Mauer's married????
Ben Revere was GREAT in yesterday's Twins game. He had two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base. Too bad he's playing for the Phillies now.
Still, the Twins clubbed the Phillies yesterday like unsuspecting baby seals. The final was 12-5.
Aaron Hicks, Revere's most likely long term replacement, had a single, a double, and a RBI, and a run scored yesterday for the Twins. Maybe everything will work out.
Mauer's married??
Thursday, February 28, 2013
College Basketball
Unranked Penn State is now 1-14 in the Big Ten this year after BEATING number FOUR Michigan last night.
"There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams." - Oogway, Kung Fu Panda
I've used this quote before and it's becoming more and more obvious that no team in college basketball is very good. Upsets occur in college FOOTBALL when TOP teams play each other.
Upsets occur in college BASKETBALL simply by TEAMS playing each other.
It is time to extend the NCCA March tournament. Since anyone can win, let them all in. It's the only fair solution. Until that happens, I'm not going to bother watching.
I admit this is a radical point of view from my previous stance, but college basketball has changed a lot since the days of good teams and bad teams. There really is no distinction any more.
"Mediocrity, thy name is college basketball." Bill Shakespeare
"There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams." - Oogway, Kung Fu Panda
I've used this quote before and it's becoming more and more obvious that no team in college basketball is very good. Upsets occur in college FOOTBALL when TOP teams play each other.
Upsets occur in college BASKETBALL simply by TEAMS playing each other.
It is time to extend the NCCA March tournament. Since anyone can win, let them all in. It's the only fair solution. Until that happens, I'm not going to bother watching.
I admit this is a radical point of view from my previous stance, but college basketball has changed a lot since the days of good teams and bad teams. There really is no distinction any more.
"Mediocrity, thy name is college basketball." Bill Shakespeare
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Pelfrey NOT Ready
Recently acquired starter, Mike Pelfrey said he was feeling great and ready to be a starter for the Twins ten months removed from Tommy John surgery.
I instantly thought, "probably not." No pitcher ever successfully comes back that quickly. Some may come back and pitch, but it's usually several MONTHS more before they are actually throwing the ball like they used to. It's never a pitcher's fault that he's not ready yet. They ALL need more time to recover properly. That's just the way it is.
Pelfrey proved my point yesterday. It wasn't so much that he was knocked around in his 1 and 2/3 innings of work yesterday, it was that his best fastballs were only clocked at 87-89 mph. Most of those were actually BELOW that level.
When healthy, Pelfrey should be throwing mid 90's and averaging at least 93.
Pelfrey IS NOT ready and he won't be for a while. Just like him, we'll just have to wait to see how much longer it takes for him to become the average pitcher he's always been.
At six foot five, he's another of the Twins monster starters. Here's hoping he's looking better in 6 weeks when the real season starts.
I should mention that the Twins beat Toronto in their game yesterday despite Pelfrey's less than dazzling performance. Morneau had TWO more hits including an RBI double. Both he and Mauer will be leaving the Twins for the World Baseball Classic in just a few days.
I still have no idea why MLB allows/supports/endorses this. Dice K is my best example of why major league players should not do this. The season is long enough without making players have another full month of competitive ball before the season even starts.
Look for Mauer to break down again early this season. Too much stress on the knees over too long of a time. Knees that have never been fully healthy since early in his first season.
That and an absolutely horrible traveling schedule that will also stress the limits of every participant make THIS an event worth skipping.
I instantly thought, "probably not." No pitcher ever successfully comes back that quickly. Some may come back and pitch, but it's usually several MONTHS more before they are actually throwing the ball like they used to. It's never a pitcher's fault that he's not ready yet. They ALL need more time to recover properly. That's just the way it is.
Pelfrey proved my point yesterday. It wasn't so much that he was knocked around in his 1 and 2/3 innings of work yesterday, it was that his best fastballs were only clocked at 87-89 mph. Most of those were actually BELOW that level.
When healthy, Pelfrey should be throwing mid 90's and averaging at least 93.
Pelfrey IS NOT ready and he won't be for a while. Just like him, we'll just have to wait to see how much longer it takes for him to become the average pitcher he's always been.
At six foot five, he's another of the Twins monster starters. Here's hoping he's looking better in 6 weeks when the real season starts.
I should mention that the Twins beat Toronto in their game yesterday despite Pelfrey's less than dazzling performance. Morneau had TWO more hits including an RBI double. Both he and Mauer will be leaving the Twins for the World Baseball Classic in just a few days.
I still have no idea why MLB allows/supports/endorses this. Dice K is my best example of why major league players should not do this. The season is long enough without making players have another full month of competitive ball before the season even starts.
Look for Mauer to break down again early this season. Too much stress on the knees over too long of a time. Knees that have never been fully healthy since early in his first season.
That and an absolutely horrible traveling schedule that will also stress the limits of every participant make THIS an event worth skipping.
Wolves Lose by ONE in O.T.
Of course they did.
(That's my new catch phrase for the Wolves. I think it will catch on.)
(That's my new catch phrase for the Wolves. I think it will catch on.)
Gophers Shock/Stun NUMBER ONE Indiana
As unbelievable as it seems, the men's Gopher basketball team upset the best team in the country last night. The Gophers beat the Hoosiers 77-73 in front of some very happy and surprised Gopher fans.
The Gophers have actually been pretty bad in the Big Ten as of late, having lost eight of their last eleven games, but they once again proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are no really great teams in college ball.
The Gophers punched their ticket to March Madness last night, not that they have much chance of success once they get there. Last night was THEIR moment for this season. I take nothing away from them accomplishing that.
In fact, oddly enough, I feel something I haven't felt for quite a while, Minnesota Pride.
Go Gophers! May this truly be what you need to make a run at the national championship.
I might even watch your early round game if it's televised locally.
The Gophers have actually been pretty bad in the Big Ten as of late, having lost eight of their last eleven games, but they once again proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are no really great teams in college ball.
The Gophers punched their ticket to March Madness last night, not that they have much chance of success once they get there. Last night was THEIR moment for this season. I take nothing away from them accomplishing that.
In fact, oddly enough, I feel something I haven't felt for quite a while, Minnesota Pride.
Go Gophers! May this truly be what you need to make a run at the national championship.
I might even watch your early round game if it's televised locally.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Alex Meyer
If you're like me, you KNOW the Twins made an awful lot of weird trades this past off-season that included us dumping two of our best outfielders. You also know we have 35 pitchers in camp, but you don't know much about any of them.
So WHO did we get for Denard Span who is now on the Washington Nationals?
That would be the six foot nine inch, 23-year old Alex Meyer. He's got a 100 mph fastball that SEEMS much faster because of his height. He's also got a nice slider and a very good breaking pitch.
The problem? He tends to overthrow and as a result has some spurts of wildness. Think Sam Deduno but more intimidating and much younger. He's listed by scouts as the fifth best pitcher in the entire organization which means he could conceivably be given a role in the starting rotation before the year is out. More likely? The Twins will keep him in the minors for the next year or two and season him much like they did with Kyle Gibson.
Speaking of Gibson, did you know he is six foot six inches tall as well? The Twins have some tall pitchers in their system. No one knows if that height will actually translate to anything, however. Like so many of the Twins today, only time will tell.
So WHO did we get for Denard Span who is now on the Washington Nationals?
That would be the six foot nine inch, 23-year old Alex Meyer. He's got a 100 mph fastball that SEEMS much faster because of his height. He's also got a nice slider and a very good breaking pitch.
The problem? He tends to overthrow and as a result has some spurts of wildness. Think Sam Deduno but more intimidating and much younger. He's listed by scouts as the fifth best pitcher in the entire organization which means he could conceivably be given a role in the starting rotation before the year is out. More likely? The Twins will keep him in the minors for the next year or two and season him much like they did with Kyle Gibson.
Speaking of Gibson, did you know he is six foot six inches tall as well? The Twins have some tall pitchers in their system. No one knows if that height will actually translate to anything, however. Like so many of the Twins today, only time will tell.
Twins Win
Newly acquired Vance Worley looked good. Morneau made solid contact including a double and...
... the Twins are talking about signing a free agent DH named...
...Jim Thome!
Even if the Twins are pathetic this year, it will still be a treat to see this guy hit some more moonshots at Target Field. At the age of 42, he may hit a few less than the last time he was here, but he may keep me tuned into Twins game a bit longer if I know he's coming up in the next inning. Let's hope it happens.
... the Twins are talking about signing a free agent DH named...
...Jim Thome!
Even if the Twins are pathetic this year, it will still be a treat to see this guy hit some more moonshots at Target Field. At the age of 42, he may hit a few less than the last time he was here, but he may keep me tuned into Twins game a bit longer if I know he's coming up in the next inning. Let's hope it happens.
Mantei Te'o
Mantei's having a pretty depressing couple of months. First he discovered his girlfriend died. Then he discovered that she wasn't even real, and was played by at least three people including at least one guy. Then he was afraid to tell anyone he was duped after such a big deal was made about her death.
NOW he's performing poorly at the NFL combine. He finished 20th of 26 linebackers running the forty-yard dash yesterday with a disappointing time of 4.82 seconds. Scouts are looking for a sub 3.75. The winner was 4.47.
Scouts know that numbers don't tell the WHOLE story, but speed is one of the things that linebackers absolutely need to compete with receivers in the NFL. It doesn't matter how good your instincts are if you can't get to where you know the ball is going fast enough to stop the play from happening.
Te'o's (I BELIEVE this is the way to type this, though it looks strange) stock dropped dramatically yesterday. Originally he was projected to be a top five pick in the draft. Now he's looking more like a second or third round pick. Unless some team still takes a chance on him early, he just lost several million dollars in contract money yesterday with that one simple sprint.
NOW he's performing poorly at the NFL combine. He finished 20th of 26 linebackers running the forty-yard dash yesterday with a disappointing time of 4.82 seconds. Scouts are looking for a sub 3.75. The winner was 4.47.
Scouts know that numbers don't tell the WHOLE story, but speed is one of the things that linebackers absolutely need to compete with receivers in the NFL. It doesn't matter how good your instincts are if you can't get to where you know the ball is going fast enough to stop the play from happening.
Te'o's (I BELIEVE this is the way to type this, though it looks strange) stock dropped dramatically yesterday. Originally he was projected to be a top five pick in the draft. Now he's looking more like a second or third round pick. Unless some team still takes a chance on him early, he just lost several million dollars in contract money yesterday with that one simple sprint.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady says he wants to end his career with the new England Patriots at age 40.
