bats Kubel against lefties and to hold him back now against righties makes no sense. Most times I can't argue the way that Gardy manages, but the way that he has handled Kubel over the last 2 years and soon to be the '08 season makes no sense and it almost seems as if he has a personal vendetta against him.

Anyways, lets see how this plays out tonight, and first pitch in less than a half hour!

Minnesota Madness

2008-03-28T08:03:00.003-05:00

We'll be taking a break from the usual Land O' Links today for a special March Madness spotlight.

I do actually have one link for you. Broncos fans...enjoy your season.

Hopefully that will hold you over for a week. But for now, enjoy this!

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There is a Minnesota collegiate basketball team who is playing in the NCAA Championship game this year. It doesn’t involve Tubby Smith or Pam Borton and in fact you may have not even heard about it at all this year. It is the NCAA Division II Championships being played in Springfield Massachusetts.

The Winona State Warriors are representing Minnesota in the college basketball scene.

The Warriors, at 37-1 after their Elite Eight win against # 1 Grand Valley State and Final Four Win against Bentley (34-1), are on a 31 game win streak and have found themselves in the D-2 Championship game for the third year in a row.

Last year, in the championship game, the Warriors saw their 57 game win streak end at the hands of Barton College. It was a bizarre ending to the game and this clip here will give you some insight into one of the greatest finishes in recent March Madness history. If you are a Winona State fan, you may not want to click on the link because I am sure that it is not something that you want to be reminded of this time of year.

The Warriors this year picked up the pieces from that devastating loss and are back atop the Division 2 rankings. They finished the season ranked # 3 and have re-established themselves as a powerhouse in the NCAA.

A look at the team:

Playing their home games in the wonderful confines of McCown Gym, the Warriors get solid numbers for their home games. This year they averaged 2,500 spectators per game and as many of us know, is a much larger number than the Division 1 Gophers men’s team averaged the last few years.

They were 18-0 in conference this year and were 22-1 at home. The one home loss came in overtime against the St. Thomas Tommies of the MIAC. The Tommies are known for their Division 3 prominence and may have been overlooked by the Warriors. They rebounded from the loss and started their current win streak and haven’t looked back since then.

The Warriors are paced by two of the best players at the Division 2 level. Senior John Smith (Johnsburg, IL) posted a career high in points averaged this season at 17.7 and averages 8.6 rebounds per game as well. Stats only mean so much, so what else makes Smith special? He is only the second player in history to be named State Farm/NABC player of the year two years in a row. Last year and this year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches voted Smith their player of the year. He is Winona State’s all time leading scorer and is second in Division 2 history in career blocked shots at 420.

The second player is Jonte Flowers (Cottage Grove, WI). He transferred from the University of Wisconsin where his brother Michael leads the possibly Elite 8 bound University of Wisconsin Badgers. Flowers, who is the 3rd youngest Flowers brother (one year ahead of Michael) walked on as a football player at the University of Wisconsin 3 years ago. He felt that Winona State would be a better fit and he was right. In his first year for the Warriors, he was named the Player of the Game in the championship game against Virginia Union. Flowers this year averaged 17.5 ppg and 3.2 apg. He and Michael at one time this year both led their teams in steals per game. The Flowers brothers are all very close. Check out this article as it gives you a fun look into the competitive lives of the Flowers brothers.

The rest of the team is a heavy mix of freshmen and sophomores. Usually this spells trouble for a team, when their seasoned veterans graduate and the younger players are left to carry such a heavy load. This has the potential to be the case for the Warriors but they have very talented younger players that ought to help keep this team competitive for years to come. All-time leading scorer at local Woodbury Senior High School in Woodbury MN, Max Hintz, will surely see time as well as Ben Fischer from Wausau, WI who saw a significant amount of playing time (35 games played with an avg. of 22.4 minutes per game).

2 titles in 3 years?

The Warriors will be playing the Augusta St. Jaguars (Augusta, GA) on March 29th for the Division 2 championship. If the Warriors win, it will be their 2nd title in 3 years. If this feat is accomplished, it will even further solidify the Warriors as NCAA elite and should do wonders for the schools athletics.

The Jaguars are 27-6 and defeated Alaska Anchorage (29-6) 56-50 in their game. Augusta St. led Alaska 28-11 at half and were outscored 39-28 in the second half to make the game more respectable.

The game should be a hard fought battle between the two teams. If Winona State pulls off the win, should they be considered the second best team in the state behind the Gophers? If you ask some Winona State fans, I am sure that they would tell you it is the other way around. The Warriors defeated the Gophers last year in Williams Arena. Granted the Gophers finished the year 9-22 but it was still a Division 1 opponent on their home court.

This could be a question debated come Saturday night.

Good luck to the Warriors and bring the hardware home!

Land O' Links

2008-03-21T08:08:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday to all!

March Madness is officially under way as the first round of the Men's NCAA Tournament started yesterday afternoon.

No surprises around the bracket. The only considered upset would be Kansas State over USC, but that really is only because of the seedings. K-State, as the 11 seed, absolutely out rebounded USC and played a much better all around game.

As much as I want to see OJ Mayo in a Wolves uniform, he did not look ready for the NBA last night. I really hope that he can stay one more year just to hone his skills and make sure that he'll be ready. Unfortunately the NBA is very tempting. Who could turn down a couple million dollars to play the sport they love?

My bracket is flawless, other than USC, through the first day. I didn't pick any upsets yesterday mainly because I felt that the higher seeds were just that much better. But look for Davidson to defeat Gonzaga today. That is my upset pick of the day.

Since it is Friday, here are your links!

- One of the funniest and most random movies is soon to be released in theatres. Apparently they have a lot to live up to since the first one was such a hit among the 18-27 range. It goes even beyond that as my aunt and uncle saw this movie way before I did. I saw the preview last night after I found the link and it looks pretty good. Makes me kind of hungry...

-The potentially biggest sports/national news of the week included the Boston Red Sox. No, they did not go undefeated in Spring Training or have a brawl with the Yankees. They were thisssclose to boycotting their trip to Japan to play the Oakland A's. I first came across this as "Red Sox may boycott trip to Japan" and my immediate thought was "Oh no, now what has Japan done?" With all of the news of the civil problems in China, I figured it was something very serious. Then I found out that they were ready to boycott because their coaches were not going to receive the $40,000 stipend in order for going over to Japan for the games. I read somewhere on ESPN that it was necessary for the coaches to get this payment because they have to deal with their body clocks changing and stop their lives to head over there. I'm sorry...THAT IS THEIR LIFE! You work in Major League baseball with the 2007 World Champions, deal with it. Thankfully they avoided a national disaster and have arrived in Japan for their games.

Here is the first article. Bobby Valentine, former Mets manager, is furious that they scheduled the games at this certain time during March. It's a conspiracy I tell ya. He is turning into that paranoid guy that thinks everyone is out to get him.

This article is much more soft on the eyes. Quick note...why has no one talked about Dice-K's mullet? I'm not sure how accepted that is in Japan...but it's barely accepted in America outside of hockey or professional wrestling. David Ortiz or Manny should get on that...

- The biggest reason why I started to become a Vikings fan last year was NOT because of Adrian Peterson. It was because I could finally be proud of a team that spent more time on the field than in the courtroom. There seemed to be a new attitude on the team this year and it really made me happy to cheer for people with little or no criminal records for once. Then Bryant McKinnie's large head had to go out on the town in Miami and get into trouble. Maybe it's just because I do not understand being a professional athlete/celebrity but is it really that hard to either not go out or go somewhere that you know nothing will happen? Let's hope that he figures this out and is either innocent or is guilty and deals with it. Don't be surprised if his days with the Vikings are numbered since this is coupled with a struggling past few seasons.

- Andrew Bynum could return much earlier than expected. This is not good news for the now struggling Houston Rockets nor the suddenly hot New Orleans Hornets. If he comes back healthy, look for the Lakers to go deep in the playoffs.

- Life for Tim Donaughy just does not get any easier

- DeAngelo Hall...welcome to your life. If he thinks that he went to a better situation in Oakland...well...he's kind of right. At least JaMarcus Russell is there...and...and...Justin Fargas? Sigh...at least he's in warm weather and making a lot of money.

- And finally...I will leave you with this youtube clip. I recently watched this movie for the first time in a while and completely forgot how hilarious it is. I miss Jim Carrey in movies like this.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Madness!

Monday Madness

2008-03-17T14:04:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patricks day to all of my Irish friends!

And a Happy St. Patricks day to all of my friends who wish they were Irish...so that there could be an excuse as to why they started drinking their beverages at 830 this morning!

I find it interesting when there are people who aren't a drop of Irish who celebrate this holiday like it IS their heritage. Just because you wear green and have a friend who is Irish does not mean that you are in fact Irish. It is still called low-grade alcoholism and maybe some help is needed.

Alright, enough with the rant. This past weekend was a big weekend for sports all around. The College Basketball regular season concluded with KU defeating Texas in the Big 12 championship and that win ended up getting them more than the Big 12 championship as it got them a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas absolutely fell apart in the last 5 minutes of the game and Mario Chalmers singlehandedly outscored Texas in the second half alone I'm pretty sure.

UNC drew the overall #1 pick for the tournament but have a very tough road ahead of them. This year is pretty heavy on the big name teams as opposed to the last couple years where some sleeper teams snuck in. Teams to watch this year: George Mason (Final Four team 2 years ago and still have 3 of those players), USC (OJ Mayo is playing for NBA dreams now, so expect him to play big as well as the surrounding cast of Trojans that almost beat #1 seed UCLA in the Pac-10 Semi-finals), UNLV ( run and gun team that could potentially upset #1 seed KU in the second round. They should run past Kent St.) and finally the Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley teams have done well in the past couple years and this team should be no different. Look for the 'Dogs to dance all the way to the sweet 16 where they will eventually have to face a very tough UCLA team)

- Minnesota will take on Maryland tomorrow in the first round of the NIT tournament. As much as they would have liked to be in the NCAA Tournament, I think it is best for the Gophers to be in the NIT this year. Tubby took a 9-22 team to be 20-13 and into the NIT tournament. They had a great year but it lacked the "big name" wins. They finally got one against Indiana on Friday night but I think it was too late to do anything less than win the Big 10 tourney. Tubby needs to find a way to beat Illinois (20 straight losses) and I think he will with his solid recruiting class that is coming in next year.

- The Houston Rockets bounced the Lakers yesterday for their 21st consecutive win. The Rockets are now 11 games away from tying the LA Lakers 33 game win-streak set in the 71-72 season by the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Interestingly enough, Elgin Baylor announced his retirement the day before the streak begun. The Lakers went on to win the title and become known as one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Look for the Celtics to end the win streak tomorrow.

Things have been quiet for the Vikings on the Free Agent front. They are getting prepared for the NFL draft which is just a little over a month away. There are some good DE's available but the Vikings may be able to make a trade to move up in the draft. Rumor also has it that J.P. Losman wants out of Buffalo. This would be good for the Vikings to pay attention to as it may help to have someone to push Tarvaris Jackson competitively. Brooks Bollinger just wont do it.

I spent the weekend in Milwaukee to catch the Bucks/Celtics game on Saturday night. It was great to see KG again but it just wasn't the same seeing him in Green and White. Check back later in the week for a full recap of the weekend.

Enjoy the luck of the Irish!

Wrestling, Spring Training & Free Agency

2008-03-04T08:37:00.002-06:00

Being down in Iowa for the past 2 1/2 years, I have learned a whole different lifestyle.

It's called wrestling.

Wrestling is to Iowa what hockey is to Minnesota. It is HUGE down here and a very exciting time of year just came to a close. The state tournament was held a couple weeks ago out in Des Moines and now we are getting close to the NCAA tournaments for wrestling.

So, on that topic, we would like to congratulate Anoka's Jake Deitchler on his State tournament championship win on Saturday as well as his crowning of the Pioneer Press prep wrestler of the year. He has left for Bulgaria in search of a big to the Olympics this August in China. Our coach here at Cornell may actually be the Olympic coach come August, so hopefully he can send a Minnesotan to the Olympics!

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Twins notes from Spring Training: The Twins defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 yesterday off the 2-out, 2-run home-run from little known Chris Basak. They tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth with a 2 run home-run from Randy Ruiz.

Glen Perkins, who struggled mightily in his last spring training appearance, pitched 2 innings and gave up one run. He looked much better this time around.

Philip Humber, acquired in the trade for Johan Santana, had a good day pitching a scoreless/hitless inning for the Twins. While Zach Day had a much rougher outing giving up 2 hits and 3 earned runs in one inning.

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The New England Patriots signed Randy Moss to a 3 year/$27 million dollar contract. Moss, taking a cut in pay, has made it pretty clear that he wants a championship over money.

I've always liked Moss and felt that he was giving an un-fair shake in Minnesota. Hopefully he can get that title with the Pats and solidify himself in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Look for the Vikings to offer Jevon Kearse a contract in the next few days. Brad Childress was a coach for the Eagles when the "Freak" had just joined. Kearse, who was a great DE for the Titans has struggled with injuries the past couple years. The Vikings are giving him a check to see if he is healthy enough to receive a contract offer. He most likely will get small level deals, so this could be a safe pick up for the Vikings as long as they don't over pay.

That's it for Tuesday. Have a great day!

Vikings and Twins notes

2008-03-02T21:19:00.002-06:00

-The Vikings made a splash early in the free agency signing period, signing wide receiver Bernard Berrian, safety Madieu Williams, and fullback Thomas Tapeh.

Berrian, a former wide receiver for the rival Chicago Bears, will help upgrade what was one of the worst wide receiving corps in all of football last season. Berrian will join Bobby Wade as the top receivers on the team, with young Sidney Rice supporting both. It is possible that the Vikings will make another splash in the remaining free agent wide receivers since Javon Walker has recently been released by the Broncos.

Williams essentially replaces Dwight Smith, who was released by the team last week. Even if Williams isn't an upgrade over Smith (I think he will be), he is a significant character upgrade on a team that needs strong leaders after some of their recent off the field issues.

Tapeh, a former U of M standout, is the most recent Philadelphia Eagle to follow Brad Childress over to the Vikings. He replaces Tony Richardson, who the coaching staff believed was getting too old. Tapeh has had the privilege of blocking for one of the best running backs in the game in Brian Westbrook, and now he gets to open up holes for Rookie of the Year Adrian All-Day Peterson.

The Vikings certainly aren't done in free agency yet, but this is a solid start to the offseason.

-The Twins just opened Spring Training down in Fort Myers, and while their record isn't great, some things have been encouraging for the young team. One is that Carlos Gomez has one of Peyton Manning's laser rocket arms attached to his shoulder. He gunned down Dustin Pedroia at home plate from center field on the fly, getting him out by a few steps. While some people are skeptical that the Twins new centerfielder (whoever he may be) can replace Torii Hunter both offensively and defensively, I have no doubt that this is a possibility. Hunter had been a declining fielder the last few seasons, and really only won his Gold Gloves by name only. Gomez has an amazing arm, and most likely whoever wins the job will be faster than Hunter. In addition, Hunter's only great season at the plate came last season during his contract year. The rest of Hunter's numbers over his career were anything but spectacular. While Hunter showed modest power, hitting more than 25 home runs 5 times, he also hit under .275 four times. In addition, as a Twins fan over the years, he also seemed to not come up in the clutch (I have no stats to back this up, only years of games watched). He swung at far too many pitches, and rarely did he seem willing to do the things for the team that were necessary to win. I do think that right away that the new Twins CF will struggle to replace Hunter, but he wasn't irreplaceable. The new Twins CF will be a different style player; instead of being a power hitter with a good glove, above average power, a bad average, and quote machine with the media, the new Twins CF will be a good fielding, good average, extremely fast player with below average power.

One other big thing about the Twins spring training is that Francisco Liriano is back! He has been throwing hard, and threw live BP for the first time this since the injury. He made the hitters facing him look foolish, and he will be starting for the first time this spring either Thursday or Friday.

Thats it for now, check back either Monday or Tuesday for an update!

Land O' Links & our 100th post

2008-02-29T21:41:00.002-06:00

In the last two weeks, we here at Court's Sports have seen some milestones come and go.

- We hit our 1,000th visitor to the site

- Today is our 100th post

- We managed to make it through Johan, Torii AND KG all leaving Minnesota.

We would like to thank you all for supporting our site and coming back week after week. I have finally finished my teaching courses for the year so we will be posting on here much more frequently.

The NBA season is a month from wrapping up and baseball is a month from starting up again. With relatively new teams in Minnesota, we will have a lot to talk about in the next several weeks.

Since today is our 100th post, lets take a look at the number 100 and it's relevance in our society:

- United States has 100 Senators

- Largest denomination of US money is the $100 dollar bill, or "Benjamin"

- The number of tiles in a scrabble set

- 100 episodes, when a tv show is then available to be put into syndication

- WB show "Unhappily Ever After" was only 100 episodes long

- Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on March 2, 1962

- 2004 World Series...Red Sox defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 100th World Series

- LaDanian Tomlinson is the fastest to reach 100 touchdowns in his career

- Ryan Howard, fastest to reach 100 home runs in MLB history

- 100 yards is the minimum yardage on a par 3

So there you go...and here are your links for the day!

- This is potentially the greatest thing that I have ever come across on the internet. It's unfortunate that it was in front of the entire family...but part of me beleives that if I had been part of that family...I would tell that story like it was going out of style.

- You always hate to see the greats pass away. He was the creator of the Terrible Towel and was a great voice for the Steelers.

- We all in Minnesota rememeber the great 2004 season the Timberwolves had. Sam Cassell is a great basketball player and maybe he will help the Celtics. But then again, it could be really devastating for the Celtics' Rajon Rondo. He's played well this year and hopefully Doc Rivers doesn't screw this up.

- SAVE THE SONICS!

- Someone Will!

We'll be back to our regular schedule starting next week. Monday's and Fridays with a middle day thrown in.

Have a great weekend!

Where's Waldo?

2008-02-15T18:27:00.006-06:00

There is one question that I know both Courtland and I discussed last season, and perhaps even the season before. Nearly every time we went to a Twins game together, we sat in the outfield seats, aka Homerun Porch. Anyone who has ever sat in these seats, particularly those closest to centerfield, has no doubt seen Helmet Guy. Our ingenious name for the guy came from his ever present white helmet, which has the Twins logo on the front and Torii Hunter's number on the back. Up until today, I had completely forgotten about the question that Court and I had posed to eachother during a game last spring - What will Helmet Guy do if Torii leaves this offseason?

Well, Torii is gone, and Helmet Guy now needs to figure out his next move.

First a bit of background.

Court and I nearly always discussed Helmet Guy at some point during a game. He was always there when we got to the game, no matter HOW early we arrived at the Dome. This led us to postulate whether he lives at the stadium or not (we decided he lives behind the CF fence). We were delighted one day, when Helmet Guy was in his usual seat wearing a customized jersey. On the back was the number 13 and the name Waldo. While we now knew his name, he still remained Helmet Guy to us. Another game, obviously playing off of his Waldo moniker, he wore a t-shirt to the game that asked "Where's Waldo?" It subsequently had his section, row, and seat number. While I don't remember exactly, I'm pretty sure it was about Section 102, Row 2, Seat 2. This obviously led us to despise Waldo's obvious narcissism.

However, it is one game in particular that stands out for me in my mind as to Helmet Guy's true character. True fans in the outfield bleachers realize that a beach ball in the stands is part of the experience. Court and I always laugh when a security guard can't get the ball, or a dumb fan punches the ball onto the field (ok, that part is annoying), or when a new ball starts right after another one is popped (which also should draw numerous boo's). However, in this game, Helmet Guy felt it was his personal duty to grab the ball and hand it to the security guard. He made an effort to go and get the ball to help the security guards. Helmet Guy has a FRONT ROW SEAT! He has no reason to be upset by what is going on behind him. His view isn't getting blocked! The ball is affecting him in no way at all. Yet, he still decided that he must track down the ball to give it to the security guard. Helmet Guy lost some of his cool the day he did that.

However, Helmet Guy still retained his mystique in my eyes. Seeing as both Court and I are college students, and are both out of the Metro area, neither of us can get to games on a regular basis until the summer. This results in a lot of FSN North for me, and a lot of Yahoo! box score checking for Courtland since he doesn't get the Twins games. While the games were almost always entertaining in themselves, with Bert and Dick ready to spout out some dumb new quote, or Johan mowing down the opposition, it was always an added bonus when a ground rule double was hit towards centerfield. EVERY SINGLE TIME this happened, there was Helmet Guy, reaching into the empty space behind the wall trying to catch the ball. I always cheered when this happened, regardless of who hit the double. Most times, I found myself calling Courtland to tell him that I had just seen our friend Helmet Guy on TV. One time I even recall Bert discussing Waldo by name, and FSN had a shot of him for about 5 seconds. So, as you can see, I have some unusual obsession with the guy (or so my girlfriend jokes with me about). I just think its cool that the Twins have a fan that can be immediately pointed out when a game is on TV, but I guess that something is wrong with me.

Anyway, back to my original point. I wondered what Helmet Guy would be doing this season. I stumbled upon this article following a google search of "metrodome minnesota twins waldo." I found out that Waldo is actually a guy named Greg Dryden and he hasn't missed a game in 3 years. In the article, Torii says that he personally recognizes Waldo as his biggest fan, and that Torii will also miss having Waldo behind him in the stands. It also turns out that "Waldo" is a name that Bert's wife came up with for Dryden. In addition, in 2005 Dryden caught 352 batting practice and game balls from his seat.

As one can deduce from article, Waldo missing Torii won't be a one way street. However, the biggest sentence out of the article for answering my question was this:

He said he will continue coming to every game, even if Hunter leaves, but it won't be the same.

Well, part of the question is answered, in that Helmet Guy will still be a presence in his seat every single game. However, I am still curious as to what happens to his helmet now. Does he remove Torii's number and not replace it? Does he put the new CF's number? Does he put Delmon Young's 21 onto his helmet? All are options, but I think the most likely choice for Helmet Guy is to keep Torii's 48 on the back of the helmet as a memento to Hunter and his years with the team.

While I won't be able to make it to a game until May, I am hoping for a ground rule double to centerfield Opening Day. Helmet Guy will be there, cheering on Torii Hunter, in a much different way than last season. And maybe, just maybe, I'll catch whats on the back of his helmet.

look at 1:06, and Helmet Guy is getting out of his seat at the bottom left of the video

Twins Ink Hernandez

2008-02-12T16:48:00.000-06:00

The Minnesota Twins have added a veteran pitcher to the team with their signing of Free Agent righty Livan Hernandez.

The native Cuban pitched well last year for the NL runner-up Arizona Diamondbacks and is well known for being an innings-eater.

"If we could find the right guy, we were going to add that," general manager Bill Smith said. "We certainly weren't afraid to go in without veteran starters, but it's going to be give those young players someone to look to."

Twins ace closer Joe Nathan, teammate of Hernandez formerly when they both played for the San Francisco Giants, thinks very highly of him.

"It's not so important to get a veteran guy just to have him there, if he's not going to be at the same level that the younger guy would be," Nathan said. "But you get a guy like this that has proven he throws a ton of innings and knows how to pitch, I think if you can pick up a guy like that, it's a great fit."

Many Twins fans will remember the recent free agent pitcher signings : Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson and the media favorite Kenny Rogers. Those, with the exception of Rogers, did not pan out very well. So we will have to be cautious to accept this with joy just yet. But with a young staff, we'll gladly take an innings eater who seems to be quite personable.

The deal is worth 1 year and $5 million dollars. A safe contract that the Twins could get a lot of production out of.

