T-Wolves Win in OT

I watched a lot of the second half last night and was frustrated that the Wolves couldn't  seem to pull away.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't consider the Magic a very good team. But in the end, winning is better than losing, and the T-wolves, with Love back healthy and leading the way, did pullout the OT win.

A good start to the season, though it looks like they have much to work on.

Sox Win!

I'm glad so much of the scoring happened early last night. I got to enjoy the last game of the World Series before going to bed early. The Red Sox, who were the WORST team in their division LAST season, became the best team in baseball THIIS year.

Way to go Boston! Turnarounds can happen.

NBA

The NBA season started last night. In the premiere match-up, the Heat beat Chicago and the returning Derrick Rose.  I guess somethings never change. I am looking forward to what the T-Wolves have in store for us.

At least for a week or two...

Bad Night For St. Louis

The Cardinals were beaten in a well-pitched game by Jon Lester.

The Rams, even with their starting QB on the shelf, kept it close in their game with Seattle. The goal line stand at the end by Seattle being the difference in the game.

St. Louis was the Mecca of the sports world last night and everyone of their fans went to bed exremely disappointed.

World Series Tied 2-2

I couldn't stand watching the Vikings straight game through last night so I watched the fourth World Series game as well.

Jonny Gomes, a player not originally slated to start, turned out to be the game's big hero. I was watching when he hit that big game winning three-run homer in the sixth.

That's WHY I like baseball.

Vikings Defense Worthless, Ponder Average

The MAIN reason the Vikings lost last night was that their depleted defense was worthless. The offense at least moved the ball some.

In either case, what Minnesota displayed in prime time for the second game in a row was a NOT ready for prime time team.

Firing Frazier would not help at this point. It's the team that's bad.

But, I'd like to see Frazier fired anyway. It certainly wouldn't hurt the team.

At the same time I want to give major props to Green Bay and their offense. Rodgers' passing was as pristine as anything I have ever seen.  It's easy to criticize the Vikings defense, but much of what happened last night has got to go back to Rodgers' amazing performance and Green Bay confidently willing to for it on third down situations.

I can see WHY I root for them when they aren't facing the Vikings. They are a thoroughly enjoyable team to watch.

Valid T-Shirt

Gophers Beat Nebraska!

The Gophers have proven to  be a much better team with coach Kill gone from the sideline. They won their second straight Big Ten matchup yesterday beating Nebraska for the first time in FIFTY YEARS.

And they looked good doing it. Maybe Minnesota does have one football team that isn't horrible. I'm going to start watching regularly.

Great Game, Huge Ending

Well, I'd never seen THAT before. A great game ended in an obstruction call. Legit but incredibly unsatisfying. Boston fans are going to remember that play for along time.  Exciting.

Amazing baseball.

College Coaches Live In Their Own World

Alabama decided to punish students fans for leaving Alabama blow-out wins early. It was decided that they have to stay for the whole game or they will lose their special seating arrangement.

This move came about when Alabama coach Nick Saban criticized the students. He said, "My sense of it is, I always say the fans are a part of the team, Everybody else should have the same sort of commitment. You don't have to do the work all week, you don't have to practice, you don't have to come in at 7 in the morning and leave at 11 at night, you don't have to do any of that stuff. All you have to do is come to the game, drink beer, do whatever you want, party in the parking lot. I've never been at a tailgate in my life. All I'm asking is that you just come and have fun and stay for the whole game."

Wow. You can be a fan of MY team, but you have to do it MY way.

There's something desperately wrong with that way of thinking.

The NCAA should suspend Nick Saban for a couple of games. You know, so he has a chance to reorganize his unbalanced thinking. While they're at it, they should suspend Alabama officials who punished the students.

What's funny, is that most are taking Saban's side in this.

Wow, are we screwed up as a country.

Breaking News

Minnesota Vikings football practice was delayed nearly two hours this morning after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head coach, Leslie Fraser immediately suspended practice while police and federal agents were called to investigate.
After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance, unknown to the players, was the goal line.

Practice was resumed today after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again.

Ponder By Default

Freeman most likely won't start this Sunday for the Vikings. It appears he has a concussion. By default, that leaves Ponder, who is healthy again, as starter.