He put his money where his mouth is yesterday. While other QBs are demanding more and more money to play the game, Brady demonstrated yesterday that he'd rather play on WINNING team that has more money to sign OTHER players. For signing a new three-year deal, Brady was given a modest $3 million, one time, signing bonus.
His new contract? $7 million in 2015, $8 in 2016, and $9 million in 2017. In contrast, remember that Brett Favre got around $25 his last year in Minnesota. It's also way less than what Carl Pavano got paid as a Twins pitcher his three years in Minnesota.
A guy that SAYS he wants to play on a winning team and win a championship is pretty common. A very good player who DEMONSTRATES that by taking far less than he's worth is extremely rare. The UNION is going to hate Brady for this because it might start changing the salary structure of the league. I say go Tom! More players need this kind of attitude. If winning is important, then do what it takes to win. This is one of the best sports stories I've read in a long time.
Brady's favorite receiver, Wes Welker, was most likely leaving this season because of the salary cap. Brady's new structured deal allows the Patriots to hold on to him if Welker is willing. They'll be able to hold onto another key player, NEXT season, for the same reason.
Brady KNOWS what it takes to win and I hope his teammates follow his lead. And more than ever, I want to see Brady win at least a couple of more Super Bowls before he retires. He deserves it.
He put his money where his mouth is yesterday. While other QBs are demanding more and more money to play the game, Brady demonstrated yesterday that he'd rather play on WINNING team that has more money to sign OTHER players. For signing a new three-year deal, Brady was given a modest $3 million, one time, signing bonus.
His new contract? $7 million in 2015, $8 in 2016, and $9 million in 2017. In contrast, remember that Brett Favre got around $25 his last year in Minnesota. It's also way less than what Carl Pavano got paid as a Twins pitcher his three years in Minnesota.
A guy that SAYS he wants to play on a winning team and win a championship is pretty common. A very good player who DEMONSTRATES that by taking far less than he's worth is extremely rare. The UNION is going to hate Brady for this because it might start changing the salary structure of the league. I say go Tom! More players need this kind of attitude. If winning is important, then do what it takes to win. This is one of the best sports stories I've read in a long time.
Brady's favorite receiver, Wes Welker, was most likely leaving this season because of the salary cap. Brady's new structured deal allows the Patriots to hold on to him if Welker is willing. They'll be able to hold onto another key player, NEXT season, for the same reason.
Brady KNOWS what it takes to win and I hope his teammates follow his lead. And more than ever, I want to see Brady win at least a couple of more Super Bowls before he retires. He deserves it.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Wolves Lose By One
Of course they did. And I got to use the word "lose" three times in headlines today.
Sadly, that is not a record.
Sadly, that is not a record.
Twins Lose First Two Spring Training Games
Gibson threw great in yesterday's loss, just one hit and two strikeouts in two innings of work.
Yankees Lose Top Star
Curtis Granderson got hit in the forearm by a pitch in his first at-bat of the Yankees first spring training game yesterday. Nobody thought much of it when it happened, but x-rays later revealed one of his forearm bones had a definite fracture. He will miss the next 10 weeks including the first month of the regular season.
Granderson had hit a total of 84 homers the last two seasons, leading New York in that category.
Granderson had hit a total of 84 homers the last two seasons, leading New York in that category.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
NASCAR
28 spectators were hurt yesterday as pieces of a car went through and over a safety fence.
14 went to the hospital and 2 were listed in critical condition (but were later updated to stable.)
I've never had much good to say about auto racing. My opinion hasn't changed.
14 went to the hospital and 2 were listed in critical condition (but were later updated to stable.)
I've never had much good to say about auto racing. My opinion hasn't changed.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Twins Notes
I think we've all been expecting either Joe Benson or Aaron Hicks to be our new regular centerfielder when the season starts.
That's NOT going to happen.
Unless Darrin Mastroianni gets hurt or is absolutely worthless, the job will be his when the season begins.
Why? Benson had microfracture surgery on his knee this past off-season. That was the same surgery that the NBA's Greg Odom, the big Portland center, had on his knees. Basically, they deliberately put small breaks in the knee cap so that it can heal stronger. Recovery time is several months so he simply will not be ready at the beginning of the season.
Hicks is a different story. We've already sent him up and down so many times that IF we bring him up again and we DON'T use him, we risk losing him. The NEXT time we bring him up will be the last time we bring him up, so we aren't going to bring him up unless he PROVES he's ready, or Mastroianni (I HATE typing that name. It's not like OKC at all.) totally collapses in the roll.
The Twins already know that if this season goes as bad as predicted early, they will trade both Morneau and Willingham before the end of the trade deadline in July. Unless both are having monster years, neither will bring us much in trade. That's the current state of baseball economics.
Chris Parmalee will be our rightfielder until we trade Morneau. Oswaldo Arcia will take his place when Parmalee becomes our regular first baseman. Clete Thomas may figure in there somewhere while we wait for Hicks or Benson.
Tim Wood will be the Twins 12th highest paid player this year. Even though he's had less than a year of major league service the Twins will pay him $675,000 this season to pitch from our bullpen. In comparison, Swarzack, who has over two years of experience, will be making only $530,000 doing the same job. I have no idea why the Twins think he's worth that much.
Who will be our infielders this year? Plouffe at third, a combination of Carrol, Dozier, and Floriman in the middle, and Morneau at first.
I always hesitate reporting things like this because it's so early in spring training BUT, so far, Kyle Gibson looks like our best starting pitcher. His career ERA in AAA was over 4.00 so that could be good news or bad news depending on how you look at it.
The ESPN poll has the Twins listed as the worst team in the American League this season. The worst team in all of baseball? The Houston Astros.
That's NOT going to happen.
Unless Darrin Mastroianni gets hurt or is absolutely worthless, the job will be his when the season begins.
Why? Benson had microfracture surgery on his knee this past off-season. That was the same surgery that the NBA's Greg Odom, the big Portland center, had on his knees. Basically, they deliberately put small breaks in the knee cap so that it can heal stronger. Recovery time is several months so he simply will not be ready at the beginning of the season.
Hicks is a different story. We've already sent him up and down so many times that IF we bring him up again and we DON'T use him, we risk losing him. The NEXT time we bring him up will be the last time we bring him up, so we aren't going to bring him up unless he PROVES he's ready, or Mastroianni (I HATE typing that name. It's not like OKC at all.) totally collapses in the roll.
The Twins already know that if this season goes as bad as predicted early, they will trade both Morneau and Willingham before the end of the trade deadline in July. Unless both are having monster years, neither will bring us much in trade. That's the current state of baseball economics.
Chris Parmalee will be our rightfielder until we trade Morneau. Oswaldo Arcia will take his place when Parmalee becomes our regular first baseman. Clete Thomas may figure in there somewhere while we wait for Hicks or Benson.
Tim Wood will be the Twins 12th highest paid player this year. Even though he's had less than a year of major league service the Twins will pay him $675,000 this season to pitch from our bullpen. In comparison, Swarzack, who has over two years of experience, will be making only $530,000 doing the same job. I have no idea why the Twins think he's worth that much.
Who will be our infielders this year? Plouffe at third, a combination of Carrol, Dozier, and Floriman in the middle, and Morneau at first.
I always hesitate reporting things like this because it's so early in spring training BUT, so far, Kyle Gibson looks like our best starting pitcher. His career ERA in AAA was over 4.00 so that could be good news or bad news depending on how you look at it.
The ESPN poll has the Twins listed as the worst team in the American League this season. The worst team in all of baseball? The Houston Astros.
OKC Wins
OKC beat the Wolves handily last night. I wasn't even going to mention this but I really like typing OKC. They were at OKC.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wild Win
It was nice to see them pick up a road win, but most of the talk about the game was about a player from Edmonton kneeing the Wild's Cal Clutterbuck in the knee at full speed and his resulting ejection.
You couldn't pay me enough to play hockey.
Not that there's any real chance of that happening either way.
You couldn't pay me enough to play hockey.
Not that there's any real chance of that happening either way.
Smith and Harvin
There are currently two very good football players in the NFL who are miffed at their current teams.
Alex Smith lost his starting QB job to the man with the kissable biceps this last season, but San Francisco says they have no intention of simply releasing him so that he can find another team. In the Niner's eyes (and I agree with this completely) you are only as good as your backup QB and right now Alex is the best backup in football.
The Vikings were asked yesterday if they are considering trading Percy Harvin considering the strained relationship that he currently has with the team. Rick Spielman said that the Vikings have no intention of getting rid of Harvin and that he has a full year remaining on his contract.
MOST of Harvin's rancor against the Vikes stems from them not already extending his contract. He feels he's one of the most elite players in the league (again i agree with that) and that the Vikings should go out of their way to treat him like that, by giving him a much sweeter long-term deal.
The Vikes are worried about the salary cap and know they NEED to get more great recievers besides Harvin. I see both sides but I can't figure out why you'd let one of the best go away grumpy when you KNOW you'll never find anyone better. Since NFL deals are NOT guaranteed, you can always release him some future season AND keep him happy in the short term.
Win. Win.
Alex Smith lost his starting QB job to the man with the kissable biceps this last season, but San Francisco says they have no intention of simply releasing him so that he can find another team. In the Niner's eyes (and I agree with this completely) you are only as good as your backup QB and right now Alex is the best backup in football.
The Vikings were asked yesterday if they are considering trading Percy Harvin considering the strained relationship that he currently has with the team. Rick Spielman said that the Vikings have no intention of getting rid of Harvin and that he has a full year remaining on his contract.
MOST of Harvin's rancor against the Vikes stems from them not already extending his contract. He feels he's one of the most elite players in the league (again i agree with that) and that the Vikings should go out of their way to treat him like that, by giving him a much sweeter long-term deal.
The Vikes are worried about the salary cap and know they NEED to get more great recievers besides Harvin. I see both sides but I can't figure out why you'd let one of the best go away grumpy when you KNOW you'll never find anyone better. Since NFL deals are NOT guaranteed, you can always release him some future season AND keep him happy in the short term.
Win. Win.
Spurs
The Clippers may currently be the best team in L.A., but the Spurs showed them that they are most definitely NOT the best team in the NBA. San Antonio destroyed the Clippers AT L.A. last night 116-90.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Like a Moth to a Flame
I don't know what it is about baseball. I KNOW the Twins are going to be awful this season, and probably many more seasons to come, but I still find myself seeking out Twins news every single day, knowing that pre-season games start this weekend.
I also strangely find myself anxiously awaiting the start of the regular season. There is no rational reason to do this. Which pretty much means that the love of baseball, "the love of the game" is irrational.