New Banner Logo

2008-02-12T00:54:00.000-06:00

So, I was relatively bored tonight and decided the site needed a facelift, so I designed a new banner logo for the site. Let me know what you guys think of it, and if there is anything you would change about it!

Friday Land O' Links

2008-02-08T14:39:00.001-06:00

Not much going on in Minnesota sports after the Santana trade of last week. The Vikings season is done, the Timberwolves are still swimming in mediocrity, pitchers and catchers haven't reported quite yet, and the Wild are still atop their division. Since their isn't really anything to discuss with Minnesota sports, what is better than some random links?

-FireJoeMorgan, one of my favorite blogs, which just TEARS into terrible sports journalism by reputed professionals, just had its main writer reveal who he was. While its not a huge name, he does write and occasionally act in my favorite show on television: The Office. Turns out main contributor, who writes under the name Ken Tremendous, is none other than Dwight's cousin Mose (His real name is Michael Shur). Anyway, their blog leads me into my next link...

-Personally, I love the fact that the Giants won the Super Bowl. On another personal note, I also hate Eli Manning. That's why this article pissed me off, and Shur's subsequent analysis of it made me laugh out loud. While I do think Philip Rivers should shut up and play, I do feel he is a better player than Eli, and when you consider that he nearly beat the Patriots with a torn ACL and missing the top tight end and RB in the league, I think it shows that this trade was, on the surface, a virtual swap. Considering that NY also gave San Diego draft picks which turned into Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding, I completely disagree with his analysis that the Giants came out on top in the trade, and that its "not even close."

-Speaking of the Super Bowl, these people are psychotic. Seriously, you have nothing better to do? Really?

-Jeff Frazee, struggling U of M goalie, should maybe try out this new tactic in saving goals.

-For a different take on the Twins 2008 lineup than from Sunday's post, Seth Stohs not only projects the Twins lineup, but also their AAA-Rochester lineup, and their AA-New Britain lineup
over at SethSpeaks.net.

-Turns out maybe the Red Sox should have traded for Johan, because now they could need him.

-Timberwolves play the Celtics at home in their only primetime game of the season, and KG won't be in uniform, and won't be on the bench for the game. He will, however, be introduced before the game.

-This kid is going to be the butt of a lot of jokes for the rest of high school. I mean, all he did was lie about getting recruited, stage a fake press conference in his high school gym with his entire school and 2 news stations watching, and make his dad cry. And then he didn't think he'd get caught. Now he's hoping not to go to jail. Hey, at least he didn't wait until national signing day to announce where he is (not) going.

I'll leave you guys with this video, comments are always appreciated!

Minnesota Twins: Post Santana Era

2008-02-03T20:29:00.000-06:00

While the Mets are now lavishing their talented new pitcher, Twins fans are left wondering "what now?" Well, many of the Twins vacancies have been filled at this point and now it is just time to put the puzzle pieces together. As a result of the Mets trade, the Twins now have a young outfielder in Carlos Gomez capable of stepping into both their leadoff hitting role and centerfield position. In addition, while the Twins don't have a distinguishable number one pitcher, the Twins added pitchers Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber in the Santana trade who are both capable of being in the rotation this year, as well as around five Twins that could be part of the rotation also.

Gomez becomes for the Twins the kind of player at the top of the lineup that they hoped former first round pick Denard Span would develop into. However, Span hasn't yet shown he can handle Triple-A, let alone the majors. Gomez is younger and has better overall tools than Span, in addition to a solid minor league career behind him. Gomez has been rumored to have better overall speed than former teammate Jose Reyes, and he is also still developing his power. All of this indicates that the Twins will be opening the season with Gomez at CF, barring a terrible showing in Spring Training.

The biggest question for the Twins lays in the five pitchers who will end up in the starting rotation to begin the season. The Twins have numerous options: Scott Baker, Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins all pitched for the Twins last season; Francisco Liriano was an All-Star in 2006 but injured for the 2007 season; Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn, Humber and Mulvey, all of whom spent the majority of the season in the minors last season; and Zach Day and Randy Keisler, two players with major-league experience who are spring training invites. At this point, it seems as those with the most experience with the Twins are guaranteed spots. This means that Baker, Bonser, and Slowey will undoubtedly be in the rotation. In addition, the Twins will evaluate who most deserves a spot and who will benefit most from a spot in the rotation. Obviously Liriano factors into the Twins long term plans in terms of a rotation spot; however, the Twins would be fools to rush Liriano along and risk further injury. Granted, Liriano is a future ace for the team and could be ready by Opening Day, but knowing how conservative the Twins generally are, Liriano will be in the bullpen to start the season. This leaves two rotation spots for the rest to battle over. At this point, without spring training to gauge progress, it is difficult to predict which players will occupy those final two spots. Based upon previous performance, it makes the most sense for the Twins to begin the season with Blackburn as their fourth starter, and Humber as the fifth starter. Humber started one game for the Mets last season, but at 25 years old needs to be given an opportunity in the bigs.

Many Twins fans remember Bonser, Baker, and Slowey from their starts for the Twins last season. Bonser and Baker performed relatively well, but Twins fans will remember Slowey for struggling at the major-league level. It is true that Slowey performed rather terribly in the majors, yet Slowey performed so well at Triple-A last season that he was named International League Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Slowey had a 2.89 ERA with 19 K's and no walks in his last three starts of the season last year, indicating that Slowey is ready to start for the Twins in '08. Blackburn, who earned a September callup with the Twins last season, is rated as the Twins top prospect for 2008 by Baseball America. Blackburn's story is similar to Slowey's, in that Blackburn had a spectacular Triple-A season last year (7-3, 2.11 ERA, 57 K's), but struggled in his limited time with the team. In addition, Blackburn simply dominated the Arizona Fall League this past October, going 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 20 K's. Blackburn has certainly earned a spot in the rotation, and more than likely the Twins will give him that spot. Humber, on the other hand, most likely gets his spot in the rotation by default. Humber has the right combination of potential and experience that none of the other players have, which grants him the final spot in the rotation. However, when Liriano is ready to enter the rotation, Humber will be the odd man out, and most likely will spend a bulk of the season making spot starts and being a long reliever.

From this analysis, the Twins starting lineup to start the season should be:
#1 - Scott Baker RHP
#2 - Boof Bonser RHP
#3 - Kevin Slowey RHP
#4 - Nick Blackburn RHP
#5 - Phil Humber RHP

If there is one glaringly obvious problem in this rotation, it is that every pitcher is a righty. While this is the best rotation that the Twins can put on the field (until lefty Liriano is better), they may actually throw lefty Glen Perkins into the rotation to start the season in order to throw a different look at teams. This is the only way in which I can envision Perkins making the Twins rotation. If the Twins are determined to start Liriano to begin the season, then Liriano moves to the top spot in the rotation, and everyone else moves down, with Humber dropping out.

Despite the fact that the Twins are a rebuilding team on the pitching side, the Twins are set to put their best hitting lineup on the field in years. After offseason acquisitions of a slugging left fielder, power hitting 3B, a slick fielding shortstop, strong hitting second baseman and the aforementioned Gomez, the Twins have an extremely strong lineup to begin the season, with no unknowns unlike previous years. The Twins lineup projects as-

Carlos Gomez, CF, R
Joe Mauer, C, L
Delmon Young, LF, R
Justin Morneau, 1B, L
Michael Cuddyer, RF, R
Mike Lamb, 3B, L
Jason Kubel, DH, L
Brendan Harris, 2B, R
Adam Everett, SS, R

While Gomez is still unpolished at the top of the lineup, he has pure speed, and has shown flashes of the top hitter he could be. From Gomez, though, the rest of the lineup is extremely solid until you get to the nine spot, where Adam Everett hits. Mauer moves into the 2-slot, where he can move Gomez over in addition to get on base for Young or Morneau to hit in. This lineup allows Young to hit in Mauer's 2007 spot, where he will generate more power, in addition to having Mauer on base in front of him most of the time. In addition, Morneau slides up into a more apt role for him, the cleanup spot. The past two seasons, Morneau has had the bulk of his at-bats in the 5-spot, robbing him of RBI opportunities. This small change in the lineup could help in Morneau deliver the best season of his career (Yes, even better than his 2006 MVP season).

The lineup follows with Cuddyer, Lamb, Kubel, and Harris, all of whom have power potential, something the Twins lacked in the back half of the lineup last season. Kubel showed what he could do over the last two months of the season last year, finally fully recovered from his horrific knee injury of 2004. Kubel hit .364 in August, and .325 in September, while at the same time not earning all the at-bats he should. This season he enters as the full time DH, and is poised to break out in his second full season. The Twins have also added Lamb and Harris, former part-time players who the Twins feel have earned a starting role, and hopefully will take full advantage of their opportunity. The lineup rounds out with Everett in the nine hole, who has always been a no-hit, all field player. The Twins expect more of the same this season, but hope the rest of the lineup can make up for what he lacks at the plate.

While most of this can change during Spring Training, this is the best idea of what is in store for the Twins this upcoming season. It will most likely be a difficult one for the Twins, but hey, at least we have that new stadium on the way!

Super Sunday

2008-01-21T06:42:00.000-06:00

What a championship Sunday!

I would like to congratulate the New England Patriots and New York Giants on making it to SuperBowl XLII in Glendale, AZ.

I would also like to say I TOLD YOU SO to everyone who thought that I was crazy for saying that the Giants would be a good team this year. Granted it was a little bit of a stretch to say that they would win the NFC east since they did not…but I’ll take the SuperBowl. In fact, let’s look at exactly what I had to say about the Giants at the end of August:

“NFC East : Giants, Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins (you watch, Eli will come up big this year. If not, well then so be it.)”

Okay, well I didn’t exactly say that the Giants would do well and take it to the house…but that’s close enough.

Apparently even one gentleman felt that I was on some sort of drugs to think that the Giants would even win the NFC East. Sir, you are right…but something tells me that even though they didn’t win the East that they would much lose the east and be where they are now.

I am in no way a Giants fan. In fact, I really do not like Eli Manning solely based on the fact that he was making demands in the NFL when he hadn’t even picked up a jersey yet. Daddy’s boy has finally made it to the big show. Let’s just hope that he does not choke like we all are quite sure that he will.

Looking back to the Giants/Pats game earlier in the season, the Giants were quite successful against the Pats. They blitzed well and offensively looked pretty good. Part of me doesn’t believe that they can repeat play like that. The Patriots have been to more SuperBowls than the Giants have lately and are just a better team. As much as many of you may hate the Patriots, you cannot deny the fact that they are a pretty dawggone good team.

As for the teams who did not make it, Chargers and Packers, I feel bad for them. And by “them” I mean the Packers. I stopped liking the Chargers after Philip Rivers decided that he would be better at trash talking than actually playing. He seems like the kind of guy that would trash talk you until he made you fight him…and then when you go to hit him he falls to the ground screaming “my knee, oh my gosh my knee!” Thus making you feel bad for him and then deciding not to hit him. Then the next day he tells everyone that you were scared and that’s why he didn’t hit you. A little long I know, but it works.

My question is how does LT only carry the ball 2 times for 5 yards in the biggest game of his career? Even if the coaches wouldn’t let him back in the game, He needs to fight his way back into the game. Unless a story comes out that he blew his knee out and didn’t tell anyone, he should have been in that game. As long as Tom Brady and Co. are around, the Chargers will most likely not make it to a Superbowl. There are much better teams than them in the AFC and they need to realize it.

Hopefully this will put a bad taste in Brett Favre’s mouth and he’ll come back with a vengeance next year. He plays the way football is meant to be played…you shut up from Monday-Saturday and let your play do the talking on Sunday. It will be a sad day when he doesn’t suit up for the Packers whenever that may be. The Packers played well but the Giants just walked away with the win. No more, no less. They will be back in the weak NFC next year with an even better team.

I am currently in the middle of one of my two education classes and am finding it hard to get stuff on here on a consistent basis. So just bear with us here for another couple of weeks and then we’ll be back in full effect. Until then, check back here for updates every couple of days.

Have a great Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Welcome Back

2008-01-07T08:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday to all!

Well Christmas break is officially over today. Classes start here again and now we’re back to the real world. Well, as college students we’re not exactly in the “real world” quite yet…but close enough.

With this being one of my education classes coming up as well as the tennis season starting, the blogging may slow down a little bit here in the next few weeks. But we will try and get stuff out as much as we can, so bear with us.

The NFL playoffs got started with some great games this past weekend. The Redskins were almost able to carry on their emotional winning ways for their fallen teammate Sean Taylor. Unfortunately the magical run ended and the Seahawks got the better of the ‘Skins and won the game 35-14. You may not think that the game was close (if you didn’t watch it) but the Seahawks were down 14-13 with 12 minutes left and went on a 25 point run to end the game.

The game of the weekend goes to the Steelers and Jaguars. I saw at one point in the evening that the Jags were up 21-7…so I decided to not pay attention to the game. BAD IDEA!!! The Steelers came back to take the lead at 29-28 only to have the Jags kick the winning field goal with 32 seconds left. The Jags held on and won the game. Definitely a classic playoff game between two very talented teams. I find it hard to believe that they would have won that game even with Willie Parker. The Jags are just on run right now.

And then today the Giants and Chargers won their respective games. Eli Manning looked confident and that could be trouble for the other NFC teams. Haha, sorry…I can’t say that without laughing. I pick the Cowboys next week in Dallas. BUT, that is only if Jessica Simpson is NOT at Texas Stadium. If she is, goodbye Cowboys.

Other than that…

-Timberwolves are still struggling to win a game. I am glad that they can find their way to the court and score points in the first 3 quarters…but unless those points equal over 100 in 3 quarters, they don’t really stand a chance. I am by no means jumping off the bandwagon because you can see what happens to young teams like the Bulls and Warriors. One or two good vets mixed in with hungry young players can be good. So stick with this team, it will get better.

- The Wild continue to play their season Schizophrenically. They take care of the Stars 6-3 and then lose to the Predators 4-1? That shouldn’t be happening and someone on that team needs to step up and lead this team to the level that we all know they can be playing at.

- Johan Santana is still a Twin. But a little birdie says that you shouldn’t expect him to be at TwinsFest this year. It’s unfortunate but it would be pretty darn awkward for him to attend the event. Maybe they can get a trade done and bring in those newly acquired Boston Re…oops…I mean, “players” and get this season started.

- Who else realized this week that the chances of the Pro-Bowl being worth watching quickly slipped away with the passing of Sean Taylor. Anyone who saw him put Bills punter Brian Moorman on his back last year knows what I mean. Sean’s job, according to him was “to hit people”. That mean that regardless of the playing stage, he was going to do his job. Now the game will be filled with players who are just trying to enjoy the game and not treat it like a regular season game. Good luck to ESPN with those ratings. Maybe we can put it on VS. and treat it like hockey programming.

Enjoy your week and check back mid-week for more updates!

Deja Vu all over again

2007-12-31T08:51:00.001-06:00

Well...for most of us, 2007 will end on a good note.

I can't say the same for the Minnesota Vikings unfortunately.

Last weekend they needed to beat Washington Redskins team who has gone through more emotions than a 14 year old girl at her first NSYNC concert. The Vikings had been on a hot streak and were at home so it seemed simple. Except the Redskins showed up with the memory of their slain friend Sean Taylor and handed the Vikings a crushing blow to their playoff chances.

So because of that poor display of athletic ability by the Vikings, and pretty darn good play by the Redskins, the Vikings went from controlling their own destiny to hoping the Redskins had a meltdown and that the Broncos wouldn't really show up.

The most troubling thing about yesterday was watching guys who were on a 5 game win streak and were talking about how the team had changed so much, come out to Denver with absolutely NO sense of urgency. They were sulking around the sidelines and had no intensity. It was embarassing.

Jackson showed good signs in the last two drives to tie the game but once again, his lack of ball control and general common sense killed the Vikings. Was I the only one wondering what he was planning on doing with the ball as he was getting sacked? How hard is it to tuck that ball? I obviously have never played NFL football...or any football past 5th grade, but when someone is pulling you down usually you just hold on to the ball. Except "Superman" Jackson who thinks that he can do anything with the ball. Either way, it ended up costing the Vikings the game.

So now everyone is looking to the offseason. Many questions have arisen around the sports community. Will Brad Childress around next year? Will the Vikings go find a veteran QB to start next year or just mentor Tarvaris Jackson? Can they go an entire offseason without an arrest? Okay, maybe that last question is all me but regardless it is still a pressing question.

I'll get into answering these questions later down the road. Right now, I think that we all need to take a break from the Vikings and move on.

------

Other happenings this weekend :

- Patriots are challenged greatly by the New York Giants but come away as the 4th undefeated team in NFL history and the first to go 16-0 in the regular season. Success seems to follow Randy Moss right? Best part of the whole deal was watching Moss at the postgame news conference telling everyone that he was most excited about breaking Jerry Rice's season touchdown record because it would shut up his critics. The man has done many good things in his life to some mediocre bad things and is one of the best players in the game. I've always been a fan, good for you Randy. Also worht noting, the Pats get the 7th pick in the draft next year because they received it from San Francisco earlier this year. Awesome, 16-0 and they get the 7th pick!? Unreal.

- Redskins defy all emotional odds and make the playoffs with a QB who makes Mark Brunell look like '95 Mark Brunell. It's a touching story and I wouldn't be surprised if they run the table in the NFC and make it to the Superbowl. You watch, it very well could happen.

- Blazers continue their streak to 13 straight games with a win. They are the youngest team in the NBA and aren't playing like it. Travis Outlaw posterizes 76ers Rodney Carney in the Blazers win over the Sixers on a huge dunk and brings pride to the Outlaw family.

- The Wild come back from being down 4-1 to Edmonton and win 5-4 in overtime. It was the biggest comeback in Wild history and put the team back into first place. This team needs to get consistent and start beating the good teams in the West or else they are going to get embarassed in the playoffs again.

That's it for the Monday round-up. Make sure that you catch the "Let's suspend our team's and hope we can still play the game" Bowl today between Kentucky and Florida State. 26 Florida State players will not be playing in the game due to an online test cheating scandal. I did find out today that it was a music test AND it was open book. Wow, congratulations Florida State football players. That could knock you down a few notches in the educational prestige category in next years NCAA football game.

Have a great New Years and we'll see you in 2008!

Open your eyes or else you may miss it

2007-12-28T00:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday to everyone!

I hope that your Holiday season was a great one and safe as well.

Usually this space is reserved for our Land O’ Links, but I feel a certain calling for today’s entry.

At the beginning of the 2007 NFL season, many people felt that the New England Patriots would be a very good team. They had been quite successful defensively but their offense had been average at best. Then in one off-season, they go from Troy Brown and Jabar Gaffney to Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth…and Jabar Gaffney. Tom Brady had already won 3 SuperBowls with a mediocre supporting cast and the question had formulated into “What could he do with a superior supporting cast?”

Well, as long as you haven’t been under the proverbial rock for the past 4 months, then you would know that the answer to that question is simple. 15-0, points scored record, passing touchdowns record and a chance at NFL immortality. Unfortunately, there are two things that are keeping most of America from being excited about the Patriots becoming only the second team in NFL history to go undefeated (the first to be 16-0). That would be the “spygate” incident against the Jets earlier this year and America’s infatuation with hating dynasties.

Many people feel that if the Patriots do defeat the Giants on Saturday that their record deserves an asterisk next to it. I am not sure if everyone has gotten caught up in the asterisk-ness of Barry Bonds but this is ludicrous. Am I the only one that is quite confident that without that video camera, the Patriots still would have destroyed the Jets? I mean, this team is currently 15-0 and the Jets are well…the Jets. Video camera or not, the Patriots would have won that game. It is a little harder to tell that had Barry Bonds not used steroids (come on, let’s just be real with it) what his eventual home run total would have been. I find it much easier to understand that the Patriots would have steamrolled the Jets still. So let’s move on from this point. If you are struggling with “spygate” still, I believe that it is time to seek professional help or just suck it up.

Along with this, we in America are incredibly obsessed with the idea of the underdog as well as hating dynasties. People hate the Yankees for their ability to buy good talent and win and who hasn’t despised the Duke BlueDevils at one point or another? The true American story is one of a self-made man and neither theYankees or Duke represent these values to people. Both have been very talented the past couple of years, but people just don’t like them outside of their regional areas.

The New England Patriots have fallen into this category.

Accusations of running up the score, videotaping games and a coach that makes Cruella DeVille look like Mother Theresa have all contributed to these feelings of animosity towards New England. During October, January and May-June, we thrive on the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Cavaliers of the sports world. They are the feel good stories that keep our attention throughout their sport’s respective playoffs. I enjoy those stories just as much as the next person, but you cannot overlook a great team when it shows up.

Unfortunately, I feel that a large portion of America is missing out on one of the greatest teams to ever grace a field, court or rink. I’ve been lucky enough to catch a few of their games and there is no such thing as running up the score when the other team just cannot stop them. Granted keeping Brady and other starters in the game is not always the best idea, but even the worst team in the NFL still contains some of the best players in the world. So the entire “running up the score” problem bothers me. These guys are professionals and if they cannot stop their opponent from scoring at will then maybe they should not be on the field.

In the last few years I have seen a change in my sports team preferences. I think a large part of it is that as a sports fan, I have grown up. I can sit back and put aside my rival differences and appreciate the escape and entertainment that sports provides us every day. I’ve begun to enjoy watching the Yankees play because they play good baseball. Alex Rodriguez is one of the best hitters in MLB history and Mariano Rivera has been one of the best pitchers in history. You can complain about George/Hank Steinbrenner all that you want, but year in and year out they put a good team on the field. One cannot overlook the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry but outside of New York and Boston, why should it affect people’s lives? There are obviously situations that do allow for this rivalry to be outside of Boston/New York but if you are sitting in Washington state and hate the Yankees because they win every year, it may be time for you to grow up in the sport sense.

Now, I wrote an article earlier on how rivalries make sports go ‘round and I completely agree with it. We need to find a difference between rivalries and general hatred. As a Minnesotan, I was bred to hate the Packers and Bears as well as the Hawkeyes and Badgers. I have grown to the point of still disliking 3 of those 4 teams but not letting it affect my daily functions. Our general infatuations with rivalries and the underdog story are clouding what the Patriots are on the brink of doing. Hate them or love them, they are a good football team. Their coach is a cactus but he knows what he is doing. The Pats do not get caught up in all of the media surrounding them because their coach does not allow it. Their players refrain from getting in trouble (with the exception of Rodney Harrison) and play games almost flawless.

I can hear you now, “wow, so now that you’ve jumped on the bandwagon…” Just because I enjoy what the team is doing and can see that they are talented does not mean that I am jumping on the bandwagon. It just means that as a fan of sports, I can sit back and enjoy what this team is doing.

As a sports fan, I have finally grown up. And it seems that it happened just in time. Try and put aside your prejudices and open yourself up to enjoying a true feat in sports.

Have a great weekend and check back on Monday for our Weekend Run-Down.

Land O' Links

2007-12-21T08:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!

Quick note: Bowl season is here! After last year's Boise State/Oklahoma game, I have vowed to not miss any bowl games this year.

2007-08 Bowl season got started with a great game last night between Navy and Utah. Utah was up 35-32 with :48 seconds left and Navy needed to recover an onside kick to have a chance to win the game. They recovered the kick and things looked good for the option offense of Navy. Unfortunately, Navy's quarterback threw an interception when his intended receiver slipped for the 8th time that night and Utah regained possession.

Without further ado, here are your links for the day:

- December 15th....one of the greatest nights in recent memory. WWE Monday Night Raw celebrated 15 years and many of the greatest wrestlers came back. Stone Cold, Undertaker, Sgt. Slaughter etc. This clip is easily the highlight of the whole night.

