Should the Twins sign Crede?

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

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

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...

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...

Game 37: Twins 7, Red Sox 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!