Form ESPN:
"Twins 1B Justin Morneau, who had been sidelined with a back tightness, had four at-bats in a minor league game Saturday morning. He is expected to be ready to start the season. . RHP Cole DeVries, who left Friday's game after just three innings with forearm tightness, is doing fine and is expected to make his start on Saturday. . RHP Samuel Deduno, who has not pitched since the World Baseball Classic final because of a sore left groin, is feeling better but has not pitched a bullpen session yet. ... He will stay at the team's spring training complex in Fort Myers when the Twins leave. . RHP Liam Hendriks, who was hit in the hand by a line drive in his last start, is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game Sunday and is expected to make his start on Friday. . Twins RHP Anthony Swarzak, on the disabled list because of a rib injury, is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game on Tuesday. He is eligible to come off the DL on April 6. . LHP Scott Diamond, on the DL with an elbow injury, is expected to pitch in a minor league game on Tuesday."
Me again.
So much of the season depends on the guys listed here being healthy for the entire season. The DeVries news sounds GREAT but I haven't trusted a Twins diagnosis on injuries for at least a season now. They ALWAYS seem to get it wrong. I'm bummed that Deduno isn't available and won't be for awhile. Liam's hand appears to be better, and I'm glad he's one of the scheduled starters.
The Twins rotation:
Worley, Correia, Pelfry, Hendriks, DeVries
Any bets on how long this rotation order will last without an injury or replacement? Will we even make it through the very FIRST time?
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Pelfrey
Mike Pelfrey, expected rotation starter for the Twins, gave up FOUR runs and NINE hits in 3 2/3 innings yesterday.
Sadly, this has been pretty average performance for him this spring. MY hopes are not high.
Nope, not high at all.
Sadly, this has been pretty average performance for him this spring. MY hopes are not high.
Nope, not high at all.
Baseball Season Starts TODAY!
The Rangers and Astros kick off the 2013 season tonight. I wish I was more excited. This used to be the biggest day of the year for me. Bigger than Christmas after the age of 12 or so. But the amount of excitement I feel as an adult directly corresponds to the perceived ability and potential of the Twins starting 5-man rotation.
On a holiday scale, I feel today is more like Arbor Day.
Okay, that's not exactly right. Most Arbor Days I miss completely without even knowing it came and went. This is more like President's Day. We don't get any mail on that day and I realize it's a holiday when there's nothing in the mailbox.
This season, I don't think the Twins are going to leave me anything in the mailbox.
On a holiday scale, I feel today is more like Arbor Day.
Okay, that's not exactly right. Most Arbor Days I miss completely without even knowing it came and went. This is more like President's Day. We don't get any mail on that day and I realize it's a holiday when there's nothing in the mailbox.
This season, I don't think the Twins are going to leave me anything in the mailbox.
Kobe Passes Wilt in Scoring
For many, this may seem like a big deal. But as someone who grew up in the "Wilt Era" I don't see the comparison. Wilt graduated college which means HE started his playing career FOUR full years after Kobe (who actually started in the NBA at age 17.) Wilt also played the last FOUR years of his career in the start-up ABA because of the money offered him. THOSE scoring years don't count in his total. Imagine Wilt with EIGHT more years of scoring that were not allowed him. Kobe could only dream of achieving those numbers.
Yes, what Kobe accomplished last night was pretty good. What Wilt did was so much more amazing. And let's not forget that up to 20% of Kobe's points came from three point plays. Wilt's era never even HAD a three point play.
It's apples and oranges. And Wilt is still that shiny red apple that most no longer recognize.
Yes, what Kobe accomplished last night was pretty good. What Wilt did was so much more amazing. And let's not forget that up to 20% of Kobe's points came from three point plays. Wilt's era never even HAD a three point play.
It's apples and oranges. And Wilt is still that shiny red apple that most no longer recognize.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Cole DeVries HURT
DeVries left the game yesterday after just THREE shutout innings with a strained forearm. No official evaluation has been released yet, but since spring training is basically over, this may (will probably) cost him his chance at the starting rotation.
sigh
One of the few picthers who had a good spring on the entire roster and now he will probably NOT be available for the start of the season.
Vance "My ERA is Just Awful and Look at All Those Hits" Worley will be starting for the Twins against Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander on Monday. Verlander just signed the RICHEST deal in baseball history for a pitcher yesterday. $180 million deal guaranteed for 7 years.
The LONG season starts Monday...
sigh
One of the few picthers who had a good spring on the entire roster and now he will probably NOT be available for the start of the season.
Vance "My ERA is Just Awful and Look at All Those Hits" Worley will be starting for the Twins against Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander on Monday. Verlander just signed the RICHEST deal in baseball history for a pitcher yesterday. $180 million deal guaranteed for 7 years.
The LONG season starts Monday...
Another Number One Bites the Dust
It's so common that none of these wins can be called "upsets." This time Michigan beat number one seed Kansas.
"There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams." - Oogway, Kung Fu Panda
"There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams." - Oogway, Kung Fu Panda
Friday, March 29, 2013
A-Rod vs. the Astros
Even though A-Rod is hurt and will miss half the season, he will make more money this season than the entire Houston Astro's roster. A-Rod is scheduled to receive $29 million. The Astro's entire team will cost them about $25 million.
The sad thing is that Houston has just signed a HUGE local TV deal with their local Fox Sports channel that will pay them $80 million a year. The Astros COULD afford to pay their team more. They have just chosen to make a lot of money instead. They were even paid a nice bonus this season by MLB just to switch leagues.
Astros owners are rolling in dough. It's the fans who are getting baked.
The sad thing is that Houston has just signed a HUGE local TV deal with their local Fox Sports channel that will pay them $80 million a year. The Astros COULD afford to pay their team more. They have just chosen to make a lot of money instead. They were even paid a nice bonus this season by MLB just to switch leagues.
Astros owners are rolling in dough. It's the fans who are getting baked.
Johan Santana
He has not been especially good since leaving the Twins for a big money deal with the Mets. Injury after injury has plagued him. Now his career may very well be over. He re-tore the anterior capsule in his left shoulder again. Surgery will most likely be required. Where most are saying his season is probably over, some are saying this could easily be the end of his shortened career.
Even if he does manage to come back, he's had bone chips removed from his left pitching elbow TWICE since leaving the Twins. The next step there would most likely be Tommy John surgery when it inevitably gets inflamed again. Johan's arm is not what it once was. A long line of surgeries awaits him.
I have no idea how great pitchers of the past had 20 plus year careers. Pitchers now days are dropping like flies. Without incredible surgeons, most would actually be gone after just a few seasons.
Something has definitely changed since the days of 4-man rotations and regular 300 inning pitchers. Johan is just the latest sad example.
Even if he does manage to come back, he's had bone chips removed from his left pitching elbow TWICE since leaving the Twins. The next step there would most likely be Tommy John surgery when it inevitably gets inflamed again. Johan's arm is not what it once was. A long line of surgeries awaits him.
I have no idea how great pitchers of the past had 20 plus year careers. Pitchers now days are dropping like flies. Without incredible surgeons, most would actually be gone after just a few seasons.
Something has definitely changed since the days of 4-man rotations and regular 300 inning pitchers. Johan is just the latest sad example.
Another Number One's Gone
And another number one's gone, another number one's gone...
Okay it doesn't quite fit the song, but number one seeds in the NCCA madness tourney don't quite fit the perception anymore, either. Indiana is the latest number one seed to go home early. None of these teams is great. Any could win. What would make a better tourney? Random drawings with no seeds at all. You face who you face until it's all over. No more "upsets" just two pretty evenly matched teams trying to advance.
It would also make it a lot harder and more interesting for fans making their picks. I know sports fans love upsets, but none of the participants are big enough favorites to be CALLED favorites.
They should just play (and invite another 64 teams to the tourney). The days of great college teams is over.
Mediocrity thy name is NCAA division one basketball. -Shakespeare.
Okay it doesn't quite fit the song, but number one seeds in the NCCA madness tourney don't quite fit the perception anymore, either. Indiana is the latest number one seed to go home early. None of these teams is great. Any could win. What would make a better tourney? Random drawings with no seeds at all. You face who you face until it's all over. No more "upsets" just two pretty evenly matched teams trying to advance.
It would also make it a lot harder and more interesting for fans making their picks. I know sports fans love upsets, but none of the participants are big enough favorites to be CALLED favorites.
They should just play (and invite another 64 teams to the tourney). The days of great college teams is over.
Mediocrity thy name is NCAA division one basketball. -Shakespeare.
Three Free Throws
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the T-Wolves by THREE points a couple of nights ago. Ricky Rubio was shooting a three-pointer as the game clock ran out. Everyone thought he should have been given three free throws when Kobe fouled him at the end.
That didn't happen and the Wolves ended up with the loss.
Why am I reporting on this now? Because it demonstrated once more how REFS in the NBA determine who wins close games more than players. The odd thing? The NBA looked at game footage yesterday and officially apologized to the Wolves and their fans. They admitted that the refs blew the call. This won't change the outcome of the game, but at least they admitted the refs blew it.
Normally I'd be more upset than this, but the Wolves aren't going anywhere this season anyway.
AND Ricky would have been shooting the free throws.
Ricky hasn't made three free throws in a row all season. With the game on the line, I don't see where that would have changed.
Upon further review, the refs blew the call, but in all likelihood they did not cost us the game.
That didn't happen and the Wolves ended up with the loss.
Why am I reporting on this now? Because it demonstrated once more how REFS in the NBA determine who wins close games more than players. The odd thing? The NBA looked at game footage yesterday and officially apologized to the Wolves and their fans. They admitted that the refs blew the call. This won't change the outcome of the game, but at least they admitted the refs blew it.
Normally I'd be more upset than this, but the Wolves aren't going anywhere this season anyway.
AND Ricky would have been shooting the free throws.
Ricky hasn't made three free throws in a row all season. With the game on the line, I don't see where that would have changed.
Upon further review, the refs blew the call, but in all likelihood they did not cost us the game.
Vance Worley
Vance has officially been named the opening say starter against Detroit on Monday. How sad is it that your "best" pitcher's BEST start leading into the season was a game in which he gave up SEVEN hits in five innings?
I'm still excited that the season opener is just a couple of days away. Even though the projected starting staff looks awful for the most part, we'll manage some fun games and a few blowouts of our own. And I'm looking forward to seeing how good Aaron Hicks can be. He's got the range of Denard Span, the arm of Michael Cuddyer, and enough speed to beat out some infield singles while stealing a few bases.
Yes, I know they are going to be bad this year, but it's STILL baseball. And bad baseball is still way better than NO baseball.
I'm still excited that the season opener is just a couple of days away. Even though the projected starting staff looks awful for the most part, we'll manage some fun games and a few blowouts of our own. And I'm looking forward to seeing how good Aaron Hicks can be. He's got the range of Denard Span, the arm of Michael Cuddyer, and enough speed to beat out some infield singles while stealing a few bases.
Yes, I know they are going to be bad this year, but it's STILL baseball. And bad baseball is still way better than NO baseball.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Previewing the Season
This is usually the time of year when The Casual Observer and most of his readers fill out a form predicting how well the Twins and some of their players will do this season. I can't see doing it this year because there are just too many new pitchers and players to even try make accurate predictions. Couple that with former MVPs like Mauer and Morneau returning and not knowing what we'll see out of them because of the last two years of inconsistent play, and we have the makings of a pretty bad list of prognostications.
That being said, here's a few things I'd like to ask others about with a few predictions.
1) Will the Twins have even ONE pitcher with 10 wins this season?
That usually would seem like a no-brainer, I mean EVERY team has a pitcher that could get at least 10 wins, right? I would normally say yes, but I could also see the Twins being stubborn about keeping Worley, Pelfry, and Carreira in the starting rotation even if all are off to slow starts. IF they all have fair to middling first halves of the season before we start to consider other arms replacing them, they won't have 10 wins. The pitcher replacing them won't have enough time left to get 10 wins either. Now days a very good pitcher going the whole season may have a hard time getting 20 wins. Average pitchers going HALF a season aren't going to pick up 10 wins for the same reason.
I see the Twins having at least 8 or 9 different guys in the starting rotation this season. 11 or more is still a possibility. Most will not be doing this the full season. We will switch out at leat 3 of the starters by mid to late May if we are off to a horrible start. Diamond, if he's healthy could be in by by mid-April. Gibson if he looks strong, my mid-June.
So the answer to that question? Yes. We will have ONE, Scott Diamond, if he comes back healthy. I see the Twins with 7 or 8 other starters with 5-8 wins each. No one will pitch often enough or well enough to earn more.
2) If you could chose one or the other would you say the Twins will get no more than 65 wins this season OR that they'll easily be a .500 ball club?
I'm electing to say less than 65 wins so I would go with the first choice. At this point, I say our starting rotation is worse than last year's early season starting rotation. I also see us missing Span and Revere. We're all hoping that Hicks will make us forget both, but until he actually gets a few months of everyday play under his belt, he still is as big a question mark as the starting rotation.
3) How many Twins will have at least 18 homeruns this year? I'm actually pretty optimistic about this one. Mauer is knocking the cover off the ball this spring, so I'm thinking he has a legitimate chance at that number again. Better? Morneau looks like he has his power stroke back as well. We can add Willingham, Doumit, and a healthy Plouffe to the list. too. And Hicks and Parmalee BOTH have demonstrated power with their bats.
I'm going as optimistic on this one. All healthy, all performing well, the Twins will have SEVEN guys with at least 18 homers this season. TWO will top 30. Injuries could curtail all of this in a hurry, but for now I think we all see the potential. This is the most well distributed power the Twins have ever had.
4) Will any of us be following the Twins regularly at all by mid-May? I'm pretty sure most of us won't mind skipping a game or two by then. YES, we'll have the game on in the background most nights, but none of will care after the fourth or fifth inning enough to keep watching.
5) Will Justin Morneau be traded by the mid-season trade deadline? Yes. Realistically the only way he won't be is if we are actually still in the race. I don't think any of us see that happening. I would now like to change two of my earlier predictions. We'll have SIX guys with at least 18 homers (unless Morneau is super hot by the All-Star break) and we'll have ONE guy with at least 30 homeruns for the season.)
6) Will the Twins trade Willingham or Mauer before the season is over to make room for more payroll possibilities for NEXT season. YES. And don't be surprised if it's both. We can't afford to sign Willingham to a new deal and Mauer's contract needs to be paid by a team that can actually afford it. The Yankees are getting old and 1/3 of their normal starting lineup isn't going to be playing when the season starts. They are looking to rebuild THEIR way and the Twins have two guys who could fill some slots right away.
That being said, here's a few things I'd like to ask others about with a few predictions.
1) Will the Twins have even ONE pitcher with 10 wins this season?
That usually would seem like a no-brainer, I mean EVERY team has a pitcher that could get at least 10 wins, right? I would normally say yes, but I could also see the Twins being stubborn about keeping Worley, Pelfry, and Carreira in the starting rotation even if all are off to slow starts. IF they all have fair to middling first halves of the season before we start to consider other arms replacing them, they won't have 10 wins. The pitcher replacing them won't have enough time left to get 10 wins either. Now days a very good pitcher going the whole season may have a hard time getting 20 wins. Average pitchers going HALF a season aren't going to pick up 10 wins for the same reason.
I see the Twins having at least 8 or 9 different guys in the starting rotation this season. 11 or more is still a possibility. Most will not be doing this the full season. We will switch out at leat 3 of the starters by mid to late May if we are off to a horrible start. Diamond, if he's healthy could be in by by mid-April. Gibson if he looks strong, my mid-June.
So the answer to that question? Yes. We will have ONE, Scott Diamond, if he comes back healthy. I see the Twins with 7 or 8 other starters with 5-8 wins each. No one will pitch often enough or well enough to earn more.
2) If you could chose one or the other would you say the Twins will get no more than 65 wins this season OR that they'll easily be a .500 ball club?
I'm electing to say less than 65 wins so I would go with the first choice. At this point, I say our starting rotation is worse than last year's early season starting rotation. I also see us missing Span and Revere. We're all hoping that Hicks will make us forget both, but until he actually gets a few months of everyday play under his belt, he still is as big a question mark as the starting rotation.
3) How many Twins will have at least 18 homeruns this year? I'm actually pretty optimistic about this one. Mauer is knocking the cover off the ball this spring, so I'm thinking he has a legitimate chance at that number again. Better? Morneau looks like he has his power stroke back as well. We can add Willingham, Doumit, and a healthy Plouffe to the list. too. And Hicks and Parmalee BOTH have demonstrated power with their bats.
I'm going as optimistic on this one. All healthy, all performing well, the Twins will have SEVEN guys with at least 18 homers this season. TWO will top 30. Injuries could curtail all of this in a hurry, but for now I think we all see the potential. This is the most well distributed power the Twins have ever had.
4) Will any of us be following the Twins regularly at all by mid-May? I'm pretty sure most of us won't mind skipping a game or two by then. YES, we'll have the game on in the background most nights, but none of will care after the fourth or fifth inning enough to keep watching.