- Nothing brings more joy to people than watching others get hurt. This really isn't that bad, but needless to say this kid ATE this big green ball.

- This was the best buzzer beater that I've ever seen. I can only imagine being one of the 15 people attending this game. Why didn't we see this kid on Letterman?

- I probably should say that this was the best buzzer beater that I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I don't really care much for Hopkins (bad sports experiences). On the positive side, the kid who made the shot is now playing for the Gophers and doing quite well actually. He won ESPN play of the year at the ESPY's over Tiger Woods and just about every other guy who is a pro athlete.

- HY-LARIOUS. Best of luck to this child in his most certain psychological recovery. I am glad that I wasn't at this game, because I would certainly be laughing. Don't think for a second that you wouldn't either.

- It is about 3 weeks after the fact, but it still doesn't feel real. If you watched Sean Taylor's pastor talk, I am sure that you were moved. Sean was turning his life around and becoming the mature man that he needed to be. I don't know his true religious status, but I can only hope that he is in a better place. He will be missed dearly. It's a 7 minute video but it's well worth it to watch him smash T.O. repeatedly. Here is his official website as well.

- Am I the only one that wouldn't mind a 4th one?

- There are a lot of things wrong with this article. Mainly the part about "pitchers who can go late into games" and "at the top of my list". Isn't this the same guy who took himself out of a game in the 6th inning because he didn't feel like he had "it"? Congratulations Seattle, you spent $44 million on a 6 innings a game sinker-baller.

- I have a friend who is from Kentucky and is a huge Wildcats fan. He was extremely negative towards Tubby and was SURE that Billy Gillespie would get it done this year. Well, 4 losses in a row later, Kentucky fans are still pointing the finger at Tubby. After watching Kentucky get handled by Houston the other night, it is CLEARLY Gillespie's lack of coaching and the players lack of skill that is keeping Kentucky down.

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Big Vikings game this weekend at the Dome. With a win and a New Orleans loss, the Vikings are in the playoffs. So let's hope the Giants lose to the Bills and the Vikings beat the 'Skins.

Have a great weekend. Check back Monday for the Weekend Wrap-up.

Monday Night hang-over

2007-12-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

Wow...

Well, if you are anything like me...you were spending your night in front of the TV wondering where the Vikings went. As well as being a little more exhausted this morning from all the yelling at the TV.

But where was the the team that has beat its last 4 opponents by an average of 20 points and has won 4 in a row?

Last night, excluding the defense, the Vikings weren't the same team. Tarvaris Jackson seemed to go back to his old ways of forcing passes, which turned into 3 INT's, and even rookie sensation Adrian Peterson had his fair share of mix ups.

But they still walked away with the win....how?

Thanks to solid defense and the athleticism of Adrian Peterson, as well as Lovie Smith for starting Kyle "neckbeard" Orton, the Vikings are that much closer to the playoffs at 8-6. They are only a game behind the New York Giants (9-5) for the # 5 seed. Which right now would be great because a match up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be excellent for the Vikings.

Sometimes teams of destiny just have things fall in place for them. If you look around the NFC, the Vikings have the most momentum of any team. The other team that could match that momentum? Their NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers.

If the Vikings can win out the rest of their season, I see no reason why they couldn't go very far in the playoffs. As of right now, they would match up well against a Seattle/Tampa Bay team and with the Cowboys struggling a little bit...they could do some damage.

Before we get that far, Tarvaris Jackson and the rest of the Vikings offense needs to minimize their mistakes. As good as Peterson is, don't forget that he is still a rookie. He will make mistakes and Jackson will too. They just need to get defensive play and pick up big yards when they need it.

I was a little nervous watching the game last night and remembering that the Vikings are still a young team but sometimes those are the kinds of teams that can run through the playoffs untouched. Could they beat the Patriots? I'd have to say no...but then again...who thought the Red Sox would come back and beat the Yankees 4 games straight and sweep the Cards for the '04 World Series.

Remember...ANYTHING can happen.

Check back later in the week for updates and friday for Land O' Links.

Land O' Links

2007-12-14T00:03:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!

Today marks the return of Land O’ Links! So to honor this return, I have a slew of links for you all to enjoy. Some you may have seen recently and some I would like to assume are my own gems.

Please send us some links if you find something that you would like to share with us here at Court’s Sports. E-mail us at : c-olson@cornellcollege.edu.

Without further ado, here are your batch of links!

This one has a little Holiday spirit. This just brings back great memories of a show that was once the successful black sheep of Saturday late-night TV. Now, it is just depressing. Part of me just laughs at the "I'm holding it for the Easter Bunny" and the other part of me thinks that he has to deal with the effects of global warming on the North Pole.

The Canadian Press is all over Brett Favre this year. Maybe I am just out of the journalism loop, but should the Canadian Press have better stories than ANY of the Wisconsin papers? Maybe Brett feels a little more candid out of the country. Either way, the Packers are playing pretty good football and I hope that Brett announces that he will be coming back shortly. I can’t stand another summer of “Will he?” or “Won’t he?”

After the big unveiling of the storied Mitchell Report yesterday, some big names were included. Some surprising (Brian Roberts, Rondell White) and some not so surprising (Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire). Somewhere in the middle lies Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. I mean, the guy’s 42 years old and still throwing better than 36% of players under the age of 30?! Well, now his lawyer is releasing a statement based on Clemens being named in the report. As much as I do not like Roger Clemens…well…I’ve got nothing. Let’s take his Cy Young as well as maybe spend some time in jail? That would be a good holiday to me.

A great piece here by Stick and Ball guy rating Major League shortstops. For those of you who maybe think that the Twins wasted a 1-year contract on Adam Everett, check this out. Maybe it will give you some closure or it will give you cramps…not sure.

Kendrick Perkins…don’t let the bed [bugs] bite.

Adrian Peterson embarrassed the Bears. Oh wait, I know what you are thinking. I mean OUR Adrian Peterson. The Bears are looking for redemption and something tells me that they may not get it.

This may have something to do with that premonition. (quick note: this guy is a tank. You may not want him as your quarterback, but good golly…you want him at your party)

My friend Peter sent this to me. Actually, I lost the original link but found this one in slow motion so that you could understand what she is saying. If you have trouble understanding in this clip, imagine what the original is like. This girl needs bootcamp…or Oprah. Not sure yet…

Really? I think these guys should wait until after the Sugar Bowl to do this. Lord knows it worked out real well for the last early birds. (see: Maurice Clarett & Ted Gin Jr.)

Kobe happy? ESPN’s crack reporting includes the groundbreaking news that he is happy while the Lakers have been winning lately. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s start working towards a cure for those nasty paper cuts and ESPNews shows with different news every hour. Let's see where Kobe is when they start losing.

Even though some of you may disagree with his actions, you’ve got to admit…he’s a heck of a player. Any way you cut it, you’ll miss him. Go ahead, admit it. It doesn’t mean that you condone dog fighting, it means that you enjoy being entertained…we all do. See you in ’09 Mike.

And finally…enjoy this clip of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama at our school on December 5th. Great speech and you can see me the whole time while he talks ( black sweater, glasses…stunning good looks).

Please don’t hesitate to send us some links, comment on our articles or just send an email for fun. We’re here to get a good voice out on the net and continue to grow!

Curl up next to the fire this weekend with some hot cocoa and a copy of the Mitchell report. Enjoy!

Johan update & 23 months of weight lifting

2007-12-12T07:59:00.000-06:00

Happy hump day to all!

This is the last full week for us here before we get to go home for the Holiday break. My final is on Monday and my final paper is due on Wednesday. So you know what that means? Tuesday will be spent sleeping (after our 7 am weight session) and possibly playing Guitar Hero until my arm feels like Joel Zumaya's (if you have no idea who he is, check him out on ESPN.com or Wikipedia).

I promised you all a Johan update today and that is what you will get!

Currently, it has been reported that the Twins are still in preliminary talks with several teams but are not any closer than they were during the winter meetings. Although some new tidbits of information have come out and here they are:

- The Twins are leaning more towards the Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson, Jed Lowrie and a 4th prospect deal from the Red Sox as opposed to the deal that would include Jon Lester.

- The Angels may still be in the running for Johan. The Twins really like Jered Weaver and they may have enough players to make it work. The only thing is if they are willing to spend the money when starting pitching really isn't what they need right now.

- Some consider the Mets to only be involved in the Johan talks to keep their fans happy. The Mets really don't have anything to offer the Twins that is not named Jose Reyes or David Wright. Although many rumors have Johan stating that he wants to go to the NL because he likes hitting. I would also like him to go there so that we don't see him except for every couple of years.

- Yankees pitcher Kei Igawa has been involved in talks with the Twins now. No one really knows how serious the Yankees are anymore. Brian Cashman doesn't want to do a deal and Hank Steinbrenner does? Weird, a Steinbrenner and Cashman disagreement? Some things never change...

- Finally, some circles have mentioned the Rangers as being involved with the Johan talks. People question this because A) Who do the Rangers have to offer? (Maybe Michael Young and Hank Blalock?) and B) Would Johan even go to Texas? It's a hitters park for a pitcher that struggled with giving up home runs last year. This is the least likely destination for Johan if he is indeed traded by the Twins.

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The big news yesterday was the conviction of Michael Vick. He got 23 months in federal prison for his involvement in a national dog fighting ring. The judge was quoted as saying that he would not have made the punishment as severe except for the fact that Vick lied to him and also had marijuana in his system between the time he was arrested and convicted. So basically, he was punished for being an idiot.

Vick has admitted to hanging dogs, drowning them as well as electrocuting them. He was only sentenced to 23 months in prison because he has already served a month. He will be released summer of 2009 unless he is released earlier for good behavior. I expect that he will be released early because according to some reports, all he does is sit in his cell or lift weights or play basketball. Some even have noted that he is in better shape and stronger than he ever was when he wasn't a resident of the state.

Michael Vick made a mistake that a lot of people have made. He got involved in something that a lot of people in the south are involved in and got caught. He should have realized that with his superstar status that he should have distanced himself from anything that would not make him look good in the public eye. It seems to be a running theme among our African-American athletes these days. Many of them want to keep their old friends around because they don't want to "sell out" and those friends are hanging on because of the fact that they immediately are available to someone who can provide things for them.

I have never been and do not imagine I ever will be in this situation, but where does it stop? Just because a man has a family and moves away and seperates himself from a situation that is no longer suitable for his lifestyle he becomes a sell out? Our society needs to celebrate success on all levels as opposed to labeling people sell outs. Bring your immediate family with you and start the new life that you were blessed with.

After watching the funeral of Sean Taylor, his pastor made the effort to show the world that Sean had matured. He had seperated himself from the people and area that he knew was bad for him. He started going to church and caring for his family. It is absolutely tragic the way that his life had to end but if there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's that he started to turn his life around. Many other athletes should take lessons from Sean Taylor on how to change their lives for the better.

Michael Vick screwed up and now has to pay the price for it. I am not interested in finding out more details about the "Bad Newz Kennelz" or anything else, I am interested in how he changes his life ( or doesn't) when he is released.

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Enjoy your day and come back on Friday for the return of "Land-O-Links"!

Monday Run-Down

2007-12-10T07:52:00.000-06:00

The Vikings have found a way to win that doesn’t involve future NFL Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson. What is that way? It’s Solid quarterback play by Tarvaris Jackson, a revolving door rushing attack and a defense that can even make the old Purple People Eaters smile.

The past few years, we have seen the Vikings struggle on the road against any team. Whether it was the lowly Dolphins or the suddenly talented Texans, the Vikings were never a sure thing on the road. Even at home, the Vikings were not a sure thing. Since the 34-0 thrashing the Packers put on the Vikings in week 10, the Vikings could have imploded like they usually do and ended this season with all of us thinking “Really?...REALLY?” After a while, that gets incredibly frustrating for the fan base as well as the players and coaches. Brad Childress went out of his way to make sure that the team responded positively and even challenged his players to look within themselves to find the resolve to finish the season strong. So far, they have responded greatly.

Since that Packer game, the Vikings are 4-0 and winning their games by an average of 20 points while we may be witnessing the maturation of Tarvaris Jackson into a NFL ready quarterback. We, as Vikings fans, have been quick to judge Brad Childress. The first move he made as head coach was getting rid of the franchise quarterback for…well…no one. We seemed to critique him at every corner. As fans, that is our job but sometimes we fall into the trap of seeking out only the negative things that happen. I believe that now is the time to start paying attention to the good things that are happening with this team.

For the past four games we’ve seen Jackson continually make good decisions (although he needs to work on that time in the pocket to avoid sacks), Chester Taylor has reminded us that we actually DO have two running backs instead of one and the defense has been pressuring quarterbacks into making decisions that would make Lindsey Lohan blush. They have been getting out to quick starts and play at a continuously high level of intensity through the final seconds of the game. If this team continues to play like this, why couldn’t they beat anyone in the league? Let’s take a look at their 6 losses:

Week 2 at Detroit: Jackson throws 4 INT’s and Bollinger fumbles in OT which leads to a Jason Hanson game-winning FG. Bollinger should have never fumbled that ball and the Vikings should have walked away with a W in this game.

Week 3 at Kansas City: Vikings stuff the Chiefs run game and Adrian Peterson breaks out with a 102 yard, 1 td performance. The Vikings offense stalls and the Chiefs are able to squeak out a win. Again, Vikings offense doesn’t stall…they walk away with a win.

Week 4 vs. Green Bay: Favre dominates the Vikings defense but the lack of education of the referee’s hurts the Vikings chances of winning the game. A botched fumble call and a blown Pass Interference call turn the tide of the game. This is right before the bye week and the Vikings record was 1-3. Should have been 4-0 or 3-1 at least.

Week 7 at Dallas: Vikings are tied 14-14 with 2:52 left in the 3rd quarter before Ryan Longwell’s field goal is blocked by Pat Watkins and returned for 68 yards for a Touchdown. The offense again failed to mobilize and the Cowboys held on for a win. Kevin Williams had a fumble return for a touchdown that was called back for bogus holding. Things again do not go the Vikings way.

Week 8 vs. Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb torches the Vikings secondary for 333 yards and one touchdown while two Vikings quarterbacks struggled to get to 150 yards passing total. Adrian Peterson was held in check and the offense couldn’t get anywhere.

That brings us back full circle to the 34-0 thrashing by the Packers. If you look back through the losses, what is the common theme? You’re right, it was the incompetence of the referees but even more than that it was the inability of the offense to get anything started. They depended too much on Adrian Peterson and Jackson struggled to make smart throws.

Interestingly enough, during their current 4 game win streak, the Vikings have finally been able to move the ball through the air. Jackson is making much better decisions which has opened the field even more for Peterson and Taylor. They had already opened the field for Jackson, he just needed to take advantage of it.

He finally is and the Vikings are starting to look like a serious playoff team.

Next week is another big game at the Dome. A struggling Bears team comes to town to face a defense that is playing at their highest level all year and an offense who is clicking on all cylinders.

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Since the Vikings are the hottest team in Minnesota right now (with exception maybe being the Gopher Men’s Basketball team who is currently 6-1) some of us have forgotten that there are other sports currently playing.

The Timberwolves got a HUGE win on Saturday night at the Target Center. They stymied a Suns team that has been averaging 111.3 points a game and a team that is much better than they are.

The Wolves held the Suns to 93 points and 29% shooting in the 3rd quarter. Al Jefferson became only the second player in Wolves history to score 30 points and have 20 rebounds as well. Who was the other player you ask? The man that Jefferson was traded for this past summer, Kevin Garnett.

This is a young team who has struggled all year to close out games and just plain score. They are 3-15 right now and are at the bottom of the NBA. I went to two games over Thanksgiving break and they did not look good at all. We’ve got to keep this season in perspective though. This is a team that has an average age of 23 and little or no playoff or experience in winning. It is easy to be critical of the team but keep in mind that there are teams right now who started like this and are playing at great levels right now (Orlando, Cleveland, Toronto, Chicago etc.). I ask you to continue to support this team through Antione Walker and Mary Kate Olsen (“thick and thin”…bad joke I know but it had to be said).

Check back mid-week for a Johan Santana update and a look at the upcoming conference play in College basketball.

Have a great Monday!

Working for the Weekend...

2007-12-07T08:23:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday to all!

I would like ot announce that we are finally back here at Court's Sports! Well...on a regular basis that is.

Things have been a little hectic down here lately, but due to a lack to editing ability and some other things at our school paper, I can now focus my writing here.

Some big things have been happening...or more like not happening around here:

Johan Santana is still a Twin. I, like many other Twins fans, had already made our peace that we wouldn't see Johan again in a Twins uniform until he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Instead, Twins GM Bill Smith didn't see a trade that he liked and Johan is still around. I struggle with this because I just think that things would be awkward with it being quite clear that we can't keep him around. If the Twins don't make some serious moves, not involving Santana, and keep him...then they will NOT be competive this next season.

We have a great young outfielder in Delmon Young and a potential good fill in at shortstop...but there are some other serious holes. We don't have a third baseman yet...or a shortstop or a second baseman. I think that the Twins should go after former Tiger Brandon Inge. Rumor has it that the Tigers are willing to pay most of his $18 million dollar deal to get rid of him. He's a great fielder and a good hitter as well. Something that we haven't had at third base for quite a while. I like Brendan Harris at either shortstop or second base. He can hit for good power but there are questions about his fielding. Either way, I think that he's an upgrade from Nick Punto.

The Tigers made some serious upgrades and we'll see what the Indians still can do. Right now, the Twins are only the 3rd best team in the AL Central. If they choose to not trade Johan and go for the World Series this year, they've got some serious work left to do.

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Don't even get me started on the Timberwolves. Randy Wittman is not the right coach for this team and after hearing about some of the potential trades that McHale passed up just to do a deal with the Celtics...I might just spend some of my x-mas break picketing outside of the Target Center. On the bright side...we get a pretty good pick in the 2008 NBA draft next year. We'll probably trade it to Miami for Ricky Davis and Jason Williams and then draft an Argentinian point guard who isn't NBA ready for at least 5 years. Sigh...things are tough right now.

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Adrian Peterson...Great

Vikings....Solid

Brad Childress....still balding

Chicago Bears....still bad

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Vikings have a big game against the 49ers at 3:15 this Sunday, so make sure to catch that on Fox. Playoffs are well within the reach of this team, so let's hope that AP can keep running over the competition and the defense can keep stopping everyone who gets in their way.

Enjoy the weekend!

Winds of Change

2007-11-26T00:06:00.000-06:00

Can things finally be going our way? I mean, things just haven’t been the same since 1998. We’ve gone through more personnel changes than the Bush administration and consistency is one of those four letter words. It seems that things may be changing with the Minnesota Vikings.

Going into a game where, on paper…and in reality the Vikings were outmatched, they should have folded. Tarvaris Jackson should have thrown 3 INT’s, Chester Taylor should have gotten injured and the defense should have looked like a bad 9th grade team. Instead, Jackson was statistically impressive, Taylor stayed healthy and had a good day on the ground and the defense had 3 touchdowns while making Eli Manning look like…well…Eli Manning.

I was on my way back to school this afternoon, so I had the pleasure of listening to the game from Paul Allen’s perspective. After watching Fox for the last couple weeks and then listening to PA today, I understand why my grandfather always listens to games on the radio while the T.V. is on mute. Advantage: Listening to great and energizing announcing as well as not having to see Tony Siragusa eating a cheddarwurst while explaning why New York has the best pizza and drinking water in the greater northeast region. Disadvantage: Not getting to actually watch the thrashing that the Vikings gave to the Giants today.

The win today instantly means that the Vikings season is worth paying attention to again. The team is 2-0 with rookie sensation Adrian Peterson on the sideline (word has it that he will be playing against Detroit on Sunday at the Dome) and Childress/Bevell have been calling the right plays as of late. They aren’t putting Tarvaris Jackson in “must throw” situations which allows him to throw the ball with limited pressure. Although he had a solid game, Jackson still needs to be able to rid of the ball quickly or get out of the pocket when a rush is on. He’s got an arm (see: Sidney Rice, 60 yard TD pass from T-Jack) and when used wisely he can do some damage. So a big key to the Vikings success in these next 5 games will be how well Childress and Bevell call the game offensively.

The story of today though was the Vikings defense. Defensive Coordinator Les Frazier called a great game yesterday. He had Eli Manning completely baffled and almost every throw was rushed and would result in terrible passes. Dwight Smith and Darren Sharper came up huge with their interception returns and the pass defense that has been a punchline for the last few seasons looked like the old Tampa Bay/Baltimore defenses that have been successful. Since the Vikings will not be facing a quarterback who can beat them by himself for the next 5 weeks, Les Frazier’s defense should be able to continue this momentum. The Vikings face Jon Kitna, Jason Campbell, Rex Grossman, Trent Dilfer (yes…I was just as surprised that he’s still playing as well) and Kurt Warner. With the exception of MAYBE Jason Campbell, none of these quarterbacks are mobile. So as long as Frazier switches up coverage schemes and blitzes, the Vikings defense could look for some big weeks coming up here.

Next week, we get Adrian Peterson back and a Lions team who is reeling from 3 straight losses. The Vikings should have beaten them in week two had Jackson not fumbled the ball in OT. With 3 out of their last 5 games at the Dome, people should get behind this team and help push them into the playoffs. Right now, the Vikings are arguably playing the best out of all the teams involved in the Wild Card race. They just dismantled the WC leader, should beat the WC # 2 next week and take care of the Redskins and Cardinals at home in the ensuing weeks before facing an incredibly inconsistent Broncos team at Invesco field in Denver.

So my question posed at the beginning was “could things finally be going our way?”

…Stay tuned.

Man oh Man

2007-11-05T07:56:00.000-06:00

Let's look back to August 16th, 2007.

I was at the Mall of America with Alec and we were on a search. I was just looking around for some hats and shoes (the usual) and he was on a Lord of the Rings type quest for a Joseph Addai jersey.

While having trouble finding the Addai jersey, we stumbled into the big Foot Locker on the 3rd floor. He noticed that they were selling rookie jersey's for $49.99. Included in these jerseys was new Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson. Earlier that week he had romped over the Jets and gave us all a little preview of how this season might go for him. I hadn't really been a die hard Vikings fan because I was tired of cheering for a team who spent more time in jail than in the Red Zone and they didn't really have a superstar.

Alec looked at the jersey and goes, "Dude, he's going to be a stud...and it's only $49.99, buy it". So I gave into peer pressure and bought my first Vikings jersey since Randy Moss was burning the turf (not the way many of you may think, the legal way of course).

In all honesty...who would have known it would have been the smartest jersey buy of my life? Well Alec did.

Yesterday, those of you who got a chance to watch the Vikings/Chargers game may have seen the emergence of the next great thing in the NFL. In a state where the most popular player since Kirby Puckett was traded to Boston and where Kirby's replacement is surely going to another team, Minnesota was in dire need of a superstar. Well, we've got one.

Adrian Peterson, "All Day" dubbed by him and his teammates, ran for an NFL single game record of 296 yards. He would have had well over that had he not been horse collar tackled by a San Diego cornerback. He also had 3 touchdowns to go with that. A 1 yrd, 64 yd and 45 yd. He is carrying this team on his back. He was running so well that even Brooks Bollinger looked like a steady quarterback with his big strike to rookie Sidney Rice.

Yesterday was truly the day of the rookie for the Minnesota Vikings. As much problems coaching that Childress has had and Vikings brass for their incompetence, they drafted pretty dawggone well. They drafted the next Eric Dickerson (maybe better?) as well as a talented receiver who can leap forward about 5 yards.