In my mind, I know that the Twins will have one of the worst starting rotations in their history, you know, WORSE than the Ron Coomer years, but deep down inside I hope that Scott Diamond is going to be sensational again this year and that Vance Worley, completely recovered from his arm surgery is going to be contending for the Cy Young award. I also think that Cole DeVries is going to be great this season surprising just about everyone who is a baseball fan. And Rich Harden is going to look like his old Cy Young self from just a few short years ago (as soon as his shoulder is better) and and that Sam Deduno is going to be the next Dwight Gooden and...
...well, you get the idea.
Baseball turns me into a kid again.
I like that in some ways. Each season, every team starts out with the same record, and every once in a great while, out of nowhere, a 1987 or a 1991 occurs. We've lived through that twice. Being just AWFUL one season and then suddenly, World Series champs the next.
But I HATE that in so many other ways. You end up watching a lot of early season games and all of the sudden you actually see your hopes and dreams come crashing to the ground in much the same way that Plouffe mishandles a ground ball or Willingham gets turned around in the outfield trying to catch a simple fly ball.
You still tune in each night knowing the season is just getting started. You see little things that still make you hopeful. A great pitching performance here, a nicely executed squeeze play there, a walk-off homerun, a younger player who is batting .300 with lots of speed...
... and you decieve yourself into somehow thinking that it's all going to come together in just a "couple of more games."
And it doesn't. You end up losing 100 games or more. You blame big-money player contracts, management, and horrible managing while all the while seeing what they can do to fix everything for NEXT year.
Baseball is an addiction. You grew up with it. You see its mystique, and you go along for the ride every single year. Some of those rides lead to really bad trips. Just like every other addiction.
I also strangely find myself anxiously awaiting the start of the regular season. There is no rational reason to do this. Which pretty much means that the love of baseball, "the love of the game" is irrational.
In my mind, I know that the Twins will have one of the worst starting rotations in their history, you know, WORSE than the Ron Coomer years, but deep down inside I hope that Scott Diamond is going to be sensational again this year and that Vance Worley, completely recovered from his arm surgery is going to be contending for the Cy Young award. I also think that Cole DeVries is going to be great this season surprising just about everyone who is a baseball fan. And Rich Harden is going to look like his old Cy Young self from just a few short years ago (as soon as his shoulder is better) and and that Sam Deduno is going to be the next Dwight Gooden and...
...well, you get the idea.
Baseball turns me into a kid again.
I like that in some ways. Each season, every team starts out with the same record, and every once in a great while, out of nowhere, a 1987 or a 1991 occurs. We've lived through that twice. Being just AWFUL one season and then suddenly, World Series champs the next.
But I HATE that in so many other ways. You end up watching a lot of early season games and all of the sudden you actually see your hopes and dreams come crashing to the ground in much the same way that Plouffe mishandles a ground ball or Willingham gets turned around in the outfield trying to catch a simple fly ball.
You still tune in each night knowing the season is just getting started. You see little things that still make you hopeful. A great pitching performance here, a nicely executed squeeze play there, a walk-off homerun, a younger player who is batting .300 with lots of speed...
... and you decieve yourself into somehow thinking that it's all going to come together in just a "couple of more games."
And it doesn't. You end up losing 100 games or more. You blame big-money player contracts, management, and horrible managing while all the while seeing what they can do to fix everything for NEXT year.
Baseball is an addiction. You grew up with it. You see its mystique, and you go along for the ride every single year. Some of those rides lead to really bad trips. Just like every other addiction.
His Arm Is As Big As My Head
That was Ricky Rubio describing his massively physical teammate, Nikola Pekovic.
I actually watched some of the game last night. I figured that the Wolves are .500 at home and that Philly is at least as bad as the Wolves are, so why not? Pekovic had a double double with 4 minutes left in the first half. He ended with 27 points and a career high in rebounds with 18.
They did win as well. What surprised me the most was how physical the game really was. There were 76 combined free throw attempts by games end.
It was ALMOST a complete meltdown in the fourth quarter. The Wolves led by 19 a couple of times in the game and were clearly out-rebounding the lifeless Sixers. But with 2 and a half minutes to go, it became a four point game.
I turned it off at that point.
At the same time, I figure if all I have are the Wolves, I might as well watch them. At least part of the game...
...once in a while.
I actually watched some of the game last night. I figured that the Wolves are .500 at home and that Philly is at least as bad as the Wolves are, so why not? Pekovic had a double double with 4 minutes left in the first half. He ended with 27 points and a career high in rebounds with 18.
They did win as well. What surprised me the most was how physical the game really was. There were 76 combined free throw attempts by games end.
It was ALMOST a complete meltdown in the fourth quarter. The Wolves led by 19 a couple of times in the game and were clearly out-rebounding the lifeless Sixers. But with 2 and a half minutes to go, it became a four point game.
I turned it off at that point.
At the same time, I figure if all I have are the Wolves, I might as well watch them. At least part of the game...
...once in a while.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Pistorius
So his alibi is that he THOUGHT his girlfriend was still in bed and that he THOUGHT that the person he shot through a locked door was actually an intruder who must have climbed a ladder to get into his upper story apartment .
She must have been sound asleep on the toilet in that case, because he freely admits that he tried kicking the door down with his artificial legs first AND then used a baseball bat on the door several times to try getting into the room.
Not ONCE did he think it was his girlfriend who he thought was still SLEEPING in their bed after all of this noise and commotion.
Is he deaf? Did he not HEAR her crying out, "it's me!" any time during the process.
He said he was scared for his life that an intruder was in his LOCKED bathroom, so, after failing to get into the bathroom, he simply fired a gun through the locked door FOUR times?
Let's see, the "intruder" was safely in a locked room AWAY from them. He didn't have time to go to his girlfriend (who was in bed a short distance away) and tell her to get up and leave quickly, but he had time to put on (and TAKE OFF his artificial legs) and find a baseball bat and use it on the door.
He then had even MORE time to go get a gun...
All the time "fearing for his life" but never simply fleeing with his girlfriend?
I don't usually judge cases until I hear all the evidence. I think I just heard all of his evidence. He's either the absolute deaf and dumbest boyfriend of all-time or he is a cold-blooded killer.
I've made up my mind. I don't think the jury will take long either.
Actually, I just gave you the prosecution's story.
His version:
He grabbed his gun and yelled to his girlfriend to call the police. He shot through the door FIRST. THEN, realizing his girlfriend was not in bed like he thought, frantically broke down the door to find his girlfriend dying.
Now there's doubt.
The jury will have to decide which story makes the most sense.
She must have been sound asleep on the toilet in that case, because he freely admits that he tried kicking the door down with his artificial legs first AND then used a baseball bat on the door several times to try getting into the room.
Not ONCE did he think it was his girlfriend who he thought was still SLEEPING in their bed after all of this noise and commotion.
Is he deaf? Did he not HEAR her crying out, "it's me!" any time during the process.
He said he was scared for his life that an intruder was in his LOCKED bathroom, so, after failing to get into the bathroom, he simply fired a gun through the locked door FOUR times?
Let's see, the "intruder" was safely in a locked room AWAY from them. He didn't have time to go to his girlfriend (who was in bed a short distance away) and tell her to get up and leave quickly, but he had time to put on (and TAKE OFF his artificial legs) and find a baseball bat and use it on the door.
He then had even MORE time to go get a gun...
All the time "fearing for his life" but never simply fleeing with his girlfriend?
I don't usually judge cases until I hear all the evidence. I think I just heard all of his evidence. He's either the absolute deaf and dumbest boyfriend of all-time or he is a cold-blooded killer.
I've made up my mind. I don't think the jury will take long either.
Actually, I just gave you the prosecution's story.
His version:
He grabbed his gun and yelled to his girlfriend to call the police. He shot through the door FIRST. THEN, realizing his girlfriend was not in bed like he thought, frantically broke down the door to find his girlfriend dying.
Now there's doubt.
The jury will have to decide which story makes the most sense.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
35 Pitchers
Where MOST major league ball clubs invite as many as twenty pitchers to spring training, most settle for about 15. The Twins currently have 35 prospects trying to find some mound time down in Florida.
THIRTY-FIVE!
It's come to the point that they are actually digging up dirt and making lots of extra mounds outside their practice field so that these guys can find a place, any place, to pitch.
Let's face it, none of this gives an average Twins fan much reason for optimism. The Twins are basically going to throw 35 pitchers at the wall and see if any of them stick. That might not be a bad philosophy EXCEPT that most of those arms are not going to see any real game time. There's not nearly enough games in spring training to evaluate all of them properly. Most teams KNOW that there aren't enough games to evaluate 15 arms properly. The Twins coaching staff simply isn't large enough to look at that many pitchers.
Just watching them throw off a mound in practice sessions isn't going to show anybody much anyway. Pitching is a whole lot more than throwing to a guy behind the plate while somebody watches, realizing of course that most of the guys that they will also be throwing TO aren't even catchers.
Scott Diamond, barring injury or freakish accident pretty much has a starting job sewn up. Vance Worley will be given a starter's role at the beginning of the season IF he looks pretty much recovered from his Tommy John surgery from two years back.
The Twins top prospect, Kyle Gibson will be given every opportunity to prove himself after his own Tommy John surgery from a little over a year ago, but he PROBABLY won't be ready by opening day. The Twins are going to baby that arm knowing that even hard-working guys like Joe Nathan needed about 18 months to start looking like his old self when he came back from his own TJ surgery. The Twins had him back in twelve months, but sent him to the minors after so many horrible outings. He simply needed more time to get his groove back. Kyle will most likely need that as well.
Scarier? We don't even know if Kyle CAN pitch at the major league level, since he's never done it. We just know that he was pretty good in the minors.
Last year's late season starters (Cole Devries, Liam Hendriks, and Sam Deduno) did not impress the Twins as much as they would have liked. DeVries was hurt just as he started to look good. Deduno was incredibly wild, and Liam Hendriks always looked good but at the same time lost 17 starts in a row (an all-time major league record!) before finally winning a game late last season.
IF the Twins had confidence in THEM, they wouldn't have invited 35 pitchers to spring training.
Like everyone else, I'm just waiting to hear and see good reports coming from spring training about a few pitchers who look "better than expected." With 35 to choose from, a few may actually standout and shine.
We should have a few good relievers. We always do. But wins are determined by how good your starting rotation is, and how deep into game that each can go. Without starters who can pitch 6 or 7 innings, it doesn't matter how good your relief corp is. Bad starters will burn that relief corp out in a hurry, and the season will become incredibly hard to follow.
