Media the biggest loser in Favre Saga

So it looks like Brett Favre isn't coming to play for the Vikings. Zippity-gosh-darn-do. I'm just glad the story is over. Although, let's be realistic: it's probably not over. It's never over with Favre. There will be rumors that he just wants to skip training camp and will make a comeback in time for the last two preseason games. There will be rumors that he just wanted to skip the preseason and will sign in time for the regular season opener. There will be rumors that he didn't want to wear down over the course of a 16-game season again and will join a championship contender in Week 8.

If there's one thing we've learned about Favre it's that he doesn't know when to quit and even when he thinks he knows when to quit, he doesn't know when to quit thinking about whether he really wants to quit. And the fact that this is now a non-story won't keep the national sports media from trying to make it a story. Hell, it's been a non-story for months and yet desperate sports reporters from across the country have tried to fill space with breathless "updates" nearly every day. "Oooh, the Vikings' trainer was in Mississippi today talking to Favre. Oooh, two Vikings sent text messages to Favre today. Oooh, Favre looked great throwing a buttonhook to some high school kid today." Honestly guys, I know the summer is slow, but are you that starved for content?

BTW, those were the real winners in the Favre Saga — the players from Oak Grove High in Mississippi who got tons of national TV exposure because Favre was playing catch with them. Except for the one kid who couldn't get his hands up fast enough and ended up taking a Favre missile in the face. Having that clip play over and over again on ESPN is not going to help you get a date for Homecoming.

The biggest loser in the saga? I honestly don't think it was the Vikes. As much as Favre has been romanticized, it seems often forgotten that he is the NFL's all-time interceptions leader. The Vikings have a solid defense and a great running game, what they need is a caretaker quarterback who can keep the defense honest without throwing the ball to the other team. I'm not sure if T-Jack or Sage Rosenfels can be that quarterback, but I'm pretty sure Favre can't be. His "I-can-fire-any-pass-into-triple-coverage" ego won't allow it.

Favre wasn't the biggest loser, either, though. Sure, he missed out on some money, but he already has plenty. He missed out on another championship shot, but he already has a Super Bowl ring and there's no guarantee he would have gotten another. Meanwhile, he avoided playing with a mediocre receiving corps and an offensive line built for run-blocking, not pass-blocking (if you've ever seen Bryant McKinnie trying to back-pedal, you know what I'm talking about).

I'd say that the people with the most egg on their faces are the sports reporters who for months have acted like this was basically a done deal. Since I returned to Minnesota the Star Tribune has been running a daily Favre-Meter and for all of July the meter has been stuck somewhere between "Almost a sure thing," and "Get your purple No. 4 jersey." Now it turns out all the "careful research" and "well-informed" sources behind that reporting were wrong. Dead wrong. 180 degrees wrong. Once again, by rushing to judgement and substituting speculation in the absence of actual story developments, the media looks foolish. As if laying off hundreds of copy editors hadn't already made it look foolish enough (BTW, Star Tribune, Ron Gardenhire is the Twins' "manager" not the Twins' "manger." And spell-check isn't going to catch that, so you might actually have to do a thing called "editing").

Yep, the Favre Saga made the media look pretty stupid. Then again, maybe we're the stupid ones for still believing what we read in the newspaper/see on TV/glance at in the blogosphere. You could make a case that the biggest losers were the Vikes fans who took the Strib's advice, jumped the gun and bought those purple Favre jerseys. They're out $50 or so.

Of games and gaming

My friend Babs has asked me to try and write some about video games (those of you who know Babs will not be surprised by this). I don't really consider myself much of an authority on the subject. Back in junior high/high school/college I used to play a lot of Warcraft (I and II), Starcraft and several EA Sports games (soccer, basketball, football, etc.). When I was killing time by myself in college I'd sometimes play Snood. When a bunch of us were killing time, we'd often play Bomberman. I didn't particularly enjoy Bomberman, but it was a four-player game and kind of a social outlet.