5) Will Justin Morneau be traded by the mid-season trade deadline? Yes. Realistically the only way he won't be is if we are actually still in the race. I don't think any of us see that happening. I would now like to change two of my earlier predictions. We'll have SIX guys with at least 18 homers (unless Morneau is super hot by the All-Star break) and we'll have ONE guy with at least 30 homeruns for the season.)
6) Will the Twins trade Willingham or Mauer before the season is over to make room for more payroll possibilities for NEXT season. YES. And don't be surprised if it's both. We can't afford to sign Willingham to a new deal and Mauer's contract needs to be paid by a team that can actually afford it. The Yankees are getting old and 1/3 of their normal starting lineup isn't going to be playing when the season starts. They are looking to rebuild THEIR way and the Twins have two guys who could fill some slots right away.
Worley FINALLY Looks Better
I won't say he looked great, because his first inning was still pretty rocky, but Vance Worley finally had a good enough effort yesterday to look like he could be of some help to the Twins this season. He got the win and managed 5 strikeouts in five innings while only allowing two runs. In his previous 5 starts his ERA was close to 6.50 and he had given up 27 hits in just 17 innings.
Am I optimistic? Nope. I'm just happy that if he is the Twins opening day starter that he's finally given me a glimmer of hope that he won't be the total disaster that I'm currently anticipating. Offensively the Twins had 13 hits yesterday, but looking at the box score, I'd say most of those guys aren't going to be on the roster when Monday's opener rolls around. They are just giving the Twins a glimpse of who we may see coming up in the next season or two.
Am I optimistic? Nope. I'm just happy that if he is the Twins opening day starter that he's finally given me a glimmer of hope that he won't be the total disaster that I'm currently anticipating. Offensively the Twins had 13 hits yesterday, but looking at the box score, I'd say most of those guys aren't going to be on the roster when Monday's opener rolls around. They are just giving the Twins a glimpse of who we may see coming up in the next season or two.
The Streak is Over
Even the Heat just found out how hard it is to go 33 straight wins without a loss like the Lakers did in the early 1970's. The Heat did better than anyone else since then by going 27 straight, but it all came to a screeching halt when they ran into the Bulls in Chicago last night. The final was 101-97.
Personally I'm relieved. I'm usually rooting for just about every record to be broken in the world of sports, but this one is different. THAT Laker team from the early 70's was MY team. That was the team that hooked me on pro basketball as a kid. That team was West, and Chamberlain, and Baylor, and Goodrich, and Hairston. AND THEY WERE THE BEST EVER!
And I dislike the Heat. Not like I did three years ago when three players kind of did this all by themselves to become the best. (I actually kind of liked that aspect of it.) LeBron is finally growing on me and as I mellow in age I may actually come to admire his ability. But Lebron is no Michael, and he's no Wilt either. The nickname "King" still has to be earned. Will he one day be one of the top 5 to ever play the game? With a few more titles, I'd include him. But he's not there yet. He's close, but he has not arrived.
Personally I'm relieved. I'm usually rooting for just about every record to be broken in the world of sports, but this one is different. THAT Laker team from the early 70's was MY team. That was the team that hooked me on pro basketball as a kid. That team was West, and Chamberlain, and Baylor, and Goodrich, and Hairston. AND THEY WERE THE BEST EVER!
And I dislike the Heat. Not like I did three years ago when three players kind of did this all by themselves to become the best. (I actually kind of liked that aspect of it.) LeBron is finally growing on me and as I mellow in age I may actually come to admire his ability. But Lebron is no Michael, and he's no Wilt either. The nickname "King" still has to be earned. Will he one day be one of the top 5 to ever play the game? With a few more titles, I'd include him. But he's not there yet. He's close, but he has not arrived.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Denduno and Walters
Outdoor baseball in Minnesota in early April? Yes.
Target Field is going to be downright chilly for the Twins season opener Monday. 37 degrees, breezy, cloudy, and a little bit of falling moisture is in the forecast. Most of early next week looks cold.
I know most folks seem to like outdoor baseball, but I'm really not one of them. Cold springs and hot, humid summers can lead to some very uncomfortable sitting. That's okay, I wasn't planning on going to any games anyway. I'll watch the games in HD at home until their losing ways become too difficult to watch.
Sam Deduno, hurt since the WBC tournament, hasn't been able to get any mound time for the Twins so he's being demoted to minor league camp. So is P.J. Walters. I'm bummed but that's baseball. If Sam is any good, he'll be back.
Liam Hendriks got hit in the hand yesterday protecting his face from a batted ball. He's SUPPOSEDLY okay, but I would rather wait a few days before getting too optimistic. He actually looks like he may have an inside track to the starting rotation at this point. His 4.15 spring ERA is loads better than the other projected starters.
Both Hicks and Parmalee had three hits in yesterday's win over the Orioles. The Twins outfield is actually looking pretty good. The question marks appear to be everywhere else.
Target Field is going to be downright chilly for the Twins season opener Monday. 37 degrees, breezy, cloudy, and a little bit of falling moisture is in the forecast. Most of early next week looks cold.
I know most folks seem to like outdoor baseball, but I'm really not one of them. Cold springs and hot, humid summers can lead to some very uncomfortable sitting. That's okay, I wasn't planning on going to any games anyway. I'll watch the games in HD at home until their losing ways become too difficult to watch.
Sam Deduno, hurt since the WBC tournament, hasn't been able to get any mound time for the Twins so he's being demoted to minor league camp. So is P.J. Walters. I'm bummed but that's baseball. If Sam is any good, he'll be back.
Liam Hendriks got hit in the hand yesterday protecting his face from a batted ball. He's SUPPOSEDLY okay, but I would rather wait a few days before getting too optimistic. He actually looks like he may have an inside track to the starting rotation at this point. His 4.15 spring ERA is loads better than the other projected starters.
Both Hicks and Parmalee had three hits in yesterday's win over the Orioles. The Twins outfield is actually looking pretty good. The question marks appear to be everywhere else.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Worst?
I forgot to mention that I no longer think that the Twins will be the worst team in the American League this season. I forgot that the Houston Astros are now in our league. They were by far the worst team in baseball last year, so the Twins don't neccesarily have that role all sewed up. They'll be battling for that position, but at least it's no longer a sure thing.
Be thankful for the little things.
Be thankful for the little things.
Pelfrey
The ONE new acquiree I'm cutting some slack for is Mike Pelfrey. He had Tommy John surgery in May of last year and since nobody comes back very good, that fast, I'm actually hoping he is the one new Twin who can do something for us this season. His ERA is still over 5.50 this spring but yesterday he only gave up ONE run in five innings. He still gave up 5 hits, but he managed his innings well.
Where there's improvement. There is hope. It's hard to believe that the real season starts in less than a week.
Where there's improvement. There is hope. It's hard to believe that the real season starts in less than a week.
Sports Notes
Tubby Smith was fired by the Gophers yesterday. I don't find that odd at all. He had six years with the U and never had a winning record in the Big Ten. What I do find bothersome is that the University of Minnesota gave him a new three-year deal in July when it looked like he was interested in going elsewhere. They are going to have to buy out THAT contract now. What a waste of money.
The Heat have now won 27 straight games. I remember when LeBron signed with the Heat almost three years ago and everyone was thinking that they might go undefeated for the season. NOW it looks like they actually would have a chance at it. Will they beat the Laker's all-time record of 33? At this point I wouldn't bet against them. Even without Wade in the line-up the last two games, they have been running away with their games. At the same time, all it takes is an off night and a better opponent for it to all come tumbling down.
Tiger Woods is officially back. He's ranked number one in the world again after three tournamant wins in the last month and a half. What's different? The answer is in the picture below. Stable relationships can make a big difference.
The Heat have now won 27 straight games. I remember when LeBron signed with the Heat almost three years ago and everyone was thinking that they might go undefeated for the season. NOW it looks like they actually would have a chance at it. Will they beat the Laker's all-time record of 33? At this point I wouldn't bet against them. Even without Wade in the line-up the last two games, they have been running away with their games. At the same time, all it takes is an off night and a better opponent for it to all come tumbling down.
Tiger Woods is officially back. He's ranked number one in the world again after three tournamant wins in the last month and a half. What's different? The answer is in the picture below. Stable relationships can make a big difference.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Twins Win 14-5
The Twins preseason game was broadcast on FSN yesterday so I decided to watch a few innings. Joe Mauer has been on fire since the WBC. He's hitting around .450 and yeasterday he had a homerun and a double while driving in SIX runs. And he did ALL of that by the fifth inning. Morneau added a homer as well.
The Twins decided to start P.J. Walters yesterday since he's been so good as a reliever so far this spring. He responded by looking just as bad as all of our other starters this preseason. (3 earned runs and 4 hits in 3 innings.)
It was a win, but starting pitching continues to look just sickenly awful. The young guys struggle with control and the older guys give up tons of runs. There really are no great choices at this point in time. Five (or Six) will be starters when the season starts and I don't hink Gardy even knows who those guys are going to be yet. And what do you you do with the three or four who don't make the rotation/
Do you send them to AAA, cut them, put them in the bullpen?
Tough choices. And I'm pretty sure I won't like most of those choices.
The Twins decided to start P.J. Walters yesterday since he's been so good as a reliever so far this spring. He responded by looking just as bad as all of our other starters this preseason. (3 earned runs and 4 hits in 3 innings.)
It was a win, but starting pitching continues to look just sickenly awful. The young guys struggle with control and the older guys give up tons of runs. There really are no great choices at this point in time. Five (or Six) will be starters when the season starts and I don't hink Gardy even knows who those guys are going to be yet. And what do you you do with the three or four who don't make the rotation/
Do you send them to AAA, cut them, put them in the bullpen?
Tough choices. And I'm pretty sure I won't like most of those choices.
Gopher Women Undefeated AND National Champions
It's odd. You can find all sorts of lesser known sports on television, but the NCAA Championship for women's hockey IS NOT one of them.
I couldn't find it on any of my TV channels yesterday so I went to the internet instead. Lo and behold, it was being streamed by the University of Minnesota at their sports website.
This is where it gets cool. Since I have an Apple TV and an iPad, I simply broadcast the game from the internet to my TV and I watched the two final periods that way. The commercials were in HD but the game was in standard 360p. It still looked great and I managed to see a really great hockey game in the process.
That's right, I said "a really great" hockey game. The Gopher women won 6-4, but they totally dominated the entire game even though the score looked closer than the game really was. Great skating, great passing, and a lot less stoppage of play for penalties and/or fights.
The skill level was way, way better than I expected, as was the sped of the game. Women's hockey has come along way since the last time I tried to watch. Girl's hockey at the high school level is still pretty slow by comparison.
But this was good, and the women did something that's rare in sports today. 41-0 is a great record. Repeating as national Champions is even better. And getting to watch the game on T.V. because of my $100 Apple TV was even cooler.
Oh, and the Men's basketball team got blown out early by Florida yesterday in NCAA basketball.
Meh.
I couldn't find it on any of my TV channels yesterday so I went to the internet instead. Lo and behold, it was being streamed by the University of Minnesota at their sports website.
This is where it gets cool. Since I have an Apple TV and an iPad, I simply broadcast the game from the internet to my TV and I watched the two final periods that way. The commercials were in HD but the game was in standard 360p. It still looked great and I managed to see a really great hockey game in the process.
That's right, I said "a really great" hockey game. The Gopher women won 6-4, but they totally dominated the entire game even though the score looked closer than the game really was. Great skating, great passing, and a lot less stoppage of play for penalties and/or fights.
The skill level was way, way better than I expected, as was the sped of the game. Women's hockey has come along way since the last time I tried to watch. Girl's hockey at the high school level is still pretty slow by comparison.
But this was good, and the women did something that's rare in sports today. 41-0 is a great record. Repeating as national Champions is even better. And getting to watch the game on T.V. because of my $100 Apple TV was even cooler.
Oh, and the Men's basketball team got blown out early by Florida yesterday in NCAA basketball.
Meh.
WBC To Pay Injured Players Salaries
I take it all back. The WBC realizing that THEY are responsible for the MLB players who got hurt, has volunteered to PAY those players their salary while hurt. The WBC is kind of like a mini-Olympics organization and they DO make money from this event. Enough, in fact, to make this offer.
From ESPN:
"Players injured during the World Baseball Classic will have their salaries paid by the WBC organization while they are unable to play for their major league teams, according to an MLB source.
That would mean that players such as Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira and Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez will be paid by the WBC during their respective absences.
Teixeira, who makes $22.5 million this season, is expected to miss 8-10 weeks with a partially torn tendon sheath in his right wrist. He was injured while taking batting practice with Team USA before the start of its tournament play.
Ramirez, who makes $15.5 million this season, is expected to miss eight weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Ramirez was injured during last Tuesday's WBC title game while playing for the champion Dominican Republic."
Me again.
This is the ONLY way that I could possibly support the WBC. It's a great gesture on their part and the right thing to do. I still think the tournament is a dumb idea, but at least they are taking responsibility to what happens to the players loaned to them. I guess they learned from the Dice-K incident that happened last time around.
One third (or more) of those players' salaries is quite a bit of money. We'll see if this actually happens.
From ESPN:
"Players injured during the World Baseball Classic will have their salaries paid by the WBC organization while they are unable to play for their major league teams, according to an MLB source.
That would mean that players such as Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira and Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez will be paid by the WBC during their respective absences.
Teixeira, who makes $22.5 million this season, is expected to miss 8-10 weeks with a partially torn tendon sheath in his right wrist. He was injured while taking batting practice with Team USA before the start of its tournament play.
Ramirez, who makes $15.5 million this season, is expected to miss eight weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Ramirez was injured during last Tuesday's WBC title game while playing for the champion Dominican Republic."
Me again.
This is the ONLY way that I could possibly support the WBC. It's a great gesture on their part and the right thing to do. I still think the tournament is a dumb idea, but at least they are taking responsibility to what happens to the players loaned to them. I guess they learned from the Dice-K incident that happened last time around.
One third (or more) of those players' salaries is quite a bit of money. We'll see if this actually happens.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Deduno
Sam has a strained groin. The Twins say he'll "miss a few days." I'm saying the Twins always get that injury wrong. It doesn't necessarily heal very fast and that could mean some DL time for Deduno. The primary reason it occurs? Too much stress before the body is ready for it. Sam might have pitched brilliantly in the WBC, but it is possible he pitched more innings and harder than if the Twins would have used him in spring training if there were no WBC this year.
We'll have to wait on this one. He may yet prove to be another victim of the WBC.
In other Twins starting pitcher news?
The Twins gave up four runs in their win to Tampa Bay yesterday. The problem? ALL the runs were given up by projected starter Correia. He gave up three earned runs, four total, in yet another horrendous start by a recent Twin acquisition. He managed 4 and two thirds innings, but looked bad the entire time he was out there.
Worley, Pelfrey, and Correia do not look better than last year's starters. They look worse. Some would say much worse.
Hendricks, DeVries, Deduno, and Diamond SHOULD be four of the Twins five starters by mid-April. Sadly only one or two of those guys will be. The "Bad Three" and their awful contracts and horrible trades will dominate the Twins starting staff for most of the early season putting us in yet another big hole to start the year.
Maybe common sense will prevail and the better pitchers will make the roster instead. I just feel sorry for the bullpen. They'll be asked to do more than they should and as good as they look now, they'll be worn out by early May supporting such dreadful starters.
We'll have to wait on this one. He may yet prove to be another victim of the WBC.
In other Twins starting pitcher news?
The Twins gave up four runs in their win to Tampa Bay yesterday. The problem? ALL the runs were given up by projected starter Correia. He gave up three earned runs, four total, in yet another horrendous start by a recent Twin acquisition. He managed 4 and two thirds innings, but looked bad the entire time he was out there.
Worley, Pelfrey, and Correia do not look better than last year's starters. They look worse. Some would say much worse.
Hendricks, DeVries, Deduno, and Diamond SHOULD be four of the Twins five starters by mid-April. Sadly only one or two of those guys will be. The "Bad Three" and their awful contracts and horrible trades will dominate the Twins starting staff for most of the early season putting us in yet another big hole to start the year.
Maybe common sense will prevail and the better pitchers will make the roster instead. I just feel sorry for the bullpen. They'll be asked to do more than they should and as good as they look now, they'll be worn out by early May supporting such dreadful starters.
Gonzaga "Shocked"
The number one seed in the entire tournament got knocked out by a number 9 seed last night. In a sport where just about any team can beat any other team, it really wasn't that big of a surprise.
Cool? Yes. Exciting? Somewhat. The Wichita Shockers, who ALWAYS seem to have a good team, simply played better.
But almost expected. They won't be the last big dog going down.
The Gophers play again this afternoon around 5 our time. I'm still hoping they can pull together a couple more wins this season. Knowing they lasted LONGER than the number one team in the country is pretty cool either way.
No Madness for me yet, but I will start watching a few more games IF the Gophers win tonight.
Cool? Yes. Exciting? Somewhat. The Wichita Shockers, who ALWAYS seem to have a good team, simply played better.