I haven't read or heard one Twins sport's writer who thinks that THIS YEAR'S squad is better than last year's roster. Considering how bad last year's roster was, that's just rubbing salt in the wound.
The ONE plus? Getting tickets to games this season is going to be much, much easier.
Of course, I don't know many Twin's fans who will have the patience to sit through a nine-inning game this year.
Even Tom the Twins Fan has his limits.
THIRTY-FIVE!
It's come to the point that they are actually digging up dirt and making lots of extra mounds outside their practice field so that these guys can find a place, any place, to pitch.
Let's face it, none of this gives an average Twins fan much reason for optimism. The Twins are basically going to throw 35 pitchers at the wall and see if any of them stick. That might not be a bad philosophy EXCEPT that most of those arms are not going to see any real game time. There's not nearly enough games in spring training to evaluate all of them properly. Most teams KNOW that there aren't enough games to evaluate 15 arms properly. The Twins coaching staff simply isn't large enough to look at that many pitchers.
Just watching them throw off a mound in practice sessions isn't going to show anybody much anyway. Pitching is a whole lot more than throwing to a guy behind the plate while somebody watches, realizing of course that most of the guys that they will also be throwing TO aren't even catchers.
Scott Diamond, barring injury or freakish accident pretty much has a starting job sewn up. Vance Worley will be given a starter's role at the beginning of the season IF he looks pretty much recovered from his Tommy John surgery from two years back.
The Twins top prospect, Kyle Gibson will be given every opportunity to prove himself after his own Tommy John surgery from a little over a year ago, but he PROBABLY won't be ready by opening day. The Twins are going to baby that arm knowing that even hard-working guys like Joe Nathan needed about 18 months to start looking like his old self when he came back from his own TJ surgery. The Twins had him back in twelve months, but sent him to the minors after so many horrible outings. He simply needed more time to get his groove back. Kyle will most likely need that as well.
Scarier? We don't even know if Kyle CAN pitch at the major league level, since he's never done it. We just know that he was pretty good in the minors.
Last year's late season starters (Cole Devries, Liam Hendriks, and Sam Deduno) did not impress the Twins as much as they would have liked. DeVries was hurt just as he started to look good. Deduno was incredibly wild, and Liam Hendriks always looked good but at the same time lost 17 starts in a row (an all-time major league record!) before finally winning a game late last season.
IF the Twins had confidence in THEM, they wouldn't have invited 35 pitchers to spring training.
Like everyone else, I'm just waiting to hear and see good reports coming from spring training about a few pitchers who look "better than expected." With 35 to choose from, a few may actually standout and shine.
We should have a few good relievers. We always do. But wins are determined by how good your starting rotation is, and how deep into game that each can go. Without starters who can pitch 6 or 7 innings, it doesn't matter how good your relief corp is. Bad starters will burn that relief corp out in a hurry, and the season will become incredibly hard to follow.
I haven't read or heard one Twins sport's writer who thinks that THIS YEAR'S squad is better than last year's roster. Considering how bad last year's roster was, that's just rubbing salt in the wound.
The ONE plus? Getting tickets to games this season is going to be much, much easier.
Of course, I don't know many Twin's fans who will have the patience to sit through a nine-inning game this year.
Even Tom the Twins Fan has his limits.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Wild Win
At least they are above .500 again.
Oh, and the NBA put on another offensive masterpiece last night at the All-Star Game.
Los Angeles (Griffin, Paul, and Kobe) won.
Oh, and the NBA put on another offensive masterpiece last night at the All-Star Game.
Los Angeles (Griffin, Paul, and Kobe) won.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Miguel Sano
I've been reading a lot about the Twins number one prospect the last couple of weeks.
I wasn't going to comment on him because he's still at least a couple of years away from playing major league ball, but since I have nothing else to talk about today, I figured I might as well.
He's a 19-year old Dominacan player who is 6 feet 4 inches tall (he was 6 foot THREE last year, so he MAY still be growing) and he weighs about 230 pounds. The Twins signed him to a bonus worth more than $3 million a little over a year ago and he has more POWER than every other prospect in baseball.
Last year he had 28 homers and 100 RBI in the minors.
Don't get too excited just yet, though. His batting average is around .250. That's NOT a good sign for a hitter in the minors. It means he's willing to sacrifice disciplined hitting so that he can swing for the fences. The Twins typically to NOT promote minor leaguers with low batting averages unless they have a great glove.
And that's the major problem. Originally, the Twins were thinking about using him as a 6 foot TWO third baseman. He quickly grew to 6 foot THREE and is now Six foot FOUR. There are not a lot of good solid third basemen who are that big in all of baseball history. MVP and triple-crown winner Miguel Cabrera comes to mind, but basically NO ONE else. A-Rod is tall, but not that heavy.
That's the entire list.
A bigger problem? He really has NEVER played third base very well. His range is limited and his glove is best described as an immobile brick. Though he's bound to get better with some instruction, the Twins already have a third baseman who can hit with power while not being so great with defense in Trevor Plouffe. Plouffe could conceivably hit thirty home runs a season if he stays healthy and is ALLOWED to play every day, but the Twins don't trust his defense.
As one scout observed, Plouffe is a gold-glove in comparison to Miguel Sano. If the Twins don't trust Plouffe as a power hitter playing third base, they probably aren't going to use Sano there either.
So WHERE will he play IF he gets even bigger and better as a hitter?
That's the 3 million dollar question. At least the Twins are an A.L. ball club, but no team EVER uses someone that young as a permanent DH. In fact, the Twins like putting Mauer and Morneau in that role regularly to give them a day off and to keep them fresh. Even if the Twins get rid of BOTH over the next two seasons, the Twins will most likely still give the DH role to a bunch of guys rather than just one. That's just how they do things.
Sano currently has power but no full-time role. That's a bad combination.
But he has lots and lots of power. On a scale of 20-80 on the power scale, fan graphs puts him at a perfect 80. There just aren't a lot of guys out there who get a rating like that.
He also has a .884 fielding percentage (.950 would put him 11th in the majors among third baseman. 900 wouldn't even GET him in the majors) and he strikes out more than 25% of the time.
Let's not forget that he's Dominican. There is concern that he MAY be 24 years old. Most Dominican's hide their age so that they can PRETEND that they are young and inexperienced and that they have more potential than they really possess.
He has power, but he also has a lot of question marks.
He may be the Twins number ONE prospect but I'm afraid we will never see him as a regular in the majors.
Only time will tell.
I wasn't going to comment on him because he's still at least a couple of years away from playing major league ball, but since I have nothing else to talk about today, I figured I might as well.
He's a 19-year old Dominacan player who is 6 feet 4 inches tall (he was 6 foot THREE last year, so he MAY still be growing) and he weighs about 230 pounds. The Twins signed him to a bonus worth more than $3 million a little over a year ago and he has more POWER than every other prospect in baseball.
Last year he had 28 homers and 100 RBI in the minors.
Don't get too excited just yet, though. His batting average is around .250. That's NOT a good sign for a hitter in the minors. It means he's willing to sacrifice disciplined hitting so that he can swing for the fences. The Twins typically to NOT promote minor leaguers with low batting averages unless they have a great glove.
And that's the major problem. Originally, the Twins were thinking about using him as a 6 foot TWO third baseman. He quickly grew to 6 foot THREE and is now Six foot FOUR. There are not a lot of good solid third basemen who are that big in all of baseball history. MVP and triple-crown winner Miguel Cabrera comes to mind, but basically NO ONE else. A-Rod is tall, but not that heavy.
That's the entire list.
A bigger problem? He really has NEVER played third base very well. His range is limited and his glove is best described as an immobile brick. Though he's bound to get better with some instruction, the Twins already have a third baseman who can hit with power while not being so great with defense in Trevor Plouffe. Plouffe could conceivably hit thirty home runs a season if he stays healthy and is ALLOWED to play every day, but the Twins don't trust his defense.
As one scout observed, Plouffe is a gold-glove in comparison to Miguel Sano. If the Twins don't trust Plouffe as a power hitter playing third base, they probably aren't going to use Sano there either.
So WHERE will he play IF he gets even bigger and better as a hitter?
That's the 3 million dollar question. At least the Twins are an A.L. ball club, but no team EVER uses someone that young as a permanent DH. In fact, the Twins like putting Mauer and Morneau in that role regularly to give them a day off and to keep them fresh. Even if the Twins get rid of BOTH over the next two seasons, the Twins will most likely still give the DH role to a bunch of guys rather than just one. That's just how they do things.
Sano currently has power but no full-time role. That's a bad combination.
But he has lots and lots of power. On a scale of 20-80 on the power scale, fan graphs puts him at a perfect 80. There just aren't a lot of guys out there who get a rating like that.
He also has a .884 fielding percentage (.950 would put him 11th in the majors among third baseman. 900 wouldn't even GET him in the majors) and he strikes out more than 25% of the time.
Let's not forget that he's Dominican. There is concern that he MAY be 24 years old. Most Dominican's hide their age so that they can PRETEND that they are young and inexperienced and that they have more potential than they really possess.
He has power, but he also has a lot of question marks.
He may be the Twins number ONE prospect but I'm afraid we will never see him as a regular in the majors.
Only time will tell.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Vikings "NEW" Logo
It's not a whole lot different than the old one. Most folks won't even see a difference, but the deigner/artist in me loves the subtle changes.
At the same time, I'm torn. I still feel the Vikings LUCKED into a good season this year primarily because Adrian Peterson had a career-defining year AND some of the Vikings had unexpectedly BRILLIANT single game performances. The coaching staff did NOTHING to help this team win, and in the long run, I think were looking at several HORRIBLE seasons to come.
In light of that, I'd suggest a more appropriate logo:
At the same time, I'm torn. I still feel the Vikings LUCKED into a good season this year primarily because Adrian Peterson had a career-defining year AND some of the Vikings had unexpectedly BRILLIANT single game performances. The coaching staff did NOTHING to help this team win, and in the long run, I think were looking at several HORRIBLE seasons to come.
In light of that, I'd suggest a more appropriate logo:
Spoiled LeBron
Michael Jordan recently stated that greatness in players should be determined by titles won, not individual accomplishments and stats.
LeBron James came out strongly against that statement yesterday. He was especially offended by Michael saying he'd take Kobe over Lebron because Kobe has FIVE titles and LeBron has only ONE.
LeBron's point was that Bill Russell won ELEVEN titles and he said that Bill wasn't better than Michael who only had SIX.