The Vikings defense shut down a Chargers offense who can score at the drop of a dime. LaDanian Tomlinson looked like the rookie on Sunday. Only having one Touchdown and maybe 45 yards rushing or so. And don't even get me started on Philip Rivers. I think Marshawn Lynch had a better game passing than Rivers did. He made the Giants look great for taking Eli off of the Charger's hands a couple years ago. Give the front line credit as well. Kevin Williams and Pat Williams got amazing pressure on Rivers to force him into those bad throws.

The part that I'm excited about? The schedule gets very favorable from here on out for the Vikings. They are at Green Bay next weekend, then after that they have Oakland, Chicago, Detroit and Washington at home and the New York Giants, San Francisco and Denver away. The Vikings are only 3-5 right now and have yet to get completely blown out in a game. If they can get some consistency at QB and have AP run like he has been, this team could easily see the playoffs. Jeff George did it without an AP and he went 8-2, so anything's possible.

I'm very excited to see where this team can go. There are glaring problems at QB, but like I said, as long as AP runs like that, just hand the ball off Brooks...hand it off.

Timberwolves season predictions

2007-11-02T20:47:00.001-05:00

It is currently the middle of the first Wolves game of the year, and I decided that I needed to make some predictions for the next 82 games and subsequent offseason. (Also, I'd like to mention that through 3 quarters, the Wolves have thoroughly outplayed the expected Northwest division winner, the Denver Nuggets)

Prediction 1: Al Jefferson averages a solid double-double. Jefferson will be one of the West leaders in rebounding, and will average upwards of 20 points. I don't expect an average of more than 20 points a game just because the Wolves will be able to spread the ball around a lot, to Foye, McCants, Gomes, Smith, and Walker.
Prediction 2: The Wolves will have no problems with Antoine Walker. Walker reportedly was overweight for the Heat, and had fallen out of favor with Heat coach Pat Riley. I think as a veteran presence on this roster, he will help a lot of the players, and eventually average upwards of 10 points a game once he learns the offense.

Prediction 3: The Wolves will stop talking about KG around the All-Star game, once Jefferson makes it. This is more hopeful than anything. They need to celebrate these new guys, and move on from KG. These new guys look pretty damn good.

Prediction 4: Theo Ratliff will have his best season in 5 years. The guy looks rejuvenated this year, playing hard both on offense and defense. I think he could play his way into a new contract with the Wolves if he does well this season as their starting center, especially after considering their lack of talent there in the past. I think in general they will try to keep this team together for a while.

Prediction 5: The Wolves will contend for the last playoff spot. Yes, I realize this is a big prediction, but I honestly feel that without Blount and Davis, this roster will flourish. These guys will learn to love playing with each other, and it will be like a playground game out there. They don't have the immediate talent of other teams, but these guys are hungry to prove something. I expect them to surpass their 32 wins from last season and be in the hunt for the last spot for a while, and there is a possibility they could win that 8th spot. No one expects it from them, and that almost makes it easier for them, since no one will take them seriously. Honestly, there has never been a team much like them in this or any other professional league, a team with nearly all unproven players. Just because they are unproven, doesn't mean they aren't good.

Well there they are, my season predictions. I won't be the least bit disappointed if they don't make the playoffs, but if they do, you heard it here first. I also want to say that Foye will average over 15 points a game and 5 assists, and McCants will average nearly as many points per game as Foye. Again, just a prediction.

Either way, you need to watch these teams. There is an excitement to these games that hasn't been seen since 2004, and I know that I've been convinced just in these first 3 quarters.

And so it begins...

2007-11-02T08:14:00.001-05:00

I am excited....

More excited than I have been in years. And why is that?

Because the Timberwolves start their NBA season today.

Now many of you, I am assuming, are skeptical of how this team will finish this year. Just about everyone and their mom has them finishing 15th in the West (which is actually 6th in the Eastern Conference). Not to mention not even giving this young group of guys a chance in the NBA. My question is, how many times do you see a trade that includes 5 players from the same team going to a team together? It's tough enough to bring a new player into a team that he's never played with before but these guys all played together last year. That's a step up from a lot of other trades in NBA history.

If you'll remember my KG tribute article, you'll know that I am the first person that wishes we still had KG. But if you really want the Timberwolves to have a successful future, KG HAD to go. Taking up so much payroll really hurt their chances of signing a lot of players. Not to mention, he wasn't going to win a title in the West when everyone else was improving so much. So shipping him off to the Deveopmental league of the NBA was the best choice for all parties involved.

Today is not the start of the "Post-KG era"...STOP CALLING IT THAT! There is a guy that is emerging as possibly one of the best old-school post players in the NBA. Today is the start of the "Al Jefferson Era". When did you ever hear KG say, "I really didn't think that I'm worth the max yet". KG let his agents rule what he thought he was worth. Jefferson had a better first two seasons than KG did all around and yet KG was making $121 million just a few years after he had been in the NBA. This kid is the truth. Hard worker and not full of himself? That's like finding a successful WNBA franchise. I'm excited to see him go up against Duncan and see what he can do.

This team has a lot of question marks surrounding it. I am excited to see a bunch of guys, my age mostly, grow into a solid NBA team. It may not happen right away this year, but trust me...It will happen. Don't fall off the Wolves bandwagon just yet. I've fallen into that trap as a Minnesota fan, as the teams suck the ticket prices seem to go up (except for the Twins, thank you) and we decide to stop watching until they are good again. But stick with these guys, for once in my life, I feel like McHale and Taylor did something right. Now, they have the chance to screw it up but they signed their best player to an extension before it became an issue during the season and even traded away the Stacey Patton of the NBA (aka Ricky Davis).

My prediction for the Wolves is that they will surprise people this year. A bunch of young guys with good work ethic and chemistry? That is dangerous in today "me first" NBA society. By saying that, I predict that the Wolves will win between 25-30 games this year. I don't see lottery but if we get there, understand that this team will get much better. Look at the teams who have evolved in the last couple years. The Nuggetts, Bulls, Blazers, Warriors...all teams with young cores who worked their way to respectability.

So watch the Wolves tonight, tomorrow and the rest of the season. Get on that bandwagon tonight so that in a couple years you don't look like a fool when you're standing at the stop while we're speeding off towards the NBA Finals.

Monday Round-up

2007-10-29T07:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday to all!

I would like to start off by saying congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for beating the 2007 5A Colorado High School champions. It was nice that they won that contest to play in the World Series but I felt bad that those kids probably missed some school this month just to get swept. But I'm sure that it's an experience that they will all remember as they go through college and such.

My only thoughts are, 2 titles within 4 years of each other after waiting 86 years for just one? Either the curse is gone or Babe Ruth went comatose even in the afterlife. Needless to say, the Red Sox are one player signing away from becoming the New York Yankees (See: A-rod opts out of his contract). You know that they are going to try and sign him and why not? He's a great player. Boston has a good group of playoff guys, so A-rod's playoff choking may not even hurt them at all. You must understand that if Boston does sign A-rod, I'm making peace with all my family and friends because of the certain looming of the end times. The vortex of good sports teams has stalled over the Boston Area and shows no signs of leaving any time soon. The Patriots are destroying anything in their way and leaving women and children in their deadly wake, the Celtics might even win more than 20 games this year, Boston College is second in the BCS ( if they win the title, can they play the Pats for fun?) and the Bruins...well...we can't have everything we want.

Anyway, enough with my Boston rant. On to much bigger and not so better things.

I am talking about the Vikings.

(Sigh)....another loss to a Philly team who is definitely not the same team that used to dominate the NFC. They lost to the Bears and the Vikings essentially beat up on the Bears...so statistically that would make us better than the Eagles right? Wrong, because neither of those teams have Brad Childress, Kelly Holcomb/Brooks Bollinger, Bobby Wade as their # 1 receiver. There is something wrong with this team and it's pretty easy to figure out. We have NO pass defense and no Quarterback. It's gotten to the point where I've even had the discussion that involved "Hey, Aaron Brooks is available..." I get lightheaded just thinking about the Vikings putting their trust in Aaron Brooks. The sad thing is that he is an upgrade to our situation. My only question is why do we even have WR's? If our leading receiver has about 3oo yards this year, couldn't we trade those yards for more salary cap money or something? There has to be some compromise with Commissioner Godell on this.

The road only get's harder here on out. The Vikes have the Chargers next Sunday at the dome (a team that scored 35 first half points against the Texans yesterday) and then Green Bay at home. The last time we beat GB at home, Randy Moss made Joe Buck throw up his lunch and go on a 5 minute tirade of why fake mooning the Lambeau faithful was like throwing a puppy in the trash can. Hopefully the Vikings can do something to save this season. If not, it'll be good for the fans I suppose. We wont have to watch for too long in the draft next year to see their pick.

If you haven't already, go see Saw IV. If you've seen the first 3, you'll enjoy this one. If you don't understand the movie after you see it, check out the Wikipedia page on it. Just keep your eyes open during the movie and try to remember some of the past characters because some of them may show up in this movie. It wasn't as gross as the 3rd one but still had some pretty sick (literal meaning and slang meaning) traps. Also, there is a new Alien v. Predator movie to go along with my personal favorite National Treasure 2. Nicolas Cage is just a solid actor (see: Lord of War & Face Off).

As always, leave your feedback and enjoy the day!

The Emergence of a Star

2007-10-15T00:05:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen…may I present to you the 2007-08 MVP of the National Football League, Adrian Peterson.

Sorry, I might be getting ahead of myself a little bit here. But any of you who caught the Vikings vs. Bears yesterday afternoon saw something special.

You saw the emergence of the next great running back in the NFL not named LaDanian Tomlinson.

I’m tired of hearing that the Bears defense was lacking some of it’s firepower. I must have been watching the wrong game, but I remember seeing Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Adewale Ogunleye, Adam Archuleta and Alex Brown. But yes, you’re right…the Bears were clearly missing their Defense.

Shenanigans.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 224 yards on 20 carries and even had a 53 yard kick return to set up Ryan Longwell’s 55 yard field goal to beat the Bears as time ran out. The rookie from the University of Oklahoma, also the first running-back taken in the 2007 draft, has arrived in the NFL and he brought the snacks.

"I just got comfortable, more comfortable with the speed of the game, I knew anything was possible," Peterson said

He got comfortable alright. He made himself at home at Soldier Field. Rumor has it that the maintenance crew put up a locker in the Bears locker room with Peterson’s name on it. Since only the home running back is supposed to run like Peterson did.

He broke Chuck Foreman’s team record of 200 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976 and Ricky Williams’ record of 216 at Soldier Field in 2002. In other words, he had a day.

As for the rest of the team, yes…Adrian Peterson did not play every position today, the Vikings looked like an NFL team. Tarvaris Jackson did not turn over the ball, 9-23 with 136 yds and 1 td to Troy Williamson. The defense shut down the Bears rushing attack and made Brian Griese toss the football 45 times. If Rex Grossman had been starting today, the Vikings might have won this game by 35+.

Coming out of the bye week, the Vikings looked like they were on a mission. They looked crisp and not very sluggish for a team that hadn’t played for a week.

They’ve got another test next week down in Dallas against a Cowboys team that was subsequently crushed by the Patriots today 48-27. Other than that, the Vikings have a favorable schedule ahead of them.

10/21 @ Dallas

10/28 Philadelphia

11/4 San Diego

11/11 @ Green Bay

11/18 Oakland

The Vikings have a chance to win all of those games, but I say they go 3-2 in that stretch. That would bring them to 5-5 and still in the playoff hunt in the wide open NFC.

My interest in the Vikings has been revived. I nearly went hoarse and nearly had an aneurism at the end of that game.

As always, your comments are welcome and have a great Monday!

A Great 2007 Major League Season

2007-10-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

While the 2007 season was a disappointing one for many Twins fans, baseball as a whole experienced one of the greatest years in recent memory. In case you tuned out of baseball after the Twinkies were eliminated from contention, here are just a few things you may have missed: Barry Bonds last game as a San Francisco Giant; the Boston Red Sox finally taking the American League East away from the New York Yankees; the New York Mets losing the N.L. East title to the Philadelphia Phillies and missing the playoffs after leading the division by seven games with seventeen left to play; and finally, the thirteen inning exhilarating Colorado Rockies-San Diego Padres one-game playoff to determine who won the N.L. Wildcard. The Rockies won the aforementioned game to reach the playoffs for the first time in twelve years, and only the second time in the history of the franchise. As one can see, even the final week of the major league season was packed with twists and turns, and that doesn’t even begin to describe the great stories from this year.

This season saw the most historical achievements than any other previous year. Three players, Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, and Jim Thome, joined the 500 home run club, along with slugger Sammy Sosa joing the 600 home run club. Also, the hallowed all-time home run record of 755 home runs, set by Henry Aaron, was eclipsed by Barry Bonds. Other milestones reached this year included a 300 win pitcher (Tom Glavine) and 3,000 hits (Houston second baseman Craig Biggio). Finally, the man who took much of the heat for the San Diego Padres one-game playoff loss, Trevor Hoffman, became the all-time saves leader this season, and currently sits at 524 for his career.

So much happened just in personal milestones, it almost hides the fact that young hitters came up from the minors for one of the best rookie classes since, well, last year. But these past two seasons have produced some of the best rookies in a LONG time, with many either already or on the verge of becoming all-stars (Hanley Ramirez, Prince Fielder, David Wright). Here are my predictions for A.L and N.L. Rookie of the Year:

A.L. Rookie of the Year – Dustin Pedroia (2B, Boston Red Sox): Pedroia held down the second base position the entire season, and finished the season with a .317 batting average, good enough for tenth in the American League. Considering that he also helped Boston to the best record in baseball, Pedroia seems like a lock for the Rookie of the Year award. Other possibilities for this year’s award include Tampa Bay outfielder Delmon Young and Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

N.L Rookie of the Year– Troy Tulowitzki (SS, Colorado Rockies): Tulowitzki literally won this award at the last possible moment in my mind. Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Ryan Braun had this locked up, but in the end baseball is about offense AND defense. Braun, when called up from the minors, went on to hit 34 home runs with a .324 average, but his defense was terrible. He ended the season with 26 errors, and a .895 fielding percentage, both good enough for worst in the league. Insert Tulowitzki. He finished the season with a .291 average, 24 home runs, and had some spectacular defense down the stretch, leading the Rockies to win 13 of their last 14 games. He also went four for seven in the one game playoff for the wildcard, and scored the game tying run in the bottom of the thirteenth inning. To me, offensive and defensive stats, combined with a team’s performance, are what make a rookie of the year, and Tulowitzki had it all.

With that look at the year’s best rookies, all that is left are the Cy Young and MVP predictions. Two of the four have been decided since midseason, and the other two may have been decided in the last week of the season.

A.L. Cy Young – C.C. Sabathia (SP, Cleveland Indians): Sabathia finished well down the stretch, winning his final five decisions. Throw in the fact that he led the Indians to the playoffs and out dueled 2006 Cy Young winner Johan Santana three times this season, and he is the easy choice for the award.

N.L. Cy Young – Jake Peavy (SP, San Diego Padres): Peavy won the N.L. pitching triple crown (wins, strikeouts, and earned run average), much like Johan Santana last year. Peavy is a shoo-in.

A.L. MVP – Alex Rodriguez (3B, New York Yankees): It seems like A-Rod has had this award since the first day of the season. He has simply been the best offensive threat in the A.L. all season long. Combine the fact that he eclipsed 500 career home runs this year, and A-Rod is also a lock to win the award.

N.L. MVP – Matt Holliday (OF, Colorado Rockies): This award really could go to Holliday or any of the deserving Philadelphia Phillies (Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, or reigning MVP Ryan Howard), but Holliday I feel deserves this award because he is the only MVP candidate on his team. When you have a team like the Phillies that have that many players producing, you expect to win. Holliday took the Rockies on his back, and took them headfirst into the playoffs. Plus, he literally took them into the playoffs by scoring the winning run of their one-game playoff by diving head first into home plate, leaving a nice scrape right on his chin in the process. Holliday deserves this award this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes elsewhere.

That about does it for the 2007 season recap. Baseball fans across the nation tuned in this year to witness one of the best seasons ever, with seemingly new stories every night. It’s hard to imagine that the season could get any better, but remember this – there are still the playoffs. As Dane Cook puts it SO delicately in those postseason commercials, there is only one October! Go Rockies!

A much needed break

2007-09-26T10:53:00.000-05:00

I am leaving for Kansas City, MO this morning.

I will be headed down to catch a Royals game and get some much needed R& R away from the "exciting" Iowa.

Until then, look for some stuff from Owen and maybe even Alec.

As always, have a safe weekend (when it rolls around) and don't let fantasy football give you a brain hemmorage...as it will do to me soon as the proud owner of Steven Jackson, Peyton Manning, Hines Ward, Cavin Johnson and a 1-2 record.

(and yes, that is Frankie goes to Hollywood in the picture)

Embarassment in Kansas City...and no...I don't mean the Royals

2007-09-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a fictional cartoon character...

Homer Simpson was on the sidelines during the Vikings 13-10 loss to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

If you remember, in season 9 of the Simpsons, Bart joins a pee-wee football team coached by Ned Flanders (often times confused to be coach Childress, except Flanders coached his team to wins). Homer's taunting of Ned eventually leads to him quitting and giving Homer the coaching job.

Homer is too dumb to keep Nelson in at QB, plays favorites and puts Bart in as QB. The team loses several games and eventually Bart has to sacrifice himself (posing as Nelson when the police show up to arrest Nelson for a crime he committed) in order to save the team's season.

Lesson learned? Sometimes it really isn't the players...it's the coaches.

Brad Childress called about as good of a game as a indigenous tribe member from the Arctic could. First drive? Amazing, Adrian Peterson blows past Ty Law and puts the Vikings up 7-0. After that, the Chiefs somewhat figured out AP and now it was up to journeyman Kelly "I couldn't make it with the Browns or Eagles OR Bills" Holcomb. Even our 3rd string RB had a better arm (see touchdown pass to Shiancoe). It was deemed an incomplete pass by the referees and they were defended by the announcers as saying that maybe they didn't have that angle that we all saw. CAN SOMEONE GET THOSE GUYS A LITTLE TV SO THEY CAN GET THAT DAWGGONE ANGLE?!

Holcomb would later overthrow a wide open Robert Ferguson in the endzone which would have put the Vikes up 17-6. The guy hasn't played in a couple months and was thrown into a game against the Chiefs. Not the greatest team in the world, but it was an away game at a very intimidating stadium and the guy doesn't have the greatest track record. First bad coaching move by Childress.

Second bad move was running on first and second down and then relying on Timmy Twizzler Arm to get a first down. Sure AP had another solid game, but relying on a rookie RB won't really get you W's.

Third bad coaching move? The entire 4th quarter. Run, run, Incomplete pass, punt....Run, run, incomplete pass, punt. Referring back to our Simpsons episode, I can already see Childress with his electric football game saying "Alright Matt, hike the ball to Kelly and Kelly....you run around in a circle and then fall down".

I don't like to think that because I play Madden way too much that I can coach better than Childress...but I think that had he just pressed square (for PS2 users) for the 'Ask Madden' option, Madden would have let him know "Show them that you aren't afraid...run the ball up the middle"....oh wait...maybe he did use the 'Ask Madden'...

Either way, with the way the Green Bay Packers (leading candidates for the "Ringers of the Year" award) are playing right now...the Packers will most likely be 4-0 by 3:15 pm next Sunday and the Vikings will be thinking "who do we take with the number 3 pick?"

As always, leave your feedback and have a great Monday.

Long time, No See...

2007-09-19T23:39:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

(I started writing this at 11:40 pm and since it was before midnight, the post says Wednesday...it really is meant for Thursday...but let's get on with it)

It has been a while since our last post here at Court's Sports. Due to unforseen events, mainly me deciding to be a real college student and actually go to class and do homework all the time, it's been pretty busy around these parts.

I would love to spend time catching up on everything that has been happening since last week, but if you read this blog I am going to trust that you haven't been under a rock for a week and know what's going on.

So I would like to focus on the one thing that has been plastered all over ESPN, and every other news outlet during the last few days, and that is OJ Simpson's recent arrest.

This whole situation stinks with confusion. The jist of the story is that someone told OJ that someone else was selling some personal effects and OJ wasn't having it. So he took some people that he met at a wedding reception and Pulp Fictioned his way into jail. One of OJ's new friends apparently had a gun, some say OJ did but it isn't known at this point. 11 felony counts later, OJ is back in jail and has the Goldman family giddy with joy.

With bail set at $125,000, OJ seems to be back in the same situation he was when he was being tried for murder. Is it really a case of "wrong place, wrong time"? Or is OJ really the guy that most of America thinks he is?

I was 8 years old when '85 white Ford Broncos were no longer known as "trucks" but "getaway vehicles". I remember the glove and sitting in front of the TV when he was being acquitted. Was I excited? Sure, but for what reason?

I had heard that he was guilty as all guilty can be. And then he somehow moonwalks his way out of murder charges?! First thought at age 8? "He is the man!"

Forgive me, I was 8, but that's what it looked like to a lot of people. Until this point in American history, if a black man went to trial...there was a good chance that his plans were going to change for the next 15-20 years. And now "Juice" was getting acquitted of murder when it seemed to be a very clear cut trial? Unbeleivable.

You could play the celebrity card of course, but that card was a 2 of a kind to the royal flush that was the race card.

I've never been one to cry race at anything. Sure, I may use it in the comical sense, but people need to deal with their lives regardless of skin color. I've been a part of many situations that dealt with racism, so I know what it's like. But not everything in life is black and white.

Unfortunately, this situation also stinks with the dreaded "P" word..."profiled"

I feel that OJ was very un-intelligent about this situation. First off, who were the guys with him. If I'm at a party with OJ, not only am I nowhere near him, but if I am and I hear about a plan to run into a hotel room with a gun to get his stuff back...I make my way over to my date and do not join in such activities. Second, well knowing his past with the police, why would he go with a gun and a bunch of guys. Like Whoopi Goldberg said on the View the other day, (my mother told me, I'm in class at the time) "Involve the police!"

Now, OJ was quoted as saying that he no longer has faith in the police and that his dealings with them have been less than satisfactory since the '95 trial. Really OJ? The police have been "less than satisfactory"? Surprise. Either way, if he calls them and they refuse to go to the hotel it falls on them for not doing their job to serve and protect.

Unfortunately, when you have the past experiences that OJ has had, then yes, authorities may deal with you differently. To me, this is where the profiling ends.

You, in the next few weeks, may hear "Well if Tom Brady had been in this situation, then he wouldn't have such harsh charges. Maybe, maybe not...we'll never know. Want to know why we'll never know? BECAUSE TOM BRADY WILL NEVER BE IN THIS SITUATION.

I don't often deal in absolutes, but come on. Unless something goes terribly wrong, I don't see the distant Kennedy (check out his pictures online, creepy) doing this ever. Some people just find themselves in stupid situations and OJ is the current league leader in stupid situations.

I would like to leave you with these links though : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson_murder_case

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/070918 (ESPN's Jemele Hill has a great article that goes into great detail about the situation)

Scroll down to the "Jason Simpson Theory" section (on Wikipedia) and read it. Not many have talked about this theory, but something tells me that it makes more sense than OJ actually committing the murders.

This situation is a loaded gun. It screams confusion, racism, profiling and mainly stupidity on OJ Simpsons part.

We here at Court's Sports in no way support OJ Simpson in anything he does unless it involves him in a USC or Buffalo Bills uniform. Nor do we support Wikipedia as a source of great information, just a great way to pass time in class.

Have a great Thursday!

Terry Ryan & Greg Oden...friends?

2007-09-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

I ask this question mainly because as of today, neither of these gentlemen will have much to do.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, and about 70 other sources, Twins GM Terry Ryan has stepped down from his position in the Twins organization.

