Gophers Suddenly Remember They Are From Minnesota

The Gopher football team was dominating yesterday's game until midway through the second quarter. I imagine at that point, some player or coach, in a moment of attempted motivation said something like, "Remember boys, we're Minnesota."

Well, that was pretty much it after that. That awful realization suddenly hit them all in the face like a runaway freight train, and they played like a typical Minnesota team from that point on.

And Ohio State LOST their starting QB yesterday, too! We could have been champions next week!!!

Stupid coach should have kept his mouth shut...

Gophers Play Meaningful Game Today

As odd as it seems, the Gopher football team is going to play their first meaningful game in decades today. IF they beat Wisconsin today, they'll get the privilege of playing in the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State on December 6th. Wow. The words "Gophers" and "championship" just don't get used together that much around here.

I don't expect much, but my hopes are still high. Go Gophers!

Thursday Football

I watched quite a bit of football yesterday. While having a great Thanksgiving meal with my aunt, we watched the first half of the Detroit Lions game. Calvin Johnson, Megatron, is still very impressive. He got his 10,000th receiving yard yesterday. That's the quickest anyone has reached that plateau. Both touchdown catches were amazing. Without him, Detroit would not be the same team.

I also got to see much the Eagles/Cowboys game yesterday afternoon as well. Mark Sanchez is shining under Chip Kelly's high-powered mostly no-huddle offense.  Of all the coaches in football, Kelly stands out. Play after play of offensive progress, with minor variations that always keeps the defenses off-guard, it is so different than what other NFL offenses muster. Sure Manning, Rodgers, and Brady do what LOOKS like the same thing for their teams, but it's the quarterback talent that makes them run so smoothly.

In Philly, it's Kelly's system. And it is incredible to watch. Except if you're a Cowboy's fan. Like yesterday. The Cowboys have a surprisingly good team this season, but Philly ate them for lunch.

Last night Seattle/Niners game was a bust. The Niners this season have reverted to a classic pro style offense, where they had a more open Chip Kelly like approach for most of the last two seasons. They simply aren't as good now. Seattle easily won while I watched something else.

Packers/Patriots

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Fascinating Trivia Today:

Rodgers and Brady have never faced each other before as starters.

How Little We Know About Our Twins

The Twins did name their bench coach on Tuesday. It will be Joe Vavra.

What's funny is that he already WAS our bench coach under Gardy. I'd be willing to bet most Twins fans didn't know that fact. What's NOT funny is that his duties will also include "catching instruction," you know, the job that Terry Steinbach had last year, because Josmil Pinto needs all the instruction he can get. That means Steinbach will not be back, except perhaps with a small spring training role.

That's scary for several reasons. It means that our new manager doesn't see the need to instruct raw talent properly. It means he doesn't want an elder-stateman type, ex-manager in that position whispering sage advice in his novice ears AND it means he doesn't want a young hotshot analytics, saber-mathematician whispering NEW ways in his ears either. In other words, we're going to have pretty much the same old, same old next year at managing.

The Twins don't need the same old, same old. We've had several disastrous years of that in a row already. If we wanted that, we could have kept Gardy, at least he saw the need for someone like Steinbach.

One more coaching position is open, the outfield instructor/ first base coach job. Is Twig still alive?

Molitor's coaching selections have told us a lot about who he will be as a manager. I guess he's going to rely on getting better pitching next season to make or break him.

Now that's really scary.

The Vikings and a Tale of Two Divisions

Pro team sports have a built-in inequity. It's called the "division" or "conference" depending on what sport you're talking about. The winners of these arbitrary divisions are rewarded with play-off births no matter what their record or how well they stack up with the rest of the league.

These conferences set up historical rivalries that, if done correctly, will produce more revenue for the teams. It will also give a local teams and their fans something to root for all season without having to pay attention to the rest of the league. In theory, it should help nearly every team in the league and most fans.

And then you have THIS year in the NFL. Vikings fans know they are having a bad season. They lost their starting quarterback and the league's premiere running back for the better part of a decade. As a result, they look less than adequate against much of the league and their conference.

EXCEPT that they'd fit in just fine this season in the NFC South. They'd be tied for first place with two teams if they played in that conference. And that's when these arbitrary divisions start getting noticed, especially when you compare them to the AFC North where every team is having a very good year.