But almost expected. They won't be the last big dog going down.
The Gophers play again this afternoon around 5 our time. I'm still hoping they can pull together a couple more wins this season. Knowing they lasted LONGER than the number one team in the country is pretty cool either way.
No Madness for me yet, but I will start watching a few more games IF the Gophers win tonight.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Vance Worley
Vance Worley, who could be the opening day starter for the Twins, gave up eight hits and five runs, four earned, in five innings yesterday against the Yankees. His spring ERA is now 6.35.
I can't stand reading about this guy anymore. Not only did we lose a great center fielder to get him, we probably HAVE to make room on the roster for him because of his contract. He's basically robbed us of a center fielder AND a better starting pitcher who SHOULD have his place on the opening day roster.
Fat Vance Worley is the best example of everything that is wrong with the Twins right now.
I can't stand reading about this guy anymore. Not only did we lose a great center fielder to get him, we probably HAVE to make room on the roster for him because of his contract. He's basically robbed us of a center fielder AND a better starting pitcher who SHOULD have his place on the opening day roster.
Fat Vance Worley is the best example of everything that is wrong with the Twins right now.
Joe Benson
The Twins had three guys battling for the centerfield position this spring. Now they have two as Joe Benson, as expected, was optioned to AAA Rochester yesterday. Aaron Hicks and Darin Mastroianni are both still battling for the job, and BOTH may very well make the roster as outfielders this season.
Actually it's pretty much a given since Willingham, Hicks, Mastroianni, and Parmelee are the only OFs left on the roster. (Ryan Doumit is both the back-up catcher and a back-up outfielder so he doesn't really count.)
The outfield is set. We have to see how everything else shakes out in the next 10 days. Most of the starting rotation is still a huge question mark.
Trivia: What former Twins back-up catcher is now the Florida Marlins manager?
"Can you smell 'em?" himself, Mike Redmond.
Actually it's pretty much a given since Willingham, Hicks, Mastroianni, and Parmelee are the only OFs left on the roster. (Ryan Doumit is both the back-up catcher and a back-up outfielder so he doesn't really count.)
The outfield is set. We have to see how everything else shakes out in the next 10 days. Most of the starting rotation is still a huge question mark.
Trivia: What former Twins back-up catcher is now the Florida Marlins manager?
"Can you smell 'em?" himself, Mike Redmond.
Golden Gopher Women's Hockey
The women are STILL undefeated for the season, but they needed an OT goal to beat Boston College last night to advance to the National Championship game. They are now 40-0 on the season going after their second consecutive championship.
One more win on Sunday afternoon will give them the title AND an undefeated season. No women's team has ever done that before. If I have time, I'll be watching at least part of the game. I'm not a big hockey fan, but this IS a pretty big deal. I'd sure hate to see their one loss this season coming in the championship game. But pessimist that I am, I'm preparing for the worst early.
One more win on Sunday afternoon will give them the title AND an undefeated season. No women's team has ever done that before. If I have time, I'll be watching at least part of the game. I'm not a big hockey fan, but this IS a pretty big deal. I'd sure hate to see their one loss this season coming in the championship game. But pessimist that I am, I'm preparing for the worst early.
Gophers CLUB UCLA
Most of that first half was pretty hard to watch. Players couldn't shoot. Rebounds weren't held onto. The play was both sloppy and plodding. I went to bed before the first half was even over. It was just too difficult to watch.
But the Gophers exploded after that and absolutely destroyed number fifth seed UCLA. The final was 83-63 and the Gophers are now in the round of 32. They deserved it. This was no lucky victory. This was dominance. I'm looking forward to the next game. I haven't said that about the Gophers in quite a while.
Biggest upset? Number two Georgetown was beaten by number 15 Florida Gulf Coast. No, I had never heard of that team before yesterday either. I know MOST like this tournament because of the brackets and all of the betting. Some like it just for those big "upsets." But as I've pointed out over the last several months, I don't see upsets any more. The teams are all just too even at this level. A hot hand can make the difference in any game.
As long as the Gophers are playing well, I'll keep watching though. The Gophers probably won't be winning a national championship this year, but weirder things have happened. The Big Ten was pretty dominant in first round games, so I hope that continues as well.
I haven't caught March Madness yet, but I might be developing a little fever.
But the Gophers exploded after that and absolutely destroyed number fifth seed UCLA. The final was 83-63 and the Gophers are now in the round of 32. They deserved it. This was no lucky victory. This was dominance. I'm looking forward to the next game. I haven't said that about the Gophers in quite a while.
Biggest upset? Number two Georgetown was beaten by number 15 Florida Gulf Coast. No, I had never heard of that team before yesterday either. I know MOST like this tournament because of the brackets and all of the betting. Some like it just for those big "upsets." But as I've pointed out over the last several months, I don't see upsets any more. The teams are all just too even at this level. A hot hand can make the difference in any game.
As long as the Gophers are playing well, I'll keep watching though. The Gophers probably won't be winning a national championship this year, but weirder things have happened. The Big Ten was pretty dominant in first round games, so I hope that continues as well.
I haven't caught March Madness yet, but I might be developing a little fever.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Liam Hendricks, Bullpen GREAT
The Twins ONE-HIT the Yankees yesterday and Liam Hendriks looked fantastic as the Twins starter. As spring training is winding down, it's nice to see Liam raise his stock battling for a starting rotation position as older veteran starters and recent "acquirees " continue to stumble and get worse.
Twins hopeful third baseman Miguel Sano (the guy I mentioned in a blog post about a month ago who can hit homeruns, but he can't field and he strikes out a lot) had his spring debut yesterday getting two singles.
Twins hopeful third baseman Miguel Sano (the guy I mentioned in a blog post about a month ago who can hit homeruns, but he can't field and he strikes out a lot) had his spring debut yesterday getting two singles.
WBC Has Another Victim
Remember the last time that they had the World baseball Classic. Dice-K was overused as a pitcher by South Korean team, and as a result, they in effect DESTROYED his arm and career. He was recently cut by Cleveland in what was probably his last chance at continuing his major league career.
Well, Dodger third baseman, Hanley Ramirez is the latest victim of the WBC. While watching highlights of the Dominican's win the other day I noticed he landed on his thumb while trying to field a ball. He will now miss at least 8 weeks of the season due to thumb surgery.
Rehab may take even longer because thumb injuries have a way of effecting the swing even AFTER the injury is healed. His career is not over, but it's the kind of thing I'm always concerned about when players aren't playing for their "real" teams.
Yes, the same type of injury could have occurred in spring training, but when it happens THAT way, at least it was for the team paying him. Now, the team PAYING him doesn't have his services because someone else's agenda superseded theirs.
I think MLB should set up some kind of fund for teams who LOSE players due to injury in the WBC. THEY sponsor the tournament and expect superstars to play. It's only fair that those who hold the contract on the player shouldn't be responsible for paying the player if injuries occur.
Actually, if players WANT to represent their countries so badly, they should sign an agreement that states, THEY will be responsible for ANY injury that occurs. They could sign an agreement that hold themselves totally libel if injuries occur and that any time lost will not have to be paid by their contract owners.
Players want the honor of representing their country without assuming any of the responsibility that goes along with possible injuries. This is one of the major reasons that I hate PRO athletes playing in exhibition contests like this and the Olympics. IF someone else is paying your salary for your skill you should not be taking injury risks playing for someone else WITHOUT assuming the salary risk to yourself as well.
Well, Dodger third baseman, Hanley Ramirez is the latest victim of the WBC. While watching highlights of the Dominican's win the other day I noticed he landed on his thumb while trying to field a ball. He will now miss at least 8 weeks of the season due to thumb surgery.
Rehab may take even longer because thumb injuries have a way of effecting the swing even AFTER the injury is healed. His career is not over, but it's the kind of thing I'm always concerned about when players aren't playing for their "real" teams.
Yes, the same type of injury could have occurred in spring training, but when it happens THAT way, at least it was for the team paying him. Now, the team PAYING him doesn't have his services because someone else's agenda superseded theirs.
I think MLB should set up some kind of fund for teams who LOSE players due to injury in the WBC. THEY sponsor the tournament and expect superstars to play. It's only fair that those who hold the contract on the player shouldn't be responsible for paying the player if injuries occur.
Actually, if players WANT to represent their countries so badly, they should sign an agreement that states, THEY will be responsible for ANY injury that occurs. They could sign an agreement that hold themselves totally libel if injuries occur and that any time lost will not have to be paid by their contract owners.
Players want the honor of representing their country without assuming any of the responsibility that goes along with possible injuries. This is one of the major reasons that I hate PRO athletes playing in exhibition contests like this and the Olympics. IF someone else is paying your salary for your skill you should not be taking injury risks playing for someone else WITHOUT assuming the salary risk to yourself as well.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Good Rule Passes as Well
If a QB is attempting to throw the ball and pulls it back and the ball gets away from him in the process, the current call by refs is that the ball is an incomplete pass.
NOW, it will be called a fumble. It always should have been called a fumble, so they finally got that rule RIGHT after all of this time.
But this does not make up for running backs who can no longer lower their heads to move forward.
NOW, it will be called a fumble. It always should have been called a fumble, so they finally got that rule RIGHT after all of this time.
But this does not make up for running backs who can no longer lower their heads to move forward.
NFL Rule Passes
A running back and quarterback can put their head down and go forward within three yards of the line of scrimmage. They have defined "the tackle box" area so less folks will be confused. So basically they can still run like a bullet through the lines but after THAT they can't put their head down and pop a defensive player with their helmet as they are running with the ball.
I'm still not sure this rule is in any way needed, but I do think you are going to see a lot of frustrated players, coaches, and fans every time the penalty is called. It's up to the defense to figure out how to tackle a player with his head down. It's not up to the running back or receiver to make getting tackled easier for the defense.
And as my brother mentioned yesterday, I think we are going to see running backs hit harder (and in a more compromised position) as a result and it those running backs who are going to get seriously hurt. DUMB, DUMB rule and it will not be called consistently, which will make it worse. Ducking to get tackled is a way to protect the runner more than it's used as a weapon to make the defensive player suffer. A good running back should have BOTH hands on the ball as he's running. His ONLY means of protection is a tucked head and shoulder.
Do these people who make the rules even WATCH football?
I'm still not sure this rule is in any way needed, but I do think you are going to see a lot of frustrated players, coaches, and fans every time the penalty is called. It's up to the defense to figure out how to tackle a player with his head down. It's not up to the running back or receiver to make getting tackled easier for the defense.
And as my brother mentioned yesterday, I think we are going to see running backs hit harder (and in a more compromised position) as a result and it those running backs who are going to get seriously hurt. DUMB, DUMB rule and it will not be called consistently, which will make it worse. Ducking to get tackled is a way to protect the runner more than it's used as a weapon to make the defensive player suffer. A good running back should have BOTH hands on the ball as he's running. His ONLY means of protection is a tucked head and shoulder.
Do these people who make the rules even WATCH football?
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Correia and Worley
The Twins have lost their last two games in spring training.
Worley and Corriea gave up 8 earned runs on 11 hits in eight total innings of pitching between them the last two days. Each was credited with a loss. Both are looking just awful.
In brighter pitching news? The Twins did say that Scott Diamond is looking great and that he should be able to join the starting rotation as early as April 12th. He'll miss less than two weeks of the season if that holds true.
Worley and Corriea gave up 8 earned runs on 11 hits in eight total innings of pitching between them the last two days. Each was credited with a loss. Both are looking just awful.
In brighter pitching news? The Twins did say that Scott Diamond is looking great and that he should be able to join the starting rotation as early as April 12th. He'll miss less than two weeks of the season if that holds true.
Deduno
Samuel Deduno struck out five in five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three to finish with a 0.69 ERA for the WBC tournament as his team picked up the WBC title in a shutout victory over Puerto Rico last night.
Sam didn't pick up the MVP award for the 8-0 Dominican team, but he sure looked like the best pitcher in the tournament.
Maybe this event will have some good coming out of it after all. Let's hope Sam has gotten a good look at what winning baseball is truly like and that he can somehow transfer that over to a lackluster Twins starting rotation.
AND that he is given the opportunity to be PART of that rotation.
Keep it going Sam. Keep it going.
Sam didn't pick up the MVP award for the 8-0 Dominican team, but he sure looked like the best pitcher in the tournament.
Maybe this event will have some good coming out of it after all. Let's hope Sam has gotten a good look at what winning baseball is truly like and that he can somehow transfer that over to a lackluster Twins starting rotation.
AND that he is given the opportunity to be PART of that rotation.
Keep it going Sam. Keep it going.
New NFL Rule
I know safety is supposed to be in the the forefront of NFL thinking nowadays, but STILL this latest rule proposal is just baffling. If it passes, a running back will no longer be able to duck his head and run forward. Why? Because if the crown of his helmet hits a defensive player, it will result in a 15 yard penalty for the team on offense.
Running backs, ducking their head and charging forward IS FOOTBALL. I'm not sure how many defensive players have been hurt by that type of collision over the years, but I can't think of anyone at all. It also means that the runningback can't duck his head to protect HIMSELF when running up the middle.
Imagine a quarterback-sneak where the QB can no longer lower is head when going forward for that quick foot that he still needs on third down because his helmet MIGHT come in contact with a defensive player.
I'm not sure exactly how the rule will be enforced or IF referees will be able to make the call consistently. Owners are wondering the same thing as they delayed a vote on the matter yesterday. I see a lot of angry coaches and fans if this new rule does pass. I also see a lot of running backs getting hurt as the reflexive action to duck and cover is taken away from them.
I'm not sure where all of this is going, but I have a feeling that any chance Adrian Peterson may have had at breaking the all-time rushing record will vanish as soon as this rule is passed. No one is going to get those last two yards on a run anymore without lowering their head and plowing forward.
No one.
Running backs, ducking their head and charging forward IS FOOTBALL. I'm not sure how many defensive players have been hurt by that type of collision over the years, but I can't think of anyone at all. It also means that the runningback can't duck his head to protect HIMSELF when running up the middle.
Imagine a quarterback-sneak where the QB can no longer lower is head when going forward for that quick foot that he still needs on third down because his helmet MIGHT come in contact with a defensive player.
I'm not sure exactly how the rule will be enforced or IF referees will be able to make the call consistently. Owners are wondering the same thing as they delayed a vote on the matter yesterday. I see a lot of angry coaches and fans if this new rule does pass. I also see a lot of running backs getting hurt as the reflexive action to duck and cover is taken away from them.
I'm not sure where all of this is going, but I have a feeling that any chance Adrian Peterson may have had at breaking the all-time rushing record will vanish as soon as this rule is passed. No one is going to get those last two yards on a run anymore without lowering their head and plowing forward.
No one.
NIT
Kentucky didn't make the NCAA tournament after winning it all last year. I mentioned that in a previous blog. They ended up being ranked number ONE in the NIT tournament instead. At 21-11 they still had a very good record and could have made the NCAAs.
Well, that didn't go so well for them either. Number EIGHT seed, Robert Morris, knocked them out of that tournament as well in the FIRST round last night.
Literally, a team that would have been ranked around 100th in the country overall beat last year's National Champions. They really should just have ONE tournament and invite everyone to participate. Favorites just don't matter. No single team is that much better or worse than any other team in college basketball.
"There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams." Oogway- Kung Fu Panda
Well, that didn't go so well for them either. Number EIGHT seed, Robert Morris, knocked them out of that tournament as well in the FIRST round last night.
Literally, a team that would have been ranked around 100th in the country overall beat last year's National Champions. They really should just have ONE tournament and invite everyone to participate. Favorites just don't matter. No single team is that much better or worse than any other team in college basketball.
"There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams." Oogway- Kung Fu Panda
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Vance Worley
You probably haven't even noticed, but over the last couple of weeks or so I've been talking about each potential Twins starter individually instead of as a group.
I've saved Worley for now because I kept HOPING his stats would start to get better.
They really haven't. There's a few reasons that the Phillies were so quick to trade him to Twins. ONE was that they needed a good centerfielder and we obviously (?!) had a couple to spare.
But the two other primary reasons were more disturbing. Worley had one good season before hurting his arm and needing surgery. He didn't perform well after the surgery. More disappointing was that he really wasn't a self-motivator when it came to fitness and getting in shape. He started just a few years ago at 230 pounds. And it wasn't like he was a muscular 230 pounds. While undergoing surgery and taking time off he ballooned to 260. He's lost a little weight since then, but 250-255 is a pretty good estimate even though he's still listed at 230 in the Twins media guide. Everybody knows that's more of an inside joke than an accurate guide.
The problem is that Worley appears to be clueless to the idea that losing weight is his responsibility. A quote to sum up his feelings about the situation could be something like this. "Yeah, I'm a big guy and I like to eat. What could I possibly do about that?"
He's not C.C. Sabathia "fat" either. C.C. could give the Yankees 130 pitches and 12 innings of pitching tomorrow if they asked. AND look good doing it.
Worley would have difficulty going five innings at this point of spring training. Actually, he hasn't had more than three innings all spring and NONE of his outings have gained him any respect. In 12 innings he's given up 17 hits and two homeruns. An actual quote, "Nobody wants salad, you know?"