This comes as a great surprise to many since Ryan has been with the organization for 12 years now and the Twins will be at possibly the most important crossroads in their storied history as they try and find the funds to re-sign their most important players.

Ryan will be replaced by Assistant GM Bill Smith, who according to sources, is a very motivated and competent replacement.

Ryan has been lauded by owners across the league for being able to put competitive teams on the field year in and year out with a very limited budget. He was able to trade AJ Pierzsynski for Boof Bonser, Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano. That trade is considered by many, one of the most lopsided trades in recent MLB history. Ryan had a great eye for talent and it showed.

As for the other part...

Greg Oden, who elected to have microfracture knee surgery a couple weeks ago, will apparently be out until March and maybe even the entire season.

This is a blow to the TrailBlazers organization who was banking on Oden helping them to the playoffs this year.

The best thing is that since Oden, age wise, is young he could return quicker than thought.

And yes, he still will have to shave every 6 hours.

Peyton's still here...and he's brought friends

2007-09-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

The New Orleans Saints really thought that they had a chance to beat the Colts in Indy last night....I'm sure of it.

Well, any of you who watched last night would know that wishes sometimes just don't happen. Sounds sad, but nothing is more sad than coming in with high expectations for your team and having every single person on your team underacheive. Even the water boy spilled Deuce McAllister's Gatorade during the 3rd quarter.

Reggie Bush, considered by many to be one of the most explosive players in the NFL, gained a grand total of 47 yards last night...47 YARDS!? For a player with high expectations, that better be the last time that happens or else Fantasy owners across America will revolt.

Drew Brees threw for about 180 yards and 2 INT's. They weren't tipped INT's, they were the "what were you thinking when you threw that?!" INT's. He looked sharp on the first drive but past that he looked like me in Intramural football last year, erratic and blaming everyone else for my bad passes.

The consolation, as said by Sean Salisbury, is that they are in the NFC. Barring anymore games against the Colts, the Saints could go 15-1 this year. Most likely they won't, but that's what wishes are all about.

Peyton & CO. looked rough on their first drive. 3 and out on the first drive makes it hard to gain momentum for the rest of the game but on the next drive, Peyton found Marvin Harrison on the left side of the field for the first time in 10 years and they continue to build on their NFL record of QB to WR Td's (now sitting at 683).

Reggie Wayne and Joe Addai stole the show last night though. Addai, after getting torn apart by Mike McKenzie (who else was surprised that he actually made a tackle?), went on to rush for over 100 yards and a TD while Wayne had 7 - 125-2 for the night.

The Colts look like nothing has changed and that spells trouble for the rest of the AFC.

Christmas Come Early

2007-09-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

Today is the day…

The day that men all across America have been waiting a year for…

Football…

Season…

Is…

HERE!

At 7:30 pm Central Standard time, The Colts and Saints will kick off the 2007-08 NFL season from the hidden gem of the Upper East-Midwest, also known as Indianapolis, IN.

Some interesting storylines surround this game:

Can Peyton Manning repeat his past seasons of QB dominance? As well as, Can the Colts repeat as Super Bowl champs or will they fall prey to the dismal seasons the Buccaneers and Ravens had after they won Super Bowls?

Will Reggie Bush repeat his 1,300 all purpose yardage again for the Saints this year?

Can Joe Addai be the feature back that everyone thinks he can be?

Can Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Devery Henderson have a season like they did last year?

My answers to all of these questions?

Peyton Manning is about as consistent as the sun rising and setting. He not only will have a great year, but he will also be the AFC Offensive player of the year barely beating out LaDanian Tomlinson. The Colts will also be the team to beat in the AFC. Even though Tom Brady got some huge help this offseason, the Colts are still the team to beat. Plus, compare the three teams involved in that question. Colts, Bucs and Ravens? Come on, when was the last time you heard Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer and Peyton Manning in the same sentence when it didn’t end with, “Are you kidding?”

Not only will Reggie Bush repeat his season numbers from last year, he’ll do better. I imagine Reggie getting near 1,000 yards rushing and 700 receiving. He will be HUGE this year for the Saints. He is my early leader for NFC Offensive player of the year. If that doesn’t sell it for you, remember this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwS5x920i8A

Joseph Addai will be good for the Colts this year. One of the most ridiculous things that I ever heard this offseason was, “Hey, the Colts are going to be a running team this year, you watch!” There are a lot of reasons why that is stupid but the main reason is that if anyone remembers that the Colts have one of the best QB’s since…well…ever, WHY WOULD THEY TURN INTO A RUNNING TEAM?! Addai is simply a nice distraction for any defense that faces the Colts. Look for 1,100 yards maybe.

Drew Brees and Marques Colston will have great years. When you have a running game that includes Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, you can’t help but think, “hey, my job is pretty easy” (Brees and Colston speaking). Devery Henderson was very streaky last year and I wouldn’t expect much from him this year.

Like the “experts” at ESPN and every other media outlet around the world, here are my “expert” picks.

NFC North : Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers

NFC South: Saints, Panthers, Falcons and Bucs. (Falcons and Panthers in second place is a wash in my mind)

NFC East: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins (you watch, Eli will come up big this year. If not, well then so be it.)

NFC West : Rams, Seahawks, 49ers and Cardinals (this, for the first time since the Korean War, was incredibly tough. The Rams and Seahawks are very similar in their styles and skill and so are the 49ers and Cards. I can see this going any which way. Now that Denny Green is gone, the Cards have an honest shot at winning more than 6 games.

AFC North : Bengals, Steelers, Ravens, Browns.

AFC South : Colts, Jags, Texans, Titans (this is the “Mid-90’s NL East” of the NFL. One dominant team surrounded by other teams that just fight each other to not look that bad)

AFC East : Patriots, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

AFC West : Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Superbowl prediction : Bears vs. Colts (Yes, again. I see this turning into the new “Cowboys/Steelers” superbowls of the 90’s. )

A disclaimer on predictions like this should ALWAYS go on websites that put up their predictions. The only thing that separates me from Sean Salisbury right now is a college education and a steady job (your pick on that one). So please, as always, leave your comments on what you think of my predictions and enjoy the game tonight!

NFL Problems

2007-09-01T01:02:00.000-05:00

Well...I knew that this was too good to be true. As soon as I showed an interest in the NFL again, things got pretty heavy again.

Rodney Harrison has been suspended by the NFL for 4 games for admitting that he purchased and consumed Human Growth Hormones. Am I the only one that isn't that surprised about this? Anyone that has watched Rodney Harrison the last couple of years can testify that he is absolutely nuts on the field. Not Ray Lewis' "I need to get my team hyped and I'm stoked to be here" kind of nuts but "Hey, I'm going to kill you if you come over the middle and then date your sister after" sort of nuts. He admitted to taking them the past 2 years to recover from his injuries faster but this comment confused me :

"I want to make it clear," Harrison said, "that never once did I take steroids. I did admit to the commissioner that I took a banned substance."

Isn't HGH a form of steriods!? Maybe instead of Sex Education we need to be teaching our kids about sterioids so that when they get older and maybe get in a situation like this, they don't look like an idiot.

The NFL needs to crack down on this and Roger Goodell has a lot of work to do.

Luckily, College football gets into full swing tomorrow. Go Trojans...Go Gophers...and LSU sucks.

Have a great weekend.

Placing Johan Santana into History

2007-08-27T00:08:00.000-05:00

Man its a hot one.

Like seven inches from the midday sun

I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone

But you stay so cool

My mu equita my spanish harlem mona lisa

Your my reason for reason

The step in my groove...

-Smooth (Santana featuring Rob Thomas)

Every superhero has their theme music...Every professional wrestler has their entrance song…and Every baseball player has their song when they bat, pitch or come in from the bullpen.

So why does a collaboration by Rob Thomas and super guitarist Santana have a special meaning to me?

Two reasons…a left arm and charisma that could bring peace to the Middle-East.

Johan Santana.

The Metrodome is a teflon covered toilet. Since 1982, it has brought nightmares to players as well as fans. Balls get lost in the off-white ceiling, hit speakers and ricochet 20 feet away from where it was going to land. None of the seats really face home plate (watch or go to a game sometime and notice how the section by the left field foul pole is ALWAYS empty).

All is forgotten on the special days when Santana pitches…

There is a different feeling when you walk into the dome. A confidence, because Johan won’t let the other team sniff home plate. The song “Smooth” is played during Santana’s warm up pitches before the game starts. It’s like associating a pro-wrestler or superhero with their theme music. You hear it and automatically think of that person before you think of who actually wrote the song.

Now, I may be biased on my thoughts on Johan Santana (being from Minnesota myself) but I feel that he may be one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in Major League history. This is a big statement when considering other lefties that have graced the dirt mounds across America. These players range from Sandy Koufax to Steve Carlton to Tom Glavine to Randy Johnson and to the man who has the award for “Best Left-Handed pitcher”, Warren Spahn. There is no doubt that Santana is the best lefty pitcher currently but why not go a little further and compare him as one of the best lefties ever to play the game.

Let’s look at three categories : Strikeouts, Wins and ERA as well as comparing where each pitcher was with each category at Santana’s age (28) and years in the league (8). Future projections are based on whether Santana stays healthy and pitches at the same rate continually.

Strikeouts :

Spahn – 2,583 strikeouts

Koufax – 2,936 strikeouts

Carlton – 4,136 strikeouts

Glavine – 2,556 strikeouts (and counting)

Johnson – 4,616 strikeouts (and counting?)

Santana – 1,344 strikeouts (and counting)

Johnson has the most strikeouts for lefty pitchers in MLB history. If we base greatness on strikeouts alone, then Randy Johnson wins. He’s been pitching since 1988 and is getting close to the end of his career. His size alone puts fear into opposing batters, plus his 96 MPH fastball helps as well. Right now, Johnson could arguably be the best lefty pitcher in MLB history. Johnson needs 16 more wins to reach 300 and 484 strikeouts to reach 5,000. Neither of which are within much reach for Johnson unfortunately because of injuries. But let’s compare where Santana is at this point in his career.

By the age of 28, Randy Johnson had 948 career strikeouts after 5 years in the league. If you use age as a comparison, Santana leads Johnson by 396 strike outs. On the other hand, if you use the years in the league as a comparison, Johnson leads by 285 strike outs. If Santana keeps on pace with his strike outs and plays the same length as Johnson (assuming this is his last year) he will accumulate 3,360 strike outs. This, of course, is hypothetical. Injuries, among many other things, can change these numbers. Assuming that Santana stays healthy, he could make a run at Johnson’s numbers, especially with Johnson’s career coming to an end soon.

Wins:

To many, wins probably make the most difference between pitchers. A pitcher could strike out 2,500 batters in his career but what does it say if he only had 96 wins? The true sign of a dominating pitcher comes with how many wins he had in his career.

Spahn – 363 wins, 65 by age 28, 122 by 8 years in the league (gaps in years played due to World War 2)

Koufax – 165 wins, 112 by age 28 and 68 by 8 years. (began at age 19 in the league and didn’t put up big numbers until after age 28)

Carlton – 326 wins, 117 by age 28 and 104 by 8 years in the league

Glavine – 301 wins (and counting), 108 by age 28 and 108 by 8th year in the league (most correlative to Santana by age and numbers at this point)

Johnson – 284 wins (and counting?), 56 by age 28, 106 by 8th year in the league.

Santana – 92 wins (and counting), 92 by age 28 and 92 by 8th year in the league.

Even with World War 2, Spahn destroys the win record for lefties. He won games at such amazing rates that it will be hard for any lefty to ever catch him. Glavine is the closest for active players with his 301 wins but he is also 41 years old. He still is behind Carlton who finished with 326 wins. Who knows how many wins Sandy Koufax would have accumulated had Tommy John surgery been around when he was a player. Johnson is close but his degenerative back problems will most likely keep him from ever reaching that goal. Assuming that Santana pitches at the same rate of wins for the next 12 years, Santana would finish with 273 wins. This would put him in good standing in terms of career wins.

Era:

A pitcher’s Earned Run Average is something that many look at when comparing stats. Typically, a career ERA under 3.50 is considered pretty special. There are few players in MLB history that have been in the league for more than ten minutes that have a career ERA under maybe 3.05. Let’s look at our lefties again :

Spahn : 3.09 for a 21 year career

Koufax : 2.76 for a 12 year career

Carlton : 3.22 for a 24 year career

Glavine : 3.49 (active statistic)

Johnson : 3.22 (active statistic)

Santana : 3.15 (active statistic)

Koufax’s ERA stands out in this group of pitchers. He only pitched for 12 years, but had he not had elbow problems he may have had many more years of low ERA’s. Over the last 5 years of his career, his ERA averaged 2.38. For a pitcher in any era, those numbers are staggering. Santana at this rate would finish 3rd and possibly 2nd in this list of lefties for career ERA. Santana’s ERA has fluctuated the last 4 years but has been under 2.88 each year.

So let’s get a final look at Santana’s career stats as far as Strikeouts, Wins and ERA:

K’s – 3,360 W’s – 273 ERA – 3.10

With stats like that and not being a concrete starter until 2004, Johan Santana has a great shot at not only Cooperstown but a shot at being considered the most dominant lefty to ever play the game.

Fantasy Football 2007-08

2007-08-21T00:12:00.000-05:00

It’s that time of year again…

No no no...not the State Fair…Not August & September pennant races…

It’s THAT time of year again…

Fantasy Football is here!

This past weekend, 11 of us got together in the Kinsky basement for the annual Woodbury Fantasy Football league draft.

This is the first year that we are all college students. Previously, only 4 of us were college students but the other guys have graduated and will be attending college. Upon coming home this summer, I found out that about 86% of their graduating class was going to the same university (University of Minnesota-Duluth). Does that even count for college? I mean, when you leave high-school to grow up on your own and meet new people, and then 200 kids from your graduating class join you on that exact same journey?

Anyway, each year that goes by, our draft starts to look more and more like the Academy Awards. On paper, it seems like it should take about 2.5 hours and somehow when 11:30 rolls around you start to think, “When and where did this go wrong?” Maybe we need an orchestra to start playing music when things start getting a little long to hurry things up.

It’s an auction style draft where we go around in a circle and throw out player’s names to bid on. If you are confused, just think of what the Jets have been doing for the past 5 years and that’s what we do.

This year, I believe that we finished somewhere around 3.5 hours. I could be wrong, but when you have 5 guys to pick and only $5 left…it starts to get a little long.

Here is my team and some information about each player. Give some feedback on what you think of my team and anything else interesting pertaining to fantasy football/NFL.

QB’s : Peyton Manning & Philip Rivers. Manning has been Mr. Fantasy for the last couple years. He has endless receivers and a solid running back this year. He sees the field very well and rarely makes mistakes. He was my QB last year and only two weeks did he not do so hot. In a 16 week season, that’s pretty good. Rivers was my back-up last year and did well. He broke out last year by throwing for 3,388 yards, 22 TD’s and 9 INT’s. It killed me some weeks because both Manning and Rivers had good match-ups. But as usual, the smarter side of me went with Manning. Both will have a great year.

RB’s : Steven Jackson, Marshawn Lynch & Lorenzo Booker. Jackson is my bread & butter. This guy is ranked #2 behind LT in just about every fantasy magazine across America. He rushed for 1,528 yards and 13 TD’s and had 806 yards REC with 3 TD’s. In Scott Linehan’s great offensive scheme, Jackson will get a lot of carries again this year. The O-line has improved and with the usual targets of Holt and Bruce, I’m looking for Jackson to have another great year. My prediction is that he will be better than LT this year, maybe even MVP. Yeah…I said it.

Lynch is another great back. He is getting some big praise around the NFL before his rookie season officially starts. He runs hard and fast and can hit the holes hard. He may only be a rookie, but he’ll have solid fantasy value as Buffalo’s feature back. Booker…well…let’s just hope that Ronnie Brown needs a breather here and there because I could really go for Booker coming up big this year.

WR’s: Calvin Johnson, Bernard Berrian, Jerricho Cotchery, Brandon Marshall, Kevin Walter, Michael Jenkins. At this point, if you haven’t figured out the gaping hole in this team….HERE IT IS! Other than Johnson and…well Johnson…I don’t have much confidence in my WR corps. Cotchery and Berrian could have solid seasons but they both have to catch balls from iffy QB’s. Marshall will be catching passes from Jay Cutler and could have a surprise season. He learned from Rod Smith all of last year and Mike Shanahan is looking for big things from him this year. Kevin Walter was a filler pick. I’m going to be frank…I had no idea who he was before I picked him. But you better believe that if he has a good year that I’m going to act like I knew what I was doing.

Fantasy Football Golden Rule # 1 : ALWAYS ACT LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING…even if it was crystal clear that you did not and it was just pure luck.

TE’s: Vernon Davis & Greg Olsen. Davis should have a break out year. He was hurt last year and Alex Smith has grown by leaps and bounds as a QB. Other than Antonio Gates, Davis is my pick for best TE of the year. Olsen still has to prove himself as a rook. But according to my buddy’s brother…”Urlacher says that he’s the best TE he’s EVER seen…”

DEF/K: Matt Stover, Miami & Green Bay. Stover kicks about 5 FG’s a game and his leg has yet to fall off. Accurate kicker with a questionable red-zone offense (this = good for kickers). Miami D was solid last year. Jason Taylor returns and is the cornerstone of this D. The pass D needs to come up big this year in order to take Miami to the top of the D standings. Green Bay added defense in their draft this year and the improvements are there. This is clearly my back-up pick but watch for Nick Barnett and AJ Hawk to get 300 tackles a piece this year.

So that’s my team for the 2007-08 Fantasy Football season. From time to time, I will be giving updates on how the team is performing this year. Again, please leave your comments, musings or “what an idiot” comments about my team.

A Bleak Outlook

2007-08-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

A quick comparison-

Starter #1
Career stats:
111 wins, 1196 strikeouts, 3.67 ERA, and .234 batting average against (BAA), 1 Cy Young
2007 stats - record 9-11, 100 strikeouts, 4.88 ERA, and a .252 BAA
Current contract - 7 years, $126 million or $18 million per year

Starter #2
Career stats:
78 wins, 1004 strikeouts, 3.37 ERA, and a .225 BAA
2007 stats - record 14-9, 139 strikeouts, 3.86 ERA, and a .231 BAA
Current contract - 5 years, $91.5 million or $18.3 million per year

Starter #3
Career stats:
90 wins, 1320 strikeouts, 3.17 ERA, and .220 BAA, 2 Cy Youngs
2007 season - record 12-9, 174 strikeouts, 3.02 ERA, and .220 BAA

As you may have guessed, that 3rd starter is Johan Santana. He has better career stats than both starter 1 and 2. Way more career strikeouts, and fewer wins that Starter 1 due to less seasons to his record. His ERA is a full half run better than starter 1 over his career, and has a lower BAA and ERA than both starters 1 and 2. All I'm trying to show here is that the Twins are going to have to give out a HUGE amount of money to Johan in order to retain him in the future. Considering his stats will be even better by the time his contract is up after next season, Johan could command easily over 20 million a year, and possibly closer to 25 million dollars a year than 20. Starters 1 and 2, better known as Barry Zito and Carlos Zambrano, are currently the highest paid starting pitchers in the league over the length of their contracts. Each is due over 18 million a year for at least 5 years.

Unless 93 year old Carl Pohlad decides to open up his wallet for Johan, to the tune of at least 20 million a year, and most likely much, much more, Johan will be pitching elsewhere when the Twins debut in their new stadium. My guess - the Boston Red Sox, since it seems that every good former Minnesota player is being delegated to the New England area.

Friday Frenzy

2007-08-17T11:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I am officially back from California.

It's struggle-fest 2007 right now since I have slept in until about noon every day now. Initially, this wouldn't be a problem at all but seeing as how I need to be at school by Monday and I still have to pack...it's a problem.

The flight was pretty good minus the part of it being a red-eye. Interestingly enough, I saw Red-Eye earlier this year and couldn't help but wonder if I would have to go through the same thing.

I am convinced that there aren't many more personally embarassing things than airport security. Led by people who may or may not have graduated high school the first time around, it doesn't give me much hope.

Here is why President Bush should be wary of airport security:

As I got through MSP security, I hear "bag check!" In my mind I was screaming, "Come on! What am I going to have in my bag!?" Then the top flight security guard looks at me and says with waaaay too serious of a tone, "Is this your bag sir?" I sheepishly said yes and he brought me over to THE table. I had already been berated for not taking my laptop out of my computer bag by a lady who rivaled a similarityof a cross between Roseanne and Krusty the Clown. So I took this as an opportunity to not crack any jokes. The security guard asked if I had anything sharp in my bag. I had immediately remembered that I had my toiletries in that carry on. I told him that I had my razor (bad idea) and my shave gel in there. He pulls them both out and hold them in his hand and goes..."Sir....this shave gel is too big to not be checked through security. I can check it back through for you or throw it away." I told him to toss it and was hoping that he wouldn't toss my razor since they are about $15 for a new one. HE PUT THE RAZOR BACK IN THE BAG and told me to have a good day!

Needless to say, due to him throwing out my shave gel, he may have averted a security crisis and someone on my 757 to LAX may have gotten out of me threatening to give someone the closest and smoothest shave of their life. Thank you MSP security...thank you.

Now, it's not something that I ever want to think about or ever want to happen again...but if good ol' Bin Laden decides that planes are not passe, then we know who to blame. Don't blame the President, blame the guy who let me take my razor on the plane.

Normally on Friday's we have "Land O' Links" but tomorrow is our 3rd annual Fantasy Football Draft and I am pretty far behind on not caring who I draft. I've got my ESPN the Mag fantasy football edition and that's all that I need. I will leave you with this one story that I laughed at and then got a little worried that it could have been me...thank God for Northwest.

Look for the Marathon FF Draft 2007 recap on Monday morning.

Have a great weekend and be safe!

Twins finally make a move

2007-08-15T19:43:00.001-05:00

Earlier today I read this rumor on Yahoo! Sports. I dismissed it as just that, since, I mean honestly, who wants Ramon Ortiz.

Terry Ryan, that crazy old man, actually pulled off getting another team to take on Ramon Ortiz and his ridiculous contract (one which he didn't deserve in the first place).

The Twins shipped off Ramon Ortiz to Colorado for AAA-infielder Matt Macri. This gives the Twins now 2 open spots on their 40-man roster, with the other one coming from departed infielder Jeff Cirillo. Brian Buscher was added to the 40-man roster when Luis Castillo was traded. With the roster openings and the now available money, one would hope Terry Ryan could pull the trigger on a deal to bring a bat over.

The fact that Terry Ryan was able to unload Ramon Ortiz on some poor team renews my trust in the Twins G.M. While I was disappointed after the trade deadline with no moves other than the Castillo trade, the man shows he knows what he is doing by unloading a terrible pitcher for yet another young bat.

Also, this is yet another sign that P Glen Perkins is almost ready to come off the disabled list, since Ortiz has held his long relief role since he became injured. Getting rid of Ortiz, with no viable long relievers in Rochester indicates Perkins is probably only a week away from returning.

Macri, a 25 year old currently playing 3B, began the season on Colorado's Double-A affiliate, and hit .298 with 11 home runs. He also can play SS and 2B, which makes him quite valuable to the Twins right now, since their current utility infielders should be in Triple-A. While it seems as if Macri won't be major league ready for a little while, seeing as he was only recently promoted to Triple-A, this may free up the Twins to bring up Matt Tolbert from Rochester to replace Ortiz on the major league roster.

Friends with the NFL again?....

2007-08-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

NFL football has been ruined for me.

To some, this may be a bold statement. For those of you who live in Minnesota, or are Vikings fans from other parts of the nation, know what I’m talking about.