Since college ended I'm not really much into gaming, though. I'll play the occasional round of Guitar Hero (yes, it's possible, even with my finger limitations) or take the mic for a song on Rock Band. But I've avoided the World of Warcraft time vacuum. I'm not about to judge anybody who spends hours a week gaming, though. I typically spend hours a week watching sports on TV, which is similarly unproductive. You can complete a quest on Warcraft, or watch your favorite baseball team win a game, but your life is not going to change substantially in either case.

Babs has said that he doesn't understand why it's generally more socially acceptable to sit in front of a TV screen watching football for nine hours on a Sunday than it is to sit in front of a computer screen playing WoW for nine hours. I have to agree with him. Both are pretty much time wasters. And neither is usually a good way to meet women. When I think back on the amount of time I spent both watching sports and playing video games in college, I can't help but think, "Maybe that's why I didn't get many girls." Of course, there may be several other reasons, but that one's easier on the ego.

Yes, in the grand scheme of things, sports are not nearly as important as our society makes them out to be. The money involved in pro and major college sports has gotten absolutely obscene. I understand that and yet, I can't be too cynical about sports because they probably saved my life. If not for my interest in pro sports, I wouldn't have started playing them myself and I wouldn't have been nearly as active. I've never been in great physical condition, but playing sports has helped keep me reasonably healthy, especially in my heart and lungs.

I needed every bit of that cardiovascular health in the weeks following my hospitalization with bacterial meningitis. The toxins that ran through my body while I was unconscious really did a number on my internal organs. My respiration and heart rates were off the charts. It was as if I was jogging for days at a time, non-stop. Some of the nurses actually told my parents they had never seen someone keep up those rates for as long as I did. There's no way I could have done it without all those marathon sessions of pick-up basketball that I played in college. Three hours was about the average, but four or five was not unusual, especially on nights when the competition was good.

Could I have gotten the same cardiovascular benefit from going out and jogging on my own? Yes, and I probably could have gotten it in much less time. But I wouldn't have done it. I've never been much into exercise just for the sake of exercise. But if it's exercise for a competitive purpose, it's much more appealing to me. And it has been for a long time. That's one reason I still watch sports, write about sports and love sports.

I don't get the same thrill from the competitive aspect of video games. I don't know why, but I don't. So don't expect too many gaming blogs from me (sorry Babs).

Twins' latest bargain buy

Some people like their baseball teams to be free-spending, power-hitting, power-pitching juggernauts. Me, I appreciate a good bargain. I'm still wearing clothes I've had since eighth grade and I fully intend to run my economical compact car into the ground before I get a new one. So, I kinda like rooting for a team like the Twins, who watch their dollars and are unwilling to mortgage the future to try and snag a few extra wins this year.

The Twins' big mid-season move last week was to sign veteran free agent second basemen Mark Grudzielanek. Reaction from most of the local sportswriters has been to scoff about the tightwad Twins and how they missed a chance to really help themselves by trading for a young up-and-coming second baseman like Felipe Lopez or Freddy Sanchez. I disagree. After watching Grudzielanek play for the Royals for the last three years, I think he's a better option.

The Twins almost certainly would have had to give up at least two pretty good prospects to get Lopez or Sanchez. They didn't have to give up anybody for Grudzy and, though I haven't seen any specific terms of his contract, it had to have been dirt cheap (at least by pro sports' completely warped standards). He's 39 and missed the last two months of the 2008 season after having ankle surgery. He hasn't played a MLB game in nearly a year, so it will take him some time to get up to speed. He can't command much of a salary because he's not a long-term solution at second base.

But the Twins didn't necessarily need a long-term solution. They're still hoping that will eventually be Alexi Casilla. What they needed was a back-up plan and another option to push Casilla, who's hitting under .200. Grudzielanek is a good buy for that role. He may be getting old, but he's still got it. He hit .299 in 86 games last year and won a Gold Glove as recently as 2006. Much has been made of Sanchez' career .302 batting average but Grudzy's is not far off at .290.