My Take: The point Michael was trying to make (and that LeBron missed completely) is that it takes a long HISTORY of championship success to define greatness. LeBron has a huge chip on shoulder, and until he wins that NBA title at least three times, he will always have that chip. He's in a great situation on the Heat right now. He has teammates that can get him a few more titles, BUT until he gets those titles, he should really shut up and let his playing do the talking.
You know like the greatest of all-time, Michael Jordan ALWAYS did.
(Except for Wilt, of course.)
LeBron James came out strongly against that statement yesterday. He was especially offended by Michael saying he'd take Kobe over Lebron because Kobe has FIVE titles and LeBron has only ONE.
LeBron's point was that Bill Russell won ELEVEN titles and he said that Bill wasn't better than Michael who only had SIX.
My Take: The point Michael was trying to make (and that LeBron missed completely) is that it takes a long HISTORY of championship success to define greatness. LeBron has a huge chip on shoulder, and until he wins that NBA title at least three times, he will always have that chip. He's in a great situation on the Heat right now. He has teammates that can get him a few more titles, BUT until he gets those titles, he should really shut up and let his playing do the talking.
You know like the greatest of all-time, Michael Jordan ALWAYS did.
(Except for Wilt, of course.)
Jordan STILL Great
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (He was born in that era when moms and dads combined their last names to "honor" each other. One generation later we realize if that continued to do that, we'd have some very long last names. Example: If he continued the new tradition, his new name when he gets married could very well become something like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-Beech-Peterson and any of HIS kids could conceivably have a last name 8 names long. Stop the madness before it's too late.))
But I digress. Getting back to the story-
Kidd-Gilchrist, the number TWO draft pick this past season, played his boss Micahel Jordan in a game of one-on-one before the rookie game at the All-Star game this year.
He got smoked. At 6' 7" and only 20 years old, you'd think he could beat a 50 year-old man. Well, you'd be wrong.
Michael is STILL a very good basketball player.
I know these older guys aren't going to play in the NBA anymore BUT how about a new television show where recent NBA retirees play each other in one-no one and two-on-two action. I'd watch. I'm sure a LOT of people would watch.
I want to see Michael play again. Michael vs. Larry anyone?
But I digress. Getting back to the story-
Kidd-Gilchrist, the number TWO draft pick this past season, played his boss Micahel Jordan in a game of one-on-one before the rookie game at the All-Star game this year.
He got smoked. At 6' 7" and only 20 years old, you'd think he could beat a 50 year-old man. Well, you'd be wrong.
Michael is STILL a very good basketball player.
I know these older guys aren't going to play in the NBA anymore BUT how about a new television show where recent NBA retirees play each other in one-no one and two-on-two action. I'd watch. I'm sure a LOT of people would watch.
I want to see Michael play again. Michael vs. Larry anyone?
Friday, February 15, 2013
Asteroid Speeding Toward Earth
I know scientists say this asteroid, the size of approximately three cubic football fields is going to miss the Earth by at least a few thousand miles BUT they are known to be wrong once in a while. (Meteorologists who predicted up to 2 inches of snow for us yesterday come to mind.)
METEOR-ologists?
If they are wrong, I'd just like tell everybody how much fun I've had doing my two different blogs the last five years.
METEOR-ologists?
If they are wrong, I'd just like tell everybody how much fun I've had doing my two different blogs the last five years.
NBA
I have to admit that the two NBA match-ups last night intrigued me. The Heat went against OKC (OKC! OKC! OKC!) and the Clippers were at the Lakers.
I watched neither because it was CBS Thursday, but IF these games were played on Saturday afternoon I may have tried watching both.
The Heat winning yet again kind of means that they are probably the best team in the NBA. LeBron had his 30 point/60% shooting streak stopped at 6 games last night, but even with his poor free throw shooting, I am slowly starting to come around to the idea that he may be one of the top 10 players in basketball.
The Clippers CLOBBERED the Lakers last night. I would have liked to have seen that. There is one GREAT team in L.A. now and it is definitely not the Lakers.
More on CBS's Thursday night lineup_
SKIP 2 1/2 MEN.
Big Bang Theory's Valentine's day episode was the BEST of what comedy has to offer on modern television. Funny, poignant, and reletively clean, it was hilarious last night. And Penny finally explained why she is such a cranky character. That the main characters are all geeks and nerds just makes all the pop culture references even funnier.
Person of Interest has the most ridiculous premise in television. A super-genius billionaire (who is "off the grid") invented a machine that can predict people who are in danger of being killed. It sounds SO stupid when you SAY it, but the execution of that premise is unbelievably satisfying. It's best described as a cross between Mission Impossible and Batman, with the very BEST of both of those genres shining through.
The plots are intricate and involved, and all the actors are so convincing in their roles that you absolutely cannot wait to see how they "fix" everything. In a year and a half the show has created an absolutely amazing array of great villains and a far-reaching mythos that is unmatched in television history. Warning: There have been a couple of "clunker" episodes, and IF you want to see the show, start from the beginning. They have built this show from the ground up and watching it IN ORDER will be much better than just "jumping in."
Elementary surprised me. Sherlock Holmes has two very different other incarnations right now. The British show Sherlock which seems to be MOST people's favorite version and the Robert Downey Jr. film franchise Sherlock Holmes which I really like.
Elementary has Sherlock living in modern day New York City and Watson is now a woman played by Lucy Lui. The mysteries are a bit better than run of the mill, and the relationship between Watson and Holmes is the best on television. It's plutonic, but the characters care about each other deeply. And they respect each other. The mysteries are just a way they continue to build their incredible relationship. And Sherlock Holmes has ALWAYS been about the Holmes/Watson relationship. This twist on it is currently my favorite.
I don't watch any other CBS programming, especially the procedural police dramas. They are all pretty much the same show. Elementary and Person of Interest are simply much, much better programs.
I watched neither because it was CBS Thursday, but IF these games were played on Saturday afternoon I may have tried watching both.
The Heat winning yet again kind of means that they are probably the best team in the NBA. LeBron had his 30 point/60% shooting streak stopped at 6 games last night, but even with his poor free throw shooting, I am slowly starting to come around to the idea that he may be one of the top 10 players in basketball.
The Clippers CLOBBERED the Lakers last night. I would have liked to have seen that. There is one GREAT team in L.A. now and it is definitely not the Lakers.
More on CBS's Thursday night lineup_
SKIP 2 1/2 MEN.
Big Bang Theory's Valentine's day episode was the BEST of what comedy has to offer on modern television. Funny, poignant, and reletively clean, it was hilarious last night. And Penny finally explained why she is such a cranky character. That the main characters are all geeks and nerds just makes all the pop culture references even funnier.
Person of Interest has the most ridiculous premise in television. A super-genius billionaire (who is "off the grid") invented a machine that can predict people who are in danger of being killed. It sounds SO stupid when you SAY it, but the execution of that premise is unbelievably satisfying. It's best described as a cross between Mission Impossible and Batman, with the very BEST of both of those genres shining through.
The plots are intricate and involved, and all the actors are so convincing in their roles that you absolutely cannot wait to see how they "fix" everything. In a year and a half the show has created an absolutely amazing array of great villains and a far-reaching mythos that is unmatched in television history. Warning: There have been a couple of "clunker" episodes, and IF you want to see the show, start from the beginning. They have built this show from the ground up and watching it IN ORDER will be much better than just "jumping in."
Elementary surprised me. Sherlock Holmes has two very different other incarnations right now. The British show Sherlock which seems to be MOST people's favorite version and the Robert Downey Jr. film franchise Sherlock Holmes which I really like.
Elementary has Sherlock living in modern day New York City and Watson is now a woman played by Lucy Lui. The mysteries are a bit better than run of the mill, and the relationship between Watson and Holmes is the best on television. It's plutonic, but the characters care about each other deeply. And they respect each other. The mysteries are just a way they continue to build their incredible relationship. And Sherlock Holmes has ALWAYS been about the Holmes/Watson relationship. This twist on it is currently my favorite.
I don't watch any other CBS programming, especially the procedural police dramas. They are all pretty much the same show. Elementary and Person of Interest are simply much, much better programs.
Gophers Win Big Ten Game
It was at home against number 20 Wisconsin in OT.
I now see WHY everybody gets invited to the Madness Tournament in March. There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams. (Oogway - Kung Fu Panda)
Since anybody can beat anybody, everybody is invited.
When are they expanding to 128? I MIGHT start watching when it's 256.
I've even got their new slogan:
Way More Teams! Even More Madness!
I now see WHY everybody gets invited to the Madness Tournament in March. There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams. (Oogway - Kung Fu Panda)
Since anybody can beat anybody, everybody is invited.
When are they expanding to 128? I MIGHT start watching when it's 256.
I've even got their new slogan:
Way More Teams! Even More Madness!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Oscar Pistorius
You remember this guy?
He made a name for himself at the Olympics and then got ticked when another runner with similar leg gear beat him at the Para-Olympics about a month later.
You kind of got the idea he was a jerk even though he was being portrayed as a hero by some in the media.
Well now it looks like he murdered his model girlfriend. Though in South Africa it's illegal to name someone as a suspect until after he has been arraigned in court, he is the only suspect on a very short list.
Police say he had a "history" of domestic calls.
It just goes to show that even with great opportunity ANYONE can be a loser.
He made a name for himself at the Olympics and then got ticked when another runner with similar leg gear beat him at the Para-Olympics about a month later.
You kind of got the idea he was a jerk even though he was being portrayed as a hero by some in the media.
Well now it looks like he murdered his model girlfriend. Though in South Africa it's illegal to name someone as a suspect until after he has been arraigned in court, he is the only suspect on a very short list.
Police say he had a "history" of domestic calls.
It just goes to show that even with great opportunity ANYONE can be a loser.
Derrick Rose
The Chicago Bulls are still having a pretty good season, even without
their star guard. Rose tore his ACL about a month after Ricky Rubio
last year. He says he's not ready to come back and that he WON'T come back until he's "110%."
I'm not doubting that he's still injured. In fact he says he still can't jump explosively off of his leg and dunk the ball. I'm just starting to realize, though, that he doesn't have much of an incentive to come back and play.
Let me explain.
It's Michael Jordan's 50th birthday this week and I've been seeing and reading about how much he has "changed the game." And not just ON the court. Michael was the first basketball player to sign a shoe contract with an athletic shoe company. He STILL makes more money from his endorsements than he ever made playing the game.
LAST year, Nike sold over a BILLION dollars worth of Jordan's branded gear. They have 20 full-time shoe designers working on just his shoes alone. And they release several different new shoes every year with his name on them.
Michael started that trend and other players today are benefiting from his lead.