I wouldn't be ragging on him so hard if he was battling for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. The problem is, as of right now, he IS the Twins projected opening day starter and current ACE. I don't think Gardy even has the option of sending him to the minors, let alone cutting him.
This does not bode well for the coming season. I just hopes he likes having salads soon and decides that losing weight is something he can do. He spent TWO seasons with the most disciplined pitcher in baseball history (Roy Halliday). If NONE of that rubbed off on him, I don't have any great hope of his long-term pitching future. I have even less hope about him seriously helping the Twins this season.
I've saved Worley for now because I kept HOPING his stats would start to get better.
They really haven't. There's a few reasons that the Phillies were so quick to trade him to Twins. ONE was that they needed a good centerfielder and we obviously (?!) had a couple to spare.
But the two other primary reasons were more disturbing. Worley had one good season before hurting his arm and needing surgery. He didn't perform well after the surgery. More disappointing was that he really wasn't a self-motivator when it came to fitness and getting in shape. He started just a few years ago at 230 pounds. And it wasn't like he was a muscular 230 pounds. While undergoing surgery and taking time off he ballooned to 260. He's lost a little weight since then, but 250-255 is a pretty good estimate even though he's still listed at 230 in the Twins media guide. Everybody knows that's more of an inside joke than an accurate guide.
The problem is that Worley appears to be clueless to the idea that losing weight is his responsibility. A quote to sum up his feelings about the situation could be something like this. "Yeah, I'm a big guy and I like to eat. What could I possibly do about that?"
He's not C.C. Sabathia "fat" either. C.C. could give the Yankees 130 pitches and 12 innings of pitching tomorrow if they asked. AND look good doing it.
Worley would have difficulty going five innings at this point of spring training. Actually, he hasn't had more than three innings all spring and NONE of his outings have gained him any respect. In 12 innings he's given up 17 hits and two homeruns. An actual quote, "Nobody wants salad, you know?"
I wouldn't be ragging on him so hard if he was battling for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. The problem is, as of right now, he IS the Twins projected opening day starter and current ACE. I don't think Gardy even has the option of sending him to the minors, let alone cutting him.
This does not bode well for the coming season. I just hopes he likes having salads soon and decides that losing weight is something he can do. He spent TWO seasons with the most disciplined pitcher in baseball history (Roy Halliday). If NONE of that rubbed off on him, I don't have any great hope of his long-term pitching future. I have even less hope about him seriously helping the Twins this season.
Wolves Look Normal
I watched a few minutes of last night's game and wondered where the early season team went.
They lost and looked bad doing so. I'm not really looking forward to next season either.
They lost and looked bad doing so. I'm not really looking forward to next season either.
Tiger and Vonn Finally Realize They Are Dating
It seems the only three people in the world that didn't know this until yesterday were Tiger, Lindsey and our own Eric the Vike Man.
For those of you who aren't acquainted with Lindsey Vonn, I'm enclosing a picture.
For those of you who aren't acquainted with Lindsey Vonn, I'm enclosing a picture.
Deduno and the Domican
The Dominican Republic made the finals of the WBC. They will be facing Puerto Rico In the finals today and Sam Deduno is scheduled to get some pitching time in depending on who else has rested arms.
Either way, barring injury, Deduno should be back with the Twins by Friday at the latest.
Either way, barring injury, Deduno should be back with the Twins by Friday at the latest.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Deduno
I mentioned that Sam Deduno had a great outing against team USA Thursday night. Gardy heard LOTS of good stuff from Joe Mauer about the performance.
And here's a few of the stats to go with that news:
One run in four innings. 5 hits, seven strikeouts, and just ONE walk. He appears to have found his control and men on base STILL do not bother him.
Gardy's talking about a rotation spot for Samuel when the season starts. He still has a couple more weeks to earn that spot. I'm hoping he gets the opportunity over veterans who are having horrible springs.
And here's a few of the stats to go with that news:
One run in four innings. 5 hits, seven strikeouts, and just ONE walk. He appears to have found his control and men on base STILL do not bother him.
Gardy's talking about a rotation spot for Samuel when the season starts. He still has a couple more weeks to earn that spot. I'm hoping he gets the opportunity over veterans who are having horrible springs.
Wolves Win and More
The T-wolves were relatively healthy last night. Pekovic and Kirilenko were both back in the lineup after missing the last two weeks. And number two draft pick, Derrick Williams FINALLY had the kind of game that the Wolves had been hoping for as he netted a career high 28 points in a 97-95 win over the Hornets.
The Hornets have a worse record than the Wolves, and even though Minnesota came away with a win, they had to struggle to pull it out at the end.
At this point a win is a win, but it's still hard to root for a franchise that has twice as many losses as victories. It's always hard just waiting around for NEXT year.
In other basketball news:
The Gophers are in the madness brackets as expected. They are a number 11 seed.
To further illustrate just how much parity has occurred in NCCA mens basketball, last season's National Champions, Kentucky, didn't even MAKE the tournament. They ended up getting the number one seed in the NIT. Yes, they lost a lot of seniors, but that's got to be the biggest drop in NCCA history.
The Heat are still going with their winning streak. It's 22 and counting.
Kobe had the flu last night so he didn't play with the Lakers. The Lakers won WITHOUT him.
The Hornets have a worse record than the Wolves, and even though Minnesota came away with a win, they had to struggle to pull it out at the end.
At this point a win is a win, but it's still hard to root for a franchise that has twice as many losses as victories. It's always hard just waiting around for NEXT year.
In other basketball news:
The Gophers are in the madness brackets as expected. They are a number 11 seed.
To further illustrate just how much parity has occurred in NCCA mens basketball, last season's National Champions, Kentucky, didn't even MAKE the tournament. They ended up getting the number one seed in the NIT. Yes, they lost a lot of seniors, but that's got to be the biggest drop in NCCA history.
The Heat are still going with their winning streak. It's 22 and counting.
Kobe had the flu last night so he didn't play with the Lakers. The Lakers won WITHOUT him.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Gardy Not Satified By Cole De Vries
His ERA this spring is .90. He gave up one run in three innings of pitching yesterday and the Twins won 2-1.
So, what's the problem? De Vries threw 60 pitches in those three innings yesterday. And he walked two. Gardy KNOWS he needs starters, but he hates it when pitchers can't find the plate.
Cole has been spectacular so far this spring, and technically yesterday was not a bad day. I'd be surprised if Cole isn't in the starting rotation when the season starts.
Right now he's the only starter having what could be considered as "a good preseason." Gardy is on the last year of his contract and the Twins have not yet offered him an extension. He's going to be in an owly mood all season. Twins management has not given him much to work with and he knows it. That realization is going to gnaw at him all season long.
So, what's the problem? De Vries threw 60 pitches in those three innings yesterday. And he walked two. Gardy KNOWS he needs starters, but he hates it when pitchers can't find the plate.
Cole has been spectacular so far this spring, and technically yesterday was not a bad day. I'd be surprised if Cole isn't in the starting rotation when the season starts.
Right now he's the only starter having what could be considered as "a good preseason." Gardy is on the last year of his contract and the Twins have not yet offered him an extension. He's going to be in an owly mood all season. Twins management has not given him much to work with and he knows it. That realization is going to gnaw at him all season long.
Wild Win Again
They've won four of their last five, and for the first time all season, they ay are actually scoring goals. Last night they had FOUR in the first period and ended the game with a 6-4 win.
I watched the highlights and I'm more convinced than ever that scoring in hockey is a matter of luck. Two attempted goals in the first period clanged off the goal post only to have a Wild player in perfect position as the puck bounced to him perfectly, so that he could get the followup goal.
This happens all of the time in basketball. It's called a followup on a rebound, but in hockey, it's still pretty rare, that's one of the reasons that scoring in a typical game is like soccer 2-1. So much has to happen RIGHT (mathematically and skill-wise) for those rebound goals to score. Players are nearly ALWAYS in position to score on those rebound shots, but the puck has to go to them just the right way for it to happen.
In either case, Minnesota IS a better team than the Avalanche (by record), so the better team did win.
Just like soccer, though, it's hard to determine which team is truly better when all the top teams play so many close games. The difference between each win or loss is often just a single goal scored in OT or in a final shootout. Statistically, those types of wins are called "rounding errors." And since they happen so regularly, there is no real way of determining which team is really better.
The less scientific way of saying this? One team is consistently "luckier." And NEXT season another team may get the benefit of those rounding errors, be luckier, and win. I'm not saying the players themselves aren't talented. I'm saying that their abilities are all so similar, that all the teams are basically equal. And since one team HAS to win, eventually one team does. It's brutal rooting for teams in these types of situations, but soccer fans world-wide have been enduring these types of statistical anomalies in their sport for decades.
Behavioral studies suggest that when you root for and often bet on teams in these types of situations that eventually the fan who does so becomes more agitated and less stable as times goes by. They become more belligerent and more aggressive with each passing season. I think that explains the occurrence of soccer riots and their increasing frequency over the last 15 years.
Two hockey teams or soccer clubs who are basically even in skill level have the same chance of winning as say "flipping a coin." The problem is that the person watching these games doesn't KNOW that their chances of winning are basically 50/50 and they grow agitated when the coin toss doesn't go their way. The perceived skill of the players involves masks the fact that both teams are as likely to lose as win. Anger is the result. That could also explain why hockey fans like the player brawls so much. The pent up anger has to be released somehow.
The best soccer teams in the world and the best hockey teams in the world have achieved equilibrium. Or as sports commentators like to say, "parity."
Why is this phenomena so predominant in hockey and soccer? Primarily because the variant player in each (the goalie) is a defensive player. Baseball and football are different. The pitcher in baseball is the attacker. He's actively involved in silencing the players who are batting, (even though they are looked at by most as the "offense.") In football the primary variant, a protected quarterback is also a primary player. The skill of the offensive line and an accurate throwing QB who can escape pressure varies widely. No parity has been reached there.
The only other popular sport where parity could evolve is basketball, and I think we are seeing that, this season, in college ball. The reason? There is no primary variant player in basketball. All of the teams recruit similar players with similar skill levels. It appears that all the top teams have one or two really good players which is enough to off-set the top couple of players from every other school.
NBA ball has avoided this, for now, because top teams still have the very best players. Not all teams are equal in the NBA. The top teams pay for the best players and have the ability to acquire them.
The argument COULD be made that parity has been reached in the top 6-8 teams in ALL sports including the NBA, but that's a discussion for another time.
I watched the highlights and I'm more convinced than ever that scoring in hockey is a matter of luck. Two attempted goals in the first period clanged off the goal post only to have a Wild player in perfect position as the puck bounced to him perfectly, so that he could get the followup goal.
This happens all of the time in basketball. It's called a followup on a rebound, but in hockey, it's still pretty rare, that's one of the reasons that scoring in a typical game is like soccer 2-1. So much has to happen RIGHT (mathematically and skill-wise) for those rebound goals to score. Players are nearly ALWAYS in position to score on those rebound shots, but the puck has to go to them just the right way for it to happen.
In either case, Minnesota IS a better team than the Avalanche (by record), so the better team did win.
Just like soccer, though, it's hard to determine which team is truly better when all the top teams play so many close games. The difference between each win or loss is often just a single goal scored in OT or in a final shootout. Statistically, those types of wins are called "rounding errors." And since they happen so regularly, there is no real way of determining which team is really better.
The less scientific way of saying this? One team is consistently "luckier." And NEXT season another team may get the benefit of those rounding errors, be luckier, and win. I'm not saying the players themselves aren't talented. I'm saying that their abilities are all so similar, that all the teams are basically equal. And since one team HAS to win, eventually one team does. It's brutal rooting for teams in these types of situations, but soccer fans world-wide have been enduring these types of statistical anomalies in their sport for decades.
Behavioral studies suggest that when you root for and often bet on teams in these types of situations that eventually the fan who does so becomes more agitated and less stable as times goes by. They become more belligerent and more aggressive with each passing season. I think that explains the occurrence of soccer riots and their increasing frequency over the last 15 years.
Two hockey teams or soccer clubs who are basically even in skill level have the same chance of winning as say "flipping a coin." The problem is that the person watching these games doesn't KNOW that their chances of winning are basically 50/50 and they grow agitated when the coin toss doesn't go their way. The perceived skill of the players involves masks the fact that both teams are as likely to lose as win. Anger is the result. That could also explain why hockey fans like the player brawls so much. The pent up anger has to be released somehow.
The best soccer teams in the world and the best hockey teams in the world have achieved equilibrium. Or as sports commentators like to say, "parity."
Why is this phenomena so predominant in hockey and soccer? Primarily because the variant player in each (the goalie) is a defensive player. Baseball and football are different. The pitcher in baseball is the attacker. He's actively involved in silencing the players who are batting, (even though they are looked at by most as the "offense.") In football the primary variant, a protected quarterback is also a primary player. The skill of the offensive line and an accurate throwing QB who can escape pressure varies widely. No parity has been reached there.
The only other popular sport where parity could evolve is basketball, and I think we are seeing that, this season, in college ball. The reason? There is no primary variant player in basketball. All of the teams recruit similar players with similar skill levels. It appears that all the top teams have one or two really good players which is enough to off-set the top couple of players from every other school.
NBA ball has avoided this, for now, because top teams still have the very best players. Not all teams are equal in the NBA. The top teams pay for the best players and have the ability to acquire them.
The argument COULD be made that parity has been reached in the top 6-8 teams in ALL sports including the NBA, but that's a discussion for another time.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
USA Loses in WBC
YES!
That means Joe Mauer can come back to the team early. The tournament itself is worthless so the ONLY good news from it is that teams with your favorite players lose BEFORE your favorite players get hurt.
I've never rooted so hard for a USA loss. It's too bad they couldn't have lost sooner.
In other Twins news:
Liam Hendriks gave up 3 earned runs in four innings yesterday in the Twins 5-0 loss to the Red Sox. He's given up FOUR homeruns in his last two starts.
I'm still wondering if the Twins have more than one or two starters worth getting excited about. What bothers me the most is that Gardy and Anderson said they'd like to have seen Liam "throw a better mix of pitches." I hate to say this, but isn't that the CATCHER'S JOB when you have inexperienced arms on the mound. Surely BOTH Gardy and Anderson aren't that stupid are they?
That would be like an offensive coordinator and head coach in football wishing that their QB would throw "a few more long passes" to mix things up, when they CALL the plays.
Baffling.
I keep forgetting that Scott Diamond isn't going to be available at the beginning of the season either. He had bone chips removed from his elbow in January, and even though he's is scheduled to get some live batters to pitch to on Monday, he's most likely going to miss the first few weeks of the season.
Our rotation at season's start is going to be so much WORSE than last year's.
Most likely: (based on contract status of old vets we paid good money too?)
Worley, Pelfrey, Correia, DeVries, and Hendriks.
Diamond will be added later (and Gibson after that IF he finds his control.) Deduno is the the long-shot in all of this BUT he did pitch GREAT against team USA and Mauer Thursday night.
De Vries and Hendriks are already ON the 40-man roster, so they are the odds on favorites, though Hendriks IS getting some bad reviews from those who matter most. He's still better than Correia and Pelfrey but, sadly, we've already mentioned why they'll both most likely make the team unless they get injured.
That means Joe Mauer can come back to the team early. The tournament itself is worthless so the ONLY good news from it is that teams with your favorite players lose BEFORE your favorite players get hurt.
I've never rooted so hard for a USA loss. It's too bad they couldn't have lost sooner.
In other Twins news:
Liam Hendriks gave up 3 earned runs in four innings yesterday in the Twins 5-0 loss to the Red Sox. He's given up FOUR homeruns in his last two starts.
I'm still wondering if the Twins have more than one or two starters worth getting excited about. What bothers me the most is that Gardy and Anderson said they'd like to have seen Liam "throw a better mix of pitches." I hate to say this, but isn't that the CATCHER'S JOB when you have inexperienced arms on the mound. Surely BOTH Gardy and Anderson aren't that stupid are they?
That would be like an offensive coordinator and head coach in football wishing that their QB would throw "a few more long passes" to mix things up, when they CALL the plays.
Baffling.
I keep forgetting that Scott Diamond isn't going to be available at the beginning of the season either. He had bone chips removed from his elbow in January, and even though he's is scheduled to get some live batters to pitch to on Monday, he's most likely going to miss the first few weeks of the season.
Our rotation at season's start is going to be so much WORSE than last year's.
Most likely: (based on contract status of old vets we paid good money too?)
Worley, Pelfrey, Correia, DeVries, and Hendriks.
Diamond will be added later (and Gibson after that IF he finds his control.) Deduno is the the long-shot in all of this BUT he did pitch GREAT against team USA and Mauer Thursday night.
De Vries and Hendriks are already ON the 40-man roster, so they are the odds on favorites, though Hendriks IS getting some bad reviews from those who matter most. He's still better than Correia and Pelfrey but, sadly, we've already mentioned why they'll both most likely make the team unless they get injured.