Maybe Grudzielanek will never play a game in a Twins' uni. Maybe his ankle will act up, or maybe he will find that at his age he suddenly just doesn't have it anymore. Or maybe, best case scenario for Twins fans, Casilla will get his stuff together and the Twins won't need Grudzy. If so, it's not a big deal — they didn't give up much to get him anyway. But it's just as likely that Grudzielanek will join the Twins some time in the next few weeks, play reliable defense and hit in the high .200s like he always has. Plus he's always been known as a consummate professional who's great in the community and the locker room. He's not likely to upset a team's chemistry and that's a very important quality for any mid-season pick-up to have.

Basically, I'm glad the Twins didn't rip up their farm system to try and get Sanchez or Lopez. Grudzielanek is a better player than he gets credit for and is a great, cheap stopgap measure.

And here's more good stuff for MN sports fans. Jonny Flynn has looked pretty darn good in the NBA summer league and, if this interview is any indication, he's a smart, articulate kid who already talks like a leader:

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2009/07/18/nba_20090718_flynn.nba/index.html

Gin Blossoms

On Friday I went to Minneapolis and saw the Gin Blossoms live for the third time. It was the second time I'd seen them for free and I must say, "Gin Blossoms" and "free" are three of my favorite words.

Why do I like this band so much? It's hard to put my finger on. Most people only know the Gin Blossoms vaguely, as one of those alt-rock bands that had a couple radio hits in the '90s. Most probably don't know that they're together and touring and recording again (which, come to think of it, may be why they're playing free — though sponsored — shows relatively frequently). I recently met a girl who was going to Arizona State University, which is in Tempe, where the Gin Blossoms originated. So of course, I got all excited and started talking about the band and all I got from her was a blank stare. No idea who they were. I was surprised at the time, but now that I think about it, why would she know the Gin Blossoms? She was probably 9 or 10 years old the last time they had a hit song on the radio.

Back in the mid-90s though, they had a good run with offerings like "Found out about you," "Hey jealousy," "Follow you down," "Until I fall away," and "Til I hear it from you." You'll notice that some of the song titles sound confusingly similar. Well, some of the songs themselves sound confusingly similar as well. My friend Tim said it's kind of like the Gin Blossoms found a certain chord that worked for them and then just kind of stuck with it.

I agree with that, so why is it that I bought three of their albums, still listen to them regularly, and go see them live whenever it's convenient? Maybe I just really like that one chord they play. Maybe it's because their lead singer, Robin Wilson, has a voice that I think most anyone would agree is pleasing to the ear. Maybe it's because their lyrics, while not earth-shattering or profound, are straightforward and easy to relate to ("You can trust me not to think — And not to sleep around — If you don't expect too much from me — You might not be let down").

Those are all valid reasons for my love of GB, but I think there's something more. I think it's partly because their music was the soundtrack of a simpler time in my life — when I was 15 or 16 and just discovering some of the wonderful things in the world, like girls and cars and independence. When I didn't worry about lay-offs and health insurance and gas prices ($0.89 per gallon back then, as I recall. I could put a half-tank in my Geo Prizm using just the spare change in the car). When terrorism was just something going on way over in the Middle East and, as far as I knew, I lived in a country that was the world's leader in economics, entertainment and social justice. When my dreams seemed more like inevitabilities and all the options I needed to shape my adulthood however I pleased seemed to stretch out in front of me. When I had four normal limbs and could run so fast that my hair blew back or catch a baseball with hardly a thought.

It's not that I'm fixated on that time on my life, or wish that I could go back forever. The things I've learned and experienced since then have given me a much richer perspective on life, a much greater appreciation for family and friends and a much stronger spirituality. I wouldn't go back to the mid-'90s for good. But sometimes it's nice to visit and the Gin Blossoms always help me do that.