One of the ways that these sports build rivalries is that you play teams in you division more often than everyone else. Again, in theory, that helps the fans build a long-term rivalry more effectively, but for practical purposes, it means if your conference is weak, you can be weak yourself and still make the playoffs, while much better teams will be forced to sit home and watch the playoffs.

The Eastern and Western Conferences in the NBA exhibit this every season. As an average team in a strong Western conference, the T-Wolves will rarely have a chance of making the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a rough start in the East, yet, as of Monday morning were still the seventh best team in their conference. The top eight make the playoffs.

It's a side-effect of arbitrary divisions. Some good teams don't make the playoffs while some bad teams do. It leads to weird sense of unfairness among fans who root for their teams, who are having a good season, and yet are stuck on the outside looking in when they don't make it to the dance at the end of the season.

At least one team in the AFC North won't be going to the dance this year, while at least one from the NFC South will. That's just sad. It's no wonder that some fans become cynics as they grow older.

And write blogs.

Neil Allen

Though it hasn't been officially reported by the Twins, my sources tell we have a new pitching coach, Neil Allen. He was the Triple A pitching coach for Tampa Bay the last several years and is responsible (or taking credit) for all their great young pitchers. He's never been in the Twins organization and has never been a teammate of Paul Molitor. He's as "outsider" as you can get as a coach. His reputation is solid.

For those keeping track:

At this point the Twins have filled five of the seven coaching slots:

Pitching coach: Allen
Bench coach: (Vacant)
Third base coach: Gene Glynn
First base coach: (Vacant)
Hitting coach: Tom Brunansky
Asst. hitting coach: Rudy Hernandez
Bullpen coach: Eddie Guardado

My Vikings Beat By My Packers

It was a very competitive game yesterday, which was a surprise in itself. That Teddy Brigdewater can't seem to throw a decent pass until the fourth quarter, and that Minnesota receivers don't remember how to catch the ball until the fourth quarter makes the final score all the more surprising.

But the most surprising aspect of the game? That a head coach would elect to kick away from the 50 yard-line with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game instead of at least ATTEMPTING an onside kick to get the ball back...

...against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packer offense thinking they could STOP them in three plays and get the ball back.

For that alone Mike Zimmer should be considered the dumbest head coach the Vikings have ever had. And knowing who we've had as of late, that's saying a lot. That the Fox commentator thought it was better to kick away than attempt an onside kick (from the 50 yard line!!!!) as well, makes my brain hurt.

How can "experts" be that clueless?

The consolation? My Packers won and now are in sole possession of first place. I should have no problem giving them my undivided attention the rest of the way. Unless, of course they face my Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Then we'll have a problem.

Cavs 5-7, Losing Streak at FOUR

I continue to smile.

Gophers Golden in Nebraska

The last time the Gophers beat the Cornhuskers AT Nebraska? 1960.

I keep waiting for the Gophers to suddenly realize that they are from Minnesota and start playing as if they belong here. But that hasn't happened yet. I admit I turned off the TV after that blocked field goal attempt that was ran back for a touchdown. But I watched a good hour at the end, and THAT ENDING was spectacular.

Bottom line: They beat Wisconsin next week and they are in the Big Ten Championship game.

Coach Kill and his staff are to be congratulated.

Did you guys happen to see that the all-time rushing yards in a game record was broken AGAIN yesterday after having been broken just last weekend? It now stands at 427 yards. And much like last weekend the back didn't even play much in the fourth quarter. He didn't start the game either. And he's just a freshman! We might be hearing a lot more about Oklahoma's Samaje Perine in the years ahead.

Gopher Football

If the Gophers beat Nebraska today and Wisconsin next week, they will actually get a rematch with Ohio State for the conference title at the end of the season.

Knowing I can even type this shows you that the Gophers are having a really good year. I don't expect the Gophers to win out the rest of the season, but at the same time IF they keep winning I'll keep watching.

They are literally the only team in Minnesota worth watching right now.

Go Gophers!!

I am looking forward to tomorrow's Vikings game, too, but that's because my Packers are playing.

Go Pack!

Kevin Martin

What do you do when you're a young team struggling to win and you lose the only guy on your team that can score? AND you go against the best team in the NBA?