Kobe Plays
I KNEW it! He said he had a bad ankle sprain. He didn't. What a diva.
He's not 100% but he certainly isn't in that bad of shape either. I watched him WALK off the court the other night and the first thing I thought is that he's just playing this for sympathy again.
He's not tough. He's a faker. And I dislike him more NOW than I did a few days ago.
Reports coming out are saying how valiant and gallant he was to press on despite the "devastating injury."
I've had TWO horrible sprained ankles in my life and I've had a few average ones as well. Just knowing he got up and WALKED off the court the night he got it meant it wasn't a big deal to start with. You can't walk on a severely sprained ankle. He didn't even LIMP much when he left the court.
Kobe is fortunate that he has not experienced a bad ankle sprain in his entire career, but saying this IS one when it clearly is not makes him look all the sadder.
Why journalists can't tell the difference is mind-boggling. TREATMENT does not let you get back on the court less than 48 hours after spraining it. NOT BEING HURT THAT BADLY in the first place allows that result.
I'm waiting for someone to call him out on this. But no one will. The STORY is his "superhuman comeback." In reality, he's a diva who "broke a nail" and then acted like his world was ending.
What a joke.
He's not 100% but he certainly isn't in that bad of shape either. I watched him WALK off the court the other night and the first thing I thought is that he's just playing this for sympathy again.
He's not tough. He's a faker. And I dislike him more NOW than I did a few days ago.
Reports coming out are saying how valiant and gallant he was to press on despite the "devastating injury."
I've had TWO horrible sprained ankles in my life and I've had a few average ones as well. Just knowing he got up and WALKED off the court the night he got it meant it wasn't a big deal to start with. You can't walk on a severely sprained ankle. He didn't even LIMP much when he left the court.
Kobe is fortunate that he has not experienced a bad ankle sprain in his entire career, but saying this IS one when it clearly is not makes him look all the sadder.
Why journalists can't tell the difference is mind-boggling. TREATMENT does not let you get back on the court less than 48 hours after spraining it. NOT BEING HURT THAT BADLY in the first place allows that result.
I'm waiting for someone to call him out on this. But no one will. The STORY is his "superhuman comeback." In reality, he's a diva who "broke a nail" and then acted like his world was ending.
What a joke.
Jennings Sign With The Vikes
I can't believe that the best receiver available signed with Minnesota. Jennings was hurt most of last year so we'll still have to see if he's as good as he once was. We'll also have to see if Ponder or Cassel can throw him the ball accurately.
Losing Harvin hurt. Signing Jennings to a big deal takes away some of the sting. Letting Winfield go gave Minnesota the salary room.
I'm a little stunned and hoping beyond hope that this works out well for everybody, but we still have an "iffy" QB situation that may not be fixable without getting a better quarterback.
It's a good start. Now I'm waiting to see how much the draft can help.
Losing Harvin hurt. Signing Jennings to a big deal takes away some of the sting. Letting Winfield go gave Minnesota the salary room.
I'm a little stunned and hoping beyond hope that this works out well for everybody, but we still have an "iffy" QB situation that may not be fixable without getting a better quarterback.
It's a good start. Now I'm waiting to see how much the draft can help.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Pelfrey
In my last blog I mentioned that I have no idea who the Twins will have as their five-man rotation when the season starts. It still doesn't appear that we even have five good candidates. Mike Pelfrey, another Tommy John surgery recipient, gave up five runs and six hits in just two innings of work yesterday.
He's actually getting WORSE as spring training progresses. I know the Twins signed him to a one year deal worth $4 million, so they PLAN on him being one of the starters, but at this point I think I'd trust Bert Blyleven more.
Diamond and Worley seem like locks. DeVries and Deduno seem like real possibilities.
But guys like Correia, May, and Pelfrey, (the guys we got through questionable trades) don't look better than Liam Hendricks. May has already been assigned to the minors.
The Twins can either start their worthless offseason acquisitions OR most of the same guys they had at the end of last season. I'd rather take my chances with Deduno, Devries, Diamond, and Hendriks than the the drek we acquired during the offseason. The jury is still out on Worley.
If the Twins have already paid Correia and Pelfrey, they may be forced to use them no matter what.
That's just sad.
Ryan isn't the same GM he was the last time around.
He's actually getting WORSE as spring training progresses. I know the Twins signed him to a one year deal worth $4 million, so they PLAN on him being one of the starters, but at this point I think I'd trust Bert Blyleven more.
Diamond and Worley seem like locks. DeVries and Deduno seem like real possibilities.
But guys like Correia, May, and Pelfrey, (the guys we got through questionable trades) don't look better than Liam Hendricks. May has already been assigned to the minors.
The Twins can either start their worthless offseason acquisitions OR most of the same guys they had at the end of last season. I'd rather take my chances with Deduno, Devries, Diamond, and Hendriks than the the drek we acquired during the offseason. The jury is still out on Worley.
If the Twins have already paid Correia and Pelfrey, they may be forced to use them no matter what.
That's just sad.
Ryan isn't the same GM he was the last time around.
Kyle Gibson
Gibson will not be on the opening day roster for the Twins. As expected, even though he's physically recovered from his Tommy John surgery, he still has to get good at pitching again. He's got velocity back, but his control is nowhere near where it was before the surgery. He'll need some time in the minors to work that out. I'm still curious as to just who the Twins will have as their five-man (six-man?) rotation when the season starts.
Everyone else is talking confidently that Gibson will join the major league roster "quickly" once the season starts. I'm hoping they let him get his confidence and control back in the minors even if that takes most of the season. If he is the Twins "Golden Child" I don't want to see him until he's ready.
Everyone else is talking confidently that Gibson will join the major league roster "quickly" once the season starts. I'm hoping they let him get his confidence and control back in the minors even if that takes most of the season. If he is the Twins "Golden Child" I don't want to see him until he's ready.
Jasper Brinkley
The Vikings LIKE Jasper Brinkley, but they don't think he's good enough for all the different coverages he's responsible for.
As a result, they left him sign with the Cardinals yesterday. Could this mean they really are serious about signing the aging Brian Urlacher? I guess we'll find out soon.
As a result, they left him sign with the Cardinals yesterday. Could this mean they really are serious about signing the aging Brian Urlacher? I guess we'll find out soon.
Matt Cassel
I called this a couple days back, but much like Super Steve, I'm don't have that much confidence in Matt Cassel anymore. Kansas City sucked the life out of him the last couple of years and he no longer resembles the QB that led the Patriots in Tom Brady's absence. Injuries and a horrible ball club cost him his starting job in KC, and the man who replaced him, Brady Quinn, isn't exactly all-pro either.
BUT just like Steve, I'm pretty happy that we have an option at starter other than Christian Ponder. It also makes it possible for the Vikings to find something for Joe Webb to do rather than sitting on the bench as a protected backup quarterback.
My biggest fear from all of this is that Webb will simply be cut and we'll never see what he's capable of doing given a real chance. With Harvin gone, we should at least consider him as a kick returner and slot receiver.
Talks have also picked up about Greg Jennings, the most famous Green Bay free agent. He visited Minnesota yesterday and some of the Vikings players took him out to a steak dinner telling him how much they wanted him as a teammate. That's pretty cool. Knowing he'd be leaving the Packers makes it all the sweeter. The Vikes have cleared some salary space the last few days and they do need a quality receiver. I'm not convinced that Jennings is the answer but it's not like the Vikings have any real options for Ponder or Cassel to throw to at this point.
Jerome Simpson, Jarius Wright and Stephen Burton are the only receivers on our roster right now. None instill fear in NFL defensive backs. I hate to judge them all poorly because, for all I know, it's mostly been a matter of Ponder's inadequacy, though Simpson dropping so many passes early in the season surely was not Ponder's fault.
I think both Cassel and Jennings are welcome possibilities so I'm hoping that Jennings picks the Vikings. He's good enough to sign with any team he wants. IF I WERE in that position, I certainly wouldn't sign with the Vikings, not knowing who my QBs might be. I can't imagine leaving Aaron Rodgers for those horrible alternatives.
BUT just like Steve, I'm pretty happy that we have an option at starter other than Christian Ponder. It also makes it possible for the Vikings to find something for Joe Webb to do rather than sitting on the bench as a protected backup quarterback.
My biggest fear from all of this is that Webb will simply be cut and we'll never see what he's capable of doing given a real chance. With Harvin gone, we should at least consider him as a kick returner and slot receiver.
Talks have also picked up about Greg Jennings, the most famous Green Bay free agent. He visited Minnesota yesterday and some of the Vikings players took him out to a steak dinner telling him how much they wanted him as a teammate. That's pretty cool. Knowing he'd be leaving the Packers makes it all the sweeter. The Vikes have cleared some salary space the last few days and they do need a quality receiver. I'm not convinced that Jennings is the answer but it's not like the Vikings have any real options for Ponder or Cassel to throw to at this point.
Jerome Simpson, Jarius Wright and Stephen Burton are the only receivers on our roster right now. None instill fear in NFL defensive backs. I hate to judge them all poorly because, for all I know, it's mostly been a matter of Ponder's inadequacy, though Simpson dropping so many passes early in the season surely was not Ponder's fault.
I think both Cassel and Jennings are welcome possibilities so I'm hoping that Jennings picks the Vikings. He's good enough to sign with any team he wants. IF I WERE in that position, I certainly wouldn't sign with the Vikings, not knowing who my QBs might be. I can't imagine leaving Aaron Rodgers for those horrible alternatives.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Vikings Rumor
The Vikes are talking with Brian Urlacher, free agent from the Bears. That doesn't mean anything YET. I'm not even sure if this point in his career that he's be all that valuable to the Vikings. IF we sign him it would mean that we've lost all faith in Jasper Brinkly who surprised many this past season just by becoming our regular middle linebacker. This is Jasper's second stint with the club.
Rumor also has it the at the Vikings are indeed trying to re-sign Antoine Winfield after cutting him just a day earlier. At 36 his options are limited and he may very well come back with a major cut in pay. Winfield is VERY good for his age so I'm hoping that whatever hard feelings might have developed from the roster cut can be set aside for a new contract.
The Vikes appear to be backing off from signing one of their current primary receiver hopes in Greg Jennings. If that's the case, they must have some other free agent in mind, not that there a whole lot of options out there. Randy Moss IS available, but no one is mentioning his name anywhere at this point.
Rumor also has it the at the Vikings are indeed trying to re-sign Antoine Winfield after cutting him just a day earlier. At 36 his options are limited and he may very well come back with a major cut in pay. Winfield is VERY good for his age so I'm hoping that whatever hard feelings might have developed from the roster cut can be set aside for a new contract.
The Vikes appear to be backing off from signing one of their current primary receiver hopes in Greg Jennings. If that's the case, they must have some other free agent in mind, not that there a whole lot of options out there. Randy Moss IS available, but no one is mentioning his name anywhere at this point.
Carlos Gomez
Before Ben Revere, the Twins had Denard Span. Okay, they only had Ben Revere as their "regular center fielder" only in the offseason a few days before they traded him just like they traded Span. But work with me here...
Before Span, the Twins had Carlos Gomez as their center fielder. So what's Carlos up to? He just signed a 4-year contract extension with the Brewers worth $28 million. The Brewers love his speed and his defense. They also like the way he has improved at the plate as he hit 19 homeruns last season as a leadoff hitter. He also had 37 stolen bases and is improving there every year as well.
The Twins seem to grow center fielders in their farm system better than any team in baseball. Remember, before Carlos we had perennial All-Star Torii Hunter. Maybe Aaron Hicks or Joe Benson will be better than all of them.
For those following the WBC (that was a joke) Justin Morneau has rejoined the Twins now that Canada has been eliminated from the tournament. He went 0-3 yesterday in the Twins loss to the O's.
Josh Roenicke gave up 5 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning "earning" the loss for the Twins. He was never been expected to make the Twins roster anyway. He's just another arm the Twins are giving a chance to in spring training.
Before Span, the Twins had Carlos Gomez as their center fielder. So what's Carlos up to? He just signed a 4-year contract extension with the Brewers worth $28 million. The Brewers love his speed and his defense. They also like the way he has improved at the plate as he hit 19 homeruns last season as a leadoff hitter. He also had 37 stolen bases and is improving there every year as well.
The Twins seem to grow center fielders in their farm system better than any team in baseball. Remember, before Carlos we had perennial All-Star Torii Hunter. Maybe Aaron Hicks or Joe Benson will be better than all of them.
For those following the WBC (that was a joke) Justin Morneau has rejoined the Twins now that Canada has been eliminated from the tournament. He went 0-3 yesterday in the Twins loss to the O's.
Josh Roenicke gave up 5 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning "earning" the loss for the Twins. He was never been expected to make the Twins roster anyway. He's just another arm the Twins are giving a chance to in spring training.
Welker Heads to Denver and Manning
In a move that surprised just about everyone, Wes Welker, Tom Brady's favorite receiver, bolted to Denver yesterday as a free agent. Brady rearranged his own salary to make it possible for the Patriots to give Welker what he wanted, but he elected to sign a two-year deal (worth $12 million) with Denver so that he could play with Peyton Manning instead.
Frankly, I'm stunned. I was just starting to think that loyalty meant something to some players in the league. I guess not. The Patriots immediately signed Rams reciever, Danny Amendola to a 5 year, $31 million deal, in part, I think, to show Welker what he was passing up by electing to go to Denver.
Denver already has two 1,000 yard receivers of their own in Eric Decker (former Gopher) and Demaryius Thomas. Adding a third, while taking a great player from an AFC rival has to give Denver's head of operations, John Elway, a pretty big feather in his hat. Welker is the ONLY player in NFL history to have FIVE 110 catch seasons and has been the best slot receiver in NFL history. Manning was missing a slot receiver. NOW he has one. It's almost scary how good this team might be this coming season.
Frankly, I'm stunned. I was just starting to think that loyalty meant something to some players in the league. I guess not. The Patriots immediately signed Rams reciever, Danny Amendola to a 5 year, $31 million deal, in part, I think, to show Welker what he was passing up by electing to go to Denver.
Denver already has two 1,000 yard receivers of their own in Eric Decker (former Gopher) and Demaryius Thomas. Adding a third, while taking a great player from an AFC rival has to give Denver's head of operations, John Elway, a pretty big feather in his hat. Welker is the ONLY player in NFL history to have FIVE 110 catch seasons and has been the best slot receiver in NFL history. Manning was missing a slot receiver. NOW he has one. It's almost scary how good this team might be this coming season.
NBA
The Heat have now won 20 straight games. The record is 33. I remember watching the Lakers do that back in 1971-72. Wilt and Jerry West led the way that year.
Even more amazing? Back in 1972, I remember at halftime they always had one of the ABC announcers start a Sears lawnmower LIVE, to show that it always started on the first pull. It only failed ONCE the whole year and that was because the announcer did something wrong. Someone else pulled it the second time and it started right away. It was great advertising for Sears because with the Lakers on a streak, everybody was watching their games AND seeing how reliable Sears lawnmowers were at the same time. I THINK it was Sears lawnmowers. This was over 40 years ago so my memory might not remember this quite right.
In other CURRENT NBA news, Kobe Bryant has a severe ankle sprain and will miss some significant time. At 34-32, the Lakers are not a lock to make the playoffs as Kobe promised. It should be interesting to see the Lakers perform without him. They've been on a bit of a tear recently but this could seriously jeopardize their season. Of course, for all I know, Kobe's ankle isn't as bad as he says and he might be back in a game or two. NBA prima donnas have a way of making themselves look good when they come back "early" from injuries that weren't that bad in the first place.
As much as I sometimes criticize LeBron James, he is a solid player on both offense and defense and he almost ALWAYS leads the league in minutes played. He's proven tough his entire career. And it looks like they are getting ready for another championship run. I admire that. I really do.
Even more amazing? Back in 1972, I remember at halftime they always had one of the ABC announcers start a Sears lawnmower LIVE, to show that it always started on the first pull. It only failed ONCE the whole year and that was because the announcer did something wrong. Someone else pulled it the second time and it started right away. It was great advertising for Sears because with the Lakers on a streak, everybody was watching their games AND seeing how reliable Sears lawnmowers were at the same time. I THINK it was Sears lawnmowers. This was over 40 years ago so my memory might not remember this quite right.
In other CURRENT NBA news, Kobe Bryant has a severe ankle sprain and will miss some significant time. At 34-32, the Lakers are not a lock to make the playoffs as Kobe promised. It should be interesting to see the Lakers perform without him. They've been on a bit of a tear recently but this could seriously jeopardize their season. Of course, for all I know, Kobe's ankle isn't as bad as he says and he might be back in a game or two. NBA prima donnas have a way of making themselves look good when they come back "early" from injuries that weren't that bad in the first place.
As much as I sometimes criticize LeBron James, he is a solid player on both offense and defense and he almost ALWAYS leads the league in minutes played. He's proven tough his entire career. And it looks like they are getting ready for another championship run. I admire that. I really do.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Samuel Deduno
You haven't heard his name mentioned much in spring training this year. There is a reason for that.