Greinke did Royals proud

Carl Crawford was named MVP of the MLB All-Star game Tuesday basically for one homerun-robbing catch (I assume it was for that and not for going 1-3 at the plate with a single, no RBI and no runs scored). It was a great catch (though not as good as the catch Torii Hunter made on Barry Bonds in the All-Star game a few years ago), but here's an alternate pick for MVP: Zack Greinke.

Now it's fair to say that Crawford was in the game much longer than Greinke and it's hard to give the MVP to a pitcher who only threw one inning. But I dare you to find a player who was more dominant while he was in that game than Greinke. Of the 16 pitchers who threw, Greinke was the only one to strike out two batters. And despite striking out two batters (which obviously requires a minimum of six pitches), Greinke needed just 10 pitches to complete his 1-2-3 inning. Eight of the 10 pitches he threw were strikes and it seemed like all eight of them hit a different corner of the strike zone (apparently when Zack pitches the strike zone is an octagon. Or I'm not a geometry wiz).

At one point, after Zack struck out David Wright on a bending, mid-80s slider (that he set up gorgeously with several mid-90s fastballs), announcer Joe Buck said "That's just filthy." And that was the only way to describe it: ridiculous, nasty, tie-a-white-flag-to-your-bat-and-surrender-now pitching that left Wright, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino helpless. Those are supposedly three of the best hitters the NL has to offer and Greinke made them look like Little Leaguers.

As a Twins fan I'd like to say that Joe Mauer, who was catching for him, had something to do with it. But the way Greinke's stuff looked, I think Mauer could have called just about any pitch and it would have been unhittable.

“It’s better trying to catch him than trying to hit against him,” Mauer told the KC Star. “You know what he has, all four pitches working, and you just have to deal with it.”

This was a performance Royals fans could savor and be proud of. Greinke was not one of KC's token All-Stars like Mark Redman (2006) or Ken Harvey (2004). He earned his spot and once he got in the game he was as good or better than any of the other guys there. That should give the fan base a nice boost going into the second half of the season. At 11 games back, the division race is now a long-shot for the Royals — they'll have to reel off a pretty good winning streak pretty soon to get back in it. But regardless of where the team sits in the standing, the fans can still come out and watch baseball's best pitcher every five games, and that ain't bad.

Anyway, Greinke should have been the MVP, but that honor went to Crawford, who, ironically, took Zack out of the game when he pinch-hit for him. And Zack, in typical Zack fashion, was both gracious and humorous about it.

“I was like, ‘Crawford? Are you serious?’ ” Greinke told the Star. “But he got a base hit, so it’s acceptable. And he robbed a homer, so I guess that worked out all right. It could’ve been me. That pitch was probably right down the middle. I would’ve crushed it.”

Church and Rock do mix

Going to the Basilica Block Party this weekend reminded me of how much I love Minnesota in the summer. It was pretty idyllic to listen to good music with the Minneapolis skyline providing the backdrop on one side and the historic basilica providing it on the other. The weather was just about perfect both nights, warm and sunny. Every once in awhile we'd get a refreshing touch of cool northern breeze — nature's air conditioner. It was pretty relaxing.

The only part of the block party that usually causes me any anxiety is that there's two stages and it's sometimes hard to choose what band I want to see more. Friday I started out by getting my first taste of Romantica, a local Twin Cities band with an alt rock feel. They were quite entertaining, even if the lead singer seemed to be affecting a Bono-imitation Irish accent when he talked to the crowd between songs. Maybe it wasn't entirely fake — their song "Fiona" suggests at least some Irish roots, and is also a great sample of their sound.

Next up was a trip to the main stage for Mat Kearney, who is one of my favorite up-and-coming singer-songwriters. For my money one of the highlights of the weekend was seeing him perform "Closer to love" :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbdxzSHn-QM

Best line: "I guess we're all one phone call from our knees."