Let's just say the T-Wolves didn't have a "Rocky" moment last night. The Spurs basically rested their starters most of the night and still coasted to an easy win.

Will the nightmare known as the Minnesota Timberwolves never end?

AD (AP) Suddenly Remorseful

Adrian Peterson gave an interview to USA Today yesterday filled with the repentant, remorseful attitude he refused to acknowledge during the several months leading up that interview. It's only AFTER the suspension penalty that he has suddenly changed his attitude.

I'm always wary of someone who changes his tune so suddenly, especially when that was the ONE major condition that was placed on him by those who did the punishing. He was forced to backdown on threat of ending his career.

To save his career he needed to come out against child abuse, but he didn't really do that. What he did was subtly change the term of what he did from "whipping" to "spanking. It was not a spanking. It was a beating. IF HE DOES NOT SEE THE DIFFERENCE, HE REALLY HASN'T CHANGED. If and when he sees that this was not a spanking, I'll accept his apology. For now he's doing the same thing that every celebrity does when they get get caught. He's admitting that he's made a mistake without ever admitting that what he did was wrong. (I've ranted on this in the past. Summary- Mistake: accidental. Wrong: A choice.)

It's his attempt at a convenient way out of this mess. Most will say that's enough. It isn't, but society won't bother with the difference. What makes it worse is that people beating their children in the future will be careful to call what THEY did "a spanking" as well, further blurring the term and the line between the two, trying to make these beatings sound more acceptable.

I didn't think I could have a lower opinion of Adrian Peterson, but he's now made it easier for people to get away with beating their children in the future.

I hope the league notices, and asks him about what he thinks a spanking is. That's the crux of everything that this incident is about.

At least he said that he would no longer use a switch on his children...
...that's a start.


http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11911885/adrian-peterson-suspended-minnesota-vikings-running-back-apologizes-physical-abuse-son

Everyday Eddie Returning to Minnesota

It looks like one of the Twins favorite closers, Eddie Guardado, will be returning to the bullpen this season for the Twins. He may be a lot older than when he last left...

..but the Twins still think he still has a lot to offer the organization...

...as it's new bullpen coach.

Come on, you didn't really think they'd hire him as a pitcher did you?

Mediocre T-Wolves Beat Awful Knicks

When losers collide, one team still gets the victory. Last night it was the Wolves that got the nod. Still don't care.

I'd rather look at this. As bad as the Vikings are, and let's face it, that offense is REALLY bad, they would still be tied for first place in the NFC South. Green Bay and Detroit are wrecking the grading curve in our division.

More On Stanton Deal

This really is NOTHING like the Mauer deal. Stanton and his reps decided to take low pay for the first several years of his contract, thus giving the Marlins more flexibility for signing other players. For instance NEXT season he'll only make $6.5 million. That's Denard Span money!

And though he has a no-trade clause in the deal, both sides acknowledged that toward the end of his deal he may go elsewhere to collect the larger sums. It's win-win for both sides. More players should be this nice about big money contracts. It'll allow smaller market teams to compete with the big boys.

Justice Is Served

Adrian Peterson is suspended without pay for the rest of the season.

MAYBE longer.

As I've been saying all along, it isn't so much what he did was wrong, it's that he never acknowledged that what he did was wrong. He copped a "no contest" plea at the trial simply to be done with the matter and said he, "regretted the incident." He never once admitted that what he was accused of doing was wrong. If anything, he did just the opposite. In interview after interview he maintained that he only did what he thought was right. He also said he'd not change that behavior in the future.

The NFL was looking for remorse, a respectful change of attitude from Peterson. What he gave them, with the assistance of a greatly inappropriate player's union, was proud defiance.

That didn't sit well with those in power, and as a result, he is done for the season.

What I truly LIKE about the punishment is that he must undergo counseling and rehabilitation and prove that he can change or has changed his mistaken belief that beating a child is somehow a responsible method of discipline. Until he changes his way of thinking, he will not be allowed to play in the NFL again for any team.

I want to emphasize once more that I believe spanking is always an option for a loving parent, and that beating a child is not the same thing. It would be like a parent taking a child to the dentist because he has a toothache and the dentist knocking all of his teeth out with a hammer versus a dentist gently drilling away a small part of one tooth and repairing it with a permanent filling.