I don't think, at this point, that it matters, but Ponder KNOWS he is fighting for his professional life. Perhaps that fact alone will light a fire under him. I understand that even Super Steve has lost his unwavering faith. It's about time that he joined the rest of us.

Person of Interest Was Great Last Night

There was literally no sports worth watching last night. The Wild won 2-0, but their season so far fails to excite.  My other choice was to watch regular television shows. Person of Interest came through with flying colors.

That's one show that consistently over-delivers week after week after week. It's the best show on television. Last night's ending was fantastic.  Just the opposite of Minnesota sports.

Vikings Lose Horribly to Horrible Team

I don't even have words.

Boston Slams Their Way To Series

Shane Victorino did what heroes are expected to do in postseason play. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh and coming up with the bases loaded, Shane delivered the blast that will enter Red Sox legend.

Baseball is always so much cooler this time of year. Boston, after a terrible year last season, is back in the Series.

Disappointing

Clayton Kershaw was THE MAN this season for the Dodgers. With an ERA of less than 2.00, having given up ONE earned run in his last FIVE starts, he was L.A's perfect choice for game six.

Except last night he was awful. Seven earned runs and 10 hits in just 4 innings last night kind of sealed the deal last night for L.A.  The Cardinals are heading to the World Series and Dodger's fans are left shell-shocked.

That's baseball.

Mistakes

Miguel Cabrera has been the best player in baseball for a couple of seasons now.  If not for the extraordinary play of Baltimore's Chris Davis this year, Cabrera would have had two consecutive triple crown titles, all while battling injuries the last month or so of the season.

But in what amounts to a three-game series to reach the World Series, Cabrera, as good as is, committed a couple mistakes last night. He got thrown out easily at home in the first when he ran past the third base coach's stop sign, and he committed the only fielding error of the game in the second, leading to a huge Red Sox scoring inning early.

They scratched and clawed their way back in the game late, but lost by a run when it was all over. The best in the game let his team down last night. And with a whole nation watching, THIS will be the game that everyone remembers if the Tigers don't reach the Series.

And they'll remember that the best, in the game of baseball, sometimes isn't good enough.

Baseball

I find myself rooting for the teams that are trailing in the playoffs. Yesterday, it was the Dodgers and Tigers. I want both series to go seven games. I want the World Series to go seven as well. It's not so much the teams, but the games themselves I root for. If they are good and compelling everything else takes care of itself.

Freeman To Start

Leslie Frazier has nothing to lose at this point. A 1-4 team has a 5% of making the playoffs. A 2-3 team has a 22% chance. Last week's loss was the tipping point. It signaled the unofficial end of the Vikings season. From now on he's fighting for his very existence as a coach.

Freeman was great last season for Tampa Bay. He has skills. But he also has an attitude, and that, coupled with a horrible start this season, has sent him packing. It's really the perfect time to start him. It helps that we will be going against the hapless New York Giants on Monday Night Football.  I hate using  standard cliches, but it really is do or die time for BOTH Freeman and the Vikes.

I'm planning on watching Monday Night Raw, myself, as Daniel Bryan is having a much better season for the WWE brand. But I will be switching over for commercials. I might even stay awhile if what I see is worth watching.

Lousiest Vacation Week Ever

This past week we took an unexpected trip to the Twin Cities. Because of the needed urgency, we took separate vehicles. Since I arrived earlier than my wife, I had the privilege of picking out the resort we stayed at.

Let me tell you, it was not what I was hoping for. There was only one bed, and it was brutally uncomfortable. I could not sleep in it. Cheryl was forced to sleep on a fold-out cot nestled underneath the STANDARD definition television that only received 12-15 channels. They were not high quality.

Our room didn't even have a lock on front door! People were coming and going at all hours of the day and night making it impossible to sleep. To get away from them, I actually spent some time in the bathroom, just to get some much needed "me" time.

Cheryl gave up on the food the first night and opted for McDonald's. I gutted it out on the three meal a day option. It was good, but I honestly would have rather had the McDonald's menu.

The staff was courteous and was always offering to get me a cold drink. It was like an exotic resort because of all the strange languages! I even picked new language myself while I was there. No one could understand it.