After Kearney we got to see the reunion of the Jayhawks, a Minnesota institution (despite their decidedly "Kansas" name). They were good, especially the guy on lead guitar. But after about a half hour all the songs started to sound the same. Basically the Jayhawks are a band that's cool to listen to while you're doing other things (or if you're high, judging by the two squinty-eyed dudes who were jamming out next to us). So, before the Jayhawks were done we hopped over to the other stage and caught the end of the Black Crowes' set. It was kind of disappointing. Seemed like a bunch of long-haired dudes who just got together for an impromptu jam session — long guitar solo, then long drum solo, then long harmonica solo, then long keyboard solo, etc. But we did get to hear "Hard to Handle" when they were finally done with all that, so that was nice.

Day 2 was highlighted by Matt Nathanson, who played a great set of music and was also pretty darn funny. He played his hits, of course, like "C'mon get higher," and "Car crash" and also some ultimate audience-participation cover songs like "Jessie's girl" and Don't stop believing." He also did a rollicking version of the song "Laid" which is technically a cover, I guess, but he recorded a version of it for the American Wedding soundtrack, so it's kind of his, too. In between he ripped on self-absorbed music stars like Miley Cyrus and Eminem, and didn't spare the sarcasm when talking about the cinematic brilliance of American Wedding, which I thought was gutsy, considering he played a part (albeit a small one) in that project.

After Nathanson I stayed near the main stage for the Counting Crows. It was the second time I've seen them and the second time I've left early. I think I like the Counting Crows, but maybe I only like the Counting Crows of the '90s. I stayed there for almost an hour, then went over and caught the last 20 minutes of The Hold Steady's set and found myself wishing I had come over earlier. The Hold Steady is super-fun.

So that was the block party. I got to hang out with old friends and listen to great music outside in great weather at a great venue. Sure there were a lot of 50-year-olds trying to act 25 and a lot of 15-year-olds trying to act 25. Sure it was crowded and all the food and drinks were overpriced. But, all in all, it was a pretty nice way to spend a summer weekend.

Damn Yankees

One of the reasons I was looking forward to moving back to Minnesota was that I would be able to watch the Twins on TV a lot more. So, of course, in the first three games I watch they get swept by the Yankees at home. That runs their season record against the Evil Empire to an awesome 0-7. Of course, this is nothing new. The Twins won their division in 2002 and 2003 despite going a combined 0-13 against the Yanks.

So why is it that a relatively good team has so much trouble taking even one game from the Yankees? Sometimes I think it's because the Twins try too hard against New York. They're a team that's built on pitching to contact, playing loose and smooth in the field and stringing together base-hits. But against the Yankees it seems like the pitchers try too hard to nibble at the edges and end up walking way more batters than they usually do. The fielders are too eager to try and turn the bang-bang double play or make a Herculean throw and end up making more errors than they usually do. The hitters are too eager to hit the game-turning homerun and end up striking out more than they usually do.

Then, of course, the Yankees are the Yankees and their history gives their current players more star power than comparable players on other teams. For some reason Derek Jeter's strike zone is much narrower than Joe Mauer's strike zone and Mariano Rivera's strike zone is much wider than Joe Nathan's strike zone. There's no use whining about it. The MLB umpires grew up on the same legends of Gehrig, Mantle and the Babe as every other baseball fan, and the Yankee uniform has an effect on them, subconscious or not. It is what it is.

What makes the Yankees most infuriating to the rest of the nation, though, is their bottomless pocket book. While the Twins have to spend years drafting and developing a top-flight starting pitcher like CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett, the Yankees can go buy both in the same off-season. It's terribly exciting for their fans, but maddening for everybody else.

At the National Meningitis Association conference this year my friend John, who's from New York and a Yankees fan, made a comment about how good Mauer is going to look in pinstripes. That's what it's like to be a Yankees fan. You can look at other teams' best players and, instead of being envious, just say, "Well, he's going to play for us someday." And often you'll be proven right. Look at A-Rod, Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, etc.