He's playing for the Dominican Republic in the WBC. The cool part? Even though he is pitching against guys that aren't very good, he hasn't issued a walk in 5 innings of pitching. For "Wild Boy" Sam, that is simply amazing.
Peter Hagerman wrote an article yesterday telling us about Deduno's wildness and how it NEVER really seems to affect him or the Twins. Though he walks a ton of guys and frequently gets into horrible strike counts, he never really gives up a lot of runs. Why? Because he still gets a ton of strikeouts and ground balls with the most unhittable fastball in the entire league.
From Hagerman:
"With 121 innings split between Rochester and the Twins, he walked 75, or 14% of all the hitters he faced. Five measly innings of not throwing four balls in a given at-bat is not going to change that fact.
His inability to work ahead of hitters put Deduno in many precarious situations in 2012. A whopping 8% of his match-ups resulted in 3-0 counts (league average being 5%). Overall, hitters knew his reputation and refrained from chasing much of anything outside of the strike zone. According to Fangraphs.com Deduno got opponents to chase after just 23.5% of all out-of-zone offerings – the second lowest rate in baseball with a minimum of 70 innings pitched.
Here’s the catch: Despite being behind hitters frequently, he was not damaged significantly. He walked plenty, but teams were unable to put the ball in play sharply. Thanks to his incredible movement of his fastball which had an MLB-best 67% ground ball rate, the opposition showed they simply could not square up. Even in situations where they should have an advantage, they were unsuccessful. While the rest of the American League’s pitching staffs had a .299/.465/.513 batting line when behind in the count, Deduno produced a walk-heavy yet respectable .244/.524/.389 line.
With his nearly unhittable fastball (not to mention decent curve), Deduno has the foundations to be a very good pitcher. The giant elephant on his chest is his incapability to throw the ball over the plate consistently."
Me again.
Watching Deduno pitch last year reminded me so much of Liriano BEFORE he hurt his arm. I'm really hoping that the Twins see enough value in him to give an entire season in the majors to prove himself. This is a season where they don't expect to make the playoffs. If that's the case, let's see what Deduno can do. He excites me more than any pitcher on their roster right now and he's one of the few pitchers I'd actually turn on the game to watch. I'd also cut him some slack if he's wild. He's not "Liriano-Wild." It's just that his fastball has so much movement on it that it literally can break anywhere. THAT is a GOOD THING. That is an amazing thing. And I sure hope the Twins are smart enough to see that.
He's playing for the Dominican Republic in the WBC. The cool part? Even though he is pitching against guys that aren't very good, he hasn't issued a walk in 5 innings of pitching. For "Wild Boy" Sam, that is simply amazing.
Peter Hagerman wrote an article yesterday telling us about Deduno's wildness and how it NEVER really seems to affect him or the Twins. Though he walks a ton of guys and frequently gets into horrible strike counts, he never really gives up a lot of runs. Why? Because he still gets a ton of strikeouts and ground balls with the most unhittable fastball in the entire league.
From Hagerman:
"With 121 innings split between Rochester and the Twins, he walked 75, or 14% of all the hitters he faced. Five measly innings of not throwing four balls in a given at-bat is not going to change that fact.
His inability to work ahead of hitters put Deduno in many precarious situations in 2012. A whopping 8% of his match-ups resulted in 3-0 counts (league average being 5%). Overall, hitters knew his reputation and refrained from chasing much of anything outside of the strike zone. According to Fangraphs.com Deduno got opponents to chase after just 23.5% of all out-of-zone offerings – the second lowest rate in baseball with a minimum of 70 innings pitched.
Here’s the catch: Despite being behind hitters frequently, he was not damaged significantly. He walked plenty, but teams were unable to put the ball in play sharply. Thanks to his incredible movement of his fastball which had an MLB-best 67% ground ball rate, the opposition showed they simply could not square up. Even in situations where they should have an advantage, they were unsuccessful. While the rest of the American League’s pitching staffs had a .299/.465/.513 batting line when behind in the count, Deduno produced a walk-heavy yet respectable .244/.524/.389 line.
With his nearly unhittable fastball (not to mention decent curve), Deduno has the foundations to be a very good pitcher. The giant elephant on his chest is his incapability to throw the ball over the plate consistently."
Me again.
Watching Deduno pitch last year reminded me so much of Liriano BEFORE he hurt his arm. I'm really hoping that the Twins see enough value in him to give an entire season in the majors to prove himself. This is a season where they don't expect to make the playoffs. If that's the case, let's see what Deduno can do. He excites me more than any pitcher on their roster right now and he's one of the few pitchers I'd actually turn on the game to watch. I'd also cut him some slack if he's wild. He's not "Liriano-Wild." It's just that his fastball has so much movement on it that it literally can break anywhere. THAT is a GOOD THING. That is an amazing thing. And I sure hope the Twins are smart enough to see that.
Chiefs Land Another Backup, More On Vikings
The Chiefs continually look for benched QBs who have lost their starting position to better quarterbacks. Their latest acquisition is the Niners Alex Smith who had lost his job to the biceps kissing, tattooed wonder know as Colin Kaepernick.
I was kind of hoping deep down inside that the Vikes would get him in some type of unsuspected trade. No such luck, though Matt Cassel, the man who backed up an injured Tom Brady for one season in New England, will probably be available in the near future. I'm thinking the Vikes will seriously take a look at him as a backup to Christian Ponder.
Speaking of Ponder, Percy Harvin talked a little bit more yesterday about why he was discontent in Minnesota. More than anything, it came down to the Vikings promoting Ponder to the their number one QB without even considering anyone else. Harvin simply has no confidence in him as a QB. He was willing to settle for a lot less in contract demands just to get away from Ponder. Rumors are he agreed to a $25 million deal with only $8 million guaranteed. The Vikings will get Seattle's number one draft pick this season in exchange for Harvin PLUS a third and a seventh pick next season.
It worries me a bit that the only man on the field who could make Ponder look good is no longer a Viking and that the reason he gave was simply that Ponder is not adequate to the task of being an NFL starting QB. Talent recognizes talent or the lack thereof. He didn't like being left to die in the middle with Ponder's horrible passing and he hated even more that Ponder could never see him open even on plays where he was the primary receiver. That he missed so many passes when players were open just compounded all of the other issues.
Sometimes there is a good reason that a player isn't happy. We'll see if he likes his new confines in Seattle better. In the mean time maybe we'll find out the primary reason that Minnesota can't find any "good receivers" is because the QB who throws to ALL of them just isn't any good. Let's face it. We ALL have that suspicion.
In other Vikings news. The Vikings let 36 year-old Antoine Winfield go instead of giving him the nearly $8 million they would have owed him this year. I can't say as I blame them. Winfield is really old for a defensive back and you have to figure his best days are behind him. IF both sides agree, they could always sign him back for less money, which is still a possibility. I still remember the Vikings giving him a long-term deal 4 years back just to make him happy. I said then, they'd probably release him before that deal was up. That's how NFL contracts work.
In brighter news? The Vikings managed to re-sign Phil Loadholt to a long-term deal without placing the franchise tag on him. They ended up saving quite a bit of money in the process. The Vikings also got Adrian's blocker, Jerome Felton to agree to terms. He hasn't signed the deal yet, but that is pretty much a given. THIS is big news and most will probably not even notice it. Peterson had a career year primarily because Felton REALLY knows how to block for Adrian. Without Felton, Adrian would be hurting this coming season.
The Vikes were busy yesterday. They also came to terms with several other potential free agents including Erin Henderson, Jamarca Sanford, and Jerome Simpson. There are a few others they will be working on today.
Keeping what you have that's good is sometimes harder than picking new draft picks. We'll see how many more that the Vikings can come to terms with today.
I was kind of hoping deep down inside that the Vikes would get him in some type of unsuspected trade. No such luck, though Matt Cassel, the man who backed up an injured Tom Brady for one season in New England, will probably be available in the near future. I'm thinking the Vikes will seriously take a look at him as a backup to Christian Ponder.
Speaking of Ponder, Percy Harvin talked a little bit more yesterday about why he was discontent in Minnesota. More than anything, it came down to the Vikings promoting Ponder to the their number one QB without even considering anyone else. Harvin simply has no confidence in him as a QB. He was willing to settle for a lot less in contract demands just to get away from Ponder. Rumors are he agreed to a $25 million deal with only $8 million guaranteed. The Vikings will get Seattle's number one draft pick this season in exchange for Harvin PLUS a third and a seventh pick next season.
It worries me a bit that the only man on the field who could make Ponder look good is no longer a Viking and that the reason he gave was simply that Ponder is not adequate to the task of being an NFL starting QB. Talent recognizes talent or the lack thereof. He didn't like being left to die in the middle with Ponder's horrible passing and he hated even more that Ponder could never see him open even on plays where he was the primary receiver. That he missed so many passes when players were open just compounded all of the other issues.
Sometimes there is a good reason that a player isn't happy. We'll see if he likes his new confines in Seattle better. In the mean time maybe we'll find out the primary reason that Minnesota can't find any "good receivers" is because the QB who throws to ALL of them just isn't any good. Let's face it. We ALL have that suspicion.
In other Vikings news. The Vikings let 36 year-old Antoine Winfield go instead of giving him the nearly $8 million they would have owed him this year. I can't say as I blame them. Winfield is really old for a defensive back and you have to figure his best days are behind him. IF both sides agree, they could always sign him back for less money, which is still a possibility. I still remember the Vikings giving him a long-term deal 4 years back just to make him happy. I said then, they'd probably release him before that deal was up. That's how NFL contracts work.
In brighter news? The Vikings managed to re-sign Phil Loadholt to a long-term deal without placing the franchise tag on him. They ended up saving quite a bit of money in the process. The Vikings also got Adrian's blocker, Jerome Felton to agree to terms. He hasn't signed the deal yet, but that is pretty much a given. THIS is big news and most will probably not even notice it. Peterson had a career year primarily because Felton REALLY knows how to block for Adrian. Without Felton, Adrian would be hurting this coming season.
The Vikes were busy yesterday. They also came to terms with several other potential free agents including Erin Henderson, Jamarca Sanford, and Jerome Simpson. There are a few others they will be working on today.
Keeping what you have that's good is sometimes harder than picking new draft picks. We'll see how many more that the Vikings can come to terms with today.
T-Woves Club the Spurs
Which team plays better without their top stars? That would be the Minnesota Timberwolves.
WITH their best players, Parker and Duncan, San Antonio is one of the best teams in the league (second or third, depending on where you place the Heat, the Clippers, or OKC.)
(OKC! OKC! OKC!)
But without their best players they got blown away by the T-Wolves subs last night. Ricky Rubio, surprisingly not injured, had a career game registering his first NBA triple double. He ended the game with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.
The final was 107 to 83. It wasn't even close. The Wolves outscored San Antonio in each quarter.
I can proudly say our subs are way better than their subs. Sadly, the Wolves only made 7 of 18 free throws. That really is pretty pathetic at this level. Oh well, I'll still take the win, and Rubio finally finding his range.
WITH their best players, Parker and Duncan, San Antonio is one of the best teams in the league (second or third, depending on where you place the Heat, the Clippers, or OKC.)
(OKC! OKC! OKC!)
But without their best players they got blown away by the T-Wolves subs last night. Ricky Rubio, surprisingly not injured, had a career game registering his first NBA triple double. He ended the game with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.
The final was 107 to 83. It wasn't even close. The Wolves outscored San Antonio in each quarter.
I can proudly say our subs are way better than their subs. Sadly, the Wolves only made 7 of 18 free throws. That really is pretty pathetic at this level. Oh well, I'll still take the win, and Rubio finally finding his range.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Vance Worley
The Twins rallied late to win their spring training game yesterday but Vance Worley, a projected "ace" for the team had another so-so start, he went four innings giving up two earned runs. His ERA in limited action this spring is now 5.63.
That number better get a lot, lot better in the regular season. Trevor May, the OTHER pitcher we got in the Ben Revere trade, was assigned to Double A ball yesterday. He made no impact on the Twins coaching staff this spring. They don't see him as a major leaguer for now.
That number better get a lot, lot better in the regular season. Trevor May, the OTHER pitcher we got in the Ben Revere trade, was assigned to Double A ball yesterday. He made no impact on the Twins coaching staff this spring. They don't see him as a major leaguer for now.
Harvin Traded
The deal is not complete yet. Harvin and the Seahawks have to be able to work out a contract agreement in the next 48 hours for it to become official. Knowing Harvin and his agent, that certainly is not just a given.
In return, the Vikes are most likely going to get Seattle's first round draft pick PLUS more, but even that isn't being officially reported as of yet.
Interestingly, that wasn't the biggest receiver trade yesterday. Another discontented superstar, Anquan Boldin of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens is now heading to the San Francisco Forty-Niners. I tend to think if that trade had happened before the Super Bowl, that outcome would have been reversed.
I'm bummed that Harvin is no longer with Vikes. He's like the biggest secret weapon in the league. Maybe with The Seahawks people will see how good he really is. I've always thought the Vikes could have used him so much better and smarter. Maybe that's one of the reasons he was so discontent all of the time.
The Vikes have made a lot of smart picks in the draft the last couple of seasons so MAYBE the pick or picks we get for him will make a difference, though I'm still wondering who our top two receivers are going to be this coming year and still hoping that we figure out how to use Joe Webb, at least for kickoffs.
In return, the Vikes are most likely going to get Seattle's first round draft pick PLUS more, but even that isn't being officially reported as of yet.
Interestingly, that wasn't the biggest receiver trade yesterday. Another discontented superstar, Anquan Boldin of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens is now heading to the San Francisco Forty-Niners. I tend to think if that trade had happened before the Super Bowl, that outcome would have been reversed.
I'm bummed that Harvin is no longer with Vikes. He's like the biggest secret weapon in the league. Maybe with The Seahawks people will see how good he really is. I've always thought the Vikes could have used him so much better and smarter. Maybe that's one of the reasons he was so discontent all of the time.
The Vikes have made a lot of smart picks in the draft the last couple of seasons so MAYBE the pick or picks we get for him will make a difference, though I'm still wondering who our top two receivers are going to be this coming year and still hoping that we figure out how to use Joe Webb, at least for kickoffs.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Harvin and Hardball
According to Sid Hartman, Percy has now "demanded to be traded."
I say the Vikes should play hardball. We have him under contract for another season. If he chooses to report and play it's up to him. IF he doesn't come back and play nice, I say the Vikes should let him sit and then NEXT season give him the "Franchise Tag" which would force him to be a Viking one more season AFTER next season.
I've had enough with prima donnas. The guy was hurt much of last season. He's also missed significant parts of other seasons because of his migraine headache issues. It's time to call his bluff and make him "man up."
I personally think Harvin has more talent than any other player on the Vikings, and that includes Adrian Peterson. There is no one more explosive or more exciting player in the entire league than Harvin.
If it's third and short, I'd rather get the ball in Percy's hands than Adrian's. The odds of getting a first down would be infinitely better. (I'm pretty sure stats would show that.) But Percy's attitude just stinks.
I'm still hoping the Vikes and Percy can come to a settled agreement that BOTH can live with, though I'm not sure what kind of locker room influence Harvin will have.
Let's face it, there really aren't a lot of great free agent receivers out there and even though Wallace of Pittsburgh may be the best, he certainly is no Percy Harvin. Worse? Wallace's attitude isn't any better than Harvin's. That's one of the main reasons that Pittburgh is letting him go.
There's not many wide receivers in the draft this year either. Joe Webb is the fastest Viking. Maybe we should just convert him. He's not the right backup QB for our system anyway and his talent is close to both Peterson's and Harvin's. We're wasting the best years of his life with him on the bench.
It's time to figure out what to do with him.
I say the Vikes should play hardball. We have him under contract for another season. If he chooses to report and play it's up to him. IF he doesn't come back and play nice, I say the Vikes should let him sit and then NEXT season give him the "Franchise Tag" which would force him to be a Viking one more season AFTER next season.
I've had enough with prima donnas. The guy was hurt much of last season. He's also missed significant parts of other seasons because of his migraine headache issues. It's time to call his bluff and make him "man up."
I personally think Harvin has more talent than any other player on the Vikings, and that includes Adrian Peterson. There is no one more explosive or more exciting player in the entire league than Harvin.
If it's third and short, I'd rather get the ball in Percy's hands than Adrian's. The odds of getting a first down would be infinitely better. (I'm pretty sure stats would show that.) But Percy's attitude just stinks.
I'm still hoping the Vikes and Percy can come to a settled agreement that BOTH can live with, though I'm not sure what kind of locker room influence Harvin will have.
Let's face it, there really aren't a lot of great free agent receivers out there and even though Wallace of Pittsburgh may be the best, he certainly is no Percy Harvin. Worse? Wallace's attitude isn't any better than Harvin's. That's one of the main reasons that Pittburgh is letting him go.
There's not many wide receivers in the draft this year either. Joe Webb is the fastest Viking. Maybe we should just convert him. He's not the right backup QB for our system anyway and his talent is close to both Peterson's and Harvin's. We're wasting the best years of his life with him on the bench.