BOTH are examples of violence to a child's mouth, but only one of these methods is the correct, necessary approach.

People who don't have spanking as an option on the table for child discipline are just as bad as Adrian Peterson who beats his child. Sometimes it may have to be done and it should be done. It would be like having a child's teeth full of cavities and not allowing a dentist to drill those teeth. Eventually the teeth will be rotten, just like the unspanked child.

Some children won't get cavities. Some children won't need to be spanked. Those children are rare. The point of being a parent is to being wise enough to know the difference. If your child is acting rotten, give him the proper dentist treatment once in a while.

Knocking his teeth out is not the proper treatment.

Giancarcio Stanton Wins the Lottery

In a move that shocked the baseball world, the penny-pinching Florida Marlins gave one of their own the richest deal in North American sports history yesterday.

Giancarcio Stanton, who just turned 25 years old about a week ago, signed a 13-year deal worth nearly 1/3 of a BILLION dollars. Much like the Angels Mike Trout, this kid has power to spare, already having 154 home runs in his young career. He and Trout both have the possibility of breaking the near-mythical career home run record set by Barry Bonds.

The Florida Marlins had a chance to sign a very young Miguel Cabrera to this type of deal a few years back and they elected to continue pinching pennies instead. Given a second chance, they decided NOT to make the same decision twice. They are now all in. They are going to sign their stars and keep them. They want a winner and are now willing to spend real  money to make that happen.

NORMALLY I'm against long-term deals like this for pitchers and MOST players, but giving these types deals to players like Trout and Stanton, who already have a proven track record of power and average just makes sense. Very rarely does a young power hitter turn into a bust. They usually have years of consistent stats.

Pitchers aren't worth long-term deals. Arms turn sour fast. I wouldn't sign someone like Joe Mauer to a long-term deal. High averages slide quickly. Chuck Knoblach and Joe Mauer both come to mind.

But guys who hit for both power AND average? Lock 'em in. Barring injury, both Trout and Stanton should average 35-40 homeruns (or more) a season for the next decade. THESE are the type of players that big long-term deals are made for. These are the types of players that EARN those contracts.

The Marlins attendance will DOUBLE next season because of this deal. Some players are worth it. They pay for themselves.

Don't listen to anyone who compares this deal (or Trout's) to the one that Joe Mauer signed with the Twins. The Twins never had a player worth that much money. The Angels and Marlins do. And they're going to ride their thoroughbreds all the way to the bank.

The Twins were stupid. The Angels and Marlins are smart. That's the difference. Barring injury, these players will become legends playing for one team while chasing records and MVP titles their entire careers.

That's the way it should be.

My Packers Are On A Roll

The Vikings with or without a returning Peterson are no longer worth my time or attention. Manning and Denver lost TWO more favorite receivers to injury yesterday and lost.

But Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay keep on rolling. That's fifty  points in TWO straight games. They have never done that before.

Go Pack!!!

Bargain Shopper

Where does a former governor and the most famous bodybuilder in the world buy HIS supplements and cammo gear? Why Walmart of course! Just like the writer of this blog, he knows where the best deals are.

Saturday

I had intended on watching a lot of college football on a cold, snowy Saturday in Minnesota yesterday, but I discovered the two new Planet of the Apes movie bundle was on sale at iTunes for $20 AND the first new Star Trek movie was playing on FX again as well...

...so I watched way less football than originally planned.

I saw much of the Gopher game. Their defense made many big plays to keep it close, but, overall, they just couldn't stop Ohio State. The score LOOKED good at the end, but they never really were in it after the first half.

I missed Alabama beating number one Mississippi State, which kind of bummed me out, but like I said, those movies had to fit in somewhere.

I caught part of the record breaking 400 plus yard record attack by Wisconsin's running back AND Florida State's comeback win against Miami. I'm anxious to see the latest polls. With all the upsets, it's going to look really different today.

The best of yesterday? Star Trek and the first Planet of the Apes movie. The second Apes movie? Not so much. After a while all the fight scenes just looked like an average video game.