Flash forward to Derrick Rose. Derrick has a 7 year $95 million guaranteed contract with the Bulls. It's certainly nothing to sneeze at. BUT it is just a pittance compared to the $215 million deal he has with Adidas to endorse their shoes. It's NOT guaranteed. IF he doesn't perform WELL, or if he has some bad seasons, they can cancel his contract (or at the very least reduce what they pay him.)
In other words, he may stay OFF the playing court a while longer simply because there is more money in it for him to do so. And that's not talking about his OTHER similar merchandise deals.
Bulls fans are anxiously awaiting Rose' return. He's going to take it a bit more slowly, though. There's a good chance they won't see him until next season. There's an awful lot of money at stake, and Adidas might now be the tail wagging the dog.
I'm not doubting that he's still injured. In fact he says he still can't jump explosively off of his leg and dunk the ball. I'm just starting to realize, though, that he doesn't have much of an incentive to come back and play.
Let me explain.
It's Michael Jordan's 50th birthday this week and I've been seeing and reading about how much he has "changed the game." And not just ON the court. Michael was the first basketball player to sign a shoe contract with an athletic shoe company. He STILL makes more money from his endorsements than he ever made playing the game.
LAST year, Nike sold over a BILLION dollars worth of Jordan's branded gear. They have 20 full-time shoe designers working on just his shoes alone. And they release several different new shoes every year with his name on them.
Michael started that trend and other players today are benefiting from his lead.
Flash forward to Derrick Rose. Derrick has a 7 year $95 million guaranteed contract with the Bulls. It's certainly nothing to sneeze at. BUT it is just a pittance compared to the $215 million deal he has with Adidas to endorse their shoes. It's NOT guaranteed. IF he doesn't perform WELL, or if he has some bad seasons, they can cancel his contract (or at the very least reduce what they pay him.)
In other words, he may stay OFF the playing court a while longer simply because there is more money in it for him to do so. And that's not talking about his OTHER similar merchandise deals.
Bulls fans are anxiously awaiting Rose' return. He's going to take it a bit more slowly, though. There's a good chance they won't see him until next season. There's an awful lot of money at stake, and Adidas might now be the tail wagging the dog.
Leslie Frazier
The Vikings had an option year on Leslie Frasier's contract that runs through 2014. They invoked that option yesterday. Leslie will be with us for a while.
My Take: Sigh, Leslie Frazier will be with us for a while.
My Take: Sigh, Leslie Frazier will be with us for a while.
Another Steroid Suspension
Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu was suspended 20 games by the NBA on Wednesday after testing positive for steroids.
Turkoglu took full responsibility for the positive test and apologized to the Magic organization, fans and fellow teammates. He said he took medication from a trainer in Turkey this past summer to help him recover from a shoulder injury and mistakenly neglected to check it against the NBA's list of banned substances.
My Take: It's nice to see NBA players getting in on the banned substances bandwagon. Sometimes I think they live in their own little world.
Turkoglu took full responsibility for the positive test and apologized to the Magic organization, fans and fellow teammates. He said he took medication from a trainer in Turkey this past summer to help him recover from a shoulder injury and mistakenly neglected to check it against the NBA's list of banned substances.
My Take: It's nice to see NBA players getting in on the banned substances bandwagon. Sometimes I think they live in their own little world.
Awful Injury of the Day
Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson will need surgery to repair his left Achilles after the tendon was cut by a skate blade late in the second period Wednesday night against Pittsburgh.
You NEVER see these kind of injuries anywhere else. Athletes tear that tendon all the time as it comes loose from one of the attachment points, but having it SEVERED? This is going to take some time to heal and quite a bit of work by skilled surgeons to fix.
I may not like hockey much, but I sure respect the athleticism of the guys who play it. What a devastating injury.
You NEVER see these kind of injuries anywhere else. Athletes tear that tendon all the time as it comes loose from one of the attachment points, but having it SEVERED? This is going to take some time to heal and quite a bit of work by skilled surgeons to fix.
I may not like hockey much, but I sure respect the athleticism of the guys who play it. What a devastating injury.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Hernandez Mistake
Felix Hernandez is a very good pitcher. The Seattle Mariners rewarded him yesterday with a 7 year, $175 million deal making him the richest pitcher in baseball history.
At 26 years of age, he's almost young enough to be worth that much.
The problem? It's the same problem that every team has when they sign a player to a long-term, high money deal.
IF he doesn't perform well, for ANY reason, for the entire length of his contract, he has effectively destroyed the Mariners franchise. One elbow injury. A Tommy John surgery. Tearing a spleen while shoveling snow... ANYTHING could stop this from being a good deal for the Mariners.
Even if HE stays healthy, it will be difficult for the Mariners to sign and keep their rising stars because of the huge investment they made in Felix.
I have said it before and I'll continue to say it. Big-money, long-term deals rarely work out.
A-Rod did great for the Rangers when he signed his first deal, and he STILL almost killed the franchise because the Rangers couldn't afford to buy him better teammates (so that the franchise could actually be a winner.) It wasn't until they unloaded him to the Yankees that they finally became winners.
The Twins found out that the Mauer deal killed their franchise in about half a season. They have no hope of recovery as long as they have his long-term deal in place.
The Yankees basically have unlimited funds. THEY can make that mistake as often as they want. No one else can.
The Mariners franchise just became the latest in a long line of franchises who have spent their money foolishly hoping to hold onto a young star.
Oh, and spring training is officially underway in Florida. Wake me up when Mauer and his contract are gone. THEN I'll have a reason to care again. Until then, I'll just hope the Vikings somehow become a smarter franchise and that Adrian Peterson stays healthy.
At 26 years of age, he's almost young enough to be worth that much.
The problem? It's the same problem that every team has when they sign a player to a long-term, high money deal.
IF he doesn't perform well, for ANY reason, for the entire length of his contract, he has effectively destroyed the Mariners franchise. One elbow injury. A Tommy John surgery. Tearing a spleen while shoveling snow... ANYTHING could stop this from being a good deal for the Mariners.
Even if HE stays healthy, it will be difficult for the Mariners to sign and keep their rising stars because of the huge investment they made in Felix.
I have said it before and I'll continue to say it. Big-money, long-term deals rarely work out.
A-Rod did great for the Rangers when he signed his first deal, and he STILL almost killed the franchise because the Rangers couldn't afford to buy him better teammates (so that the franchise could actually be a winner.) It wasn't until they unloaded him to the Yankees that they finally became winners.
The Twins found out that the Mauer deal killed their franchise in about half a season. They have no hope of recovery as long as they have his long-term deal in place.
The Yankees basically have unlimited funds. THEY can make that mistake as often as they want. No one else can.
The Mariners franchise just became the latest in a long line of franchises who have spent their money foolishly hoping to hold onto a young star.
Oh, and spring training is officially underway in Florida. Wake me up when Mauer and his contract are gone. THEN I'll have a reason to care again. Until then, I'll just hope the Vikings somehow become a smarter franchise and that Adrian Peterson stays healthy.
Sick, Sad, World
I normally like to read and comment on sports news. But this story is just full of incomprehensible "wrongness." I'll just give you the link instead. There's just too much to talk about and comment on.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8939251/dj-pettway-4-alabama-crimson-tide-freshmen-facing-charges
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8939251/dj-pettway-4-alabama-crimson-tide-freshmen-facing-charges
Way to Go, Banana Joe
Speaking of exhibitions...
My wife and I watched the last half of the Westminster Dog show last night. Okay, I was playing video games on my iPad while she watched it, but I did catch the ending.
A lttle black dog named Banana Joe got best in show.
It was just like watching an Olympic sport.
That's more of a commentary on the Olympics than the dogs.
My wife and I watched the last half of the Westminster Dog show last night. Okay, I was playing video games on my iPad while she watched it, but I did catch the ending.
A lttle black dog named Banana Joe got best in show.
It was just like watching an Olympic sport.
That's more of a commentary on the Olympics than the dogs.
Olympics to Eliminate Wrestling
I find it ironic that the day AFTER I mention that pole dancing might be added to the Olympics as early as 2020, that we all find out that wrestling will most likely be eliminated from the Olympics by 2020 to make room for "more sports."
Now we all know that the Olympics ceased being a showcase for real sports a long time ago. The first time synchronized ANYTHING was added with full medals we lost the sports aspect of the Olympic games.
But wrestling? Wasn't it wrestling and track and field events that STARTED the Olympic games?
We live in a different world today. The vast majority of Olympic viewers are now women, women who normally do not watch anything called sports unless it involves ice skating or gymnastics. Those viewers, especially in prime time, are what give networks their billions of dollars in investment back.
Oddly enough, women do not want to watch smelly guys in singlets rolling around on the mat. They would rather watch beautiful girls in leotards perform to music. Not so oddly, guys would rather watch cute women than smelly men as well. (IF it were PRO wrestling, that would be different.)
What I find most interesting is that women's' Olympic wrestling had only been introduced just a couple of Olympics ago. THAT move made no sense at all. Where hundreds of thousands of men compete worldwide in amatuer wrestling, only a few HUNDRED women do it. There was no great need or call for women's wrestling at any level. It was only added to somehow add gender equality to something that did not need it.
The same could be said for women's boxing. Though you could probably make a case for any boxing at this point. There is a waning interest in it worldwide.
IF I were in charge?
The first sports I'd get rid of are any involving animals. Equestrian comes to mind, but so does the "modern" pentathalon. What kind of sport involves a horse, a gun, a pool, and SWORDS for crying out loud? Since it's HUMAN competition we should be able to get rid of any sport involving horses.
Next? I mentioned it earlier. Synchronized anything. It was bad enough when they had synchronized swimming, but then they added synchronized TEAM swimming, and synchronized TEAM rhythmic gymnastics, and synchronized diving... and...
...well you get the idea. ONE person doing something better than someone else MAY be a sport, but two people doing the same thing together, mirroring each other IS NOT. Dance? Exhibition? Performance ART? I'll give you that. Sport? Hardly.
Did you know that Taekwondo AND Judo are both SEPARATE Olympic sports? 99% of sports fans don't either. I say get rid of at least one of them and make the others compete in the one that is left.
What about race walking? The person who WALKS the fastest gets a gold medal? How about he becomes a runner and sees if he's still fast enough to compete? We might as well have the one-leg hopping event.
Trampoline is also a sport now. Get rid of it.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. (I'm still trying to figure out WHO invented team handball.) The more "sports" that require judges and scoring, the less we'll see real competition. We're now a society that lives on seeing people "voted off" and voted out of competitions. We like judging people and critiquing people. The new Olympic "sports" make that part of the show so much more enjoyable to the average viewer. You know the viewers who normally don't watch sports.