Since the great playoff choke of 1998, football in Minnesota hasn’t been the same. That year, the NFL saw the most explosive and proficient offense in its history. Randall Cunningham was re-born, Chris Carter found a second life and even Jake Reed got some press time. Randy Moss proved to the 18 teams that passed on him that they were truly missing out on one of the best receivers to play the game.

A tiny Irishman named Gary Anderson refused to miss a field goal and all was good in the frozen tundra.

Until the Falcons came to town.

They were lead by a bruising running-back and a 73 year old quarterback who was thisssclose to having his arm fall off. They won the game in overtime and the Vikings dream was over. Since then, professional football in Minnesota has never been the same.

Randy Moss got more bitter about being there, Denny Green just stopped caring and the curse of the Madden Cover hit Daunte Culpepper pretty hard. Coaches have come and gone and who can forget the infamous boat scandal?

Even with all of this in the past, things are looking up for the Vikings.

We’ve almost made it through an entire training camp without an embarrassing arrest or conviction. Let’s hear it for acting like responsible adults (insert clapping here).

Although the team is very young and is surrounded by question marks, I am excited to say that my enjoyment of NFL football is slowly coming back. Since 1998, I have been a Fantasy Football owner and not a NFL fan. I’ve watched the Super Bowl for the commercials and like 98% of other NFL fans, I never watched the Pro-Bowl. But in celebration of my near NFL recovery, I want to look at some of the questions that surround the 2007 Minnesota Vikings.

Offense :

This is the Vikings biggest question mark. Starting with the most important part of the Offense, which is the Quarterback…Tarvaris Jackson. He is a very raw talent who has great potential to be a star in the NFL. His two problems are his lack of experience and lack of help. Although he has two of the better running backs in the league, Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson, he has un-proven wide receivers. The veteran is Bobby Wade and after that is the slippery fingers of Troy Williamson and rookie Sidney Rice. The young group has some promise to impress but will have a lot of work to do.

The Vikings potentially have the best offensive line in the NFL. Behind mammoth men Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson and Harvard grad Matt Birk, Taylor and Peterson are waiting to run through pretty large holes. This has been the Vikings strong point over the last couple years.

This is obviously the Vikings biggest question. If this can be answered, they should have a strong showing in the NFL.

Coaching :

This is a question surrounding this team for two reasons. One, can Brad Childress help instill his west coast offense into the young quarterbacks on his team? Two, will the loss of Mike Timlin to the Steelers hurt the Defense?

As anyone may have seen last year against the Packers, Tarvaris Jackson has a cannon for a right arm. He can throw the ball. Can he do it without making mistakes? That will be the key to Childress’ west coast offense. He helped bring along another quarterback by the name of Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia and has shown that he knows his quarterbacks. If Childress can get Jackson, or any of his other quarterbacks, to understand this incredibly complicated system then the Vikings may surprise some people in the NFL.

Losing Mike Timlin was a huge loss to this team. In reading some stories in ESPN Magazine as well as stories from last year in the newspapers, Tomlin was a very motivating coach and was definitely the brains behind the Vikings defense that ranked 7th overall last year.

My favorite story came from ESPN Magazine. It chronicled some stories of how Tomlin motivated his players. During the week, he would recognize players who worked hard and did things the right way but he would also call out those players who didn’t do things the right way. In Minnesota, the biggest “fan” of this was Fred Smoot. Vikings fans may know him as “that guy who used to be good and who was paid a lot of money to have fun on a boat and be replaced by a rookie last year.” Smoot openly complained about Tomlin’s coaching style, which may tell you why Smoot didn’t have a good year last year. Any 8 year old is taught to listen to his coach no matter what and apparently Fred Smoot forgot that somewhere between Starkville and Minneapolis.

Losing Tomlin could hurt the Vikings defense immensely. Let’s hope that the guys can still tackle without their coach.

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There are many question marks that surround this team. They have the 23rd hardest schedule in the NFL, so with this, I feel that the Vikings will finish 9-7. I want to say 12-4 (4 losses coming at Chicago, at Dallas, at San Fran and at Denver) but I think that 9-7 will have less people thinking that I’m crazy. Notice that none of those losses were at home. I am speaking to you Vikings fans. That dome is a mud hole but it is OUR mud hole. Dome-field advantage needs to play a big part this year if we ever want to see the Vikings do well at home.

So there you have it. For those of you who read this, you are a part of history. For the first time in 9 years, I am actually starting to care about NFL football. Will I go out and pay $75 for a Tarvaris Jackson jersey? Nah, not yet. But I will maybe tone down the “Love Boat” jokes and cheer more for the team from the land of 10,000 lakes.

Struggling

2007-08-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

Is there a word that is beyond struggling? Dying maybe? I'm not sure.

Whatever that word is....the Twins are it right now.

With the amount of talent this team has, I'm going to go ahead and say that they might be the worst of the best teams. In fact...by "might" I mean "they are".

They have the best pitcher in the majors, last year's MVP, last years batting champ, the best center fielder in the game and a bullpen that has been an absolutely shut down operation. Not to mention being in a division that has struggled mightily lately. If the Twins had scored at least 5 runs in their last 10 games, we'd actually be very close to first right now. But instead, we're scoring runs like it's a 7 year old girls softball game at 8 am (that translates into not scoring many runs, tired 7 year olds are not very productive that early...no one is actually).

It's frustrating to see a team that is better than most other teams in the league struggle this bad. Baseball is a very mental sport and none of these guys seem like they are mentally tough right now. Part of this is falling on Gardy's shoulders. It's hard to motivate grown men to play but if they want to stop embarassing themselves then they need to suck it up.

After the game last night, Justin Morneau admitted that he is the most exhausted that he's been as a professional. Really? Exhausted? I mean, I can understand the grind of playing 162 games, but let's talk with the single parents who work 3 jobs just to provide for their kids. Or the McDonalds workers who have to work minimum wage just to stay above the poverty line. Not to say that Morneau is complaining, but come on man...you're playing the sport you love, get over the tiredness and start hitting the ball.

Also, when the Twins hold clinics...are they open for players to participate? Because if they ever hold a bunting clinic, Nick Punto better be the first one to sign up. I haven't seen worse angles when bunting since my freshman year of baseball. At what age and pay range do you learn how to bunt consistently. This guy, for the amount of AB's (351) and his batting average, is actually the worst hitter in the majors right now. Worse than any of the Kansas City Royals or Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Congratulations Gardy, you've given 351 at bats to the definition of "career minor leaguer". This gives me hope that someday I can get 351 at-bats that I don't deserve. By the way, if you haven't figured out who's in the picture...it's actually Nick Punto at Twins Fest 2027. By then he'll be batting clean-up with a .214 average and 3 home-runs. (It's actually Fidel Castro)

Anyway, that's it for my daily Twins rant. Maybe one of these days the Twins can score more runs than Nick Punto has hits in the last 2 months.

Have a great Tuesday!

Weekend Sports Wrap-Up

2007-08-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday to all!

Today is my last full day in the sun and sand of LA/Malibu and I must say that I really enjoyed it out here.

The weather, although the same everyday, is awesome. Who can complain to waking up to 70 degrees and sunny every single day? I also really enjoy being able to go to bed and not having to worry about whether I will be awaken by a tornado siren or not. Granted, they still have earthquakes out here...but they come as a surprise and are 3,000 days late sometimes.

I will be attending football practice here at USC either today or tomorrow. From what I hear, they are going to be unreal this year. I'll have a small little recap of how the practice goes as well as hopefully a picture with "Big Balls" Pete Carroll.

We attended the Twins/Angels game yesterday afternoon in Anaheim...and here are my thoughts on the stadium/game :

The Anaheim area is a pretty nice area. Palm trees everywhere and some nice apartment complexes within walking distance of the stadium. I don't know if it holds a candle to Minneapolis though. I didn't see any bums and as any of you know, that always adds to the fun of the night!

The outside of the stadium is quite nice as well. Nothing that I've been to has surpassed the "take your breath away" factor that Miller Park has. The big "A" is pretty cool as well as the huge parking lot that surrounds the stadium.

Inside is gorgeous though. The rock pile was just as cool as I had imagined and fire works in the middle of the day were nice as well. We sat 3rd level along the 3rd base line and had a great view of the Twins getting a mudhole stomped in their behinds.

It was also 345 degrees in the sun there. During the 5th inning, a man started on fire and we cheered thinking that it was part of the game until they hosed him down. It wasn't a big deal, apparently that happens at least twice every day game.

The Twins are in dire need of a miracle right now. The game started out quite well for them actually. Boof came out strong and only had 11 pitches in the first inning. We gave up a run early but got the hitter out on a nice game of pickle. My only argument, other than the fact that we have less offense than the Raiders had last year, was that Gardy really botched his mangerial duties yesterday. He left Bonser in about 10 pitches too late and then gave up a homerun to Chone Figgins. CHONE FIGGINS!? You can blame Boof all you want, but it's the manager's job to know when his pitcher is fried.

Tommy Watkins almost got his first major league hit...twice! His first at bat was a bunt that Jered Weaver bobbled and they gave Weaver the error. Then he connected on a Weaver fastball that Garrett Anderson caught right at the wall. Here was the ensuing conversation...

Me: Holy crap! Get out of here! Go!...Go!...Go!...

(caught by Garrett Anderson)

Guy next to us : Ahh, almost got his first hit.

Me: Cmon...couldn't Garrett have just let it hit the wall? That woulda been the nice thing to do.

Guy: Haha, yeah right! That woulda been a terrible move!

Me: Well it's not like they woulda scored him anyway, so what does it matter?!

Anyway, our day at the park was nice. Anaheim, you have a very nice set up and a great stadium and some pretty nice fans. Although one kid had a rally monkey hat with the monkey sewn into the hat. Needless to say, that kid has moved just behind Roger Clemens as my least favorite people in the world.

Hope that you all have a great day and I look forward to joining you all back in the midwest soon!

Stick a fork in 'em

2007-08-12T18:12:00.000-05:00

They're done.

The Twins were swept by the Angels, and are now 1-5 on their roadtrip. The Twins are now back to 7 games behind the division leading Tigers, 6.5 behind the Indians, and 8 games back in the Wild Card race. There are 4 teams currently in front of them. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the Twins are officially cooked.

The Twins have shown not even a semblance of an offense so far on this road trip. In the 5 of the 6 games, not counting their 11 run outburst, the Twins have managed only 7 runs.

And with Kubel hurt, and our only 3 bench players hitting under .225, the Twins will continue to fail on offense.

Football starts in a few weeks! Go Vikings!

Twins/Angels Rubber game

2007-08-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

Today is the 3rd and, thankfully, final game of the Angels series. I call it that because they are the only team that has shown up to play this weekend.

The Twins, who lead the league in "wasting their starting pitcher's great starts", did it again last night. Carlos Silva retired 18 of his first 19 batters and still didn't get the win. If any of the Twins pitchers went on a rampage, who could blame them!?

Anyway, today will be Boof Bonser vs. Jered Weaver. We saw Weaver pitch against the Dodgers a couple weeks ago and weren't that impressed. Because I just said that, he'll most likely throw a perfect game coupled with Torii Hunter snapping a hammy or something...that's just the Twins luck right now.

My buddy and I are headed down to Anaheim here in a little bit. Last time I saw Boof, he pitched an 11 K, 3 hit gem against the Brewers. So let's hope I'm good luck!

Game starts at 2:35 pm CST. Enjoy!

Land O' Links

2007-08-11T02:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday to all!

I have finally finished all 7 weeks at the Malibu Summer Tennis Camp and am releived that I either did or did not do these 3 things :

1. DID meet celebrities of all walks of life.

2. DID NOT strike any child with a tennis ball voluntarily

3. DID NOT get stuck in an elevator at 12:45 am in Hollywood more than once (a whole article in itself)

I will be headed back to the Central timezone late Tuesday night and we'll be able to all be on the same page again! Although I've been a big fan of the time change out here. I could get used to it.

Because of this time change, I was able to post this while you most surely were sleeping or some of you may just be getting in. In either case, enjoy today's links!

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This story is very intriguing. At first, I was sure that the "UW" meant "University of Wisconsin" but apparently other parts of the nation drink this as well. Halfway through this article, the thought that popped into my mind was, "It's so hot out!....Milk was a BAD choice!" Show me some stats and we'll start talking about doing this.

David Beckham + ESPN = nice filler time for ESPN after the Bonds HR chase is over. Does anyone else find it completely and utterly disturbing that the face of American soccer....isn't American? Oh well...either way, America will never accept soccer. It's like replacing a buddy in a group of friends who moved away with a new guy. He could be a great guy, but he'll just never be fully accepted by everyone.

Tiger Woods has stormed back and is about 2 days and 3 fairways away from winning his first major of the year. I'm praying that John Daly can make a comeback and challenge Tiger for the win. Any guy who can make this kind of commercial deserves to be paired with a class act like Tiger. My favorite part is at 1:01...I can hear it now, "I am THE man...BULLSEYE!"

A great interview of Kevin McHale by Pioneer Press columnist Bob Sansevere. One of two guys who I would trust to not fluff anything for McHale to come away sounding like a genious. Although a lot of what he says makes sense. I am convinced that we needed to part with KG in order to have any kind of future for the franchise. Give these guys a chance. Look at the Bulls, they never traded for a big veteran and now the guys have gotten experience and they are easily in the top 3 or 4 in the East...which with the Western Conference exchange rate...it'd probably be about a 7 seed in the West.

Here at Court's Sports, we like to recognize those who have given us inspiration and the drive to keep on going with our site. Our first, and foremost, guy is Aaron Gleeman. We decided, after at least 8 hours of conferring, that we were going to follow in his footsteps and much like his "AG.com girl", we have picked our very own "Court's Sports cutie"

We decided to show some Minnesota love and our "CSC" is....Jessica Biel. Anyone who wants to argue can leave a comment and maybe throw us some other ideas. Cliche choice maybe, but come on...a good cliche at least. Ely knows what their doing!

Finally, I love this. This is the pure difference between big markets and small markets. When I go to the Pioneer Press page, I feel like it's someone tapping on my shoulder saying "Hey, here's today's news...and some coffee...I like your coat...it looks nice" But when I read these headlines, it's like "Hey! Scumbag...read this...here's some coffee that was spit in...nice coat...do they make those for men?" Maybe that's just how New York comes off.

As always, thanks for stopping by and have a safe and great weekend!

Apologies

2007-08-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

Due to some unforseen events, (11 year olds playing tennis in 1 hour matches), Land O' Links will run tomorrow morning.

Sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused!

Enjoy your Friday Night!

Delayed

2007-08-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday to all!

Due to some technical difficulties, caused by Microsoft's inability to create something that works for longer than 10 minutes, Land O' Links will be delayed today.

I have to be a line judge for our last tennis tournament here in Malibu until 11 (or 1 central time). So check back here around 2 pm.

Thanks!

Twins waste yet another good start

2007-08-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

Matt Garza came out firing on Thursday afternoon, putting together another good start. Garza went 6-plus innings, had 6 strikeouts, and allowed 1 run on 4 hits. Garza also walked no hitters in the game. This start brought Garza's ERA on the season down to 1.70. What do the Twins do with yet another gem of a pitching performance? They waste it by making Kyle Davies look like a Cy Young winner. They managed only 3 hits off of the 4-8 KC pitcher. Garza was robbed of another win by his own team yet again, since they provided no run support. This is the second game Garza has lost in which he allowed 1 run, however in his other start the run wasn't even earned. Garza is now 1-3 on the season, but is still sporting that 1.77 ERA. The Twins hitting is ridiculously awful, especially when hitters should be in their groove this late in the season, and against a pitcher like Davies who had a 6.07 ERA on the season before this start.

Notes from today's game

Punto was on the bench like he should be. Unfortunately, this meant playing time for Luis Rodriguez, who deserves less playing time than even Punto. Predictably, L-Rod didn't get a hit in the game.
Casilla did everything he could in his first start as the leadoff hitter. Casilla went 2-3 with a walk and one stolen base. A dropoff from Castillo? So far, trading Castillo to open up @B for Casilla has seemed like a smart move.
Speaking of smart moves, obtaining a bat right now seems like a necessity. We can't get shut out by the Kansas City Royals when we are playing for a playoff spot. It just can't happen.
Another reason we didn't score today? Michael Cuddyer pulled off his best Adam Dunn impression, and not in the good way (that was last night). Cuddyer struck out 4 times in the game in 4 at bats. Now, I'm in no way saying that the loss is completely on Cuddyer's shoulders, but when you lose a game 1-0, and your cleanup hitter strikes out 4 times and leaves 3 runners on base(two in scoring position), a large portion of the blame can be centered right there.
Jason Kubel has shown he can hit right handed pitchers well. For the rest of the season, there is absolutely no reason that Kubel should be out of the lineup with a RHP on the hill. Kubel doubled and had a walk in the game. His split stats show a .244 average against righties this season, but Kubel has been great of late against them.
Tommy Watkins, the recent callup from AAA-Rochester didn't get an at-bat in the game, his first game suiting up for the Twins.
Brian Buscher, who was placed on the DL, allowing Watkins to come up, had his leg drained of fluid and will be out at least 2 weeks. Great, this means 2 weeks of Punto, L-Rod, and Watkins sharing time at 3rd base.
The lineup has a lot of potential. While they didn't score today, I think today's lineup was the best we've seen in a long time. With Casilla leading off and Bartlett hitting second, they are setting up well for our 3-6 hitters. Kubel is a capable 7th hitter, and with a hitter like Rondell White hitting 8th, it really doesn't matter who plays 3B and hits last in the lineup, since I personally feel like that is a solid 1-8 hitting lineup.

The Twins start a critical 6 game West coast trip tomorrow, playing the LA Angels and the Seattle Mariners. Every game at this point is critical, but when you are playing teams ahead of you in the Wild Card standings, the Twins desperately need to win both series.

Goodbye to a hero...

2007-08-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

Where do I begin?

As a young boy, I loved playing all the sports. From baseball to soccer, I was there. I didn’t know much about the stats and players but like any little boy, I knew the superstars. I was especially a big fan of basketball back then. I knew the typical players, Michael Jordan, Shaq, Larry “Grand-ma-ma” Johnson, Penny Hardaway and the list could go on for days.

In Minnesota, basketball was Doug West, J.R. Rider and Christian Laettner. As you can see, we were in dire need of a basketball lifeline to turn things around.

This lifeline would come in the form of a 6’11 stringbean from Chicago via South Carolina. Straight out of high school (the first since 1975) and a ferocious player. Post moves, a jump shot and big man passing skills that mirrored a young Magic Johnson.

The Timberwolves were taking a chance that this young kid from Mauldin, SC would be able to revitalize Minnesota basketball. They knew the risks in taking a player right out of high school but what they didn’t know was that they were drafting one of the most driven and passionate players in NBA history.

From the start, you could see the hunger in his eyes. He was eager to learn and get to the next level as a player. He could have easily succumbed to having a bad attitude and being lazy (i.e. Rider and Laettner) but he didn’t. McHale, seeing this, got rid of both players. And at the young age of 19, Kevin Garnett was vaulted into the leading role of the new Broadway show called “Who’s going to save Minnesota Basketball?”

If you haven’t been under a rock for the past 12 years, then you know the story of his career. A great player who’s never been surrounded by veteran help. Well it’s true. Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale did everything but break KG’s legs to ruin his career. Now, many may argue that his huge contract handcuffed the Wolves from ever signing that big free agent, but if you look back at those vets who they couldn’t sign (my two favorites, Michael Finley and Gary Payton) they took huge pay cuts to play with the teams they signed with. Money was never an issue to them, so why couldn’t they get it done?

This is like asking, “Why does Paris Hilton do what she does?” You can come up with 800 different answers, but it really boils down to “who the heck even knows?”

Year in and year out, KG kept quiet and let his play do the talking. Year in and year out, the Wolves made the playoffs but lost in the first round. 7 years in a row to be exact. For a guy who is as competitive as KG is, it ate away at him inside every year. One man can only take so much before he starts to fight back. Until the last 4 or 5 years, Minnesota had only seen the man-child first nicknamed “Da ‘Kid” and then later nicknamed “The Big Ticket”. The man who would toss up the rosin into the air and onto the announcers and cause a huge white cloud and mess. The same man who would give fist pounds to the opposing players and then walk over towards section 116 and pound his chest and yell for the fans over there to get up. The same man who would stand at one end of the court after a time out towards the end of a game and raise his hands in the air as to say “We need you…I need you…get up and get loud!” Of course, we would all get up and scream our lungs out and “help” the Wolves to a win.

Often times after big wins, KG would run and jump up on the scorers table and throw his arms up to get the crowd going and show us that he was just as excited about the win as we were. He was and still is a man who can single handedly take over a game and bring his team back to life.

As he got older, you could see a change though. He was much more calm on the court. He said in an interview that he learned to pace himself in games and not exert all of his energy right in the first 5 minutes. Also with age, came urgency.

Each year that passed with a first round defeat, it got harder and harder for KG to take it. Eventually he moved to Pacific Palisades, CA to get away from Minnesota in the offseason. Every year after they were beat in the first round, it was the same question, “Will KG ever get the help that he needs to win a title?”

Finally, in 2004, he got that help. McHale and Taylor took a chance on clutch-master Sam Cassell and headcase Latrell Sprewell to help KG. They immediately meshed together and it carried from their first meeting together to their first game together. The 2004 season was absolute magic. Many may consider it to be the season that Kevin Garnett finally got to the superstar level. He won the All-Star game MVP with a 37 point performance in the double over-time win for the Western Conference, led the league in rebounding, led the Wolves to a 58-24 record and the Midwest Division title as well as the number 1 seed in the playoffs. Oh, and he also won the regular season MVP award. It seemed as if everything was falling into place.

The Wolves swept the Nuggets in the first round for their first ever playoff series win and then came the Kings. The Wolves battled hard with the Kings. Game 7 was on May 19, 2004 which happened to be Kevin Garnett’s birthday and the day before the 3 year anniversary of when Garnett’s friend and amazing man Malik Sealy was killed. My dad and I attended this game. To this day, it has been the most intense and amazing sporting event that I’ve ever been to. When I think about it, I still get goosebumps. From the minute we walked into the arena to the minute I jumped on someone’s back to scream “Beat L.A.” into a TNT camera, it was intense. “De-Fense” chants from the first second the ball hit the hardwood and this was shown on the jumbo-tron right before the Wolves came onto the court.

KG took over in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Sprewell and Cassell had already been to NBA finals games and KG knew that he had to do his part to try and get there. Anyone who watched this game was watching KG evolve into a superstar. I still remember seeing him cross over Chris Webber and drive the baseline for a monster dunk that sent the Target Center into a frenzy. He scored 10 straight points in the 4th quarter and led the Wolves to the NBA Western Finals against the Lakers.

We were all in uncharted territory. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. The Wild were playing Anaheim for the Western NHL finals and the Wolves were playing the Lakers for the NBA Western Finals. Looking back on it, I knew exactly what to do…cherish it. I had this sneaking feeling in the back of my mind that this wasn’t going to last forever. In sports today, dynasties are hard to come by so I was preparing myself somewhat.

I was right, the Wolves would later lose to the Lakers in 6 and the real Sprewell and Cassell showed up and took the place of the imposter Sprewell and Cassell who led us to the Western Conference finals. Cassell was traded and Sprewell was released and the Wolves dropped quickly back to mediocrity.

The next season was an absolute disaster. Flip Saunders was fired, to be replaced by McHale and for the first time in 8 years, Minnesota did not see playoff basketball. The writing was on the wall…in 48 “Cooper Black” font (look it up, it’s real). Flip was KG’s only coach (other than Bill Blair) and his favorite coach. Taylor and McHale all but refused to ever take a chance again on sketchy veterans and KG was back to square one. The Wolves got worse and younger and KG got older.