Mauer's contract with the Twins runs out after next season and there's every reason to believe the Yanks will make a serious run at him. He'll only be 27 and he's a catcher who can handle a pitching staff, throw out runners, lead the league in batting average and, recently at least, hit for power. There's only been a handful of those kind of catchers in MLB history (in fact, Johnny Bench is the only one who readily comes to mind). Oh yeah, and Mauer also is humble, good-looking, great in the clubhouse and the community and handles the media with ease. And he's never had even the hint of a performance-enhancing drug scandal. He's a PR guy's dream, a manager's dream and a teenage girl's dream, all in one sideburned package.

The Yankees will probably offer him an obscene contract that the Twins can't even come close to matching, even with the new stadium they're opening in 2010. The Twins will likely (hopefully) try to pre-empt them with a long-term extension this winter, but it will still be up to Mauer and his agent as to whether to sign it. It will be a huge payday either way, but it will likely be more huge (huger?) if he waits for free agency. His buddy, MVP first baseman Justin Morneau, has said he will stop talking to Mauer if Mauer leaves the Twins. The jury is still out on whether Morneau was kidding or not.

It is hard to imagine the state-wide outcry that would ensue if Mauer left. He is the Golden Boy here, a St. Paul native who tore through the football, basketball and baseball ranks in high school and then spurned a full scholarship to play quarterback at Florida State for the chance to sign with the hometown Twins. His high school exploits are spoken of like Paul Bunyan tall tales: "Did you know that Joe Mauer once threw an 80-yard touchdown pass... to himself?" "Did you know that Joe Mauer once dunked from the 3-point line?" "Did you know that Joe Mauer only struck out once in four seasons at Cretin-Derham Hall?"

The last one's actually true, but the line seems to blur sometimes when Minnesotans talk about Mauer. He is a source of great pride and has a chance to be the greatest sports legend in state history. But before he can match Kirby Puckett, he has to do something that Puckett did. Midway through his career Puckett called a teary-eyed press conference to announce that he was spurning other contract offers to re-sign with the Twins, the team that had given him a chance and developed him into the player he had become. In turning down more money to play for his hometown Chicago White Sox, Puckett cemented his place in the hearts of Minnesotans. When the time comes to sign his next contract, Mauer can either do the same, or he can break those hearts.

To the regular person it seems absurd. Mauer's already going to get tens of millions of dollars every year. Why would he leave that kind of love in Minnesota for a few million more each year in New York? Still, it would be just like the Yankees to find yet another way to infuriate and demoralize Twins fans.

Leaving home, coming home

I am now officially back in good ol' St. Cloud, Minnesota, starting a new chapter in my life. It's a bittersweet transition. I'm glad to be home for a year, seeing more of my parents, my grandma and my high school friends. But I already miss my friends down in Kansas. I'm torn, but it's nothing new. It's kind of been that way ever since I left Minnesota to come to KU; it's just that now the roles are reversed.

When left for college I always had it in the back of my mind that I would return to my home state at some point. It wasn't supposed to be a permanent move. But things got very comfortable down in Kansas and I had a lot of fun. A lot of that is due to my roommate Matt, who, until yesterday, I had lived with for eight of the past nine years (we were briefly separated by one life-threatening illness). He definitely kept things interesting — how many guys do you know who would get out of a car and dance to a Neil Diamond song in the middle of a crowded street?

A friend of mine from work once said that Matt and I had an "epic bro-mance." Perhaps that explains why neither of us had much luck with the ladies in recent years (girls, I assure you, my relationship with Matt has always been entirely platonic). Well, our bro-mance will continue, but it will be long-distance for awhile.