Now we all know that the Olympics ceased being a showcase for real sports a long time ago. The first time synchronized ANYTHING was added with full medals we lost the sports aspect of the Olympic games.
But wrestling? Wasn't it wrestling and track and field events that STARTED the Olympic games?
We live in a different world today. The vast majority of Olympic viewers are now women, women who normally do not watch anything called sports unless it involves ice skating or gymnastics. Those viewers, especially in prime time, are what give networks their billions of dollars in investment back.
Oddly enough, women do not want to watch smelly guys in singlets rolling around on the mat. They would rather watch beautiful girls in leotards perform to music. Not so oddly, guys would rather watch cute women than smelly men as well. (IF it were PRO wrestling, that would be different.)
What I find most interesting is that women's' Olympic wrestling had only been introduced just a couple of Olympics ago. THAT move made no sense at all. Where hundreds of thousands of men compete worldwide in amatuer wrestling, only a few HUNDRED women do it. There was no great need or call for women's wrestling at any level. It was only added to somehow add gender equality to something that did not need it.
The same could be said for women's boxing. Though you could probably make a case for any boxing at this point. There is a waning interest in it worldwide.
IF I were in charge?
The first sports I'd get rid of are any involving animals. Equestrian comes to mind, but so does the "modern" pentathalon. What kind of sport involves a horse, a gun, a pool, and SWORDS for crying out loud? Since it's HUMAN competition we should be able to get rid of any sport involving horses.
Next? I mentioned it earlier. Synchronized anything. It was bad enough when they had synchronized swimming, but then they added synchronized TEAM swimming, and synchronized TEAM rhythmic gymnastics, and synchronized diving... and...
...well you get the idea. ONE person doing something better than someone else MAY be a sport, but two people doing the same thing together, mirroring each other IS NOT. Dance? Exhibition? Performance ART? I'll give you that. Sport? Hardly.
Did you know that Taekwondo AND Judo are both SEPARATE Olympic sports? 99% of sports fans don't either. I say get rid of at least one of them and make the others compete in the one that is left.
What about race walking? The person who WALKS the fastest gets a gold medal? How about he becomes a runner and sees if he's still fast enough to compete? We might as well have the one-leg hopping event.
Trampoline is also a sport now. Get rid of it.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. (I'm still trying to figure out WHO invented team handball.) The more "sports" that require judges and scoring, the less we'll see real competition. We're now a society that lives on seeing people "voted off" and voted out of competitions. We like judging people and critiquing people. The new Olympic "sports" make that part of the show so much more enjoyable to the average viewer. You know the viewers who normally don't watch sports.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
A 350-Pound Running Back with Speed
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1524933-david-fangupo-is-a-350-pound-running-back-and-hes-bigger-and-faster-than-you
WOW!
another link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxrTIU7VbyM
WOW!
another link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxrTIU7VbyM
Harvin
The Vikings look at Percy Harvin as an angry young man. More and more it looks like Vikings want to trade him so that they can rid of his negative influence on the team.
Mike Max from WCCO said the Vikings are actively seeking to trade him rather than deal with him and his upcoming contract demands.
I'll miss Harvin the player, but after awhile, you have to start agreeing with management. If he really is that difficult to deal with ( a season-ending ankle sprain?) maybe getting rid of him is better than paying him for a long-term deal.
I just dread having to face him in the future if he ever becomes happy on another team. I know Adrian Peterson is the MVP of the league, but I'm pretty there are quite a few Vikings fans (myself included) who think that Harvin is the most talented and gifted player on the team. Harvin may very well be the most talented and gifted player in the entire league. With his current attitude, people may never see that.
I'm really hoping that the Vikings and Harvin can come up with something that makes everybody happy. I don't think anyone sees that scenario occurring, though.
Mike Max from WCCO said the Vikings are actively seeking to trade him rather than deal with him and his upcoming contract demands.
I'll miss Harvin the player, but after awhile, you have to start agreeing with management. If he really is that difficult to deal with ( a season-ending ankle sprain?) maybe getting rid of him is better than paying him for a long-term deal.
I just dread having to face him in the future if he ever becomes happy on another team. I know Adrian Peterson is the MVP of the league, but I'm pretty there are quite a few Vikings fans (myself included) who think that Harvin is the most talented and gifted player on the team. Harvin may very well be the most talented and gifted player in the entire league. With his current attitude, people may never see that.
I'm really hoping that the Vikings and Harvin can come up with something that makes everybody happy. I don't think anyone sees that scenario occurring, though.
Ex Twins and Their Injuries
I have no idea how much of these reports are true but knowing that the players in question were once Twins pitchers, it all sounds perfectly reasonable.
A few weeks back it was reported that Carl Pavano ruptured his spleen while shoveling snow. At the time, all I could think about was that I was glad the Twins hadn't re-signed him yet. He manages to get hurt in the weirdest of ways so consistently that after a while you just hope the Twins stay away from him.
Yesterday reports came out that Francisco Liriano, now a Pirate, broke his non-pitching arm on Christmas trying to scare his kids by making a loud noise. Supposedly the Pirates tore up his contact at the news. That last part of the news sounds strange. I'n not sure what kind of contract allows a team to tear up a contract if a player gets hurt by accident. Especially if the injury isn't considered major in anyway. By now, his arm should be pretty much healed.
In any event, that's just two more pitchers that the Twins no longer have to worry about.
We got all sorts of bad pitchers on the roster right now. We don't need any more headaches.
A few weeks back it was reported that Carl Pavano ruptured his spleen while shoveling snow. At the time, all I could think about was that I was glad the Twins hadn't re-signed him yet. He manages to get hurt in the weirdest of ways so consistently that after a while you just hope the Twins stay away from him.
Yesterday reports came out that Francisco Liriano, now a Pirate, broke his non-pitching arm on Christmas trying to scare his kids by making a loud noise. Supposedly the Pirates tore up his contact at the news. That last part of the news sounds strange. I'n not sure what kind of contract allows a team to tear up a contract if a player gets hurt by accident. Especially if the injury isn't considered major in anyway. By now, his arm should be pretty much healed.
In any event, that's just two more pitchers that the Twins no longer have to worry about.
We got all sorts of bad pitchers on the roster right now. We don't need any more headaches.
Olympic Pole Dancing
I saw an article yesterday and I originally thought it was a joke.
Pole dancing started out in bars and strip clubs. It is now a sport, and it's come so far, so fast that it's actually been added to a list of sports being considered for future Olympic games.
Pole dancing.
Pole dancing?
It won't be a sport to watch for in the next Summer Olympic Games coming up in three years, but a movement is afoot to get it added by the 2020 games.
It may never happen, but knowing that it's even being considered is kind of surreal. And I wonder if their will be both a men and women's division.
USA! USA! USA!
Pole dancing started out in bars and strip clubs. It is now a sport, and it's come so far, so fast that it's actually been added to a list of sports being considered for future Olympic games.
Pole dancing.
Pole dancing?
It won't be a sport to watch for in the next Summer Olympic Games coming up in three years, but a movement is afoot to get it added by the 2020 games.
It may never happen, but knowing that it's even being considered is kind of surreal. And I wonder if their will be both a men and women's division.
USA! USA! USA!
Wolves, Wild Win
The Wolves beat one of the few teams in the league with a worse record than they have.
The Wild won another soccer-type game 2-1 in a shootout. I almost saw a goal last night. I was watching the game near the end of the second period when it was still 0-0. I switched for a few seconds to see if wrestling was back from commercial break and by the time I switched back (maybe 20 seconds) I saw the Wild celebrating their first goal. Their only goal in regulation.
Hockey is so hard to watch.
But at least I'm reporting on two wins this morning. Much better.
The Wild won another soccer-type game 2-1 in a shootout. I almost saw a goal last night. I was watching the game near the end of the second period when it was still 0-0. I switched for a few seconds to see if wrestling was back from commercial break and by the time I switched back (maybe 20 seconds) I saw the Wild celebrating their first goal. Their only goal in regulation.
Hockey is so hard to watch.
But at least I'm reporting on two wins this morning. Much better.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Another Day Another Drug
Toradol is a popular injected painkiller among pro athletes.
You take it 30 minutes before game time and you feel great for about four hours. It's legal and many athletes use it.
HOWEVER, that may me changing. Some teams no longer let their doctors administer it because of potentially dangerous long-term use side-effects. John Palebon, the Red Sox closer from 2005-2011 freely admits that he used it about "once a month" to get through the season. Other players may take it more frequently.
Baseball may look at banning it. Football players have started a lawsuit saying that it masked some other things that should have been dealt with. Concussions, as a result, were made more severe.
The primary concern is internal bleeding. Some entire COUNTRIES have banned the drug. England only allows it to be administered in hospitals.
It's NOT steroid-based, so it's not a performance enhancer, per se. It's just that when you take it, all your pain goes away. So in effect, it becomes a performance enhancer.
Another day. Another drug. It won't be the last one discussed, and debated.
And it won't be the last drug that players take to get an advantage. Sports is all about getting advantages.
You take it 30 minutes before game time and you feel great for about four hours. It's legal and many athletes use it.
HOWEVER, that may me changing. Some teams no longer let their doctors administer it because of potentially dangerous long-term use side-effects. John Palebon, the Red Sox closer from 2005-2011 freely admits that he used it about "once a month" to get through the season. Other players may take it more frequently.
Baseball may look at banning it. Football players have started a lawsuit saying that it masked some other things that should have been dealt with. Concussions, as a result, were made more severe.
The primary concern is internal bleeding. Some entire COUNTRIES have banned the drug. England only allows it to be administered in hospitals.
It's NOT steroid-based, so it's not a performance enhancer, per se. It's just that when you take it, all your pain goes away. So in effect, it becomes a performance enhancer.
Another day. Another drug. It won't be the last one discussed, and debated.
And it won't be the last drug that players take to get an advantage. Sports is all about getting advantages.
Wolves and Gophers Lose
Here's hoping the Twins are better than expected. All of this losing gets hard to talk about.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Wolves Play Good for First Three Quarters
And get outscored 30-18 in the fourth.
These Wolves are looking a lot like every other Wolve's team over the years.
These Wolves are looking a lot like every other Wolve's team over the years.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Another College Basketball "Upset"
Indiana has been ranked number one in the country on two separate occasions this season. They then end up getting beat shortly after receiving that ranking. This time it was unranked Illinois doing the number on them.
How is this different than college football when the number one team gets beat week after week? Well, for one thing, it doesn't affect who gets invited to The Dance at the end of the the season. For another, the loss doesn't hurt Indiana's chances of winning the National Title.