I fear this may be the most expensive vacation we have ever had when they finally figure out  the final bill on this one. It'll be enough to give a guy a stroke.

So if you're looking for a great vacation spot in The Cities, I caution you, don't pick the Abbott Northwestern Resort. It's not worth the price. I hear they offer exquisite medical care, though, if you're in the market for such a thing.


I'll be recovering from my vacation the next few days so don't look for many updates just yet. Baseball has been spectacular the past few days and the Pats/Saints game yesterday was what sports is all about.


Take Care!

Better Games But A-Rod Steals the Day

I got to enjoy parts of two games yesterday. I saw the final innings of the Dodgers and the Braves while enjoying most of  the Detroit/Oakland match-up last night. The pitching was great in both contests.

But A-Rod made the bigger headlines. He filed two lawsuits yesterday, one against major league baseball and Bud Selig, and the other against his doctor which mishandled his hip injury last season.

The Selig lawsuit is the most appealing. It deals with the mafia-like scare and intimidation tactics that baseball used to gather evidence, including paying witnesses.

Football

In one of the most entertaining games of the NFL season last night, Cleveland beat the Bills in the Thursday Night Football game. As usual, it will be one of the LEAST-watched games of the season as well, because hardly anyone gets the NFL Network that the game was played on.

Knowing that the Browns are now 3-2 makes me feel a little better about the Vikings. Teams who have now beat the Vikings this season have an overall record of 9-4.

The bad news for Cleveland is that they lost QB Brian Hoyer for the season. He was hit while going into a QB slide after a nice run and his knee took some horrible turns.

I like football a lot, but I absolutely hate these kinds of injuries. Football is just brutal on players bodies. And the nature of the game means that teams will usually lose any chance of a good season when that QB goes down.

There is no more valuable position in sports. There is no position that means as much to their teams and their fans.

Baseball

I ended up missing both games yesterday. and based on the results, I'm okay with that. The scores were blowouts.

Maybe I'll get a chance to see some of them today. There's lots of games left.

Cleveland Loses

You know, I guess I don't care who wins the Series this year. I'd prefer that the high payroll teams like Boston and Los Angeles don't, but that's the fan in me who always roots for the underdog.

There is some good baseball ahead of us over the next few weeks. I think I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it.

TB, the A's, and the Pirates are my favorites. But if they all get taken out early, I'll still be enjoying the drama.

And the highlight moments.

Ponder is Still Our Starter

Leslie Frasier, when asked about the possibility of Matt Cassel being the new starter for the Vikings after his stellar performance on Sunday, wanted to ASSURE EVERYONE that would listen the last couple of days that Ponder is still his man.

sigh

I didn't expect Frazier to make an immediate change at the position, he would never do that. BUT he didn't come right out and say that Ponder would be his starter after the bye week, either. He may decide to keep Ponder out one more game to make sure Ponder is "fully healed"  (wink, wink) so that he can see Cassel one more time in a game situation.

He would have reason, and he could still keep his chosen starter happy at the same time, all the while getting a better chance to grade further Cassel's performance.

Yeah, I guess he SAID the right thing. Just so he's THINKING something else, I'm okay with that.

Greg Oden

Greg Oden entered the NBA about six years ago. He was the dominating Ohio State center who was a number one draft pick at the age of 19.

He played about one season and had such bad knees that he had micro-fracture surgery on one of them by the end of his first season. He later had the same surgery performed on the other knee for the same reason. He hasn't played any basketball for four seasons because of those knees.

But he's attempting a comeback with the Miami Heat this season. He had his first NBA practice in a very long time yesterday. His knees are better. He's been cleared to practice. And the Heat see him as a potential secret weapon.

The best part is that he is still ONLY 25 years old. If he's healthy and can play, he might still become one of the most dominating big men in the game's history.

Or he may be forced to retire again because of those knees. I hate the Heat, but I'm still rooting for Oden to succeed.

Liriano Rocks as Pirates Roll

During the off-season, the Pirates signed Francisco Liriano to a two-year, approximately $13 million deal. That deal was invalidated when Liriano broke his pitching arm doing a dumb prank with his children Christmas day. A new contract was drawn up and agreed upon, based on incentives including being rewarded for NOT spending too  much time on the disabled list.