They traded away more than they would get back every year and Garnett started to voice his frustrations with the organization. For the first time, we started to hear how frustrated KG was with the organization. If you’ve got 9 minutes free, watch this interview with John Thompson and try and tell me that this man doesn’t care.

He started to distance himself further away from the organization and Minnesota in the off-season. It was tough enough to see him in Minnesota during the season let alone in the off-season where he spent much of his time in California. He was always around for charity events and other team/NBA sanctioned things but if he didn’t have to be there…he wasn’t there. One must look at this in the regular Joe-schmo sense. I used to work for Target and if I didn’t have to be there…I wasn’t there. When your job makes you want to be anywhere else but at your job, it’s time for a change.

Finally, McHale and Taylor have allowed for KG to make that change.

After two dismal seasons of “re-building”, KG now has a chance to win that ever elusive NBA title and finally solidify himself as one of the NBA’s elite players. He will be playing with Ray “Jesus Shuttlesworth” and Paul Pierce in the “easy” Eastern Conference and will be surrounded by the most amount of help that anyone can receive (save, Lindsay Lohan at one of the 48 rehab facilities in Malibu, CA).

While KG will be playing for a possible NBA title, the new look Minnesota Timberwolves will hopefully NOT be facing Cretin-Derham Hall in the second round of the High School basketball tournament this coming March. In all honesty, I am actually quite high on the new group of Wolves. Seven of them have actually played together before, which is better than most NBA teams currently. I’ll have an article on the new look Wolves here in a couple weeks.

I want to end with this…

Anytime a superstar leaves their team, it’s always sad. Anyone will tell you that KG was different though. He came to the Wolves at the age of 18. He grew up along with all of the kids in Minnesota and was like family to all of us. He stayed with us and fought to put Minnesota back on the map for basketball.

KG…good luck in Boston and on behalf of all of us in your Minnesota Family…Thank you.

756!

2007-08-07T23:47:00.000-05:00

After much anticipation, Barry Bonds has done it. In the bottom of the 5th, Bonds teed off on a Mike Bacsik fastball, driving it to dead center field to break the all time home run record.

A good weekend

2007-08-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

I am in California for another two weeks, so I don't know first hand about the traffic jams around the cities because of the bridge. But I do know that a good amount of people made it out to the dome this weekend to watch the Twins take 2 out of three from the Cleveland Indians to move within 4.5 games of second place in the AL Central.

"We smell blood right now," says Twins center fielder Torii Hunter , "we're ready to go."

I love to hear this right now because the pitching, i.e. Scott Baker, is really stepping up right now even if the offense isn't. Morneau is in a 0-14 slump right now and Nick Punto couldn't hit the side of a barn. The bright spot of the weekend hitting was Alexi Casilla. His ground rule double scored Jason Kubel and the only run that the Twins would need.

Gardy seems to like Casilla much more than Castillo. Even going as far to say that Casilla is better because he can run and play everyday since he doesn't have the legs of a 65 year old.

I like when Gardy has confidence in a young player, because it will rub off on that player and I think it will put Casilla in a good position.

The Twins finish up their series tonight at 7:10 at the dome with Carlos Silva going against Paul Byrd. For those of you who paid for your tickets tonight, I'm sorry.

Here's a quick article that I'm sure will make some of you happy. I know that here at Court's Sports, it's a big deal.

Notice other stories : Timberwolves as a very viable buy and the NBA season must represent a full moon to Trenton Hassell's offensive game...

Have a great Monday.

Land O' Links

2007-08-03T12:04:00.000-05:00

I would like to first say that our prayers go out to the families and victims of the I-35 W bridge collapse this past Wednesday. Many of us have driven that bridge and know how terrifying that must have been for the people on the bridge.

We have been lucky enough, in this world of constant fear and terrorism, in Minnesota to not have experienced such things as 9/11 or bombings or just general fear as other parts of the country do every day. On a day like this, although we may live in separate parts of the state, we all became family in a few swift minutes.

We at Court's Sports, as well as around the world, know that sports are a mere microcosm compared to the rest of the world's happenings. It is also something that can bring us a distraction and joy from the world around us.

Continue to love and live life to the fullest.

Here is Friday's Land O' Links :

For those of you who haven't seen already...

Who remembers seeing Brett Favre's daughter during that Sunday Night football game against the Bears last night? Well, apparently she's tried her hardest to make him "hip" but the only "hip" thing about him is those two things on his body that are thisssclose to falling apart.

I enjoy soccer as much as the next person...but there is something about this box score/game recap that just lacks any excitement or care at all...

Obviously the Twins players were very angry and confused as to why Terry Ryan would trade Luis Castillo. The Mets are now a very put together team in the NL East and the Twins got...well...really nothing.

I, just like every Minnesotan, knows how special Kevin Garnett really is. But my question is, does ANY city or team give this kind of press and coverage of one player?! It's like the Pope just came to town and gave everyone$250,000 and promised to fold the Yankees. Also, am I the only one that is kind of mad that they are using Kevin Harlan and Trent Tucker's KG given nickname to sell tickets?

Is there anyone on this team that is happy right now? Well...with the exception of Lew Ford...since he clearly knows that he does NOT deserve to be in the majors and still is with this team. We might as well put a glove and a hat out in left field and hope that it can read balls better than Lew "the screw" Ford.

We'll end with this youtube clip from Stick and Ball Guy's blog yesterday. A great tribute to KG and if you can get through it without goosebumps/tears...then you have no soul.

Have a great weekend and stay safe.

35-W bridge collapses

2007-08-01T21:02:00.001-05:00

Roughly a mile away from the Metrodome, the 35-W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed at 6:05 p.m. The decision was made to let the Twins game continue, in order to avoid unnecessary traffic of thousands of cars added to the highways. Detours have been set up to allow for safe traffic out of the Dome, to allow for emergency responders to do their jobs easily. The Twins game tomorrow has been postponed, along with tomorrow's groundbreaking ceremony.

From Yahoo! News -

"There were two lanes of traffic, bumper to bumper, at the point of the collapse. Those cars did go into the river," Minneapolis Police Lt. Amelia Huffman. "At this point there is nothing to suggest that this was anything other than a structural collapse."

At this time, CNN has reported 6 fatalities, with at least 3 dozen reported injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those involved in this tragedy, and also those rescue workers who will be working into the night to assist those injured.

Black Monday

2007-07-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

Kevin Garnett is a Celtic. Damn I hate saying that. A deal was all but finished on Monday, with an official announcement coming tomorrow after figuring out the smaller details of the deal. Personally, I feel betrayed by owner Glen Taylor and GM Kevin McHale. After the deal wasn't completed before the draft, it sounded like the Wolves were indeed going to keep KG. Of course I want success for KG, but I'd rather have success for the Wolves. With the loss of KG, there is no way that the Wolves are a better team. Of course, McHale got himself into this mess by signing players to bad contracts, leaving him no option but to trade KG. Best of luck to KG, you officially just made the Celtics the best team in the East.

The proposed deal-

To the Celtics:
Kevin Garnett

To the Timberwolves:
Al Jefferson
Gerald Green
Sebastian Telfair
Theo Ratliff
Two #1 draft picks (one of which was originally the Wolves draft pick)
Ryan Gomes (rumored)

With a once in a century guy like KG, you hate to see him go. Fortunately, this trade is a best case scenario for the Wolves. They obtain guys who can help right away in Jefferson and Green, a guy with potential (Gomes) and cap room once the contracts of Telfair and Ratliff expire. The deal would have gotten my complete blessing had the Wolves been able to unload one of their bad contracts, like Troy Hudson or Marko Jaric.

The Wolves quickly become a team with very little veteran leadership. Also, they will be losing their most tenured Wolves player once they buyout Troy Hudson's contract. The Wolves roster, as of tomorrow:

PG - Randy Foye
SG - Ricky Davis
SF - Gerald Green
PF - Al Jefferson
C - Mark Blount

Bench:
Marko Jaric
Theo Ratliff
Ryan Gomes
Corey Brewer
Mark Madsen
Rashad McCants
Craig Smith
Trenton Hassell
Juwon Howard
Troy Hudson
Sebastian Telfair

Based on the amount of players currently on the Timberwolves roster, and the number of players they can carry, expect more trades. Hudson will definitely be bought out, and Brewer won't be traded. Ratliff and Telfair will give them cap space after the season. Expect the Wolves to trade at least Ricky Davis and Trenton Hassell. Gomes, Jefferson, and Green are players the wolves will want to try and re-sign after the season, so they most likely will not be traded either. Obviously, at this point the Wolves are overstocked, and more roster moves are inevitable. There is one guarantee though...the Wolves will be nearly unrecognizable next year.

Twins trade Castillo

2007-07-30T17:48:00.000-05:00

The Twins made their first deal on Monday, and its looking like they are taking the seller route. Leadoff hitter and second baseman Luis Castillo was traded to the New York Mets Monday for two second tier minor league prospects. The Twins recieved a class-AA catcher named Drew Butera, along with class-A outfielder Dustin Martin.

A quick look at the stats on these guys -

Butera is hitting .231 in both class A and AA. He's shown only modest power, with a total of 6 home runs between both levels.

Martin is hitting .287 for the Mets class-A affiliate. He also has shown only modest power, with only 5 home runs on the season.

I don't completely understand this move, considering the players the Twins got in return. Another catcher? The Twins have Mauer locked up for years! I was all for trading Castillo, but they could have gotten a little more for him. Alexi Casilla most likely will be called up to take his spot, and hopefully will start over Nick Punto. Bartlett will most likely take over as the leadoff hitter for the remainder of the season.

Move over Barry, Jason is coming!

2007-07-28T18:48:00.001-05:00

Jason Tyner connected with a ball for his first major league home run in the third inning of tonight's game in Cleveland off of P Jake Westbrook. Tyner's blast barely made it over the wall, and landed in the Twins bullpen. Not only was this a huge accomplishment for the not-so-powerful Tyner, but it was a huge accomplishment for the Twins. His shot gave the Twins their first lead in 6 games. Tyner is now only 754 home runs away from the major league record.

Shortly after Tyner's HR, Jason Bartlett broke his bat on a weak grounder to the right side. Unfortunately for Cleveland C Victor Martinez, the bat broke during Bartlett's follow-through, and struck Martinez in the head, knocking him backwards into homeplate umpire Laz Diaz. Diaz held Martinez as he fell and he was examined after play was stopped. He stayed in the game, but it was a very scary sight. As much as we here at Court's Sports want the Twins to succeed, you never want it to come at the expense of another players injury. We're glad that Martinez wasn't seriously injured on the play.

Land O'Links - A week of ups and downs

2007-07-26T23:15:00.000-05:00

This week has been the definition of up and down, with some great things happening in Minnesota and US sports, while other stories this week are some of the worst in recent sports history. Should I start with the good or the bad? I think I'll start with the good...

The Timberwolves are determined to get rid of Troy Hudson. Hudson has been incredibly inconsistent since signing his big deal, and is slotted to be a 3rd PG this year. He is clearly past his prime, and will make room for younger guys when the Wolves eventually (yes, he definitely is a goner) cut him.

While the Twins have struggled of late, help may be on the way offensively. No, I'm not talking about the trade deadline...although that could do it. With Michael Cuddyer's injury, and Rondell White returning from the DL, there was no reason to keep OF Darnell McDonald on the roster anymore. Instead, the Twins opted to bring up 3B Brian Buscher. Buscher has been a lone bright spot for the Twins minor league system offensively this season. At AAA Rochester, Buscher hit .313 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI in 35 games, and in AA New Britain he hit .308 with 7 HR and 37 RBI. The one thing that has been keeping Nick Punto at 3rd is the same thing that probably kept Buscher from being considered earlier - his defense. Buscher has 15 errors in a combined 98 games this season at AA New Britain and Rochester. Still, I'd trade a huge offensive upgrade for slightly subpar defense anyday.

Breakout Milwaukee Brewers 3B Ryan Braun wrapped up the NL Rookie of the Year award this week...well not really. But with Houston OF Hunter Pence's broken wrist, the award has essentially been awarded to Braun. Had Braun come up earlier, he could have even been in the talk for NL MVP at this point.

Groundbreaking on the Minnesota Twins new open-air stadium is next Thursday, and Twins president Dave St. Peter claims that the stadium will "'redefine open air baseball' in the United States."

Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune pointed out something Thursday that many people tend to forget. While the Twins could (read: will) lose Torii Hunter and Luis Castillo to free agency in the offseason, both would be in the top 10 of their position, which ultimately means that the Twins would recieve an additional 4 selections in the first round of next years draft. The Twins have been pretty successful in the draft pitching wise the last few years, but with 6 picks in the first round, it would be pretty hard NOT to find a capable major league hitter.

Finally, Jon Lester made his comeback from cancer this week, and got the win. It is a shame that some of the stories that I have listed lower on this post garnered media coverage over Lester's inspiring return.

Some random things I have noticed-

Man has Baseball Tonight struggled to find regular analysts since Harold Reynolds was fired. Seriously, this is getting to like Curse of the Bambino magnitude. Reynolds gets fired and the show hasn't been able to find a regular analyst who contributes the same dissection of players with the equivalent charisma or passion. Reynolds cared about Baseball Tonight and his 10 year run on that show was one of the main reasons it was successful. Reynolds, Peter Gammons, and host Karl Ravech had personalties that melded perfectly, and since then no analyst has been anywhere near as good as Reynolds. Quick list...Oral Hershiser, Eric Young, Fernando Vina, Eduardo Perez...just terrible. Everything lately has sounded extremely forced. Bring back Harold!

Rock of Love...Bret Michaels is the white Flavor Flav

I'm a huge fan of "Rob and Big" on MTV, and this was easily the best part of this season

The Simpsons comes to the silver screen today, and hopefully it will be as good as the hype, and not just an overglorified 4 episode storyline. The only thing I know about the movie thus far is that Homer falls in love with a pig. I think an Oscar is on the way!

I may not know "Who's Now," but I do know "What's Annoying" and it's this damn series. I can't take it anymore. Can't I watch Sportscenter in peace without Michael Wilbon talking about Matt Leinart hooking up with Paris Hilton? Just show me Twins highlights and give me news stories.

And now for the bad news of the week

The FBI is investigating NBA referee Tim Donaghy for allegations that he helped shave points from the spread for his and others profit. Refs had way too much control before this happened, and while I can't envision the NBA changing too much due to this scandal, the NBA needs to change something. How about...get better refs. Oh, and also how about when you find out that one of your refs has a gambling problem, you release him. Just an idea.

Training camp started for the Falcons, and Michael Vick wasn't allowed to attend. Why? He may be involved in a dog fighting ring. While my brother thinks that this isn't as bad as when Kobe was arraigned, I feel differently. Kobe's actions could be interpreted different ways, and were an isolated incident in an otherwise spotless background. By CHOOSING to fight dogs, and continually do it on more than one occasion, this cannot be chalked up to simply a mistake. While he may not have been involved as heavily as these charges allege, even knowingly allowing of illegal activities on your property is bad. I feel he will be found guilty. How much will he be found guilty of? I'm unsure of that. But at this point, it seems like he at least knew that something was going on, and that at least means probation. Unfortunately, with the heavy media coverage, it doesn't matter if he is innocent or not...his image has already been tarnished.

While we may never know whether Lance Armstrong ever used steroids, one thing is for sure...the future of the Tour de France is in trouble after heavy doping allegations.

Ian Johnson, the Boise State star who led them to an undefeated season with his run on the Statue of Liberty play in their BCS game, is getting married to the girl he proposed to shortly after that run. That is good news. Bad news? That people in America are still so ignorant that they are actually sending racist threat letters. This shows that as far as it seems America has come on the race issue, that it is never gone. Seeing stuff like this makes me sick.

And finally, Wake Forest basketball Skip Prosser passed away Thursday. Courtland and I send our condolences to the Prosser family.

A Severe Case of Nostalgia

2007-07-24T08:51:00.000-05:00

This article also runs on ArmChairgm.com and Coast-2-Coast Sports :

Sports movies in the last several years have evolved greatly. We’ve gone from movies like Air Bud to movies like Glory Road. If anyone’s taken notice, although they are all about sports, sports movies today are quite different than they used to be.

We’ve gone from fantasy movies (Little Big League, Angels In the Outfield, The 6th Man) to pretty much all biography films (Glory Road, We Are Marshall, Remember the Titans). Not that there is anything wrong with that but it’s hard to dream about something that’s already happened. Growing up, I always wanted to be Henry Rowengartner throwing heat for the Cubs or as Billy Heywood managing the Twins. Yes, now the movies seem somewhat ridiculous and outlandish but it let kids dream.

Many times with my friends we reminisce about the old movies that we used to love. They bring back awesome memories and are great movies. Often times these movies are forgotten in the shuffle of the new sports movies and the special effects block buster’s.

Let’s look at my top 5 sports movies of the Nickelodeon and T.G.I.F era :

Angels In the Outfield (1994) – This movie was a very touching and heartwarming story about two young Angels fans who are foster children (save the jokes Dodgers fans, I’ve already said ‘em all). Both have been through a lot of hardships in their young lives. They go to an Angels game and Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) sees angels helping the Angels win their game, when the night before he prayed that the angels would win the pennant (since his dad said that’s when they’d be a family again). The boy goes to tell the manager of the Angels, played by Danny Glover, that angels are helping the team win games. Of course, who will listen to a 9 year old when he says that angels are helping your team win games. This was before the ADD/ADHD excuse began. Kids just used to be crazy and I’m sure that this crept into George Knox’s (Danny Glover) mind. Eventually he gets the team to believe in themselves and they win the pennant without the Angels. Danny Glover adopts the two boys and rides off into the sunset.

4. Little Giants (1994) – At this point in the 90’s…does it get much better than “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” vs. “Married With Children”? Rick Moranis’ character, Danny O’Shea and his brother Kevin (played by Ed O’neill) play rivals to each other on the football field. Danny’s daughter is cut from her team by her uncle Kevin. She wants her dad to coach a team except the only problem is that there can only be one team per town. So because of this, Danny must take on Kevin on the gridiron. Kevin’s team is the Pee-wee Cowboys and Danny’s team is the Little Giants. Like typical kids movies of these times, Danny’s team wins on a last second play and with part of the brothers’ bet, Danny got Kevin’s car dealership. This movie really showcased how sports can turn families against each other. O’Neill’s team was that team that we all have seen in our pee-wee days. The team that comes on the field with nice jerseys and team sponsored water bottles. While I’m sitting across the field with an old mountain dew 20 oz bottle filled with warm water and a jersey that’s been cut because it was too big for me. Definitely some funny moments in this movie and it made it a very watch-able movie. Rick Moranis was one of the more underrated comedy actors of this time.

3. Little Big League (1994) – Billy Heywood and his grandfather are very close with each other. Billy is the Jonathan Lipnicki ( big headed kid from Jerry McGuire) of baseball facts. One of my favorite parts of this movie comes at the beginning when three players end up on the same base. The managers all argue with the umpire and then the umpire turns to Billy and asks him what the ruling is. Had this movie been about the NBA, there’s a good chance that the umpire would have made the call which ever way would have gotten him the most money from the mob. Now there’s a kids movie for today’s kids! I love this movie the most because what kid doesn’t dream of managing a major league team at one point in his life. For all of us in Minnesota, it was a big deal because it was the Twins that he got to manage. My other favorite part was how mean and vicious they made Randy Johnson look like. You could almost see the sweat/grease dripping from his hair when he came out of the bullpen. Also included in this movie was type cast Dennis Farina as the always screaming and eventually fired coach. “Hey, a Bill Heywood has to do what a Bill Heywood has to do”

2. Mighty Ducks 1-3 (1992-1996) - Anyone who knows me may be surprised that I didn’t just put these as separate movies. In all honesty, D3 was not many people’s favorites, but I’m going to argue that it was a good movie. It showed that the kids had to face the trials of a new school and having to grow up without coach Bombay. It didn’t have the ‘knuckle puck’ or even the ‘bash brothers’ really but it finalized the story and showed that the team could rely on each other to succeed. ‘The Mighty Ducks’ was the movie that started it all. Gordon Bombay (Emilo Estevez) is pulled over for a DUI and is forced into coaching a pee-wee hockey team as community service. You can tell that he’s from Minnesota based on the fact that he drives onto the ice in a limousine like it’s concrete. The kids are misfits but he gets it all together and they beat his old coach in the championship game. Many will argue that Mighty Ducks 2 is the better of the 3 movies…I agree. You’ve got Gordon Bombay’s change from the “Minnesota Miracle Man” to the slick haired and slick talking “Captain Blood”, the introduction of the shot that kids around America really thought would work (Knuckle-puck) and showed that hockey in Los Angeles in the mid-90’s was apparently very popular in the projects. They beat the strong, steroid induced I’m sure of it, Icelandic team with coach Wolf “the dentist” Stanton. Who, according to Charlie Conway, punched out 2 teammates and his coach and was banned from the NHL. In today’s professional sports scene…he probably would be a terrible GM who would eventually someday become an even worse coach (see Isaiah Thomas).

….and finally…

1. The Sandlot (1993) – This is the true sports movie that I feel represents any kid in the early years of their baseball career and the true innocence of baseball. The movie chronicles the summer of 1962 with a boy named Scotty Smalls. He is the new kid on the block and spends most of his time inside playing with erector sets and other nerdy things that kids without friends do. He sees some of the kids in the neighborhood get together and play baseball one day and sneaks over to watch them. Scotty is terrible at baseball but the king of the neighborhood, Benny Rodriguez helps him become a mediocre baseball player. The boys go through a typical Southern California summer that includes hot days filled with baseball, cokes and the pool. The pool is where we see the BEST scene of the whole movie. Michael Palledorous, otherwise known to Sandlot fans as “Squints”, was in love with the wonderful and voluptuous Wendy Peffercorn. She was a lifeguard at the pool and Squints had been eyeing her for, what he says, “his whole life”. He kisses her and they are banned from the pool forever. But any male who has seen that movie will vouch that if it were them, it would be well worth it. The boys must also deal with “The beast”. No no no, Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t make a cameo, it’s just a huge dog that eats everything that passes over the fence. The boys continue to live out their summers but by the end, only Benny and Scotty are still close. Benny is a star for the hometown Dodgers and Scotty is the radio announcer. This movie is a clear cut number one for showing a true summer for young boys who love baseball, youth and cute lifeguards.

So there you have it, my top 5 sports movies for kids in the 90’s. I’ll be frank about it, I probably left some out. These are just my picks and I’m sure that there are some different picks out there. Let me know your top 5. I’ll leave you with this….

“Michael Squints Palledorous walked a little taller that day. And we had to tip our hats to him. What he'd done was sneaky, rotten, and low...and cool. Not another one among us would have ever in a million years not even for a million dollars have had the guts to put the moves on the lifeguard. He did. He had kissed a woman. And he kissed her long and good. We got banned from the pool forever that day. But every time we walked by after that, the lifeguard looked down from her tower, right over at Squints, and smiled.” (The Sandlot, 1993)

Land O' Links

2007-07-20T10:38:00.001-05:00

LA Times columnist and frequent Around the Horn guest Bill Plaschke offers a great article on the Michael Vick indictment.

This is a big reason why I still like the Midwest....

You know what....I hate to say I told you so. But for at least...10 years I have been saying that these guys have WAAAAAAY too much power to affect a game. Now the NBA and David Stern will have to pay for their shortcomings.

Who says that the British are boring?