Losses simply don't mean anything in college basketball. Everybody just plays all of these meaningless games, treading water until the the tournament starts. Even the Gophers are going to be invited this year and they've lost 5 of their last 6 Big Ten games.
HOW is that even possible? If losses really don't matter now, why do you even play the season?
The ONLY winning streak you need is at season's END. That just seems wrong.
Oh, and the Wild got beat again last night, too.
How is this different than college football when the number one team gets beat week after week? Well, for one thing, it doesn't affect who gets invited to The Dance at the end of the the season. For another, the loss doesn't hurt Indiana's chances of winning the National Title.
Losses simply don't mean anything in college basketball. Everybody just plays all of these meaningless games, treading water until the the tournament starts. Even the Gophers are going to be invited this year and they've lost 5 of their last 6 Big Ten games.
HOW is that even possible? If losses really don't matter now, why do you even play the season?
The ONLY winning streak you need is at season's END. That just seems wrong.
Oh, and the Wild got beat again last night, too.
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson played the last four weeks of his MVP season with an extremely painful hernia. He had it fixed Thursday.
Imagine, he had the second best yards total in NFL history and yet he wasn't playing anywhere near 100% those last four weeks.
WOW.
We knew he was having "abdominal muscle problems" when he left the Texas game early with only 85 yards. Now we know he was in the greatest pain of his life when he left the field. WORSE than his knee injury last year.
WOW.
And he still played that great game against the Packers the last game of the season a week later.
WOW.
Yep, he deserved the MVP this season.
Imagine, he had the second best yards total in NFL history and yet he wasn't playing anywhere near 100% those last four weeks.
WOW.
We knew he was having "abdominal muscle problems" when he left the Texas game early with only 85 yards. Now we know he was in the greatest pain of his life when he left the field. WORSE than his knee injury last year.
WOW.
And he still played that great game against the Packers the last game of the season a week later.
WOW.
Yep, he deserved the MVP this season.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
13 Points
Kansas is the fifth ranked college basketball team in the country.
They scored THIRTEEN points in the first half against TCU last night.
College basketball is getting as hard to watch as soccer.
I have no idea how a supposedly GOOD team can score only 13 points in a half of basketball, but it's not something worth watching. That's just another sport I can take off my list.
And football is still 6 months away.
sigh
They scored THIRTEEN points in the first half against TCU last night.
College basketball is getting as hard to watch as soccer.
I have no idea how a supposedly GOOD team can score only 13 points in a half of basketball, but it's not something worth watching. That's just another sport I can take off my list.
And football is still 6 months away.
sigh
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Vonn Injured
Lindsey Vonn hurt her knee in a run during bad weather yesterday. She had to be airlifted from the slopes. A hospital representative said it was a "complex" knee injury. Rumors seem to indicate that both the ACL and MCL were torn. This is an Adrian Peterson type injury.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
PFD
It's a common ailment among Minnesota sports fans. Post Football Depression or PFD.
It's gotten worse for many of us as the years go on. We used to look forward to spring training and baseball so we never worried about how bad the Gophers, Wolves, and Wild were playing. They weren't real sports anyway, they were just something to keep us mildly interested until baseball started.
But then the Twins decided they would rather have a roster of rejects and the "never was." All of a sudden, we had to live with the fact that football was the only sport worth following and that the season is six months away again.
The Wolves scored 40 points in the fourth quater last night and they STILL lost by TWO.
The illusion that it was a good game or a close game because we lost by only two would be a mistake. It was not a good game. It was not a close game. And the Wolves are just a bunch of losers.
The Gophers may have won their last two Big Ten games, but let's face it, they are just treading water until they face the better teams again. We were all just waiting for the inevitable collapse.
And the Twins have two starting pitchers who may be good.
Why do I follow fake sports like pro wrestling? Because the real ones are no longer much of an alternative and PFD needs to be treated with other sports. Even the fake ones are better than the real alternatives.
Where is Roller Derby when you need it?
It's gotten worse for many of us as the years go on. We used to look forward to spring training and baseball so we never worried about how bad the Gophers, Wolves, and Wild were playing. They weren't real sports anyway, they were just something to keep us mildly interested until baseball started.
But then the Twins decided they would rather have a roster of rejects and the "never was." All of a sudden, we had to live with the fact that football was the only sport worth following and that the season is six months away again.
The Wolves scored 40 points in the fourth quater last night and they STILL lost by TWO.
The illusion that it was a good game or a close game because we lost by only two would be a mistake. It was not a good game. It was not a close game. And the Wolves are just a bunch of losers.
The Gophers may have won their last two Big Ten games, but let's face it, they are just treading water until they face the better teams again. We were all just waiting for the inevitable collapse.
And the Twins have two starting pitchers who may be good.
Why do I follow fake sports like pro wrestling? Because the real ones are no longer much of an alternative and PFD needs to be treated with other sports. Even the fake ones are better than the real alternatives.
Where is Roller Derby when you need it?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Kaepernicked TM
I'm going to trade mark my own term.
It's going to mean when you can't quite play well enough to win.
Like last night in the the Super Bowl, the Niners were "Kaepernicked."
It means to come up short, time after time and then you ultimately lose because you just aren't good enough (or as an alternative, because you do something boneheaded.)
"Kaepernicked."
It's got a nice ring to it and I think it will catch on.
I've got another term as well. At the Super Bowl party last night, ALL of us were completely stuffed from eating long before the first quarter was even over, BUT we all kept grazing on snacks the rest of the night any way,
My new term? Snackernicking TM"
In a sentence: The Super Bowl party kept us Snackernicking all night long.
Review of the game?
The first half was awful. The Niners decided to be conservative right out of the box and even when they did have a couple of good drives, they Kaeprnicked them away at the end, settling for stupid field goals.
The power outage took our group out of the game. Literally, we ended up watching Dowton Abbey for an hour and so missed the Niners making a game of it in the third quarter.
Not to worry, we were back in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, on that last drive, the Niners Kaepernicked their chances away so it didn't really matter.
Part of that was the refs fault as they really Kaepernicked that last play by failing to make a holding call.
Yes, refs decided the winner of yet another major game.
As a result, we all got Kaepernicked on that one. Again.
It's going to mean when you can't quite play well enough to win.
Like last night in the the Super Bowl, the Niners were "Kaepernicked."
It means to come up short, time after time and then you ultimately lose because you just aren't good enough (or as an alternative, because you do something boneheaded.)
"Kaepernicked."
It's got a nice ring to it and I think it will catch on.
I've got another term as well. At the Super Bowl party last night, ALL of us were completely stuffed from eating long before the first quarter was even over, BUT we all kept grazing on snacks the rest of the night any way,
My new term? Snackernicking TM"
In a sentence: The Super Bowl party kept us Snackernicking all night long.
Review of the game?
The first half was awful. The Niners decided to be conservative right out of the box and even when they did have a couple of good drives, they Kaeprnicked them away at the end, settling for stupid field goals.
The power outage took our group out of the game. Literally, we ended up watching Dowton Abbey for an hour and so missed the Niners making a game of it in the third quarter.
Not to worry, we were back in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, on that last drive, the Niners Kaepernicked their chances away so it didn't really matter.
Part of that was the refs fault as they really Kaepernicked that last play by failing to make a holding call.
Yes, refs decided the winner of yet another major game.
As a result, we all got Kaepernicked on that one. Again.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
MVP
Adrian Peterson, as expected received the NFL MVP award last night. Peyton Manning got the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
That's the way it should have been, and it's what I predicted a couple of months ago.
In the long run, awards are basically meaningless. A player wants a Super Bowl ring way more than another trophy. The real prize is today, and it's not voted on, it's earned.
That's the big difference. And Peyton and Adrian will have to watch the game on television just like the rest of us.
Still rooting for the Niners.
Prediction?
Same as last year. I'll enjoy the food and company.
That's the way it should have been, and it's what I predicted a couple of months ago.
In the long run, awards are basically meaningless. A player wants a Super Bowl ring way more than another trophy. The real prize is today, and it's not voted on, it's earned.
That's the big difference. And Peyton and Adrian will have to watch the game on television just like the rest of us.
Still rooting for the Niners.
Prediction?
Same as last year. I'll enjoy the food and company.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Super Bowl
I'm excited about the game but still know that MOST Super Bowls are close enough to be decided by the place kickers. David Akers has missed 14 field goal attempts this season for the Niners.
FOURTEEN!
That's the stat that keeps bothering me more than all others. That's the stat that makes me wonder about the Niners chances tomorrow.
Both teams have solid offenses. The Ravens get the nod for best defense. With those things in mind, I'm still afraid it's going to come down to a couple missed field goals.
Here's hoping the Pistol Offense doesn't NEED to kick field goals tomorrow. That would make it much easier for us Niners fans.
FOURTEEN!
That's the stat that keeps bothering me more than all others. That's the stat that makes me wonder about the Niners chances tomorrow.
Both teams have solid offenses. The Ravens get the nod for best defense. With those things in mind, I'm still afraid it's going to come down to a couple missed field goals.
Here's hoping the Pistol Offense doesn't NEED to kick field goals tomorrow. That would make it much easier for us Niners fans.
Gasol Starts, Lakers Kill Wolves
Forget Dwight Howard.
The Lakers were "forced" to start Pau Gasol last night and I think they just rediscovered how good he is. INSTANTLY they were the Lakers from 5 years ago scoring 68 points in the first half while basically coasting to an easy win.
Which is sad because they did it against the Wolves.
Oh well, it's not like this year's team is going anywhere anyway. Too many injuries, including Kevin Love being out for far too long, have made this team unwatchable once more.
Did I mention that the Wild lost again last night, too?
Minnesota and sports.
Two things that just don't seem to go together anymore.
The Lakers were "forced" to start Pau Gasol last night and I think they just rediscovered how good he is. INSTANTLY they were the Lakers from 5 years ago scoring 68 points in the first half while basically coasting to an easy win.
Which is sad because they did it against the Wolves.
Oh well, it's not like this year's team is going anywhere anyway. Too many injuries, including Kevin Love being out for far too long, have made this team unwatchable once more.
Did I mention that the Wild lost again last night, too?
Minnesota and sports.
Two things that just don't seem to go together anymore.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Donald Driver
There were some rumors going around this week that the Vikings were interested in Green Bay wide receiver Donald Driver. I basically ignored those rumors thinking, "Shouldn't he be retiring soon instead?"
I chuckled this morning when the report came out that Donald is officially retiring.
Nailed it.
I chuckled this morning when the report came out that Donald is officially retiring.
Nailed it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)