His base salary was only $1 million this season.

He's really hit those performance incentives though. Last night the Pirates won their first playoff game in over 20 years, and Liriano was one of the biggest reasons for that win.

I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed that game last night. I was rooting for Pittsburgh and, at least for a little while, they seemed like MY team. I haven't been this excited about baseball for several seasons. I'm also rooting for Cleveland to make it to the series this year, but I wouldn't mind it if the Rays squeaked in as well.

Good playoff baseball is such a pleasure. The Twins NOT being part of it actually makes it easier to enjoy. When the Twins were good enough to get in, and then lose early, it made it impossible to enjoy the other games. With the Twins playing so poorly the last few seasons, it's easier to enjoy the better teams and their play.

Go Pirates!

I should mention it was nice to see Morneau playing for them as well. I like seeing former Twins get a chance to play for winning/contending teams.

It was also fun using an old headline. I've missed that headline.

The One Game Playoff

I find it interesting that baseball had a one-game post season playoff yesterday to determine which team makes it into the next one-round playoff game. Ludicrous, but interesting. The dumbest idea that baseball has EVER come up with is that they added an extra wildcard team so that both could play each other ONCE, to see which team finally gets to play with the division winners.

Tampa Bay had to use their BEST pitcher yesterday to make it to the playoffs. They need to use their second best pitcher on Wednesday to continue in the playoffs. I just think that any series less than three games makes no sense. I also think it forces teams to wear out their aces before the real playoffs begin. That places the  wild card winner at a decided disadvantage when the playoffs start. They've have scheduled the wild card winners first REAL playoff game later this year, so at least that helps.

Speaking of playoffs, the NFL has decided to add an additional wild card team to the mix as well, possibly as early as NEXT season, but that has not been agreed on by the owners yet. Originally I thought, NO!!!!!! But after hearing their reasoning, I actually like the idea for several reasons.

First of all, it would reduce the preseason by ONE game. So that we'd have one less useless pathetic game to watch. Secondly, the season could then start a week earlier. My favorite reason is the format they came up with.

With seven teams from each conference, it would mean that there would be only ONE team getting a bye the first week of the playoffs instead of two. That means the team with the BEST record is the only team that gets to sit out one game. That means that the last game of the season might be a MUST win game for every team trying to get into the playoffs. No more resting your first team the last week of the season knowing you've got a bye wrapped up. Unless of course you are way better than every other team in your conference by at least two game margin. It's smart and I like it.

That would be SIX games the first week of playoffs. I really like that. The NFL will be adding fan interest and revenue while getting rid of a worthless preseason game.

This is change I can embrace. And having one more slot open for a good team in each conference is a good idea. I hate idea that a 6-10 team may slip in some year, but we've already add a 7-9 team make it so it won't be that much worse. Come to think of it, that 7-9 team was a division WINNER. Teams with better records did NOT make it that year. This will actually reward good teams from better divisions.

I believe it's win, win. I'll have to see if any flaws develop in the idea as time goes on.

Two More Years

Last week I mentioned that in radio interviews, Twins GM Terry Ryan said that where Joe Mauer plays next year will be up to Gardy and Mauer. I said this was a sign that it looks like Gardy will be back.

I also said THIS yesterday, "The Twins are a fundamentally flawed team. And I use that term as more than a pun. Much is wrong. Much needs to be fixed. And none of it is going to get better in the near future with or without Gardy."


Terry Ryan, in his press conference yesterday, said basically the same thing. He knew the organization was at fault far more than Gardy. It's rare that a GM would acknowledge such things.


We need better players, we truly need a much better starting staff. It's time for Ryan to open the pocketbook and bring in the horses that can pull this pathetic wagon of an organization.

And Gardy's got TWO more years to get the pieces to fit. As long as the Twins are okay with spending the money, I'm okay with Gardy continuing as manager. I do not look at Ron Gardenhire the same way that I look at Leslie Frazier. With the right players, Gardy has proven to be a winner.

Frazier doen't even know what the right player looks like.