Star Trek: A
1st Planet of the Apes: B+
Second Planet of the Apes: C-
(I get them mixed up. Rise or Dawn, which comes first? Could be either)

A cold snowy day at home with my loving wife: A+

Sports

The Vikings haven't played in nearly two weeks. The Wolves without Rubio got blown out so badly last night that I don't even want to think about it. Though I'm looking forward to the Gophers at the Bank today, the expected snow puts a damper on the whole day for me.

I guess I'm a baseball fan because no matter how bad the Twins are or have been, I still think this coming season will be OUR year. Baseball is irrational in its loyalty.

Rogers Hornsby said it best, "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

Yep, that describes me pretty well.

MVP

The American League announced their MVP yesterday as well. After taking runner-up honors to Miguel Cabrera  the last two seasons, Mike Trout took home the UNANIMOUS award yesterday. That's right-- everybody voted for him.

Trout is the fifth-youngest winner of the award and the youngest to win in a unanimous vote.

He was tops in the AL with 111 RBIs this season and batted .287 with a career-high 36 home runs. He led the league in both runs scored (115) and total bases (338). He is the first AL MVP to win by unanimous vote since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997.

Did I mention that he's only 23?

I can't wait to see how much better this kid gets.

MVP

As good as Madison Bumgarner was in the post season, especially the World Series, that's how good Clayton Kershaw was the whole season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, It got him a Cy Young Award on Wednesday AND a National League MVP Award yesterday. How rare is receiving BOTH awards?

Well, Bob Gibson was the last National League pitcher to do that...back in 1968.

That's Kershaw's THIRD Cy Young Award. He's 26.

Look at these stats.

There was a 41 consecutive scoreless  innings streak in there as well this year.

Swollen Glands

Two NHL players from the Anaheim Ducks went down with a mystery illness over a week ago. They somehow got the mumps. Now as a kid your throat glands swell up and make you uncomfortable for awhile. As an adult, the glands that swell up are a little...lower.

Both players were hospitalized and in pain.

One's recovered. The other is on the way to recovery.

And the rest of the team got shots. They don't want any of that.

I hear coughing is the worst...

Top 25

There's one poll in college football that matters this year, and the Golden Gophers are now in it at number 25. They haven't been that highly ranked this late in the season for a good long time.

And they face number 8 Ohio State this weekend. The Buckeyes are still trying to get into the top four so this would be a good time to knock them off and look even better. Normally I'd say that they don't have a chance, but I'm not so sure this season. The Gophers aren't just winning, they are beating good teams going away. I look forward to this Saturday.

Stuff

The voice of Mrs. Wolowitz died yesterday. If you watch Big Bang Theory, you'll know what an integral part of the show she was, even though the audience never really saw her. I hope they recast her voice. The character is so good that I'd hate to see her character die as well. The Simpsons retire the character when their voice actor dies. There's no real precedent for things like this.

I didn't even know who played her until I saw the news this morning.

Speaking of TV shows, I still like Person of Interest more than any other show on television. Gotham, as of late, has been outstanding, primarily because of how they write and use the Penguin, but the individual WEEKLY plots seem so "comic booky" that they makes me cringe. This week was a great example of that. Accountants fight to the death for the reward of joining a successful business firm. Really? It's no wonder comic books have horrible reputations for most people. If I was one of those accountants I would just move to Chicago and get a job. Actually if Gotham were real, I think all the citizens would move.

Agents of Shield, on the other hand, is playing like a long mini-series. It finally takes itself seriously instead of having all the goofy humor of the first season. The alien-blood/alien writing story line moved forward in a big way last night. It's a worthy supplement to all the great Marvel movies. Agent Coulson rivals the Penguin as the best inspired comic book character on television.

The JAWS ratings is a tool sportswriters use to determine who are the best baseball players, by position, in history. Last week Sports Illustrated noted that Joe Mauer is ninth all-time at catcher. The top six are in the hall. Number SEVEN Ivan (Pudge) Rodriquez isn't elegible yet. And Mike Piazza is ignored because he played in the enhancement era. Mauer's three batting titles and MVP award basically make him a lock to join the Hall after he retires. You kind of forget just how good he once was with his poor seasons as of late.

Kobe Bryant set an all-time record last night. He has now officially MISSED more field goal attempts than any other player in history, over 13,000. When asked how that happened, his reply was classic. "You know I'm a SHOOTING guard whose played more than 19 seasons, right?" He's in good company, the man whose record he broke was John Havlicek, one of the all-time greats.