It's time to figure out what to do with him.
Plouffe Out
If this were the regular season Plouffe would be placed on the DL, instead the Twins will give him a week off to see if his calf strain gets better.
Plouffe had just found his swing after missing it since the middle of last season when he also got hurt.
The Twins training staff is starting to come into question. Last year they totally misdiagnosed Pavano's shoulder injury and this year they thought that it would be better for Plouffe to play with what was thought to be a minor "calf strain."
Now it could be more than that, and now he has to wait and see what's really wrong and when he can come back. Another nail in the Twins coffin and the season hasn't even started.
MAYBE he'll be back in a week, or maybe he'll miss the beginning of the season.
There's a major difference between a calf strain and a tear in the calf muscle. Now, as usual, we'll all just have to wait and see.
The Twins split wins with the Pirates the last two days and Canada lost to the USA in the WBC yesterday. I THINK that means Canada has been eliminated and that would also mean that Morneau could be coming back to the Twins soon, but at this point I don't have enough interest in the WBC to find out for sure.
Plouffe had just found his swing after missing it since the middle of last season when he also got hurt.
The Twins training staff is starting to come into question. Last year they totally misdiagnosed Pavano's shoulder injury and this year they thought that it would be better for Plouffe to play with what was thought to be a minor "calf strain."
Now it could be more than that, and now he has to wait and see what's really wrong and when he can come back. Another nail in the Twins coffin and the season hasn't even started.
MAYBE he'll be back in a week, or maybe he'll miss the beginning of the season.
There's a major difference between a calf strain and a tear in the calf muscle. Now, as usual, we'll all just have to wait and see.
The Twins split wins with the Pirates the last two days and Canada lost to the USA in the WBC yesterday. I THINK that means Canada has been eliminated and that would also mean that Morneau could be coming back to the Twins soon, but at this point I don't have enough interest in the WBC to find out for sure.
Wolves Lose
Why?
Here what the coach has to say:
"It's hard to win games if you can't hit shots in this league," said coach Rick Adelman, whose Wolves were also missing Chase Budinger (knee), Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Nikola Pekovic (abdomen). "It's something (where) we thought we had people, but it's hard to evaluate when you have all these guys out."
Here what the coach has to say:
"It's hard to win games if you can't hit shots in this league," said coach Rick Adelman, whose Wolves were also missing Chase Budinger (knee), Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Nikola Pekovic (abdomen). "It's something (where) we thought we had people, but it's hard to evaluate when you have all these guys out."
Tiger Woods
Tiger has had two dominant wins in the last few weeks and the Masters is just around the corner.
Tiger, the person, has lost a lot of credibility over the few several years. Tiger, the most dominant player of this era, has been missed. I may just watch a little of the Masters when it comes around. Golf just became interesting again.
The only question? Will Lindsey Vonn be there watching as she recovers from knee surgery?
Tiger, the person, has lost a lot of credibility over the few several years. Tiger, the most dominant player of this era, has been missed. I may just watch a little of the Masters when it comes around. Golf just became interesting again.
The only question? Will Lindsey Vonn be there watching as she recovers from knee surgery?
Sunday, March 10, 2013
World Baseball Classic
Most of the games in this event are broadcast on the Major League Baseball Network. I didn't even KNOW that there was such a thing so obvuiusly I've been missing them.
So what's making all the headlines? In the spirit of goodwill and honest competition one of the biggest BRAWLS in baseball history occurred in the Mexico/Canada game yesterday. Lots of heavy duty fists were involved and seven players ended up getting ejected.
The SCARY part? FANS got involved. That's right, something that MLB fears the most happened yesterday. Fans and players were on the field yesterday slugging it out. You see, international fans of sports ALWAYS think they have to support their favorite teams when these types of riots break out.
In Amercia, that type of thing just isn't allowed in major league ballparks.
Justin Morneau plays for team Canada and he was quoted about how intense the game was, and how much more intense it got after the Canadian batter got beaned in the back in the ninth inning because they already had a huge lead and they bunted to get a man on base.
The Mexican third baseman then signaled to the pitcher to HIT the next batter. The pitcher threw two pitches deep inside then nailed the Canadian in the back on the third pitch after being warned by the umpire not to do it.
A brawl ensued.
I don't believe any Twins were hurt in the melee, but this is just stupid. It's time to bring Justin Morneau back to Florida and tell the rest of the world that they can take their bats and balls and go home.
These games mean nothing. It would be bad enough if a player gets hurt in a game, but hurt in a brawl in a game that's supposed to bring about world cooperation and understanding?
It's just a good thing the U.S. separates these two countries in geography, otherwise a war would already have broken out between them, eh?
So what's making all the headlines? In the spirit of goodwill and honest competition one of the biggest BRAWLS in baseball history occurred in the Mexico/Canada game yesterday. Lots of heavy duty fists were involved and seven players ended up getting ejected.
The SCARY part? FANS got involved. That's right, something that MLB fears the most happened yesterday. Fans and players were on the field yesterday slugging it out. You see, international fans of sports ALWAYS think they have to support their favorite teams when these types of riots break out.
In Amercia, that type of thing just isn't allowed in major league ballparks.
Justin Morneau plays for team Canada and he was quoted about how intense the game was, and how much more intense it got after the Canadian batter got beaned in the back in the ninth inning because they already had a huge lead and they bunted to get a man on base.
The Mexican third baseman then signaled to the pitcher to HIT the next batter. The pitcher threw two pitches deep inside then nailed the Canadian in the back on the third pitch after being warned by the umpire not to do it.
A brawl ensued.
I don't believe any Twins were hurt in the melee, but this is just stupid. It's time to bring Justin Morneau back to Florida and tell the rest of the world that they can take their bats and balls and go home.
These games mean nothing. It would be bad enough if a player gets hurt in a game, but hurt in a brawl in a game that's supposed to bring about world cooperation and understanding?
It's just a good thing the U.S. separates these two countries in geography, otherwise a war would already have broken out between them, eh?
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Trivia Day
Who was the very first NBA player to destroy a backboard in a game?
I'm not going to give you the answer right away, instead I'm going to tell you a little about him and see if you can guess from the clues. MOST of you will know him, many of you will know him well.
First of all, it's NOT Daryl Dawkins. Everybody who is a sports' fan remembers that dunk. It was so cool that backboards and rims, from that point on, have been made to prevent similar incidents.
No, the first recorded incident of a backboard being destroyed in an NBA game happened back in 1946. The player was playing for the Boston Celtics.
This man was the first (and only) Monday Night Baseball commentator to use the F-Word.
He also played major league baseball for the Chicago Cubs.
When cut by the Cubs, he tried out for the Dodgers. He was "discovered" there and later went to Hollywood where he became a famous television actor.
He was best known as the star of a television western.
He toted a rifle in the show.
That's right. Chuck Connors, the Rifleman.
I'm not going to give you the answer right away, instead I'm going to tell you a little about him and see if you can guess from the clues. MOST of you will know him, many of you will know him well.
First of all, it's NOT Daryl Dawkins. Everybody who is a sports' fan remembers that dunk. It was so cool that backboards and rims, from that point on, have been made to prevent similar incidents.
No, the first recorded incident of a backboard being destroyed in an NBA game happened back in 1946. The player was playing for the Boston Celtics.
This man was the first (and only) Monday Night Baseball commentator to use the F-Word.
He also played major league baseball for the Chicago Cubs.
When cut by the Cubs, he tried out for the Dodgers. He was "discovered" there and later went to Hollywood where he became a famous television actor.
He was best known as the star of a television western.
He toted a rifle in the show.
That's right. Chuck Connors, the Rifleman.
Pelfrey Good Again
Mike Pelfrey MAY be ready. His first inning was horrible last night BUT since no runs scored, that's okay. He only pitched three innings, giving up no runs. No other Twins pitcher gave up runs either so the Twins found themselves with a 2-0 shutout.
The game was broadcast last night but I only watched the first three innings. It's still preseason and most of the players won't be with the club once the season starts.
Real baseball starts in about three weeks. Then we'll see how good everyone is when they play full games instead of just making appearances.
The game was broadcast last night but I only watched the first three innings. It's still preseason and most of the players won't be with the club once the season starts.
Real baseball starts in about three weeks. Then we'll see how good everyone is when they play full games instead of just making appearances.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Percy Harvin
Well, the Vikings know what Percy Harvin wants now. He wants to be paid as well as the highest paid receiver in the game, Calvin Johnson of the Lions. The contract? Approximately 8 years at $132 million, or about $16.5 million a year.
The Vikings are not going to be able to sign him for anywhere NEAR that amount of money, and no team is going to trade for him if they have to pay him that much either. Percy IS good. Percy IS talented. But no way, no how is he going to get that much when he's also the biggest pain in coaching staff you are ever going to see.
This isn't going to end well for the Vikings or Harvin.
The Vikings are not going to be able to sign him for anywhere NEAR that amount of money, and no team is going to trade for him if they have to pay him that much either. Percy IS good. Percy IS talented. But no way, no how is he going to get that much when he's also the biggest pain in coaching staff you are ever going to see.
This isn't going to end well for the Vikings or Harvin.
Aaron Hicks
The wind was blowing out in Florida during one of the Twins split squad games, but only Aaron Hicks really took advantage of that wind, hitting homeruns in the first, fifth, and seven innings.
That's right, Hicks hit THREE homeruns yesterday. Darin Mastroianni was projected to be the Twins center fielder this season, not because he is really good, but more because Joe Bensen and Aaron Hicks probably weren't going to be ready for regular major league play just yet. Darin should be worrying about his job right about now.
I figure the wind was blowing out for everybody yesterday, but only Hicks really took advantage of it. He also added a two-run single in the eighth.
The Twins lost their OTHER split squad game. But that's not the news. Aaron Hicks is. Maybe we won't miss those other two center fielders as much as I thought. You know, Span, and what-his-name.
In other Twins news, the team had to be disappointed in starting pitcher, Kyle Gibson, yesterday. He gave up 6 earned runs on eight hits in just 2 1/3 innings yesterday. He even had THREE wild pitches in one inning. NONE of that is good news. Hicks might be getting better as the spring games roll on, but Gibson most assuredly is not. If he's not ready, that will leave just one more gaping hole to fill in their starting rotation. We have three projected starters coming off Tommy John surgery this season with less than a year's recovery time. We also have two that have had bone chips removed from their elbows. That's a lot of iffy arms.
Iffy arms lead to miserable seasons.
That's right, Hicks hit THREE homeruns yesterday. Darin Mastroianni was projected to be the Twins center fielder this season, not because he is really good, but more because Joe Bensen and Aaron Hicks probably weren't going to be ready for regular major league play just yet. Darin should be worrying about his job right about now.
I figure the wind was blowing out for everybody yesterday, but only Hicks really took advantage of it. He also added a two-run single in the eighth.
The Twins lost their OTHER split squad game. But that's not the news. Aaron Hicks is. Maybe we won't miss those other two center fielders as much as I thought. You know, Span, and what-his-name.
In other Twins news, the team had to be disappointed in starting pitcher, Kyle Gibson, yesterday. He gave up 6 earned runs on eight hits in just 2 1/3 innings yesterday. He even had THREE wild pitches in one inning. NONE of that is good news. Hicks might be getting better as the spring games roll on, but Gibson most assuredly is not. If he's not ready, that will leave just one more gaping hole to fill in their starting rotation. We have three projected starters coming off Tommy John surgery this season with less than a year's recovery time. We also have two that have had bone chips removed from their elbows. That's a lot of iffy arms.
Iffy arms lead to miserable seasons.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Rest in Peace
William Moody died Tuesday.
Most people have no idea who that is.
I started watching him in the early eighties as Percival Pringle, the BLONDE, fat manager for Texas' World Class Championship Wrestling's biggest villains.
A few years later he became the manager to WWE's most famous icon of all-time, the Undertaker. That character became his legacy: Paul Bearer.
What surprised me the most is that Moody was only 58 years old when he died. That's just 5 years older than me. That means when I first started watching him in WCCW he was still in his mid 20's.
I always thought he was a lot older than that.
A lot older.
His wife died of cancer 4 years back and every interview he did after that he just talked about wanting to die and be with her. His life was not complete without her.
There was a brief time between stints as Paul Bearer in WWE that he actually lost about 100 pounds on a diet and exercise program. He never was on camera as his slimmer, trimmer self and the stress of losing his wife and not caring about fitness finally caught up with him.
He managed Kane, Mankind, and Undertaker in his career, and a few others. He played his cartoon-like character well. Both he and his urn will be missed by wrestling fans worldwide.
As he and Undertaker said often, "Rest in peace."
Most people have no idea who that is.
I started watching him in the early eighties as Percival Pringle, the BLONDE, fat manager for Texas' World Class Championship Wrestling's biggest villains.
A few years later he became the manager to WWE's most famous icon of all-time, the Undertaker. That character became his legacy: Paul Bearer.
What surprised me the most is that Moody was only 58 years old when he died. That's just 5 years older than me. That means when I first started watching him in WCCW he was still in his mid 20's.
I always thought he was a lot older than that.
A lot older.
His wife died of cancer 4 years back and every interview he did after that he just talked about wanting to die and be with her. His life was not complete without her.
There was a brief time between stints as Paul Bearer in WWE that he actually lost about 100 pounds on a diet and exercise program. He never was on camera as his slimmer, trimmer self and the stress of losing his wife and not caring about fitness finally caught up with him.
He managed Kane, Mankind, and Undertaker in his career, and a few others. He played his cartoon-like character well. Both he and his urn will be missed by wrestling fans worldwide.
As he and Undertaker said often, "Rest in peace."
Mark Sobolewski and Jeff Clement
The Twins are starting an awful lot of unknown players in their spring games now. Yesterday's game is a case in point.
Aaron Hicks led off the game with his second homerun of the spring. He's looking really great with a .375 yard average as he fights to make the Twins opening day roster. We are all rooting for him and know him.
After that, there were not a lot of guys anyone would recognize in the lineup.
Who was the number THREE hitter yesterday? Who was the cleanup man batting fourth?
That would be the two guys mentioned in my headline. And this is where spring training gets hard to follow. We're still about three weeks away from real games so the next three weeks are going to be tough.
Still excited. Still realistic.
I should be able to enjoy the first week or two of the regular season before the house of cards comes tumbling down once more.
Aaron Hicks led off the game with his second homerun of the spring. He's looking really great with a .375 yard average as he fights to make the Twins opening day roster. We are all rooting for him and know him.
After that, there were not a lot of guys anyone would recognize in the lineup.
Who was the number THREE hitter yesterday? Who was the cleanup man batting fourth?
That would be the two guys mentioned in my headline. And this is where spring training gets hard to follow. We're still about three weeks away from real games so the next three weeks are going to be tough.
Still excited. Still realistic.
I should be able to enjoy the first week or two of the regular season before the house of cards comes tumbling down once more.
NHL Insanity
Don't confuse this with college basketball March Madness.
NHL Hockey players are NOT required to wear a face visor to protect their eyes from a stray puck. Another player got beaned in the eye last night and rather than saying his name and giving the details I just want to say what I think of the situation in general.
73% of the players in the league wear the visors voluntarily. That's up from 69% from a year ago. While that's good news, that means that 27% (more than 1 in 4) still think that leaving their face open as a target for a puck sailing at over 105 mph is a good idea.
Why? It's the union that represents players that is the problem. THEY want to give the players "a choice" in this situation. With all of the talk about unions wanting what's BEST for player's safety in the NFL, this strikes me as very misanthropic, misguided thinking on the part of the NHLPA.
IF I were the team owners, I'd add a stipulation to EVERY players contract that says if you get hit the face when choosing not to wear a visor you will be responsible for your own medical insurance for the incident and that you will not be paid for any game time lost as a result of the incident. If you can no longer play at all, your contract will be voided.
It's okay to have the choice, but the players should also be the ones financially responsible for that decision.
Choices have consequences. Right now owners are paying for bad player decisions. That's simply not right. Maybe the UNION should be responsible for the insurance on those players. My guess is the rule would become mandatory in a big hurry if that happened. 73% of the players would carry the vote rather quickly.
NHL Hockey players are NOT required to wear a face visor to protect their eyes from a stray puck. Another player got beaned in the eye last night and rather than saying his name and giving the details I just want to say what I think of the situation in general.
73% of the players in the league wear the visors voluntarily. That's up from 69% from a year ago. While that's good news, that means that 27% (more than 1 in 4) still think that leaving their face open as a target for a puck sailing at over 105 mph is a good idea.
Why? It's the union that represents players that is the problem. THEY want to give the players "a choice" in this situation. With all of the talk about unions wanting what's BEST for player's safety in the NFL, this strikes me as very misanthropic, misguided thinking on the part of the NHLPA.
IF I were the team owners, I'd add a stipulation to EVERY players contract that says if you get hit the face when choosing not to wear a visor you will be responsible for your own medical insurance for the incident and that you will not be paid for any game time lost as a result of the incident. If you can no longer play at all, your contract will be voided.