Of course Matt's not the only one I left behind in Kansas. There's probably a couple dozen folks that I will miss hanging out with on a regular (or semi-regular) basis, many of whom were at at least one of the three going-away parties that Matt organized for me. But the trade-off is that I get to renew relationships with people up here. On the drive back I stopped and visited Greg Koetter — who has been one of my best friends since about fifth grade — and his wife. When I left their house, instead of saying, "Well, I guess I'll see you in a few months," I was able to say, "Maybe I'll see you this weekend." That was a good feeling.

This post is getting a bit rambling, so I guess I'll just try to get to the point (or figure out the point I've been meaning to make): This was not an easy move. I'm not usually one to second-guess myself once I've made a decision, but during the last few days I started to wonder if I shouldn't just stay in Olathe and collect unemployment checks. Ultimately I still think this is the right choice. I think my Americorps job will be very rewarding and being able to reconnect with my family and old friends up here will give me a whole new set of priceless memories. But, in coming home, I was also leaving a home. And that's kind of a sad feeling.

Feeling the draft

OK, so when the T-Wolves drafted point guards with their first three picks (No. 5, 6 and 18) at first I wondered if Kevin McHale had somehow grabbed the reins again and was intent on dragging the team back to NBA Draft hell (see William Avery, Ndudi Ebi, Rashad McCants, trading Brandon Roy for Randy Foye).

But after looking over the full results of the draft, I don't feel quite so infuriated. The thing is, there just wasn't a whole lot of eye-popping talent in this draft. The Wolves passed on a few interesting guys like Jordan Hill and Stephen Curry, and a few raw prospects with star potential like DeMar DeRozan and Austin Daye. But all of them were flawed. No sure things.

Obviously the Wolves were looking for their "point guard of the future" in this draft. But it was a good move to trade the one they got at No. 18, Ty Lawson, for a future first-round pick. More likely than not, it will come in a more talent-laden draft.

That leaves the No. 5 pick, Ricky Rubio, and the No. 6, Jonny Flynn. Both have their flaws. Rubio's biggest flaw is that he may never play for the Wolves. The 18-year-old Spanish heartthrob has expressed some serious reserve about leaving his European team for Minnesota. Not shocking, really, coming from a young guy who has spent his whole life in a country that usually only sees snow high in the Pyrenees.

If Rubio does suit up for the Wolves, he would at least put much-needed butts in the seats. He's been playing pro since he was 14, he got international exposure in the Olympics and he was arguably the most-hyped player in the draft. Whether his presence would result in a lot more wins is debatable. Rubio is flashy — he handles the ball like it's part of his body and has court vision that gives him that rare "oooh, aaaah" passing ability. But he's also skinny, not particularly fast and not a particularly great shooter.

He's certainly got potential. If he hits the weights hard for a couple of years and works on his shot he could be a Jason Kidd-type. Otherwise he'll remain a defensive liability and an offensive novelty.

Rubio is a reach that could be a jackpot. If he works out he could work out huge. If he busts he could really, really bust. That's where the Flynn pick comes in. Flynn doesn't have the upside, the intrigue, the flashy game or the international following. But he's a solid, safe pick. He's shorter than Rubio, but he's strong, fast and proven. He's not a great 3-point shooter, but he's a great defender who can create off the dribble for himself or teammates. Best of all, at Syracuse last year he had a habit of coming up big in big games (25 pts, 5 assists vs. KU; 24 pts, 6 assists at Memphis; 34 pts, 11 assists vs. UConn in the Big East tourney).

If Rubio signs with the Wolves they've got an exciting, talismanic new face with Flynn as a valuable back-up plan. If he doesn't sign they should at least get good value because they own his rights. Then they go all-in with Flynn. Either way they've given themselves a major upgrade at point guard (not a huge accomplishment — Sebastian Telfair is easily upgrade-able). Throw in Wayne Ellington as a spot-up shooter to replace Mike Miller with the 28th pick and the T-Wolves did alright for themselves. It's not the type of draft that will overhaul the squad and put it in the playoffs immediately. But it was a decent "slowly-building-a-winner" type draft, which is what they really needed. And getting that in this year's weak draft was no easy task.