NFL

I think its funny how the Jets give up on their quarterbacks so quickly. Mark Sanchez was released earlier this year and then signed as a back-up in Philly. Last night he was named starter because of injury and BOOM he kills in the position putting Carolina down quickly and easily.

The entire NFC is looking strange and vulnerable right now. Detroit, Arizona, and Philly have the best records but TWO of them are now forced to play with backup QBs. Look for them to falter. And look at the NFC South. New Orleans might be leading their division but the Vikings have the same record as the Saints! ALL the teams with at least 4 wins have a playoff spot within their reach.

Mediocrity rules. And no one is more medicre than us.

Go Vikings!

Manning Sets All-Time TD Mark 5 More Times

Aaron Rodgers had a great day yesterday with six TDs, but Manning was his usual brilliant self with 5 more TD passes of his own. That's 29 in the 9 games so far this year.

I think its safe to say he's recovered from the Patriots loss last week.

Carson Palmer

Palmer just signed a three-year, $50 million extension to his contract with Arizona Thursday.

And it looks like he tore the ACL on his left knee again yesterday, the same one he tore in 2006 while with the Bengals. He's going to be out for quite a while. Coming back from that injury TWICE is very unlikely.

Arizona was flying high this season in the division that also includes Seattle and the Niners. I can't imagine how he and the Cardinal fans feels right now.

SIX TD Throws in First Half!

Aaron Rodgers showed that he's still one of the top QBs in the league last night. I went to bed after that 6th TD. The game was over at that point. One of those TDs was over 70 yards. That's the 17th time he has thrown one that long. That's BEST all-time.

The Pack is back. Vikings have those very same Bears this coming week.

College Football

Number 3 Auburn was stunned by unranked A&M last night. This late in the season, that kind of upset will kill your season even with the new playoff system in place, and number 5 Alabama didn't do itself any favors by going into OT last night against LSU. Number 6 TCU may pass pass them in the rankings now.

Determining the final four for the playoff is getting harder every week. It's not quite as fun as every upset meaning something, but at least NOW the games are starting to matter. I can watch them and enjoy them again.

And the Gophers being good for a change helps even more.

Minnesota Sports

The Gophers had one of their greatest games of all-time yesterday. The PIG is theirs once more!!!

The T-Wolves suffered without Ricky. Knowing he's going to miss half the season with his badly injured ankle takes all my interest in the team away. Again.

sigh

Vikings have a bye week.

sigh

I tried watching the Wild last night, but they got behind early, too, and lost.

sigh

Looking forward to the rest of the Gopher football season, though.

Wolves Lose Rubio

They lost the game in OT last night, but that was because they lost Rubio in the first half. It LOOKED like a bad ankle sprain, but more tests will be done to make sure.

With the Wolves its always something.

Oh, and the Cavs won. Rotten NBA night.

One Down, Six More To Go

Bruno will be back as hitting coach for the Twins next season. As much as I thought he would be bad for the Twins originally, he proved himself last season. The Twins led ALL of baseball in runs scored in April and May last season, and they repeated that feat in August and September. Their problem never was SCORING runs.

Now Molitor has to pick 6 other coaches. I guess that's what managers do in the off season.

T-Wolves Win Thriller On the Road

And the Cavs lost again.

Wolves: 2-2
Cavs: 1-3

I'm starting to enjoy this season.

World Champion Arm Wrestler

This is not a joke. He's from Germany.

Cleveland Cavaliers Drop To 1-2

I smile.

There IS something worth watching this year.

Hall of Fame

If you don't make the baseball hall of fame the first go-round, there is something nice that baseball does for retired older players. They give them a second chance in the form of the Veterans Committee.

This year THREE former Twins were nominated: Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, and Luis Tiant ( though Tiant's greatest claim to fame in Minnesota was a short stint before making way for then rookie Bert Blyleven, but he was a fun pitcher to watch.)

Kitty Kaat was THE man for me growing up. I still imitate his loping delivery when I try to impress people with my pitching "prowess."