It's okay to have the choice, but the players should also be the ones financially responsible for that decision.
Choices have consequences. Right now owners are paying for bad player decisions. That's simply not right. Maybe the UNION should be responsible for the insurance on those players. My guess is the rule would become mandatory in a big hurry if that happened. 73% of the players would carry the vote rather quickly.
Transgender MMA
You KNEW it would become a point of contention eventually.
I'm talking about women who used to be men before surgery. Up until now, transgender women have been allowed to participate in women's sports without prejudice.
But what happens when you find out that a really good women's MMA fighter used to be a man and that he/now she is 'clubbering" the competition so badly that she has no real competition in the women's division.
You start getting real-born women upset. THAT'S what happens.
No one officially wants to be "prejudiced" against these "once-men" but deep down inside most people involved in this situation KNOW that once-men fighting natural-born women might be (most likely is) a distinct competitive advantage.
If you want more details, look up the name Fallon Fox.
We accept all sorts of "weirdness" in our society. Eventually it comes back to haunt us. And just maybe doing the right thing here in not discrimination.
In a society that has a hard time deciding what is right and what is wrong, this incident just leaves me chuckling.
I'm talking about women who used to be men before surgery. Up until now, transgender women have been allowed to participate in women's sports without prejudice.
But what happens when you find out that a really good women's MMA fighter used to be a man and that he/now she is 'clubbering" the competition so badly that she has no real competition in the women's division.
You start getting real-born women upset. THAT'S what happens.
No one officially wants to be "prejudiced" against these "once-men" but deep down inside most people involved in this situation KNOW that once-men fighting natural-born women might be (most likely is) a distinct competitive advantage.
If you want more details, look up the name Fallon Fox.
We accept all sorts of "weirdness" in our society. Eventually it comes back to haunt us. And just maybe doing the right thing here in not discrimination.
In a society that has a hard time deciding what is right and what is wrong, this incident just leaves me chuckling.
Yankees
The New York Yankees must think they are the Minnesota T-Wolves.
A-Rod is out until mid season with hip surgery. Curtis Granderson will
miss the first month of the regular season with a broken forearm bone
and now Mark Teixeira is going to miss the first TWO months of the
season with a wrist injury.
Even starting pitcher Phil Hughes is going to miss the beginning of the season with a bulging disc in his neck.
Even Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera haven't done anything in spring training yet because of LAST season's injuries.
The Yankees are definitely hurting.
And they'll still win at least 30 more games than the Twins this season.
Even starting pitcher Phil Hughes is going to miss the beginning of the season with a bulging disc in his neck.
Even Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera haven't done anything in spring training yet because of LAST season's injuries.
The Yankees are definitely hurting.
And they'll still win at least 30 more games than the Twins this season.
College Basketball
Number 5 and number 6 lost last night, both to unranked teams. Listing all the names is meaningless.
There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams. (Oogway, Kung Fu Panda)
More teams are needed for Madness to satisfy this March. If there was just some way to get all the division one schools into thing before it starts.
Anything else would just not be Mad enough for me and others like me.
There are no good teams. There are no bad teams. There are just teams. (Oogway, Kung Fu Panda)
More teams are needed for Madness to satisfy this March. If there was just some way to get all the division one schools into thing before it starts.
Anything else would just not be Mad enough for me and others like me.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Sports Notes
Liam Hendriks was good yesterday in his start for the Twins. he would have been better if Josh Willingham hadn't dropped an easy fly ball. The Twins lost when someone named Tim Wood gave up 5 runs in the eighth.
That's spring training in a nutshell.
The Wild lost to the Blackhawks last night. Chicago still has their points streak going. It's an odd record for an odd sport.
That's spring training in a nutshell.
The Wild lost to the Blackhawks last night. Chicago still has their points streak going. It's an odd record for an odd sport.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Wolves "Lose" to Heat
I saw the worst part of last night's game. Just as the Wolves were mounting a fourth quarter comeback, the officials started making inexplicably awful calls against the Wolves costing them both points and momentum.
It reaffirmed my believe that LeBron and the Heat are to be protected at all times. I hate the NBA. Last night just let me remember why.
I KNOW the Wolves are awful, but making sure that the Heat win is just sad. Their "winning" streak is now at 15. I also saw first hand how they attained it.
And people tell me pro wrestling is fake.
At least we ALL KNOW THAT. It's going to take a little longer for pro sports fans to figure this out. They aren't as sharp as wrestling fans.
It reaffirmed my believe that LeBron and the Heat are to be protected at all times. I hate the NBA. Last night just let me remember why.
I KNOW the Wolves are awful, but making sure that the Heat win is just sad. Their "winning" streak is now at 15. I also saw first hand how they attained it.
And people tell me pro wrestling is fake.
At least we ALL KNOW THAT. It's going to take a little longer for pro sports fans to figure this out. They aren't as sharp as wrestling fans.
Cole DeVries
The Twins beat the Cardinals 7-0 yesterday in another exhibition game. The entire staff pitched well. Cole De Vries looked as good as he did last season before getting hurt. It's that kind of news that makes me at least a little optimistic about next season. I don't expect MUCH this year, but I don't think it's asking too much to have a slightly better starting rotation.
Maybe that will happen. I'm trying to be excited about the coming year. We're replacing FOUR starting positions this year (center, right, short, and second) while totally revamping our starting rotation.
Things like that don't usually go well for a team.
But it's not like we won the division the last two years, either. It would be hard to get worse.
And even if we do, it wouldn't be much different than the last two seasons.
Maybe that will happen. I'm trying to be excited about the coming year. We're replacing FOUR starting positions this year (center, right, short, and second) while totally revamping our starting rotation.
Things like that don't usually go well for a team.
But it's not like we won the division the last two years, either. It would be hard to get worse.
And even if we do, it wouldn't be much different than the last two seasons.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Moss a Free Agent?
Randy Moss appears to be parting ways with San Francisco. At 36, he says he's still good to go. We'll see if anyone picks him up this time. His play was average this past season for the Niners, BUT he was the model citizen and he still has more speed than any receiver the Vikings have other than Harvin.
More Vikings:
The Vikes have not designated anyone as their "Franchise Player" yet because of the cost involved. We don't want to designate Phil Loadholt because of the cost involved (almost $10 million.) If we gave him the designation, we wouldn't have any cap space for salary negotiation. As a result we actually may lose Loadholt to free agency.
Jerome Felton is in the same boat. He's a good blocking back BUT the Vikings don't want to pay him $8 million plus for that role if he is given the franchise tag. He, too may be moving on.
I absolutely HATE the business end of football. The Vikings are close to maxing out all they are allowed to spend and we still don't have any great wide receivers. Relying on the draft is iffy at best.
IF the Vikes give out a franchise tag, it has to be done by this afternoon.
More Vikings:
The Vikes have not designated anyone as their "Franchise Player" yet because of the cost involved. We don't want to designate Phil Loadholt because of the cost involved (almost $10 million.) If we gave him the designation, we wouldn't have any cap space for salary negotiation. As a result we actually may lose Loadholt to free agency.
Jerome Felton is in the same boat. He's a good blocking back BUT the Vikings don't want to pay him $8 million plus for that role if he is given the franchise tag. He, too may be moving on.
I absolutely HATE the business end of football. The Vikings are close to maxing out all they are allowed to spend and we still don't have any great wide receivers. Relying on the draft is iffy at best.
IF the Vikes give out a franchise tag, it has to be done by this afternoon.
Pelfrey Looking Better
The Twins lost yesterday to Tampa Bay's Cy Young award winner, David Price. That was kind of expected.
Mike Pelfrey got the start for Minnesota and even though his velocity still isn't where it was before his surgery, he did pitch smart for three shutout innings. That actually is great news.
Other pitchers had mixed to bad results. Trevor May, the OTHER pitcher we got in the Ben Revere trade pitched a shutout inning BUT issued two walks. Jared Burton who had a GREAT season for us last year in the bullpen was pathetic for his second straight outing this spring. Three runs, 4 hits, just one inning. He took the loss.
Spring ball doesn't mean much but our pitchers need to look like they are ready by its end. A few starters are looking like they may be major leaguers after all. It's the bullpen that worries me. THAT was supposed to be our one strength this season.
We'll have to wait and see.
Again.
Mike Pelfrey got the start for Minnesota and even though his velocity still isn't where it was before his surgery, he did pitch smart for three shutout innings. That actually is great news.
Other pitchers had mixed to bad results. Trevor May, the OTHER pitcher we got in the Ben Revere trade pitched a shutout inning BUT issued two walks. Jared Burton who had a GREAT season for us last year in the bullpen was pathetic for his second straight outing this spring. Three runs, 4 hits, just one inning. He took the loss.
Spring ball doesn't mean much but our pitchers need to look like they are ready by its end. A few starters are looking like they may be major leaguers after all. It's the bullpen that worries me. THAT was supposed to be our one strength this season.
We'll have to wait and see.
Again.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Mauer, Morneau, and Perkins Gone for Classic
I'm glad this happens just once every few years. The Twins are actually playing really well this spring, almost surprisingly so. Now they'll be losing three of their crown jewels to the Baseball Classic tournament for the next few weeks.
I know every team is going to lose a few players and that spring games don't count, but sometimes just building a consistency in your team and a winning attitude is the difference between playing poorly or playing well when the season starts.
If anything, the Twins really needed to develop a consistency for THIS season. Now we'll have a ton of players that most will not recognize muddling their way through games waiting for the stars to return.
If any of our three stars get HURT during this Classic tournament I'll be even more upset. Baseball is never going to be a big deal world-wide. The chances of adding more major league franchises outside of the Americas is slim at best. Just the travel schedule of going overseas regularly will drain most players and makes the whole idea seem unfeasible.
Baseball has found a solid footing here and in Japan. The rest of the world loves soccer. That's not going to change with or without the Classic.
I know every team is going to lose a few players and that spring games don't count, but sometimes just building a consistency in your team and a winning attitude is the difference between playing poorly or playing well when the season starts.
If anything, the Twins really needed to develop a consistency for THIS season. Now we'll have a ton of players that most will not recognize muddling their way through games waiting for the stars to return.
If any of our three stars get HURT during this Classic tournament I'll be even more upset. Baseball is never going to be a big deal world-wide. The chances of adding more major league franchises outside of the Americas is slim at best. Just the travel schedule of going overseas regularly will drain most players and makes the whole idea seem unfeasible.
Baseball has found a solid footing here and in Japan. The rest of the world loves soccer. That's not going to change with or without the Classic.
Gophers On a Roll
Penn State has been dreadful this season, even though they did secure a huge upset in their last game.
The Gophers clobbered them yesterday. They looked just like the Gophers from earlier this year when they were a number eight team. The final was 73-44. Penn State didn't even SCORE in the first 11 minute of the game.
IF you are going to get hot and play well, it might as well be now. Madness is just around the corner, and THIS season, that tournament is anybody's game.
The Gophers clobbered them yesterday. They looked just like the Gophers from earlier this year when they were a number eight team. The final was 73-44. Penn State didn't even SCORE in the first 11 minute of the game.
IF you are going to get hot and play well, it might as well be now. Madness is just around the corner, and THIS season, that tournament is anybody's game.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
NHL
I rag on the NHL a lot, some would say rightfully so, but the weirdest thing they do is allow teams to have losses without actually registering those losses AS LOSSES.
Case in point:
The Wild have a WIN on their record this year AGAINST the Blackhawks, BUT, conversely, if you look at the Blackhawks record you will see that this team is 18-0-3. That's right, they have NO losses even though the Wild BEAT them.
How is that even possible?
It's simple, and as much as I see stupidity in just about everything the NHL does, I personally think this idea, which was implemented a few years ago, is pure genius.
The genius? If a game ends in a tie, each team is given at least one point, officially giving both teams at least a tie on their record. A first goal scored in O.T. or the most goals in the shootout gives one of those teams a win.
I've been saying for years that more games in all sports should be allowed to end in ties, but the NHL has figured out a way of crediting a team with success for playing a team EVEN while at the same time giving one of them the win for the extra effort in O.T.
If more NFL games were allowed to end in ties you wouldn't NEED stupid OT rules except in the playoffs. And teams that got ties would be credited with them instead of having to take heartbreaking losses. It would also make it easier to figure out the playoff picture at the end of the season.
Ties would mean that a team that's 10-5-1 would make the playoffs over a team that's 10-6. THAT extra measuring stick sure makes more sense than figuring out who had the tougher schedule or scored the most points or whatever other nonsense the league currently uses as a metric to determine playoff eligibility.
And BASEBALL REALLY NEEDS ties. I wish they'd do it more like the NHL. IF you make it through the ninth inning tied each team gets half a win. You play up to two more innings and if neither team leads at that point, both end with credit for half a victory. If one team is ahead after 10 or 11 innings THEY get credit for a full win.
No team should have to play 14, 18, or more innings just to determine a FINAL absolute winner. The season is long enough and bullpens shouldn't need to be depleted like that. You say fans DEMAND a winner? I say LOOK at the stands at the end of one of these marathon evening games. They don't demand a win, they just want to go home and go to bed. There was a 20 inning game a couple of years back where you literally could COUNT the number of fans left in the stands accurately in just a few seconds.
I don't demand it. I HATE IT when the Twins lose in extra innings on the road, especially when I stay up for the game. I would much rather see them eek out a tie and call it a night. Since a walk-off homerun or score is one of the coolest things in baseball, it would still be possible in the ninth, tenth, or eleventh inning. That wouldn't change. The only thing that would change is that team that played another team even for a regular game would get credit for that even play.
It's win, win situation AND play-off teams would also be easier to determine. A team with 9 ties throughout the season that played a lot of games close and even would get credit for those efforts rather than missing the playoffs to a team that won a couple more but didn't have any ties.
Some may complain initially, but it would be accepted pretty quickly, and fans could actually stay up to watch games finish KNOWING an end is ALWAYS in sight.
I should suggest this to the players association. If the union wanted it for safety reasons (worn out bullpens forced to pitch beyond what they should be forced to) it would be ratified pretty quickly.
Ties are good things. We just have to get used to the idea. And they are WAY better than a loss.
Oh, and the Wild lost last night 3-2, late. I just didn't want another headline like that.
Case in point:
The Wild have a WIN on their record this year AGAINST the Blackhawks, BUT, conversely, if you look at the Blackhawks record you will see that this team is 18-0-3. That's right, they have NO losses even though the Wild BEAT them.
How is that even possible?
It's simple, and as much as I see stupidity in just about everything the NHL does, I personally think this idea, which was implemented a few years ago, is pure genius.
The genius? If a game ends in a tie, each team is given at least one point, officially giving both teams at least a tie on their record. A first goal scored in O.T. or the most goals in the shootout gives one of those teams a win.
I've been saying for years that more games in all sports should be allowed to end in ties, but the NHL has figured out a way of crediting a team with success for playing a team EVEN while at the same time giving one of them the win for the extra effort in O.T.
If more NFL games were allowed to end in ties you wouldn't NEED stupid OT rules except in the playoffs. And teams that got ties would be credited with them instead of having to take heartbreaking losses. It would also make it easier to figure out the playoff picture at the end of the season.
Ties would mean that a team that's 10-5-1 would make the playoffs over a team that's 10-6. THAT extra measuring stick sure makes more sense than figuring out who had the tougher schedule or scored the most points or whatever other nonsense the league currently uses as a metric to determine playoff eligibility.
And BASEBALL REALLY NEEDS ties. I wish they'd do it more like the NHL. IF you make it through the ninth inning tied each team gets half a win. You play up to two more innings and if neither team leads at that point, both end with credit for half a victory. If one team is ahead after 10 or 11 innings THEY get credit for a full win.
No team should have to play 14, 18, or more innings just to determine a FINAL absolute winner. The season is long enough and bullpens shouldn't need to be depleted like that. You say fans DEMAND a winner? I say LOOK at the stands at the end of one of these marathon evening games. They don't demand a win, they just want to go home and go to bed. There was a 20 inning game a couple of years back where you literally could COUNT the number of fans left in the stands accurately in just a few seconds.
I don't demand it. I HATE IT when the Twins lose in extra innings on the road, especially when I stay up for the game. I would much rather see them eek out a tie and call it a night. Since a walk-off homerun or score is one of the coolest things in baseball, it would still be possible in the ninth, tenth, or eleventh inning. That wouldn't change. The only thing that would change is that team that played another team even for a regular game would get credit for that even play.
It's win, win situation AND play-off teams would also be easier to determine. A team with 9 ties throughout the season that played a lot of games close and even would get credit for those efforts rather than missing the playoffs to a team that won a couple more but didn't have any ties.
Some may complain initially, but it would be accepted pretty quickly, and fans could actually stay up to watch games finish KNOWING an end is ALWAYS in sight.
I should suggest this to the players association. If the union wanted it for safety reasons (worn out bullpens forced to pitch beyond what they should be forced to) it would be ratified pretty quickly.
Ties are good things. We just have to get used to the idea. And they are WAY better than a loss.
Oh, and the Wild lost last night 3-2, late. I just didn't want another headline like that.
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