A great post that explains how about 75-80% of Twins fans feel right now by Stick and Ball Guy

Finally, I will be instilling my "Youtube's" of the week :

1. If this doesn't make you smile a little bit...

2. Possibly one of the funniest sequences in this show..."Daddy?...."

3. We were at this game and there are 3 guys that will vouch that I called this as he stepped to the plate...

4. Easily one of the funniest skits they ever did...

That's it guys! Enjoy your weekend and don't let the Twins get you down too much.

The Monday Run-down

2007-07-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

This week ushered in the second half of the baseball season and so much more...

Duh. You're sitting around .500, and paying over 200 mil. You should be better.

Wow...another great story for the U athletics.

According to Keith Law, Scott Hatteberg is the most recent player the Twins could acquire.

Wow...apparently people don't know how to use the volume knob anymore.

I don't know about you, but I would LOVE to have Mark Cuban in baseball. Especially since he would be in the NL, and would keep players away from the Yankees. Anything to piss off Steinbrenner is good in my book. Unfortunately Bud Selig has made it known that its HIS league, and he'll do what HE wants.

Holy crap, Jurassic Park 4 is coming to life!

Glen Perkins experienced a setback in his rehab, and now he may not be back until after August.

Human Tetris...simply amazing

The summer league grades are in! Randy Foye and Craig Smith get high marks, but apparently Corey Brewer failed to impress. Smith actually averaged nearly 22 points per game in the summer league, with Foye contributing 18 more. Hopefully this translates into success for the coming season!

That's it for now, check back during the week!

Pull out the broom - A clean 4 game sweep!

2007-07-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

The Twins just completed a 4 game home sweep of their 2006 playoff nemesis Oakland Athletics. While this helped the Twins pick up a couple of games on the Indians and Tigers, what differences did they show over the 4 game series? I saw a few things that were very impressive, and a few things that showed they still have things to work on.

I'll start with the problems I saw in the 4 game series-

Our bullpen, while far and above better than the Indians and Tigers, still have a few weak spots. Juan Rincon has been awful of late, allowing 11 earned runs and 14 runs over his last 9 1/3 innings of worked, managing to blow Johan's shutout during this series. Maybe Rincon's lack of steroids are hurting him this year. Dennys Reyes has also had trouble recently, with hitters batting .317 against him (compared to .197 last season). We have 3 reliable arms out of the bullpen (Neshek, Guerrier, and Nathan), and the other guys need to pick up the slack.

Nick Punto is creeping ever closer to the Mendoza Line. While he did have a 2-run triple in Sunday's game, he was 3 for 14 in the series. You know that you need to up your production when 3 for 14 actually RAISES your batting average. Punto has been spectacular in the field, but with Cirillo proving he deserves at bats, he will be out of a job within a couple weeks if he doesn't start hitting.

While they won the 4 games, the Twins still didn't provide the scoring they are capable of. They averaged 4.75 runs per game in the series, but against other teams that won't be enough to cut it. They left a remarkable number of runners on base and they simply can't do that if they hope to win. The Twins left 65 runners on base over the 4 game series, which is waaaaaaaaaay too high. ( Games 1-4: 15, 18, 15, 17)
The Twins are starting Garza in the next series, virtually assuring that Kevin Slowey is to remain in the minors for the time being. With no game Monday, the Twins could have skipped their 5th starter, but instead are going with the Garza. They are also keeping Johan on 5 days rest, pushing Baker back to a Thursday start.

While those are all very fixable problems, since the Twins have shown they can hit, and Reyes and Rincon have pitched well in the past, I'm most concerned about Nick Punto. He hasn't shown any signs of turning his hitting around, and they simply can't keep playing him if he is hitting that poorly. My solution? Utilize his speed. He has tried to bunt for singles less and less frequently as the season has gone on, instead choosing to hit away. He needs something to spark his batting average, and he sure loves diving head first into first base. Maybe a few bunt singles will help. Also, using Nick Punto as a late inning glove and base stealing threat may prove to be a more useful role for him on this Twins roster.

There were also many things that looked extremely positive during the series:

Well, obviously, the Twins won all 4 games in the series. This is the kind of run they needed, especially since they haven't been particularly amazing at home this year. They also were able to pick up 2 games on Detroit and 1 on Cleveland, and now face the Tigers with the chance to pick up 3 more games on them. The Twins will be trotting out Garza in his second start, then Santana, and Baker.

Luis Castillo showed signs of life! Castillo, who is a good offensive and defensive player, rarely shows any emotion while on the field. The last time I recall seeing any emotion out of him (not including postgame celebrations) was when he committed his first error of the season, and you could see him yelling at himself. That was over a month ago, and he has been his usual self since then, trotting out to the field each day and doing his job. Much to my chagrin, Castillo actually showed that he cares on Sunday, with his 9th inning leadoff triple. Right when he hit the bag, he let out a scream of success and it sparked the Twins to their 4-3 win.

They faced the only pitcher you could possibly place higher than Johan in the Cy Young race right now in Dan Haren, and beat him. Haren didn't get the loss thanks to Guerrier allowing 2 runners to score, but the Twins were able to score 2 runs off of him and make him look human. The Twins helped in upping Haren's era for the 7th consecutive start, while subsequently making Johan's credentials look better. Win-win-win situation!

Well, this is about as good of a start to the second half as one could have hoped! Let's just hope that Garza can continue the run on Tuesday against Nate Robertson and the Tigers at the Dome.

Where have all the rivalries gone?

2007-07-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Part 1 of 2 of a series on “Where have all the rivalries gone?”

When you think of rivalries, what comes to mind? Longevity? Geography? Fights and verbal sparring? Well, all of these things fit the definition of a rivalry. They range from Packers/Vikings, Pistons/Lakers to the ever storied Red Sox/Yankees. Rivalries in sports are what keep us all watching. Without them, sports would be emotionless competition. Competition with emotions running high and a great deal of pride at stake means so much more. Growing up in Minnesota, you are born and bred to hate the Green Bay Packers. Walk around the Mall of America and tell me how many t-shirts you see that say “My favorite teams are the Vikings and whoever plays the Packers” (the same shirt can be found across the river, but reverse the order of the team names). Same goes for the Red Sox and Yankees. You can’t go to a Red Sox game without hearing “Yankees Suck!” at some point throughout the game (even if the Yankees aren’t in town). Rivalries are still strong today, but there is something missing. There is some aspect of the rivalries that has been lost in translation as our society has moved along in the last 20 years. Who remembers the way that the Pistons literally man-handled Michael Jordan and the Bulls? What about when Pete Rose charged into catcher Ray Fosse during the 1970 All-Star game? Or even Kevin McHale throwing punches during the Celtics’ glory days? What do all of these have in common? They all fall into the “the way things used to be” category.
I do not condone violence in sports, but doesn’t it seem that sports were more enjoyable to watch when there was a small possibility of someone flipping out and causing a bench clearing brawl? In the last 5 or 6 years, networks have seen some of the lowest ratings in their history for professional sports. I think that there were maybe 6,000 people across the world that watched the Cardinals/Tigers World Series last year (to be fair, it was an absolutely horrendous display of baseball by both teams). The fire and electricity that is often infused into rivalries has been put out. There are still enjoyable rivalries to watch, but they are not the same. I only have two things to blame for this lack of fight in rivalries: Crazy Parents and League Commissioners.

Parents: This story from a couple weeks ago will get us started off on the right foot. A St. Paul father felt that his 12 year old son was not getting enough playing time on his little league team. After yelling and swearing in the dugout area, the coach and other league brass asked the father to leave the field area. The next day, after watching his son not play again, he reportedly called the coach and threatened that he would “shoot him down like a dog”. Naturally, the boy’s father was arrested and charged with threatening the coach. Supposedly, the father has past troubles with being a little too into his son’s little league career. Look, I’m sure that your son is the next Cal Ripken Jr. in the making, but I’m sure that the coach had a good reason to not play your son. Maybe those sand castles he was building at short stop looked nice…

Anyway, this is becoming a problem. More and more recently, we have been hearing stories about parents who are interfering in their children’s athletic lives.

Here are some quick examples:

Dad rushes onto wrestling mats ...

A Great Slideshow by Ben Meiner and Jon Adams

3. “Playing football for West Caanan is NOT the opportunity of a lifetime!”

The Piece De Resistance

As you can see, parents have been taking things a little too far. Our society in athletics has turned so violent at the hands of parents, that we’re telling kids that they can’t be aggressive anymore. This in turn, may turn kids away from sports or make them more passive in the sport that they play. I am currently at a tennis camp in California for the summer and each week we get kids who would much rather hold a Playstation controller than a tennis racket. And at the end of the week, it’s the parents who come up and grill us about their child’s evaluation. If your child is 11 years or older and can’t tell the difference between swatting a fly and hitting a forehand…it may be time for a change of venue. Between the 1960’s and 80’s, there were too many parents who had failed athletic dreams. Now we all have to deal with those people as parents and their kids who are all the next Michael Jordan even though he may be running down the basketball court with his hands down his pants (Everybody Loves Raymond, Season 6, Episode 8 of that season). Because of parents involving themselves too much, kids are falling away from being emotional and competitive in sports. They are getting right to the roots of this problem.

So now that we’ve been down the boulevard of broken dreams, it is time to look at the league commissioners. Instead of ruining things at the base of the tree, they are just chopping off branches at the top.

Let’s look to November 19, 2004. I feel that this was the day that aggressiveness in pro sports was forever changed. NBA fans had already witnessed the brawl between the Knicks and Heat in the ’97 playoffs (who can forget Jeff Van Gundy being dragged on the floor like a rag doll). What was different with this situation in ‘04 was that the fans were involved. Ben Wallace was fouled by Ron Artest, unnecessarily hard for what the score was, and Wallace retaliated by pushing Artest. After this, Artest was brought off the court and…well…the video should explain the rest. This was an absolute disaster in Detroit. You can’t see it in the video but after the game, reports surfaced that a fan had thrown cup of beer at Artest, which caused him to go into the stands. You can blame the players until you are blue in the face, but there has to be responsibility pinned on the fans as well.

146 games combined was the total for suspensions between the players involved from the Pistons and Pacers. As well as some jail and probation sentences for the fans involved. Still, some people argued that the player’s suspensions were too much.

Let’s fast forward to 2007 on December 16th. The Knicks and the Nuggets were involved in a similar altercation (sans the involvement of fans). Mardy Collins fouled JR Smith a little too hard and they began to argue. Things were seemingly normal until Nate Robinson’s 4’6” frame came into play. He pushes Smith and then Carmelo Anthony takes a swing at Collins and then runs away like a coward. Anthony got 15 games (the most of any player involved) and Nate “too short” Robinson got 10 games. Again, many argued that David Stern had done a poor job dealing with the suspensions and violence in the NBA. This would set up the final situation.

Game 4 of this year’s Western Conference finals in the NBA. Steve Nash drives up the side of the court and is checked into the boards by defensivem…sorry…defender Robert Horry. This was on top of the already heated situation of Bruce Bowen kneeing Steve Nash in the groin earlier in the series. Immediately following the game, talk had arisen that Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw would be suspended for one game for leaving the bench during the situation. Notice on the video how the leave the bench area but then are seen holding other teammates back from going any further. David Stern is about as flexible with rules as Bud Selig is good with figuring out extra inning All-Star games. ESPN’s Bill Simmons wrote a great piece about this situation a couple days after it had happened. Because of a very lame rule in the NBA, the Suns’ hopes of beating the Spurs were crushed. David Stern had struck again. His lack of understanding competitive athletes in a heated situation led to, what I felt was, a bad decision on his part. Guys can’t even defend their teammates anymore but the NBA wants passion. What kind of message does that send to the players?

Professional sports have seen its ups and downs the last couple of years. 2007 was no exception. With the rise of parents becoming violent when dealing with their kid’s athletics and league commissioners inability to control violence and in turn their inability to deal with it, sports are quickly becoming less and less emotionally based. The age old rivalries are becoming more and more faceless and boring. What will save them?

What Could Have Been....

2007-07-13T11:36:00.002-05:00

From guest writer Brian Fuller :

THIS is what could have been in the Target Center...

The 2007-2008 season will be the 13th for Kevin Garnett. In these last 12 years Garnett has made this franchise at the very least respectable in the NBA, making a couple of playoff runs during his career.

However, Garnett has never been able to make a serious run at the NBA championship. There are several reasons why this is. One of the biggest reasons has been GM of the Year Kevin McHale's inability to consistently surround Garnett with talent that would help push the T-Wolves over the top. So what I would like to do today is look at the team the Wolves could have been if they would have kept the players they had. Of course this is a truly fantastical scenario, and the likelihood of keeping all of these players is next to nil.

So this is what Minnesota's roster could have looked like:

PG: Terrell Brandon

Brandon, ever the sparkplug, came in to Minnesota and one year after the strike shortened season helped Garnett get the Wolves to 50 wins and the playoffs. Brandon was the pass-first point guard, averaging 17 points and 9 assists for the Wolves. Unfortunately, Brandon's effectiveness was seriously diminshed after knee injuries in the 00-01 and 01-02 seasons.

OR, PG: Stephon Marbury

What is there to say about Starbury that isn't already known? Marbury was a top-5 point guard in this league. In fact, Marbury (along with a vastly improved Garnett) helped the Wolves reach the playoffs in his first year with the club, averaging 16 points and 8 assists a game. Marbury and Brandon actually played one season together before Marbury was off.

Just think if Marbury had stayed around Minneapolis and both he and Garnett hit their primes. The two of them at their peaks could have made some serious runs. But it was not to be.

OR, PG: Chauncey Billups

This team has had 3 great point guards, so obviously it is not this area that was holding the Wolves back. Billups only played in Minnesota for a couple years, but once again, think about what the Wolves would have been like if he had stuck around; not only that, but if both he and Marbury stayed. The Wolves could have gotten away with playing a Billups-Marbury backcourt, which could have been one of the most prolific in history, perhaps a modern day Frazier and Monroe.

SG, SF: Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell

The problem with putting these two guys on the list is that by the time the got to Minnesota, both players were clearly on the decline, especially Sprewell if you look at what he accomplished in Golden State (career highs of 24.2 pts and more than 6 asts a game). These two players were solid, but it was honestly hard to see how both of these guys were going to help Garnett get to the Finals and win a championship. Cassell did his winning in his first two years, playing with Olajuwon, and Sprewell has always been a hothead (how he and the Knicks made it to the Finals in 1999 still baffles me...).

SF: Wally Szczerbiak

Wally's big problem is his knees. He was quickly becoming an excellent player for the Wolves, averaging 20.1 points per game in 05/06 before injuries sidelined him. If Wally had stayed healthy, things could have been radically different for Minnesota. The Wolves would not have been 25-26, and Flip Saunders probably would not have been fired (but knowing McHale, he probably would have still been).

SF: Ricky Davis

Now say what you want about Ricky Davis, but I like this kid. He is a solid player when actually given a chance. Davis could potentially average 6.5, 7 assists a game for a team. He is relied upon for scoring though, so that is what he does. He is also knocked for his past in Cleveland (the pre-LeBron era), a time that has given Davis a black eye.

However, Davis does have a solid skill set. He is a decent mid-range shooter and has an explosive first step, which he uses to get to the rim and finish or get to the line. And for his size Davis is a solid rebounder and an adept passer when he has people (like Garnett) who can finish.

PF, C: ???????

This right here is why the Wolves have never been able to make a serious run. The backcourt has always been there, but Garnett has never had a legitimate talent down low to help him out. Now I could throw out names like Radoslav Nesterovic or Mark Blount, but these guys aren't the best. For one, these two guys can't rebound to save their lives. Christian Laettner came and went in a flash.

The only big man worth mentioning is Tom Gugliotta. However, he was hitting his prime right when Garnett came into the league, so the two players never played together in their prime, which obviously is a shame.

So let's build a starting lineup of the All-Garnett Wolves, taking into account the fact that I have picked these 5 based on each of them playing in their prime with Garnett, who seems to be in his prime for the 11th straight year.

PG: Terrell Brandon
SG: Stephon Marbury
G: (Tie)Chauncey Billups/Ricky Davis/Wally Szczerbiak
F: Tom Gugliotta
C: Garnett

How well would these 5 players done in their prime together? It's hard to say. The egos on the team would have been difficult (especially Marbury and Billups together...) to deal with. And the team still lacks that bruising low-post presence. I like Garnett, but he just doesn't have that burly Wes Unseld-like feature to him.

Two more starting lineups for you. These are what they'd be like if the Wolves/Warriors trade would go through.

Minnesota, post-Garnett:
PG: Randy Foye
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Ricky Davis
PF: Al Harrington/Andris Biedrins
C: Mark Blount

Once again, Davis gets to lead a team that seemingly will head for the number one pick.

Golden State with Garnett:
PG: Baron Davis
SG: Stephen Jackson
SF: Matt Barnes/Mickael Pietrus/Marco Belinelli (This kid will fit in nicely playing Nellie-Ball)
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Al Harrington/Andris Biedrins

There you have it...what could have been, and what most likely will be...

The Monday Run-Down

2007-07-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

The Minnesota Twins started their last weekend before the All-Star break with a bang. Game 1, which was a make up game from a previous rain out, ended with a football score; with the Twins winning 20-14 by pushing out 23 hits and a grand slam by Jason Kubel. It was John Garland’s earliest exit since 2004. For a struggling Twins offense, this was a great game to start off against the White Sox.

Game two started just as well as game one did. 2006 MVP Justin Morneau crushed a 3-run home run to right field to give the Twins the early 3-0 lead. From there, the Twins would go on a 9-0 run and blank the White Sox 12-0. Matt Garza, who was called up the week before, scattered 5 hits over 6 innings with 6 strike outs and no runs. Although he had a strong start, Garza will most likely be put back into the bullpen as the Twins do not need a 5th starter for a couple more weeks.

Games 3 and 4….not so good. Mark Buehrle threw 8 shutout innings and stifled a Twins team that had scored 34 runs in the previous 2 games against them. The Sox scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th and that was all that they would need. Boof Bonser pitched a solid game, with his only mistake being a 2 run home-run to Paul Konerko. The Twins just couldn’t buy a hit or a run until Torii Hunter hit a sac fly in the 9th. Sunday’s game was pretty much the same story. Javier Vazquez threw a gem of a game to beat the Twins 6-3. It was his second complete game in a row for the White Sox pitcher. Carlos Silva gave up 3 home runs in the 3rd inning, two of which were to Jim Thome and Paul Konerko for back-to-back shots. The Twins couldn’t muster up any more of their run scoring to beat the White Sox in the final two games.

Now Justin Morneau, Torii Hunter and Johan Santana will travel to San Francisco for the 2007 MLB All-Star game. Morneau will be participating in the Home Run Derby against perennial power hitters Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez and Ryan Howard. Hopefully Morneau will not fall into the “Home Run Derby curse” that has plagued hitters for the last couple of years.

Other weekend Stories :

I’m going to miss John Kruk at the All-Star game….

Federer is just running the table right now

Buehrle = not a white flag

Anyone remember the Tigers who couldn’t catch a baseball?....

Another reason why NASCAR is a joke

Can anyone just outright beat Tiger? Or does he just let guys win?

Enjoy the annual Century 21 Home-Run derby. Let’s hope that Morneau can pollute McCovey Cove with baseballs!

The Friday Run-down

2007-07-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the Twins final series before the All-Star break. The Twins are sending centerfielder Torii Hunter, first baseman Justin Morneau, and ace Johan Santana. Unfortunately, Pat Neshek's 32nd man bid couldn't beat the continent of Asia and the Boston faithful who got Hideki Okajima elected.

It's nice to see a company taking responsibility for something they screwed up.

After Kevin Slowey's start yesterday in New York, Slowey was sent back down to the minors for at least the All-Star break, if not longer. The Twins don't need a 5th starter until July 21st, which leads me to believe that this is only temporary, just to get Carmen Cali more innings at the major league level. Slowey more than likely will be brought back up at that point for the remainder of the season. Slowey was yanked rather quickly from the rotation, and while he is sporting an ERA above 5, his record is still 3-0. I have little doubt that Slowey will be starting against the Angels on July 21st.

We all know that Mark Cuban has a HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGE wallet. Too bad the NBA isn't like baseball, or Cuban would have already bought Garnett just like the Yankees bought Babe Ruth, and doomed the Timberwolves to 80+ years of failure. What this means is that Cuban would need to trade some players of value in return for Garnett. The only reported trade that could work is Josh Howard, Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and Greg Buckner for KG. Cuban is in love with Howard and Harris, so there is virtually no way that KG will be wearing a Mavs jersey next year.

It's amazing how a toy from the 80's could turn into the '07 summer's best movie.

Jason Kubel, after hitting the go-ahead home run on Wednesday, was held out of the lineup on Thursday. Gardy knows what he is doing most times, but he has handled the Kubel/Tyner/Ford playing time horribly this year. Neither Ford nor Tyner deserve playing time unless it is forced upon Gardy, yet he inexplicably keeps trotting them out there for at least one start a series. Kubel then hit a pinch hit single in the 9th on Thursday, and in the first game of today's doubleheader Kubel hit a grand slam and is 2 for 2 with 5 RBI. I'm predicting that Gardy will sit Kubel for game 2 of the doubleheader for reasons that only make sense to himself.

Corey Brewer, who wore #2 at Florida, is now wearing #22 with the Wolves. He had wanted to wear #2, but it is a retired number. The number belonged to the late, great Malik Sealy, who died much too young at the hands of a drunk driver who has already finished his prison sentence. This got me thinking back to the days of Sealy, and when the Wolves needed a clutch shot Sealy was ALWAYS there to deliver. I can't help but feel like the loss of Sealy was one the Wolves have never truly recovered from.

How could one little prairie dog, in 5 seconds, create such a cult following.

Ken Griffey, Jr and Barry Roids...excuse me...Bonds are both absent from this years Home Run Derby. I understand that they don't want to hurt themselves, but the fans voted them to the All-Star game, and the least they could do is compete in the Derby. In a summer where everyone is watching each home run that Bonds hits, he should be in the Derby. This year especially, since it could be his last, and its his home field. Griffey won two consecutive Derbys back in 1998 and 1999, but hasn't competed since 2000. In this, his year of resurgence, it would have been nice to see he and Bonds compete against the young guns like Justin Morneau, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, and Miguel Cabrera. I'll watch the Derby anyway, but it won't be nearly as entertaining without Bonds and Griffey there.

Halloween this early?

The Twins have already waived their "no negotiating during season" for Santana this year, meaning that they are willing to bend the rules to keep him. Hopefully they are willing to bend the payroll a bit too, because he is going to be expensive. My thoughts? Sign Santana no matter what, let Nathan walk, make an attempt at Hunter, move Neshek to closer, and move Guerrier to setup man. The Twins are already planning on expanding their budget for the new stadium, so its best to start with re-signing the second coming of Nolan Ryan.

That's it for now, have a great weekend everyone!

Boston, Mass = Coney Island???

2007-07-04T18:45:00.000-05:00

On this day....in 1776....America gained it's freedom from Great Britain. Setting in motion things like the Industrial Revolution, the Cival Rights movement, T.G.I.F. on ABC, American Flag Zubaz pants and of course....The infamous Nathan's hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, NY.

Since 2001, the Japanese have held the coveted mustard belt. It has been a sore spot for many Americans. Well...I don't know about "many" but I'm sure that within the American ring of competitive eating, it hasn't been good.

Today, the Louie Anderson sized competitive eating gods have looked down favorably at American Joey "Chompers" Chestnut. He defeated the great Kobayashi by 3 hotdogs. 66 hot dogs to 63 for Chestnut. Both destroyed their previous records; Chestnut's record was 59 1/2 (set last week in Tempe, AZ) and Kobayashi's record was 53 1/2.

So like in 1776, we once again gain our freedom from oppression. We are now the proud owners of our own property....The Mustard Belt.