If Tony O hadn't went down with a knee injury, he would have been one of the greatest of all-time, bar none. He hit for power and average and had one of the greatest arms ever. He was as good as his contemporary Roberto Clemente, but back then knee surgery was in its infancy, and instead of getting quick micro-surgery on a cartilage tear like today, they removed ALL of the cartilage in his knee. He lost his speed, and within a few seasons could barely walk. His loss was the greatest the Twins ever received.

Kaat and Oliva belong in The Hall. Far worse players are already enshrined. Rod Carew is on the veterans committee so the chances of at least ONE making it is good.

I hate that everything is determined by politics, though. They deserve to be there. I hope both make it.

Molitor and History

Conventional wisdom tells us that great players make lousy managers while average players make fantastic managers. The reason: The game came easily to those gifted enough to play it well. Average players had to KNOW the game inside and out to make it themselves or to have even a remote chance of success. They are the ones who knew what NEEDED to happen to change ball clubs around.

In the case of the Twins, we've had two average players in charge for more than 25 years. Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire had some very good years. but eventually ALL managers fail, that's why you need new ones.

So what about Paul Molitor? As far as I can tell, in the history of baseball, there have only been TWO other managers who became managers AFTER they were elected to the Hall of fame. Ted Williams was simply awful as a manager for the Washington Senators. The other, Ryne Sandberg, is currently having a terrible time of it in Phildelphia with his year-and-a-half with the Phillies.

There have been some great managers who were good players, though. Lou Pinella and Joe Torre come to mind, but they were GOOD players, not great.  Don Baylor is another recent example of a good player becoming a manager, yet in  9 years of managing he still is below a .500 winning percentage.

In the early days of baseball, great players were often made into player/managers so that the owners could pay them more money, so it's hard to separate their wins as managers versus their great play on the field contributing to the wins.

For the most part conventional wisdom appears to be right. Paul Molitor may break the mold and become great as a manager as well.

Something tells me his starting rotation will have a lot to with his success, though.

If the Twins had THAT the last five years, Gardy would still be managing.

Vikings Win

Most of the first half was difficult to watch, but the Vikings got a touchdown just before the half to make it a close 10-7 game.

The third quarter looked like the 'Skins were starting to take control.

That fourth quarter, though, was an absolute surprise. The defense, which despite the final 26-29 score, was making big plays all afternoon. They looked great as Bridgewater and the Vikings offense suddenly came alive.

Bridgewater, who looked timid and off most of the game suddenly looked confident and poised. He ended up with NO interceptions and 268 yards passing.

And the win.

4-5 is a respectable record at this point. The defense is SECOND in the league in sacks. And this young team is sparkling at times. I was surprised that RGIII made it through the game with all the tough hits he was taking.

I'm not optimistic yet about what comes next, but I'm no longer pessimistic either. There is talent on the field this year. You can see it on nearly every play. And it's young and hungry. It's also inexperienced. They have the possibility of accomplishing great things. That in itself will keep me watching for awhile longer.

It's a bye-week this week so I'll savor this win for a couple of weeks.

Wild Win!

I figured I mentioned the other Minnesota sports teams this morning, so I should at least mention the one that is doing fairly well. Right now they sit tied atop the central with a 4-1 win over Dallas last night. They are averaging 3.5 goals a game so far this season, which for hockey is a lot.

Still haven't seen more than a few moments of any game. I accidently see them when I check for the Wolves game, but that's about it. Still planning on watching more if they keep winning and scoring.

Go Wild!

That would make a good T-shirt.

RG III Set to Return

The Vikings will get to face a rested QB today. It's a bye-week next weekend, so whatever happens today we will have to live with for two weeks. I should be able to watch most of the game today.

IF RGIII is a little rusty and IF the Viking defense stays strong, and IF Bridgwater has a good game, and...

...well, you get the idea.

Go Minnesota.!

Twins

Though not announced officially, the Twins appear to have made their decision on a new manager, Paul Molitor. The real announcement should come soon.

Hope he can manage as good as he could play...

,,,and he can get some pitching.

Wolves Lose

They swished a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left to take the lead.

Then fouled the shooter with .2 seconds left.

He sank two and us.

sigh

Wolves Sign Rubio to 4-Year Extension

He's the face of the team, now. And they're good. They are currently tied with the Cavs for one of the best records in the NBA.